What small things did you do TODAY to save money?

[alewpanda]

-- Considered going in for a haircut as I have a coupon. The coupon is good till mid-september, and I've been wearing my hair up in the heat (hiding all the random layers that are growing out).  I trimmed my bangs myself and put the coupon away again for later. 

-- Cut DH's hair at home.

-- Made enchiladas for lunch, using up some random ingredients in the filling and avoiding using meat altogether.  Made enough for DH and I and several meals worth of leftovers.

-- Walked to the work and picked up a couple of extra hours this weekend. 

-- May get a bit of a promotion at work.  Its just a shift lead and has some extra responsibility, but it has the potential for more hours and will include a raise. 

-- Sewed the sleeves of a shirt that were an awkward length.  They are shorter now and a much more flattering length. 

-- Hung laundry to dry.

-- Used re-used bags instead of the bought doggie doo ones.

[10dollarsatatime]

-Accidentally logged in to Bing and realized I had enough points for a $5 Amazon certificate.  So I logged in with my work account... and there was enough in there for another one!  And only a couple of days worth of points from another for each account.  Yay for free money!

-Work provided lunch today.  Went home for dinner and nap before my evening shift instead of going out.

-Collected a few months worth of cell phone reimbursement checks from finance today (and promised to deposit them in a timely manner).

[Imma]

- Bought fruit and veggies from the ethnic grocery store which is much cheaper than any other store in the area. Plus also supporting small local businesses this way.
- Skipped dinner yesterday because I had cake and snacks in the afternoon and wasn't hungry.
- Bought a large supply of shampoo and toothpaste with a buy one, get one free deal. I buy these things once or twice a year when I come across a good deal. I like to have a couple of spare bottles so I don't suddely run out of toothpaste when I have an important appointment in the morning or something (this is not a hypothetical example of what could go wrong).
- Will have a busy couple of weeks coming up, so I'm going to spend some time in the kitchen today and tomorrow to cook some freezer meals.
- Doing laundry and line-drying, as always.
- I complained about a dress I bought recently because I'm not happy with the quality. I'm going to send the dress back and they're refunding it and all shipping costs as well. I was also offered the option of keeping it and receiving a gift voucher for 25% of the sales price, but since the colour of the sleeves has bled onto the body of the dress, I'm not going to wear it anymore. It's a shame, because it was a lovely dress. This is why I normally buy secondhand: clothes are pre-washed so I know they're not going to be ruined in the machine.

[Mon€yp€nny]

The kids had their last day of school today.
- Their Eastpak bags have been washed and are now drying on the rack outside. The popular schoolbags wouldn't last a year, let alone a good wash in the machine.
- I'm going to make an activity book for Summer for them by printing (I refill our cartridges myself) educational and fun things from internet. A Summer activity book from a popular character can cost €8 - €15.
My 5 yr old has to work on numbers 1 -20 and my 8 yr old has to keep reading during Summer.
- have to make a frugal Summer bucket with them (salt dough art, petting zoo, free museum, picnic, making a hut, etc etc.)

[JLee]

I had a car on an AZ insurance policy that has since been moved to NJ -- I increased coverages from 50/100/50 to 100/300/100 and moved the AZ car over to NJ...to net savings of $400/year. :D

[Raymond Reddington]

Not entirely today, but I'm proud to say I've been on vacation for the past week and have not eaten one single meal out nor moved my car other than from the driveway to right in front of the house.

My only expenses have been contractors making money-saving improvements to the house, utilities, and mortgage. And the AC has been running a fraction of the time it usually is, and we've been leaving more lights off throughout the day and evening.

Now me and the wife just gotta find time to take the defensive driving online course to save $230 a year on our car insurance for the next 3 years, at a cost of $50, for total savings of ~$600.

[Lichen]

* The spouse flies out tomorrow to go sit with her mom in hospice. We made sure to stock her suitcase with plenty of granola bars and a refillable water bottle to tide her over during a long layover on her flight there. There are many unexpected expenses and lost income as a result of this sad turn of events, but we still save where we can. I'm glad we are financially at a place where she can do this.

* Six months ago, Keen gave me a $150 credit due to a small defect on a pair of trail runners I purchased. They told me to toss instead of return the runners, but I kept them and used them. After the last week in Glacier NPS, they are starting to get too much mileage on them for rough terrain which they weren't even designed for. I cashed in the credit today for a pair of proper lightweight hiking boots, a new pair of trail runners, and a pair of fancy Mt. Hood socks. I shopped their sale items except for the socks, who cares if the shoes are last year's colors? The total came up to $148.97 (I had to use the entire credit at once). Shipping was also free!

[Igelfreundin]

I bought a new bike. My $25 garage-sale special finally bit the dust. I managed to find a nicer, used bike on Craigslist. I paid $250, but I'm sure it was originally double or triple that. Of course, I would never have bought it at the original price, so I'm not sure if that counts.

Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk

[Linea_Norway]

On our road trip to the north of Norway we drove through Sweden and Finland. Bought cheaper hiking food in Sweden, cookies etc. And cheap beer for later this vacation. And we camped wild a little off the road.

[lemanfan]

On our road trip to the north of Norway we drove through Sweden and Finland. Bought cheaper hiking food in Sweden, cookies etc. And cheap beer for later this vacation. And we camped wild a little off the road.

Oh wow, you must be very very far up north!

[Dollar Slice]

Through the New York Public Library's online services today, I got two sets of museum passes, watched two short films, and read a book on my Kindle app. All free!

[MaybeBabyMustache]

Yesterday I: ate breakfast & lunch at work (free), drove the electric car to work, and made leftovers for dinner. A regular day, and one I plan to repeat today!

[Hirondelle]

I noticed some of my zucchinis were about to go bad, so chopped them up and froze them.

[MountainGal]

Just saved $15 on ink cartridges for the office from what I usually pay at Sam's Club using my $18 Office Depot Reward Certificate from recycling ink earlier this year, and the current Office Depot ink special of buy one get one for 30% off.  Free shipping, tomorrow delivery.  Nice!

Saved another 23% at the store last night = $74.27.  Highlights include 3 free items, $5 off my order for downloading the store's ap onto my phone, and almonds for $2.49.

With a $5 coupon toward a twin pack, my allergy eye drops were essentially BOGO at Walmart yesterday.

Making a huge payment toward my CC last month saved me about $30 in interest on this month's bill.  I made another large payment yesterday to knock it down even more.  I hope to have it paid off by September.

Continuing to bring breakfast, iced coffee, lunch, and snacks from home to the office.

[daverobev]

Got a crazy ebay coupon for $10 US of anything priced $10.01 or more. So I got a $25 CAD gift card for $12.

Went to lovely No Frills. Spent $28, used $20 of points, got $3 back in points. Price matched sweetcorn with Walmart.

Made a nice pot of chili, using some beans from the garden amongst other things (some of which were paid for with a different set of points).

Life is good.

[frooglepoodle]

For dinner tonight I cooked a freezer meal that my past self had thoughtfully prepared to make healthy eating easier in the last weeks of pregnancy. It made enough leftovers to pack 3 hearty portions for my husband's lunches.

Accepted some hand-me-downs for the upcoming baby.

Line dried laundry to save energy and so the clothes last longer.

Mended a tear in my husband’s workout shorts.

[Lichen]

~ Nearly 100 F here, so took the boys kayaking at a local no-motor lake with a nice swimming area.

~ Took snacks and our big camping cooler jug full of water for free water bottle refills.

~ Came home exhausted and hot, with starving teens begging for Subway. Mixed a can of Trader Joe's jackfruit and a can of black beans with a bottle of barbecue sauce, and within five minutes had mock barbecue chicken sandwiches ready for dinner. Served with random fruit and raw veg from fridge.

~ Harvest garlic, walking onions, a handful of green beans, and a pepper today. Tomatoes and zucchini should be ready soon!

[OtherJen]

We’ve done a much better job of clearing out our fridge/freezer/pantry lately. Tonight’s meal was:

*Slow Cooker Pineapple Teriyaki Chicken, which used up a few leftover scallions and the fresh pineapple from last weekend’s Hungry Harvest box, as well as a pack of chicken thighs from the freezer (we always have the other sauce ingredients on hand)
*Brown rice (pantry staple)
*Frozen broccoli (purchased on sale a while ago and taking up room in the freezer)

It was very easy, very tasty, and didn’t require any extra time or money at the grocery store.

[marcela]

- Scored a free charcoal/propane grill with smoker this weekend. New neighbors put it out on the curb with a sign saying Free to a Good Home. Apparently it was too big for their new patio. Luckily we expanded our patio with 88 cent pavers over the course of a couple weekends and were able to scoop up the deal. A bit of elbow grease and we got it all cleaned up and had delicious smoked chicken for dinner last night
- We'll be getting a free empty propane tank from my parents this weekend so we'll just have to pay for a refill.
- Didn't buy anything during Prime Day. The one thing I had on my list (dog treats at half price) I couldn't get because of glitches and I resisted the Alexa enabled robot vacuum. The worst part about vacuuming for us is the stairs and the roomba couldn't do those anyway.
- Double checked that my hilton honors number was attached to my hotel reservation when I checked out. It wasn't and I would have missed out on almost 40k points! A great way to have work fund my amazon purchases.

[Lichen]

- Scored a free charcoal/propane grill with smoker this weekend. New neighbors put it out on the curb with a sign saying Free to a Good Home. Apparently it was too big for their new patio. Luckily we expanded our patio with 88 cent pavers over the course of a couple weekends and were able to scoop up the deal. A bit of elbow grease and we got it all cleaned up and had delicious smoked chicken for dinner last night

Awesome! I've found that outdoor cooking appliances can almost always be had for free (sans propane tanks). People don't want to clean them or they fall into upgrade fever every summer when the new models roll out!

[MaybeBabyMustache]

Fridge is beyond empty, but made leftovers for dinner last night. The kids come back from summer camp on Friday (12 days at sleepaway camp), and I'm at a work event today/tomorrow, so we'll restock the fridge on Thursday. We need pretty much everything, so expecting a big stock up grocery bill.

[marcela]

- Scored a free charcoal/propane grill with smoker this weekend. New neighbors put it out on the curb with a sign saying Free to a Good Home. Apparently it was too big for their new patio. Luckily we expanded our patio with 88 cent pavers over the course of a couple weekends and were able to scoop up the deal. A bit of elbow grease and we got it all cleaned up and had delicious smoked chicken for dinner last night

Awesome! I've found that outdoor cooking appliances can almost always be had for free (sans propane tanks). People don't want to clean them or they fall into upgrade fever every summer when the new models roll out!

Apparently this grill had belonged to our neighbour's dad who gave it to him, but it really is huge (75 inches by 28 inches by 57inches) and they didn't have room for it. It looked like it hadn't been cleaned in ages though. Super gross what we scrubbed off of it.

[Imma]

Took iced tea to work today in a thermos and when it was empty, I filled the bottle with tap water so I would have a nice bottle of cold water with me on the way to an appointment after work.

I will make iced tea or coffee again tonight to do the same thing tomorrow.

[Lauran75]

~ Nearly 100 F here, so took the boys kayaking at a local no-motor lake with a nice swimming area.

~ Took snacks and our big camping cooler jug full of water for free water bottle refills.

~ Came home exhausted and hot, with starving teens begging for Subway. Mixed a can of Trader Joe's jackfruit and a can of black beans with a bottle of barbecue sauce, and within five minutes had mock barbecue chicken sandwiches ready for dinner. Served with random fruit and raw veg from fridge.

~ Harvest garlic, walking onions, a handful of green beans, and a pepper today. Tomatoes and zucchini should be ready soon!

Could I have the recipe for the jackfruit/black bean dinner please? Or at least how you did it? Thanks!

[jengod]

* Got free mulch for our graywater-irrigated herb bed by using the leaf litter and dryer lint from under the neighbor's boxwood hedge

* Hung out two loads of laundry to dry

* Went to the debit-only gas station and saved about two-fiddy

* Used a Starbucks reward to feed a kid for free while out and about (I know I know I know why am I even in Starbucks ever but still)

* Used some accumulated "slow shipping" digital credits to rent a movie on Amazon

[Lichen]

@Lauran75

It's not even really a recipe :) I get the cans of Jackfruit at Trader Joes. Drain and shred. Dump the jackfruit and a can of beans in a pot (I mash the beans a little bit because it makes it a bit thicker) and add as much BBQ sauce as you like and bring to a simmer for a few minutes. Serve on the buns of your choice. Quicker, cheaper, and healthier than fast food.

We've done teriyaki wrap versions using a similar theory -- jackfruit and vegetables of choice simmered in bottled low sodium teriyaki sauce, then combine with bean sprouts in a wrap or tortilla.

[Raymond Reddington]

-Brought lunch to work for the 2nd day in a row
-Wife made her own frappuccino at home instead of buying one out
-Have a few things we need, ordered on Amazon on sale, and choosing the slow shipping to get $1 credits each time, which we will eventually apply towards movies on our watchlist for free = free entertainment at home.
-Continuing to sell stuff on CL/Ebay that we want to get rid of.

[Roadrunner53]

@Lauran75

It's not even really a recipe :) I get the cans of Jackfruit at Trader Joes. Drain and shred. Dump the jackfruit and a can of beans in a pot (I mash the beans a little bit because it makes it a bit thicker) and add as much BBQ sauce as you like and bring to a simmer for a few minutes. Serve on the buns of your choice. Quicker, cheaper, and healthier than fast food.

We've done teriyaki wrap versions using a similar theory -- jackfruit and vegetables of choice simmered in bottled low sodium teriyaki sauce, then combine with bean sprouts in a wrap or tortilla.

What is jackfruit? Is it a meat substitute?

[Lichen]

@Roadrunner53

Sort of! It's a large unwieldy fruit but its not sweet. I think its originally from India, but not 100% sure. The fruit has a texture similar to shredded chicken or pork, and it tends to absorb whatever flavor you add to it, so it can be used as a meat substitute in some recipes.

[OmahaSteph]

Made lunch out of things at home - fresh cherry tomatoes from the garden, fresh basil I grew, diced up a couple of the kids' cheese sticks, and doused it with balsamic glaze we already had in the fridge.

Also brought peach cobbler I made with fresh peaches from the farmers market. I ain't sufferin'. :)

Making another loaf of bread with the machine tonight.

[Lauran75]

@Lauran75

It's not even really a recipe :) I get the cans of Jackfruit at Trader Joes. Drain and shred. Dump the jackfruit and a can of beans in a pot (I mash the beans a little bit because it makes it a bit thicker) and add as much BBQ sauce as you like and bring to a simmer for a few minutes. Serve on the buns of your choice. Quicker, cheaper, and healthier than fast food.

We've done teriyaki wrap versions using a similar theory -- jackfruit and vegetables of choice simmered in bottled low sodium teriyaki sauce, then combine with bean sprouts in a wrap or tortilla.

Thanks!

I have a couple cans of TJ's jackfruit, and of course plenty of beans. I can't seem to find BBQ sauce that doesn't have high fructose syrup in it - even at TJ's. Do you know of one you can recommend?

[Bracken_Joy]

@Lauran75

It's not even really a recipe :) I get the cans of Jackfruit at Trader Joes. Drain and shred. Dump the jackfruit and a can of beans in a pot (I mash the beans a little bit because it makes it a bit thicker) and add as much BBQ sauce as you like and bring to a simmer for a few minutes. Serve on the buns of your choice. Quicker, cheaper, and healthier than fast food.

We've done teriyaki wrap versions using a similar theory -- jackfruit and vegetables of choice simmered in bottled low sodium teriyaki sauce, then combine with bean sprouts in a wrap or tortilla.

Thanks!

I have a couple cans of TJ's jackfruit, and of course plenty of beans. I can't seem to find BBQ sauce that doesn't have high fructose syrup in it - even at TJ's. Do you know of one you can recommend?

Have you checked recently? None of the BBQ sauces I've bought at TJs have ever had HFCS. I've bought the Kansas city bold- it's sweetened with sugar and molasses- the kentucky bourbon- too sweet for me, but it's sweetened with brown sugar and molasses- and the carolina gold (our favorite)- with cane sugar and molasses. All of them are sweetened, for sure, but I've never seen one with HFCS.

[Lauran75]

@Lauran75

It's not even really a recipe :) I get the cans of Jackfruit at Trader Joes. Drain and shred. Dump the jackfruit and a can of beans in a pot (I mash the beans a little bit because it makes it a bit thicker) and add as much BBQ sauce as you like and bring to a simmer for a few minutes. Serve on the buns of your choice. Quicker, cheaper, and healthier than fast food.

We've done teriyaki wrap versions using a similar theory -- jackfruit and vegetables of choice simmered in bottled low sodium teriyaki sauce, then combine with bean sprouts in a wrap or tortilla.

Thanks!

I have a couple cans of TJ's jackfruit, and of course plenty of beans. I can't seem to find BBQ sauce that doesn't have high fructose syrup in it - even at TJ's. Do you know of one you can recommend?

Have you checked recently? None of the BBQ sauces I've bought at TJs have ever had HFCS. I've bought the Kansas city bold- it's sweetened with sugar and molasses- the kentucky bourbon- too sweet for me, but it's sweetened with brown sugar and molasses- and the carolina gold (our favorite)- with cane sugar and molasses. All of them are sweetened, for sure, but I've never seen one with HFCS.

I was just at TJ's about 6? weeks ago and looked then. I'll have to look for the Kansas City Bold.  Thanks!

[Bracken_Joy]

@Lauran75

It's not even really a recipe :) I get the cans of Jackfruit at Trader Joes. Drain and shred. Dump the jackfruit and a can of beans in a pot (I mash the beans a little bit because it makes it a bit thicker) and add as much BBQ sauce as you like and bring to a simmer for a few minutes. Serve on the buns of your choice. Quicker, cheaper, and healthier than fast food.

We've done teriyaki wrap versions using a similar theory -- jackfruit and vegetables of choice simmered in bottled low sodium teriyaki sauce, then combine with bean sprouts in a wrap or tortilla.

Thanks!

I have a couple cans of TJ's jackfruit, and of course plenty of beans. I can't seem to find BBQ sauce that doesn't have high fructose syrup in it - even at TJ's. Do you know of one you can recommend?

Have you checked recently? None of the BBQ sauces I've bought at TJs have ever had HFCS. I've bought the Kansas city bold- it's sweetened with sugar and molasses- the kentucky bourbon- too sweet for me, but it's sweetened with brown sugar and molasses- and the carolina gold (our favorite)- with cane sugar and molasses. All of them are sweetened, for sure, but I've never seen one with HFCS.

I was just at TJ's about 6? weeks ago and looked then. I'll have to look for the Kansas City Bold.  Thanks!

Of course, if I was being properly mustachian I would continue my quest for a good homemade BBQ sauce! We're very picky, and I keep giving up since I can't get it quite right. I'm going to try mustard BBQ sauce next, since I think it'll be easier to get the flavor right if I'm not struggling with the tomato flavors.

I think I've tried 6 recipes now? Still can't get it right =(

[Megs193]

- Last week I made a menu based on what we already had and my grocery bill was $80 instead of $150

- I’ve brought coffee every morning to work this summer.  This was the last part of my Starbucks habit to break. I have to be at work at 6:30 and I only work 1-2 days a week so it had become a habit when I work. I bought iced coffee and have been using that instead.

- I convinced my husband not to get Starbucks and made him an iced coffee today.

- My husband wanted to eat out tonight and I had spent the entire day working so I was tempted but made a quick mandarin chicken meal from Trader Joe’s.

-  We leave to see family in 3 days and will be taking carry on luggage to avoid fees and save time.

[Trifele]

- Last week I made a menu based on what we already had and my grocery bill was $80 instead of $150

- I’ve brought coffee every morning to work this summer.  This was the last part of my Starbucks habit to break. I have to be at work at 6:30 and I only work 1-2 days a week so it had become a habit when I work. I bought iced coffee and have been using that instead.

- I convinced my husband not to get Starbucks and made him an iced coffee today.

- My husband wanted to eat out tonight and I had spent the entire day working so I was tempted but made a quick mandarin chicken meal from Trader Joe’s.

-  We leave to see family in 3 days and will be taking carry on luggage to avoid fees and save time.

These are really awesome @Megs193!  Good job. Coffee habits are hard to change, and travel is challenging. 

One of the most important habits we changed was not eating in restaurants while traveling or on vacation.  We always bring food along -- sandwiches/trail mix to an airport, and a full cooler on a road trip.  We have saved gobs of money and time over the years.

[Spruit]

Going camping tomorrow, to an area where prices are higher. Normally we try to bring as little as possible, but instead we are now packing a lot of edibles. Ik precooked for the first day as well, to use up some perishables as well as for easy eating after a long drive. Brought some spices along so I don't have to buy packages that I'll only use half of. Same for cooking oil etc. We plan on cooking most nights, easier than finding veggie restaurant food in a foreign country IME.
Also plan to NOT use mini bottles of drink etc, but pour from a big bottle into reusable ones. Saves on waste as well.

[Clookie]

Today we saved on the following:
- my husband asked me if I wanted to go to the mall (haven't been there at least from the begging of the year), but instead went for a bike & kick scooter ride in the city park. Initially went for an ice cream, but since the ice cream shop was closed, we just drank the water that be brought from home.
- lined dried laundry and ironed shirts.
- meal prepped for the whole week (lentil&sweet potato stew, falafel, potato & mushroom soup). We also made vegetable broth since it was needed for the recipes and with the remaining vegetables (potato, celery, zucchini, celery sticks) made a salad to which I added an egg and half of an avocado. Will add soy sauce when eating.
- froze celery sticks and beetroot for an anti inflammatory drink that we would like to drink every day of the next week.

[MaybeBabyMustache]

My husband tried to convince me to hire someone to deep clean our house after a bunch of construction. I have been getting it done myself. (For transparency, my husband is the pool guy, yard guy, & car wash guy at our house, so has had his hands super full as well and is not sitting around while I clean. ;-)) It's been a big giant PITA, and I haven't enjoyed it, but we've finally turned a corner where it's not terrible & I can actually see what remains to be done (vs, just the entire house).

Made dinner from mostly freezer items yesterday. My husband made up a marinade for hot dogs (seriously, I had no idea) & it turned something that I wouldn't have really enjoyed for dinner into a great meal.

I used garden items (basil, tomatoes) for lunch.

Line dried a ton of laundry that came home from summer camp, sleeping bags, all of our rugs, etc.

[Roadrunner53]

Right now cooking a turkey that we bought last Thanksgiving for $0.58 cents a lb. It is a 15 lb. turkey. After it cools a little the Hub will cut it up and then we will put the bones in the slow cooker with onions, carrots and celery to make turkey broth. From there, we will make turkey soup after we refrigerate the broth to get the grease hardened up so we can scrape it off. It is a hot, humid day here but we have ac going so no worries about a hot house while cooking the turkey! It is smelling so good!

[Unique User]

Did a mystery shop for dinner yesterday at The Capital Grille.  So freaking good although I went over the reimbursement by $5, but even buying steaks from a grocery store would be way more than $5.  Was truly amazed that the place was full considering the prices. 

Prepped food today for the week.  Found 50c a pound chicken thighs on mark down, bought about 20 pounds and packaged them all in marinades for the freezer.   

[EconDiva]

Downgraded phone plan.

Savings:$32.98 monthly

[10dollarsatatime]

I went to the grocery store yesterday.  I usually poke around the meat markdowns.  Usually the good stuff is still pretty expensive.  But.  I found veal stew meat for $2/lb!  And I bought all six pounds.  I can't get chuck around here for less than $2.50 (on sale... about twice a year).

Googled recipes, and found a veal and bean stew that I tweaked and subbed to use ingredients I already had; dry pinto beans instead of canned white beans, rosemary instead of thyme, onion powder instead of a fresh onion, chicken stock (that I got for 25 cents a box) instead of beef, and a few other things.  It was amazing!  And the whole big pot used $4 worth of meat and maybe $1.50 worth of other ingredients. 

[alewpanda]

-- Went to a local celebration to watch fireworks. Booths were handing out a bunch of promotional stuff, most of it junk.  But DH did get his hands on two travel sized Tom's toothpaste :)
-- Dogs and I walk past a local beach/park regularly.  Stuff gets left for days on end and ends up tossed oftentimes. I picked up a polo shirt I had seen in the sand for two days straight.  It came clean in the wash, so if it fits DH, he will have a new free shirt.  Otherwise I will donate.
-- Its cool today, so the windows are open instead of air conditioning the place...
-- Picked up a penny
-- Am buying a set of earrings today that I set aside the last time I worked (had to wait to purchase through a manager).  It was on clearance and an orange sticker, so an extra 30% off.  They will be part of a birthday gift for my sister at a whopping 70 cents.....

[MoolahLula]

I cancelled my acupuncture appointment because I don’t feel any great improvements and I’m still sore from the last session.  I got a recommendation for an acupuncturist who works on Saturdays and seems more legit than my person. 

[MaybeBabyMustache]

-Connected my fitness tracker to the Walgreens reward app & discovered I've passively earned $10 (I get credit for just wearing the fitbit, which I wear for other purposes). We need band aids & a few other things, so will redeem for items on our list
-Made leftovers for dinner
-Used the last of a gift card to buy the kids powdered Gatorade. We normally don't buy any drinks, but they are at a soccer camp from 8:30-4 this week, and biking to/from camp, and it's 90 degrees here. I allowed the splurge. ;-)
-Have been monitoring our (newly installed) air conditioning usage & balancing against our solar consumption. We installed solar pretty much so we could afford to run air conditioning, so trying to hit that balance without getting crazy hot
-Charged our electric car for free at work

[4alpacas]

I cooked two large dishes for dinner tonight. We should be set for the rest of the week.
Cut up a holey t-shirt for rags
Picked fruit from our trees--gave to friends, will bring to work, and enough for us.

[marcela]

- New doctor wants me to try some supplements, over the counter stuff. I was able to buy one at CVS with a discount and some extrabucks, but the other was so expensive I couldn't bring myself to do it. Found some on Amazon with good ratings and used my Hilton points to buy it.
- Dinner last night came together out of fridge scraps. Shredded some leftover chicken thighs from dinner over the weekend and sauteed them with olive oil, herbs and black olives languishing in an opened container. Couscous we bought when it was bogo a few weeks ago and the remains of a salad mix that was about to go all gross.
- After seeing how expensive beach rentals have gotten ($500 for a 1 bedroom airbnb with a dog), I asked around my friends. Had 2 people offer use of their beach homes for free. One will be gone for the entire month of August and appreciated the idea of us coming down to keep an eye on the house. The other is a friend whose parents just bought a house with a separate suite downstairs, I haven't seen them since high school, but they are thrilled with the idea of us coming. Looks like we've got surfing in our future!

[MountainGal]

Instead of stopping for a sugary Sonic treat after work last night (it's been nearly100 degrees here!) I talked myself out of it by telling myself I'd have a slice of the low carb cheesecake I made Sunday night when I got home.  I served it with warmed up fresh blueberries on top.  And, most importantly, I don't hate myself today and feel fantastic.  Savings about $3+.

[Lichen]

- Made a bean salad using ingredients on hand to take to a barbecue that had a "bring a dish or bring booze" request.

- Asked around and was able to borrow two youth life jackets. Taking my visiting niece and nephew kayaking and needed PFDs for them.

- Second week of meal prepping lunches and dinners for myself. I'm losing weight, eating better, and spending less.

-Harvested green beans and tomatoes from the garden. Will be freezing some of the beans because it appears I planted "an epic amount" (according to one boy-child).