Author Topic: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?  (Read 8020946 times)

LostGirl

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10550 on: January 18, 2018, 03:06:44 AM »
I cut my husband's hair! I bought proper scissors a while ago for my 2& 4 year old hair but he me cut his last night. He cares a lot about his hair so this was a big deal. It looks good 😄

middo

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save Foo?
« Reply #10551 on: January 18, 2018, 03:36:04 AM »
Didn't run the airconditioner today, or yesterday, or the day before.  I don't think I will run it tomorrow either.  :)

I haven't used hot water for the shower since the solstice, and intend to keep that up until the equinox.  3 months of not using gas.  Now if I can just convince the wife and kids to shower in cold water too....


Dollar Slice

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10552 on: January 18, 2018, 11:05:33 AM »
Decided I'm feeling too run down/have been overdoing it too much this week to properly enjoy an expensive concert tomorrow night, so I sold the ticket on Stubhub. I booked it months ago, but this week is too busy and I'm too grumpy. He'll tour again next year. I was too lazy to get the numbers exactly right with the fees etc. in Stubhub, so I ended up getting my money back plus 20 cents extra.

LostGirl

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10553 on: January 18, 2018, 12:17:42 PM »
Brought lunch today and every day this week! I am on the go frequently which leads to convenience purchases. It's healthier and obv cheaper for me to bring. It does require planning but its getting to be part of the routine.

Daisy

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10554 on: January 18, 2018, 01:08:26 PM »
Buy oven roaster chickens like 6-8lbs or more and have the butcher butterfly them. Place on a rack on a flat baking pan sprinkle spices and bake in oven. Put onion and celery under rack.  Look up Spatchcock chicken on internet for instructions. Comes out perfect every time and delicious. If you can and the chickens are on sale, hoard up on them. Freeze them flat in plastic and foil. Hub and I have made them a ton of times and they are AWESOME!

OH, and tell the butcher you want the backbone, neck and innards like heart, liver and gizzards. You can make broth with the bones and if you don't want to eat the innards, feed them to your cat or dog. If you don't ask the butcher for this stuff, they will keep it. No idea if they sell it or chuck it but you are paying for it!

88 cents a lb is a GREAT price!

I've made paté with chicken and turkey livers. It's not as gross as it sounds.

I'm not sure what to do with the heart and gizzards.

Daisy

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10555 on: January 18, 2018, 01:11:37 PM »
The banana I used was overripe, so if I hadn't used it today, tomorrow it would have gone to waste.

Nonsense! That turns into banana bread or put into smoothies. Just freeze the banana when it gets too ripe.

Daisy

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10556 on: January 18, 2018, 01:20:00 PM »
Very SMALL, but turned a right-handed dishwashing glove into a left-handed dishwashing glove by turning it inside out.

I can't stand doing dishes without dish gloves on, and one side or the other tends to develop a rip at some point, so I usually store the one that doesn't break in a drawer and use it when that hand's glove develops a rip. I ran out of spares, and a left-handed glove tore a little and I only had a right-handed spare left.

These gloves tear easily, but I buy the cheap ones. The last pair was actually only slightly more and more durable and lasted awhile, but alas it just ripped.

jordanread

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10557 on: January 18, 2018, 01:23:30 PM »
Very SMALL, but turned a right-handed dishwashing glove into a left-handed dishwashing glove by turning it inside out.

I can't stand doing dishes without dish gloves on, and one side or the other tends to develop a rip at some point, so I usually store the one that doesn't break in a drawer and use it when that hand's glove develops a rip. I ran out of spares, and a left-handed glove tore a little and I only had a right-handed spare left.

These gloves tear easily, but I buy the cheap ones. The last pair was actually only slightly more and more durable and lasted awhile, but alas it just ripped.

WTF is a dishwashing glove? And why? Don't hands have a dishwashing protecting substance, like skin?

(I'm honestly curious about the gloves, but also being facetious.)

Daisy

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10558 on: January 18, 2018, 01:46:39 PM »
Very SMALL, but turned a right-handed dishwashing glove into a left-handed dishwashing glove by turning it inside out.

I can't stand doing dishes without dish gloves on, and one side or the other tends to develop a rip at some point, so I usually store the one that doesn't break in a drawer and use it when that hand's glove develops a rip. I ran out of spares, and a left-handed glove tore a little and I only had a right-handed spare left.

These gloves tear easily, but I buy the cheap ones. The last pair was actually only slightly more and more durable and lasted awhile, but alas it just ripped.

WTF is a dishwashing glove? And why? Don't hands have a dishwashing protecting substance, like skin?

(I'm honestly curious about the gloves, but also being facetious.)

Touching dirty dishes kind of grosses me out.

Also I have a lot of allergies and don't want to be touching dishwashing liquid too much. These days I buy dishwashing liquid with less chemicals, but you never know.

I also use gloves to clean my bike or wash my car. My brother-in-law laughs at me for this. I don't care.

jordanread

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10559 on: January 18, 2018, 02:39:37 PM »
Very SMALL, but turned a right-handed dishwashing glove into a left-handed dishwashing glove by turning it inside out.

I can't stand doing dishes without dish gloves on, and one side or the other tends to develop a rip at some point, so I usually store the one that doesn't break in a drawer and use it when that hand's glove develops a rip. I ran out of spares, and a left-handed glove tore a little and I only had a right-handed spare left.

These gloves tear easily, but I buy the cheap ones. The last pair was actually only slightly more and more durable and lasted awhile, but alas it just ripped.

WTF is a dishwashing glove? And why? Don't hands have a dishwashing protecting substance, like skin?

(I'm honestly curious about the gloves, but also being facetious.)

Touching dirty dishes kind of grosses me out.

Also I have a lot of allergies and don't want to be touching dishwashing liquid too much. These days I buy dishwashing liquid with less chemicals, but you never know.

I also use gloves to clean my bike or wash my car. My brother-in-law laughs at me for this. I don't care.

Well, I now understand your reasons. However, I still had to turn to our Lord and Master Google. It turns out dishwashing gloves are the same thing as those yellow rubber gloves. No idea why, but I did not make that connection. I was flabbergasted when I heard the term. Now I find out that they are the same things I occasionally use when dealing with electricity. Didn't mean to come across mean or douchey.

Daisy

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10560 on: January 18, 2018, 03:06:57 PM »
Very SMALL, but turned a right-handed dishwashing glove into a left-handed dishwashing glove by turning it inside out.

I can't stand doing dishes without dish gloves on, and one side or the other tends to develop a rip at some point, so I usually store the one that doesn't break in a drawer and use it when that hand's glove develops a rip. I ran out of spares, and a left-handed glove tore a little and I only had a right-handed spare left.

These gloves tear easily, but I buy the cheap ones. The last pair was actually only slightly more and more durable and lasted awhile, but alas it just ripped.

WTF is a dishwashing glove? And why? Don't hands have a dishwashing protecting substance, like skin?

(I'm honestly curious about the gloves, but also being facetious.)

Touching dirty dishes kind of grosses me out.

Also I have a lot of allergies and don't want to be touching dishwashing liquid too much. These days I buy dishwashing liquid with less chemicals, but you never know.

I also use gloves to clean my bike or wash my car. My brother-in-law laughs at me for this. I don't care.

Well, I now understand your reasons. However, I still had to turn to our Lord and Master Google. It turns out dishwashing gloves are the same thing as those yellow rubber gloves. No idea why, but I did not make that connection. I was flabbergasted when I heard the term. Now I find out that they are the same things I occasionally use when dealing with electricity. Didn't mean to come across mean or douchey.

Yes just those cheap yellow gloves you can buy at the grocery store. Very cheap. But they break easily.

I wasn't really offended. Your reaction was milder than my brother-in-law's, who took a picture of me washing my bike with gloves on and posted it on Facebook. He actually has skin issues too like me so I really think he should be using gloves more. But to keep harmony in the family, I don't bring it up.

Imma

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10561 on: January 18, 2018, 03:40:48 PM »
I should be using gloves as well, I have skin issues, but they're just so uncomfortable and weird smelling.

I went grocery shopping after work. Almost all the food I bought was marked 35% off.
I have been hand quilting a quilt all night. I'm sitting under it while quilting, so I turned the heating down.

MaybeBabyMustache

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10562 on: January 18, 2018, 03:49:46 PM »
-Sold/mailed another item on eBay. Made $4. Raking in the big bucks.
-Found a penny in a conference room. See above.
-Finally sorted out the issue causing library fines (kids cards, email notifications not getting sent) & put a plan in place to rectify & reduce/eliminate fines

Kwill

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10563 on: January 18, 2018, 04:27:33 PM »
I've been sticking to my New Year's resolution of not buying lunch on work days. I've resorted to nuts and granola bars a couple times. Today I brought tuna noodle that I'd packed and set in the freezer last week, and tonight I had leftover baked ziti that I had frozen from the big batch made for lunch last week. I wish I'd realised it years ago, but turns out one big family-sized casserole dish can potentially feed me for ten meals. If I can sort out appropriate food storage and freeze enough before it goes bad or I get tired of it, I should be able to cook less than twice per week in future.

LostGirl

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10564 on: January 18, 2018, 08:54:25 PM »
I just made lemon larabars from all ingredients I had on hand! Not sure who posted that but thank you for that motivation. Also good that my 2yo loved those and she is super picky. Her go to snack is kind bars so this will be a great switch.

middo

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10565 on: January 18, 2018, 09:01:26 PM »
Our neighbour was pulling out their lemongrass. A couple of repurposed old containers, a shovel and some  water and we should have fresh lemongrass for our Thai curries from now on.

SquashingDebt

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10566 on: January 19, 2018, 05:22:46 AM »
I've been sticking to my New Year's resolution of not buying lunch on work days. I've resorted to nuts and granola bars a couple times. Today I brought tuna noodle that I'd packed and set in the freezer last week, and tonight I had leftover baked ziti that I had frozen from the big batch made for lunch last week. I wish I'd realised it years ago, but turns out one big family-sized casserole dish can potentially feed me for ten meals. If I can sort out appropriate food storage and freeze enough before it goes bad or I get tired of it, I should be able to cook less than twice per week in future.

This is exactly what I do.  The great part is after awhile, you build up a nice variety of leftovers in the freezer so you can have something different for lunch every day!  I use quart-size Ziploc freezer bags for all my leftovers.  Freeze them flat, take them out in the morning and leave them out on my desk at work and they're thawed by lunch time.  Then I usually eat that week's leftovers (cooked on Saturday/Sunday) for dinner each night.

Linea_Norway

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10567 on: January 19, 2018, 10:27:57 AM »
I am currently at our cabin where we use candles often. Today I made a new candle from leftover pieces of candles. I have done this for many years, as I think it is such a waste trowing away the lower part of each candle.

ChipmunkSavings

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10568 on: January 19, 2018, 09:28:52 PM »
Went grocery shopping today, they had a big promotion where you got loyalty points for dollars off your purchases. Bought 52$ worth of food (all on sale) and got 31$ worth of points. Also scored an amazing deal with chickpeas : 0.77$ for a bag of 1.8 kg ; those usually cost 4x this price! I only managed to get two of those, but it was definitely a deal.

Trifle

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10569 on: January 20, 2018, 05:40:48 AM »
Took lunch to work every day this week. 

It was close to a zero-spend week for us.  We only bought groceries (stayed on list) and a couple of small items DS needed for school.

This weekend I have to buy chicken feed, but other than that it should be a zero-spend and zero-travel weekend.  Cooking from the freezer and cupboards.  Going for a run in the woods to enjoy the warmer temperatures!

Mezzie

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10570 on: January 20, 2018, 07:52:54 AM »
I finished my week of eating odds and ends in the pantry and freezer and STILL have a good chunk of food I can eat. I do need to go grocery shopping, but only because I'm completely out of fruits and vegetables now. I should only spend half of what I usually do in a week.

Linea_Norway

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10571 on: January 20, 2018, 12:20:54 PM »
We went cross country skiing without using the car. Ski in, ski out.
« Last Edit: January 26, 2018, 01:06:23 AM by Linda_Norway »

alewpanda

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10572 on: January 20, 2018, 01:42:48 PM »
-- Returned a couple of shirts to goodwill.

-- Spent within a couple of bucks of what I had guesstimated for groceries today.  I got a couple things that were on sale that aren't needed now, but they are regular pantry items and can be stored.  Hence, the couple of extra bucks. 

-- Picked up a penny while walking the dogs earlier today.

-- As I sit here, I have a roasting pan full of assorted vegetables in the oven.  They will be divided up into containers for my vegetarian lunches.  I will try a side with one of DH's lunches too to see if he likes this particular recipe.  I also made a pan of chicken and rice that covered my late lunch, will be heated up for DH and I for tomorrow's lunch after church, and may have one more serving in it to cover one of our Monday lunches.  As the chicken and rice baked, I cut up carrots, celery and cucumbers for snacks and made a huge salad for sides through the first half of the week.  I eventually plan to boil eggs for egg salad too.  This is way more meal prep than I normally do at one time though...and I'm pooped!

-- Used dog safe bits from my salad/veggie prep to supplement the Lab's dog food.

-- Started alterations to a goodwill dress yesterday, and am hoping to finish them today.

Rowellen

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10573 on: January 20, 2018, 02:19:05 PM »
My daughter needed new sneakers for school so I ordered a gift card from my credit card points. Then I asked for a discount. Which I got. My daughter has decent shoes for free and there is still a balance on the gift card.

horsepoor

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10574 on: January 20, 2018, 02:26:50 PM »
I needed a bunch of containers to package up my horse's supplements.  The supplements are expensive and I don't want someone giving the wrong amount, or giving some to my other horse, who doesn't need them.  Anyway, for once it occurred to me to check the DollarTree and they had perfect containers 2/$1.  Hopefully they'll last a long time and save plastic vs. using Ziploc bags.

Staying away from the grocery store until I can sit down and make a meal plan and shopping list for the week.

Weekend project is building a custom monitor riser for my home office; bonus that it will be stained to match the wall paneling and is cut to fit perfectly in it's spot.  Finishing it with stain and sealant leftover from a previous project.

Making stock with the carcass from the turkey I smoked last weekend and an ugly old onion.


MaybeBabyMustache

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10575 on: January 20, 2018, 02:56:36 PM »
-Made dinner from bits & bobs in the fridge yesterday (naan pizzas with leftover chicken, pasta sauce, pesto from the freezer, etc).
-Kept my weekly grocery shopping below $100 for the week, which is huge for us.
-Sold & mailed another item on eBay today
-Cleaned the house rather than taking the easy "hiring" path. I'm trying to teach the kids by involving them in the cleaning as well. This takes much longer (and, all of my patience), but these are life skills for them, as well as it makes them more aware of how making messes makes cleaning much harder at the end of the week. That said, so .much.patience.

luciep

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10576 on: January 20, 2018, 03:07:51 PM »
- Took the boyfriend's daughter to a free kid Pinguin event at the state park by our house.
- Tutored a student online (no need to drive anywhere to meet).

Imma

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10577 on: January 20, 2018, 04:10:16 PM »
- Deep cleaned the house today, so had no time to go anywhere and spend money.
- Went through the fridge and pantry found plenty of food that needed to be eaten asap. Brunch was bread from the freezer with homemade egg mayonaise. Found 2kgs of potatoes in the pantry that had nearly grown legs. Peeled them all, used a few to make homemade chips (as in fries) with homemade garlic mayonaise for dinner. Baked half of the remaining potatoes for tomorrow. Boiled the other half to make sauerkraut with mashed potatoes for the freezer. We'll eat this later in the week. Found a piece of Stilton which was my snack for tonight. Not the healthiest day ever, but very tasty & got rid of lots of food without wasting it.
- Did laundry and dried inside. I have a drying rack, but also an indoor washing line on the landing that I use for towels and sheets.
- Watched a movie on Netflix tonight with my s/o and drank tea. Turned down the heating and sat under a blanket.


Dollar Slice

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10578 on: January 20, 2018, 06:51:07 PM »
Took the subway instead of a rideshare/taxi even though the subway line I live on was pretty fucked up today (two different sets of rerouting due to maintenance work, plus crowding and delays due to being on the route of the women's march). Wasted about an hour, but I didn't really have anything else I needed to do today anyway.

Ended up walking home from a farther-away stop rather than waiting for Yet Another Rerouted Train to get home, and stopped at the cheaper grocery store since I was walking by it anyway. They had a buy one, get two free sale on Thomas's English muffins, so now I have a bunch of English muffins in the freezer. I try not to buy them unless they're on sale since they're kind of expensive, and this is the best sale price I've seen. They must have hijacked a Thomas's delivery truck or something.

Stayed home tonight instead of accepting invitations for events that cost money, because I had a really busy and heavily-social week. Relaxing at home alone with a cup of hot chocolate instead. :-)

Off the Wheel

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10579 on: January 20, 2018, 07:08:35 PM »
We have a once-a-week pizza delivery habit, that works out to about $20 a pop (for two people). I'd heard good things about the Costco frozen pizzas, so tried that instead today. Just as good (almost as good) and paired with a bunch of veggies from the fridge, we fed ourselves for $4! (They're $12 for 4 pizzas at our store)

SimpleCycle

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10580 on: January 21, 2018, 09:04:19 PM »
I successfully fixed my phone, and four days without a smartphone was a nice trial of whether it really improves my life or not.  I missed a few things, but not as much as I expected.

Took the bus instead of the train, saving 25 cents.

Decided real wool hats were too expensive so I bought yarn to make one.  I also found a free pattern even though I was tempted by a pay pattern.  So $7 for a hat.

Jenny Wren

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10581 on: January 21, 2018, 09:17:11 PM »
Today was a no spend day, the 16th one this month! Most savings happened in the kitchen:

* Roasted chickpeas for salad toppings.

* Marinated and baked tofu for sandwiches/lunches/quick dinner proteins. (Instead of buying the premarinated, more expensive stuff).

* Made a batch of chickpea salad for DS1's lunch sandwiches.

* Made breakfast burritos for the week.

* Started another jar of sprouts.

* Started another jug of ginger ale.

* Organized the freezer and planned some meals for this week accordingly.

* Made a jar of white bean dip and prepped veggies for dipping. Cheap, easy, healthy snack options!

Urchina

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10582 on: January 21, 2018, 10:01:54 PM »

* Marinated and baked tofu for sandwiches/lunches/quick dinner proteins. (Instead of buying the premarinated, more expensive stuff).


Can you share a recipe for your marinated baked tofu? I love the Trader Joe's baked teriyaki tofu, but it is so expensive. I'd love a good recipe if you have one!

Today I
Baked bread using my grandpa's sourdough starter
Cut up and roasted one of our butternut squash (grew it this year) so I'll have it for weekday lunches
Cut up and roasted two eggplants with spices -- perfect for salads with the squash, shredded kale and chickpeas
Cooked black beans and kidney beans and made a huge pot of chili from scratch for dinner. We have plenty of leftovers for this week's lunches as well.
Walked about a mile to run an errand, instead of driving.
Stayed on-list when at the grocery store.

So, a pretty good day, all told!

Jenny Wren

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10583 on: January 22, 2018, 06:53:20 AM »
Urchina,

I cheated on the marinade and used a mixture of :
3 TB Trader Joe's soy ginger dressing
2 TB soy sauce
squirt of garlic chili paste (or sriracha and a crushed garlic clove)
Pinch of cracked black pepper

I sliced a block of extra firm tofu into 1/4 inch slices. Let sit in a bag with the marinade in the fridge for several hours. Baked 450 Fahrenheit for 10 minutes each side. I've found a silpat mat, if you have one, is the best way to bake tofu for an even texture on all sides, although you could probably use parchment.

Teachstache

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10584 on: January 22, 2018, 09:32:39 AM »
Blizzard today so spouse, 3 year old son and I all have the day off from work and daycare today. I spent 15 minutes making a 5 gallon batch of homemade laundry detergent. Breakfast was fresh homemade waffles topped with homemade apple butter. No spend day for us. Being stuck indoors has its benefits.

haypug16

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10585 on: January 22, 2018, 12:27:55 PM »
Yesterday I made some bread by hand. It's becoming my Sunday "chore" and the bread comes out so good! If anyone is interested in the recipe here's the link; https://minimalistbaker.com/the-easiest-whole-grain-seeded-bread/ I really enjoy making this bread and the only real time consuming part is letting the dough rise. I have also made the scones from this website and they came out great too.

I made this loaf with stuff I already had in the house. I should someday figure out what the cost per loaf is.

I also tried making the "Larabars" again but using more dates (1/2 cup). My food processor did not like that very much and I nearly fried the mote (it's a ninja and was given to me for free. It's great for smoothies and smaller jobs) anyway I didn't want to strain the motor too much so the dates are not as chopped up as I would have liked but still delicious. I think with the added dates I may need to also add some more lemon juice. I'll continue to post my tweaks to this recipe.

Lauran75

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10586 on: January 22, 2018, 01:46:51 PM »
Yesterday I made some bread by hand. It's becoming my Sunday "chore" and the bread comes out so good! If anyone is interested in the recipe here's the link; https://minimalistbaker.com/the-easiest-whole-grain-seeded-bread/ I really enjoy making this bread and the only real time consuming part is letting the dough rise. I have also made the scones from this website and they came out great too.

I made this loaf with stuff I already had in the house. I should someday figure out what the cost per loaf is.

I also tried making the "Larabars" again but using more dates (1/2 cup). My food processor did not like that very much and I nearly fried the mote (it's a ninja and was given to me for free. It's great for smoothies and smaller jobs) anyway I didn't want to strain the motor too much so the dates are not as chopped up as I would have liked but still delicious. I think with the added dates I may need to also add some more lemon juice. I'll continue to post my tweaks to this recipe.

Did you soak the dates first to soften them up? I have a Ninja and use it all the time to make turmeric lattes w/dates, etc.

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10587 on: January 22, 2018, 02:59:41 PM »
-Yesterday: didn't leave the house & didn't spend any money. Cleaned, meal prepped, & got started on our taxes.

Today:
-Free breakfast, lunch & snacks at work
-Free electric car charging
-Sold passes I bought (& couldn't use) at a school auction for $20. This was one of those "get over the sunk cost fallacy". I paid WAY more (think 20x), but they were completely mis sold at the auction. (No fault of the auction, but rather the company). I could only go off how they were listed, and they were completely not that. Anywho, was super irritated with the situation, and am happy I made the $20 out of it. Clearly disclaimed every detail to the person I sold them to, so they were well aware & it worked for their situation.
-Sold an old jacket on eBay for $18.
-Having leftover curry for dinner. Made it on Saturday & it was great!

Step37

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10588 on: January 22, 2018, 05:30:36 PM »
My husband diagnosed and repaired the furnace issue (was not kicking in) with the purchase of a $50 part rather than an expensive service call. It’s working perfectly again. I’m relieved this happened during mild weather this weekend and not when it was -30C a couple weeks ago.

Mezzie

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10589 on: January 22, 2018, 06:16:58 PM »
1. I opened a Treasury Direct account so I feel a little safer about saving more than I currently do. The money I'm putting in there for what is currently a whopping 2.9% return usually gets less than a 1% return, so it's something. It's also slightly harder to take that money out, so it will discourage frivolous spending.

2. I didn't buy a fountain pen. This is a big deal for me. :p


Poundwise

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10590 on: January 22, 2018, 07:48:24 PM »
Some bakery wins for me:
- last week baked cookies at home instead of giving in to daughter whining for cookies at store
- The same day, bought the day-old ciabatta rolls at grocery store. They were pretty hard today, but I ran them under water and rebaked at 200 degrees and they were like new!! Love that trick.
- My turn to take the kids to orchestra carpool tonight, so I did grocery shopping.  At ten minutes to closing time, apparently the fancy bakery has a huge sale... got pastries and breads for a third the usual price (and I was thinking of getting some anyway.) This may become a tradition on carpool night.

Of course, I haven't been weighing in for the weight loss challenge... Win some, gain some...

SimpleCycle

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10591 on: January 22, 2018, 07:52:47 PM »
Somehow massively overcooked some black beans in the slow cooker (it's a small slow cooker, probably have to adjust cooking times) but salvaged them into bean dip

Halved the meat and doubled the beans in tonight's dinner recipe

jengod

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10592 on: January 22, 2018, 08:31:41 PM »
* Figured out that I can use pliers to turn on the shower until we figure out how to replace the old worn-out handle.
* Cooked dinner at home instead of hitting the drive-through

LostGirl

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10593 on: January 22, 2018, 08:35:33 PM »
Yesterday I made some bread by hand. It's becoming my Sunday "chore" and the bread comes out so good! If anyone is interested in the recipe here's the link; https://minimalistbaker.com/the-easiest-whole-grain-seeded-bread/ I really enjoy making this bread and the only real time consuming part is letting the dough rise. I have also made the scones from this website and they came out great too.

I made this loaf with stuff I already had in the house. I should someday figure out what the cost per loaf is.

I also tried making the "Larabars" again but using more dates (1/2 cup). My food processor did not like that very much and I nearly fried the mote (it's a ninja and was given to me for free. It's great for smoothies and smaller jobs) anyway I didn't want to strain the motor too much so the dates are not as chopped up as I would have liked but still delicious. I think with the added dates I may need to also add some more lemon juice. I'll continue to post my tweaks to this recipe.

I think your original post inspired me to try homemade Larabars to, they turned out great but I would add more lemon
 as well.

kaypinkHH

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10594 on: January 23, 2018, 08:05:42 AM »
Called insurance, added info that Mr.HH is in a professional network to get a reduced plan...grand total car insurance savings: $4 per month!!! Gonna blow it all in VEGAS!!!

Mrs Hen

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10595 on: January 23, 2018, 09:41:23 AM »
- Bought a £2 tool and changed my watch strap myself rather than pay a jeweller £10.
- All meals are being taken into work.  One of the ladies from the canteen says she misses me!
- Finished knitting a wrap for myself, and started crocheting a blanket (Afghan?) using wool I bought on sale.  This will be a Christmas present for someone.
- Did a proper freezer inventory, and using up long forgotten food.

haypug16

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10596 on: January 23, 2018, 09:56:47 AM »
Yesterday I made some bread by hand. It's becoming my Sunday "chore" and the bread comes out so good! If anyone is interested in the recipe here's the link; https://minimalistbaker.com/the-easiest-whole-grain-seeded-bread/ I really enjoy making this bread and the only real time consuming part is letting the dough rise. I have also made the scones from this website and they came out great too.

I made this loaf with stuff I already had in the house. I should someday figure out what the cost per loaf is.

I also tried making the "Larabars" again but using more dates (1/2 cup). My food processor did not like that very much and I nearly fried the mote (it's a ninja and was given to me for free. It's great for smoothies and smaller jobs) anyway I didn't want to strain the motor too much so the dates are not as chopped up as I would have liked but still delicious. I think with the added dates I may need to also add some more lemon juice. I'll continue to post my tweaks to this recipe.

Did you soak the dates first to soften them up? I have a Ninja and use it all the time to make turmeric lattes w/dates, etc.

I'll try that next time. My first batch had no issue with the dates but the second one did. I'm sure softening them would be a help on the motor.

Wings5

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10597 on: January 23, 2018, 04:19:41 PM »
I rescued a toaster oven from the trash. It looked like it had maybe been used 15-20 times.

LostGirl

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10598 on: January 23, 2018, 05:33:28 PM »
I'm continuing the streak of no lunches bought while I'm at work.  It sounds small but I'm on the go a lot and its hard to plan for something sometimes.  I also fall into the, I deserve it, trap.  I mean of course I do but I would rather not spend pointless $$ on unplanned, solo uninspired lunches.

kaypinkHH

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10599 on: January 25, 2018, 06:30:48 AM »
Last night, looked in the fridge before the gym and saw nothing that was inspiring us for dinner. We were going to pick up some crappy take out food on our way home from the gym, but then realized we had enough food to make "breakfast for dinner".

Made an amazing omelette (with enough leftover for lunches today), and pancakes. Counting down until I can eat the leftovers!!

Figure that saved us ~$40 in takeout food (enough for dinner and lunch!) Huzzah!

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!