What small things did you do TODAY to save money?

[MaybeBabyMustache]

I belong to a gym that has a monthly charge, but also has class sign ups. If you sign up for a class & then cancel within 8 hours, you get charged. I didn't sleep at all last night, and thought a lot about laying in bed. I knew i realistically wasn't going to sleep longer, so forced myself out of bed just in time to hit the 7:20 class as planned. Saved myself the charge fee.

[okisok]

Ran errands during lunch today and planned to get a small ice cream as a fun treat. The two places on my route that sell ice cream both had very long lines so I skipped spending money and ate ice cream out of the freezer at home after work.

[midweststache]

Had a very small load of washing finish up (from cleaning up after a doggo). I was going to throw it in the dryer, but I saw that our drying rack was empty. As I don't plan on any other laundry until the weekend, I put the towels I had there to dry.

If it weren't for this forum, I would've thought NOTHING of running a drying load for three towels!

[jnw]

Switched to cheap powder dishwashing detergent from Finish pods.  6.4 cents per load vs 19.4 cents per load.  Over course of one year it amounts to a $48 savings.  Over 15 years at 6% annualized return, that amounts to $1100.

The dishes came out as clean without the annoying perfume smell the Finish gives the machine; I don't care for the smell anyways -- makes me wonder if I am eating perfume residue.

[Josiecat22222]

@JenniferW, if you are interested, you can MAKE your detergent for even less than this.  4 ingredients: Borax, Washing Soda, Salt and Citric acid.
I think I actually do a 2:2:1:1 ratio, but this is a good article to get you started.

https://www.thespruce.com/dishwasher-detergent-recipes-1387928

I actually make my own laundry detergent too.

I have sourced ingredients at groceries (Lidl carries Borax on a really good sale frequently), Amazon and big box retailers like Walmart and my cost is much lower than *any* premade AND I get to control the ingredients and keep it perfume free.

Hope this is helpful!!

[Loretta]

I think I successfully got my Fetch app to scan my email forereceipts after it didn’t work correctly for awhile,.

I came directly home to await a grocery delivery after which I will bake myself some cookie dough and pet cats. 

[hdatontodo]

I fixed a dead wall outlet by tracing the issue to a junction box wire nut connection. Works now.



Sent from my SM-G991U1 using Tapatalk

[MaybeBabyMustache]

I'm new to CVS, but there is one in the parking lot where I pick up one of my teens from school. They keep sending me bonus money. Yesterday, I picked up two family sized bags of popcorn, and two boxes of tea for under $2. I then earned another $2 in rewards.

[nessness]

Cut my own hair. I spent $10 on a new pair of hair cutting scissors, but they've already more than paid for themselves from a single haircut, and will hopefully last through many more haircuts.

[jnw]

After frying a couple beef hamburgers in stainless steel frying pan, I was left with quite a bit of fond.  I drained the fat off then deglazed the pan with some water, releasing all the flavorful fond.  I worked every bit of the fond off then strained the juice into a mason jar, for use later in a soup.

It's so flavorful and beefy.  I previously used a full heaping tbsp of Better than Bouillion Beef Base for our soup meal (usually a quick Pho without noodles).  Now I cut that in half and supplement with fond juice.  It tastes even better and reduces the cost of the beef base by quite a bit.  These jars cost $4.65 a piece -- with sales tax on food here in Oklahoma -- and last about a month.  So that yearly expense is normally 12 x $4.65 = $56 per year.  But if I am now cutting that in HALF I am saving $28 per year.  $28 saved per year for a better tasting soup base.  Not bad :)   I'll put that $28 per year in VTI instead :)

[Josiecat22222]

@JenniferW, as you seem to be very interested in dropping costs, there is dry powder bouillion for both beef and chicken available. Knorr brand is sold at Walmart.  It is shelf stable for many years. Certainly using your own drippings is definitely a great way to reduce waste, but wanted to let you know of this option.

[jnw]

@JenniferW, as you seem to be very interested in dropping costs, there is dry powder bouillion for both beef and chicken available. Knorr brand is sold at Walmart.  It is shelf stable for many years. Certainly using your own drippings is definitely a great way to reduce waste, but wanted to let you know of this option.

Yeah, I saw that a couple weeks ago and have been considering buying it to try it out. Thank you for telling me about it. I will buy some.

[jnw]

Switched from liquid stevia to powder stevia extract.  Saving $268 per year with the switch.

More about it here:
https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/share-your-badassity/frugal-tip-black-tea-vs-coffee/msg3121896/#msg3121896

[Dee_the_third]

For any folks still working on their taxes- FreeTaxUSA covers all federal forms and state returns are $15. And I like their interface more than “Supercharged”Tax. Saved myself a good chunk by switching tax software this year.

[Josiecat22222]

UGH.  Did my "supercharged" taxes yesterday....wish I'd known.  They advertise free federal filing and one free state.  Then they charged me an additional 25 dollars to efile my state.  BOOOOOOO!!!!!

[jnw]

Roommate got qualified for ACP (affordable connectivity program).  Cancelled my Internet service today.  His will be setup tomorrow.  We are on tribal lands and so he's getting 500 mpbs fiber service for free.   Saving us $55.31 per month (which we split).

Note: if you have anyone that lives with you and not part of the household (i.e. filing taxes separately, not claimed as dependent, etc.) and they make less than $29k or so, they can get at least $30 off Internet per month -- $75 off in Tribal Lands.

I didn't know the exact definition of household (ignorance on my part) and we should have taken advantage of this a year ago.. So down $660 unnecessarily.

EDIT: he's also getting a $150 sign up bonus from the internet provider.  (Rewards VISA card.)

[MaybeBabyMustache]

Filled out (optional) tax returns for my 17 y.o. He worked over the summer, so if you're willing to file the paperwork, you can get your tax withholding back. He got a whopping $25 from the state, and $75 from the IRS. Put it in his college account.

Picked up free avocados from a neighbor who has a large tree.

[Catbert]

Filled out (optional) tax returns for my 17 y.o. He worked over the summer, so if you're willing to file the paperwork, you can get your tax withholding back. He got a whopping $25 from the state, and $75 from the IRS. Put it in his college account.

He's also now eligible to contribute to a Roth if he (or you) are so inclined.

[Just Joe]

DW, Offspring #2, and I are demolishing our kitchen for remodel rather than paying someone. Tearing up the tile floor and cement board has been a challenge b/c SO MANY NAILS. Seriously - someone must have been paid by the nail once upon a time. ;)

There are nifty tools for this task specifically but they are $125+. Air tools and special floor scrappers.

We finally hit upon using a shovel we already owned in addition to a small pry bar we already owned and other little tools we already owned to get the floor up efficiently.

Not fun work though. Another big push tonight and we might have the kitchen floor cleared. Utility room after that.

The old cabinets - which are in good shape - will be repurposed for basement storage and utility room storage.

[Extramedium]

DW, Offspring #2, and I are demolishing our kitchen for remodel rather than paying someone. Tearing up the tile floor and cement board has been a challenge b/c SO MANY NAILS. Seriously - someone must have been paid by the nail once upon a time. ;)

There are nifty tools for this task specifically but they are $125+. Air tools and special floor scrappers.

We finally hit upon using a shovel we already owned in addition to a small pry bar we already owned and other little tools we already owned to get the floor up efficiently.

Not fun work though. Another big push tonight and we might have the kitchen floor cleared. Utility room after that.

The old cabinets - which are in good shape - will be repurposed for basement storage and utility room storage.

I'm generally the opposite of handy, but demolishing? that I can do.

[MaybeBabyMustache]

Picked up avocados from a neighbor, who has a tree & was giving away extra.

[Freedomin5]

Grocery store was offering a "Spend 119 RMB, get 50 RMB off" coupon on select items. Spending 119 RMB also qualified my order for a 50% off coupon on another frequently used item. So I stacked coupons and ended up paying 84 RMB on a 154 RMB order.

Placing an order gave me a "spend 99 RMB get 30 RMB off" coupon, which then gave me a free item. So I used that coupon as well to purchase a few additional items and paid 75 RMB on a 123 RMB order.

[Serendip]

Was fantasizing about parmesan truffle fries (two opportunities to go get them) -- managed to get myself home and find a recipe for spicy noodles & green beans since I need to eat both of these up..

[EchoStache]

1) Although we do try to conserve electricity, we use a lot due to a 2 EV household and a 60 mile round trip daily commute.  So I've been shopping electric rates.  Recently lowered our rate from 14.6 cents to 11.8.  Then found a 10.2 rate!

Today I found a 7.5 cent rate and switched again.  The 10.2 rate saved me $53 on this months bill.

The 7.5 rate will save me another $34, almost $90/month vs my regular utilities rate.  It's a 4 month fixed rate so $360 savings and should carry me until my solar gets installed.

Couple of mouse clicks, maybe 5 minutes time. :)

2) We drastically overpaid real estate taxes on our new construction home both at closing, and monthly since last June when we bought the house.  Initial tax estimate used purchase price for tax assessment since no assessment is done prior to purchase.  Now that the tax assessment has been done, I wised up and cancelled escrow.  Got an escrow refund that is probably $4,000+ more than our yearly taxes.  Will all go into MMF @ 4.35% until taxes are paid.  Mortgage payment is much lower and I will direct the lower, correct amount of taxes into a MMF monthly to pay the property tax.

Haven't calculated the exact savings on #2 but combined savings of above is probably >$500.

[Dicey]

You're killing it, @UltraStache!

[jnw]

Congrats Ultrastache!

Here's how a brown sharpie pen has saved us quite a bit of money recently:

We have needed a new dining set for a while.  And I know I've always wanted to go with a dark mahogany shaker style square table -- medium sized to small.  Have been wanting to set it up the dining room like a bistro or small fancy restaurant -- since we don't go out for meals often. 

So I picked up a 34" square dark mahogany shaker style table for $25 off facebook marketplace.  The legs were too long so we cut 6" or so off the bottom to make it a standard height table -- turned out great.  The table top also had several tiny dings in it to where the blonde wood was showing through, along with a few scratches.  I filled all those dings and scratches in with brown sharpie pen, rubbed off excess, and now you can't see the dings at all :) Good as new :)  Photo below.

We'll be getting some commercial grade dark mahogany wooden chairs for the table as soon as we find the right deal on facebook marketplace. These chairs normally sell for $150-200 a piece new, but we often see them used for $25. They will most likely also have some dings on them, but nothing a dark brown sharpie pen can't fix!   (It's amazing how much stronger commercial chairs are -- we will never go back to residential grade; these chairs should last us the rest of our lives.)



My mom gave me the lamp a few years ago and I haven't ever really used it, but it turns out it's quite nice on the table.  We might change the accent wall's color from burnt orange to a different color later.. but for  now we are liking it.  For some reason the orange looks much more vibrant in the photo than it does in person. It's more flat and burnt looking in person.

[catbend]

two things: 1) Husband and I took a gamble on a 50lb box of powdered detergent (at 6 cents per oz vs 13 cents per oz). We bought this from amazon. It was delivered last week and we did one load of laundry and it seems fine. More testing is definitely needed.  Still I'm saving in a lot of ways (1)greener: no plastic jugs, no shipping of the liquid, (2) one less heavy/bulky thing to buy at the grocery store, (3) we're set for life (okay maybe a year or two) and I don't have to think about whether or not we need detergent every few weeks.  240 loads in a box (we might get more).  Okay I just did the actual math on this and I get 19 cents a load for Tough Guy 50 lb box and 20 cents a load for a jug of tide.  Hmm... needs more investigation. 

https://www.zoro.com/tough-guy-tough-guy-50-lb-box-citrus-powder-laundry-detergent-2cxx5/i/G0662103/#specifications

Okay second thing we switched from buying 10.5 oz bags of Pete's coffee from Safeway (i know I know).
To buying Amazon Fresh whole bean Columbia coffee 32 oz bag.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071WWCVJV?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

I do think this coffee swap will save us $300/year or so. 

Coffee taste tests seem to be no different from Pete's.  We grind our beans daily so this is whole bean prices.

I'm sure there are cheaper options out there. Still, I'm pleased with our efforts to play with easy swaps to save money, brain space, and shopping time.

[catbend]

@JenniferW, if you are interested, you can MAKE your detergent for even less than this.  4 ingredients: Borax, Washing Soda, Salt and Citric acid.
I think I actually do a 2:2:1:1 ratio, but this is a good article to get you started.

https://www.thespruce.com/dishwasher-detergent-recipes-1387928

I actually make my own laundry detergent too.

I have sourced ingredients at groceries (Lidl carries Borax on a really good sale frequently), Amazon and big box retailers like Walmart and my cost is much lower than *any* premade AND I get to control the ingredients and keep it perfume free.

Hope this is helpful!!

I just took a look at this site and there is a tutorial for making your own laundry detergent as well.
https://www.thespruce.com/how-to-make-your-own-laundry-detergent-1387952

Hmm... Now I need to work through the 50 lbs of premade powder I just bought! haha.

[jnw]

I'm only paying 6.3 cents per oz of the Great Value dishwasher powder now. It works as well as Cascade powder.  It's a 75oz box for like $4.76.  I use 33 grams of the powder per load -- roughly about 2 slightly rounded soup spoons.  I put 25% of the powder outside for the prewash.

I don't know if making my own would be much cheaper than this, or if it would work as well.  There are a lot of ingredients in the formula -- perhaps many things which wouldn't be in homemade powder?

Costing me about 7.4 cents per load for the GV powder vs. 19.4 cents per load for the Finish tabs.

[catbend]

I'm only paying 6.3 cents per oz of the Great Value dishwasher powder now. It works as well as Cascade powder.  It's a 75oz box for like $4.76.  I use 33 grams of the powder per load -- roughly about 2 slightly rounded soup spoons.  I put 25% of the powder outside for the prewash.

I don't know if making my own would be much cheaper than this, or if it would work as well.  There are a lot of ingredients in the formula -- perhaps many things which wouldn't be in homemade powder?

Costing me about 7.4 cents per load for the GV powder vs. 19.4 cents per load for the Finish tabs.

Thanks this is good info! I feel like my next effort is just using less powder/soap.  I suspect clothes / dishes will be just as clean.

[Nangirl17]

I'm only paying 6.3 cents per oz of the Great Value dishwasher powder now. It works as well as Cascade powder.  It's a 75oz box for like $4.76.  I use 33 grams of the powder per load -- roughly about 2 slightly rounded soup spoons.  I put 25% of the powder outside for the prewash.

I don't know if making my own would be much cheaper than this, or if it would work as well.  There are a lot of ingredients in the formula -- perhaps many things which wouldn't be in homemade powder?

Costing me about 7.4 cents per load for the GV powder vs. 19.4 cents per load for the Finish tabs.

Thanks this is good info! I feel like my next effort is just using less powder/soap.  I suspect clothes / dishes will be just as clean.

I used to make my own laundry detergent. It worked well, at first and I was so proud of my hack! Then gradually it was working less and less well, and some internet research told me why - it isn't actually detergent! I switched back, and am glad to have clean clothes again...

https://abetterwaytothrive.com/trouble-homemade-laundry-detergent/

[Josiecat22222]

@Nangirl17 , Thank you for sharing the link.  I have been using my homemade detergent for years and have never noted any of the issues listed by the author.  My clothes and towels smell clean and fresh and I have a high school athlete that definitely doesn't smell clean or fresh when I put his practice clothes in the wash!!  Perhaps there are different experiences and different water, but I love my homemade detergent/soap.  In addition, that article reads like an advertisement for Grove products.

[rockeTree]

Yeah I have been using home-made powder for... close to a decade? And my microfiber is fine and my clothes smell fine (my son tends to leave his in the washer too long after they are done, so sometimes his stink, but that's about it).

Laundry stripping is a weird fad and good way to destroy your clothes, but you can certainly get dirty water out of your stuff if you do it, whatever you use in your washing machine.

[okisok]

Realized this weekend would be too busy to meal prep, so I bought 5 frozen meals for work lunches. I popped them into the freezer in the break room fridge and don't have to worry about lunch. It costs a bit more per meal than home cooked but less per meal than the cafeteria.

[jnw]

Realized this weekend would be too busy to meal prep, so I bought 5 frozen meals for work lunches. I popped them into the freezer in the break room fridge and don't have to worry about lunch. It costs a bit more per meal than home cooked but less per meal than the cafeteria.

Hopefully you don't have one of those employees who go through people's lunch bags etc., in the fridge -- lol.

[jnw]

Got a very nice free recliner from Buy Nothing today.  It's in like brand new condition, a Lazy Boy.  Dark brown to match my furniture in the house as well :) Totally unexpected.  Good timing because my current one has had it.   One in this condition would normally run me about $85, but got for free from a kind neighbor.  (I give a lot of stuff away for free on Buy Nothing as well instead of taking it to Goodwill.)

[MaybeBabyMustache]

Picked up free avocados from a neighbor. She's giving away 100s. I've never seen bigger avocado trees, & I'm very envious!

[Dicey]

Picked up free avocados from a neighbor. She's giving away 100s. I've never seen bigger avocado trees, & I'm very envious!

I'm envious of your free avocados!

[jnw]

Picked up free avocados from a neighbor. She's giving away 100s. I've never seen bigger avocado trees, & I'm very envious!

Nice score :) Love avocados.  Wish I had an avocado tree :)

[Poundwise]

Took home a big raw veggie platter from a party, only a third eaten, that was going to be thrown away.  Half of it went into a stir fry, and half was mixed with some marinated meat and thrown onto the grill.  Saved me money and time, and got my family to eat more vegetables!

[jnw]

Took home a big raw veggie platter from a party, only a third eaten, that was going to be thrown away.  Half of it went into a stir fry, and half was mixed with some marinated meat and thrown onto the grill.  Saved me money and time, and got my family to eat more vegetables!

Hah! Perfect :)

[Gerard]

Saw the big container of injera that my sweetie brought home from a work thing, put on my big boy pants, and finally learned a couple of Ethiopian recipes. They were a big hit!

[MaybeBabyMustache]

Used a $15 grocery store reward to pick up treats for my son's school team tennis match today. It's his 16th birthday, homemade treats aren't allowed. Normally, we buy healthier & less expensive snacks, when it's not a birthday. You only turn 16 once!

[Extramedium]

Took home a big raw veggie platter from a party, only a third eaten, that was going to be thrown away.  Half of it went into a stir fry, and half was mixed with some marinated meat and thrown onto the grill.  Saved me money and time, and got my family to eat more vegetables!

Hah! Perfect :)

I've done this a bunch of times at my work.  Definitely not too proud to take home unwanted free food!

[Loretta]

Donated 2 bags of Stuff to the thrift store and used a $5 off 30 coupon to buy 2 spring sweaters, 3 dresses and a pair of tights.  Man thrift shop prices have gone up!  Now I’m home and working on fcraft projects (with free yarn) that will be donated to charity. 

[Poundwise]

Took home a big raw veggie platter from a party, only a third eaten, that was going to be thrown away.  Half of it went into a stir fry, and half was mixed with some marinated meat and thrown onto the grill.  Saved me money and time, and got my family to eat more vegetables!

Hah! Perfect :)

I've done this a bunch of times at my work.  Definitely not too proud to take home unwanted free food!

Yeah, there's that slo-mo dive ("NOOOOO-OOO!") as one halts the person about to dump the platter into the trash! It's a good reason to offer to help clean up after parties, too...

[Poundwise]

Saw the big container of injera that my sweetie brought home from a work thing, put on my big boy pants, and finally learned a couple of Ethiopian recipes. They were a big hit!

What luck to get free injera, sweet!!

[Gerard]

What luck to get free injera, sweet!!

It's funny how often the most cost-efficient meal depends on what luck drops in your lap!

[Dicey]

Needed to take an appetizer to a thing tonight. I invented something based on ingredients on hand and it turned out great. I made a double batch.so there are yummy leftovers, yay!

[ohsnap]

...

I used to make my own laundry detergent. It worked well, at first and I was so proud of my hack! Then gradually it was working less and less well, and some internet research told me why - it isn't actually detergent! I switched back, and am glad to have clean clothes again...

https://abetterwaytothrive.com/trouble-homemade-laundry-detergent/

I tried that once, also. It was some kind of homemade blend of grated soap flakes and borax and washing soda - I don't recall all the details. I gave up after one batch. Our clothes were literally dingy after just a few passes through the washer with that stuff. I really wanted it to work :(

What *has* worked for me is using slightly less commercial detergent than the box or bottle calls for. And I buy it on coupon at Costco.  It's a minor expense, overall, for our household (I buy it maybe 2x/year) and I'm happy to spend $3/month for clean clothes. I'm not even sure I could beat the Costco price if I tried to make the homemade stuff again.