What small things did you do TODAY to save money?

[Imma]

Not sure if I saved money or not. I locked into a fixed per gallon heating oil price of $2.899 a gallon. Last year was $2.299 a gallon. It went up this year but I am really afraid that with this Trump Iran deal the cost of heating oil is going to skyrocket. I may kick myself in the ass if the cost of oil comes down because now I am locked in. I read that oil is $70 a barrel now and by next year will go up to $200 a barrel. This is going to affect us in so many ways. Planes, trucks, cars, anything that requires fuel will cost consumers more money. http://www.foxnews.com/us/2018/05/07/us-oil-prices-top-70-barrel-for-first-time-since-2014.html

We don't use oil for heating but natural gas. I don't expect those prices to go down either, so I'm looking for a good deal right now. And we're always trying to find ways to reduce our use of fossil fuels.

[RamonaQ]

I saw an article about a new service that collects misshapen/small/otherwise undesirable produce and delivers it to you for a discount.  I signed up to be notified when it arrived in my area (I wasn't sure if the savings from "undesirable" produce would balance out the premium of home delivery, but I was intrigued by the concept and thought I'd check it out.)  Anyway, they are in my area now and gave me a coupon for a free box to try it out, so I'll have some free fruit and veggies arriving soon.  And I have 0 problems cancelling services like these, so if it's not a good deal I won't do it again past the free box.  And if it is a good deal, hooray!

[Roadrunner53]

What is the name of the company? Are they located in the northeast?

[Dollar Slice]

Not sure how long either fix will last, but I repaired a USB cable with duct tape and hopefully fixed a weird problem I was having with my glasses with some clear nail polish. (Jury's still out on whether that will work, but I figured a $5 bottle of polish is a better first attempt than replacing $300 eyeglasses.)

What is the name of the company? Are they located in the northeast?

I think it's called Imperfect Produce (assuming there's not more than one company doing this). They're not available where I live but my friend in Indiana mentioned it. I think they do referrals, so maybe wait and see if RamonaQ has one for you... my friend posted on FB and said the referral was good for $10.

[Roadrunner53]

I found it: https://www.imperfectproduce.com/join?from_scratch=Y

However, they are not in my area. I put in my email so they can contact me if they ever deliver in my area.

[Mezzie]

Got some free dinner at the teacher appreciation barbecue! :)

[slappy]

Not sure if I saved money or not. I locked into a fixed per gallon heating oil price of $2.899 a gallon. Last year was $2.299 a gallon. It went up this year but I am really afraid that with this Trump Iran deal the cost of heating oil is going to skyrocket. I may kick myself in the ass if the cost of oil comes down because now I am locked in. I read that oil is $70 a barrel now and by next year will go up to $200 a barrel. This is going to affect us in so many ways. Planes, trucks, cars, anything that requires fuel will cost consumers more money. http://www.foxnews.com/us/2018/05/07/us-oil-prices-top-70-barrel-for-first-time-since-2014.html

I called my oil company and they don’t offer pre buy pricing for another couple of weeks. I’ll have to check out the prices at that time. I think the minimum is 400 gallons and we used 454 last year, so I guess I will look into it. Hopefully we will use a bit less this year and use wood more, but 400 gallons should be a good start. I usually only do the minimum because you already paid for it,even if you don’t use it. I think there is even a penalty charge if you don’t use it all the gallons you prebought.

[Roadrunner53]

My oil company has based my useage on 850 gallons a year but we put in a new boiler and it is very efficient and we now use closer to 700 gallons a year. The boiler also heats our hot water year round too.

We had to spend money on a new boiler to save money in the long run. We had to replace it due to age.

Also, we set the thermostat at a very comfortable temperature and we don't sit around in winter coats and blankets. Life it too short to live like a zombie.

We can't shut off parts of our house to conserve heat in the winter either because the pipes will freeze and that would cause a major disaster. A person I know shut off his heat in February and went on a Florida vacation. When he got back his pipes had busted and the water did thousands and thousands of dollars in damage. He thought he would save money...LOL, guess that didn't happen.

[slappy]

My oil company has based my useage on 850 gallons a year but we put in a new boiler and it is very efficient and we now use closer to 700 gallons a year. The boiler also heats our hot water year round too.

We had to spend money on a new boiler to save money in the long run. We had to replace it due to age.

Also, we set the thermostat at a very comfortable temperature and we don't sit around in winter coats and blankets. Life it too short to live like a zombie.

We can't shut off parts of our house to conserve heat in the winter either because the pipes will freeze and that would cause a major disaster. A person I know shut off his heat in February and went on a Florida vacation. When he got back his pipes had busted and the water did thousands and thousands of dollars in damage. He thought he would save money...LOL, guess that didn't happen.

Wow that’s a great increase in efficiency! We do keep our heat low (64 during the day) but we have a wood stove. So that helps heat the house and cut down on oil. Our oil heats our water all year long too.

[Roadrunner53]

You can face punch me but our thermostat is set at 72 degrees during the winter and our ac is set at about 70 during the summer.

I am a whiney pants and am temperature challenged. I am most happy at these temps!

We sleep with the temperture even cooler in the bedroom and if it was up to me I would have it down to 60 but the other half balks! LOL! He keeps telling me the unit will freeze up and he should know, he is a licensed HVAC person! LOL!

[Hirondelle]

You can face punch me but our thermostat is set at 72 degrees during the winter and our ac is set at about 70 during the summer.

I am a whiney pants and am temperature challenged. I am most happy at these temps!

We sleep with the temperture even cooler in the bedroom and if it was up to me I would have it down to 60 but the other half balks! LOL! He keeps telling me the unit will freeze up and he should know, he is a licensed HVAC person! LOL!

But... why do you feel the need to cool your place down further in summer than what you'd heat it up to in winter? That doesn't make sense to me. Why not heating to 70 and cooling to 72?!

[Roadrunner53]

Not sure why, maybe the humidity in the summer.

[jordanread]

Moved my pet snake down to the basement. Why does this save money? The coolest spot in her tank should be at max 75 degrees. If she's upstairs, the A/C has to kick on way sooner and for longer than if she's in the basement. With her downstairs we might be able to stave off A/C usage until it gets *very* hot.

And you have a snake?!?! We're going to hang out for sure!! :)

I don't have a snake, but my little brother has a ball python named Mr. Whiskers.

[frooglepoodle]

Opening windows and using fans to cool the house instead of using AC. Our crappy rental has some windows painted shut and some without screens so we don’t get optimal airflow, but we’ve been able to keep AC use to a minimum so far this year.

Made a homemade Mother's Day gift for my mom (a big jar of a spice blend I use that she likes!) and packing it to ship in reused materials.

Cooked dinner at home using a favorite Budget Bytes recipe. DH will take leftovers to work tomorrow.

Saving vegetable scraps to make chicken stock this weekend. Next week’s meals will prominently feature shredded chicken.

Stayed home all day with my toddler.

[jordanread]

Moved my pet snake down to the basement. Why does this save money? The coolest spot in her tank should be at max 75 degrees. If she's upstairs, the A/C has to kick on way sooner and for longer than if she's in the basement. With her downstairs we might be able to stave off A/C usage until it gets *very* hot.

And you have a snake?!?! We're going to hang out for sure!! :)

I don't have a snake, but my little brother has a ball python named Mr. Whiskers.

:D Mine is a corn snake. I won't say her name because I'm afraid my irl friends will find me based on that... *Paranoid*

I don't care if anyone identifies my brother. He might, but he never said so, yeah. He's even on these forums allegedly, if he knew how to work a computer, or a forum, he'd complain, I'm sure.

[midweststache]

BIL is out of town this week and didn't cancel his Imperfect Produce drop off (not our thing, but he likes it) so we got a box of fruits and veggies (we're watching his cat, and he was like 'look, it's just gonna go bad anyway, so take it!') What does this mean?

- No need to buy apples for DH's lunches.
- Pears and oranges for snacks and breakfast for the LO.
- Kale in last night's homemade tikka masala to keep it healthy.
- Sweet potatoes for SP fries for dinner next week.
- Kiwis and nectarines for snacks while I work from home.
- Giant carrots to throw in... I haven't decided what to use it on yet but carrots are easy to use.

Also tikka masala--we got to cooking and realized we didn't have chickpeas. Rather than bopping around to the grocery store around the corner to pick up a can, we just used some GN beans we had around. It was fine. Saved... $1?

Also, I ran our numbers yesterday for the next two months (I'm transitioning jobs, and won't actually get a paycheck in June due to the timing) but found out that even with accounting for the lack of paycheck for me, we'll still be able to pay July's bills with June's income... and still have a surplus.

I threw that $500 surplus at DH's SL. :) Chippin' away...

[OtherJen]

I am refusing to turn on the furnace. It's chilly (currently 46ºF/7ºC) and damp/cloudy/rainy. I hate the cold and have trouble regulating my body temp in chilly weather. We turned off the furnace for the season because we had a long stretch of weather in the upper 60s to 80ºF (~20–25ºC) range, which was heavenly. I'm hoping I can hold out as long as possible with multiple layers of clothing, a lot of hot beverages, and the big fluffy blanket from the sofa, since the weather tomorrow should be just as cold and rainy.

[Roadrunner53]

OtherJen, you should investing an electric blanket! This is the time of year when I am turning the thermostat up and down each morning and afternoon. The other day the late afternoon temps went down and we still had the door open and the boiler came on! Forgot to turn down the temperature. ARRRRGGGG!!

I have an electric blanket and love it for the livingroom!

[OtherJen]

OtherJen, you should investing an electric blanket! This is the time of year when I am turning the thermostat up and down each morning and afternoon. The other day the late afternoon temps went down and we still had the door open and the boiler came on! Forgot to turn down the temperature. ARRRRGGGG!!

I have an electric blanket and love it for the livingroom!

That's a good idea and I will have to remember it for fall.

Unfortunately I lost the battle of the furnace. Husband spent much of the afternoon working in the garage, couldn't shake the chill once he came back inside, and turned on the heat. Sigh. I was almost ready to put on a second pair of socks.

[Raenia]

Got my oil changed this afternoon (yes, I'd rather do these myself, but my lease prohibits working on vehicles in the parking lot).  Since I was there, I asked for a tire rotation, since I get free tire rotations from Firestone because I bought my tires from them.  Noticed on the bill that they had charged me for the tire rotation and asked about it, the guy looked up my file, saw that it should be free, and took the charge off.  $20 saved.

[Bracken_Joy]

-Caught a false charge. A $500 charge at guitar center popped up pending on our card, which I saw thanks to Mint. We kept our eye on it, and the second it went confirmed, called AmEx. Right at the same time another charge, $400 this time, popped up on the card. Annoying as all (*&#&&&&!! to have to replace a card again, but glad I caught it early. This is the FOURTH time in two years we've had crap like this happen. So frustrating. Apparently AmEx automatically updates all your recurring purchases though? So we won't have to switch utilities, etc, which is nice. So, $800 caught.

-Second one I caught: we gave people some magazine subscriptions for Christmas. I went in last month to cancel, and we had nothing under subscriptions. Okay, cool! I must have set it up somehow so it doesn't autorenew. WRONG. Did you know there are THREE different places on amazon where subscriptions of various sorts are listed? Super goddamn frustrating. Anyway, found where they were listed after much googling, and contacted customer service. Annoyingly, they didn't seem to give a shit that it's the worst user interface possible for that, but at least they're giving us the refund. $40 caught.


Point being kids: even if you think you have your expenses under control, track your spending. It's not always yours, haha.

[MaybeBabyMustache]

Flew in from London last night, and was crazy tired/jet lagged. Instead of ordering take out, went to the grocery store & picked up two frozen pizzas instead. Still pricier than making something at home, but . . . let's be honest. That wasn't going to happen.

[HPstache]

Cut the cable TV.  Going to try Sling instrad and see if we like it.  Saving about $40 / mo

[RamonaQ]

What is the name of the company? Are they located in the northeast?

Whoops, sorry, just saw this.  The company I found is called Hungry Harvest.  Here's where they deliver: https://www.hungryharvest.net/where-we-deliver

I have no idea if it will be good or not, but for free I'll definitely try it!

Edited to add: I just looked at Imperfect Produce - they aren't in my area yet but said they might be soon, so maybe I'll have another one to compare with.

[La Bibliotecaria Feroz]

What is the name of the company? Are they located in the northeast?

Whoops, sorry, just saw this.  The company I found is called Hungry Harvest.  Here's where they deliver: https://www.hungryharvest.net/where-we-deliver

I have no idea if it will be good or not, but for free I'll definitely try it!

Edited to add: I just looked at Imperfect Produce - they aren't in my area yet but said they might be soon, so maybe I'll have another one to compare with.

The Frugal Girl swears by Hungry Harvest. Anyone interested in signing up, maybe check and see if she has a coupon or something :-).

[RamonaQ]

What is the name of the company? Are they located in the northeast?

Whoops, sorry, just saw this.  The company I found is called Hungry Harvest.  Here's where they deliver: https://www.hungryharvest.net/where-we-deliver

I have no idea if it will be good or not, but for free I'll definitely try it!

Edited to add: I just looked at Imperfect Produce - they aren't in my area yet but said they might be soon, so maybe I'll have another one to compare with.

The Frugal Girl swears by Hungry Harvest. Anyone interested in signing up, maybe check and see if she has a coupon or something :-).

Oh, it does look like I can send $5 referral coupons for Hungry Harvest - please PM me if you'd like one!  Or wait until I've tried it and can report back. :-)

[Raenia]

What is the name of the company? Are they located in the northeast?

Whoops, sorry, just saw this.  The company I found is called Hungry Harvest.  Here's where they deliver: https://www.hungryharvest.net/where-we-deliver

I have no idea if it will be good or not, but for free I'll definitely try it!

Edited to add: I just looked at Imperfect Produce - they aren't in my area yet but said they might be soon, so maybe I'll have another one to compare with.

The Frugal Girl swears by Hungry Harvest. Anyone interested in signing up, maybe check and see if she has a coupon or something :-).

Oh, it does look like I can send $5 referral coupons for Hungry Harvest - please PM me if you'd like one!  Or wait until I've tried it and can report back. :-)

I'll be curious what your opinion is.  I checked it out online, and they do deliver to my area, but the prices and examples of what you might get in a box doesn't look to me like the 20% savings that they promise.  Maybe partly because they're sending more expensive fruits like mangoes and cantalopes that I never buy?  But the small box (Mini) looks like about enough produce to keep my household for 4 days or so, at a cost of more than I spend weekly at my local produce market.  Plus many of the images on the website of 'rejected' produce looks identical to what I'd see at my local grocery.  I don't see anything 'wrong' with it.

[Roadrunner53]

I would suggest you get one box to try it out. If it doesn't work out chalk it up to a lesson learned and then tell the rest of us what your experience was. I looked it up and my zipcode is not available yet. It really seems like a great idea but I am also wondering how do they keep veggies like lettuce from wilting in the hot summer months?

[nurseart]

I made a batch of pockets based loosely off of this recipe https://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-spiced-lentil-sweet-potato-and-kale-whole-wheat-pockets-181100 to freeze. They are really tasty and we plan to keep them for oh whoops moments when lunch or dinners plans don't work out to avoid take out. I had all the ingredients I used on hand and made 9 pockets. Assuming takeout ends up being on average $8-10 per person I saved quite a bit of money not to mention they are healthier.

[Roadrunner53]

This question is for Lexde or other credit card experts...

Just got a renewal for the American Express Traditional Green Card. It has a $55 renewal fee and I don't use this card anymore because I use the Costco Visa for everything. I don't want to goof up my credit by dropping the card but don't want to pay the fee. Can you suggest what Amex card I can get to downgrade? I also have the Amex Optima card.

Thanks!

[nessness]

Dried some mint from my garden for tea.

Had a bunch of yogurt that was about to expire, so I made yogurt muffins with my 3-year-old, which will be her mother's day gift for her grandma and great grandma.

[Catbert]

This question is for Lexde or other credit card experts...

Just got a renewal for the American Express Traditional Green Card. It has a $55 renewal fee and I don't use this card anymore because I use the Costco Visa for everything. I don't want to goof up my credit by dropping the card but don't want to pay the fee. Can you suggest what Amex card I can get to downgrade? I also have the Amex Optima card.

Thanks!

Check out this article
https://wallethub.com/credit-cards/no-annual-fee-american-express/

[bucketsofrain]

Made a big batch of iced tea yesterday. As I was going to clean up, I realized I could probably re-steep the leaves and make a second batch. It tasted great, and now I have tea for twice as long.

[Tom Bri]

Ate salad greens, lettuce and arugula, that grew up from seeds scattered on the ground last fall. Just let the plants mature and go to seed then scattered the seeds where I wanted them this spring. Ready to eat at least a month before the regular garden.

[MaybeBabyMustache]

We did the basics. Drove the electric car for work, leftovers for dinner. No money spent.

[Jenny Wren]

We don't go to the movies often, but we do like seeing the Marvel movies in the theater since we are big comic book nerds. So yesterday we went to the movies:

~ DW and I went to the $5 Tuesday showing at AMC. You can book ahead and they have the fancy reclining seat reservations, so you give up nothing but the choice of day when you opt to use this option. Just be careful! There are higher priced showings in the 3-D and premium sound theaters, so you have to make sure you choose the basic viewing and sound theater option.

~ Brought our own iced coffee from home. We didn't even sneak it in. This theater entrance is in the food court of a mall, so I guess they don't even bother to police what people are carrying in food-wise.

~Skipped the parking garage to park in free parking across the river from the theater. This also meant we had a lovely stroll through the park downtown before and after the show.

~Waited until we got home to eat dinner, instead of going our after our relatively early show. The kids had already demolished the leftover I left them in the fridge, so we made sandwiches.

Total cost was $10+tax - less than a single movie ticket on a non-Tuesday!

[MaybeBabyMustache]

-Sold a free $25 gift card on Raise (gift card resale site) & earned $20. Have listed another gift card, and if/when it sells, will clear about $10. But, it's for a place I will never go to, and I've had the gift card for 5 years. So, clearly better to get $10 than hold onto it for longer.
-Remembered to use a coupon & a reward for an item I was already buying
-Two items were on discount at Costco that we were already buying (super cheap pineapple!) & lettuce. I also made adjustments to the shopping list to find the less expensive per/pound tomatoes, avocados, etc. It takes a bit more time to shop this way, but it all adds up.

[Bracken_Joy]

Surgical recovery savings:
-Picked up colace when I was at costco for other meds. Way cheaper there than elsewhere.
-Bought gatorade powder from costco and mixing our own, instead of buying premade bottles of it. More eco friendly, too. (I'm supposed to be having lots of gatorade, minimal water, for the next few days)
-Using the heat pack I already own, and just having husband reheat it, rather than buying a nice fancy electric one.
-Picked up a scale ages ago through Buy Nothing. Good I did, even though we didn't really need it, because now I'm required to have one for daily weights.
-Saving money by virtue of being utterly couch bound, haha.

[nessness]

I had some mustachianism forced on me today - I'd planned to take the kids to the children's museum then stop at the grocery store on the way home. But my husband accidentally took one of the car seats to work with him, so instead we walked to the park and grocery store. I'm not sure if I saved money, since I had to go to a pricier grocery store, but at least I got my exercise in.

Also:
Brought my reusable grocery bags
Snacked on some carrots from the garden
Going to try making a side dish from the carrot greens later

ETA: I sauteed the carrot greens in some mushroom and sage-infused olive oil and they were...edible. Barely. I don't think I'll make them again, unless someone has a tried-and-true recipe to share.

[lexde]

No-spend today. :-)

[Hirondelle]

Used a 10% discount voucher for my bus ride. Saved €3

[Imma]

- Staying in to finish an essay. Just made fancy coffee for myself, will have some homemade treats with it. Bunch of flowers on the table that my s/o got from work. Who needs to go to a coffee shop or the library to study if your home is this nice? :) I used to live in a pretty shitty place (too cold in winter, too hot in summer) with loud roommates years ago and I always studied in the library. Not buying any food there used to be a big struggle. These days going out is a bigger struggle than staying in.

- I got barely worn work clothes from a shopaholic friend, s/o got some freebies through work. Other than some underwear I don't need to buy anything until September (when I will probably need to replace my 10 year old boots and coat). Total cost for spring/summer so far: €4 thrift shop jeans, €4 thrift shop dress, €12 new shirt for work (marked down from €24).

- Made the decision to not go to the expensive supermarket closest to home anymore. The much cheaper ethnic shop is around the corner from the expensive supermarket and I pass by several other discount stores on my way home from work. My grocery budget is still pretty low, but out of convenience (open every night until 10, other places close at 8) I've been going to a more expensive shop than I should. 

[Carrie]

Today we trimmed massive holly bushes ourselves. Doing our own yard work saves big money over the course of the year plus exercise & gardening are good for us.

[MaybeBabyMustache]

-Sold a $5 item that I no longer need, now that my son isn't in Boy Scouts
-Bought Uber gift cards that come with a grocery store gift card. I have an upcoming work trip where I will be reimbursed for the expense. This particular grocery store has awesome gift card deals!
-Ate leftover guac on eggs for breakfast today, in the spirit of "use it up"
-Making naan pizza tonight

[Catbert]

ETA: I sauteed the carrot greens in some mushroom and sage-infused olive oil and they were...edible. Barely. I don't think I'll make them again, unless someone has a tried-and-true recipe to share.


I've always found carrot greens too bitter to eat alone.  Small amounts can be added to soups or when you're making broth.  If you grow radishes or get them fresh at the farmer's market, those greens are delicious to me when sauteed.

[nessness]

ETA: I sauteed the carrot greens in some mushroom and sage-infused olive oil and they were...edible. Barely. I don't think I'll make them again, unless someone has a tried-and-true recipe to share.


I've always found carrot greens too bitter to eat alone.  Small amounts can be added to soups or when you're making broth.  If you grow radishes or get them fresh at the farmer's market, those greens are delicious to me when sauteed.

Thanks, that's good to know. I'm not a big fan of radishes so I don't grow them, but if I ever end up with some radish greens I'll try them out. :)

[MaybeBabyMustache]

Noticed that my internet has gone up (one year promo pricing had expired). I called & renegotiated for a lower rate, but it was still higher than initial offer. I get a $75 max reimbursement for work, and previous reimbursement wasn't for the full amount. Filled out an adjustment form, and will get back an extra $7.50/month. Truly small, but free money!

[Imma]

Today I'm editing the essay I wrote last weekend and I always feel like I "deserve" nice food while studying. I started off my day with a fancy, but homemade coffee. At 11 I had a short break during which I made oatmeal-banana-peanutbutter cupcakes. Had a salad at 2, using up ingredients from the fridge and also some soup. My s/o is going to make burgers and fries for dinner, also homemade.

Eating cheap and from scratch is something you just need to do, even if you don't feel like it. I try to make life easier by boiling a few eggs at the same time and making batches of 12 oatmeal cupcakes, so I can always grab a quick, healthy snack.

[Roadrunner53]

Making a big crockpot full of pea soup with ham chunks. It has onions, carrots and home made chicken broth made in January and has been frozen since then. I will have a ton of leftovers and pretty cheap considering I will have more than a gallon. Will have with garlic bread! NOM!

[Catbert]

ETA: I sauteed the carrot greens in some mushroom and sage-infused olive oil and they were...edible. Barely. I don't think I'll make them again, unless someone has a tried-and-true recipe to share.


I've always found carrot greens too bitter to eat alone.  Small amounts can be added to soups or when you're making broth.  If you grow radishes or get them fresh at the farmer's market, those greens are delicious to me when sauteed.

Thanks, that's good to know. I'm not a big fan of radishes so I don't grow them, but if I ever end up with some radish greens I'll try them out. :)

If you don't like radishes, you won't like the greens which taste, ah, kinda like radishes.