What small things did you do TODAY to save money?

[JCfire]

Drove home (~3mile round trip) for lunch instead of paying for cafeteria or restaurant fare.  Ate leftover slow-cooked pork shoulder from last night's dinner along with some spinach, tortilla chips and salsa, for an estimated total cost of about $2.00.  Even including mileage costs and gas this easily saved me $5 over my typical lunch alternative.

Changed my work wardrobe a bit as well -- changed from taking my shirts to the cleaners and wearing leather-soled shoes to home-laundering and wearing rubber-soled shoes (an older pair I bought several years ago).  Savings from the cleaners and less-frequent shoe sole replacements works out to about $1.50 per day.

[Grant Q]

Skipped the Sunday grocery shopping trip and we are getting creative and mining the freezer and cabinets instead.

[Will]

I already have my auto insurance with The Hartford, which also has the AARP auto insurance program.  Seeing as how I turn 49.5 tomorrow, I was able to call them, join AARP for $16, and still end up saving $52/year.  My premium was already pretty low, so while it isn't HUGE savings, it is savings nonetheless.

[G-dog]

Baby steps --
Ate breakfast at home (steel cut oats  I cooked over the weekend) and took lunch to work ( leftover homemade pizza, and brought my soda).  My goal this week is to stop eating out. Even though I typically do this cheaply, it is just unnecessary.  It is tempting to go out at lunch just to have a break from the office. But I can take a break with my home made lunch.

[Zaga]

I did a bunch of berry picking on my property this weekend.  We have about an acre, and in that space have black raspberries, blackberries, mulberries, and wild grapes.  Right now the mulberries and raspberries are ripe, I've been picking and eating a lot of berries!

I have made pie a few times, given away mulberries to some friends, and have some mulberry wine brewing in my kitchen.  Looking forward to the wild grapes!  They don't go to fruit every year, but when they do they make a pretty awesome addition to our homemade mead!

Can you adopt me?  LOL, your land sounds amazing, as does the mead.

:-)  There isn't a huge amount of any one thing, but it's enough for my small needs.

[Erica/NWEdible]

I biked to the grocery store! It's not far, but I'm scared of biking in traffic, so it was kinda a big deal to me! Yay!

[NinetyFour]

Good for you!!  Hope the cars parted for you, like the Red Sea!!

[Primm]

I made pulled chicken last night that I poached in a tomato broth. I've always thrown out the tomatoes when I'm done, apart from a little bit I reduce to make sauce. Last night I strained it, and I had tomato soup and toast for lunch today. It was really yummy!

Rural, I'm jealous. Where I used to live there were berries everywhere, but not here. Not on public land anyway.

Anyone notice that a whole premade roasted chicken at bjs is cheaper than buying an uncooked one? When I'm in the mood for chicken I'll buy a roasted one for $5, chop it up and put the leftovers in salad or soup

A whole cooked chicken here is $10. I went the tightarse route of chicken drumsticks for $1.99 a kilo.

Also, BJ's? There is really a business called BJ's? They didn't think that one through very well, did they? Or maybe they did...

[Will]

I made pulled chicken last night that I poached in a tomato broth. I've always thrown out the tomatoes when I'm done, apart from a little bit I reduce to make sauce. Last night I strained it, and I had tomato soup and toast for lunch today. It was really yummy!

Rural, I'm jealous. Where I used to live there were berries everywhere, but not here. Not on public land anyway.

Anyone notice that a whole premade roasted chicken at bjs is cheaper than buying an uncooked one? When I'm in the mood for chicken I'll buy a roasted one for $5, chop it up and put the leftovers in salad or soup

This article explains why:  http://www.kcet.org/living/food/the-nosh/grocery-store-rotisserie-chickens.html

[Primm]

I made pulled chicken last night that I poached in a tomato broth. I've always thrown out the tomatoes when I'm done, apart from a little bit I reduce to make sauce. Last night I strained it, and I had tomato soup and toast for lunch today. It was really yummy!

Rural, I'm jealous. Where I used to live there were berries everywhere, but not here. Not on public land anyway.

Anyone notice that a whole premade roasted chicken at bjs is cheaper than buying an uncooked one? When I'm in the mood for chicken I'll buy a roasted one for $5, chop it up and put the leftovers in salad or soup

This article explains why:  http://www.kcet.org/living/food/the-nosh/grocery-store-rotisserie-chickens.html

So it's an alternative to throwing out rotten meat.

Thanks for that. I think...

[Threshkin]

I made pulled chicken last night that I poached in a tomato broth. I've always thrown out the tomatoes when I'm done, apart from a little bit I reduce to make sauce. Last night I strained it, and I had tomato soup and toast for lunch today. It was really yummy!

Rural, I'm jealous. Where I used to live there were berries everywhere, but not here. Not on public land anyway.

Anyone notice that a whole premade roasted chicken at bjs is cheaper than buying an uncooked one? When I'm in the mood for chicken I'll buy a roasted one for $5, chop it up and put the leftovers in salad or soup

Don't forget to put the bones, skin, and all other parts of that roast chicken in a big pot and make soup stock.  Simmer it for a couple of hours, strain out the bones.  Pick out any remaining meat from the bones (you will find a surprising amount) and add it back into the broth.  The skin and gristle bits (not the bones!) are great for the dog if you have one.

The chicken broth can be used as the base for many different soups.  It will keep about a week in the refrigerator. It also freezes wonderfully if you have more than you can use right away.

[Threshkin]

This article explains why:  http://www.kcet.org/living/food/the-nosh/grocery-store-rotisserie-chickens.html

So it's an alternative to throwing out rotten meat.

Thanks for that. I think...

Did you the whole article?

[Primm]

This article explains why:  http://www.kcet.org/living/food/the-nosh/grocery-store-rotisserie-chickens.html

So it's an alternative to throwing out rotten meat.

Thanks for that. I think...

Did you the whole article?

Yep. Ok then, at-the-end-of-its-useful-life meat. Hubby used to manage a chicken fast food store, so I'm aware of all the tricks they use to extend their best-before dates. It just didn't occur to me that supermarkets did it too. I'm not sure why.

[galliver]

I made pulled chicken last night that I poached in a tomato broth. I've always thrown out the tomatoes when I'm done, apart from a little bit I reduce to make sauce. Last night I strained it, and I had tomato soup and toast for lunch today. It was really yummy!

Rural, I'm jealous. Where I used to live there were berries everywhere, but not here. Not on public land anyway.

Anyone notice that a whole premade roasted chicken at bjs is cheaper than buying an uncooked one? When I'm in the mood for chicken I'll buy a roasted one for $5, chop it up and put the leftovers in salad or soup

This article explains why:  http://www.kcet.org/living/food/the-nosh/grocery-store-rotisserie-chickens.html

So it's an alternative to throwing out rotten meat.

Thanks for that. I think...

Or just the 1-2 days in the supermarket fridge meat. Because would anyone actually ever grab the oldest chicken on the shelf? No, so once it's not day-of chicken, it's impossible to sell (without label fraud or something). Why *not* cook it up and sell as rotisserie chickens?

[Gin1984]

Skipped the Sunday grocery shopping trip and we are getting creative and mining the freezer and cabinets instead.

Nice. I did this last week. It's funny how many meals you can make when there's "nothing to eat" in the house. Good job!

I am horrible at that, I just end up eating out.

[hermoninny]

Rediscovered the freebies in the kitchen at work.  Had free oatmeal for breakfast and am saving my morning shake for the afternoon, when my sweet tooth kicks in and I inevitably give in to the vending machine or gift shop for sweets. 

Used zucchini from my mom's garden to make "Zucchini Jello Jam".  For a couple dollars' worth of jello and sugar, plus $6.30 for reusable canning jars, I made 9 jars of jelly.  I think I pay $2-3 a piece at the store for the non high-fructose-corn-syrupe-variety at the grocery store.  And now I can sneak veggies into my 3 yo's PB&J sandwiches.  :)

[1967mama]

Fired up the bread machine this morning, so we can have simple bread and cheese and raw veggies for lunch. Didn't have to go to the store to buy bread, and I'm sure I would have picked up several other "good deals" while there. Instead, its turned into another spend nothing day!

[Erica/NWEdible]

Dropped kid off at summer preschool via bike. To be fair, this isn't really a money saving thing since I would have walked anyway, but it's exciting to break out the bike for these "functional" outings.

[C. K.]

Leftover, getting soft vegetables in omelet for lunch.

[1967mama]

Made lemon gelato in ice cream maker we got for free with Sears points.  It was fantastic!

"Gelato al limone"
translated from La Cucina di Federica (no adaptations were necessary)
Use the ml/litre section in your liquid measuring cup for accurate measurements

juice of 3 lemons (~1/2 cup (120 gr/ml)) including the zest of 1 lemon
~3/4 cup (150 gr/ml) granulated sugar
~1 cup (200 gr/ml) milk
1+ cup (250 gr/ml) heavy cream

[schoenbauer]

I hitch-hiked 820 km to visit a friend. It was a great adventure, I met lovely and helpful people and gathered lots of smiles. It took 7 cars, 2 trucks and approx. 28 hrs (including a night break) to reach my destination. Great adventure! If it fits your mindset, it' s a great recommendation for everyone!

On the way back I took the train because of scheduled appointments (hitch-hiking might have not led to a timely arrival).

[peppermint]

- biked to work
- brought lunch
- negotiated for a lower rate on my credit card
- took out a book from the library for fun reading

[tanhanivar]

Called around some local mechanics for quotes for my next logbook service, then asked my long-time mechanics to match them - and they did! $40 savings.

A girl at work turned around when I got off the phone and said "did you just get a discount on your car service?!" Which is funny, because we're fairly frugal here but just don't bargain much - it's helped having another workmate who will try to bargain anything. He's obviously started to rub off on us, but it took MMM to make me even care.

(Even without cycling to work, I've started driving so much LESS that even this seems like a big financial imposition. But it will be a little while before I can do a serious carless experiment, so I ought to maintain it until then!)

[Angie55]

Biked to work. I had to pickup something at the hardware store before the weekend. Normally I'd drive to work on days I need to go because Home Depot is on a street inaccessible to bikes. Chose to go to Ace Hardware so I could bike to work and the store! Also had a $5 off coupon so my purchase was only $1.

[former player]

Needed to move a sofa a mile into the village to my mother's house.  With the help of my neighbour's gardener, hoisted it on to the top of his LandRover, tied it on and drove carefully in convoy down the lane.  Should have taken a picture.

[skandrae]

I didn't allow an imminent crisis at work send me across the street for overpriced, yet underwhelming Chinese takeout. I stayed in the office, ate the lunch I'd packed, and discovered the logical solution to the crisis. Good for my wallet and my waist ^_^

[Monij87]

I washed my car by hand for the first time. Baby steps


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[swick]

Made a big pot of white beans in the crockpot to be used throughout the week in various guises.

Made an updated Freezer inventory to aid in eating it down and coming up with meal ideas.

Got all our important documents/irreplaceable things in one place in case we get evacuated.

[Frugal Father]

I'm currently working on a client where I'm at their office until about 10:00 each night. Because of this, we order dinner and charge it to the client. Since the super fancy meal is enough for at least two meals, I only eat part of it and then save the other half for lunch the next day. That way, I don't even have to pack a lunch. The client already purchased it for me the night before. It feels really good to whip out my leftovers while everyone heads up to the cafeteria to purchase lunch.

[davisgang90]

I got up, made my coffee, breakfast and lunch, worked on leapforce for 1/2 hour before work instead of facebook. 

[tariskat]

Had two leftover meals (breakfast and dinner) at work before heading to a free intro boxing course.

Got my new insurance documents in the mail today, and saw that I have 5 discounts on my motorcycle insurance already, prompting me to ask my agent if I can have yet another for having completed the basic rider course.  Pretty sure the answer is going to be yes :D

[swick]

Got all our important documents/irreplaceable things in one place in case we get evacuated.

Hope everything is ok! Lots of forest fires in BC right now. Heard about Hudson's hope getting evacuated today....

Thanks :) thankfully we are still in our house, things are tense, especially with Hudson's getting evacuated. The BC wildfire map is starting light up like a christmas tree.

[peppermint]

Forgot to put the crockpot on this morning (in fridge so didn't get spoiled), with a little ingenuity made a lemony chickpea salad for dinner instead.

[1967mama]

Drove right on by the thrift store today ... there's just nothing I need atm.

[G-dog]

Baby steps --
Ate breakfast at home (steel cut oats  I cooked over the weekend) and took lunch to work ( leftover homemade pizza, and brought my soda).  My goal this week is to stop eating out. Even though I typically do this cheaply, it is just unnecessary.  It is tempting to go out at lunch just to have a break from the office. But I can take a break with my home made lunch.

Update - still successfully avoiding eating out. And since I am essentially not taking a lunch break at work, I leave for home earlier.  Win-win.

[Threshkin]

I made yogurt overnight in my crock pot.  It was extremely simple, inexpensive, and delicious!

I followed this recipe http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2008/10/you-can-make-yogurt-in-your-crockpot.html that I found right here on MMM!

[galliver]

Refused two different lunch invitations and finished my millet and blueberries. Tasty. :)

(Because many are unfamiliar with millet: http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=53)

[sheepstache]

Used leftover bread to make bread pudding for a party rather than buying something.  Probably more appreciated than yet another six pack.

[RootofGood]

Dropped $120 on a new sump pump to keep our crawl space dry.  The old one died after 14 years, and now I'm an expert on sump pumps.  Hopefully I can get it rigged up correctly since it's the same exact model as the old one, and the pipes and valves are reusable to connect it to the old pipe.  I figure a plumber would charge $500 at least for the sump pump replacement and I might not get a choice of top notch replacement sump pump. 

[SingleMomDebt]

Didn't give in to buying the soda & pricey snack while we were out doing back to school shopping. We weren't far from home. We weren't going to die from not having a soda or a pretzel. ;)

[Rural]

Did not go down off the mountain today, so no money (or fuel) spent.

[jabber]

Doesn't this thread belong in the 'Share Your Badassity' section?

Anyway: made my own coffee, made my lunches for the week (88cents/meal), and drinking my boxed wine as I write.  I'm still working on the fancy frugal homebrew (first batch was a little bland and dry).

[horsepoor]

Used my store points for 30 cents off per gallon to fill up my clown pig truck, and paid with a 5% cash back visa

Planted corn, beets, carrots, rutabagas and parsnips for winter storage, and also some fall lettuce.

[Gin1984]

Husband made apple pie from items in our cupboard and the apples from our tree.

[PMG]

Did not go down off the mountain today, so no money (or fuel) spent.

I love that someone else understands and uses the same terminology as I do.  "Well, I've not been off the mountain since last week...."

[galliver]

Filled out my couchsurfing profile and sent a few requests.

[1967mama]

Made dinner from scratch, as well as a nice dessert for our houseguests.  Made 2 cups of tea at home. Didn't flick on the air conditioning, just the fans and its cooling down here now as night approaches. Ahhhhh!

[Mike2]

I took leftovers for lunch and made dinner at home today with leftovers for lunch tomorrow.

[Rural]

Did not go down off the mountain today, so no money (or fuel) spent.

I love that someone else understands and uses the same terminology as I do.  "Well, I've not been off the mountain since last week...."

Well, it's literal, in my case. :-) But yeah.

[tanhanivar]

My boss and a colleague brought their pizza makers to work. We all contributed an ingredient each and had a big pizza lunch in the conference room. Definitely one of the cheaper (and more fun) office lunches we've had!