Author Topic: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?  (Read 8029575 times)

Bracken_Joy

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #7900 on: January 05, 2017, 08:13:43 AM »

Added an item to my amazon wish list, and will let it sit at least until February before we decide to buy it. (An alarm for our chest freezer).


Lots of freezer thefts in your neighborhood?  Or is that where you keep your valuables? An alarm would totally help me cut down on my 3 a.m. ice cream binges. :D

Hahaha. Nothing so exciting! It alarms if the temperature rises too much for too long, so you don't lose a freezer full of meat. We buy by the half cow and hunt and fish, so it would be a tragedy of epic proportions to lose a whole chest freezer worth. I can delay the purchase though because the freezer is in the garage and is honestly almost a warming box right now it's been so cold!

G-dog

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #7901 on: January 05, 2017, 08:17:59 AM »
The Prospector family could have used an alarm when the boys left the freezer door open and they lost their inventory recently...

Bracken_Joy

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #7902 on: January 05, 2017, 08:31:23 AM »
The Prospector family could have used an alarm when the boys left the freezer door open and they lost their inventory recently...

Ah yes. That is another scenario it's good for!

I'm a red panda

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #7903 on: January 05, 2017, 09:08:02 AM »

*Drinking blueberry tea from my stash. It's not terrible! I'm trying to drink it all before I buy any new tea

Blueberry tea makes excellent iced tea. I can't stand it warm...

4alpacas

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #7904 on: January 05, 2017, 10:31:54 AM »

*Drinking blueberry tea from my stash. It's not terrible! I'm trying to drink it all before I buy any new tea

Blueberry tea makes excellent iced tea. I can't stand it warm...
Teas that I dislike hot usually make excellent iced teas. 

Made overnight oats for breakfast (chocolate and peanut butter), bulk cooked chicken for dinner last night (and for lunch today and tomorrow)
Have plans to meet friends out for dinner.  Instead of spending money on drinks, I'm bringing a bottle of wine to a restaurant with no corkage fee.  We leave a larger tip, but still come out ahead by quite a bit. 
Meal planning for next week.  I'm trying 4 new recipes this weekend. 

OmahaSteph

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #7905 on: January 05, 2017, 11:20:54 AM »
Last night I dug out the three (!!!) partial bags of leftover sliced holiday ham, and after the sniff test (it was frozen for some of that time, relax) I chunked it, threw it into the food processor with some other ingredients already on-hand and made two containers of ham salad. One is in the fridge for lunches, the other is in the freezer.

Brought two small containers of leftovers for lunch. Been eating much smaller portions lately and eating more slowly.

Two of my items sold at the nearby ladies consignment store! Trying not to check my account more than twice once per day. :)


1967mama

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #7906 on: January 05, 2017, 12:53:29 PM »
Thanks for the tips on icing tea! Hadn't thought of that!

*Continuously pulling meat from the freezer. Trying to keep 2-3 days ahead. We have 2 sides of beef and 60 chickens in there. (Well, we did have that much)

*Spaghetti sauce going for dinner. Trying to have dinner cooking before we eat lunch.

*Being more organized with groceries - keeping a detailed list of needs and only shopping 1-2x per week (sometimes need produce or dairy midweek). I'm feeding a small army here..haha

*Keeping warm with a wool infinity scarf and slippers I received for Christmas from my mom and dad


misshathaway

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #7907 on: January 06, 2017, 08:41:59 AM »
Dropped the car off for routine maintenance and walked home, a couple of miles away, instead of taking a taxi. I love having the car repair place near my home so that I can do this.

Was sort of challenging this morning because it snowed, but just a very slippery inch. There were fender-benders all over the place. There was one, that I still can't figure out  where 3 cars all had their front ends smashed into each other in a star configuration and not one was aligned with any lane or street.

SingleMomDebt

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #7908 on: January 06, 2017, 10:04:44 PM »
Packed my breakfast & lunch for work, including my coffee.

Didn't succumb to buying the 3pm snack (although I didn't pack my snack and my stomach was growling. haha).

Dinner was paid for by a family member.

1967mama

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #7909 on: January 06, 2017, 11:12:29 PM »
*Cooked two chickens from the freezer for dinner and already deboned them. A box of good meat in the fridge and bones ready to make broth in my InstantPot ... it makes the best broth ever!

*Used up rice from the fridge by making stir fried rice with our chicken - added onions, carrots, celery and a red pepper

*Made a copy of a sign I saw at a store .. it worked out pretty well

*Took 3 youngest kids to the pool today with our pool pass

*Getting out Oatmeal to remind myself to cook a batch for breaky






Cressida

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #7910 on: January 07, 2017, 10:13:39 PM »
Was planning on going to an old friends party next weekend, despite the drive and expense, aise we use to be very close and I miss them and I'm not going to reliably see them after giving birth. Last night, said friend, and their roommates/new friends, ganged up on someone in a FB argument because that person claimed that biological sex existed as a more-or-les-general binary (lots of men, lots of women, some intersex people making up a percentage of the population). Apparently acknowledging the existence of biological sex is bigoted and transphobic and generally worth fighting? (Note: the person was very clear that sex =\= the social construct of gender or most things socially associated with gender. The argument was over whether biological sex EXISTED. Like... there's open-minded, and then there's brainless?)

I... decided that I live 2 hours away, and I'm NOT interested in driving 4 hours, including gas and wear and tear on the car, in order to spend an evening with people who will call other people names in response to a statement like "biological sex differences exist". I let Old Friend know I wouldn't be going, best of luck, also I'm very busy these days and won't be seeing them much, cheers. 40$ gas not spent. Wine party contribution not needed. An evening and 4 hours of driving not spent.

I've decided that, instead, I'm going to spend 2$ on mulled cider ingredients and spend that time sitting in front of the fireplace with my husband, enjoying the peace and quiet before the second child comes along next month. Somehow, that seems a lot better than spending $ to spend time with Tumblr activists. Ugh. Escape achieved. 60+ dollars not spent. Time is miiiiine. Nonsense is avoided. Good lord, welcome 2017.

+100

mustachepungoeshere

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #7911 on: January 08, 2017, 03:19:23 AM »
Getting ready for work tomorrow and thinking about the usual Monday morning conversation.

How was your weekend? What did you get up to?

I tend to leave out the specifics.

Not much, just:

- went grocery shopping (buying as little food as possible after taking stock of fridge, freezer, pantry)

- tidied up (sorted out the pantry and spent 10 minutes deciding whether to keep empty jars to re-use or toss for less clutter)

- went out with friends (a friend came over and we walked her dog, then sat outside, drank water, and talked for an hour)

- did some exercise (walked about 12kms all up, free, while listening to podcasts, also free)


In all fairness, I had a great weekend. :D

Linea_Norway

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #7912 on: January 08, 2017, 07:02:01 AM »
My DH went skating on the fjord while I went waling in the same area. There is a nice café around there. But we brought along our own food an drink and didn't spend anthing else than some diesel.

jengod

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #7913 on: January 08, 2017, 08:48:15 PM »
Sold an extra baby item on eBay.

Harvested green onion and parsley and an egg from the garden for dinner.

Conditioned our wooden cutting board with beeswax and mineral oil to extend its life.

Bracken_Joy

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #7914 on: January 08, 2017, 08:52:06 PM »
Took inventory of our fridge. Used up/plan to use up lots of odds and ends.

No spend day, didn't leave home (thanks ice storms!).

Sold an extra baby item on eBay.

Harvested green onion and parsley and an egg from the garden for dinner.

Conditioned our wooden cutting board with beeswax and mineral oil to extend its life.

We also conditioned a cutting board! Although we just use coconut oil, as it is what we have on hand. It was a hand-me-down from my parents (too big for them) and way very dry.

Poundwise

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #7915 on: January 08, 2017, 09:00:39 PM »
I don't know if these are small, but yesterday our refrigerator stopped cooling. I disassembled the back of the freezer and checked to see if a fix I rigged up last year had held (I wrapped a wire around the defroster and let it dangle into the freezer drain to prevent the drain hole from freezing over).  It had, so we vacuumed out the condenser from the front, pulled out the fridge from the wall, removed a service panel, and vacuumed out the condenser etc. from the back too... and the fridge started to work again!

Then, the dishwasher stopped draining.  We ended up disassembling and cleaning a lot of parts; finally found some broken glass in the drain pump which probably was blocking the motor from turning.

It wasn't the weekend I was planning for, but we probably saved hundreds of dollars in service calls.

Linea_Norway

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #7916 on: January 09, 2017, 01:25:35 AM »
I don't know if these are small, but yesterday our refrigerator stopped cooling. I disassembled the back of the freezer and checked to see if a fix I rigged up last year had held (I wrapped a wire around the defroster and let it dangle into the freezer drain to prevent the drain hole from freezing over).  It had, so we vacuumed out the condenser from the front, pulled out the fridge from the wall, removed a service panel, and vacuumed out the condenser etc. from the back too... and the fridge started to work again!

Then, the dishwasher stopped draining.  We ended up disassembling and cleaning a lot of parts; finally found some broken glass in the drain pump which probably was blocking the motor from turning.

It wasn't the weekend I was planning for, but we probably saved hundreds of dollars in service calls.

Well done.

Kitsune

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #7917 on: January 09, 2017, 07:50:59 AM »
Got a car-load of baby gear from friends - all things we'd borrowed last time from another source, and that source is currently using them (baby swing, etc). Free baby gear = best baby gear.

horsepoor

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #7918 on: January 09, 2017, 07:52:31 AM »
Was in line to spend $3 for coffee at the airport when I remembered that the shop at a different gate offers $1 refills for personal mugs, so I got a little exercise  and cheaper coffee.  (Didn't want to create waste getting little disposable cups on the plane)

Yesterday, repaired the strap on the carry on bag DH and I share.

jordanread

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #7919 on: January 09, 2017, 07:59:28 AM »
Sold an extra baby item on eBay.

Did anyone else miss the 'item' word above, and assumed that eBay had drastically changed it's TOS?

Poundwise

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #7920 on: January 09, 2017, 08:19:18 AM »
I don't know if these are small, but yesterday our refrigerator stopped cooling. I disassembled the back of the freezer and checked to see if a fix I rigged up last year had held (I wrapped a wire around the defroster and let it dangle into the freezer drain to prevent the drain hole from freezing over).  It had, so we vacuumed out the condenser from the front, pulled out the fridge from the wall, removed a service panel, and vacuumed out the condenser etc. from the back too... and the fridge started to work again!

Then, the dishwasher stopped draining.  We ended up disassembling and cleaning a lot of parts; finally found some broken glass in the drain pump which probably was blocking the motor from turning.

It wasn't the weekend I was planning for, but we probably saved hundreds of dollars in service calls.

Well done.

Thanks so much for the pat on the back! I needed one, especially as we woke up this morning and found our pipes had frozen because somebody left the garage door open from running back and forth with tools to fix the other stuff. 

Pats on the back for everyone here!! You're doing good work and an inspiration!

Thinkum

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #7921 on: January 09, 2017, 05:39:00 PM »
Bought a bunch of staples at Costco and none of the shiny things.

Baked an English Muffin Toasting loaf of bread today, new recipe I found on the KA site. Next time I am going to add some of my sourdough starter, because while it tastes awesome, it's just missing that tang baby!

Had to buy le pooch some food since I miscalculated and his regular stuff wouldn't be here until tomorrow. So I checked online and found his food for even cheaper than Amazon. Go in store and of course it's marked up like $8 more than their online price. I knew they matched their own online price and so I got the food for $8 less than sticker and about $1 cheaper than papa Amazon. Score!

1967mama

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #7922 on: January 09, 2017, 06:15:14 PM »
*Did a bunch of cooking: a rice pudding with leftover rice, 2 dozen muffins with leftover oatmeal, 2 batches of stock from chicken bones and a loaf of French bread.

*Dressed warmly and kept the heat a little lower. Oven heat helped keep our living area warmer.


mustachepungoeshere

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #7923 on: January 09, 2017, 07:26:36 PM »
This morning I took stock of the food then froze bread, celery (for use in soup, stew or stock) and chicken breast.

I have leftover fresh pasta so I will use that with the pumpkin for dinner, which I am ridiculously excited about. It's grey and wet here today.

alewpanda

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #7924 on: January 09, 2017, 08:23:54 PM »
Our weekend was notoriously spendy....it was my birthday weekend, and husband's business trip rolled into one.

However:
-- hotel and hubs meals were covered by employer
-- gas and wear and tear were covered by employer and company car
-- several items that were spent on weren't "birthday items", they were items I needed that I had to be in a larger town to get -- but they scratched some of the "its my birthday and a fun weekend" shopping itch.  Items included: new slippers to replace the ones my puppy chewed up, undergarments required by the fancy dress for my sister's wedding, and my favorite brand and scent of dish soap...lol)   
-- "unneeded" items were still useful ones: new all natural perfume (mine was gone), bulk teas, a lovely candle, and several outings for fancy coffees and gallery exhibits

All in all, we spent a bit, but it was useful and some was needed.


Since arriving back:
-- grocery shopped and came in under budget.  Am working to use up pantry items and freezer items still.  Plus random foodie gifts from Christmas.
-- went to work
-- getting dental work done that isn't free, but should be covered better by this new year's improved dental insurance.
-- Drinking lots of water in place of other sugary drinks.

PMG

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #7925 on: January 09, 2017, 08:26:57 PM »
Did the same old cooking my own food, packing my lunch, planning ahead.

I also made a "cake" using leftover oatmeal. It's a little gummy and crumbly, but I was generous with spices and it tastes great.

Went to the gym today. It's free with tuition and I am trying to get my money's worth!  It's been so miserably cold today that I've hardly walked at all.  I didn't do a hard work out today but it felt amazing to just walk a couple miles on the track.

Mended a shirt.

Wire started showing on my phone charger, I wrapped it with electrical tape hoping it will extend its life.

Got a lot of little things done around the house. Cleaning, cooking, putting stuff away, small things that help keep me contented and in that help reduce my spending.

Armer Student

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #7926 on: January 10, 2017, 02:52:26 AM »
I moved and cut my rent in half. 850€ vs. 420€ per month in Munich, Germany.

The move cost ~100€ (Truck and Beer for my helpfull friends), saving will be 5160€/y.

not really "small", though ...

mustachepungoeshere

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #7927 on: January 10, 2017, 02:57:10 AM »
Had a couple of things on the go while cooking dinner tonight.

Boiled pumpkin, boiled parpadelle and made a brown butter and sage sauce for pasta tonight (leftovers for lunch tomorrow).

While all that was cooking away, I diced the rest of the pumpkin for baking, to be used in salads.

Since the oven was on anyway, I baked a couple of chicken breasts, to be shredded for salads and enchiladas.

Still have to cut up some fruit to use it up.

SingleMomDebt

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #7928 on: January 10, 2017, 09:11:56 AM »
Finally utilized our espresso machine at work and made a latte. forgot how much fun it is to froth milk.

csprof

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #7929 on: January 10, 2017, 10:18:36 AM »
While we had an electrician over, had him fix a bit of wiring so I could get our humidity-controlled fan switch installed in the bathroom.  Bought it last year but didn't have a neutral available.

This cost money.  It didn't save money.

But last year I had to repaint the bathroom ceiling and half of one wall because the paint bubbled, and I'm looking forward to not ever doing that again.  It's easier to install a new switch than to convince people to change their habits about always turning the fan on. :)  Doing a great job thus far.

YoungGranny

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #7930 on: January 10, 2017, 11:04:09 AM »
Built a piece of furniture instead of buying one. Got the wood from a local lumberyard and all other material (wood glue, screws, stain etc) for less than $100 total. Fits the dimensions of our space perfectly and buying it instead of making it would have been over $1,000.

4alpacas

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #7931 on: January 10, 2017, 11:10:42 AM »
Built a piece of furniture instead of buying one. Got the wood from a local lumberyard and all other material (wood glue, screws, stain etc) for less than $100 total. Fits the dimensions of our space perfectly and buying it instead of making it would have been over $1,000.
Awesome!

NV Teacher

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #7932 on: January 10, 2017, 02:16:36 PM »
Someone at work was getting rid of a couple boxes of apples.  I took them home, cut them up, and have them in the freezer ready to go in my morning smoothies for the next several months.  We are both happy.

mustachepungoeshere

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #7933 on: January 10, 2017, 02:19:04 PM »
I moved and cut my rent in half. 850€ vs. 420€ per month in Munich, Germany.

The move cost ~100€ (Truck and Beer for my helpfull friends), saving will be 5160€/y.

not really "small", though ...

Not small but fantastic!

CloserToFree

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #7934 on: January 10, 2017, 03:25:59 PM »
Have been neglecting this thread and posting mainly in the Uber Frugal January thread - but wanted to share that I gave up my afternoon Coke habit in favor of a cup of tea - I need a small jolt of caffeine, and tea is free at work (and we have a huge stash at home that needs working down since we're not big tea drinkers).  And it's been a nice jolt of warmth too in the cold weather we've been having!

Bracken_Joy

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #7935 on: January 10, 2017, 03:29:48 PM »
Have been neglecting this thread and posting mainly in the Uber Frugal January thread - but wanted to share that I gave up my afternoon Coke habit in favor of a cup of tea - I need a small jolt of caffeine, and tea is free at work (and we have a huge stash at home that needs working down since we're not big tea drinkers).  And it's been a nice jolt of warmth too in the cold weather we've been having!

That's a big change! Seriously. DH gave up a mountain dew habit ~5 years ago. It is a big step, but it's just pure profit- 100% health gains, completely free alternatives, etc. Congrats on making that step, I hope it sticks for you! Took DH 1 false start, but he got it to stick on the second try =)

Poundwise

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #7936 on: January 10, 2017, 03:44:29 PM »
Mixed a cup of oats into the chocolate cookie dough.  Fed cookies to kids and friends, instead of a prepackaged snack.

frooglepoodle

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #7937 on: January 10, 2017, 03:48:43 PM »
I had to spend the better part of an hour applying pressure to a cut on my toddler's finger instead of making dinner. The dinner I'd planned obviously wasn't going to happen at a decent hour, so I pulled a frozen dinner out and stuck it in the oven instead of ordering pizza.

Poundwise

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #7938 on: January 10, 2017, 04:01:55 PM »
I had to spend the better part of an hour applying pressure to a cut on my toddler's finger instead of making dinner. The dinner I'd planned obviously wasn't going to happen at a decent hour, so I pulled a frozen dinner out and stuck it in the oven instead of ordering pizza.

Great job having a plan B ready!

alewpanda

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #7939 on: January 10, 2017, 06:18:28 PM »
Bought a whole bunch of veggies and I've decided that this is the week that none of it goes to waste.  I spent an extra hour in the kitchen prepping multiple salads/veggie dishes, roasted a bunch of potatoes, and prepped fresh veggies for morning eggs or midday munching.  First day down....the rest of the week to go.  Gonna make this happen.

Ate leftover "eh" ice cream out of the freezer instead of going out like husband initially suggested. 

Planned a lunch for Thursday with a friend -- planned it for a restaurant that I have part of a gift card for to use up.

Dicey

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #7940 on: January 10, 2017, 06:54:54 PM »
I've been sick in bed for three days, so I haven't spent a cent. Good, right?

10dollarsatatime

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #7941 on: January 10, 2017, 08:33:41 PM »
Cooked (getting back into the habit...)

Tossed a bag of frozen cauliflower and half a bag of peppers and onions into a pint of homemade turkey stock.  Added curry powder and some other spices.  Blended it up, and served over leftover turkey.  Super tasty, and I have enough for another meal.

mustachepungoeshere

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #7942 on: January 10, 2017, 09:46:37 PM »
Downloaded an app to make the most of a promotion to earn extra airline points.

(I've elaborated on this previously, but any points I accumulate from things like this are cashed out for grocery gift cards. They represent <1 per cent of points balance.)

westcoastarlo

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #7943 on: January 10, 2017, 10:29:39 PM »
Skipped the gym and found three Pilates workout routines on YouTube and worked out at home.

Thinkum

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #7944 on: January 10, 2017, 10:39:00 PM »
Cooked all meals at home and damn were they good!

Bought a "kick sugar" type cookbook using a leftover gift card. Tons of great recipes that will save me even more money in the future.

1967mama

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #7945 on: January 10, 2017, 11:16:33 PM »
*Made a chicken chili from leftover chicken

*baked a pan of dinner rolls and a pan of cinnamon buns. Kids devoured them!

*Didn't go in a store or on Amazon

*Kept the heat lowish (not as low as some here) and put on a big thick wool scarf
And dressed in 3 layers (cami, long sleeved shirt, sweater dress and leggings)

*was without a dishwasher for 20 days. It's fixed now! Hallelujah! (I know .. first world problems .. I do a ton of scratch cooking and baking and have a large family)

mustachepungoeshere

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #7946 on: January 11, 2017, 01:40:39 AM »
Just sharpened my knives.

They are almost eight years old and I use them constantly, but a quick sharpen and they're good as new.

Linea_Norway

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #7947 on: January 11, 2017, 07:02:34 AM »
Just sharpened my knives.

They are almost eight years old and I use them constantly, but a quick sharpen and they're good as new.

My DH used to be a speed skater and is good at sharpening irons. So he also sharpens the good knives at home, as well as the chain saw's chain. The only knives that are a challenge are the bread knives. I have no idea if they can be sharpened at all.

Bracken_Joy

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #7948 on: January 11, 2017, 07:55:56 AM »
Adjusted our thermostat program- "night" now begins an hour earlier (11 hours total now) and is now 62F (was previously 64F). Not touching my 68F daytime temp though ;)

csprof

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #7949 on: January 11, 2017, 08:39:36 AM »
Just sharpened my knives.

They are almost eight years old and I use them constantly, but a quick sharpen and they're good as new.

My DH used to be a speed skater and is good at sharpening irons. So he also sharpens the good knives at home, as well as the chain saw's chain. The only knives that are a challenge are the bread knives. I have no idea if they can be sharpened at all.

You can sharpen serrated knives, but it's a pain in the .. knife block.  You use a tool like this:  http://amzn.to/2j7U4GT  (basically, a thin rod that tapers a bit towards the end -- starts kinda pencil-thickness and gets narrower), and you then sharpen each serration individually.

The bright side of bread knives is that if you're gentle with them and don't cut on something like a stone or glass countertop, they'll stay sharp for a long time.  The pointy bits protect the edge that's deeper in the groove.

To put it in perspective, I tend to steel and/or strop my knives about every second use.  About six gentle strokes on each side of the steel is enough to help maintain the blade pretty well.  I sharpen them on a stone as needed, but that tends to be every few months, for knives that get a good workout at least 4x/week.  I've never sharpened my serrated knives.  That's helped by the fact that I accidentally broke my oldest one about 10 years ago and have a "new" one, but close enough.

I have seen serrated blades get dull, though.  I brought my stones and sharpened my in-laws knives for them over thanksgiving, and I just.. cried a little bit about their serrated blades and left them alone.  They're probably 30 or 40 years old at this point, and have never been sharpened.  The knives, not the in-laws.

Oops.  I'll stop cooking-knife-geeking now.  That got a bit out of hand. :)

 

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