What small things did you do TODAY to save money?

[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.

[MaybeBabyMustache]

The free avocados from our neighbor are amazing! Apparently, they are called bacon avocados. Who knew that was a variety?

I realized I never got the $10 credited me for an incorrect tolling charge (filled out the online form a month or so ago), so I called today & got the $10 back, after about 5 minutes on the phone.

[jnw]

Made a big batch of dry beans, portioned and froze. 1/3rd of the cost of canned beans this way.

[Dutch Comfort]

I needed new fluids for my contacts. A lady close by gave some unopened bottles of my favorite brand away on the BN group. They are still way before their date. Saved me at least 50 Euro!

[billygoatjohnson]

I no longer use shampoo, soap, or body wash when showering

Pros
-No staining the curtains, having to replace them.
-No cleaning the shower
-Less hot water/electricity
-Less water
-Better for skin
-Faster
-More money in my pocket
-Less to travel with
-Better for enviroment

Cons
-None

[Dicey]

What were you using that was "staining the curtains"?

[cool7hand]

Send an email to the library for some new books

[billygoatjohnson]

What were you using that was "staining the curtains"?

I believe it's the ph of the shampoo and soaps on my (inner) plastic curtain.

[Dreamer40]

I no longer use shampoo, soap, or body wash when showering

Pros
-No staining the curtains, having to replace them.
-No cleaning the shower
-Less hot water/electricity
-Less water
-Better for skin
-Faster
-More money in my pocket
-Less to travel with
-Better for enviroment

Cons
-None

You still need to clean your shower. Mold and bacteria will still flourish in the wet environment. Along with whatever you’re washing off your body (albeit less effectively now that you don’t use soap).

[billygoatjohnson]

I no longer use shampoo, soap, or body wash when showering

Pros
-No staining the curtains, having to replace them.
-No cleaning the shower
-Less hot water/electricity
-Less water
-Better for skin
-Faster
-More money in my pocket
-Less to travel with
-Better for enviroment

Cons
-None

You still need to clean your shower. Mold and bacteria will still flourish in the wet environment. Along with whatever you’re washing off your body (albeit less effectively now that you don’t use soap).

Na, it's not a humid environment (Minnesota). Never had mold problems before. The ONLY time I've had to clean it in the last 6 months is when I'm filthy dirty covered in dirt. It hangs up on the tub floor. The floor has tiny groves, probably for traction. I am blue collar too. Your skin stops producing all those excess oils once you stop using those cleaners on it daily, it's a constant cycle of trying to heal it self. Diet also helps.

[jnw]

I no longer use shampoo, soap, or body wash when showering

Pros
-No staining the curtains, having to replace them.
-No cleaning the shower
-Less hot water/electricity
-Less water
-Better for skin
-Faster
-More money in my pocket
-Less to travel with
-Better for enviroment

Cons
-None

We have had the same shower curtains for 14 years.  They are a tightly knit fabric made for use as shower curtain.  We don't use an inner liner.  The curtain absorbs water but no water really goes past the curtain, so it works well without any plastic inner liner.  We remove the curtain from the rod hooks every so often and throw in the washing machine.  Works well.  It still looks really nice and not stained.

[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.

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

It would be super noticeable if anyone ate my food, because we all go to lunch together in the same cafeteria!

Ooh, I love me some leftover event food. I'm the one who is always happy to take food home from a party, family gathering, etc. I saw a new co-worker dump a whole pan of food from an event in the trash one day and nearly cried. It literally would have fed someone for a week. I gently explained that I hate to waste food and to please let me know if there are leftovers, as I will find them a home. Sometimes it's in other department breakrooms (goodwill!), sometimes it's in my own belly.

Today I ate a packed lunch, picked up a medication that is FREE with my current health insurance, used a $10 coupon on an oil change, and came home to eat leftovers for dinner.

[rockeTree]

Inspired by y'all today's lunch is from a Tuesday work event where I was pretty sure no one was going to eat the giant pans of beans and rice (tacos and quesadillas were gone fast). Washed out my lunch container and scooped up a couple servings!

[Dreamer40]

I no longer use shampoo, soap, or body wash when showering

Pros
-No staining the curtains, having to replace them.
-No cleaning the shower
-Less hot water/electricity
-Less water
-Better for skin
-Faster
-More money in my pocket
-Less to travel with
-Better for enviroment

Cons
-None

You still need to clean your shower. Mold and bacteria will still flourish in the wet environment. Along with whatever you’re washing off your body (albeit less effectively now that you don’t use soap).

Na, it's not a humid environment (Minnesota). Never had mold problems before. The ONLY time I've had to clean it in the last 6 months is when I'm filthy dirty covered in dirt. It hangs up on the tub floor. The floor has tiny groves, probably for traction. I am blue collar too. Your skin stops producing all those excess oils once you stop using those cleaners on it daily, it's a constant cycle of trying to heal it self. Diet also helps.

Gotta admit that I’m incredibly grossed out! You must be the only person with a sterile butt! We’re all covered in bacteria, inside and out. Most of its fine. Some of it stinks. And all of it is all over your shower.

[sonofsven]

I take an epsom salt bath daily, and clean my tub weekly. It gets dirty quick. I'm a dirty carpenter, lol.
I haven't used shampoo in thirty years, except when traveling if I don't have my soap. I rinse my hair with water and occasionally use Dr Bronners soap, which is what I use on the rest of me (daily). I also keep my hair short, so that helps.
I buy gallon jugs of Dr Bronners ($68) and thin it down with water in smaller containers.

[Just Joe]

Mentioned to a friend/coworker that I needed to dig up my propane tank.

I've helped him for ages on his projects pro and personal.

He brought over a piece of heavy equipment and removed my buried propane tank that Suburban said they would charge me $800 to remove when we switched to gas. Done in an hour. Can't stop smiling.

[MaybeBabyMustache]

@Just Joe - that's an awesome win!

We had a really bad condo rental (same complex we've used many times, but different rental) on a recent ski trip. Bathroom door wouldn't shut, one shower didn't work, stove had to be fixed twice, etc. You name it, the unit had problems with it. I don't know the ins & outs, but several companies had to be involved in a refund, given it's a timeshare of sorts. It took multiple calls & emails, but I finally got a refund for one of the nights. Hurrah. Hopefully by bringing attention to the terrible state of this particular unit, they will either stop renting it, or repair it.

[billygoatjohnson]

I no longer use shampoo, soap, or body wash when showering

Pros
-No staining the curtains, having to replace them.
-No cleaning the shower
-Less hot water/electricity
-Less water
-Better for skin
-Faster
-More money in my pocket
-Less to travel with
-Better for enviroment

Cons
-None

You still need to clean your shower. Mold and bacteria will still flourish in the wet environment. Along with whatever you’re washing off your body (albeit less effectively now that you don’t use soap).

Na, it's not a humid environment (Minnesota). Never had mold problems before. The ONLY time I've had to clean it in the last 6 months is when I'm filthy dirty covered in dirt. It hangs up on the tub floor. The floor has tiny groves, probably for traction. I am blue collar too. Your skin stops producing all those excess oils once you stop using those cleaners on it daily, it's a constant cycle of trying to heal it self. Diet also helps.

Gotta admit that I’m incredibly grossed out! You must be the only person with a sterile butt! We’re all covered in bacteria, inside and out. Most of its fine. Some of it stinks. And all of it is all over your shower.

News flash. Most soap isn't anti bacterial. Soap does help remove it, but warm water and a little scrub does the same effect. My mom and sister are extremely critical of my hygiene. Both say my hair is soft and I don't smell.

I never get sick, delta covid did nothing to me, and on 0 prescription.

[RetireOrDieTrying]

I took a step away from paper napkins and towels today when a friend of mine offered some good quality cloth napkins from a nice restaurant for free.

[Dollar Slice]

Today I got a $15 payout from a class action thing I had totally forgotten I signed up for months ago. Pays for those impulse take-out dumplings I bought on Monday when I was feeling so hungry and tired after going to a couple of appointments. :-)

[Serendip]

Am heading in for a big work day and thought I had nothing to take for breakfast and lunch.. but scrounged around and made a smoothie from freezer fruit as well as a quick red lentil pate (with lemon/thyme and oregano) to eat on rye crackers. Even made a snack of ‘ants on a log’ with three forgotten small pieces of celery.

[jnw]

Successfully opened a Discover It Cashback account and will now be getting 10% cash back at sams club and walmart for the next year; previously I was getting 1.5%.  I also got $100 sign up bonus (statement credit) coming with a referral link from a friend.

[EchoStache]

Wow, those are some nice perks.  I have a Discover card but that sounds like its some sort of sign up only bonus.

[jnw]

Wow, those are some nice perks.  I have a Discover card but that sounds like its some sort of sign up only bonus.

Yeah it's 5% back in rotating categories.  And they double the cash back the first year only.  So yeah it's a sign up bonus.   Starting in Q2 (April 1) the next rotating category will be wholesale clubs.  In sams club I can buy a sams club gift card (or perhaps even walmart gift card) and use that card at either sams or walmart.  So this covers me for both Q2 and even Q3 (if I buy a big gift card at the end of Q2).  The Q3 catgegory will be paypal.  On paypal I can buy Walmart gift cards which can be used at either sams or walmart.  Then in Q4, the rotating categories will be walmart.com, amazon.com and target.com.  I can then buy more walmart gift cards for use in Q4 along with Q1 of 2024.  Also I can get 10% cash back on Amazon purchases for Q4 and even Q1 of 2024 if I buy an Amazon gift card.

So pretty happy about this.  I recently cancelled my Amazon Prime account and am missing the 5% back -- currently just 3% back from Chase Amazon Prime card (unless I can grab a free month of prime from Amazon, when they offer it.)

Additionally along with the $100 referral bonus I get 15 months 0% APR on purchases.  I'll be floating as much as I can, putting all the money I would of used paying off the balance each month into vanguard money market account currently earning 4.65%; then two weeks before the promotion ends, I'll pull the cash out and pay off the balance in its entirety  :)  Got a nice credit limit near $10,000 on this discover card.

[EchoStache]

@JenniferW, I have to say, you're doing a kick ass job optimizing things!  Pretty sure you've got me beat, but I'm still pretty happy with where I'm at.

I recently switched all my banking to Fidelity, and it's been quite a PITA to get all my automatic payments switched over.  Was cleaning up the last couple of items today, and noticed I'm being billed $10/month for Kindle Unlimited, so I cancelled that today.

Also, switching all bills that can be paid by CC to my 2% cash back Fidelity card.  I haven't added it all up yet, but I'll post an update once I get it all tallied.  I've never had ALL my eligible bills on my CC so this will be a new savings for me. :). I like that this money can(must?) be redeemed into an investment account, so straight into FXAIX!

Edit:  All of my bills that can be paid by CC come out to $4500/year so $90 in cash back. 

[Dreamer40]

I no longer use shampoo, soap, or body wash when showering

Pros
-No staining the curtains, having to replace them.
-No cleaning the shower
-Less hot water/electricity
-Less water
-Better for skin
-Faster
-More money in my pocket
-Less to travel with
-Better for enviroment

Cons
-None

You still need to clean your shower. Mold and bacteria will still flourish in the wet environment. Along with whatever you’re washing off your body (albeit less effectively now that you don’t use soap).

Na, it's not a humid environment (Minnesota). Never had mold problems before. The ONLY time I've had to clean it in the last 6 months is when I'm filthy dirty covered in dirt. It hangs up on the tub floor. The floor has tiny groves, probably for traction. I am blue collar too. Your skin stops producing all those excess oils once you stop using those cleaners on it daily, it's a constant cycle of trying to heal it self. Diet also helps.

Gotta admit that I’m incredibly grossed out! You must be the only person with a sterile butt! We’re all covered in bacteria, inside and out. Most of its fine. Some of it stinks. And all of it is all over your shower.

News flash. Most soap isn't anti bacterial. Soap does help remove it, but warm water and a little scrub does the same effect. My mom and sister are extremely critical of my hygiene. Both say my hair is soft and I don't smell.

I never get sick, delta covid did nothing to me, and on 0 prescription.

I didn’t criticize your personal hygiene or health, only the hygiene of your shower since you’re not washing that. I’m not trying to beat up on you. I’m glad you’ve got someone confirming that you don’t smell. I’ve known people who don’t clean their bathrooms and who didn’t realize how gross their showers were. Or how badly their towels smell, even when “fresh” from the laundry. Some people don’t recognize the smell of mildew.

[jnw]

@JenniferW, I have to say, you're doing a kick ass job optimizing things!  Pretty sure you've got me beat, but I'm still pretty happy with where I'm at.

I recently switched all my banking to Fidelity, and it's been quite a PITA to get all my automatic payments switched over.  Was cleaning up the last couple of items today, and noticed I'm being billed $10/month for Kindle Unlimited, so I cancelled that today.

Also, switching all bills that can be paid by CC to my 2% cash back Fidelity card.  I haven't added it all up yet, but I'll post an update once I get it all tallied.  I've never had ALL my eligible bills on my CC so this will be a new savings for me. :). I like that this money can(must?) be redeemed into an investment account, so straight into FXAIX!

Edit:  All of my bills that can be paid by CC come out to $4500/year so $90 in cash back.

Citi Custom Cash card is nice: 5% cash back at grocery stores -- year round.  e.g. Aldi and other discount grocers which aren't  walmart etc..  The majority of our grocery shopping is at Aldi and the discount grocer (about 2/3rds) and another 1/3rd between Walmart and Sams.  Now with this discover card I'll get 5% (10% first year) back on both of those as well. Soo all of my groceries will be at least 5% back.

I open new credit card about twice per year and keep getting 0% APR for 15 months on purchases.. and I like the idea of putting the money in money market instead as I mentioned above.. and floating the balances right up until just before the end of the promotion.     Also enjoy the $100-$500 sign up bonuses as well for each new card.  (I never travel and I just enjoy always getting cash back.  If I do travel it will be from saved cash back bonuses over time I guess. I just don't treat any extra money  / bonuses as windfall money for non-discretionary spending.  I mostly use it to invest.  I try not to buy anything discretionary if I can.. if I do I try and buy it below fair market value and sell it before I lose any money on it.)

Going to keep all the cards open indefinitely after I do the 15 month milking of them to eventually perhaps use for selling tradelines.  Working on getting some cards now that will work well with tradelines.. just started diving into tradelines recently.  The discover card is a good card for selling tradelines.  Discover, Barclay's, Elan, BofA, Capital One, Chase etc..  If I get a card and milk it and it turns out not to be useful for tradelines, I'll probably close it to increase my average credit age.

I don't yet have a nice 2% card like you have with Fidelity, but fortunately I can get 2% cash back on this Discover It cash back card for the first year -- 1% on other purchases but points are doubled first year.. so 2%.

Now the trick for me is to figure out how to maximize cash back paying electric & water/trash & natural gas bills .. currently usign checking account to pay those.. no bonuses.  Utilities are quite high for us at around $3800 per year tied with the house payment -- house payment is around $4000 per year not including principle portion of payment.   Both are second behind groceries -- groceries being about $4500 per year currently.   Health category after that (health insurance, medical care & equipment, vision, dental, etc..)

Hrm I just thought about this now, dunno if it will work, but maybe I can buy a walmart gift card at 5% cash back and then buy a money order with it to pay my monthly mortgage -- driving from walmart to the local bank to hand them the money order is just a couple miles away and sort of on the way home. Hrm.. At least it wouldn't be a payment made to myself.  I guess this is called manufactured spending?  But it doesn't seem all that unethical to me.. nor illegal.  I am not using the gift card to pay off the credit card debt.  The credit card company still charges their fee to Walmart to use my card and walmart gets a free loan from me on the remaining cash on the gift card along with continual encouragement for me to return and buy more stuff from them.

[EchoStache]

@JenniferW as far as 2% cash back cards, the ones I can think of off the top of my head are Fidelity on which I got a $200 spend bonus, which isn't much but better than nothing, and I plan to make this my primary "keep it simple" card so I would have gotten it regardless.

Wells Fargo card gives 2% and probably has a small sign up bonus, and Citi DoubleCash gives 2%(1% upfront, 1% when you pay).

Be sure to use Doctor of Credit website if you are looking for top sign up bonuses. 

We do have two Citi Custom Cash cards which would cover all of our grocery spend each month if I decided to move away from cash for groceries.

[jnw]

We picked up two packages of 4 sticks of salted butter at Aldi for only $2.49 a piece.  The previous week is was $3.98. I just checked Walmart and butter is $3.98 for 4 sticks as well (great value brand).

So that's a huge savings. I just now read that butter freezes very well.  So I am thinking about buying 20 of these and freeze in deep freeze.  It's a 37.5% discount.  (This would be about a year's worth of butter for us.)

Has anyone here froze butter?  Does it result in same flavor and properties?

[sonofsven]

We picked up two packages of 4 sticks of salted butter at Aldi for only $2.49 a piece.  The previous week is was $3.98. I just checked Walmart and butter is $3.98 for 4 sticks as well (great value brand).

I buy butter at Costco and freeze it. I vacuum pack each cardboard pack first, I think there's six sticks in each pack?
It seems fine when I thaw it.

So that's a huge savings. I just now read that butter freezes very well.  So I am thinking about buying 20 of these and freeze in deep freeze.  It's a 37.5% discount.  (This would be about a year's worth of butter for us.)

Has anyone here froze butter?  Does it result in same flavor and properties?

[Dollar Slice]

Has anyone here froze butter?  Does it result in same flavor and properties?

Yeah, it freezes great. I usually buy an extra pound or two when it's on sale and throw it in the freezer.

[Dreamer40]

I’ve been in a cooking rut lately so I picked up 4 cookbooks from the library to get some new easy ideas. They’re all one-pot or sheet-pan style cookbooks.

[jeninco]

Has anyone here froze butter?  Does it result in same flavor and properties?

Yeah, it freezes great. I usually buy an extra pound or two when it's on sale and throw it in the freezer.

It definitely freezes fine -- I always have 4-5 lb in my freezer, because I never know when the sudden urge to bake might hit.  (Also, I only go to the store with the inexpensive butter once every few weeks, so I try to stay stocked up.) Cheese, on the other hand, freezes fine if you're going to shred it, but it crumbles after being frozen, so best not to freeze it if you're hoping to slice it afterwards...

[Taran Wanderer]

Good cheddar or Parmesan cheese gets better with age, so there is no reason to freeze it. Just stick it in the back of the fridge, unopened to avoid mold, and enjoy sharp cheese in a few years.

[Loretta]

This weekend I used mostly free yarn to crochet an afghan that will be donated to a charity. 

Cheap Spring cleaning:  I broke out my free heavy duty vacuum cleaner and thoroughly cleaned my carpeted areas of Springtime shed cat hair, dust, pollen, crumbs and whatever else.  I left the windows open for some fresh air for an hour yesterday morning too.  I washed my bedding with discounted, couponed Persil detergent and vinegar.  So much cat hair came out in the lint trap I could make a small kitten from it.  Meow. 

[cool7hand]

Did some math to find cheap vitamin D with K2

[jnw]

24 hour cold brewing stevia sweetened black tea for under 50 cents per gallon.  It's amazing, tastes perfect with ZERO bitterness. Add a splash of bottled lemon juice (we buy GV) and it becomes an Arnold Palmer tea.

(I just throw 8 black tea bags -- 2 cents a piece GV brand from Walmart -- in 1/2 gallon mason jar, fill with filtered water and throw in the fridge.. in 12-24 hours it is done.)

[jnw]

Bought 3 ring binder tab divider set for $1.25 from Dollar Tree instead of Amazon which costs around $6.

[Loretta]

I ate a free breakfast burrito for breakfast at my desk as a thank you from 2 managers for a rough couple weeks. 

I attempted to medicate myself with drugs I already have on hand before buying new.  I think I’ve sneezed 3 dozen times today. 

[billygoatjohnson]

Received my property taxes. They went up big time. There was a special property tax refund I was eligible for (no income limit) if it goes up over 12% in one year. Will be getting over $300. I'll take anything free from the gov.

[midweststache]

Received my property taxes. They went up big time. There was a special property tax refund I was eligible for (no income limit) if it goes up over 12% in one year. Will be getting over $300. I'll take anything free from the gov.

If you can, considering appealing your property taxes. Ours doubled (without any substantive changes to our dwelling or an increase in lot size, so as you can imagine we were not pleased) and we're appealing through a lawyer.

We've already had a minor reduction approved, and he's re-appealing for a larger reduction.

[billygoatjohnson]

Received my property taxes. They went up big time. There was a special property tax refund I was eligible for (no income limit) if it goes up over 12% in one year. Will be getting over $300. I'll take anything free from the gov.

If you can, considering appealing your property taxes. Ours doubled (without any substantive changes to our dwelling or an increase in lot size, so as you can imagine we were not pleased) and we're appealing through a lawyer.

We've already had a minor reduction approved, and he's re-appealing for a larger reduction.

I'll look into it on Monday. It's a building site with many buildings, honestly it's probably accurate now but won't hurt to investigate.

On a side note, I didn't realize our small boondock county allowed to pay property taxes by credit card (for a extra small fee). I just unlocked my credit from the 3 bureaus and will apply for a credit card with $750 bonus towards travel (when spending 4k or more in 3 months). I've done this in the past (over 2 years ago chase), and milked ALL other smaller credit card bonuses dry. I don't normally spend much so this is a pleasant surprise.

[cool7hand]

Used an iron-on patch and a flip to fix a tear in our 24-year-old comforter

[billygoatjohnson]

Years ago bought a high quality down winter jacket (Mammut) that I got on sale for $200 (normally $300+). I like the Swedish fit because I'm tall and lean. Not boxy American fit. Anyways, that's not the savings part.

The zipper was shot, instead of buying a new jacket I found a local place to replace it for $40.

[Dollar Slice]

I'm known around my friend group as a sort of Concert/Ticket Whisperer, so people will often text me and ask if I know how to get tickets to a sold out show, or how to get discounted tickets to something, or the best way to get tickets to something, etc. So a friend had mentioned 6 weeks ago wanting to go to a fairly expensive show. I've been keeping an eye out and today I just scored a completely free pair of tickets for us to go together. Sweet! :-) Depending where we end up sitting, somewhere around $150-$165 value, I'm guessing. And I get to treat a friend who doesn't have a lot of money.