What small things did you do TODAY to save money?

[middo]

Made up some popcorn as a morning tea snack at work.  I've been getting hungry lately and I'm too stingy to buy anything.  Popping corn costs next to nothing and I have enough for a week at least.

[la Condessa]

Last night I made mozzarella cheese from powdered milk + a little cream I had leftover from a recipe.  It turned out great, much better than I expected from powdered milk.  Today I’m going to try my hand at making ricotta from the whey.

[Trifle]

I realized today that it's been over a year since I had my hair cut.  Back when I had short hair I was not able to cut it myself (tried it), and those haircuts used to cost ~$70 with tip. 

I don't love having long hair, but (a) it's simple enough I can trim it myself, and (b) not paying someone else saves me something like $2 a day.  That adds up. 

[MaybeBabyMustache]

-Started a defensive driving course, which my insurance says will save me a couple hundred dollars/year. Assuming that works, the other three members of my household are all going to be taking it. We have two teen boys on our policy, and that's crazy expensive.
-Began the process of splitting out our taxes (so we can file Married/Separately). Because of a unique tax situation, it will save us a little over $3k. It's a giant hassle, but worth the hourly rate (my own ;-)).

[Rosy]

Mr. R. installed a dining room light last week and a vanity light this week. Of course, I got both lights on sale.
Saved us the installation cost - and - roughly another $60 total because of the lighting sale.

[okisok]

Ate leftovers for breakfast and a packed lunch.

Turned the heat way down while I'm gone to work. Now that my elderly pet has passed one, there's no need to keep the house warm while I'm away. Exceptions are made for below freezing temps, of course. I'm looking for a programmable thermostat but I'll do it manually until I find a good deal.

[MaybeBabyMustache]

@okisok - see if your energy provider offers any rebates for the thermostat. Ours was basically free (a Nest) with our power company rebate. There were multiple options of brands.

[okisok]

I check periodically to see if anything is available. :)

[Josiecat22222]

DH cut my hair tonight.  Haven't had my haircut in a shop since before the pandemic.  DH has gotten very very good. 

[sonofsven]

Sofi was refusing to pay out a $200 sign up bonus so I filed a complaint with the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau, including a screen shot I kept of the offer, and two days later Sofi paid the $200.

[Josiecat22222]

I purchased my favorite running shoes online 5 days ago (because they were onsale, I bought 2 pairs).  Today I noticed the price had dropped significantly.  I was able to obtain a price adjustment via a quick phone call, and voila, 91 dollars back on my card!!

In less replicable news, I found a 100 dollar bill on the beach today!!!!!  There was no one around for a mile, so no chance to return it to someone who may have dropped it in the surf, so I just smiled at the sky.

[okisok]

My electric bill is -$15! I signed up for an off-peak use program and got a rebate.

[EchoStache]

1)I recently shopped suppliers for electricity and lowered my rate from 14.8cents/kWh to 11.8.  A month later, I checked again and found another rate for 10.2 cents.

2)We had to get a 2nd car recently now that we will be working in different locations.  Car insurance was up to $280 for our two cars, in part due to having all our kids on the policy.  Found a new carrier that got our rate down to $135/month, and got two of the three kids a lower rate on their own policies.

3)Got all three kids on their own health insurance, either through employers or marketplace.  Saved $6,000/year in premiums. 

I guess 2 and 3 aren't all small things lol.  But they are the only money saving changes I've made lately.

I've also been a huge spendy pants lately on a few things, but these changes certainly help balance things out a bit.

[Freedomin5]

DH won an iPhone at work. Today, he spent $50 to purchase a sturdy case and screen protector since he is quite rough with his belongings.

He had dropped and broken his phone last summer, and he had been using my old phone (iPhone 5s) which was extremely slow and glitchy.

[oneday]

Milk is a *big* part of my diet. Usually I get any variety (dairy or non-dairy) that is least expensive. Recently feeling a bit snacky-er than usual and turns out it's probably due to not enough protein. So I analyzed all the dairy options for protein content and price, now I have a priority matrix.

Long term, keeping my diet high-satiety supports balanced & in-control eating habits, which leads to better overall health. I may need to occasionally buy more expensive milk, but that's actually cheaper than provoking hereditary diseases through poor diet.

[stoaX]

I purchased my favorite running shoes online 5 days ago (because they were onsale, I bought 2 pairs).  Today I noticed the price had dropped significantly.  I was able to obtain a price adjustment via a quick phone call, and voila, 91 dollars back on my card!!

In less replicable news, I found a 100 dollar bill on the beach today!!!!!  There was no one around for a mile, so no chance to return it to someone who may have dropped it in the surf, so I just smiled at the sky.

$100!!!   Wow, I don't think I have ever found anything more than a one dollar bill.

[Josiecat22222]

In less replicable news, I found a 100 dollar bill on the beach today!!!!!  There was no one around for a mile, so no chance to return it to someone who may have dropped it in the surf, so I just smiled at the sky.
[/quote]

$100!!!   Wow, I don't think I have ever found anything more than a one dollar bill.
[/quote]

I haven't either! It was pretty amazing.

[Loretta]

I saved money with my eyebrow trimmer gadget.  No need for an eyebrow wax now.  I also put on 2 coats of nail strengthener before I attempt to open some sturdy cardboard boxes containing cat litter that always seem to bruise my thumb nails.

[MaybeBabyMustache]

DS 17 requested takeout Chinese for his birthday dinner. I found a BOGO offer, saving $12 off the meal.

[La Bibliotecaria Feroz]

I requested a smaller garbage cart for a savings of $4 per month. Even with five people and a baby in disposable diapers, we just don't make that much garbage.

[hdatontodo]

I saved money by DIYing kitchen changes. As I did in my last townhouse kitchen, in order to fit a new range, I did some cabinet shuffling. I put in a pantry where the ancient wall oven was. My g/f wants a cabinet and floor redo when she moves in, but this will hold us over for a couple of years. I paid for the gas line work, an unfinished base cabinet, and the range. I applied one gallon of white cabinet paint over the gray.

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[Rosy]

Instead of replacing our big recessed mirror/med cabinet in the bathroom for $419. Shucks - that is insane!
I found replacement hinges which weren't exactly easy to find and sanded and repainted the mirror frame that had worn down to the plastic in spots.
DIY cost $58 for the hinges - which is insane too btw - and under ten dollars for two different color gold spray paints.

Looks great and functions like new. The gold paint mix turned out to be an exact match for the new modern LED vanity light!

[midweststache]

I requested a smaller garbage cart for a savings of $4 per month. Even with five people and a baby in disposable diapers, we just don't make that much garbage.

Good on you!

We have the smallest carts available for our township (65 gal), and I still feel like we've completely filled it maybe... three times? All over weeks where we've been hosting a lot of family AND working on house projects. When we moved in we had two (2!) 95 gallon bins associated with our address; the family that lived here before us had the same number of people, although their kids were a few years older than ours. I dunno if they legitimately used that much or just never thought to ask for smaller bins (and a correspondingly smaller bill).

Less garbage and recycling waste is both more Mustachian and also much more environmentally-friendly.

[La Bibliotecaria Feroz]

I requested a smaller garbage cart for a savings of $4 per month. Even with five people and a baby in disposable diapers, we just don't make that much garbage.

Good on you!

We have the smallest carts available for our township (65 gal), and I still feel like we've completely filled it maybe... three times? All over weeks where we've been hosting a lot of family AND working on house projects. When we moved in we had two (2!) 95 gallon bins associated with our address; the family that lived here before us had the same number of people, although their kids were a few years older than ours. I dunno if they legitimately used that much or just never thought to ask for smaller bins (and a correspondingly smaller bill).

Less garbage and recycling waste is both more Mustachian and also much more environmentally-friendly.

65 is what we have now but they have a smaller size and that's what I requested! We have 95 for the recycling because we do get a lot of cardboard boxes, and the compost cart is 65 but that is waaaaay too much space except during leaf season when it is not enough!

[stoaX]

I saved money by DIYing kitchen changes. As I did in my last townhouse kitchen, in order to fit a new range, I did some cabinet shuffling. I put in a pantry where the ancient wall oven was. My g/f wants a cabinet and floor redo when she moves in, but this will hold us over for a couple of years. I paid for the gas line work, an unfinished base cabinet, and the range.

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Looks great - well done!  I'm sure the DIY aspect saved you quite a few bucks.

[Weisass]

I saved money by DIYing kitchen changes. As I did in my last townhouse kitchen, in order to fit a new range, I did some cabinet shuffling. I put in a pantry where the ancient wall oven was. My g/f wants a cabinet and floor redo when she moves in, but this will hold us over for a couple of years. I paid for the gas line work, an unfinished base cabinet, and the range.

Sent from my SM-G991U1 using Tapatalk

Looks great - well done!  I'm sure the DIY aspect saved you quite a few bucks.

I don’t know if i would call that a small way to save money, but well done!

[EchoStache]

Followed up to make sure all my monthly bills are as low as possible.

Lowered Netflix from $20 to $10/month. $120/year saved.  Only other streaming I pay for is Hulu at $1/month. 

I'm content with paying $11/month for streaming.

[jnw]

Switched from coffee to black tea.  Then switched to a black tea which only costs 2 cents per bag.

We wanted to cut down on caffeine a bit and save on the heavy cream.   So we switched to black tea.

We can't drink coffee without heavy cream but we drink black tea without any.    Heavy cream has become really expensive.  Used to be $3 per quart and now is $5.   We no longer buy heavy cream now.

We were buying 100 bags of black tea from the local Asian market for $5.  We just switched to the Walmart Great Value brand of black tea.. 100 bags for $2.   So we are saving 60% there.

Say we drink 3 cups of black tea per day.. that's 6 cents per day or about $20 per person per year.

The Great Value black tea tastes every bit as good as the Asian market brand.   

How to make a perfect cup of black tea:  Put bag in mug.  Boil water in kettle.  Pour water in and set timer for 45 seconds.. dunking occasionally.  Don't leave in any longer as it starts to get bitter quickly.

[Dreamer40]

I made sure to stock up on groceries before the weekend. That’s when I would be most tempted to eat out unnecessarily, especially if there wasn’t much in the fridge.

[okisok]

(Cross posted in Eat All the Food in Your House thread) Instead of going out for donuts, I made some 'breakfast cookies' from an online recipe that used up meh pantry ingredients including pancake syrup, natural peanut butter, and oats that were languishing in the cabinet because nobody particularly liked that kind/flavor.

It was a super easy recipe that took very little time to prepare or clean up from. DP didn't have the baking pan called for in the recipe, so I made a folded foil wall keep the batter in a smaller area of a bigger pan so they'd cook properly. I used leftover Christmas chocolate instead of chocolate chips. They came out delicious and we have a new go-to breakfast meal that is super simple.

[Weisass]

I’m gonna take the kiddos to a state park to bang hammers on ringing rocks today. I mean, how could that not be fun, right? And it’s freeeeeeeee

[Dicey]

I’m gonna take the kiddos to a state park to bang hammers on ringing rocks today. I mean, how could that not be fun, right? And it’s freeeeeeeee

So is tinnitus, the "free" gift you can't easily get rid of.

[Michael in ABQ]

My wife and I had a milestone anniversary and instead of spending a bunch of money on some stuff we don't really need; we just made a nice dinner at home. A couple of turkey breasts, mashed potatoes, vegetables, and a red velvet cake for dessert.

I'm really glad I married someone that doesn't expect a gift on every holiday/event. Neither of us really care that much about material things. If we did get an anniversary present it would be something practical for both of us like new pots and pans rather than whatever made up "Anniversary Gift by Year".

[midweststache]

- Leftovers for breakfast (DH made homemade waffles yesterday morning), leftovers for lunch (it was nice out so we grilled for dinner last night), very frugal dinner planned (tacos with free ground beef).

- I do need to pick up two birthday cards for family and two household items at Target today. The kids are out of school and its above freezing, so we're gonna bundle up and make it a nice afternoon long walk errand, rather than driving. Bonus: this allows us all to be out of the house while DH is on a work call.

- Convinced DH to not buy an iPad for our eldest ("It's on super-sale" - cue eye roll). There are some very specific apps we'd like to get him access to for learning (specifically aiding in his literacy development, like ABC Mouse, and high-level chess games, as we no longer present a challenge for him...) but I'm pretty firm that a 6 year old does not need an adult iPad, no matter the parental controls we can put on it. Talked DH our of spending $250.

- I'm super-exhausted today, so I made myself a tea at home before this afternoon's Target run to avoid the draw of getting a pick-me-up while out.

My wife and I had a milestone anniversary and instead of spending a bunch of money on some stuff we don't really need; we just made a nice dinner at home. A couple of turkey breasts, mashed potatoes, vegetables, and a red velvet cake for dessert.

I'm really glad I married someone that doesn't expect a gift on every holiday/event. Neither of us really care that much about material things. If we did get an anniversary present it would be something practical for both of us like new pots and pans rather than whatever made up "Anniversary Gift by Year".

Agreed! In the early years, our anniversary gifts tend to center around bigger-ticket items we'd been thinking about buying: a new blanket for our bed, a grill one year, etc. It still felt special, but it certainly wasn't unnecessary crap we didn't need and WE bought it for US - we didn't exchange gifts. (Now we're staring down 10 years and sort of like 'Eh, do we even really NEED anything?') It's nice to have someone on your wave length, isn't it? :)

[Weisass]

I’m gonna take the kiddos to a state park to bang hammers on ringing rocks today. I mean, how could that not be fun, right? And it’s freeeeeeeee

So is tinnitus, the "free" gift you can't easily get rid of.

Haha. Ringing rocks isn’t loud. The rocks just ring like a bell when you hit them, for free, with the hammer you brought from home. Good old pa fun.

And as a bonus, kids are wiped and napping post hammering. So free time!

[Dicey]

I’m gonna take the kiddos to a state park to bang hammers on ringing rocks today. I mean, how could that not be fun, right? And it’s freeeeeeeee

So is tinnitus, the "free" gift you can't easily get rid of.

Haha. Ringing rocks isn’t loud. The rocks just ring like a bell when you hit them, for free, with the hammer you brought from home. Good old pa fun.

And as a bonus, kids are wiped and napping post hammering. So free time!

Well, that was a very interesting rabbit hole. Who knew? Thanks!

[stoaX]

- Leftovers for breakfast (DH made homemade waffles yesterday morning), leftovers for lunch (it was nice out so we grilled for dinner last night), very frugal dinner planned (tacos with free ground beef).

- I do need to pick up two birthday cards for family and two household items at Target today. The kids are out of school and its above freezing, so we're gonna bundle up and make it a nice afternoon long walk errand, rather than driving. Bonus: this allows us all to be out of the house while DH is on a work call.

- Convinced DH to not buy an iPad for our eldest ("It's on super-sale" - cue eye roll). There are some very specific apps we'd like to get him access to for learning (specifically aiding in his literacy development, like ABC Mouse, and high-level chess games, as we no longer present a challenge for him...) but I'm pretty firm that a 6 year old does not need an adult iPad, no matter the parental controls we can put on it. Talked DH our of spending $250.

- I'm super-exhausted today, so I made myself a tea at home before this afternoon's Target run to avoid the draw of getting a pick-me-up while out.

My wife and I had a milestone anniversary and instead of spending a bunch of money on some stuff we don't really need; we just made a nice dinner at home. A couple of turkey breasts, mashed potatoes, vegetables, and a red velvet cake for dessert.

I'm really glad I married someone that doesn't expect a gift on every holiday/event. Neither of us really care that much about material things. If we did get an anniversary present it would be something practical for both of us like new pots and pans rather than whatever made up "Anniversary Gift by Year".

Agreed! In the early years, our anniversary gifts tend to center around bigger-ticket items we'd been thinking about buying: a new blanket for our bed, a grill one year, etc. It still felt special, but it certainly wasn't unnecessary crap we didn't need and WE bought it for US - we didn't exchange gifts. (Now we're staring down 10 years and sort of like 'Eh, do we even really NEED anything?') It's nice to have someone on your wave length, isn't it? :)

Did I read your post correctly - your 6 year old plays chess at a more advanced level than you do?   If so, wow!

[midweststache]

...

- Convinced DH to not buy an iPad for our eldest ("It's on super-sale" - cue eye roll). There are some very specific apps we'd like to get him access to for learning (specifically aiding in his literacy development, like ABC Mouse, and high-level chess games, as we no longer present a challenge for him...) but I'm pretty firm that a 6 year old does not need an adult iPad, no matter the parental controls we can put on it. Talked DH our of spending $250.

Did I read your post correctly - your 6 year old plays chess at a more advanced level than you do?   If so, wow!

Yeah, he beats me ~75-80% of the time. I'm not super-skilled - I know how the pieces move and some very basic strategy, and I can think ahead once the game gets going, but he's very good. We're pretty lucky to live in a near-suburb of a major city, so resources are prevalent: his school has a once-a-week chess club he's enrolled in; the local library has a once-a-month open chess for elementary school kids; there is a week-long chess camp through our parks district he'll be attending this summer (on his request - we gave him a few options for camps that week). Luckily these are all free or VERY low-cost options.

Honestly, chess has been a great outlet for him academic-wise. He's fairly ahead-of-the-curve in kindergarten, even with advanced differentiated instruction and some really fantastic teachers working to challenge him while, ya know, still teaching his whole class, and he is extremely math-minded; the mathematical elements of chess are appealing to him and allows him to get the mental challenge he needs that he isn't always getting at school. Finding places where he can play his peers (and be challenged!) have also been incredibly helpful for teaching good sportsmanship and decorum.

[Rosy]

UNEXPECTED FREEBIES
Funny how objects sometimes find their way to you...
I mentioned to my neighbor that I was trying to find a nicer full-length mirror. Next thing I know she brought over one of those stand-alone oval genuine oak wood framed mirrors and a nice vanity mirror and refused to take them back as she is still in previous household/different lifestyle decluttering mode.

The following day a visiting friend was thrilled to take home both mirrors, she'd always wanted one of those real oak stand-alone mirrors and it matches her decor:).
What I really wanted was a lightweight mirror to attach to a hallway door. Instead, I got inspired to DIY the door mirror that I already have as part of my bathroom mini-renovation project. 

You see that same friend gave me an entire box full of cool Dragon earrings intended for donation that will look great as an embellishment in the four corners of my current mirror hiding the "oh so visible" mirror clips that have always bothered me.
Problem solved or rather annoyance removed - some of the dragon pieces are just big enough to cover up the four ugly clips and hide minor damage to the gold frame.

Saved me the expense and trouble of replacing the door mirror and in truth, I'm loving the dragons.
I'm using the gold ones for the corners and a different set of antique brass ones to cover up the minor frame damage.

2. The remaining FREE Earrings
Free jewelry set - I chose a medium size pair of earrings to wear and I'm taking apart one of the large earrings to make a dragon pendant to match. 
Then - I shared the remaining earrings with my neighbor who took almost all the silver dragon earrings to share with her daughter.
... I still have a handful of small dragon earrings left that will be donated.

If I'd purchased the earrings at one of the art markets in our area I would have easily paid $35 for just my one pair of Celtic dragon earrings.
So this was a pretty good freebie.

Next up is replacing the bathroom vent/light combo... looks like all we'll need is 50CFM... but that's Mr. R's territory for installation. I'm moving on to floor tiles, wallpaper and paint, repairs, patches, new door hinges and maybe trim - we'll see how it all goes.

[okisok]

Ate leftovers in a new combination for dinner. Took a prepped meal out of the freezer for lunch tomorrow.

Went to the warehouse club to get items for work (reimbursed) and had $7 in credit in my account to use toward the one item I was buying for myself.

Tried to mail packages at the post office. The self-service kiosk kept freezing and the line for the ONE clerk was literally out the door. I was able to get the machine to tell me the postage amount before the error message, so I came home and put gifted stamps on the packages. Now when I finally have the patience to stand in line again, at least there will be no out of pocket cost.

I got home to a package from a friend who sent me some books I requested, so free books!!

[Michael in ABQ]

I got hit with a late fee on a credit card as I thought I had auto-payments turned on (I didn't). I called in and got it reversed in just a few seconds. $29 saved plus a few dollars of interest. Total time on the phone was maybe 5 minutes including typing in my credit card number, last four of my social, and birthdate.

[Serendip]

Declined joining friends for dinner at a fancy steakhouse, but we said we would meet them for a drink beforehand (to be social). They ended up treating us as they had gift certificates they were using for the dinner. Double win.

[halftimer]

I have been thinking about buying a small upright freezer for many months since seeing one at a friends home and realizing it would be the right size for us to get certain items on sale that won't fit in our tiny apartment fridge freezer. After shopping around we decided on a 3 cubic foot model from Costco, but then someone happened to ask - how much will it add to our electricity bill? Can't be much, right? It's so small.

I looked it up - that model uses 240kWh. I haven't thought about energy use since switching to a fixed rate 2 years ago - so I went to compare to another model on my list (more expensive) which was Energy Star rated. That one was 270kWh/year.

Wait - was that first number per year also? It's strange that it's less... Nope! The one I was about to buy used that much energy - per DAY. Almost as much as an energy efficient one does in a year. Umm, can that even be right? I actually emailed the company to find out if there was a typo and went to find my energy cost info in the meantime.

The company got back to me to confirm the DAILY rate. Wow. Even with our very low $0.0689/kWh rate that would be $16.54 per day or $6,035/year. Um no. The other mini freezer costs $100 more and will save us $500.45 per month in energy costs (!)

Is my math wrong? This seems crazy on so many levels. Glad I checked the numbers before hitting purchase. The usage info was not easy to find, and now I know why.

[okisok]

I got invited to lunch out with co-workers. I usually decline so I figured this was the one time I'd say yes.  I got the lunch special that was tasty and inexpensive. Not as inexpensive as the packed lunch I left in the breakroom fridge, but it will still be delicious tomorrow.

Put a work-reimbursed purchase on my rewards card to get free money in points. Remembered to turn in my mileage to get reimbursed for that, too.

[Loretta]

I deposited some checks n such.  I conserved funds today by having a beverage and a cookie at a work celebration.  I came directly home to eat a breakfast sandwich for my dinner. 

[Weisass]

I made sure to submit my business receipts to work, and got a hefty reimbursement today!

[Dollar Slice]

I remembered that I had a $5 off $10 offer that I needed to use up before it expired, so I got two meals' worth of takeout for $6.

Tomorrow I'm going to try to fit in a late night trip to the cheaper grocery store after a concert, because I'll already have paid for the transit to get to that neighborhood. The timing should work ok if I'm not too tired.

[okisok]

@Dollar Slice --I hope the geographic arbitrage works out for you.

I ate my packed lunch and resisted the siren call of the cafeteria. I had a work errand that was right down the street from the post office and got those packages mailed I posted about upthread.

By vaguely meal planning, I was able to skip grocery shopping this week. I'm trying to eat in the order in which things will go bad. The apples are sitting on the counter for later this week while I'm eating the cucumber slices and yogurt cups.

[Dollar Slice]

@Dollar Slice --I hope the geographic arbitrage works out for you.

Already had to bail on that plan - double-checked the hours of everything and the grocery store in question closes an hour earlier than it did pre-pandemic. Lots of stores here are still closing earlier than they used to - not sure if it's staffing shortages or if they just decided they're making more money by paying workers for less hours, or what. Oh well. I used to always stop there on my way home from stuff because it was open till 11 and right next to the subway.

[MaybeBabyMustache]

-Used a $20 grocery store reward to drop the cost a bit for a shop
-Noticed that the store had clearanced out ice cream bars, which had both an iBotta & Fetch offer. That dropped the price to under $.25 for boxes of six "fancy" ice cream bars. I have two teens at home, so they will be welcomed, particularly with club soccer & school tennis picking up again next week.
-Used a $4 CVS coupon code before it expired, picking up a small item to go with a birthday card.