Author Topic: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?  (Read 8029691 times)

marielle

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10250 on: December 19, 2017, 08:02:49 AM »
I keep wanting to post here but everyday it would just be "Didn't buy anything". The last thing I bought was gas a week ago. Other than two auto-pay transactions for my donations and cell phone.

ERock

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10251 on: December 19, 2017, 08:56:02 AM »
My work is having an ugly Christmas sweater day. Since I don't already have one, I went to the thrift store and bought one for $1.98!

MaybeBabyMustache

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10252 on: December 19, 2017, 10:19:48 AM »
-Took the day off yesterday to spend with the kids. Was planning to go to the movies, but plans changed, so no money spent.
-Kids asked for lunch out, but I convinced them to head home & make lunch & have holiday cookies. ;-)
-Took the kids to the library for holiday craft time
-Worked out at home

haypug16

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10253 on: December 19, 2017, 10:44:54 AM »
Made DH and I delicious eggnog lattes. Saved about $10. Eggnog used was left by a friend that came to visit on Saturday so the only cost was a sprinkle of nutmeg on each :)
« Last Edit: December 21, 2017, 10:50:54 AM by haypug16 »

Linea_Norway

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10254 on: December 20, 2017, 04:07:40 AM »
Receiving free lunch at the cafeteria at work. Sponsored by my employer.

Ecky

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10255 on: December 20, 2017, 04:49:25 AM »
Stopped behind the local grocery store on my way home to pick vegetables out of their to-compost bin (basically dumpster diving). Nothing wrong with them, not even any bruises, they just got another shipment in and these had to go.

I'm a red panda

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10256 on: December 20, 2017, 07:21:28 AM »
My work is having an ugly Christmas sweater day. Since I don't already have one, I went to the thrift store and bought one for $1.98!

I'm surprised you found one. All the stores around here mark up the Christmas sweaters because they know people will be looking!

We had an ugly sweater party yesterday. Mine was not the only homemade sweater. My coworkers never cease to impress me, we are a frugal lot.

MaybeBabyMustache

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10257 on: December 20, 2017, 08:18:58 AM »
-Used a $20 off coupon to help my son buy a gift for his friend for Christmas. (The money he spent is his, but this helped him get something that the friend would really like.)
-Cancelled date night, as both kids were not feeling well. My husband tried a new recipe (absolutely amazing), we did a puzzle with the boys, shared wine, & looked at Christmas lights. It was a fabulous evening.
-Received a $100 rebate for our newly installed pool pump. Excited to check out the energy savings. The energy rebate was going away at the end of the year, and the fuel efficiency is supposed to pay for itself in 12 months.
-Continued my ongoing saga of getting our supplemental 2017 property tax bill. I can't pay it unless they submit the bill, and if they don't get it to me to get the payment in before the end of 2017, I can't write it off against my federal taxes due to 2018 changes. The difference is around $8K, so it's a pretty big deal.
Based on other threads ( like this one: https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/welcome-to-the-forum/republican-tax-plan-2017), prepaying 2018's bill in 2017 will no longer be allowed if the current tax bill gets passed. Look at this thread from newest to oldest to get the latest information.


You might want to get a second opinion before sending in  the check. Please share your results with others back here.

It looks like the other site seems to be in agreement that PROPERTY tax prepayments will still be allowed.

State tax prepayments are not allowed.

This is a 2017 tax bill. We live in a county that provides a "supplemental" tax bill, but there is a huge backlog. Bought our house the first week of February - still have not received our bill. We know how much it will be (fixed percentage, based on sale price), but cannot pay until the bill is posted. I have been tracking this daily with the assessor's office, so we are now besties. :-)

Correct - state tax prepayments are not allowed.
With regard to property tax prepayments, I've read both, so unclear where things will net out on the final interpretation.


Jenny Wren

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10258 on: December 20, 2017, 09:58:07 AM »
Another no spend day yesterday!

- Canceled my hosting account. I had been paying $100 a year simply to keep the email address, since I shut down the website and scaled back my freelancing when I went back to school. Stupid, but now that's $100 more a year toward FI!

- Did a free yoga video.

- Made a spreadsheet for grocery shopping. We are transitioning to once monthly shopping, except most produce and bread. Spreadsheet lets me make a monthly ongoing list that I can access from computer or phone. It's organized by quantity and store, as well. No excuses to forget anything ever again.

- Made a second spreadsheet with monthly budget caps for a few budget subcategories where we tend to overspend. I can update this real time on my phone, thus seeing when we are about to do something stupid and hopefully stopping it!

- Used Youtube to hone and refresh above spreadsheeting skills. New skill learned + insourcing task= win!

- Helped older son make some fancy spiral cookies for a birthday gift for his partner, using ingredients we already had.

- Library movie night and air popped, bulk purchased popcorn with fam made for lovely evening entertainment on a rainy day.

Bracken_Joy

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10259 on: December 20, 2017, 10:15:38 AM »
-Scheduled an MRI for the beginning of next year instead of the end of this one. Deductible was super high this year (like $2500?) and will be lower next year ($1k) since we went for a fancier plan. No way will I hit the deductible this year, but lots is already on the books for next. May as well try and consolidate it! And a week difference will have literally zero impact whatsoever.

-Stocked up on wine from a discount grocer in my area. Will grab a few from Trader Joe's as well, and have a nice robust looking wine collection for the holidays for an average of like $6/bottle.

-Husband and I played the car/work schedule shuffle yesterday so I could take the commuter (rather than the truck) for my long drive day.

-Cleaned out the fridge so we could take a bunch of food my parents bought for people coming into town. This will help defray the hosting costs!

MaybeBabyMustache

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10260 on: December 20, 2017, 10:29:58 AM »
-Called about a flight that was changed beyond the 2 hour window allowed by airlines. Received a $75 credit, and the revised flight time actually works better for me.
-Husband took the day off yesterday & took the kids to the science museum in the city. Used company perks to get free ticket for him, and 10% off the kids passes. Still an expensive treat, but the kids loved it, and still less expensive than camp.
-Husband also took the electric car yesterday, as he was driving the most miles.
-Made dinner from items on hand
-Ate free breakfast/lunch & snacks at work.

Imma

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10261 on: December 20, 2017, 04:01:32 PM »
- Still saving money by being ill. Kind of tired of this now though.
- Saving money for Christmas this way too. It's just the two of us at home, except for a Boxing Day brunch with my grandma. Normally we eat in a restaurant on Christmas Eve (€75) and invite a friend over on Christmas Day and I typically always buy too much food, no matter how much I try not to. ( I don't waste though, we eat Christmas food until NYE) I'm way too ill to go shopping now, so I made a list for my s/o and he still forgot some stuff. He doesn't mind doing the shopping, but he hates meal planning.

Probably for the better. Especially because I'm still not sure I can even eat by that time. As we don't really have anywhere to go this year, I also didn't buy a new dress and didn't buy a tree because I don't have the energy to decorate it right now. We do have some gifts to swap between the two of us but those are cheap, mostly homemade gifts. I am of course not sure what he got me, but I only got him useful things. I made us matching Christmas print pyama pants! He has one pair of stained and ripped pyama pants that's more than 10 years old and I had to throw mine away a while ago.

MaybeBabyMustache

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10262 on: December 20, 2017, 04:45:06 PM »
- Still saving money by being ill. Kind of tired of this now though.
- Saving money for Christmas this way too. It's just the two of us at home, except for a Boxing Day brunch with my grandma. Normally we eat in a restaurant on Christmas Eve (€75) and invite a friend over on Christmas Day and I typically always buy too much food, no matter how much I try not to. ( I don't waste though, we eat Christmas food until NYE) I'm way too ill to go shopping now, so I made a list for my s/o and he still forgot some stuff. He doesn't mind doing the shopping, but he hates meal planning.

Probably for the better. Especially because I'm still not sure I can even eat by that time. As we don't really have anywhere to go this year, I also didn't buy a new dress and didn't buy a tree because I don't have the energy to decorate it right now. We do have some gifts to swap between the two of us but those are cheap, mostly homemade gifts. I am of course not sure what he got me, but I only got him useful things. I made us matching Christmas print pyama pants! He has one pair of stained and ripped pyama pants that's more than 10 years old and I had to throw mine away a while ago.

Being sick is not a fun way to save money. Hope you feel better ASAP!

centwise

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10263 on: December 21, 2017, 12:30:30 PM »
I asked for a discount!

I'm having some expensive tree maintenance done by a reputable arborist (these are huge trees so it's not something I can do myself, nor would I trust it to an amateur). Before agreeing to the estimate, I politely e-mailed to ask if they might be able to offer a discount and they knocked 15% off the price.

This is something we often forget -- you can save money just by asking. :)

better late

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10264 on: December 21, 2017, 10:35:48 PM »
-Called about a flight that was changed beyond the 2 hour window allowed by airlines. Received a $75 credit, and the revised flight time actually works better for me.

Can you explain this a bit? If the airlines changes your flight times you can call and get a $ credit??

MaybeBabyMustache

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10265 on: December 22, 2017, 07:44:52 AM »
-Called about a flight that was changed beyond the 2 hour window allowed by airlines. Received a $75 credit, and the revised flight time actually works better for me.

Can you explain this a bit? If the airlines changes your flight times you can call and get a $ credit??

Sure! This depends on the airline (and, perhaps country specific regulations?) Here's a good overview of when you can typically get credits. https://thepointsguy.com/2016/08/how-to-get-compensation-flight-issues/

In my case, our preferred domestic airline (Alaska Airlines) offers a $75 credit if they change your flight time by more than 2 hours. They will offer you both a flight change (if there's another flight that works better) for free, plus the $75. You can also get mileage, but I typically take the $75, as I find it easier to use.

lexde

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10266 on: December 22, 2017, 08:18:29 AM »
I am kind of conflicted on this one.

I was given a $200 AMEX gift card by my job as a thank you / bonus. I have a terrible habit when it comes to handling unplanned money — I always IMMEDIATELY want to share it or give it away, usually to my SO. I don’t know why. I just have to share it. Every. Single. Time.

So I used $50 of the $200 to buy my last Christmas present (gift card).

I almost gave my SO the card with the remaining $150 on it, “just because.” But I actually stopped myself today, and I am kind of proud of it, but feel weird about feeling proud of it. I’m not depriving him of anything, our finances are in no way combined, but my brain is just being weird.

So I saved $150 today by not just handing it to my SO.

Dollar Slice

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10267 on: December 22, 2017, 08:28:25 AM »
I have a terrible habit when it comes to handling unplanned money — I always IMMEDIATELY want to share it or give it away, usually to my SO. I don’t know why. I just have to share it. Every. Single. Time.

Haha. I'm the same way if I ever get a $100 bill (which used to often be a holiday bonus from work). It would just tickle me too much to think about someone's face if they found it sneaked into a tip jar/donation bucket/etc.

Jenny Wren

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10268 on: December 22, 2017, 08:51:53 AM »
First, the wins from yesterday:

-Finished the JLCollins blog series on investing and began drafting our investment plan for the new year.

-Threw a double batch of dry beans in the crockpot to cook overnight. Half will be chili for dinner tonight, the other half goes into the freezer for later use.

-I'm in charge of Christmas desserts. Went through the pantry to see what I have. Looks like apple pie and lemon bars are the winners -- and I don't have to buy any special ingredients!

-Needed to replace my hiking shoes before our trip in January. They have hundreds and hundreds of miles on them, and the soles are splitting. Instead of going to REI and plunking down $150+, I checked the REI garage. Found my current shoes there, since they have been discontinued, for $65. Cross checked other retailers and Amazon to verify the best price. Ordered with store pickup to get the free shipping.

Sorta fail:
-Left the interior lights on in our car and woke up to a dead battery. No cost, since our insurance has free roadside. BUT, I realized that I had no idea how to jump the battery in our Prius, or which battery I could jump without a jump box. Not a fail right now, but we are shopping insurance so it would have been a major fail in a month or so when we might not have roadside anymore.

Full fail:
-Went to a Christmas party at a pizzeria and dropped $55. Our whole pre-party pep talk of one drink each/no food went right out the window. We aren't responsible enough to be left alone in restaurants or bars :(

MaybeBabyMustache

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10269 on: December 22, 2017, 09:03:24 AM »
Wins from yesterday:
-Made dinner at home, using the (almost gone) leftover chicken. We had chicken tacos. Tonight will be chicken risotto.
-Took the kids to the library for entertainment, & to get books for our upcoming trip.
-Working down our fridge inventory, in advance of our flight tomorrow. (Will bring any produce that will travel well).
-Got two free items from work that I'll add to my nephew's gift. They are a character he loves, so he'll be thrilled.

BlueMR2

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10270 on: December 22, 2017, 05:42:01 PM »
I bought 5 quarts of oil instead of 4...  4 qts was $40, but I could get 5 qts for $39 (exactly the same oil, just different containers).  My car only takes 4, but it usually burns around 1 more qt during the 3000 miles between oil changes (and I make sure it's topped off weekly as this engine is notorious for spun bearings if you let it get even just 1 qt down).

wick

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10271 on: December 22, 2017, 06:06:00 PM »
Earlier this week I applied for an Amazon credit card. I then used the $50 gift card they give you as a sign up bonus to subsidize my Christmas shopping. I also signed up for a free trial of prime for the free express shipping. :)

Daisy

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10272 on: December 22, 2017, 06:15:20 PM »
Earlier this week I applied for an Amazon credit card. I then used the $50 gift card they give you as a sign up bonus to subsidize my Christmas shopping. I also signed up for a free trial of prime for the free express shipping. :)

I got a month free Amazon Prime membership when ordering a computer. Then I marked the month-later date on my calendar to cancel Prime. When I went to cancel, I was offered another month free of Prime. I didn't have anything I was going to order, but by extending Prime in my first month of FIRE, I was able to get a free 7-day trial to HBO and I binged-watched 4 seasons of Game of Thrones. Then after that month expired, I canceled Prime again. The second time I wasn't asked to extend for free another month. I guess they figured I was a moocher.

Now I need to do a free-month sign up of Hulu to watch the rest of Game of Thrones. I got a little burnt out watching so many episodes in a row, so I am delaying it until next year.

But I have a MPP...too many fun trips planned in the first quarter that I won't have time to watch Game of Thrones then. I may have to delay this until the second quarter. FIRE is tough, I tell you.

better late

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10273 on: December 22, 2017, 07:36:30 PM »
-Called about a flight that was changed beyond the 2 hour window allowed by airlines. Received a $75 credit, and the revised flight time actually works better for me.

Can you explain this a bit? If the airlines changes your flight times you can call and get a $ credit??


Sure! This depends on the airline (and, perhaps country specific regulations?) Here's a good overview of when you can typically get credits. https://thepointsguy.com/2016/08/how-to-get-compensation-flight-issues/

In my case, our preferred domestic airline (Alaska Airlines) offers a $75 credit if they change your flight time by more than 2 hours. They will offer you both a flight change (if there's another flight that works better) for free, plus the $75. You can also get mileage, but I typically take the $75, as I find it easier to use.

Thank you for the explanation and link. I had no idea. And we fly A LOT.  Feeling very thankful you posted this.

NV Teacher

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10274 on: December 22, 2017, 07:44:20 PM »
Made it all the way to December 22 before turning on the heat.  It's a new record for me.

alewpanda

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10275 on: December 23, 2017, 12:00:05 AM »
1. Shopped at the grocery today and caught a lot of holiday sales, even though we aren't hosting a dinner this year.  Canned pineapples, butter, baking supplies, and rolls all on sale. 

2. Have a "going away" party coming up for a friend of mine that is moving.  Wanted to bring a little something, so I whipped up some homemade salt scrub and scented it with molasses.  I hadn't had time to thrift the jar, but the rest of the supplies were all in my house.  Few bucks and a cute homemade tag :)

3. Our house is going up on the market and we are moved out into an apartment for our own (and the dogs') sanity.  Our downstairs neighbor seems to keep their heat on high all the time.  Our heat hasn't kicked on more than once or twice in weeks.  Methinks our electric bill (in the rental at least) will be nice and small....

4. Bought chicken that was discounted.  Bought 3 packages, and with the savings, it was like one of the them had been free.

5. Mended a shirt and a pair of pants of DH's.  Also took up some straps on a tank top for myself. 

6. Used papa johns points that were built up from buying a bulk order of pizza for moving day helpers and got ourselves a "free" dinner tonight.

7. Gave lots of homemade gifts so far, with just a few more to go.  Paintings, felt toys, salt scrubs, and homemade vanilla mixed in with small new, ebayed, or thrifted gifts.  Nobody got a gift any more expensive than 25.00 total....most were less. 

8. Made bulk lunches this week.  Lots of leftovers, and no eating out needed...which must mean that we are finally settled into the apartment and done spiffing up the house -- I seem to be back on some sort of schedule again.

Hirondelle

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10276 on: December 23, 2017, 01:25:00 AM »
I was planning on working between Christmas and New Years as I didn't wanna 'waste' 3 of my vacation days. However as I didn't have to do anything physically at my workplace and my professor won't be around herself either, we agreed I could just work from home. Will probably only end up one or two days working and the other one will come from overtime hours (they don't get paid anyways so I better take days off in return).

Not going to work will save me a trip from my hometown to my current city (22 euros) and 3 days of groceries :p.

PMG

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10277 on: December 23, 2017, 02:06:31 AM »
I haven’t quite decided where this belongs.  We regularly have power outages.  One time it was for 24 hours, but usually it’s shorter.  You never know, right?  I always rush to think of the contents of the fridge and how to prevent spoilage, but we cook mostly vegetarian from whole vegetables and fruit, dried legumes and grains. Sometimes we have leftovers, but it’s easy enough to eat those up before they get too warm.  Cabbage, and carrots and eggs are going to be fine through a power outage.  I’m not worried about the butter or the soy sauce.  Sometimes we have milk or yogurt.  Sometimes we have dumplings in the freezer, but... we don’t risk losing much in a power outage.

(Now watch, I’ll jinx us and we’ll lose power for days and days...)


Step37

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10278 on: December 23, 2017, 03:40:28 PM »
I went to a community league meeting last week; as it was the last thing being held in the hall for a while, the fridge was being cleaned out. I came away with an unopened, two-pound container of full-fat cream cheese. Since my assignment for Christmas Eve potluck is dessert, I found a recipe to use it all up (it certainly wouldn’t be easy to use up otherwise!). Just finished baking pumpkin cream cheese squares, and the only thing I had to purchase were the graham crackers for the crust. Already had a ton of pumpkin purée from free pumpkins, and just eggs/sugar beyond that.

I’m not much of a fan of cheesecake, so I won’t overindulge on them... this is winning all the way:)

Spruit

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10279 on: December 24, 2017, 12:11:56 PM »
Build a meal from leftover veggies instead of complaining "there's nothing in the house". The list of things sounded pretty werd, but it made for a decent curry with a little help from the spice jars.

Must finish the last of the coconut milk tomorrow before it spoils, though.

Jenny Wren

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10280 on: December 26, 2017, 10:08:56 AM »
Holiday weekend edition - I hope everyone had a fun and frugal day, whatever you celebrate! :)

Saturday:
-Braved the crowds Saturday to pick up two "free Friday" deals that were expiring at Fred Meyer. (Cat treats and Blistex).

-Cheap date night: Live music and a $4 tofu wrap at the organic grocery deli. Came home for darts and a cheap cocktail (homemade Kahlua and coffee).

Sunday:
-Went out and looked at light displays with a thermos of coffee and cocoa. Found an awesome one by the Children's hospital park that meant parking the car and walking around sipping warm drinks and looking at the displays.

-Came home and watched Cricket on the Hearth, a tradition of family snark. This 1967 "classic" is the most ridiculous thing ever. Watch it, laugh, mock -- trust me! It's free entertainment and family togetherness in the best sense ;) A tidbit from the kids during this year's viewing: DS2- Why would someone go randomly blind in Victorian London? DS1- Syphilis, bro, syphilis.

Monday:
-Slept in, opened gifts, no one went over the top and all were happy!

-My trick to get only what I needed as gifts worked! Only thing I needed was socks, but I know no one would buy me something boring like that. So I said I wanted fun or wacky socks. Everyone seemed to enjoy picking out crazy socks and trying to match them to my personality. I have sharks eating my leg socks, periodic table socks, no fucks given socks, cell mitosis socks, Legend of Zelda socks...a lot of socks! Those with small budgets could pick out $3 pairs, those that like to overdo things (ahem, looking at you mom) could pick out several expensive pairs. Bonus? I don't have to buy socks this year!

Today:
-Walking up to the library in a bit to exchange materials.

-Will stop by the pharmacy next door to library that always puts their Christmas stuff on 75% on the 26th. I stock up on candy for next year's stockings, as well as bags of random foil wrapped goodness. The red wrapped candies are handed to the kids and wife as a small treat on Valentine's. The green, silver, and gold go in the Easter baskets. I usually end up spending less than $10 to outfit the candy needs for 3 separate holidays. (Our stockings are only candy or other edible items, never any actual gifts.)

-Leftover Christmas BBQ for dinner! I did squirrel a couple of servings into the freezer, though, to make a barbecue flatbread in the future.

MaybeBabyMustache

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10281 on: December 26, 2017, 03:13:16 PM »
-Called about a flight that was changed beyond the 2 hour window allowed by airlines. Received a $75 credit, and the revised flight time actually works better for me.

Can you explain this a bit? If the airlines changes your flight times you can call and get a $ credit??


Sure! This depends on the airline (and, perhaps country specific regulations?) Here's a good overview of when you can typically get credits. https://thepointsguy.com/2016/08/how-to-get-compensation-flight-issues/

In my case, our preferred domestic airline (Alaska Airlines) offers a $75 credit if they change your flight time by more than 2 hours. They will offer you both a flight change (if there's another flight that works better) for free, plus the $75. You can also get mileage, but I typically take the $75, as I find it easier to use.

Thank you for the explanation and link. I had no idea. And we fly A LOT.  Feeling very thankful you posted this.

Happy to help! We save quite a bit this way.

MaybeBabyMustache

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10282 on: December 26, 2017, 03:16:57 PM »
-Stuck to our reasonably priced Christmas
-Upgraded our rental car to an all wheel drive due to the impending snow, but the car rental place had one less car than they expected. They offered us a $75 discount. We weren't happy, but were able to get to my parents before the snow started.
-Found $.11 on the ground at the airport
-Used a gift card purchased on discount to replace my 11 year old's shoes. His feet are growing crazy fast, but this was one of those lucky times where the shoes were falling apart & he'd outgrown them. Typically only one of those is true :-)
-Ate leftovers for breakfast & lunch

Imma

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10283 on: December 27, 2017, 09:13:15 AM »
We had roast chicken for Christmas (we ate from it several days). Used the carcass today to make chicken stock. Found some chicken carcasses in the freezer that I took home from dinner at my in-laws months ago. Threw those in as well. Pulled all the meat from the bones. Used the stock to make chicken soup and threw in some of the chicken meat. Still two cups of chicken meat left over to use for burrito filling tomorrow.

Today, we're eating a dish that contains brussels sprouts from the freezer. My s/o froze them and I see he didn't blanche them, so we'll see how that turns out.

Bracken_Joy

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10284 on: December 27, 2017, 09:58:02 AM »
-Eating through leftovers from Christmas. A misunderstanding with a family member means that there was DOUBLE the food that there was supposed to be, and nearly all of it was left with us. Except for a veggie run, I'm not expecting to grocery shop again until 2018.

Linea_Norway

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10285 on: December 27, 2017, 11:32:46 AM »
I needed a prescription while I am on holiday. I called my travel insurance and I can send them the bill for the prescription and the medicine. At home I would have to pay those things myself.

Spruit

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10286 on: December 27, 2017, 11:47:48 AM »
Switched out a set of buttons on my trenchcoat, so now it has all buttons again, and they match. Reused buttons from one of my boyfriends old coats for this, so could keep the wallet closed. Seems a bit overdone for a coat that was 15 euros to begin with (bought second hand), but at least I get to keep it around for a while longer now.




Imma

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10287 on: December 27, 2017, 12:08:39 PM »
Switched out a set of buttons on my trenchcoat, so now it has all buttons again, and they match. Reused buttons from one of my boyfriends old coats for this, so could keep the wallet closed. Seems a bit overdone for a coat that was 15 euros to begin with (bought second hand), but at least I get to keep it around for a while longer now.

I did that too a few years back. I got the coat for free from my sister, she was going to throw it away because it missed half of the buttons. 3 years on I'm still wearing that coat. And especially if the buttons are free, there's really no reason not to do it, the only thing you're investing is an hour of your time.

MaybeBabyMustache

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10288 on: December 27, 2017, 01:48:39 PM »
-Not planning to leave the house today
-Took a luxurious hot bath. We're on the Oregon coast (not in a drought, unlike in California). And, there is a minimum water charge & we never hit it, and still pay it every quarter. It was SOOO decadent to take my hot bath. :-) We don't have a ton at our house, so this was such a nice treat.
-Eating leftovers from Christmas for lunch, & dinner stuff from the freezer
-Finally, finally sorted out my property tax situation, & all is now handled.

alewpanda

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10289 on: December 27, 2017, 03:03:09 PM »
-- Working on leftovers from the holiday weekend.  Gifted the last of the brownies as a thank you to some coworkers to avoid eating too much extra sugar. 

-- Using the space heater in the living room to avoid heating the whole apartment any warmer than necessary. 

-- Listed a couple of items on facebook sites.  Sales will be slower until the holiday crazy is over, but I can wait for them to sell...not too much hurry.

-- Explored the apartment complex's gym today.  Its included with our rent, so hubby and I might as well get some use out it.

-- Drank coffee at home and resisted using part of a gift card while I was out.  I would rather save it for a couple coffee dates with the husband.

LaineyAZ

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10290 on: December 27, 2017, 05:22:13 PM »
Paid for 2 years of auto registration instead of one, saving about $60.  We can do this in AZ, and can also take the amount as a tax deduction in our state taxes. 

Topped off the gas tank at Costco ($2.15/gallon) saving $1 over regular gas station prices (various, up to $2.33/gallon)

Christmas items at the 99Cent store were marked down to 25 cents, so I picked up a packet of 3 jingle bell bracelets (.25 for all three), a packet of gift tags, and a packet of Xmas money holders.

Daisy

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10291 on: December 27, 2017, 05:34:21 PM »
I wanted to buy a flatware set as a gift. I found the best price at BJs, with a $20 off coupon. I am not a BJs member, but my sister and parents are. So I asked my sister to use her card and she told me I was crazy to go to BJs on Saturday, the day before Christmas Eve. So I listened to her and decided to buy it just after Christmas. I went to BJs with my parents on Dec 26. I scoured the coupon books and couldn't find the $20 off coupon. I took like 30 minutes to keep searching. I asked the workers there. No luck. I checked online while at the store and it looks like the $20 coupon had ended the previous week. Damn...I should have gone on Dec 23rd.

Then I went to pay for the gift, and at the checkout register, at the very end, my parents apparently had a $20 reward (not sure why) that I could apply to that purchase. My father was right behind me with his BJs load to purchase. I told the attendant that it should go to him since he was the member. She said I had to use it for that purchase, or it would be lost. I went ahead and took the $20 off for my purchase.

I then mentioned it to my father and said I would pay him $20. But, being a great dad, he said no.

Well, the flatware was a gift for them. So I ended up saving the $20 after all, but mostly because my dad is so awesome.

Zaga

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10292 on: December 27, 2017, 06:41:33 PM »
Switched out a set of buttons on my trenchcoat, so now it has all buttons again, and they match. Reused buttons from one of my boyfriends old coats for this, so could keep the wallet closed. Seems a bit overdone for a coat that was 15 euros to begin with (bought second hand), but at least I get to keep it around for a while longer now.

I did that too a few years back. I got the coat for free from my sister, she was going to throw it away because it missed half of the buttons. 3 years on I'm still wearing that coat. And especially if the buttons are free, there's really no reason not to do it, the only thing you're investing is an hour of your time.
My trenchcoat is similar, I got it secondhand several years back, and I've replaced I think 4 of the buttons on it.  It has 3 different buttons on it, the originals, and 2 different replacements.  The color of the buttons matches though and literally no one has ever noticed that they aren't all the same until I point it out.

I get more compliments on that coat!  I guess plaid wool trenchcoats aren't that common.

Jenny Wren

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10293 on: December 27, 2017, 08:33:12 PM »
I'm glad it is so cold, because that means I'm not as tempted to leave the house. Instead, I pulled some veggie soup out of the freezer (frozen leftovers from a couple of weeks ago) and made a pot pie for dinner. This also let me use up some wilting veg from the fridge.

No spend day!

lexde

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10294 on: December 28, 2017, 07:47:25 AM »
I passed on an awesome deal for an instant pot at about half price. Would I have used it? Sure. But I didn’t NEED it. It’s a fancypants gadget. I’m wishy-washy on having passed it up but in the end it’s still $60 that I didn’t spend.

horsepoor

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10295 on: December 28, 2017, 09:56:50 AM »
https://booklist101.com/kindle-book-credit/

$5 Kindle book credit available here, used it to get some bubble gum fiction to read while it's cold out.

1967mama

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10296 on: December 28, 2017, 12:47:15 PM »
*Oatmeal for breakfast for the millionth time

*Pulled meat from the freezer to make a stir fry for dinner. Had a giant bag of stir fry veggies int here too. Will make my own delicious sauce and rice in the instant pot. (I bought one the first time they went on sale at Amazon and use it 5-6x a week. When my
Rice cooker bit the dust, I didn't need to replace it. I cook for my large family so this kitchen gadget is a huge help for me! YMMV) - changed dinner plans when I hit the jackpot and found 3 boxes of appies forgotten in the freezer. Will do the stir fry tmw. Meat already thawed and sauce made!

*Rewearing clothes a lot more. Homemade deoderant is fantastic. I air my clothes out at night.

*Got a hair shop freebie from an acquaintance who is new to the field and needed a hair model.

*Started a double batch of "Artisan Bread in 5"

*Warmed day old buns in the oven to freshen them up and save them from the trash

*Using up ham and leftovers for lunches

ETA more things I've done today
« Last Edit: December 28, 2017, 09:17:53 PM by 1967mama »

mustachepungoeshere

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10297 on: December 28, 2017, 12:51:04 PM »
We also did really well as far as Christmas gifts.

We got some cash and gift cards (about $500 all up), some practical things (good quality socks for husband, expensive running socks for me), and a heap of consumables: three bottles of spirits, fancy salt and pepper, chilli sauce, jalapeno jam, liquid smoke, chocolate, aftershave, and a scented candle.

We got home yesterday after a week away and the fastest Christmas unpack ever because so much of it went straight into the pantry.

Dinner was quesadillas thanks to salsa chicken and flat bread from the freezer. Today I will grocery shop and batch-cook a couple of things to stock up freezer before I go back to work.

kaypinkHH

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10298 on: December 28, 2017, 12:51:24 PM »
Over the holidays learned how to hem pants! $10 saved every time I buy pants now! 

gypsy79

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10299 on: December 28, 2017, 01:24:16 PM »
I ate a banana that was on its last leg instead of the popcorn that I really wanted to eat.