Author Topic: What small things did you do TODAY to save money? (Read 6328953 times)

Loretta · « **Reply #12550 on:** February 24, 2019, 06:48:06 AM »

Quote from: MoolahLula on February 23, 2019, 06:35:17 AM

My inherited washer sounds like a 747 taking off and landing so I’ve scheduled a service call to see if it can be tuned up. I’ve been at home sick all month and produced a mountain of dirty laundry so the washer has really been working overtime recently. I’m not physically able to fix it myself but a service call for $89 is a better investment than ignoring it til it croaks I think. My condo neighbors will also be happy to not hear it if it can be tuned up.

A repairman came and told that I my washer (a GE profile maybe 10 yrs old, no idea) has bearings loose and my spin control board is not spinning quickly enough. The office will call me with a quote on Monday to replace the bearings and drum plus the spin control board. Labor to disassemble and unstack to do the fixes will be the killer here. So do I get this fixed for circa $700 or buy a new set that will stack into my closet and last until 2027 when I plan to retire elsewhere... decisions, decisions. If you guys have stackable condo size washer dryer combos, please tell me a good brand you like. There doesn’t seem to be a lot of choice in this stackable narrow category.

Roadrunner53 · « **Reply #12551 on:** February 24, 2019, 07:12:05 AM »

I personally would not invest $700 into a 10 year old appliance. I spoke with our local appliance store owner and he says appliances are not what they used to be and 5-7 years is the typical life span of any appliance today. It irks me beyond belief because I used to have Frigidaire appliances and they lasted about 18-20 years. I am always afraid to invest good money into an old appliance and then have something else break down on it later on. Just my opinion. I am sure others will disagree. Maybe you could look for a used machine. I am a bit confused on what you have. I seem to think you have a washer dryer that is stacked on top of each other. So most likely you need to get a set so they fit correctly together. Put an ad on Craigslist or some other social media place and see if anyone is selling what you want.

Bracken_Joy · « **Reply #12552 on:** February 24, 2019, 08:58:45 AM »

Quote from: Roadrunner53 on February 24, 2019, 07:12:05 AM

I personally would not invest $700 into a 10 year old appliance. I spoke with our local appliance store owner and he says appliances are not what they used to be and 5-7 years is the typical life span of any appliance today. It irks me beyond belief because I used to have Frigidaire appliances and they lasted about 18-20 years. I am always afraid to invest good money into an old appliance and then have something else break down on it later on. Just my opinion. I am sure others will disagree. Maybe you could look for a used machine. I am a bit confused on what you have. I seem to think you have a washer dryer that is stacked on top of each other. So most likely you need to get a set so they fit correctly together. Put an ad on Craigslist or some other social media place and see if anyone is selling what you want.

I think they're talking units like this:

Super common in small apartments/condos.

But I agree, $700 into old machines is steep. You should be able to get a good used option for that if you're in a good sized town. Check FB marketplace- I find people are overwhelmingly selling on there, and mainly only businesses are advertising on CL anymore.

Re: brand, our apartment is a converted condo, 11 years old. They've got GE profile front load and dryer as a stack- they're a bit larger than the super skinny one I linked above (I've had that too, haha), but if you have the room I've been impressed with them. Talked to our maintenance guy, and he says almost the entire building is the original sets. They've just held up that damn well, even against renters! And with being HE, you'll get a lot less noise and vibration that the old top load units. Plus the water savings and energy savings.

This is the model we have:

PMG · « **Reply #12553 on:** February 24, 2019, 09:27:45 AM »

Can you deal with the noise? Use it until it fully dies. Then replace.

SerenaDarrin · « **Reply #12554 on:** February 24, 2019, 09:28:21 PM »

Friday: Finally made the call to shift my cell-phone plan. Now saving $30 a month! Whoot!

Today: Leftover soup from a party became tonight's dinner, plus, the joys of re-steeping tea!

Dicey · « **Reply #12555 on:** February 25, 2019, 01:42:43 AM »

Went to the thrift store and bought nothing. Yay!

But then I remembered I stopped at an Open House and bought two boxes of Girl Scout Cookies. Boo! The caveat here is that I used to be a Girl Scout, so I think of it as paying it forward. I feed them to my family, who love them. At least the calories consumed are not mine to deal with. And OMG, I am so old! When I sold them, the cookies were bigger, there were more in the box, and they cost fifty cents per box! Back then, five dollars was a huge order!

Just for grins, I fed that number into an inflation calculator. Damn, it only came up to $3.62! Highway robbery, lol!

HappierAtHome · « **Reply #12556 on:** February 25, 2019, 02:02:01 AM »

I really, really wanted chocolate and did not buy any.

Linea_Norway · « **Reply #12557 on:** February 25, 2019, 02:44:13 AM »

We had to drive a long way home yesterday evening and the fuel tank was almost empty. Fuel was expensive everywhere. But somewhere halfway we stopped at a petrol station to swap driver and filled up petrol. The price was the cheapest on the whole route.

Loretta · « **Reply #12558 on:** February 25, 2019, 06:09:40 AM »

I have a stacked GE Profile HE model in a closet. I’m happy to hear your building’s GEs are going strong and makes me lean on the side of repair depending on what the cost may be.

I think they're talking units like this:

Super common in small apartments/condos.

But I agree, $700 into old machines is steep. You should be able to get a good used option for that if you're in a good sized town. Check FB marketplace- I find people are overwhelmingly selling on there, and mainly only businesses are advertising on CL anymore.

Re: brand, our apartment is a converted condo, 11 years old. They've got GE profile front load and dryer as a stack- they're a bit larger than the super skinny one I linked above (I've had that too, haha), but if you have the room I've been impressed with them. Talked to our maintenance guy, and he says almost the entire building is the original sets. They've just held up that damn well, even against renters! And with being HE, you'll get a lot less noise and vibration that the old top load units. Plus the water savings and energy savings.

This is the model we have:

[/quote]

Loretta · « **Reply #12559 on:** February 25, 2019, 08:09:50 AM »

Repair would cost $900, so that’s a no! Ouch.

Cool Friend · « **Reply #12560 on:** February 25, 2019, 08:12:30 AM »

Finally found a decent, solid wood nightstand locally on Craigslist. I figured it would be too heavy to carry to public transportation, so I assumed I'd be spending about $20 on a cab just to get it back home. But it was actually lighter than I thought it would be, so I carried it to the subway and saved an Andrew Jackson (and burned some calories to boot).

Slow&Steady · « **Reply #12561 on:** February 25, 2019, 08:13:23 AM »

I scheduled the payment to payoff my student loan. I only had a small balance left (~$1000) but it had an interest rate of 7.25%. It would have been paid off naturally this fall but I saved myself some interest payments by paying it off now.

marcela · « **Reply #12562 on:** February 25, 2019, 08:38:35 AM »

- I "emergency" bought a blazer while on a business trip last week, only to have the meeting place be extremely warm and I was able to make do with the clothes I had brought. Luckily I waited to pull the tags until I got to the meeting and was able to take it in for a refund when I got home. Also resisted buying anything else while at the mall.
- Decided to try a new farmer's market for produce. Good prices and decent selection, but it's so far out of the way that I don't think it makes up for it. Got a fun outing with my husband out of it and I can now stop wondering.
- We are going out of town next week and our usual dog-sitters(my parents) aren't going to be available. We were able to get someone who will stay in the house with the pup for $25/day. Much cheaper than boarding and pup won't be a traumatized mess at the end of the week!

SerenaDarrin · « **Reply #12563 on:** February 25, 2019, 09:03:44 AM »

Yeah, being a former Girl Guide used to mean that the cookies were something I'd buy out of nostalgia and of a sense of 'paying it forward.'

Now I can't eat them, which is probably a good thing! :D

And yes, the cookies have changed -- I remember more in the box as well! And I think the boxes were 2 dollars in the 1990s? Maybe 2.50? I had no idea they'd gone up to 5 dollars now. :(

daffodil2001 · « **Reply #12564 on:** February 25, 2019, 03:15:31 PM »

Yesterday I had a loaf of banana bread in the oven when a storm knocked the power out. I left it in the oven hoping that the residual heat would be enough to finish baking it, but it wasn't. My husband suggested throwing it out, but I put it in the fridge (fortunately we have a generator that runs some appliances including the fridge, but not the oven--not sure why) and finished baking it in the morning when the power came back.

The texture wasn't right, but it's perfectly edible, so we're going to eat it. Bonus--I used bananas that have been living in the freezer for a while. My husband went through a phase where he kept buying too many bananas because he overestimated how many smoothies he would make, so he'd toss all the overripe bananas in the freezer. I just recently started making banana bread, and it's now our go-to breakfast since it requires no work in the morning and reduces the banana stockpile.

MaybeBabyMustache · « **Reply #12565 on:** February 25, 2019, 03:25:03 PM »

-Drove the electric car for all of our errands this weekend
-Picked up my husband at the airport yesterday, saving $20-25 on Uber
-Worked out coverage details for a day that my husband & I both have to work & the kids have no school. Fingers crossed, assuming no meetings shift around

SerenaDarrin · « **Reply #12566 on:** February 25, 2019, 06:41:48 PM »

Well, I got three mugs of tea from one spoonful of loose-leaf tea (the joys of re-steeping tea!)

Plus, all the vegetable ends from dinner (the woody ends of asparagus, onion peels, etc) went into the freezer. They'll be used to make vegetable stock as soon as the bag is full!

Also, the commercial-knit shirt that has a hole I can't mend (well, can't mend without it being obvious), has been relegated to the 'pyjamas' section of my wardrobe. It's still comfy and warm, why not! :)

Linea_Norway · « **Reply #12567 on:** February 26, 2019, 01:18:44 AM »

Walked to work today and will walk back later. Saving fuel.

Bracken_Joy · « **Reply #12568 on:** February 26, 2019, 08:28:17 AM »

On a walk a couple weeks ago, I came across a free box with several books in it. Including a still plastic wrapped book on beer hiking in the PNW. I grabbed it, figuring it'd make a good gift for someone at some point. Then lo and behold, a last minute bday dinner invite last night for my brother's birthday (I was planning to see him next week and didn't have a gift yet). Combined with a cheap but cute 'count the beers, not the years' card I picked up from trader joe's last year ($0.99), it made a good and well themed gift and was really well received. Total spent: $0.99

Plus we didn't have to pay for dinner. His in laws kinda of 'adopt' anyone they're around, so they just ordered a bunch of salad and pizza for the table and fed everyone. (They were the ones who planned the dinner).

jengod · « **Reply #12569 on:** February 26, 2019, 06:08:36 PM »

* 62 and sunny so put a load of laundry out to dry (Saves $0.25 in electricity)
* Started another jar of citrus-infused vinegar cleaner/dishwasher rinse (Saves buying $10 bottle of Finish/Jet-Dry)
* Made lemonade from scratch w homegrown lemons. (Saves $2.50 versus bottled minus sugar cost.)
* Coffee and breakfast at home! (Saves $5)
* Took the kids to school in the ELF a couple of times. (Saves ~$0.80 in gasoline.)

Linea_Norway · « **Reply #12570 on:** February 27, 2019, 04:54:01 AM »

DH sold our own tent, for a much higher price than we had expected.

Maybe it is because a new tent of the same kind has such a high price, that people are willing to pay so much for an older sun-damaged tent.

MaybeBabyMustache · « **Reply #12571 on:** February 27, 2019, 07:24:03 AM »

Mostly the standard stuff this week:
-Lunches for free at work
-Leftovers for dinner
-Driving the electric car for my work commute + charging for free at work

The biggest win was using a flight companion fare (a once/year benefit from having the airline's travel card) for a trip to Hawaii for my sister. It's hard to get max value out of the companion fare, as you pay full price for the first ticket, and then $99 for the second ticket. The vast majority of our personal flights are around $250-300, so it's not a big savings. Except for Hawaii. I saved about $750 on the second ticket. Mostly because our dates are fixed, & it's apparently an incredibly expensive time to fly to Hawaii. Super happy I was able to leverage the companion fare for such a big discount.

eco mom · « **Reply #12572 on:** February 27, 2019, 08:47:23 AM »

Bought two full bags of 5 year old size clothes for $50 from a neighbor. Combined trip with a drive to a volunteering meeting I needed to attend.

Also combined drive to a different volunteering gig with dropping off cookies and latest batch of outgrown baby clothes to my friend on maternity leave. It’s an awkward bus trip to get to either and only 7 blocks out of the way to visit the friend so efficient use of the car.

MountainGal · « **Reply #12573 on:** February 27, 2019, 10:07:01 AM »

@jengod, I apologize if you've addressed this before, but what are the ingredient ratios in your citrus-infused vinegar cleaner/dishwasher rinse?

~~~~~~~~
Instead of driving to the office this weekend to do taxes, I'm going to bring the receipts and other documents home and do them there. It's supposed to snow, plus I'll save 20 minutes each way in fuel and vehicle wear and tear.

SerenaDarrin · « **Reply #12574 on:** February 27, 2019, 03:37:37 PM »

/tangent/ Thank you for this thread. It's really helping with the small motivations and reminders that the little things add up./end tangent/

I had dinner before heading out to an event, so I won't need to buy dinner out tonight. Plus, after the event, we plan to go grocery shopping. (The store is very close to the event venue, so one less bus fare to pay!)

And dinner was mostly a leftover rice dish that I added more veggies and some leftover sauce to (yeay for leftovers!)

35andFI · « **Reply #12575 on:** February 27, 2019, 06:45:32 PM »

Biked to the grocery store (5 miles round trip) instead of driving.

Used a coupon at said grocery store.

jengod · « **Reply #12576 on:** February 27, 2019, 07:55:27 PM »

Quote from: MountainGal on February 27, 2019, 10:07:01 AM

@jengod, I apologize if you've addressed this before, but what are the ingredient ratios in your citrus-infused vinegar cleaner/dishwasher rinse?

~~~~~~~~
Instead of driving to the office this weekend to do taxes, I'm going to bring the receipts and other documents home and do them there. It's supposed to snow, plus I'll save 20 minutes each way in fuel and vehicle wear and tear.

@MountainGal -- it's dead easy.

1. Stuff any large-ish empty jar (often a thrifted 1.5L European-style canning jar) with as many citrus peels or squished citrus fruits as I have on hand.
2. Pour white vinegar over the peels until covered.
3. Leave it alone two or three weeks.
4. Empty the citrus-infused vinegar into a new clean bottle through sieve and a funnel.
5. I find it's good in the mop bucket in combination with Dawn and hot water, as well as being a great replacement for Jet-Dry/Finish.

Linea_Norway · « **Reply #12577 on:** February 28, 2019, 12:27:13 AM »

Quote from: Linda_Norway on February 27, 2019, 04:54:01 AM

DH sold our old tent, for a much higher price than we had expected.

Maybe it is because a new tent of the same kind has such a high price, that people are willing to pay so much for an older sun-damaged tent.

DH also sold another, even older tent, for a good price.

MountainGal · « **Reply #12578 on:** February 28, 2019, 10:49:32 AM »

@jengod, thank you! I will try this and report back at a later time.

@SerenaDarrin, I second the use of leftovers! They are a huge food cost saver. I had breakfast this morning from Sunday's leftover brunch items.

Raenia · « **Reply #12579 on:** February 28, 2019, 11:04:25 AM »

Called the library. I noticed that the books I returned to the library had not been checked in off my account yet, so I called to ask them to check on it. They found they had been reshelved without being checked in first. Avoided a potential fine!

Arbitrage · « **Reply #12580 on:** March 01, 2019, 09:32:29 AM »

- Got an email about using my ecobee4 to sign up for smart thermostat gas company rebates. I'd previously received a rebate from the electric company, but not the gas company. Supposed to be $75, and my application was accepted.

- Complained to an ebay seller about a shipping damage to a package containing special drinks that we regularly purchase for my son for medical reasons. The complaint was legit, as two of the drinks had burst and soaked the entire shipment into a sticky mess. The seller was very good and shipped a replacement, which arrived in good condition. I took the time to clean the old shipment and managed to salvage most of it, which isn't trivial - these run about $40/shipment. Saved about $35!

- Really an accumulation of effort over the last 3 months, but I've taken charge of the grocery shopping. Got a solid couple of months of accounting for the differences, and the grocery bill has dropped from ~$900/month to $500-$600/month, including items like those expensive drinks above. Very happy with the progress here. $300 monthly savings, if maintained, trims almost $100k from our required stash!

mountain mustache · « **Reply #12581 on:** March 01, 2019, 09:32:13 PM »

walked to work, walked home. Walked to the insurance office to change my car insurance coverage, dropped comprehensive, which is saving me $100 every 6 months. Ate dinner my roommates cooked. It was all in all a very cheap day!

davisgang90 · « **Reply #12582 on:** March 02, 2019, 10:15:44 AM »

Got a 7lb pork butt for $6. Split it into two batches of carnitas. One to freeze, one to make this week. Sous Vide at 185 for 8-12 hours. Yum!

Linea_Norway · « **Reply #12583 on:** March 02, 2019, 11:26:19 AM »

We went cross country skiing, but the normal free parking place was suddenly 10 dollars for a special occasion. We used our local knowledge to find a parking in the other end where it was for free.

horsepoor · « **Reply #12584 on:** March 03, 2019, 08:45:56 AM »

Starting lots of veggie seeds today. I grow a big garden, so it would cost a ton to buy all the seedlings. Ultimately, it will turn into lots of cheap, delicious food.

MaybeBabyMustache · « **Reply #12585 on:** March 03, 2019, 06:33:29 PM »

-Batch prepped meals for the week
-Used a gift card that had been floating around my purse forever
-Used up pantry ingredients in a recipe (a bottle of bruschetta that I impulse bought at Trader Joes)
-Arranged for carpools for several activities
-Drove our electric car all weekend. Will charge for free at work tomorrow.

Threshkin · « **Reply #12586 on:** March 03, 2019, 10:29:23 PM »

Well this took a couple of days but.....

I cooked a pig's head!

We were gifted a pig's head and had little idea on what to do with it. Researched online while it was defrosting and it actually was not hard at all. The biggest headache was that it didn't fit in our big canning pot so I had to split it in half. I used a heavy cleaver and a hammer for that but any strong knife, sharp hatchet or saw will cut through the bone.

We wound up with over 6 quarts of the best jellied stock imaginable and a bunch of delicious meat. Start to finish it took about 7 hours the first day, cleaning,boiling and dissembling the head. On the second day we finished up the stock, made two batches of head cheese and started really enjoying the results of our work! So delicious!

Google an YouTube are your friends for recipes and ideas.

Linea_Norway · « **Reply #12587 on:** March 04, 2019, 01:11:49 AM »

Quote from: Threshkin on March 03, 2019, 10:29:23 PM

Well this took a couple of days but.....

I cooked a pig's head!

We were gifted a pig's head and had little idea on what to do with it. Researched online while it was defrosting and it actually was not hard at all. The biggest headache was that it didn't fit in our big canning pot so I had to split it in half. I used a heavy cleaver and a hammer for that but any strong knife, sharp hatchet or saw will cut through the bone.

We wound up with over 6 quarts of the best jellied stock imaginable and a bunch of delicious meat. Start to finish it took about 7 hours the first day, cleaning,boiling and dissembling the head. On the second day we finished up the stock, made two batches of head cheese and started really enjoying the results of our work! So delicious!

Google an YouTube are your friends for recipes and ideas.

That sounds badass for modern society standards.

Trifele · « **Reply #12588 on:** March 04, 2019, 04:35:31 AM »

Quote from: Threshkin on March 03, 2019, 10:29:23 PM

Well this took a couple of days but.....

I cooked a pig's head!

Awesome. Good job.

Tom Bri · « **Reply #12589 on:** March 04, 2019, 03:44:00 PM »

Combined a coupon with a sale to get a pound of free butter.

Put oatmeal in the blender and made oat flour. A dollar a pound or less for oatmeal vs several dollars a pound for oat flour. We use quite a bit.

(Both of these were my wife's efforts, not mine)

Geosoxs · « **Reply #12590 on:** March 04, 2019, 03:58:33 PM »

Walked to work, ate a food prep meal for lunch and some fruit I bought at Costco

okisok · « **Reply #12591 on:** March 04, 2019, 07:08:13 PM »

This is an accumulation of things from the past week. I took several bags of aluminum cans I've picked up on my daily walks, and sold them at the metal scrapper. $12 in free money!
I went through the cabinets and pantry and have been creating meals from what we have, not just what sounds good that day. I've got several repurposed containers full of boxed lunches and portable breakfasts. I even went one step further and filled some lunch bags with fruit, cheese, and the boxed entrees so there's a complete, healthy meal I just have to grab from the fridge. Part of it is changing my mindset to "what I have sounds good". My entire grocery bill last week was $5.30! Just the ingredients I needed to bridge the gaps between ingredients I already have. I'm also continuing to take advantage of the numerous snacks offered by my job to keep my grocery costs down.
It's been very cold here lately, and I've felt the lack of long-sleeved layering shirts. I used a $60 reward to order the shirts I wanted plus a baby gift for a friend.
I've been reading through Cait Flanders' blog and getting inspired to save more. I've been using my local library's app to download e-books directly to my Kindle (that I received as a gift several years ago).
Now I've just got to do my taxes and buy some more index funds with the refund! :)

Linea_Norway · « **Reply #12592 on:** March 05, 2019, 08:00:50 AM »

This month, and probably also the next 2, I can register all my extra hours as paid overtime (50% extra). Normally I can only register then as normal hours, which I can later take off.
Overtime hours can either be taken off at some more quiet time, then I get paid out the 50% only. Or I can have them paid out and receive 150%.

jengod · « **Reply #12593 on:** March 05, 2019, 09:56:18 AM »

Bought coffee on the run but darn it at least I got the $0.10 cup discount.

middo · « **Reply #12594 on:** March 05, 2019, 03:10:58 PM »

Rode my motorcycle into work today for my 35 km commute. It was raining, so I thought about the car or train. But - I have the wet weather gear, so this saved money compared to the other options.

letsdoit · « **Reply #12595 on:** March 05, 2019, 03:41:25 PM »

this is a loss but:
met up w friends over wknd. they wanted to meet up at a kids play area that is inside and you have to pay $30 to get in and romp around with their costumes, etc

it was nice outside, 40F, we tried to get them to go outside. but they're inside folks. so we did the inside thing.

the whole process just made me so damned sure that we are doing the right thing by being outside alot of the the time and not being so connected to this consumer culture

Loretta · « **Reply #12596 on:** March 05, 2019, 04:36:12 PM »

I sold some of my media to the local used bookstore and got $7 cash and $18 store credit in return. Then InI bought a new to me fleece bath robe and sweater dress from Goodwill for $7. I also got my cat groomed (yeah, not very Frugal but neither are stitches and tetanus) and because I paid cash I got 5% off.

2Birds1Stone · « **Reply #12597 on:** March 05, 2019, 04:42:49 PM »

Stayed home :)

Linea_Norway · « **Reply #12598 on:** March 06, 2019, 01:50:32 AM »

Walked to work and will walk back this afternoon.

Lincolnshire Girl · « **Reply #12599 on:** March 06, 2019, 02:22:52 AM »

Car Insurance

Renewal quote came through at £385 annual price. As usual I ring them up to ask them to give me a better deal. He checks through a few details and quotes me £318 just for phoning and staying loyal. Having already filled in a comparison site in my name rather than my husband's, I ask for a quote for me as the main driver and OH as the second driver, new quote comes through at £216. The computer system now shows that our house insurance, also in my name, means we can combine our policies. Car Insurance policy will now be £154. Saved £231, same company, no paperwork!

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Author Topic: What small things did you do TODAY to save money? (Read 6328953 times)