Author Topic: What small things did you do TODAY to save money? (Read 7875914 times)

Dutch Comfort · « **Reply #14600 on:** September 16, 2021, 04:48:05 AM »

Got a TooGoodToGo (selling items that are not sold at the end of the day for 1/3 of the price or less) box from our local bakery. Got a great deal with 3 loafs of bread and a cake for less than 3 euro! (with two teens in the house, the cake was gone in no time). Bread was good to be frozen and will be used for the lunch boxes.

Our daughters (electric) piano has some hickups. DH called a guy who was recommended by the piano-dealer. He can fix the piano for free, since he can put his expenses directly towards the piano manufacturer as guarantee expenses (although the piano is already >5 years old)! We just have to wait for 10 days before he can visit us. Small price to pay for a free repair!

Imma · « **Reply #14601 on:** September 19, 2021, 01:33:10 AM »

Quote from: Dutch Comfort on September 16, 2021, 04:48:05 AM

Got a TooGoodToGo (selling items that are not sold at the end of the day for 1/3 of the price or less) box from our local bakery. Got a great deal with 3 loafs of bread and a cake for less than 3 euro! (with two teens in the house, the cake was gone in no time). Bread was good to be frozen and will be used for the lunch boxes.

Our daughters (electric) piano has some hickups. DH called a guy who was recommended by the piano-dealer. He can fix the piano for free, since he can put his expenses directly towards the piano manufacturer as guarantee expenses (although the piano is already >5 years old)! We just have to wait for 10 days before he can visit us. Small price to pay for a free repair!

Yay for TooGoodToGo! I always skip the bakery boxes because I know our local bakery is so generous and it's just the two of us without a big freezer. But for a family, especially hungry teenagers, it's a great deal.

MaybeBabyMustache · « **Reply #14602 on:** September 19, 2021, 08:42:52 AM »

We used a lot of garden ingredients for dinner (chimichurri sauce, made with lots of fresh herbs & jalapenos). Caprese salad, made with garden tomatoes & basil. YUM.

Dutch Comfort · « **Reply #14603 on:** September 28, 2021, 03:41:40 AM »

Went out for a run, stopped at a walnut tree in the park and picked up 1/2 kilo of walnuts (my jacket could not carry more during my run). Hopefully I can get back this afternoon after work, to see if I can pick more. Now they need to dry and I have some lovely walnuts for my baking during holiday season!

Trifle · « **Reply #14604 on:** September 28, 2021, 03:48:34 AM »

Quote from: Dutch Comfort on September 28, 2021, 03:41:40 AM

Went out for a run, stopped at a walnut tree in the park and picked up 1/2 kilo of walnuts (my jacket could not carry more during my run). Hopefully I can get back this afternoon after work, to see if I can pick more. Now they need to dry and I have some lovely walnuts for my baking during holiday season!

Excellent @Dutch Comfort! Free food for the win.

That reminds me of the time my dad was out for a hike in the woods on a warm day and found a lovely bunch of morel mushrooms. He took off his shirt and tied it into a bag to hold the mushrooms. He was walking back when a bunch of blackflies swarmed him and were biting him all over. He kept his shirt off and held onto those mushrooms though. :)

wick · « **Reply #14605 on:** September 28, 2021, 04:17:36 PM »

Thought about buying something I didn’t need. I waited until the feeling passed and then instead of making a foolish impulse purchase I rewarded myself by transferring some extra money into a savings account :)

Jenny Wren · « **Reply #14606 on:** September 29, 2021, 08:53:17 AM »

We harvested, or "scrumped," a few 3 gallon buckets of apples from an abandoned orchard on an empty lot. I borrowed a peeler/corer from a Buy Nothing group neighbor, and I processed the lot of them. We have several gallon jars filled with dehydrated apple slices for snacking and winter baking, 4 quart jars of apple sauce in the freezer, and once I ran out of storage containers I made two Swedish apple crumbles for desserts this week.

I saved the peelings and cores in the freezer. Some will be used to make cider vinegar (a new experiment I've been meaning to try), while the rest can be used to flavor kombucha, simmered with spices for holiday potpourri, or to make apple syrup for oatmeal or pancakes this winter.

trashtalk · « **Reply #14607 on:** September 29, 2021, 01:26:58 PM »

I replaced all our cracked and leaking garden-hose reel connector hoses with washing-machine hoses. I’m hopeful they will be more durable.

Imma · « **Reply #14608 on:** October 02, 2021, 04:10:14 PM »

A family member lost weight and gave me a beautiful woolen winter coat, only worn one winter! A very classic full-length black coat with a belt. It's gorgeous. I already have a winter coat, but now I have two. Very useful in case one gets wet from snow or rain and needs to dry.

MaybeBabyMustache · « **Reply #14609 on:** October 02, 2021, 06:03:00 PM »

Used our garden mint to dry & crush as a spice. We use it to make a yogurt sauce with kebabs.

A friend & I exchanged produce. She gave me a huge bag of apples, and I gave her zucchini.

fraylock · « **Reply #14610 on:** October 03, 2021, 12:54:25 AM »

I put a few bricks in the holding tank of our toilets turning our old toilets into low flush toilets.

midweststache · « **Reply #14611 on:** October 04, 2021, 08:52:10 AM »

Quote from: MaybeBabyMustache on October 02, 2021, 06:03:00 PM

Used our garden mint to dry & crush as a spice. We use it to make a yogurt sauce with kebabs.

A friend & I exchanged produce. She gave me a huge bag of apples, and I gave her zucchini.

Oooooooh. My mint plant has gone WILD and I drank exactly zero Pimm's cups this summer, so I'm at a loss for how to use the sheer abundance that I have. This is a great idea for using the mint during my pre-winter pruning!

MaybeBabyMustache · « **Reply #14612 on:** October 04, 2021, 10:12:10 AM »

@Midwestache - I used the directions on The Spruce Eats site, and it was super easy. It shrinks down very small, so I'll need to cut more. Our mint also goes nuts.

I made applesauce with the apples a friend gave me. It's delicious. We now have some for the fridge, shared some with another friend, and have a bunch in the freezer.

Trifle · « **Reply #14613 on:** October 06, 2021, 07:55:36 AM »

Our washing machine is 13 years old and has been limping along for a while. Yesterday my DH set aside the whole day for it and took it apart. Turns out it needed a $7 part. We ordered it, and now hopefully the dear old thing will last a good while yet.

pasadenafr · « **Reply #14614 on:** October 06, 2021, 02:31:16 PM »

It's getting chilly in Seattle, and my house is very poorly insulated. I have cold feet all day (somehow cold air seems to be coming from the kitchen downstairs right to my office above it) and cold feet when I go to bed that take hours to get warm, even with socks.

I DON'T WANT TO TURN THE HEATER ON YET lol (it's really not efficient and cost a fortune to run). So I just bought a small heating mattress pad for my bed, and a small heating foot pad to put under my desk, mostly paid for with points (and the mattress pad is HSA-eligible).

Hopefully this will be enough until temps really go down. We shall see.

MissNancyPryor · « **Reply #14615 on:** October 06, 2021, 02:59:18 PM »

I carefully cleaned and sorted through my golf bag today as I put it away for the season. I know from experience that taking the time to clean everything extra well now will make me feel good about it in the spring and I won't have the urge to browse new, shiny gear.

I also gleefully realized it is my FIRE status makes it possible to spend an hour doing this on a (checks calendar) Wednesday morning.

MaybeBabyMustache · « **Reply #14616 on:** October 06, 2021, 04:05:41 PM »

Made applesauce muffins (from the apples a friend gave us) to have on hand for easy teen snacks between activities.

pasadenafr · « **Reply #14617 on:** October 08, 2021, 07:00:18 AM »

I just switched my Apple Watch data plan from unlimited ($10) to 500Mb ($5). I've never gone over a few Mb in 2 years, even when I leave my phone at home when I go for a run.

From next month my bill will be $75 instead of $80, and I can expense exactly that at work. So no more mobile phone budget lol.

MaybeBabyMustache · « **Reply #14618 on:** October 08, 2021, 08:06:18 AM »

-Made homemade granola bars to have on hand as a snack (it's a theme at my house), as it's getting really $$ to feed my 14 & 15 y.o. teen boys. They are very active, which I'm grateful for, but consume a lot of food!
-Arranged for a carpool to soccer practice tonight. I'll drive one way, another parent will drive the other. It saves time, and a bit of money, but time is the biggest saver

Erma · « **Reply #14619 on:** October 08, 2021, 08:19:18 AM »

Installed an old driver for my even older scanner (I thinks it is around 20 years round) and managed somehow to get it to work. It only scans jpg files so I also found a really great program to work with and edit pdfs.

Gerard · « **Reply #14620 on:** October 08, 2021, 09:24:58 AM »

Rode my bike all the way home, instead of waiting 40 minutes at the subway station till rush hour was over and bikes were legal on the train. I saved $3.10, but now my butt hurts.

marion10 · « **Reply #14621 on:** October 08, 2021, 10:21:23 PM »

Got around to framing some family pictures- all with frames from local thrift shop or Goodwiil. Used a code for free 8x10 at Walgreens for another picture and will look at Goodwill for a nice frame when I go to doctor's next week.

ZsaZsa · « **Reply #14622 on:** October 09, 2021, 06:27:33 AM »

We recently installed a dehumidifier in our basement...instead of running the hose to a drain, we empty it twice a day and use the resulting bucket of water for two flushes.

RetiredAt63 · « **Reply #14623 on:** October 09, 2021, 06:39:55 AM »

Quote from: ZsaZsa on October 09, 2021, 06:27:33 AM

We recently installed a dehumidifier in our basement...instead of running the hose to a drain, we empty it twice a day and use the resulting bucket of water for two flushes.

If you ever have orchids as houseplants, they love that water. Serious orchid growers use rain and melted snow as much as possible to water their plants, orchids don't like water with lots of minerals.

Dicey · « **Reply #14624 on:** October 09, 2021, 06:41:01 AM »

Quote from: MaybeBabyMustache on October 08, 2021, 08:06:18 AM

-Made homemade granola bars to have on hand as a snack (it's a theme at my house), as it's getting really $$ to feed my 14 & 15 y.o. teen boys. They are very active, which I'm grateful for, but consume a lot of food!
-Arranged for a carpool to soccer practice tonight. I'll drive one way, another parent will drive the other. It saves time, and a bit of money, but time is the biggest saver

Check out page 3 and page 7 (IIRC) of @Malcat's journal for fantastic links to great, mostly cheap recipies. A stunning compendium!

Quote from: Erma on October 08, 2021, 08:19:18 AM

Installed an old driver for my even older scanner (I thinks it is around 20 years round) and managed somehow to get it to work. It only scans jpg files so I also found a really great program to work with and edit pdfs.

Oh, please share - what program is it?

Jenny Wren · « **Reply #14625 on:** October 09, 2021, 07:41:55 AM »

We decided recently our knees were tired of the bohemian bedroom and we really needed to get the mattress off the floor. Grabbed a free Ikea bedframe from Buy Nothing. Since it's a platform we don't need to buy a box spring. It was missing some hardware, which was $9 at the hardware store to replace. I also now know that the hardware store carries those weird bolt into a tube combos you only find on flat pack furniture.

Also, got my sis a free gift for her birthday. We only do small trinkets in handmade cards, like bookmarks or inexpensive earrings. Etsy sent me a $5 credit in an attempt to lure me into big holiday purchases. I used it to order my sister a cute mermaid kitty charm. It was $4.95 with free shipping, so the artist made some money but I didn't have to spend any!

Dee_the_third · « **Reply #14626 on:** October 09, 2021, 10:49:20 AM »

Quote from: Trifele on October 06, 2021, 07:55:36 AM

Our washing machine is 13 years old and has been limping along for a while. Yesterday my DH set aside the whole day for it and took it apart. Turns out it needed a $7 part. We ordered it, and now hopefully the dear old thing will last a good while yet.

Ooh! I did this a few months ago. I was ready to throw money at the problem because between the baby and some work deadlines I just...couldn't. But then I called a service guy and he said it would be $90 just for him to show up.

Heck! I figured at that point we might as well just throw out the washer and buy a new-old used one off of Craigslist for $200. Carved out 30 minutes to watch some youtube videos, was 80% sure that the problem was a specific $30 part (the clutch). Ordered it, swapped it in, and we're good as new. Being a cheapskate sure saves money sometimes.

MaybeBabyMustache · « **Reply #14627 on:** October 09, 2021, 09:08:19 PM »

We'd planned to go out to eat, and I was tired after driving kids errands. When I got home, I made chicken fajitas, using things we had on hand. And, we had homemade apple crisp (made from apples given to us by our neighbors) for dessert. Yum.

Sandi_k · « **Reply #14628 on:** October 09, 2021, 09:22:55 PM »

I talked DH into eating at home for lunch *and* dinner. ;)

Jenny Wren · « **Reply #14629 on:** October 10, 2021, 08:02:59 AM »

I put new bottoms on my slippers. I had walked holes through the fabric bottoms of my 2 year old cheap slippers, but the uppers were still like new. I cut some scrap felt to size and carefully stitched it on while listening to a library audiobook, it only too about half an hour. A couple of lines of silicone caulk across each bottom to make them "non-slip." Now they should last another 2 years!

Loretta · « **Reply #14630 on:** October 10, 2021, 08:26:49 AM »

I stayed in and did not go out for breakfast this morning and will do my own manicure with supplies I purchased on Amazon. Will also tweeze my wonky right eyebrow myself. (;

My houseguest is going to sew a couple things for me later that need minor repairs. I cleaned her cat’s filthy waxy ears yesterday so I think this is a fair trade of labor.

Erma · « **Reply #14631 on:** October 17, 2021, 11:24:28 AM »

I fixed a big hole in a duvet cover.

MaybeBabyMustache · « **Reply #14632 on:** October 17, 2021, 01:36:34 PM »

Made applesauce with gifted apples, and made zucchini chocolate chip bread with the last zucchini from our garden

Extramedium · « **Reply #14633 on:** October 19, 2021, 07:52:31 PM »

I know it's cliche, but drove past Starbucks, though I really felt like an Americano. I soon forgot all about it -until just now.

trc4897 · « **Reply #14634 on:** October 21, 2021, 07:40:54 AM »

A few days ago, but I recently signed up with AskTrim to lower my internet bill. Went from $75 to $50! They take a 15% cut of the savings, but still a $255 yearly savings!

Jenny Wren · « **Reply #14635 on:** October 25, 2021, 11:18:10 AM »

It's bread crumb day. The gallon ice cream tub I store bread crumb "croutons" in is empty. So I pulled out all the random bread heals and stale buns that have been tossed into the freezer the last few months, thawed them, and toasted them until dry and crouton-y. We use them on salads, sprinkled in some soups, and in bread puddings/stratas. I'll also smash them with a rolling pin for breading certain things.

Cheaper than buying croutons, panko, or shake n' bake type stuff, since I'm using something that would otherwise go to the garbage. Bonus, my freezer has a ton of empty space again!

sonofsven · « **Reply #14636 on:** October 26, 2021, 08:16:27 AM »

I wanted to watch a football game that was only broadcast on espn so I signed up for a free trial of fubo. The streaming service costs $70/mo, ouch!
I'll definitely cancel it before that.

Sugaree · « **Reply #14637 on:** October 26, 2021, 08:52:18 AM »

Found the first item on the kid's xmas list on eBay for about 1/3 of the Amazon price. They are opened DVDs, so hoping they don't skip. I went ahead and ordered a couple of other things on his Santa list just in case the supply chain issues get really bad. The rest, I'll wait for Black Friday.

While perusing Amazon, I did find the dashcam that had been on my wishlist for awhile was a lightening deal yesterday and I had enough credits from surveys/iBotta/Discover points to get it.

Dutch Comfort · « **Reply #14638 on:** October 28, 2021, 12:33:53 AM »

DD wanted to go shopping yesterday. Decided to go by bike instead of train (saved 12 EUR), could park the bikes for free in a guarded bike-stand. Added plus was that we could not buy too much, since we had to bring it back by bike to our home.
We found many good items and already completed the shopping for our secret-santa-party without any stress (big plus!) and within the budget (15 EUR per person). I like the budgetted secret-santa parties, since it is always good fun and the whole party is not about the presents (and the value of the presents), but about the nice festive atmosphere (and food..... usually loads of good food) around it.

Went to the theater with my mother as her birthday present. The theater was not in a good location, no restaurants nearby, so we decided to have a few bites at home before we went and just a drink afterwards. This was a good decision and saved $$.

Well Respected Man · « **Reply #14639 on:** October 28, 2021, 11:24:31 AM »

Two days ago, gave the middle finger to a $13 jar of ground nutmeg at the grocery store. Yesterday, bought a $3 jar at a different store.

MaybeBabyMustache · « **Reply #14640 on:** October 28, 2021, 12:25:31 PM »

Picked pomegranate, strawberries, tomatoes & peppers from our garden. We do need to ripen the tomatoes the last stretch inside. It's so nice to still have some garden goodies. And, the pomegranates are a huge $$ saver, as we love them & they are very pricey in the store.

Britan · « **Reply #14641 on:** October 28, 2021, 01:53:21 PM »

I’ve been meaning to buy my son a little toy car “from the baby brother” when he comes. A friend was looking to de clutter some of her kids toys and offered us one. We saved a couple bucks AND reduced demand for new plastic toys! Double win in my book.

Roadrunner53 · « **Reply #14642 on:** October 28, 2021, 02:10:42 PM »

I had grocery delivery today. I discovered 4 things that were delivered expired and one missing thing. So, I got a $15 credit. Not sure if that counts as saving money but it is money I would have spent that I got back!

cool7hand · « **Reply #14643 on:** October 30, 2021, 12:11:00 PM »

We took a bag that had held the monstrous amount of toilet paper we bought at Costco and used it as a garbage bag in a trash container for dry waste.

Imma · « **Reply #14644 on:** October 31, 2021, 05:42:45 AM »

We made quesadillas from leftovers for lunch today.

Dicey · « **Reply #14645 on:** October 31, 2021, 06:43:58 AM »

Quote from: cool7hand on October 30, 2021, 12:11:00 PM

We took a bag that had held the monstrous amount of toilet paper we bought at Costco and used it as a garbage bag in a trash container for dry waste.

LOL, I just noticed three of those same bags in a laundry room cupboard today. Time to make use of them.

MissNancyPryor · « **Reply #14646 on:** October 31, 2021, 07:25:55 PM »

Quote from: Well Respected Man on October 28, 2021, 11:24:31 AM

Two days ago, gave the middle finger to a $13 jar of ground nutmeg at the grocery store. Yesterday, bought a $3 jar at a different store.

I like that!

It changed my life when I found that the local natural grocery store sells bulk spices. I refill my jars of everything on the cheap, much less than $1 to fill a jar with the same name brands. I don't buy anything else at this store since it is all way too precious and expensive for most items, but the spices are super cheap and they have a huge variety of stuff.

Trifle · « **Reply #14647 on:** November 01, 2021, 06:55:08 AM »

Quote from: MissNancyPryor on October 31, 2021, 07:25:55 PM

Quote from: Well Respected Man on October 28, 2021, 11:24:31 AM
Two days ago, gave the middle finger to a $13 jar of ground nutmeg at the grocery store. Yesterday, bought a $3 jar at a different store.

I like that!

It changed my life when I found that the local natural grocery store sells bulk spices. I refill my jars of everything on the cheap, much less than $1 to fill a jar with the same name brands. I don't buy anything else at this store since it is all way too precious and expensive for most items, but the spices are super cheap and they have a huge variety of stuff.

Same here. The local natural food co-op has great prices on bulk spices, and bulk tea/coffee as well. Those are the only things I buy there. The quality is really good too.

Dutch Comfort · « **Reply #14648 on:** November 01, 2021, 07:32:43 AM »

Marketing department of the company gave away free pumpkins (with Company logo - like: "you see we're doing marketing without any bio-impact"). Enough to feed my family for 1 day with a nice pumpkin dinner.

Roadrunner53 · « **Reply #14649 on:** November 04, 2021, 02:08:27 PM »

Our icemaker broke about a week ago and been making ice manually. This was beyond annoying as we use a lot of ice and 3 ice trays just did not cut it. I looked up icemaker problems and for sure from what I read on youtube, ours definitely was broken. So, looked up the part number for a replacement icemaker and ordered it. It was a mini nightmare removing the old one due to the awkwardness of it all. The plug had a tab on it which made removing it infuriating. Hub got a large gash on his finger that was bleeding and had to patch him up. There were various other problem we had to solve and the youtube video we watched really covered exactly everything we needed to know. The icemaker got installed after hub howled to the moon and cursed his brains out. It took about 1 1/2 hours before it started to make ice due to the sensor knowing the freezer was too warm to start making ice. It has been chugging for 24 hours now and we have a ton of ice! The icemaker cost about $105 and we saved money by not having a refrigeration company install it. So happy to be drowning in ice now! Plus, getting those ice cube trays out of the freezer makes more room for food!

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Author Topic: What small things did you do TODAY to save money? (Read 7875914 times)