Author Topic: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?  (Read 8020906 times)

NCGal

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #1150 on: July 31, 2014, 01:26:38 PM »
Thawed out left-over frozen bread I was thinking of tossing since they were on the edge of getting freezer burn. I cut them into pieces and made a load of croutons.

1967mama

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #1151 on: July 31, 2014, 05:48:50 PM »
Gin 1984,

I found the recipe on sixfiguresunder.com which was linked over from rockstarfinance.com yesterday!

I really like her blog, by the way (six figures under) ... lots of great ideas and sound philosophy!

And a plug for rockstar finance too ... a great way to read a few great pf articles each day!

Beckyemerson

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #1152 on: July 31, 2014, 05:58:20 PM »
I was out running errands during lunch time and I was starving. Instead of grabbing something out I waited until I got home.

thecornercat

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #1153 on: July 31, 2014, 07:30:48 PM »
I am new to the forum: I love this thread and thought I'd chime in with my first post!

I volunteered for four hours today for a local organization. I didn't want to buy lunch out, so I brought a muffin (I usually make a batch for the week) and a thermos of tea with me so that I could have a late lunch when I got home.

On my way home, I did some grocery shopping in Chinatown and found yellow peppers for $0.59/lb, cherries for $1.59/lb, and avocados for 5 for $3! Very low prices for around here and I felt very savvy stocking up :).

rocklebock

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #1154 on: July 31, 2014, 08:51:47 PM »
There are these dress shirts that I like. They're good quality, look decent after many wearings and launderings, and fit me well. They retail for $49, which I would never pay. I recently paid off a bunch of debt and decided to finally buy myself some new clothes. I went to the store Website to see if they had some of the shirts on sale. They had a bunch at $19.99 each. They also had some offer where you could get free shipping with a $50+ purchase. I put 3 shirts in the shopping cart.

Then I got kind of queasy thinking about spending $60 on shirts. Especially since I didn't need three shirts, I needed two at best, and I was well aware I was buying that one extra shirt just to get the free shipping deal.

Then I went to eBay and found two of the same shirts in my size, new with tags, for $10 and $14 including shipping.

peppermint

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #1155 on: August 01, 2014, 05:10:33 PM »
Took the bus, packed a lunch, made coffee at work.

REALLY wanted takeout for dinner but got a frozen pizza at the grocery store, plus a bunch of other staples, instead.
(I know not the healthiest but takeout isn't either, so this is minimizing the damage)

DecD

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #1156 on: August 01, 2014, 08:03:17 PM »
Decided not to go out to lunch.

Three of my coworkers went out for TexMex (yum) and I deliberately opted for the packed lunch.  Decided to start the month off right.

Trudie

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #1157 on: August 01, 2014, 08:32:27 PM »
Instead of going out had 3 girlfriends over to make homemade pizza.  It was BYOB, we potlucked the ingredients, and we streamed Bill Withers for free on Spotify.  Bill Withers was the best part!

Hedge_87

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #1158 on: August 02, 2014, 06:06:26 AM »
We packed sandwiches to eat on our 6 hour car ride to visit family. We've done this before on extended road trips but never to avoid just one stop.

tariskat

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #1159 on: August 02, 2014, 07:49:09 AM »
Had cereal and instant coffee in my rented apartment while on vacation. Breakfast around here runs at least 10$! We will walk half an hour to the interesting part of the city along a river and through several parks.

Nancy

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #1160 on: August 02, 2014, 12:32:22 PM »
This thread is inspiring! I baked today, so we have breakfasts for next week's vacation. I used only ingredients we already had in the house. I also ate a salad made from our garden produce. Now I'm going to do some second harvest planting.

horsepoor

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #1161 on: August 02, 2014, 04:58:53 PM »
Making gumbo for dinner with random bits from the fridge that need to be used up plus okra, eggplant, tomatoes, peppers, herbs and garlic from the garden.

Separated the big chunks of fat out of the bacon ends & pieces package and rendered them down to get a nice jar of cooking grease.  Bottled up my homebrew kombucha and will get a new batch started tonight.  Next task is to move the potato harvest down to the coolest spot in the crawl space for storage.

Nancy

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #1162 on: August 02, 2014, 06:24:40 PM »
Horsepoor, you totally rock! Nice harvest.

pachnik

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #1163 on: August 02, 2014, 07:20:35 PM »
We are moving in 3 weeks but have access to our new home already.  Today we took over 2 car-loads of things like winter clothes and we are going to keep on moving as much as we can carry over to the new place to save on our moving day costs.  Hopefully, all the movers will have to carry will be furniture.

flashart03

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #1164 on: August 02, 2014, 07:52:13 PM »
With my birthday money I splurged and bought a FitBit aka fancy pedometer. (Something I had been wanting for a few months now.) A few days later I realized that it was not a good use of my money, so I returned it.  Instead, I am using the free app on my iPhone to track my steps.  Really though, I just need to start moving more.  I don't need a fancy gadget to tell me that!  Next step, start riding my bike to work.

2ndTimer

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #1165 on: August 04, 2014, 09:58:23 AM »
1.  Poured leftover coffee into ice cube trays.  When I accumulate enough I make frappuccinos by combining them with milk, sweetener, vanilla and xanthan gum in my blender.

2.  Mixed up enough bread dough for four loaves plus two pizza crusts.  Planning to put some of the past-sell-by-date pineapple that I found for 25 cents a can at the salvage store on the pizza, with green pepper and sweet onion.

3.  Currently waiting to turn the washer back on.  I have discovered that clothes get clean with a very short agitation cycle if you pause the washer to let them soak for a while in the middle

2ndTimer

thecornercat

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #1166 on: August 04, 2014, 10:09:22 AM »
That's a great idea about frappucinos, 2ndTimer! We don't usually have leftover coffee (French Press) but I'd like to try this just for kicks.

2ndTimer

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #1167 on: August 05, 2014, 07:44:03 AM »
I love this thread.  I am using it as my daily reminder that little things count.

Today I have invited my spendy friend out for ice cream using a BOGO coupon.  She thinks some of the things I do a little peculiar but she finds coupons deliciously naughty.


Joggernot

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #1168 on: August 05, 2014, 10:10:35 AM »
Changed the oil in the 2005 Toyota Tacoma.  5 quarts of synthetic and Mobil 1 filter for $41.28 (nothing on sale and no coupons).  Took all of 15 minutes.  Now we're good for another 5000+ miles.

thecornercat

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #1169 on: August 05, 2014, 11:31:42 AM »
No longer going to purchase all-purpose cleaners! Mostly for the sake of the environment, but there are also financial benefits. Mixed together equal parts vinegar and water in a spray bottle. This will be used to clean the surfaces in the kitchen as well as the floor. And for the floor, no more Swiffers. We are using old face cloths (lots of microfibers) -- which will be washed and reused.

Cyanne

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #1170 on: August 05, 2014, 11:53:24 AM »
Bought a flash drive for 5.99 using my Amazon Prime student account to save and back up my thesis. This will save me approximately $4 in gas to drive into town and I won't be tempted to buy other items at the store.

tanhanivar

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #1171 on: August 05, 2014, 05:03:28 PM »
I tried to bargain with my doctor, to see if they would bulk-bill my appointment (even though I don't have healthcare card) since all I needed to do was get a new prescription. But apparently I'm too healthy - because I haven't been in often enough they couldn't guarantee anything. So I found a new bulk-billing doctor ("bulk-billing all the times") that just opened around the corner from my office!

So I paid nothing, thus saving $70 upfront and $35 in total, for the cost of a single Google search. And being given half a box of business cards to distribute, which I'm happy to do.

tanhanivar

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #1172 on: August 05, 2014, 05:04:12 PM »
Bought a flash drive for 5.99 using my Amazon Prime student account to save and back up my thesis. This will save me approximately $4 in gas to drive into town and I won't be tempted to buy other items at the store.

And potentially saving several years of your life!

tariskat

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #1173 on: August 06, 2014, 02:31:45 AM »
Bought a flash drive for 5.99 using my Amazon Prime student account to save and back up my thesis. This will save me approximately $4 in gas to drive into town and I won't be tempted to buy other items at the store.

Have you considered using Dropbox? It is also a version control system. It will automatically back up whatever is in the folder as soon as a change is saved. If you want some extra space and haven't signed up yet, I can PM you a link that will give us both more space.

2ndTimer

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #1174 on: August 06, 2014, 09:29:05 AM »
Dinner tonight will be bean and sausage soup given me by the neighbors.  They travel frequently and donate whatever they have in the fridge that won't keep to us.  I encourage this by delivering a few fresh rolls  to them whenever I bake bread.

Mrs. Frugalwoods

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #1175 on: August 06, 2014, 02:35:39 PM »
Asked husband what he'd like to do for his birthday (this weekend) and what gift he'd like.

His answers:
-Go for a hike
-Investigate the building materials salvage store (not to buy anything, just to scope)
-Buy some craft beer (that's what he wants for his gift)
-Get take-out BBQ and eat it at home with aforementioned beer

I love this guy. I think this is going to cost like $30 in total.

Prairie Stash

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #1176 on: August 06, 2014, 04:24:16 PM »
Checked my receipt and noticed an overcharge on potatoes. I got the 10 lb bag for free.

Cyanne

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #1177 on: August 06, 2014, 04:29:23 PM »
Bought a flash drive for 5.99 using my Amazon Prime student account to save and back up my thesis. This will save me approximately $4 in gas to drive into town and I won't be tempted to buy other items at the store.

Have you considered using Dropbox? It is also a version control system. It will automatically back up whatever is in the folder as soon as a change is saved. If you want some extra space and haven't signed up yet, I can PM you a link that will give us both more space.

Thanks for the suggestion. I already have dropbox but I wanted an off-line solution too.

MrsPotts

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #1178 on: August 06, 2014, 06:36:56 PM »
OK, I will stipulate that not spending $$ does not equate to saving money.

But..after seven miles of beach walking in Cannon Beach (aka the most beautiful fucking place on the planet) I REALLY wanted to go to the pub and have beer and nachos but instead went back to the overpriced condo room for egg salad.

Hedge_87

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #1179 on: August 06, 2014, 06:49:46 PM »
OK, I will stipulate that not spending $$ does not equate to saving money.

But..after seven miles of beach walking in Cannon Beach (aka the most beautiful fucking place on the planet) I REALLY wanted to go to the pub and have beer and nachos but instead went back to the overpriced condo room for egg salad.

Lol Idk if I would have had the same resolve you did! Beer and (insert junky bar food)= kryptonite for me

MrsPotts

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #1180 on: August 06, 2014, 07:44:41 PM »
Update...cooking dinner in fully equipped my ass condo kitchen instead of going to pub for  beer and nachos.

Mrs. Frugalwoods

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #1181 on: August 06, 2014, 07:56:09 PM »
Happy Birthday Mr. Frugalwoods! Have a great weekend.

We just went to the Habitat for Humanity Re-Store and got some cool cabinets and a 10 panel glass door to use as a picture frame. We're using the cabinets as a base for some built in custom cabinets with desk area and bookshelves. I'm thrilled with the stuff we found.
He says thank you! Nice finds at the Re-store!

RapmasterD

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #1182 on: August 06, 2014, 08:53:19 PM »
I ate a $1 Banquet frozen entree for lunch - Swedish Meatballs. And yes , it was fairly awful. Only two more to go.

NV Teacher

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #1183 on: August 06, 2014, 09:39:09 PM »
I ate a $1 Banquet frozen entree for lunch - Swedish Meatballs. And yes , it was fairly awful. Only two more to go.

A couple of years ago I thought I'd give NutriSystem a try.  Worst food ever.  I ate every single one of those nasty meals for my lunch at school.  I decided that I'd paid for them and I was going to eat them.  Just the thought almost makes me gag.

peppermint

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #1184 on: August 07, 2014, 10:18:59 AM »
Made chicken tikka masala in the crockpot and it was really good!
Achievement unlocked: homemade Indian food.

MrsPotts

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #1185 on: August 07, 2014, 11:01:55 AM »
Made chicken tikka masala in the crockpot and it was really good!
Achievement unlocked: homemade Indian food.

Recipe, please?

peppermint

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #1186 on: August 07, 2014, 11:50:17 AM »
Made chicken tikka masala in the crockpot and it was really good!
Achievement unlocked: homemade Indian food.

Recipe, please?

http://www.tablefortwoblog.com/chicken-tikka-masala-crockpot/
Here, enjoy!
I used half and half instead of heavy cream, and mine was a little paler (and not as attractive) as the photo, but still tasted good.
Also, bulk spices are your friend for a recipe like this, so you can just get small quantities of each, unless you already have all the spices on hand.
« Last Edit: August 07, 2014, 11:51:49 AM by peppermint »

2ndTimer

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #1187 on: August 07, 2014, 01:29:07 PM »
Applied homemade body butter after my shower this morning.  I adore Lush Ro's Argan Body Butter but refuse to pay $40 for a little jar of it.  Instead I mix a 14 oz jar of coconut oil with a 9.5 oz jar of Palmer Coco Butter Formula and a cup of grape seed oil.  Then I add 1/4 Cup Ro's Argan to make it smell wonderful. 

MrsPotts

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #1188 on: August 07, 2014, 03:53:52 PM »
Made chicken tikka masala in the crockpot and it was really good!
Achievement unlocked: homemade Indian food.

Recipe, please?

http://www.tablefortwoblog.com/chicken-tikka-masala-crockpot/
Here, enjoy!
I used half and half instead of heavy cream, and mine was a little paler (and not as attractive) as the photo, but still tasted good.
Also, bulk spices are your friend for a recipe like this, so you can just get small quantities of each, unless you already have all the spices on hand.

OMG this looks amazing....and I actually have all this stuff.  Thanks peppermint!!!

2ndTimer

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #1189 on: August 08, 2014, 09:51:32 AM »
Took out the garbage this morning.  Previous trash bag was empty 50 lb. flour bag.  Replaced it with empty cat food bag. Haven't bought trash bags in a year or so.  Can't believe I used to pay for trash bags and then put these other bags in them to throw away.  Facepunch!!!

horsepoor

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #1190 on: August 08, 2014, 10:13:51 AM »
I brought a reusable bag on my run this morning and gleaned about 5# of apricots off a tree that was not being picked (large part of the tree hangs over the sidewalk and irrigation canal access).  Got an extra core workout by jogging 2 miles home with a heavy bag.  Making apricot preserves this weekend.

boognish

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #1191 on: August 08, 2014, 12:48:08 PM »
I discovered that you can share Amazon Prime membership with other people, up to five "household" members. I have always balked at paying $80 (now $100) for the two day shipping but I hopped on my mom's account and am now living the dream.

My property management company replaced my old refrigerator with a new energy efficient unit and I can already see the difference in energy use (power company shows hourly energy consumption). Thus far, it looks like my baseline electricity use has dropped ~33%.

Finally, I installed a bike rack and picked up some pannier bags yesterday, now I no longer have an excuse to drive to the grocery store.   

chucklesmcgee

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #1192 on: August 08, 2014, 02:35:32 PM »
I switched my energy plan to a variable-rate plan that's really cheap in the evenings/morning and occasionally more expensive in the mid-day. Since I don't use much AC, this should save me 20-30% on my bills. I'll also put a timer on my hot water heater so it only heats in the early morning before my shower.

sheepstache

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #1193 on: August 08, 2014, 08:54:32 PM »
Achievement unlocked: homemade Indian food.

I really wish life had some sort of user interface where a big sparkly graphic came up saying 'achievement unlocked' when I did something.

--

I had a conair updo stick I really liked that broke.  I probably was just going to do without since, for 8 bucks I expect a hair accessory not to break after only a few months, but for the sake of this exercise let's say I was going to buy a new one.  Then I realized I could just recreate it with a large hair pin, which I already have a box of, and an elastic.  It's actually even better because it's slightly lighter than the stick.

Then I read someone else's post about living in a house they bought for $1000.  So, you know... this feels less baddass than it did this morning...

MicroRN

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #1194 on: August 10, 2014, 04:22:23 PM »
Yesterday's dinner was half a cabbage, a zucchini, green onions, and leftover grilled chicken stirfried, with  pot of rice.  It was a round of "use up produce before it goes bad." 
 
Made stone soup - I throw end-of-life veggies and meat into the freezer, then make stock with the scrap, bag it and freeze it.  I took a bag of that, some very wilted carrots, a leftover half onion, and the leftover rice.  I also added a frozen chicken breast and fresh thyme and rosemary from the garden.  I got a huge pot of yummy soup out of entirely extra bits of food.  To go with it, I started a batch of 5 minute bread last night, which costs less than 0.50 for a loaf and takes almost no active time.  We'll feed 3 adults and 2 toddlers off that for dinner.

I had a container of mixed berries that were on the verge of going over, so I mashed them in a pot with some sugar and cooked them until they made a lovely syrup.  We ate it over homemade waffles for breakfast, and the reminder will keep much longer in the fridge than the fresh berries. 

peppermint

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #1195 on: August 10, 2014, 09:23:36 PM »
The university library charged me $10 in overdue fines that they shouldn't have. Got them argued away.
My landlady (who lives nearby) has a huge basil patch in her yard that is going to flower. Wrote her to ask if I could use it to make pesto (and give her some pesto) and she said sure thing. Time to put up lots of pesto!!!

Astromarine

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #1196 on: August 11, 2014, 12:09:38 AM »
Shaved my own hair. I look like Walter White now.

Also, scaled back my Internet/Cable/Phone plan to something way more reasonable. 250Mb upload is awesome, but all I was using it for was to buy and download steam games anyway, so I'll make do with 50Mb. :)

RelaxedGal

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #1197 on: August 11, 2014, 07:40:38 AM »
Unsure what to do with yet another zucchini in our CSA share, I hit Google and found Zucchini Crisp (http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/zucchini-crisp).  Instead of flour and oats I used a package of graham crackers that had been crushed in the diaper bag and set aside for "some dessert, someday".  Reduced the sugar a bit to compensate.  The result was delicious enough that I had two servings.

tariskat

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #1198 on: August 11, 2014, 07:51:09 AM »
Unsure what to do with yet another zucchini in our CSA share, I hit Google and found Zucchini Crisp (http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/zucchini-crisp).  Instead of flour and oats I used a package of graham crackers that had been crushed in the diaper bag and set aside for "some dessert, someday".  Reduced the sugar a bit to compensate.  The result was delicious enough that I had two servings.

I grate them and freeze in 2 cup quantities.  Zucchini bread all winter long!

hermoninny

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #1199 on: August 11, 2014, 10:11:15 AM »
Sewed patches of cute fabric into holes in the knees of two of my pairs of jeans.  $4 in fabric saved two $50 pairs of jeans.  I wish I could find cheaper jeans that fit, but I can't.  So I went this route instead and am quite happy with the results!