What small things did you do TODAY to save money?

[rosarugosa]

I recently unsubscribed from HULU and Starz streaming services. I still have a couple others. But yesterday we watched San Andreas on TUBI. It is a FREE streaming service. San Andreas was from 2015 and starred Dwyane Johnson. We have never seen it and WOW was it action packed. If some of you are unfamiliar with TUBI, it is free, has some commercials and has a lot of really old movies but newer ones too. I noticed a lot of weird horror flicks from the 1950's and I am sure they are pretty terrible but they could be good for some laughs! We have found a few movies we liked on TUBI. They claim they have 8 minutes of commercials per hour which isn't too bad. I try to have something to read during commercials like a cookbook I can put down that requires little concentration. There are lots of movies on TUBI I have never seen, so lots of free entertainment!

Does anyone know of any other free streaming services?

I also got rid of my daily newspaper that cost me around $42 a month. Our delivery guy was okay but he takes time off and has a sub do the job and the sub is useless. We had a newspaper tube on our mailbox but the sub would throw it here, there and every where. Every day was hide and seek with the newspaper. Just a careless dolt. We tried to get the situation corrected but the newspaper people never fixed the problem with the carrier. I miss the paper but ching, ching in my pocket, not theirs.

Thanks for the TUBI recommendation!  We don't have cable or streaming services, and I don't actually do much watching; I am more of a reader.  Not surprisingly, there are tons of older movies I have never seen before, and TUBI appears to have a lot of movies I would like.  I watched "We Need to Talk About Kevin" last night and it was really good!

[Roadrunner53]

I recently unsubscribed from HULU and Starz streaming services. I still have a couple others. But yesterday we watched San Andreas on TUBI. It is a FREE streaming service. San Andreas was from 2015 and starred Dwyane Johnson. We have never seen it and WOW was it action packed. If some of you are unfamiliar with TUBI, it is free, has some commercials and has a lot of really old movies but newer ones too. I noticed a lot of weird horror flicks from the 1950's and I am sure they are pretty terrible but they could be good for some laughs! We have found a few movies we liked on TUBI. They claim they have 8 minutes of commercials per hour which isn't too bad. I try to have something to read during commercials like a cookbook I can put down that requires little concentration. There are lots of movies on TUBI I have never seen, so lots of free entertainment!

Does anyone know of any other free streaming services?

I also got rid of my daily newspaper that cost me around $42 a month. Our delivery guy was okay but he takes time off and has a sub do the job and the sub is useless. We had a newspaper tube on our mailbox but the sub would throw it here, there and every where. Every day was hide and seek with the newspaper. Just a careless dolt. We tried to get the situation corrected but the newspaper people never fixed the problem with the carrier. I miss the paper but ching, ching in my pocket, not theirs.

Thanks for the TUBI recommendation!  We don't have cable or streaming services, and I don't actually do much watching; I am more of a reader.  Not surprisingly, there are tons of older movies I have never seen before, and TUBI appears to have a lot of movies I would like.  I watched "We Need to Talk About Kevin" last night and it was really good!

GREAT!!

[La Bibliotecaria Feroz]

I recently unsubscribed from HULU and Starz streaming services. I still have a couple others. But yesterday we watched San Andreas on TUBI. It is a FREE streaming service. San Andreas was from 2015 and starred Dwyane Johnson. We have never seen it and WOW was it action packed. If some of you are unfamiliar with TUBI, it is free, has some commercials and has a lot of really old movies but newer ones too. I noticed a lot of weird horror flicks from the 1950's and I am sure they are pretty terrible but they could be good for some laughs! We have found a few movies we liked on TUBI. They claim they have 8 minutes of commercials per hour which isn't too bad. I try to have something to read during commercials like a cookbook I can put down that requires little concentration. There are lots of movies on TUBI I have never seen, so lots of free entertainment!

Does anyone know of any other free streaming services?

I also got rid of my daily newspaper that cost me around $42 a month. Our delivery guy was okay but he takes time off and has a sub do the job and the sub is useless. We had a newspaper tube on our mailbox but the sub would throw it here, there and every where. Every day was hide and seek with the newspaper. Just a careless dolt. We tried to get the situation corrected but the newspaper people never fixed the problem with the carrier. I miss the paper but ching, ching in my pocket, not theirs.

Thanks for the TUBI recommendation!  We don't have cable or streaming services, and I don't actually do much watching; I am more of a reader.  Not surprisingly, there are tons of older movies I have never seen before, and TUBI appears to have a lot of movies I would like.  I watched "We Need to Talk About Kevin" last night and it was really good!

Some library systems have Kanopy, which has a lot of older/indie/foreign movies as well. Worth asking if yours does!

[Gerard]

We invited people over for lunch today, forgetting that we were gonna spend all yesterday working hard and thus being tired this morning.

So instead of shopping for food for them, we worked something out with what we already had in the house (basically, Korean rice cakes and a bunch of side dish vegetables).

Turned out our guests really liked it and want to start making it for themselves!

[eyesonthehorizon]

Not exactly saving money, but I filled in a survey on my health insurer's web portal for reward points, which I then cashed in for a cash donation to habitat conservation.

[crocheted_stache]

For two commutes and a grocery run, DH and I biked a total of 27 miles and drove zero miles.

We fueled this mileage with homemade chili verde, homemade bread, and homegrown fruit, among other things.

[pasadenafr]

I signed up for my utility company's Rush Hours rewards program. They may send a rush hour alert, and my Nest will adjust my temperature down for a few hours. It's only happened once so far (we've had a fairly mild winter). I barely ever use the whole house heating system these days, as it's very inefficient (I use a space heater in my office, and infrared radiators in the bedroom and living room, that I only turn on an hour or two each day max), so it really doesn't impact me at all.

And so yesterday they sent me a $150 Amazon gift card just for enrolling.

[crocheted_stache]

I just knocked my phone plan down from $16/month to a new $6/month offering from the same provider (US Mobile, unlocked phone I already own, prepaid annually). I usually use my phone on Wi-Fi, anyway, so I don't get anywhere near the 1GB per month limit for their "light" plan. If I ever have occasion to need more than that, I can easily add data à la carte.

[PVD_Kev]

I walked the 0.6 miles to my eye doctor appointment instead of driving. This is significant because while I live in a walkable neighborhood in Providence, the doctor is on a automobile hellscape road in the city (one of the few). But I survived it, and even enjoyed it, and will do it again.

[Michael in ABQ]

I needed to print some photos at Walgreens for my kids to use on a board for a science fair. I just googled Walgreen's photos coupon and in about 10 seconds found a coupon for 50% off and saved $6.

[10dollarsatatime]

Found an awesome deal on *pork* loin at Costco. Bought three of them.  Braised in the oven and then canned them.  We now have 27 pints of super tender shredded pork for less than $1 per jar.

[Sandi_k]

Found an awesome deal on porn loin at Costco. Bought three of them.  Braised in the oven and then canned them.  We now have 27 pints of super tender shredded pork for less than $1 per jar.

LOL. Not sure I'd take that deal!

[crocheted_stache]

Finally canceled an extended warranty/tech support plan that almost made sense when I signed up for it an embarrassingly long time ago, except getting actual service out of it turned out to be more trouble than it's worth. I can repair most of what I need to myself, and I can pay out of pocket to replace or repair the what I can't fix. They didn't make the cancel button prominent on the website, but it was there when I hunted for it. No arguing with a phone rep was required.

[10dollarsatatime]

Found an awesome deal on porn loin at Costco. Bought three of them.  Braised in the oven and then canned them.  We now have 27 pints of super tender shredded pork for less than $1 per jar.

LOL. Not sure I'd take that deal!

Hah! Well, I guess I'm not sure if it's a good deal or not!

[Loretta]

I went to a cocktail party at my boss' very fancy home and ate very fancy finger foods.  I had zero desire to eat any dinner when I got home. 

[LaineyAZ]

Not so much "save" as made a few dollars, but I filled out the claim form for the Verizon court settlement.  Took about 30 seconds.
I was a long-time Verizon customer and even though I left them 6 years ago I apparently qualified for what may be up to $100 in settlement money. The notice came to me directly via email, but if your email has changed and you think you may qualify then Google Verizon settlement. 

[RWTL]

Logged into our ACA Blue Cross website and completed a few Better Health surveys.  Made $50 toward this next months bill - which will cover the majority of it. 

I also setup a reminder in my task manager (Todoist) to complete a Better Health task weekly until I hit the maximum incentive - $500.

Hoping to have the majority of each months bill covered by these tasks.  Didn't take me more than 15 minutes for the $50, so $200 per hour return isn't bad.

[Sugaree]

Did the annual song and dance to get my satellite radio at a price that I consider worth it. 

Buuuuut then purchased tickets to see Come From Away next month.  In my defense, this is one that I've been wanting to see for awhile, and it's coming to my local venue (i.e. less expensive than in Atlanta and no hotel room needed), and it's on my birthday. 

[Josiecat22222]

took our propane gas tanks to get filled at Uhaul today.  For years we exchanged them at the grocery store for 20-25 dollars a piece.  We then found out the local Uhaul will refill them for you while you wait and it is about 40% cheaper! 

[WayDownSouth]

took our propane gas tanks to get filled at Uhaul today.  For years we exchanged them at the grocery store for 20-25 dollars a piece.  We then found out the local Uhaul will refill them for you while you wait and it is about 40% cheaper!

That's an extremely good find! Thanks for sharing this I will send that info to everyone I know who uses propane.

[sonofsven]

took our propane gas tanks to get filled at Uhaul today.  For years we exchanged them at the grocery store for 20-25 dollars a piece.  We then found out the local Uhaul will refill them for you while you wait and it is about 40% cheaper!

That's an extremely good find! Thanks for sharing this I will send that info to everyone I know who uses propane.

You might check prices. My local U Haul is about the most expensive locally for refilling propane bottles. YMMV

[WayDownSouth]

took our propane gas tanks to get filled at Uhaul today.  For years we exchanged them at the grocery store for 20-25 dollars a piece.  We then found out the local Uhaul will refill them for you while you wait and it is about 40% cheaper!

That's an extremely good find! Thanks for sharing this I will send that info to everyone I know who uses propane.

You might check prices. My local U Haul is about the most expensive locally for refilling propane bottles. YMMV

Maybe they assumed was a camper rental client or something and gave a better price. I always remember Uhaul having insane gas prices that's why it surprised me.

[Josiecat22222]

took our propane gas tanks to get filled at Uhaul today.  For years we exchanged them at the grocery store for 20-25 dollars a piece.  We then found out the local Uhaul will refill them for you while you wait and it is about 40% cheaper!

That's an extremely good find! Thanks for sharing this I will send that info to everyone I know who uses propane.

You might check prices. My local U Haul is about the most expensive locally for refilling propane bottles. YMMV

Maybe they assumed was a camper rental client or something and gave a better price. I always remember Uhaul having insane gas prices that's why it surprised me.

It may be regional.  We first learned of the Uhaul for refilling propane when trying to refill a smaller propane tank for our sailboat.  Since they charge only for the actual gas used to fill tanks it has been cheaper to refill our "blue rhino" tanks there than switch them out at the grocery.  DH uses the grill almost daily as his preferred cooking method.  Seriously, the man grills in his flip flops in the snow.  Kook.

[crocheted_stache]

Signed up for a smaller trash bin, which should save about $9/month indefinitely. We don't even put our bin out every week. If ever we need to dispose of a little more stuff, we can buy an extra trash bag set-out.

[pasadenafr]

I (apparently) managed to get my internet bill down from $71 to $50 in a few minutes without having to call. I'm still skeptical since I haven't received the confirmation email yet, so we'll see what happens tomorrow.

My service "renews" at the end of December. I don't have a term contract. So my next bill was going from $62 to $71. I logged on Xfinity's website to check what was happening. Turns out my plan now costs that much. OK. Let's see what else you have. I selected the same plan but was also able to get the 1st year pricing, with a 1 year contract. Which is fine, since my lease renewed on 1/1.

Now to dig on their website to see what the data limit is.

(I could save another $5 a month is I signed up for autopay with my checking account instead of my CC. Still thinking about that one.)

Edit: just got the email, and the website is reflecting the change. So here's an unexpected $21 a month saved for one year in less than 10 minutes, when I thought I would have to reduce my bandwidth. AND I DIDN'T HAVE TO CALL THEM.

[LD_TAndK]

I (apparently) managed to get my internet bill down from $71 to $50 in a few minutes without having to call.
...

It's a PITA but I call anyways. And I'm a younger person that hates phone calls haha. Sometimes the person on the phone can do alot for you.

In our area Xfinity is the only provider (other than way more expensive satellite) but somehow when I call in they always give me a good deal despite my poor negotiating position.

[pasadenafr]

I (apparently) managed to get my internet bill down from $71 to $50 in a few minutes without having to call.
...

It's a PITA but I call anyways. And I'm a younger person that hates phone calls haha. Sometimes the person on the phone can do alot for you.

In our area Xfinity is the only provider (other than way more expensive satellite) but somehow when I call in they always give me a good deal despite my poor negotiating position.

I was going to. Actually I was checking the website to see the details of my new increased bill, my current plan and their current offering before calling them today. But the website let me "change" my plan to the same one but with the 1st year discount, and I figured that's good enough for me. Given previous year's experience when I called them, I'm pretty sure that's about the best they would have offered me anyway. Maybe a tad better with a 2-years contract but I'm not willing to do that. 1 year is fine since it's the same dates as my lease anyway. They know I don't have a choice but to stay with them either.

I'm also not the best customer since I'm using my own router, and I don't watch TV, so they have next to nothing to upsell me with.

I think I'm going to open a new sub-account at Ally and transfer the bill to it to take the $5 additional discount.

So that's $312 saved this year. I'm going to transfer that to my brokerage account as a gift to my future FIRE self.

[partgypsy]

Not intentional, but the gift I got myself for Xmas was a new phone with 64Gb,  bc old has 32gb but half is taking up by the os, and I take a lot of pics and videos. Got one almost new that should have worked for 140, but was not compatible after all (it should have been compatible, but seems to be locked). Returned it .The cheapest compatible phone that has an increase in Gb on my phone company's site is 200. I was going to buy it, but out of stock. Other phones are 300 and up. Decided to pay (currently .50 a month) to increase my Google drive storage and keep old phone.

[partgypsy]

Anyways, this reminds me I need to cancel my Amazon prime membership. There is a show my family wants to watch, so we will trip in summer when she is home, but at least save till then.

[Sugaree]

Checked on a hotel reservation that I have for two weeks from tomorrow.  It's now $35 cheaper than when I booked it a few months ago.  Because I booked the refundable option, I was able to change my reservation and get the cheaper price. 

[Serendip]

Anyways, this reminds me I need to cancel my Amazon prime membership. There is a show my family wants to watch, so we will trip in summer when she is home, but at least save till then.

Your post reminded me to cancel Prime. I had a week for .99 and it would've renewed tomorrow for 9.99--so thank you!

[Serendip]

Felt a bit blah and wanted to pick up pizza but I prepped a meal yesterday out of pantry items so convinced SO to eat that for dinner. ** bonus that he liked it and I had made it for myself (vegan creamy veggie pasta)

[snowracerh]

Made homemade Texas Hot Links

Sent from my SM-G986U using Tapatalk

[GuitarStv]

Made homemade Texas Hot Links

Sent from my SM-G986U using Tapatalk

Look great, what are they stuffed with?

[Josiecat22222]

Wow! Homemade sausage is impressive!!  I made burger buns today, but that's not much of an accomplishment next to those!

[Loretta]

I'm on the road and went to Dollar Tree for some snacks/provisions in advance of impending bad weather.   I'm going to try to time my departure when it's not blizzardy, but just in case I get stuck in place I'll have crackers and puddin'. 

[LaineyAZ]

A small purchase that turned out to NOT save money:  a gallon of bleach from the Dollar store.  Unbeknownst to me, it had a tiny leak on the bottom.  Walked into the laundry room to see a 2' x 2' square of bleach on the floor.
Luckily I was home to take care of it but my eyes and throat were irritated even cleaning up that small amount.

Not worth the "savings"!

[RetiredAt63]

Did the annual song and dance to get my satellite radio at a price that I consider worth it. 

Buuuuut then purchased tickets to see Come From Away next month.  In my defense, this is one that I've been wanting to see for awhile, and it's coming to my local venue (i.e. less expensive than in Atlanta and no hotel room needed), and it's on my birthday.

I saw Come From Away a few years ago and it is amazing.  Enjoy!

[crocheted_stache]

"Shopped" in my drawer and on Buy Nothing to replace a toiletries bag that vanished from work during pandemic work-from-home. I may still buy a couple things, but in the meantime, I have most of what I want without a trip to the store, and I'm using up excess stuff instead of buying more.

[alewpanda]

-- Stayed in a lot this week with all the blizzard-like snow.  Also been eating down the fridge as we plan to be out of town later this week/weekend.
-- Toddler beat of the knees of her pretty lavender jeans; the knee area suddenly turned very gray.  Rather than buy patches or dye, I watered down some acrylic paints and painted a spray of purple, pink and white hearts (her motif of choice) across the knees/legs.  You don't notice the grayed out knees anymore ...sustainable toddler couture right there....
-- reused a paper bag from a local store for a birthday gift.  I provided my toddler some birthday themed black and white coloring pages to paint, and then we chose her favorite to cut out and paste onto the bag over top of the store logo.  Her 4 year old friend won't mind!
-- Dog sat for friends of our last month so as to trade for our dog sitting this month!  Free dog sitting while we are out of town.
-- Was ready for replacement glasses after 4 years of use on the current two pairs.  Used Zenni (again) and didn't bother with a new appointment, just used the same prescription I used 4 years ago.  Even with my extra expenses (thinner lenses and extra work because my eyeballs are oddly spaced), I got several pairs (for variety) for less than $250.00.  Its no use even looking at vision insurance...glasses at the traditional stores are $400 AFTER insurance for me.....for one pair!
-- In that line of thought, NOT having vision or dental insurance is a small savings for me.  I would rather pay for maintenance out of pocket.

EDITED TO ADD:
-- Realized today that the head of our shark vacuum has a giant gash in the tube that connects the head to the....neck? It is 4ish years old and does a lot of twisting as its meant to be multi-directional.  The same vacuum new on ebay is over $100, and the gash was too big to try and tape it.  Instead we found just the head (new in box) for our vacuum on ebay for less than $50.  Hoping it will last for years yet to come.

[Taran Wanderer]

Zenni has been a welcome discovery for us, too. I have a couple pairs of Zenni glasses, and DD is on her 3rd or 4th pair.  So much better than paying optometrist prices!

[Just Joe]

Repaired our aging upright Hoover vacuum. Needed a belt. Turned out that it needed a belt b/c the beater bar bearings were worn out. Two small purchases, all repaired. Ready for several more years of service. $250 new or $35 worth of parts?

Went to the hardware store for the odds and ends I need to install our new dishwasher.

We used the appliances that came with our house for 4+ years until one by one, they have worn out. I DIY'd some repairs. Every appliance was having an issue big or small. Once the cooktop went out, it was time to make some long term choices. We wanted a range again. Old appliances had to be ~20 years old. So out with the old kitchen, in with the new. Bit by bit. Everything purchased on sale. All DIY install. Hung the last cabinet today. On to countertops, flooring, paint, and the last million details.

[pasadenafr]

I was one click away from subscribing to GitHub Pro this morning (I have managed without for years, but now I need to work on a project that requires some pro-only functionalities).

Had a second cup of coffee and boom, random streak of genius. I went to check if that was among the random perks my employer offers. And guess what, it is! OK, one year only, but hey, I still saved $48.

Thank you coffee.

[crocheted_stache]

Does saving other people money count? I lent my folding table to a neighbor on the local Buy Nothing group and pointed another one to the local public library for an item in their Library of Things.

For myself, three home-made meals, including garden-harvested items and some stuff that was around that needed to be used up. Also, more blankets, less furnace. Yesterday, I biked to a Buy Nothing neighbor's place and got cuttings to start a new-to-me houseplant.

[WayDownSouth]

Ate some delicious chili I made with all home grown or hunted foods.~ packed the spouses lunch so there is no excuse to hit the service station for a snack~ I really wanted to bake but decided against a trip to the store~ cut the dogs hair~ made my own floor cleaner~did a survey for $11 bucks

@sunshine  I could easily google this as I know there's a million recipes/ways to make it, but what are the content and ratios of your floor cleaner? Have you expirimented with other blends/ways before mastering the one you have or is it just preference?

(I'm trying to save money today by learning something new from someone who may have already done the research and found a method that's better than others, without using up costly time because I am very busy this week!)

Edit: BTW I don't know how I ended up quoting a post from nearly 5 years ago but if you're still here and still making up your own floor cleaner let me know! I thought I was on the most recent page of the thread and not the first.

Thanks :)

[Frugal Lizard]

This will be a small thing I do on Friday to save money: Friday night is going to be really cold overnight again. Really cold for our area at least. -17C. On the coldest night of the year I like to defrost our freezers. All the frozen food gets packed up into boxes and put out in the screen porch overnight. With the windows open, it stays frozen but it is critter proof. In the morning I wipe down the freezers and get reloaded but all sorted with like by like. I am hoping I can consolidate everything into one freezer and unplug the small chest freezer I got from my mom's house.

[tygertygertyger]

This will be a small thing I do on Friday to save money: Friday night is going to be really cold overnight again. Really cold for our area at least. -17C. On the coldest night of the year I like to defrost our freezers. All the frozen food gets packed up into boxes and put out in the screen porch overnight. With the windows open, it stays frozen but it is critter proof. In the morning I wipe down the freezers and get reloaded but all sorted with like by like. I am hoping I can consolidate everything into one freezer and unplug the small chest freezer I got from my mom's house.

What an awesome idea, FL! Also, that's another reason that I wish we had a screen porch.

[Moonwaves]

This will be a small thing I do on Friday to save money: Friday night is going to be really cold overnight again. Really cold for our area at least. -17C. On the coldest night of the year I like to defrost our freezers. All the frozen food gets packed up into boxes and put out in the screen porch overnight. With the windows open, it stays frozen but it is critter proof. In the morning I wipe down the freezers and get reloaded but all sorted with like by like. I am hoping I can consolidate everything into one freezer and unplug the small chest freezer I got from my mom's house.

What an awesome idea, FL! Also, that's another reason that I wish we had a screen porch.

Thanks for this. I have been wanting to defrost bit was certain I didn't feel up to cooking or eating everything and tonight will be the perfect time. We're hesding for -6°C I think.

[cool7hand]

Made our own braciole

[Michael in ABQ]

Stocked up on some deals at Costco. 2 Jars of Peanut Butter has been $9.99 for a while. They just raised the price to $10.99 but they had it on sale for $7.69 so I bought the maximum of 4 (same as last trip to Costco). So that should be enough to last us 6-12 months. Same thing with a box of almond flour crackers, bought the maximum of 6 that were discounted as my wife will eat them all eventually.