What small things did you do TODAY to save money?

[nico demouse]

Have been working at reducing electricity use. So, our bill is lower than this month last year. But, as a bonus, a consumer organization in the area lets us track our progress and earn gift cards. We just earned enough to cash in for a $5 Amazon card. Since this program started, we've earned about $35 in gift cards, for doing something we would have done anyway.

[pancakes]

I closed a bank account that had used to be fee free and at some point without me noticing had a $5/month fee added too it.

Since we are 18 days into the month, the bank in question charged me pro-rataed the fee for this month which just seems so petty. So petty that I finally took the time this evening to change all my auto payments and deposits so that I can close my remaining accounts and CC with that particular bank. Total savings will be about $100/year in fees (why did it take me this long?).

I've had that particular account since I was six and every kid at my school was signed up with one, I think most schools bought into it. I wonder how many of my old classmates are also being slugged $5/month now. Nice way to repay a customer for sticking around.

[Zaga]

Went to my usual Toastmasters meeting, and after we all went out for appetizers, which the club paid for.  We had to pay for our drinks though, so I had the free water.

Fun time with nice people, no money!

[wintersun]

I started a price book yesterday and today shopped and recorded prices.   I suddenly started noticing the prices of things like onions per pound (loose vs. bag),  jam and tea, chicken per pound, etc.  I think I probably saved about $20 in choosing lower prices and also saying no to things I used to just grab.

[iowajes]

Well, we've been doing it for awhile- but we always grind our own ground beef.  It allows us to get much better, leaner cuts.  So yummy!

Husband was wanting to save some time, so went to look at pre-ground beef. It was almost $3 more per pound!

[thef0x]

Home made yogurt!   First batch I only steamed the milk for 1 minute (pressure cooker) and it didn't come out as well.  Second time I brought the milk to a light boil, held it for 6 minutes or so, then ice-chilled the yogurt and left it overnight.  Currently in the fridge becoming greek yogurt!

Put away the coffee maker and started hand-brewing my coffee in a malita again.  Making one cup of extremely delicious and EXTREMELY strong coffee and so far I'm liking the cost savings + I'm super buzzed! 

Had bought 3lbs of bacon ends at Grocery Outlet for $6.50 and put the huge amount of fat to good use:  rendering it to make a high quality pint of bacon fat!  I threw it in the slow-cooker overnight with some water and it's looking super good already. 

Looking like a no spend day again today! 

Work meeting, then work, then a lady friend and I are going to have a tea at my house (free), then I'm headed to play basketball with my buddies ($2 for gym, sunk cost, will not give it up). 

Booooooom!

[1967mama]

Making pots of oatmeal for breakfast for the family almost every day. We had gotten into the (bad) habit of cereal...such a ridiculous markup!

Having groceries delivered this morning ($7.95 plus cost of food) -- have had a problem with my foot from surgery last fall and it was cheaper to order groceries (aka real food) than to start ordering in, or having teen drivers go get quick/instant food from the grocery store for me.

Turning off heat every day now. Checked my power company website and our daily usage is way down from last year. YAY!

Working my way through my tea cupboard and enjoying lots of great flavours I'd forgotten about.

[Better Late Than Never]

Just called my insurance company and raised deductibles to $1,000 on my auto and homeowners policies and removed scheduled jewelry coverage. Annual savings = $417

[jordanread]

Well, we've been doing it for awhile- but we always grind our own ground beef.  It allows us to get much better, leaner cuts.  So yummy!

Husband was wanting to save some time, so went to look at pre-ground beef. It was almost $3 more per pound!

What kind of grinder do you have? I've thought about getting one.

[iowajes]

Well, we've been doing it for awhile- but we always grind our own ground beef.  It allows us to get much better, leaner cuts.  So yummy!

Husband was wanting to save some time, so went to look at pre-ground beef. It was almost $3 more per pound!

What kind of grinder do you have? I've thought about getting one.

It is an attachment on our kitchen aid mixer. 


I think we are among a very small number of people who use our kitchen aid enough to make it worth the price. We use it multiple times a day...

[2ndTimer]

Score free potatoes and kale today.  Googled potato kale and came up with a yummy looking soup that uses up some Italian sausage that was lying around the freezer.

[SailorGirl]

Called the company about my on-demand water heater that is still giving me problems.  My handyman SO did the requested meter checks on the various connections and the tech-guy on the other end of the phone said it was toast, but since it was only 5 0r 6 years old it's still under warranty and he'll be sending us a new unit immediately.

Transferred my bank account to the credit union the next town over (local, small account for the occasional check) to avoid an upcoming fee the local bank has just instituted.  While there we went to the grocery store to peruse the 50% off meat bin.  Found packages of fresh sausage marked "Original price $.99 - 50% off"  I grabbed them all and when the checker ran one through the scanner it rang in at $8.99.  I asked if they would honor the printed price....and the did.  $63 worth of sausage for $3.50.

[Bracken_Joy]

Score free potatoes and kale today.  Googled potato kale and came up with a yummy looking soup that uses up some Italian sausage that was lying around the freezer.

Potatoes and kale? Sounds like time for colcannon to me!

[Joshin]

Fixed the only jeans that fit me right now (I've recently lost 35 lbs, but have 20 lbs more before my closet full of old clothing fits again). The riveted on button came off, and the jeans were thrifted, so it wouldn't have been a big loss. Didn't want to buy more jeans, though!

Here's the fix I came up with, in case anyone else ever suffers this issue: I took an old debit card and cut out a plastic washer. Slit it from the outside to the center hole. Pushed the rivet shaft through the jeans at the hole where it tore loose, then slipped the washer around the shaft on the inside of the jeans, using the slit in the washer. Works perfectly, just make sure to sand down the edges of the plastic washer to avoid tummy irritation. If I had any teflon washers on hand, I may have used one of those instead.

[Eristheunorganized]

Spent no money, only drove my company van for work, they cover gas! Had leftovers for dinner. Oh, and I got a promotion. Hopefully that helps me save money.

[Zaga]

Nice fix Joshin!

I hemmed a pair of consignment store jeans.  These are by far the nicest and best fitting jeans I've had in 3+ years!

[iowajes]

Finally got my phone set up where the company pays a subsidy. Most people say it pays 30-50% of their bill.  It pays 98% of mine :)

[ShaneD]

This evening I went to Amazon.com and searched for "immersion blender". I got who-knows-how-many hits and wilted at the thought of picking out a model. I used to love making the comparisons and picking the best value for the money! But it's been long enough since I ordered something from Amazon that it felt like more of a chore. I made a half-hearted effort and then decided, "Screw it, I don't really need an immersion blender. Or driving gloves for that matter."

I already have a regular blender and a food processor. An embarrassment of riches, actually. And instead of fancy driving gloves I can continue wearing the stupid-looking gardening gloves I bought years ago for $1. They work just fine.

The one place I'd say about immersion blenders are amazing is if you make a lot of pureed soup. I mean, a lot. Like, by the gallons. Batch pureeing that much in a blender is painful, and you need a ton of vessels to hold the batches in. (More than I own vs. the amount of soup I make at once.) I make a ton of pureed veg soup semi-regularly (stored in chest freezer) so my immersion blender is a necessity. But they're so simple, you really don't need anything fancy. My $15 model from some discount store has lasted nearly 20 years already.

My small things:

* Bagging up clothes for Twice and ThredUp. (Rest getting boxed for Goodwill.)
* Have logged about 100 LPs to sell/get rid of; working on what's left.
* Going to do something (TBD) with a quart of overripe strawberries.

[Armer Student]

Today I repaired my bike. The bottom bracket and chain had to be replaced which would have cost 95€ in a bike shop around the corner.

I bought the parts and tools myself, chose better quality than the bike shop would have chosen and did the repair while enjoying 16°C and 90 minutes of sunshine. :-)

Saved 50€.

[Susan]

One of my favourite threads, in which I hope to contribute a lot!

I sometimes buy sundried tomatoes, which you get in a can containing sunflower oil. Normally I throw it out, yesterday I used it to bake my potatoes in.

[pancakes]

I wouldn't gather the energy to cook dinner and clean up so opted for take away. Instead of going for a $25 meal + delivery I compromised and walked up the road to the local noodle place which feeds two for $12. I've mentioned in here before that I find money in the street all the time when I walk places, well I found $10 on the walk home!

[karaishere]

I found $10 in the long grass when I took the dog out to potty. It was a nice surprise.

[Joshin]

I didn't spend any money yesterday :)

My mom invited me out to lunch yesterday if I would help her with a DIY project. She then didn't want the leftovers, so I brought home the doggie bags for they guys to have for lunch today. Good news, because we're low on groceries but I don't want to shop until Saturday.

Since we're low on groceries, I didn't have any tomato sauce for last night's planned pizza. Instead, I used bbq sauce, half a chicken breast, and some bacon to make barbecue pizza. We'll have vegetarian stirfry tonight to use up the last of the wilting veg.

Younger son and I went to a free REI class last night. He was awarded a door prize for being the youngest one there (binoculars, compass, flashlight kit). Where ever this kid goes, he always walks away with a prize of some sort. Seriously, I'm considering changing our FIRE plans once he's 18. Kid's so lucky, I'll just give give him our life savings and send him to the casino (I jest)!

[midweststache]

I was tempted by the smell of Chipotle on the way home and decided that since we were low on food at home I would grab a chicken bowl (lunch for two days). I walked in, took one look at the line, and walked out.

In the time it would've taken me to order and get my food, I walked home, made a sandwich, and was noshing on that and the last of a bag of grapes.

$8.50 saved. Thanks, all those other people who deterred me from convenience food!

[zinethstache]

I am working on a fresh new hobby that costs a fraction of my old one... However I really want these alcohol based pens for it. The cheapest I can find them is 4.85 each, free ship no tax...however you need 36 of them to cover the basic range of colors. YIKES. So I started researching and found another much less expensive brand...AND then stumbled upon this cheaper brand being sold used by a hobby community forum member, get this... 96 of them for $40... holy cow am I excited. I've not taken the plunge yet, because they are being shipped from Canada, I've asked for a quote to ship to me in the US... fingers crossed... Since I am new to this particular type of art I really was not comfortable spending hundreds of $$$ but I am ok with $40. /whew. Doesn't seem so small a thing now that I've written it all out.

[lunahsol]

Instead of buying an expensive greeting card to mark an occasion, I am going to find a more meaningful way of letting someone know I am thinking of them.

Neglected to bring lunch today, but did not go out to buy it, either.  Just snacking on junk food in my desk drawer - lol. 

[2ndTimer]

I found $10 in the long grass when I took the dog out to potty. It was a nice surprise.

Wow, I am off to check the catbox. 
In keeping with the spirit of this thread.  I made hot and sour soup today by adding some juice I saved from making a chinese roast pork, a few red pepper flakes and a little apple cider vinegar to a pkg. of shrimp ramen.  I also made a batch of body butter.  Haven't washed the mixing bowl yet because even after scraping there is enough to use after the next couple of showers if I squeegee it off with my finger.

[wintersun]

*water heater turned off
*hand washed dishes
*hung clothes up to dry
*stopped myself from buying junk food at the gas station
*ate a recycled soup for dinner.

[Cressida]

I found $10 in the long grass when I took the dog out to potty. It was a nice surprise.

Wow, I am off to check the catbox.

+1 :)

[11ducks]

Went to a free robotics event at a local university. They offered free lunch, and few hours of great entertainment. On the way out, they had a box of coffee and tea sachets (best before feb2015) for free to take, which was an unexpected score!

[horsepoor]

I found $10 in the long grass when I took the dog out to potty. It was a nice surprise.

Wow, I am off to check the catbox.

+1 :)

I found a dime in the CostCo parking lot today.  Unfortunately, I spent significantly more than that.

I've been decluttering and spring cleaning today.  Consolidated lots of partially used, similar products into one container to hopefully get used up.  Cleaning and personal care products will be much more streamlined from here on out.  I mixed together:  4 kinds of dog shampoo; 3 kinds of conditioner; various hand soaps; various surface cleaners.  Going through all my stuff and tossing/donating things is good motivation to not buy useless crap.

[HappierAtHome]

I have a double batch of lasagne sauce / bolognese cooking in the slow cooker right now.

The lasagne will be eaten after long days of painting our flat when we need to pull a meal from the freezer.

I used my new, awesome food processor to slice mushrooms (buying pre-sliced mushrooms is a weakness of mine).

Made a double batch of chocolatey protein balls for us to have as afternoon snacks throughout the week, avoiding the expense and potential weight gain from buying other treats.

Making almond butter and oat flour myself, cheaper than the shop bought stuff.

Subbed cashews for almonds in a few dishes as cashews were on sale this week.

Didn't buy flax meal when I found it for a high price. Found it somewhere else soon enough at a reasonable price instead.

All of my things are about food as usual :-)

[ShaneD]

Couldn't finish salad from dinner last night (pork chops and biiiig salad of spinach, tomatoes, mushrooms, red onion, feta, olives, walnuts, pecans), so having it for breakfast. Contemplated throwing it into the microwave to make a hot melty veg dish, but since texture is still fine, just freshened up with a spritz of lemon.

Also ordered a couple more consignment bags and going to Scotchguard a couple pair of shoes.

[nico demouse]

Made a big pot of red beans and rice, using a ton more of the veggies from fall I still have stored (carrots, onions, celeriac) before they get soft. Made enough for dinner, lunch, plus a dinners worth for the freezer.

Spent a little time managing the local organic frozen fruit CSA that drops at my house once a month in the off season. In exchange for this, I get a free share. Works out to about $20 worth of fruit a month in the off season. Totally worth it.

Shopped the bulk bins at the pet store for the training treats we use. Bulk bins have the exact same treats as they sell prepackages but for $2.50/lb vs $5-6 for 8 oz. At that price, I think it's even cheaper than making my own. :)

Wrapping up a bulk buy for plant starts I organize every year with some local friends. I'm able to get the starts I need at wholesale prices. (Most of my plant starts I do myself at home, but not these particular ones.)

And, listed a few more things on eBay/CL.

[horsepoor]

Fixed the only jeans that fit me right now (I've recently lost 35 lbs, but have 20 lbs more before my closet full of old clothing fits again). The riveted on button came off, and the jeans were thrifted, so it wouldn't have been a big loss. Didn't want to buy more jeans, though!

Here's the fix I came up with, in case anyone else ever suffers this issue: I took an old debit card and cut out a plastic washer. Slit it from the outside to the center hole. Pushed the rivet shaft through the jeans at the hole where it tore loose, then slipped the washer around the shaft on the inside of the jeans, using the slit in the washer. Works perfectly, just make sure to sand down the edges of the plastic washer to avoid tummy irritation. If I had any teflon washers on hand, I may have used one of those instead.

Came here to thank you for posting this, which gave me the idea to use a similar thing to fix the broken light switch on our range hood today.  The switch had pushed back inside the hood, and it turned out that this was because the cheap plastic plate that was holding it in place had broken off.  It was tight quarters, but I was able to use a little piece of an old credit card with a small hole punched in the middle to attach it to the protruding screw, plus some Gorilla Glue, to hold the plate in place.  We'll see how long the fix lasts, but in the meantime, I have light to cook with, so thanks!

[1967mama]

Staying at a vacation home loaned to us (free!) and did the following:

- made lunch with food brought from home
- spaghetti sauce simmering on stove for dinner with beef from my freezer at home
- whole chicken from home thawing in fridge for tomorrow's dinner
- drinking lots of mugs of tea that were available to us here in the home
- going to the free skating rink this afternoon - brought our own skates from home, so no $$ outlaid for rental skates
- watching sports on cable (bonus! we don't have cable on home - just an OTA antenna
- keeping the fireplace on and getting nice and toasty warm! not overheating the place by any means. Just nice to enjoy the warmth and coziness!
- had bought some activity books, story CD's etc for the kids at home at a 50% off, closing out sale of a bookstore
- vacation home has a big box of crayons, felts, paper, etc that is brand new for kids to use! bonus!
- great place to recuperate from a rotten head cold! I think at home I'd feel more like I should be doing things, while here I just feel like I can veg out! yay!

[MoneyCat]

I'm feeling a little under the weather today, so I stayed indoors and relaxed while watching a Major League Soccer game from the season-long streaming package for which I paid a one-time fee of only $63.  The package offers over 200 games, so it's well worth the price for me instead of paying a monthly cable bill for pretty much the same thing (although I also get some games on free over-the-air television.)  I also baked a new loaf of wheat bread with the bread machine.  All in all, it was a spend nothing day and I have had many of those days lately to the benefit of my Vanguard account.

[shawn77777]

Was kinda cold in the house today so I did a leg workout and been warm ever since lol.

[Better Late Than Never]

I have a gift card for a store I will never go to that has been sitting around sitting on my desk for three years. I just sold it to one of those online gift card buying sites. I'll be getting a check for $18.88.

[MsPeacock]

Transferred another credit card to a zero interest card. Only have one card that still has interest and it is nearly paid off. Will transfer that one if I have room. Now I have a year to pay,down the debt w/o interest piling up. Saves me hundreds per month!

Eta. They are all now 0% cards. What a relief. Now just press on with my snowball. Down to only 3 cards also, which is much easier to keep track of.

[Susan]

Baked some coockies with leftover eggwhites, always a shame to throw them out.

[choppingwood]

Was kinda cold in the house today so I did a leg workout and been warm ever since lol.

That is funny. The room I work out in is right beside the thermostat, so that would make sense for me too....

I looked at the recurring payments section of my Paypal account and deleted a subscription that charges $7.20 per month.

[morning owl]

Today I planted some tomato seeds indoors, and baked some rye bread. It turned out really well! I hardly ever bake bread so I will make every attempt to keep this up. It doesn't last as long as store bought bread, but it's definitely cheaper, healthier, and it was fun to make.

[firelight]

Made delicious vegetable soup (my first) with left over veggies. Had it for lunch yesterday and breakfast today. Will have it again for lunch or dinner. Cost $0

Given how easy it was to make soup, I'm thinking to add it to our regular meals. Getting my fridge cleaned up is a good bonus too!

[horsepoor]

Burning a bunch of brush instead of hauling it to the dump. 

Decided to combine the feed store run with my commute tomorrow instead of making a separate trip.  Will also drop off stuff at the thrift store and get my truck's oil changed at the same time.

Inquired about an item on Craigslist, then started having second thoughts about buying it, but turns out it was already sold, so I guess someone else did something to save me money.  :) 

The furnace has been off for a week, and I'm thinking I can keep it off if we just do a fire on the nights when the forecast is for low 30's.

Yesterday, gave my dog a bath so he can get clipped soon.  $50 saved vs. paying a groomer.

Listed a couple items on eBay yesterday too.

[2ndTimer]

Saw a new mystery by an author I like on Amazon.  Immediately went to the public library website and put a hold on it.  Discovered that author has written two other books I haven't read and one is available RIGHT AWAY.

[shawn77777]

Well wokeup cold this morning and after a banana hit my chest workout courtesy of my Bodybeast DVD(dang it tougher than any of the others).  Kept everything unplugged when not in use, did not eat out all weekend and hungdry all my laundry this wknd!

[thef0x]

At grocery outlet:  put back avocado oil $13.50 (I can melt coconut oil if a recipe requires liquid oil and eat cheap $0.50 avocados), smell-erasing plugs that were $1.50, and milk since milk doesn't really agree with me anyway -- I've been trying DIY yogurt but it's not any better really.

Also:  walked to the gym ($0), squated 315lbs 3 times in a row without a belt (PR, priceless), then walked to grocery outlet and then walked 2 miles home with all my groceries (fast because it was painful!).  Got a solid workout in today!

Invited a friend for evening plans and instead of going out for beers, cooked a cheap chicken thigh saag and really nailed the recipe -- fresh grated ginger and whole cardamon pods are the way to go!  It was full of super healthy added fats, spinach, broth, and spices!  My homie loved it and I feel amazing.

Eating some super cheap tangelos from grocery outlet to celebrate a great day.  Damn I love grocery outlet!  $43 has never felt so heavy :)

[4alpacas]

after a banana hit my chest workout courtesy of my Bodybeast DVD

Banana what?

I packed my lunch, breakfast, and snacks. 
I filled up my water bottle at the drinking fountain, and I realized I've had my Nalgene for over 5 years (and use it every weekday). 
I made two cups of tea at work using my fancy loose leaf tea.
I received a large dark chocolate bar from a coworker as a gift because I loaned her my international adapter for her work trip last week.  Another coworker (on the same trip) brought me a Kinder Egg (with TOY!) for taking notes at a meeting for him.
I put a bucket in the shower to catch water for my new tomato, pepper, and squash plants. 

[lunahsol]

Yesterday, used the remains of a 79 cent loaf of bread to make croutons . . . which are jazzing up the salad for today's lunch.  First time making homemade croutons - they rock and otherwise, the bread would have just been tossed.