What small things did you do TODAY to save money?

[Stachetastic]

It's been too damn cold here to bother with grocery shopping, so I've been getting creative with meals. I told my husband I will not be getting groceries until it is above 20F, so it looks like Sunday may be the day. I've got a few eggs left to boil for breakfasts on the go, a couple slices of bread for a sandwich, and lots of pasta. We can do this!

[MaybeBabyMustache]

-Ran the dishwasher only once, saving energy/water & the cost of a dishwasher tablet
-Eating breakfast, lunch & snacks at work
-Making dinner from the fridge/freezer/pantry. I wanted to do beef tacos with guacamole, but my avocados aren't ripe yet. I'm thinking of doing naan bread pizza instead. Pizza is one of my favorite ways to use up other leftovers: meatballs (thinly sliced), marinara sauce as base, leftover pesto, etc.
-Picked up a couple of other books off of the "free" table at work.
-Sold an extra hoodie for $6 on local Facebook swap

[1967mama]

So far today I:

*Made a huge batch of oatmeal that will last several days in the fridge

*Started a batch of black beans in the Instant Pot

*Started a chicken dinner in the crockpot since we will be out this afternoon

*Started yummy tea in my $3 thrifted tea pot acquired last week. Still enjoying how big it is and how hot it keeps my tea!

[MBot]

* Walked to the library to return books before they were late. Managed not to duck into Starbucks for a hot drink :)

* Made paneer for tomorrow's dinner of saag paneer. (I am so ridiculously excited about this one!)

* Made oat milk for lactose intolerant son. Threw the oat "pulp" and leftover chocolate fondue together with other ingredients to make cookies. They were gobbled up, so I assume they were edible!

*Dinner was a creamy one pot lemon pasta. I tossed the leftover half-package of cream cheese in the freezer to be used in a future sauce, instead of my normal M.O. of letting it mold in the fridge.

* Touched up my roots with the remains of a tube of "Just for Men." Seriously, ladies, if you only have a tiny amount of gray you want to cover (mine is a skunk stripe in my otherwise very dark brown bangs), JFM is far superior and cheaper than dye marketed to women. THere's nothing to mix. You just screw the little comb to the tube, brush it onto your roots, remove and rinse comb, but lid back on tube, save tube until next time you need to touch up the roots in six weeks or so, wait 30 minutes or so, rinse out dye. One tube lasts me six months, and a tube costs about $5 to $6 depending on if I can find a sale.

* No spend day!

Genius suggestion on the "just for men" colour! Love it. Thanks for sharing.

[Kwill]

Brought lunch to work again. For dinner, I baked a pre-made pizza from the supermarket, but it was marked down to less than I would usually spend on a sandwich for lunch at work. It tastes much nicer than the sandwiches, too.

On oatmeal -- I haven't seen it in the UK, but in the US there are 'quick oats' that are the same price as regular oatmeal but almost as quick to cook in the microwave as instant oatmeal. I used to get those until I decided I needed more protein at breakfast.

[Roadrunner53]

 I made a batch of steel cut oats in my smaller slow cooker. Took around 2 hours on high.

Made home made chili in my bigger slow cooker.

When oats were done, I made Jiffy corn bread in my small slow cooker. Used Reynolds slow cooker liners in the slow cookers and they are the bomb! No clean up or very little clean up. Saved on detergent and hot water plus my time!

I have enough chili for a small army. Will eat on it some more this week and the corn bread. Oats are ready to warm up as needed.

[1967mama]

Love my kitchen appliances ... they really do help me frugalify our life!

In my large slow cooker I have a chicken/salsa/bean/corn dinner going. Later I will add cream cheese and serve over rice that I will cook in the Instant Pot when I get home with the kids after our afternoon excursion.

In my small slow cooker I have a huge sweet potato cooking - cut it in half and wrapped in foil. It had a big soft spot that I cut out. Former self would definitely have chucked the whole thing.

In the Instant Pot I just finished cooking some black beans from dry, and now have in some barley for the fridge for a few days.  Rice in there later.

[alewpanda]

-- Ate in and ate random leftovers for the last few days while DH was out of town.  No need to cook that way and stuff gets used up.  I do, however, need to make something this afternoon so we have leftovers for tomorrows lunch....oops.

-- Got invited to dinner at another couple's house and they are providing everything.  So no need to make a dinner for tonight.

-- Living in a rental for *hopefully* only the next 5 months.  The blinds are functional but not high quality, and on nights with fuller moons I was finding myself unable to sleep in such a well lit room.  I still wanted the ability to easily open a curtain (as opposed to just tacking up random fabric for the next 5 months), so I went to goodwill looking for a curtain.   A 3.50 black out curtain panel from goodwill and a 10.00 rod/hanger set from Lowes means I now have a gloriously dark bedroom at night, and I'm not out much money if the parts just end up being donated at the end of May.   

[lexde]

No-spend today again.
Okay, I did technically spend for a gas fill up, but it’s reimbursed for travel. So no-spend for my own money.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[mustachepungoeshere]

-- Living in a rental for *hopefully* only the next 5 months.  The blinds are functional but not high quality, and on nights with fuller moons I was finding myself unable to sleep in such a well lit room.  I still wanted the ability to easily open a curtain (as opposed to just tacking up random fabric for the next 5 months), so I went to goodwill looking for a curtain.   A 3.50 black out curtain panel from goodwill and a 10.00 rod/hanger set from Lowes means I now have a gloriously dark bedroom at night, and I'm not out much money if the parts just end up being donated at the end of May.

Great fix, @alewpanda.

I posted this a couple of years ago but my solution when living in a similar situation was to buy used block-out verticals from eBay for $10. It took thirty seconds to pull down the existing rack and put up the new rack, and vice versa when it was time to move.

[Jenny Wren]

* Took the bus to school and back again -- our car hasn't been out of the garage since Sunday!

* Wife texted when I was getting out of class and asked me to meet her at Starbucks because she had good news to share. (A very lucrative client signed her on to illustrate a second book, whee!) She walked the 1/2 mile, I got off at the bus stop  in front of the cafe. We enjoyed a free afternoon fancy coffee using Christmas gift cards. Saving the rest of the gift card for when we are traveling next week.

* Worked out this morning to free yoga videos and free body weight exercises.

* Watching a Netflix movie tonight. DS2's turn to pick, but he won't tell us his choice. This probably means stupid comedy with lots of fart jokes... :)

* Eating frozen pizza and salad. Cheaper than delivery! Movie and frozen pizza is supposed to be the Friday treat, but we have a kid activity tomorrow night so I flipped it around.

I still need to figure out a potluck dish to take to the activity tomorrow. Something with apples. I still have three bushels of fall apples in my root cellar that I need to work through before they go wrinkly...

[Helvegen]

Did more of those idiotic health incentive activities for work so I get more employer money in my HSA. They flat contribute $1500 for family coverage and then up to $2400 more if you jump through hoops. I have to do another incentive activity tomorrow afternoon which I am not really looking forward to, but it is worth $150 and takes 10-15 minutes of my time so I guess I better suck it up. I try to get these things done as soon as humanly possible in the year just in case. $950 down, $1450 to go.

I spent some time yesterday doing these things too. We max out at $1000 but I need to hit that since our deductible went up $1000 this year!

My health plan stayed the same for 2018, but my share of the premium went up. I am not really complaining. Last year, the megacorp paid about $18-$19k for my family's health insurance. Yikes.

I had to have a phone consultation as today's health incentive. It actually took only about 5 minutes and was not as bad as I thought it was going to be. Another $150 down. 

[Gerard]

Actually Tuesday, but this is the first time I've had energy/time for the MMM site:

I went to the local "expensive" supermarket and learned that Jan. 2 is "holy crap we're stuck with stuff from the holidays and now nobody has any money" day... got about $80 worth of stuff, mostly meat and cheese, for $35.

Used the meat for the biggest pot of ragu I've ever tried. It's actually easier in big batches (and a big pot).

Now cooking off some "enjoy tonight!" bacon in the oven.

[Teachstache]

Set everything up to max 401k, HSA, and both IRAs for 2018! 1 hr of work now, for $34,900 more in savings (+ 8,300 more from employer so really 43,200) by this time next year. woo

posting here bc DH does not appreciate this awesomeness.

Good for you! My spouse initially wasn't thinking that maxing out retirement and FSAs wasn't a big deal, either, but he did get on board after we recalculated our net worth at the end of November.

Thanks! He definitely got excited when I showed him the savings difference from just in taxables but I think he forgot by now :/ I should remind him. lol

Holla!  Great job!

Likewise, nice work, Meesh!

[Juslookin]

Leftovers for dinner. DH came home early and we left the heat turned down and hid under blankets on the couch staying out of the cold, cold weather. Nice.

Entertainment tonight was texting our friends in other parts of the country to compare who has the coldest temps. :)

So far have spent very little on groceries this month. Sticking to a meal plan and using up what's in the freezer is going to get us through the winter with I am hoping some record low food bills.

[halftimer]

Yesterday morning I discovered as I was getting ready that my favorite pants were becoming worn on the rear - since I was running late I just opted to hide the problem with a long sweater over top.  At the end of the day I saw the true extent of the damage and had to retire the pair.  I didn't plan to replace them, but when I checked my clothing capsule app I realized that they are my most versatile item and because they are maroon add a lot of color and variety. (They go with work outfits and casual outfits in more than 30+ combinations.) Today in the midst of other errands I went looking for replacements - the store where I originally bought them more than 6 years ago with a gift card no longer carries them. But I tried on a few similar pairs at a thrift store and got something nearly identical with a slightly better fit to the leg. Total time spent: maybe 30 minutes total; price: $5. Score!   I'm also looking at the old pair to refashion into either a children's overall, or maybe a messenger bag. I already know it would match almost everything I own...

[mustachepungoeshere]

I went to the local "expensive" supermarket and learned that Jan. 2 is "holy crap we're stuck with stuff from the holidays and now nobody has any money" day... got about $80 worth of stuff, mostly meat and cheese, for $35.

I had a good laugh at this. Well done!

[newgirl]

Randomly decided to log into my 401k at work and increased my contributions by 1%

(hey, this thread said SMALL things you did to save money!)

[Imma]

I wanted to go to the grocery store to buy some stuff I "needed" but then it rained so I didn't go.

We're going tomorrow for the big grocery shop anyway and our house is full of food so it's not like I'm going to go hungry.

[MaybeBabyMustache]

-Ate random leftovers from the fridge/freezer for breakfast & lunch
-Re-purposing other leftovers for dinner
-Skipped running the dishwasher, and will hand wash a few things & just do one load today
-Listed three things on eBay. Every time I think we don't have anything left to list, I'll open a cupboard I'd forgotten about, and there's a new prospect.
-Bought a flight for my girls trip to Las Vegas for $11. Used points earned from work travel to cover the rest. Woop! Also staying at the hotel for free, so feeling pretty good about the budget friendly options.
-Cancelled our ski trip to Tahoe. We decided we'd rather do a few day trips vs the logistics of staying over. I emailed the owner & he refunded me the full amount (not the lesser amount, as I was expecting).

[Jenny Wren]

* Keen emailed me on my warranty claim yesterday evening. $150 credit and I get to keep the shoes! I'll use the credit to replace the damaged laces and to get DS2 a new pair of shoes(Which we were planning to buy next month.)

* DS1 gets a $50 voucher to the college bookstore every quarter as part of an aid package. He didn't need books this quarter, only art supplies. The bookstore has the supplies, although they are more expensive than getting them elsewhere. The voucher is use it or lose it, so I had him use it for his supplies. There was a few dollars left, so he bought a few extra pieces of drawing charcoal since he goes through a lot.

* DS2's astro club has a potluck tonight. I made an apple sheet cake using items we had on hand. The whole fam is going, so free dinner, entertainment, and hanging out with friends.

* Another no spend day! We are 5 for 5 this year ;)

[eliza]

Yesterday morning I discovered as I was getting ready that my favorite pants were becoming worn on the rear - since I was running late I just opted to hide the problem with a long sweater over top.  At the end of the day I saw the true extent of the damage and had to retire the pair.

Nice find on the replacement.  And glad you noticed before you went out.  Several times I've managed to come home, change into my pajamas and only then noticed a giant rip/stain/other issue with my clothes which mean I spend the night worrying about how long it had been like that and how noticeable it had been.

[SimpleCycle]

Jumping back in here because I think focusing on the small stuff is a good exercise for me.

Made dinner with chicken from the freezer and a bag of nearly past their prime carrots.

Made a “use it up” list for this week’s meal planning.

[alewpanda]

-- Spent most of the day at home, except for my errands of dropping off a bag at the thrift store (and not buying anything while I was there), depositing a check from babysitting earlier this week and a roll of dimes from the change jar, and buying dog food (the big bag for maximum bang for the buck).   At the pet store I am on their loyalty program, so next month's bag 30lb pound bag of dog food will be FREE :)

-- Kinda wanted a treat while I was out and had gift cards from Christmas.  I resisted though.  Less sugar and I've delayed using up the gift cards yet another day.  Delaying uneeded spending, even when its not my money.

-- DH was hinting at going out, but instead I made a yummy chicken stir fry with rice and veggies.  Threw in some leftover pineapple tidbits too.  It was delicious! 

-- Used our free clubhouse gym.  Its cheap, and not well maintained...but it was a warm treadmill rather than 20 degrees without wind chill....

[halftimer]

Yesterday morning I discovered as I was getting ready that my favorite pants were becoming worn on the rear - since I was running late I just opted to hide the problem with a long sweater over top.  At the end of the day I saw the true extent of the damage and had to retire the pair.

Nice find on the replacement.  And glad you noticed before you went out.  Several times I've managed to come home, change into my pajamas and only then noticed a giant rip/stain/other issue with my clothes which mean I spend the night worrying about how long it had been like that and how noticeable it had been.

Yup, I've done that too. Good thing another set of eyes in the house spotted my back side before I headed out this time ;-)

[Step37]

Carpooled to book club (30 minute drive) with a friend - she saves this time and I’ll get to save next time, and it’s extra visiting time in the car. Win.

Left work a bit early to avoid a separate trip to IKEA (I pass it on way home) to get one more piece we needed for the storage cabinets we are building this weekend. This project is long overdue and will drastically improve that area, which is a shared space with our basement tenants (well, not so much shared as they have to pass through/by it) and it just looks very untidy. Storage will now have doors and we will for sure get rid of some unneeded stuff in the process.

[MaybeBabyMustache]

-Used a grocery store gift card to pick up a discounted box of tea ($.57) & a box of muffins ($.97). Already baked the muffins, although three have mysteriously disappeared.
-Used Rite Aid points to pick up a cleaning product I needed for the house.
-Went through my clothes & found two more items to list on eBay
-Spoke to my husband about an expensive jewelry set his mother got me, that I've never worn. It's been 10+ years, and is totally not my style. My mother in law lives in another country & it's highly unlikely she will ever be in our home. Now clear to sell the jewelry & put the money in the kids college accounts. Will tell them the money is a gift from his mom.
-Walked to three stores instead of driving. Only about 3 miles, but combined exercise & errands.

Also, this is something we do all the time, but I thought might be a new tip for others. After I get back from the store, I put most of our vegetables into cloth bags, and then put the cloth bag into the plastic bag again. For things like: broccoli, fresh spices, lettuce, celery, etc, this greatly extends the life of the vegetables. I can sometimes get lettuce to last for nearly three weeks this way.

[radram]

Already baked the muffins, although three have mysteriously disappeared.

That too shall pass.

[Step37]

@MaybeBabyMustache, what kind of cloth bags? I’m assuming just cotton, and that I could sew some out of t-shirts destined for the rag bin. Thanks for the tip. I don’t have much of an issue with veggies going bad, but fresher is always better!

[HappierAtHome]

Yesterday morning I discovered as I was getting ready that my favorite pants were becoming worn on the rear - since I was running late I just opted to hide the problem with a long sweater over top.  At the end of the day I saw the true extent of the damage and had to retire the pair.  I didn't plan to replace them, but when I checked my clothing capsule app I realized that they are my most versatile item and because they are maroon add a lot of color and variety. (They go with work outfits and casual outfits in more than 30+ combinations.) Today in the midst of other errands I went looking for replacements - the store where I originally bought them more than 6 years ago with a gift card no longer carries them. But I tried on a few similar pairs at a thrift store and got something nearly identical with a slightly better fit to the leg. Total time spent: maybe 30 minutes total; price: $5. Score!   I'm also looking at the old pair to refashion into either a children's overall, or maybe a messenger bag. I already know it would match almost everything I own...

@halftimer which clothing capsule app do you use?

[mustachepungoeshere]

It hit 35 degrees in my suburb today. Closed blinds, a fan, lots of cold water, no AC.

I cold-washed, line-dried two loads of washing.

Still using up scented bar soap instead of liquid hand soap.

I've collected 15 more bottles and cans to cash in.

I have two kilos chicken breast in the slow cooker (will freeze in lunch portions).

[11ducks]

I've started the year with the Uber frugal monthly challenge - just gone 7 days
with no unnecessary spends! Have been particularly proud of myself for resisting takeaway temptation (I have a bit of a burrito problem).

-Using the fan rather than the aircon  through our latest heatwave.

-Snagged a pair of rattan outdoor chairs a family member was giving away - got them today and they are perfect for our outdoor space and really comfy!

-Found two things to sell on Gumtree (Craigslist) this month - I'm going to try for 12 hustles/extra income this year - aiming to make extra cash once a month to boost my savings goals.

[MaybeBabyMustache]

@MaybeBabyMustache, what kind of cloth bags? I’m assuming just cotton, and that I could sew some out of t-shirts destined for the rag bin. Thanks for the tip. I don’t have much of an issue with veggies going bad, but fresher is always better!

My MIL made them for me. They may not need to be exactly like this, but ours are cotton (not as soft as a tshirt material), but she bought cheapie fabric & then sewed a gather at the top with a cord. They are various sizes. So, for example, I have cilantro for the guac I'm making later in the week in the tiny bag, and our romaine in the bigger bags. I probably have 5 or so bags. Took her 15 minutes to sew, so have to assume they were easy, but . . . I don't sew. :-)

[Chippewa]

Yesterday, went to the library for some frugal fun.

[Step37]

@MaybeBabyMustache, thank you - I will give it a try. This would be the extent of my sewing skills! I do own a machine (from a relative who upgraded hers), though, and it’s good to practice once every few years;-) My dogs need new snow boots soon...

I’m having a day at home, so no driving at all. A couple of people are supposed to come and pick up items I’ve listed for sale, so hopefully will get a bit of cash in.

[Jenny Wren]

Yesterday was a good day!

* Temps raised above freezing and the dangerous ice turned to slush. I got in a long "urban hike" along the river after lunch. I needed the outdoor time!

* Did food prep for the week -- roasted chickpeas, soaked sprouting seeds, made breakfast burritos for the freezer, made a batch of oat milk, and a few other things I can't immediately recall.

* Went grocery shopping and stuck to the budget.

* The big winner: Date night at home!!!! This means no ridiculous restaurant/bar/theater/what-have-you expenses. :D We haven't been out since before Christmas, most definitely a new record!

[Imma]

We needed to replace our broom, as we had moisture problems in our shed last winter. We used the rotten broom for as long as we could until it really broke beyond repair.

We are slowly replacing all of our tools by Gardena tools when they break / we need something new. The tools are much more durable and because you only need one handle, they take up much less space too. I went to buy the broom tool today. The tool cost €21 originally, but I had a 25% off coupon so it was only €16. The store has a promotion where you get double loyalty points with every purchase + I had a coupon for 250 bonus points with your next purchase. I ended up with 282 points instead of 16. We're saving up the points to get free tickets to an amusement park my s/o wants to go to, but I think is too expensive. We need 3000 points for a free ticket, so this has been a helpful purchase. We're not buying anything that we don't need, but I try to plan purchases so we get bonus points.

Needless to say we're storing the new tools in the house until we've solved the shed problem.

[Linea_Norway]

We needed to replace our broom, as we had moisture problems in our shed last winter. We used the rotten broom for as long as we could until it really broke beyond repair.

Today I noticed the stick of one of brooms. This broom is stored outside on the terrace, facing the south. We bought it one year ago. I noticed to day that the side of the stick towards the sunside is almost rotten. The opposite side is still as new. Obviously sunligh5 does this. We should try to f8nd some other storage place with less sunlight. This rotting is disasteous.

[mustachepungoeshere]

Realised something I had ordered on eBay in early December hadn't arrived.

Decided, on reflection, that I didn't need it, so I contacted the seller and requested a refund.

$20 back in my account.

Over the weekend, a friend gave me a bag of new clothes. A couple of hours later another friend offered me a bag of baby clothes for a relative.

[SimpleCycle]

-Did food prep for the kids (sweet potatoes and puréed squash) and me (hummus, sweet potato noodles, mason jar salad)
-Took public transportation instead of driving, although we were out more than 2 hours so it may not have saved any money.  It’s good for our general badassity though.
-Baked in the toaster oven instead of the big oven.

[MaybeBabyMustache]

-Went on a hike with a friend, for free entertainment. We can both walk from our house, & no rain today
-Drove our electric car for further away errands
-Made homemade hummus with my 10 year old, who did the majority of the work.
-Prepped 3 lbs of taco meat for the freezer. One batch will be consumed tomorrow, but the rest should make 5 other dinners (serving 4/each). Followed a tip I read on MMM, and added the last of a few almost bad potatoes to round out the meat.
-Returned a small Christmas gift that I almost gave up on. Got $2.75 back in cash.
-Exchanged my husband's gift for a different wash (jeans). Happened to be on sale, so pocketed the $20 difference.
-Returned all of the library books that are due tomorrow. Finally got in under the wire!
-Drank a glass of wine that I was given as a holiday gift. From my coworkers family vineyard. It was good. Not great, but definitely good enough for a Sunday evening.
-Heard about a crazy deal on toothpaste from a friend. Yes, we're exciting. Bought 6 tubes of toothpaste for $12. Earned $10 in Target gift cards. Did the free pickup in store when I was returning my Christmas gift. Also, made the purchase through eBates, earning another $.12, and a free Target shopping bag.

[Jenny Wren]

Today was a lazy day spent mainly at home, so no spending was necessary.

I did have a board meeting to attend at a nearby coffee shop, but the club buys the coffee. Free coffee for volunteering for the win!

[AO1FireTo]

Not sure it counts as saving money, but my wife and I sold a few Christmas gifts my daughter had received on Kijiji and took the money and put it into her educational savings fund.  She never would have played with these gifts, and a couple were duplicates.  I tried to persuade my family not to give gifts this year, but they seem to think it isn't Christmas unless they spend money on gifts.  I prefer my wife's Chinese parents gifts, they just give money, common practice in China.

[Suzanne]

I write my expenditure on a sheet and mark up those who really costs more.
I decrease on those item where my expenditure is high.
So I save myself.

[horsepoor]

I'm reformulating my horse's diet after treating her for gastric ulcers.  Since she won't change her diet until the course of meds is (hopefully) done next week, I decided on the supplements she'll need and signed up for the company's promo emails and waited.  Today they came through with a 50% off the first month's supplements promo code, which will save me about $55.

Printed out the paperwork to sign up for gym membership reimbursement from work and will get the required info when I go to the gym tonight.  My gym is only $18/month, but I'll get back around $108 at this time next year.

Almost got sucked into an Amazon Lightning Deal this morning when I went to the site to look at measuring cups.  The site was slow and wouldn't allow me to add it to my cart right away, and that was enough time for me to come to my senses and realize that even if it was free, I had no use for this item (fancy kitchen knife).

[MaybeBabyMustache]

-Heard about a crazy deal on toothpaste from a friend. Yes, we're exciting. Bought 6 tubes of toothpaste for $12. Earned $10 in Target gift cards. Did the free pickup in store when I was returning my Christmas gift. Also, made the purchase through eBates, earning another $.12, and a free Target shopping bag.

Tell us more! I'm finding the cheap toothpaste, but not set up in a way that gets me the $10 in gift cards.

I use slickdeals to sniff out options. This one is now expired, but here's the link. https://slickdeals.net/f/11133755-6-pack-6oz-colgate-max-fresh-toothpaste-10-target-gift-card-12-free-store-pickup?src=SiteSearchV2_SearchBarV2Algo1

[MaybeBabyMustache]

-Free breakfast, lunch & fruit at work
-Charged electric car for free
-Picked up another book off of the freebie table
-Tracked down a large Costco rebate we were expecting but haven't received. Finished final step for it (a survey)

I know spending money to save doesn't really "count", but I ordered a set of patches for my favorite jeans. They have rubbed at the thighs, creating small holes. (Yes, this probably belongs in the "losing weight in January thread".) Hoping to try out the patches to see if I can extend the life of the jeans. They are very nice, fit well & are good for work. The holes are in an area not visible during normal wear.

[Imma]

Applied for cashback for something I purchased last week. Nearly forgot about it. The money will take up to 2 months to arrive, but hey, it's 2 minutes work to earn €15, so I'm not complaining.

[Spruit]

Took the bike to work today, drank only tea and water, ate my own packed sandwiches and hung clothes to dry in the outside wind and (semi) sun.
Potted up some cuttings of houseplants taken some weeks ago and rooted in a layer of water.

[Dollar Slice]

I had an *almost* no-spend weekend. I spent $7 and change on a digital download, but that was it from the time I got home Friday night to when I left for work this morning.

Someone gave me a subscription to the NYT for a holiday gift and it came with a code to get a free Google Home. The gift giver didn't know what a Google Home was, so they forwarded it to me. I first thought "ugh, that's the last thing I need" but then I thought about it and realized that there must be some way to make a profit by reselling a free $100+ piece of electronics. So I "invested" $10 on shipping and I'll try to flip it on eBay or something.