Author Topic: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?  (Read 8020888 times)

Brother Esau

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10750 on: February 10, 2018, 04:00:47 PM »
Closed my Chase Sapphire card to avoid the $450 annual fee coming up next month. Made sure to cash out the few remaining points and bought a Marriott gift card with the remainder of my unused travel spend.

Applied and accepted for the American Express Blue Cash card for my next CC hack.

Off the Wheel

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10751 on: February 10, 2018, 04:41:46 PM »
- Wandered along my favourite shopping street in the sunshine, and didn't go in anywhere (window shopping is just as good!)
- Decided to take a book out from the library rather than buy it
- Didn't buy some DIY beauty things I've been eyeing, since I don't have firm applications yet and might buy too much/never use them

Bracken_Joy

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10752 on: February 10, 2018, 05:43:46 PM »
-Bought an incredible squat rack for our home gym for $80. Old, but very solid steel and good welds. Very, very heavy, haha. Unloading it was an adventure, but we got it done!
-Did lots of youtube time and a couple articles and pruned my own japanese maple. It was neglected by the previous owner, and I was honestly a little terrified to do it! I had no idea how easy the dead wood is to identify until I started. Not sure how much I saved over hiring it out, but I'm sure it was a chunk!
-Hitting valentine's sales for cheap delicious fruits and veg that are normally spendy- asparagus and fresh strawberries. Also did a big dark chocolate stock up last week.
-Been roasting our own almonds and trying different spices etc for tasty work treats. Our favorite so far has been shoyu+sesame oil.
-Going to use some very mushy bananas for 2 ingredient cookies =)

Gerard

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10753 on: February 10, 2018, 07:31:52 PM »
Lucked into deals on lemons, mussels, and chick peas. (I've been combining my grocery shop with my birding walk, so I'm at the store more often and find the deals.)

I hit my monthly bandwidth-thing limit at home, so I stayed late at work and streamed the Raptors game there!

Donated a fridge to our grad student room.

nessness

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10754 on: February 10, 2018, 10:03:36 PM »
Thought about taking the kids to the zoo. Went to the fish hatchery instead - free and fun!

Linea_Norway

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10755 on: February 11, 2018, 10:37:18 AM »
I did again travel back and forth to the city with the already purchased weekly ticket. Walked to and from the train station. Got free lunch at the event, free drinks and cookies. I did not buy lottery tickets to win stuff I didn't need. Received two free reflexes.
On the way back, I really wanted to buy loose candy in the shop at the train station, where I have bought this all too often for many years when I worked in the city. But they have stopped selling candy in loose form. Good for me and I didn't buy a packed replacement.
I looked at the magazines, as I have next week off. But I didn't buy a magazine. I guess I could rather read one of my Kindle books. I ate a leftover from the freezer for dinner. But I aplurged on opening a bottle of (reasonably priced, but quite good) German Riesling.
Yesterday I hung the laundry up to dry on a rack in the bathroom.

Megs193

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10756 on: February 11, 2018, 10:52:58 AM »
- I worked both days this weekend and brought all my coffee and food from home. I noticed today how many of my coworkers were carrying a Starbucks coffee cup!
- My husband took the boys to a Cub Scout event while I worked and they got free pizza for lunch and a pie to bring home which we are all having for lunch today. 
-  I made my menu plan for the week based on what we have in the house. We are going on vacation in 8 days so it will be good to empty out the refrigerator and freezer.
-  Made more homemade hummus.

Roadrunner53

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10757 on: February 11, 2018, 11:23:45 AM »
I made homemade yogurt. Used almost a full 64 oz container of milk. I had to buy some yogurt as a starter so that cost me more than it should but it will get used. I made it in the Instant Pot and it came out fantastic. My first try and I am hooked because I hate the price of Greek yogurt! So, now that I know how to make it, I will be able to eat more yogurt at a reasonable price. Today the Hub made poached chicken breasts. They will get sliced up for sammies and some will go in the freezer. I also have an enchilada recipe and a chicken corn chowder I want to make. Will get a lot of use out of them. I will also make a yogurt pie. It requires about 16 oz of yogurt, Cool Whip and sweetened fruit mixed together then put into a graham cracker crust. Then freeze. Easy and delish! Oh, forgot, the broth used to poach the chicken can be used to make a few cups of chicken soup. It was flavored with some herbs, lemon and ginger root. So much food, so little time to eat it!

kaypinkHH

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10758 on: February 11, 2018, 11:56:11 AM »
- Had to stock up my new kitchen, drove to the discount grocery store and got all the deals.
- Went to a local fruit/meat market and got aspergus for .77$/lb!! YASS.
- Kept the house at 15-18 deg all weekend.
- Did a mega cooking day to prevent any take out purchases for the next...forever.

Hirondelle

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10759 on: February 11, 2018, 12:25:58 PM »
I'm at my parents for 4 days, so no grocery spend
Met up with hometown friends with only non-spend activities. Went for a walk with one and just chilled at home with some drinks (non alcohol in my case) with the others. Two of the girls went to a bar later, I decided to just head home.

MaybeBabyMustache

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10760 on: February 11, 2018, 04:03:14 PM »
-Used newspapers to clean mirrors throughout the house
-We are finally generating solar power! Not a small thing at all, but now that we're seeing how the solar generation works, we will adjust our energy usage accordingly. So excited!
-Ran all errands in our electric car
-Sent money for snacks/admission to an event with the kids. Didn't realize it was actually a birthday party, and the mom of birthday boy paid for everything. $40 back.
-Found a few new items to list on eBay/FB swap
-Sold an item on eBay for $2. Raking it in. ;-)
-Ate leftover soup for lunch, plus remaining part of birthday cookie as my reward for cleaning the house

mustachepungoeshere

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10761 on: February 11, 2018, 04:17:17 PM »
-Used newspapers to clean mirrors throughout the house

For those playing at home, this doesn't work with newspapers that still use petroleum-based ink.

Bracken_Joy

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10762 on: February 11, 2018, 04:17:54 PM »
-Used a gift card we got for switching ISPs. Used it at a store where we don't get CC rewards beyond 1%. Better then getting lost in a drawer, or going to groceries where we can get 6%!
-Saving our old ink cartridge, going to try getting it refilled.
-Used Buy Nothing free pots to plant a free plant cutting for another house plant. Already owned the potting soil.
-As always, Sunday is batch cooking and weekday meal prep.

MaybeBabyMustache

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10763 on: February 11, 2018, 04:32:55 PM »
-Used newspapers to clean mirrors throughout the house

For those playing at home, this doesn't work with newspapers that still use petroleum-based ink.

I've never encountered any that don't work. I don't think it's an issue in the US, but others should correct me if they've had trouble. I've used the Trader Joe's flyer, our local free weekly newspaper, ads, etc.

Rosy

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10764 on: February 11, 2018, 04:43:37 PM »
I made homemade yogurt. Used almost a full 64 oz container of milk. I had to buy some yogurt as a starter so that cost me more than it should but it will get used. I made it in the Instant Pot and it came out fantastic. My first try and I am hooked because I hate the price of Greek yogurt! So, now that I know how to make it, I will be able to eat more yogurt at a reasonable price. Today the Hub made poached chicken breasts. They will get sliced up for sammies and some will go in the freezer. I also have an enchilada recipe and a chicken corn chowder I want to make. Will get a lot of use out of them. I will also make a yogurt pie. It requires about 16 oz of yogurt, Cool Whip and sweetened fruit mixed together then put into a graham cracker crust. Then freeze. Easy and delish! Oh, forgot, the broth used to poach the chicken can be used to make a few cups of chicken soup. It was flavored with some herbs, lemon and ginger root. So much food, so little time to eat it!

OK, that did it, I am now seriously considering the Instant Pot. The seal on our pressure cooker is no longer working that well, this would be both a replacement and a nice addition.
I know it works as a rice cooker too, something which I've never mastered - I just throw a couple of handfuls of good brown rice in the soup or use instant seasoned packages occasionally.
It will be fun to try out some new recipes too.

Fixed a big casserole on Friday, there is enough left for Mr. R's lunch tomorrow.
Yesterday we brought home some goodies from a birthday party plus I'd made Mexican style Velveeta and a can of Rotel in my mini crockpot, which we ended up having with the best shredded potato rolls instead of corn chips - really good:)

Our washer finally died today. Mr. R. fixed the board a couple of times already and also rigged up some things (the plastic pieces holding in the board crumbled) with what else? duct tape:) which enabled us to use the washer three years longer. It's been a great washer for 15 years.
So now I'm scouring the Internet for deals at our local Sears Outlet, good washers are pricey and I like the front loading ones. Tomorrow I'll check a couple stores for floor models etc, check some apps and maybe Craig's list.

 

Brother Esau

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10765 on: February 11, 2018, 04:48:30 PM »
-Used newspapers to clean mirrors throughout the house

For those playing at home, this doesn't work with newspapers that still use petroleum-based ink.

I've never encountered any that don't work. I don't think it's an issue in the US, but others should correct me if they've had trouble. I've used the Trader Joe's flyer, our local free weekly newspaper, ads, etc.

we did the newspaper thing on our windows/mirrors for awhile. microfiber towels are much better.

MaybeBabyMustache

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10766 on: February 11, 2018, 05:04:27 PM »
-Used newspapers to clean mirrors throughout the house

For those playing at home, this doesn't work with newspapers that still use petroleum-based ink.

I've never encountered any that don't work. I don't think it's an issue in the US, but others should correct me if they've had trouble. I've used the Trader Joe's flyer, our local free weekly newspaper, ads, etc.

we did the newspaper thing on our windows/mirrors for awhile. microfiber towels are much better.

I've tried microfiber towels, but I find they often leave fuzz, whereas newspapers leave no residue or film/fuzz

Roadrunner53

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10767 on: February 12, 2018, 04:10:07 AM »
I made homemade yogurt. Used almost a full 64 oz container of milk. I had to buy some yogurt as a starter so that cost me more than it should but it will get used. I made it in the Instant Pot and it came out fantastic. My first try and I am hooked because I hate the price of Greek yogurt! So, now that I know how to make it, I will be able to eat more yogurt at a reasonable price. Today the Hub made poached chicken breasts. They will get sliced up for sammies and some will go in the freezer. I also have an enchilada recipe and a chicken corn chowder I want to make. Will get a lot of use out of them. I will also make a yogurt pie. It requires about 16 oz of yogurt, Cool Whip and sweetened fruit mixed together then put into a graham cracker crust. Then freeze. Easy and delish! Oh, forgot, the broth used to poach the chicken can be used to make a few cups of chicken soup. It was flavored with some herbs, lemon and ginger root. So much food, so little time to eat it!

If you want GOOD instructions for making yogurt, go here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EtXnaP17D4Q  Take the time to watch the video then go back and write every detail in a list format. I did that and was easy to follow rather than the Instant Pot book. The one thing I did not do was to cool the jars in water. I was afraid they would crack so I used the alternative method of just letting them cool on a towel, on the counter. The only drawback to all of this is that you have to bring the IP up to pressure which seems to take around 20 minutes then steam the milk for 1 minute. The cool down process takes maybe 40 minutes. When you add the jars back to the cooker, the yogurt program takes 8 hours. Easy but takes time. I was putting the jars in the fridge at 11 pm. Good luck!

OK, that did it, I am now seriously considering the Instant Pot. The seal on our pressure cooker is no longer working that well, this would be both a replacement and a nice addition.
I know it works as a rice cooker too, something which I've never mastered - I just throw a couple of handfuls of good brown rice in the soup or use instant seasoned packages occasionally.
It will be fun to try out some new recipes too.

Fixed a big casserole on Friday, there is enough left for Mr. R's lunch tomorrow.
Yesterday we brought home some goodies from a birthday party plus I'd made Mexican style Velveeta and a can of Rotel in my mini crockpot, which we ended up having with the best shredded potato rolls instead of corn chips - really good:)

Our washer finally died today. Mr. R. fixed the board a couple of times already and also rigged up some things (the plastic pieces holding in the board crumbled) with what else? duct tape:) which enabled us to use the washer three years longer. It's been a great washer for 15 years.
So now I'm scouring the Internet for deals at our local Sears Outlet, good washers are pricey and I like the front loading ones. Tomorrow I'll check a couple stores for floor models etc, check some apps and maybe Craig's list.

Mele

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10768 on: February 12, 2018, 06:49:27 AM »
Went to a thrift outlet store on $10 cart day and got the military discount.  $9.54 with tax, grocery cart full of stuff to sell on eBay and Craigslist.  Should generate $300 or so in sales.

Husband brought back a crap ton of food from work.  It'd get thrown out otherwise.  5 lbs of ground beef, in package, uncooked.  Probably a quart each of cooked taco meat and Spanish rice.  6 cucumbers.  We'll eat / freeze all this. 

Also got some groceries off my Buy Nothing group, which until recently has been quite useless.  Two packages of Brie cheese, some whole wheat spaghetti, a spaghetti squash.  In this poor neighborhood, I'm thinking this is food pantry box cast-offs.  Too fancy ; )  I'll take it!

Linea_Norway

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10769 on: February 12, 2018, 06:55:24 AM »
Instead of driving a car through the heavy snow chaos, I took the train to the dentist, using DH's weekly train ticket that was in my wallet. I walked the 2 km each way to the train station.

The dentist said my teeth were very strong and in excellent condition. The tiny starting hole that I have had not grown bigger than it was a year ago. So I can wait for a year for the new appointment.

I bought some veggies, loose tea and spices at a "foreigner" shop, which is a grocery shop that is not in the normal chains. They usually sell spices in bigger quantities for a more reasonable price. For veggies they have a better choice.
« Last Edit: February 12, 2018, 06:57:20 AM by Linda_Norway »

mustachepungoeshere

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10770 on: February 13, 2018, 01:56:32 AM »
My small thing is that when I got home to find a fire engine in my driveway, firies in my building and a minor flood in my unit, I pegged the drenched linen to dry rather than throwing it in the dryer.

(Apart from that, Mrs Lincoln, how was the play?)

marty998

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10771 on: February 13, 2018, 05:01:41 AM »
My small thing is that when I got home to find a fire engine in my driveway, firies in my building and a minor flood in my unit, I pegged the drenched linen to dry rather than throwing it in the dryer.

(Apart from that, Mrs Lincoln, how was the play?)

You always said you liked the sound of rain :)

Having it indoors was probably not what you had in mind?

mustachepungoeshere

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10772 on: February 13, 2018, 05:08:21 AM »
My small thing is that when I got home to find a fire engine in my driveway, firies in my building and a minor flood in my unit, I pegged the drenched linen to dry rather than throwing it in the dryer.

(Apart from that, Mrs Lincoln, how was the play?)

You always said you liked the sound of rain :)

Having it indoors was probably not what you had in mind?

Funny boy. :)

I’ve done what I can tonight, cleaned up the water, moved and covered furniture, and drilled drainage holes in the gyprock to prevent the ceiling collapsing.

From here I predict an argument between my landlord, their insurance company, my insurance company, strata, and the tenant responsible. Fun times.

Bracken_Joy

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10773 on: February 13, 2018, 06:58:19 AM »
My small thing is that when I got home to find a fire engine in my driveway, firies in my building and a minor flood in my unit, I pegged the drenched linen to dry rather than throwing it in the dryer.

(Apart from that, Mrs Lincoln, how was the play?)

You always said you liked the sound of rain :)

Having it indoors was probably not what you had in mind?

Funny boy. :)

I’ve done what I can tonight, cleaned up the water, moved and covered furniture, and drilled drainage holes in the gyprock to prevent the ceiling collapsing.

From here I predict an argument between my landlord, their insurance company, my insurance company, strata, and the tenant responsible. Fun times.

I'm sure you know this, but take lots and lots of pictures! That way there's no debate about what was and wasn't damaged.

Also, that is super awful and I'm sorry that happened to you =(

MaybeBabyMustache

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10774 on: February 13, 2018, 07:28:05 AM »
My small thing is that when I got home to find a fire engine in my driveway, firies in my building and a minor flood in my unit, I pegged the drenched linen to dry rather than throwing it in the dryer.

(Apart from that, Mrs Lincoln, how was the play?)

Miserable. So sorry to hear that happened. Hope the cleanup as well as the resolution are as quick & painless as possible

jengod

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10775 on: February 13, 2018, 01:06:48 PM »
* Made coffee at home.

* Went to Whole Foods today for lunch and wandered around the outdoor dining area picking up rubber bands that people discard off their salads and sushi. I use them to keep my sons’ LunchBots containers sealed shut and they don’t always come home. Picked up about 20 off the ground which should keep me stocked for a while.


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Spruit

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10776 on: February 13, 2018, 02:31:54 PM »
I've been taking houseplant cuttings like mad lately, and while I've been donating and trading them away mostly I also upgraded some rootbound motherplants to bigger pots, which leaves the biggest plants without a new outer pot after the upgrade.
Found a great deal via via, so picked up two ginormous pots for a few bucks + 1 medium sized one for free today. One pot got broken by my dog last week (casualty of the post-surgery cone of shame), glued that one back together today as well.
Did groceries at Lidl as I was in the neighbourhood anyway. Hung laundry out to dry in the sun today. Borrowed some tree pruning gear from the neighbours and pruned their fruit trees along with ours as a thank you.
Pruned an overdue curly willow, made a pile to donate the branches for Easter. Have had three folks take some for free, saving me the trouble to process them.

Raenia

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10777 on: February 13, 2018, 03:27:33 PM »
Walked to the library to pick up two movies we want to see.

Walked to the produce market to stock up on groceries for the week.  It is hard to convince myself to walk in the cold, especially carrying groceries home, so that's a win.  Bonus: some of the things I wanted were very good prices today.  Swapped out one of the things that wasn't as good a deal and got something else instead.

Hung laundry to dry this week.

MaybeBabyMustache

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10778 on: February 13, 2018, 08:51:27 PM »
-Free food at work
-Leftovers for dinner (kebabs & rice)
-Read a great book I got for free at work & discovered a great new series (Sara Blaedel, who is I believe a Danish writer)
-Sold two items through local Facebook swap, & made $10
-Obsessively check our solar production & have been able to tweak our power usage based on the very detailed information provided by our solar company (way beyond what our local company provided). Get super excited by seeing how much we're saving

Mr.GrowingMustache

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10779 on: February 14, 2018, 08:49:54 AM »
Finally left AT&T mobile for my in-laws' T-Mobile family plan... $25-$30 in monthly savings Woohoo

4alpacas

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10780 on: February 14, 2018, 09:24:08 AM »
I started my crockpot before work this morning!  It's a first!  I use my crockpot on the weekends, but I've never been together enough in the morning.  :D
Packed leftovers for lunch.
Forgot to pack my breakfast (too pumped about the crockpot), so I pulled together a breakfast from random stuff I had in my office-- a packet of plain oatmeal, almond butter, and a dried fruit.  Not too bad!

Poundwise

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10781 on: February 14, 2018, 12:00:08 PM »
Nice work, 4alpacas!

I found a quicker recipe to make rustic bread than the one I usually use, so I can still bring home-baked bread to church tonight instead of buying a loaf (forgot to mix a dough last night.)

4alpacas

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10782 on: February 14, 2018, 12:07:58 PM »
I found a quicker recipe to make rustic bread than the one I usually use, so I can still bring home-baked bread to church tonight instead of buying a loaf (forgot to mix a dough last night.)
Homemade bread is so much better than store-bought!

What is your quick recipe?

mustachepungoeshere

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10783 on: February 14, 2018, 03:27:08 PM »
My small thing is that when I got home to find a fire engine in my driveway, firies in my building and a minor flood in my unit, I pegged the drenched linen to dry rather than throwing it in the dryer.

(Apart from that, Mrs Lincoln, how was the play?)

You always said you liked the sound of rain :)

Having it indoors was probably not what you had in mind?

Funny boy. :)

I’ve done what I can tonight, cleaned up the water, moved and covered furniture, and drilled drainage holes in the gyprock to prevent the ceiling collapsing.

From here I predict an argument between my landlord, their insurance company, my insurance company, strata, and the tenant responsible. Fun times.

I'm sure you know this, but take lots and lots of pictures! That way there's no debate about what was and wasn't damaged.

Also, that is super awful and I'm sorry that happened to you =(

Miserable. So sorry to hear that happened. Hope the cleanup as well as the resolution are as quick & painless as possible

Thanks guys. It looks like I'm getting out of this lightly.

The pillowtop mattress protector and doona needed dry cleaning (the water was filthy, having filtered through my neighbour's floor), which is going to set me back $100.

But the furniture is fine (mattress may yet need replacing), and landlord will be around over the weekend to inspect the rest of the water damage.

Apart from the industrial fans roaring away in his unit, the neighbour responsible has been conspicuously silent on the issue. Has not spoken to anyone affected (tenants or owners).

Bracken_Joy

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10784 on: February 14, 2018, 03:43:07 PM »
-Big win for me! My doctor has me on a bunch of supplements right now. One of them, I take *6* pills per day to get the dose I need. I really wanted to find a forumaltion with a higher dosage, so I could take fewer pills each day. Well, I checked on a couple websites, and it was totally bust. More than DOUBLE the costco price, even at the non-sale costco price. Fine. I was almost out, so off to Costco I went (combining trips with cashing my rewards certificate of course), and bought two bottles. The bottles had a "chance to win $100" sticker on them. Okay then. Leave a review, enter to win. Sure thing. When I did that, I noticed the manufacturer DOES have a double strength pill. That would only require 3 per day! So I looked at the price. LOWER! Yessss. And then it got even better. Buy 3, get 15% off and free shipping. Heck. Yes. This will save me $13 per month, AND I get to take fewer pills every day. Win across the board right there.

-Took the costco reward out as cash, so my purchases will go on the CC and generate further rewards.

-Complained about my 401k not withholding correctly. Not only is it corrected for the future, but they went back and gave me the employer match for if it *had* been contributing correctly.

Dollar Slice

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10785 on: February 14, 2018, 03:54:00 PM »
-Complained about my 401k not withholding correctly. Not only is it corrected for the future, but they went back and gave me the employer match for if it *had* been contributing correctly.

Sa-weet!

I won a pair of concert tickets (for the fourth time in two months...). Retail value $50. Now I just have to find someone on short notice who likes contemporary classical music to be my +1. That's one for the "increase social capital" gauntlet thread, I guess.

alewpanda

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10786 on: February 14, 2018, 08:45:01 PM »
Made pizza with grocery money for valentines instead of going out.  DH did buy my flowers and wine, but I made the dessert, so no extra monies spent on valentines chocolates.

Used my swagbucks account when buying items for work with the work card.  It didn't cost me any cash, but I got 41 swagbucks out of it!

Didn't leave the house except to walk the dogs. No gas spent today.


Poundwise

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10787 on: February 14, 2018, 08:49:39 PM »
I found a quicker recipe to make rustic bread than the one I usually use, so I can still bring home-baked bread to church tonight instead of buying a loaf (forgot to mix a dough last night.)
Homemade bread is so much better than store-bought!

What is your quick recipe?

@4alpacas  This one: https://www.melskitchencafe.com/rustic-crusty-bread-a-simple-how-to/

I usually do a no-knead bread that uses less yeast, but this worked just fine!  I wouldn't say it was lightning fast (3.5 hours) but it was also very little work. It didn't call for any kneading, but I did use my mixer's dough hook and inadvertantly kneaded it for a short time.  It came out very well... very stretchy and tender on the inside!

MaybeBabyMustache

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10788 on: February 15, 2018, 08:02:27 AM »
Typical day yesterday:
-Free meals/snacks at work
-Charged electric car for free
-Skipped Valentine's Day gifts for my spouse - we gave each other cards
-Had leftovers for dinner

better late

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10789 on: February 15, 2018, 08:25:55 AM »
I had 1/2 a steak sandwich for breakfast, using up the last teeny piece of the left over steak from a few nights ago (which has been dinner, lunches, and now breakfast). We are horrible about food waste over here, and making very small progress at improving, so I will find encouragement in this small win.

Bracken_Joy

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10790 on: February 15, 2018, 08:43:53 AM »
-The neighborhood work exchange continues. Husband ordered a part (we got paid back) and repaired neighbor's furnace. That neighbor wants to take up to dinner, plus usually gives us some really nice whisky or something as a thank you. (To be fair, he only paid for the $250 part for something that would have cost him $1k+ to hire, so it was a pretty good deal for him!). Another neighbor came over and helped us frame around our new lifting platform and install the giant squat rack we bought. (He pointed out even for scrap, it's worth easily 5x as much as we paid for it. That was a nice realization!) Next, husband will help second neighbor with some electrical work. It's just nice to live in a place with so much give and take. And we know if anything ever happens, we have neighbors we can rely on. I do think we hit a sweet spot for neighborhood demographics- people are well off enough to have the funds to keep things nice, but not so well off they can just hire people for everything. So there's a lot more DIY spirit around here than a lot of places I've lived.

-Hosting a book club at my house this weekend. This should mark week #2 where we haven't driven anywhere for social time. Which is notable, since most of our friends live an hour+ drive away. Work in progress on that- some of the book club invites went to local "weak ties" that I'm hoping can grow stronger.

4alpacas

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10791 on: February 15, 2018, 08:59:07 AM »
I found a quicker recipe to make rustic bread than the one I usually use, so I can still bring home-baked bread to church tonight instead of buying a loaf (forgot to mix a dough last night.)
What is your quick recipe?
@4alpacas  This one: https://www.melskitchencafe.com/rustic-crusty-bread-a-simple-how-to/
Thank you! 

Last night, my DH was thrilled to have dinner ready when he got home (long flight).  Weeknight crockpot win! We walked (with the dogs) to buy a pint of ice cream, which we split for dessert.  I packed up enough leftovers for (lunch and dinner) today and tomorrow.

Today, I have leftovers for lunch and packed odds and ends for snacks.  I had a piece of toast with cinnamon butter (leftover from the work dinner a few nights ago) and a cup of tea.

I've planned my weekend cooking plans, including our official Valentine's Day celebration. 

I had 1/2 a steak sandwich for breakfast, using up the last teeny piece of the left over steak from a few nights ago (which has been dinner, lunches, and now breakfast). We are horrible about food waste over here, and making very small progress at improving, so I will find encouragement in this small win.
Nice job!  We were able to decrease our food budget substantially when we started paying attention to food waste.  Environment and budget win!  :)

-Hosting a book club at my house this weekend. This should mark week #2 where we haven't driven anywhere for social time. Which is notable, since most of our friends live an hour+ drive away. Work in progress on that- some of the book club invites went to local "weak ties" that I'm hoping can grow stronger.
Awesome!  Good luck!

Imma

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10792 on: February 15, 2018, 02:34:45 PM »
We only had enough fried rice with stir fried vegetables left over to feed 1 person. We chopped up all the veggie scraps in the fridge + some frozen spinach and added that to the stir fry and we baked eggs. Spinach might be an odd choice to add to an Asian dish, but it tasted pretty good.

Teachstache

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10793 on: February 15, 2018, 06:05:31 PM »
Bought on sale candy at 85% off for rewards for my students today. Spouse and I gave each other homemade Valentine's day cards yesterday.

Now, trying to track down a ticket for Danny Elfman q & a in my hometown next Tuesday. I am an unapologetic Elfman fan, have been for 20+ years. He's doing the q & a for free but I missed out on tickets. Absolutely desperate for a ticket, as Danny Elfman is a musical god to me.

4alpacas

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10794 on: February 15, 2018, 09:18:16 PM »
I'm making a loaf of bread to accompany eggs for breakfast (Thank you to @Poundwise for the recipe) tomorrow morning.

I was contemplating buying a book because my library didn't have it (checked a few months ago).  I checked my library again...and it was added to one of the ebook platforms.  I'm currently reading it on my kindle.  $0 spent.

MaybeBabyMustache

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10795 on: February 16, 2018, 08:58:24 AM »
Yesterday, I stayed home all day & ate leftovers out of the fridge. I was pretty tempted to get a nice soup or something out, as I wasn't feeling top notch, but forced myself to stay the course.

Also got a bid on a pair of workout pants I have listed on eBay.

lexde

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10796 on: February 16, 2018, 09:06:44 AM »
- Brought lunch
- Walking on my lunch hour while listening to an audiobook from the library
- Cheap seats for ice hockey tonight for a very rare double-date
- Packed dinner and brought it with me to the office so I can work late and eat dinner instead of buying overpriced junk at the stadium tonight.
- Walking to the stadium from my office and back (.5 mike each way) instead of paying for parking.

Jenny Wren

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10797 on: February 16, 2018, 09:37:46 AM »
Haven't posted in awhile since frugality has been on autopilot (yay!)

A few shining examples over the last few days, though:

* Gave each child and the spouse a giant-size cookies and cream bar. Each bar costs me 25 cents on December 26. They featured a nutcracker on the wrapper, but the addition of a few taped on paper hearts made him Valentine's themed ;)

* Needed something suitable for public viewing to take advantage of the free gym passes at the YMCA. Thrift store and less than $5 later and I'm set. My at-home workout rags needed an update, anyway, before they became indecent.

* Made a phone armband from one of DS's old socks, after googling for solutions.

* Pressed an old tote bag into service as a gym bag. Bonus, deep enough to slide my yoga mat into so no need for a fancy yoga mat bag or straps.

* Entertainment spending is sitting at less than $20 for the month. This is big, huge, giant!

* It's Friday adventure day with DS12. Snow and ice in along most adventure routes, so we are heading downtown for some "urban exploration." I'll use my student parking pass to park for free at the satellite campus downtown. Packed lunch for a picnic in the free art gallery at the mall (it has dining tables and is the brown bag hub for downtown office workers). May spend up to $5 on a treat, such as an ice cream or fancy cupcake, for the boy-child.

In not-so-frugal news, I may give in to the temptation to get a YMCA membership. It's a sliding scale fee, so for our income level it is about $40/month. The entertainment options for the whole family are mind-boggling. Trying it out this week with the free passes.  I have a week to decide, since I wouldn't sign up until next weekend when there is no Join fee.

MaybeBabyMustache

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10798 on: February 16, 2018, 02:24:50 PM »
-Ate kid leftovers for breakfast
-Lunch from the freezer (chicken curry that I made a few weeks back. Even reheated from frozen rice - still SO good)
-Bought a few fun items for my son's birthday party/sleepover, & used a store gift card. No out of pocket cost
-Found 2 packages of marked down chocolate chips for $.97. Picked them up for inclusion in granola bars. I'm almost out of my last clearance find.
-Kept son's birthday gifts reasonable, & anchored on his party (the main part of his gift) & an experience outing. Also, a pair of $12 pants for biking to school :-)

nessness

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #10799 on: February 16, 2018, 05:01:12 PM »
Didn't pack enough reusable bags for the grocery store. Rather than pay 10¢/ea for new bags, I just stuffed as much as I could into the bags that I had and left the rest of the stuff unbagged.

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!