What small things did you do TODAY to save money?

[Dicey]

AppliancePartsPros.com or GenuineApplianceParts.com

No affliation.  I’ve ordered multiple dishwasher, washer, and dryer parts from them.  I just enter the model number (on a sticker inside the door), and I get the right parts every time.  Dishwashers are the easiest - the wheel assemblies are pretty easy to see, understand, remove, and reinstall.  Diagnosing dryer and washer problems can be more involved.  Generally I order extra parts because the shipping cost is high, and even higher if you want it fast, so better to order extra and have it for later than have to order again and pay the same price to ship stuff twice.

It’s worth building a cart at both sites because sometimes their prices differ significantly. Order the one that’s less and don’t complete the other order.

This happened so fast, I almost forgot. After we finished being Wedding Fairies last weekend, on Tuesday, we shlepped two hours in the wrong direction to visit my 94-year-old aunt. As we were backing the RV out of her driveway, we noticed one of the headlights was out. I reached into the glove box and pulled out the spares. DH popped the hood, put in a new bulb, and off we went. So nice when you have the right spare part on hand!

I hear you that DW parts are easy to get, but dang, it's less than three weeks old, and the wheels melted onto the heating element and are pretty well stuck there.

Finally, our house came with a stupid expensive range. DH had to take it completely apart to fix it, not long after we moved in. It was five years old at the time. Eight years later, the motherboard seems to be dying, as the temperature readout is barely visible. DH is going to have to dismantle it again, IF he can get the part at a reasonable price. I do not want to buy a new 36" range, because it's going to cost a fuck-ton of money and be of questionable quality.

[crocheted_stache]

AppliancePartsPros.com or GenuineApplianceParts.com

No affliation.  I’ve ordered multiple dishwasher, washer, and dryer parts from them.  I just enter the model number (on a sticker inside the door), and I get the right parts every time.  Dishwashers are the easiest - the wheel assemblies are pretty easy to see, understand, remove, and reinstall.  Diagnosing dryer and washer problems can be more involved.  Generally I order extra parts because the shipping cost is high, and even higher if you want it fast, so better to order extra and have it for later than have to order again and pay the same price to ship stuff twice.

It’s worth building a cart at both sites because sometimes their prices differ significantly. Order the one that’s less and don’t complete the other order.

This happened so fast, I almost forgot. After we finished being Wedding Fairies last weekend, on Tuesday, we shlepped two hours in the wrong direction to visit my 94-year-old aunt. As we were backing the RV out of her driveway, we noticed one of the headlights was out. I reached into the glove box and pulled out the spares. DH popped the hood, put in a new bulb, and off we went. So nice when you have the right spare part on hand!

I hear you that DW parts are easy to get, but dang, it's less than three weeks old, and the wheels melted onto the heating element and are pretty well stuck there.

Finally, our house came with a stupid expensive range. DH had to take it completely apart to fix it, not long after we moved in. It was five years old at the time. Eight years later, the motherboard seems to be dying, as the temperature readout is barely visible. DH is going to have to dismantle it again, IF he can get the part at a reasonable price. I do not want to buy a new 36" range, because it's going to cost a fuck-ton of money and be of questionable quality.

A third source to try: repairclinic.com, also no affiliation. Also, find the list of who makes what. KitchenAid is Whirlpool and some parts are interchangeable between brands. You don't need the higher-end brand on your water filter, etc., anyway.

The control panel on our range has sputtered out more than once. Crumbs and drips get down in there and gum up the membrane switch. It's not a difficult part to replace, fortunately.

If I may suggest: anyone nodding along to this "appliances stink nowadays" digression, find out what if anything is underway in your area in terms of right-to-repair laws, and support them.

Some companies are actively designing out the ability to non-destructively open your devices (when's the last time you changed the battery on a smartphone?) and others are adding DRM so things need a manufacturer-authorized reset code or can't use an aftermarket replacement part. Many more are just making things poorly.

[La Bibliotecaria Feroz]

I let my husband stick down the cracked, loose concrete step with Quickrete rather than paying $4K(!) to have the steps demolished and rebuilt.

They are as janky as they ever were and then some and we will probably upgrade them Someday, but maybe as part of a larger, more cost-effective project. (Or we could have wooden ones built.) But in the meantime the $4K stays in the bank.

[Dicey]

I let my husband stick down the cracked, loose concrete step with Quickrete rather than paying $4K(!) to have the steps demolished and rebuilt.

They are as janky as they ever were and then some and we will probably upgrade them Someday, but maybe as part of a larger, more cost-effective project. (Or we could have wooden ones built.) But in the meantime the $4K stays in the bank.

There's  a house in my neighborhood that had a similar problem with their front steps.They built wooden steps right over them. Probably saved a ton of money. Just something to consider.

[BECABECA]

I cut my own hair this morning. I’m actually getting pretty decent at giving myself a fade in the mirror. I’ve definitely had worse cuts back when I was paying people for them, so new skill level unlocked!

[stoaX]

Congratulations - As the years go by and the number of DIY haircuts add up, so do the savings!

[La Bibliotecaria Feroz]

Lots of people on the internet say to just throw away leftover scrambled eggs, but these particular eggs also had sausage and jalapeno and I think onion in them. It was leftover breakfast burrito filling. Other people on the internet said that you could reheat leftover scrambled eggs by putting them in a Ziploc bag and putting that in boiling water, to heat them gently.

That was pretty satisfactory, but of course I used a reusable zip top bag!

[GuitarStv]

I've never had leftover scrambled eggs . . . but if I did, I know a dog who would be very happy that morning.

[crocheted_stache]

I cut my own hair this morning. I’m actually getting pretty decent at giving myself a fade in the mirror. I’ve definitely had worse cuts back when I was paying people for them, so new skill level unlocked!

DH had his first pro haircut yesterday in a long time, because we're away from home and I didn't have the chance before we left to do the tidying up I wanted. We'll chalk it up to supporting a small, local-to-here business and looking a little nicer for the photos at the wedding we'll be attending. I usually cut DH's hair, so I was exchanging notes with the barber, who fortunately was cool about me hanging around and nattering. The barber did a slightly better job of a different haircut than I do.

Our money savings for the past couple days has been to stay with FIL rather than in a hotel. Money savings isn't the goal, though; seeing FIL is. It's a bonus that we can stay at no cost and use a washing machine mid-trip to carry half as much luggage.

[geekette]

You know how Blue Rhino gas cylinder exchanges are everywhere (here in the US)?  $22-25, and they only give you about 3.5 gallons.

I went to a local car inspection place that advertises propane refills.  They charge $4/gallon.  Much cheaper, and I got my car inspected while I was there.

[Dollar Slice]

Haven't been feeling great the last couple of days and decided I was going to spend a little birthday money getting food delivered so I could have a few meals' worth of veggies and chicken without going to the store or cooking. It turned out I had a Grubhub gift card that I had forgotten about since I hadn't ordered delivery in months. So no money was spent this day and my birthday money lives on...

[Freedomin5]

Work had goodies today. Instead of scarfing down my portion of the goodies, I saved most of it for our car trip this afternoon. I also received a restaurant gift card from work, which will be used for occasional special dinners for the rest of the year.

[Dicey]

I'm hosting a potluck luncheon at my house today. I will happily accept anything that's left over. I have a large stack of free to me to-go containers at the ready, and my fingers are crossed for something fun that I wouldn't normally buy.

[sonofsven]

Went and helped a friend install a screen door closer and got a free pint of strawberries.

[PMG]

Took one of the cats to the vet for an annual check up and vaccines. Neither cat has had an allergic reaction to vaccines but both have been miserable for days afterward (feliway spray really seemed to help). I have had to call the vet with questions a couple times and one time run the cat back in for a quick check… so I always schedule appointments in the morning and never on Friday. That way if we need help it’s during regular hours and not emergency after hours. Does it save money every time? No, but it could. And it gives me a lot of peace of mind.

[Freedomin5]

Baked a tray of healthy granola bars for an upcoming hiking trip instead of buying expensive protein bars.

[MountainGal]

-Selling a name brand tote to a friend
-Going to possibly share my office space once a week-I meet with the person tomorrow
-Instead of going out for dinner, I'm going to make my DH one of his favorite meals for his birthday

[chasingthegoodlife]

Was going into the city today for an appointment, which usually involves treating myself to delicious food I can’t get in my small town.

However, the weather today is miserable and the travel schedules don’t suit so I have arranged to do the appt via zoom and will eat delicious food from the fridge instead and use the extra time to crack on with a few projects. Approx savings of $50 plus hassle and discomfort

[Dicey]

I didn't cruise by the thrift shop on my way home from today's walk. Instead, I then logged in to a very long Zoom meeting about something impacting my neighborhood. I worked a puzzle for the library book sale while watching and listening. I also got to see my husband speak at the meeting. Bonus: five neighbors carpooled to the meeting in one car.

Alas, the puzzle, which was free to me, was missing one piece, gah! I'll give it to the thrift shop with a note on the box. They'll still get a couple of bucks for it.

I'm going to a political event tonight. Free eats and booze (which I won't drink). I will most certainly donate to the person's campaign, so that'll cost me, but I consider it money very well spent.

[crocheted_stache]

Thawed the bread and milk that we left ourselves in the freezer from before our trip. Our summer garden is starting to produce zucchinis and peppers, too. There'll be a small shopping trip for fresh fruit and stuff soon, but it didn't need to happen immediately upon return and while still severely jet-lagged.

[crocheted_stache]

I just pulled everything out of my purse and washed it, post-trip. I tossed receipts and used tickets, stashed away the things I only take traveling (passport, bus card for DH's home town). It's now air-drying.

When it's thoroughly dry, I'll replace all the things I left behind when traveling (e.g. library cards for home), replace my everyday carry stuff, and restock anything that has run low, including cash and the tiny bottle of hand sanitizer I refill from the bigger bottle at home.

The real money savings happened 10+ years ago, when I chose this bag that I really liked, at a modest price. I was due for an upgrade, and it was also my affordable "splurge" for getting a new job and corresponding pay bump. It's washable and, as it turns out, really sturdy, although I did a minor strap repair a couple years back. I've been carrying it ever since.

[MaybeBabyMustache]

Met a friend today, and she suggested a hike or lunch. I will always choose the hike. No cost, and free exercise! It was a little warm today, but hiking friend meet ups are my favorite. I did the same on Monday am with another friend.

[MaybeBabyMustache]

A friend & I are going on a hiking trip to Moab. I have lots of flight credits, points, etc, but just a tiny amount on Delta. I'd planned to book the flight & paid out of pocket, but remembered that DH has done some business trips on Delta. He had just enough miles for a basic economy flight (same flight as my friend, to minimize logistics). I happened to have enough miles to upgrade one way to a slightly nicer seat, and then I paid $31 for the rest. So, flight for hiking trip went from around $400 to $31, thanks to thinking a bit creatively.

[Dicey]

A friend & I are going on a hiking trip to Moab. I have lots of flight credits, points, etc, but just a tiny amount on Delta. I'd planned to book the flight & paid out of pocket, but remembered that DH has done some business trips on Delta. He had just enough miles for a basic economy flight (same flight as my friend, to minimize logistics). I happened to have enough miles to upgrade one way to a slightly nicer seat, and then I paid $31 for the rest. So, flight for hiking trip went from around $400 to $31, thanks to thinking a bit creatively.

Moab!

[Dollar Slice]

A friend was visiting from out of town today and asked if I wanted to hang out. She suggested a museum and asked if I would like to see the big new exhibit at the Met. Done! I have a membership that gets us in free. Her ticket would have been $22 and I got yet another use out of my unlimited membership, which was a gift.

[La Bibliotecaria Feroz]

I ate a chicken quesadilla and a spinach salad for breakfast because the leftovers were piling up and I didn't want anything to go to waste.

[crocheted_stache]

DH baked bread yesterday. Besides that homemade bread is yummier and cheaper than store-bought, it cuts down on restaurant meals when we can easily make sandwiches. He also sized the batch for three loaves, which is about how much we usually eat before it starts to grow little green spots.

And while I was really hoping to run out of coughs before I ran out of cough drops, I finally just used the last one from an old bag we've had around. They were stale and kind of chewy, but they seem to work okay. We'll be choosing a smaller package if we restock.

[crocheted_stache]

Not today, but this surely counts.

Collected two dresses and one pair of new shoes from Buy Nothing neighbors, and appeared at the last two dressy events in $0 outfits. The shoes and one dress still had the tags on.

The shoes are a little casual, but they're comfortable enough, which is important to me, because I walked to one event venue and to the bus stop for the other. One of the events was outdoors on grass and gravel and the other was in an art gallery with a concrete floor. I'd much rather be a notch too casual and able to stand and walk comfortably.

[Michael in ABQ]

Went to an event today and they had a bunch of food leftover from a local BBQ restaurant and were trying to give it away. We took home 5 trays of food and 5 loaves of bread. Roughly 4-5 pounds of pulled pork, 4-5 pounds of roast turkey, about 15 pounds of baked beans, and about 7 pounds of potato salad. Probably $150-200 of food. We just had some for dinner and are going to start putting most of it in bags to freeze plus giving some to my sister-in-law as most of our kids didn't like the beans and I can't eat them.

[MaybeBabyMustache]

Had a few Buy Nothing winners over the past few days:
-Picked up a new package of corn hole bean bags. My sister & I bought our aunt a corn hole set for her 70th birthday, but it didn't come with bags. Now the gift is complete.
-Squirrels ravaged one of my raised garden beds. Two neighbors were giving away squash & pumpkins, so I picked those up & replanted my raised bed, and then added the same covers I used on the one the squirrels have yet to get to. Fingers crossed.

[GuitarStv]

I needed a portable cage for our dog when we go on vacation.  We wanted one big enough that she could stand up and turn around, with a lid, and small enough that it could be packed into our car along with our bags/suitcases.  I was able to find an eight panel lightweight wire pen with a door for free at the curb on our last garbage day - about the right weight but much too large and with no roof.  Since our dog jumps 4 ft vertically with no problems that wasn't going to work.

The eight panels are connected together via bent metal clips that go over two adjacent wires.  So I used some tin snips to cut off two of the panels and zip tied the remaining panels together to form a smaller 6 panel cage (about 2.5 x 5 ft)  then attached the two (now loose) panels as a roof using some small carabiners.  Should work perfectly for us, and is lighter and more portable than anything I could find commercially.

[Rosy]

Finding shorts that fit me is always a drama that eats up way too much gas and time for shopping. I've been needing to replace my summer shorts wardrobe for the past two years. Shorts are a necessity if you live in Florida so I was getting desperate.
A friend mentioned a nearby store going out of business, home and garden store - I was hoping for a good deal on a fountain and instead came home with seven pairs of shorts incl three designer brands, one pair of my favorite comfortable Clarks flip flops and two nice bathroom rugs.

For whatever reason they had racks of clothing and I ended up paying $2.50 to $5.99 for the shorts and $11. for the shoes - Score!
Came home and cleared my Amazon and Bealls shopping cart which would have cost me $200 plus.

Freebies
Friends of ours were forced to cut down their huge rubber tree by their Home Insurance Co. - I asked for a cutting and received two five-foot pieces.
So I'm sharing with the neighbor who is just finishing up her new Catio - something for the kitties to climb since rubber trees are pretty much indestructible. My cutting has enough side branches to share with another friend who'd like one for indoors.

Current Garden Harvest
1. Bananas - we both ate freshly harvested bananas for a week - I sliced up the rest and froze it all in baggies. The last batch I dried for chips and I think I liked the dried chips even better because they were still the slightest bit chewy as I was experimenting with the dehydrator.
2. Tomatoes - the one impulse buy plant turned out to be a beefsteak tomato - absolutely picture perfect. Juicy and tasty.
I finally succeeded with planting a native Everglades tomato (third time is a charm:) - a steady supply of cherry tomatoes along with one called pink wave.
If it survives the summer this will be a perennial cherry tomato producer - so far it already produced enough tomatoes to pay for itself and it requires no special care or fertilizer, does fine in the the sun and heat.
3. Peppers - eating them fresh off the vine or using them in cooking. Freezing some and this week will pickle a couple of jars to see how we like them pickled. The Mad Hatter peppers we prefer to just eat fresh.
4. Garlic chives - use them almost daily for anything because of their intense garlic flavor great for eggs to dip, from rice to seafood, even plain potato or pasta with butter and garlic chives.
5. Herbs for cooking - rosemary, basil, bay leaf, oregano, green onions... these are all perennial in our climate.

Summer Drinks from the garden
1. Arabian Jasmine tea - love (the flowers are great for jasmine rice)
2. Mints for tea - mostly Spearmint, Yerba Bueno - Mojito Mint:)
3. Lemon Verbena and a new to me Chinese Sweet Basil with an indescribable citrus flavor - best find ever.

Medicinal - Ayurverdic Holy Basil (Vanna) and Moringa tea (for arthritis and immune benefits)

BUT - The really big SCORE...
was during a recent Wayfair Sale - PVC large Garden Arbors for $140. each instead of $299. each
Outstanding Quality and surprisingly made in the US.
Money well spent if you love gardening and live in a place like Florida where wood and metal deteriorates in no time and practically rusts right out of the box.

ZERO MONEY project - creative garden decor - just for fun - in progress
Turning two blue and white porcelain elephant candle holders into functional garden lights. Love them because they were beautifully handpainted in Thailand - a gift from a good friend) - but IRL I have no space to display them and they are too small to have any oomph on their own. Instead of letting them gather dust any longer and since I didn't want to let go and donate them I decided to make them functional. 

I chose two large rectangular bricks, cleaned them up and painted them glossy white to match - when dry will stencil them with cobalt blue Asian motifs around the sides, then glue the elephants to their new sturdy pedestal (they already have one but I wanted to give them more presence and secure footing).
I plan to use them with fat Led candles - a set with a crystal cut prism effect - that I got for $1.50 on Temulast X-mas
To my delight, I discovered that our local dollar store carries the button batteries that I need so I can replace the batteries for 50 cents.

PIZZA NIGHT
Having Papa John's pizza tonight at 50% off since the Rays scored yesterday (our baseball team), just enter code online.
I love coupons for things we'd do, want or need anyway. 

[crocheted_stache]

Unclogged the toilet and didn't resort to calling a plumber. Mostly, this involved being more stubborn than the clog.

[Dicey]

Our RV is in a Sprinter chassis. In qnticipation of an upcoming trip, DH changed the oil, oil filter, and transmission fluid today (okay, it's after midnight, so yesterday now). He figures it would have cost at least $750 at the dealer. This model Sprinter's transmission does not have a dipstick, so a special part is required. The MBZ Dealer wanted $50. DH got it on eBay for $10. Our neighbor gave us the filter, because he had one for a vehicle he no longer owns.

[crocheted_stache]

Finished off a huge bag of stale cough drops from a previous time needing them. Got a smaller bag, which I'm planning to store in a truly airtight container, which the resealable bag they came in is not.

[Freedomin5]

Ate leftovers. Baked muffins for our flight tomorrow so we don’t have to buy food at the airport.

[MaybeBabyMustache]

We've been eating a lot from our garden. While not enough to replace grocery shopping, it has reduced the need for some produce & herbs, which can be very expensive. We've been eating: jalapenos, peppers, lettuce, garlic scapes, mint, Thai & regular basil, & cilantro. When the rest of the garden beds start producing (berries, tomatoes, squash, radishes, more lettuce, cucumbers, etc), we'll be able to replace more of our grocery purchases.

[crocheted_stache]

Prepared lunch yesterday using squash from our garden.

Brought fresh-squeezed lemon juice from our lemon tree to combine with the host's water and sugar for lemonade for the gathering we attended today.

Attended this gathering wearing my no-cost dress and shoes from neighbors in the Buy Nothing group, combined with a coordinating necklace I already owned. I went to a different event a couple weeks ago in this same outfit, but DH was the only other person to attend both with me, and he certainly doesn't mind that my outfit is a re-run.

In week 2 of an attempt at water-only hair care, which is helping with whatever was irritating me in shampoo. So far, though, I don't like the effects on my hair. I would happily pay for shampoo and go back to that way, if I could find one that wasn't irritating.

[Arbitrage]

Our older gas oven stopped working.  Figured out that the problem was most likely a busted igniter, and managed a DIY fix.  Worked like a charm!  $30 online and a couple of Youtube videos. 

We do want to replace this and go electric/induction in the future, but waiting for the full tax credits/rebates to kick in from the Inflation Reduction Act.  Taking them forever to actually institute those. 

[MaybeBabyMustache]

We're briefly home between a couple of trips, so avoiding grocery shopping. Getting into some creative meals, and definitely relying on the garden. Picked the first tomato! We had caprese salad last night to round out our dinner, and today's dinner will be my favorite alternative of that salad (out of tomatoes), which is: peach or nectarines, fresh mozzarella, basil. Chop those three, and season with olive oil, salt & pepper.

Once a week or so, I try to go through my credit card offers (eg % off at X location) & look for any deals for something I was already planning to buy. That's the ticket, of course, to make sure you're not tempted to buy something you weren't planning to spend on, just because there is an offer. I knew we needed to use Lyft for a to/from airport trip, and found a 5% off offer, for both trips.

[La Bibliotecaria Feroz]

My workplace no longer reimburses for parking at the big location downtown, which is one of the only places we can have a big meeting. So I had a little adventure and went down there on my ebike (with my Manhattan-grade Fuhgedaboutit lock). About 10 miles from house to meeting and back to work.

Now, I forgot where I parked my bike and spent like 15 minutes looking for it, and then it took 20 minutes to get back instead of 10. My work definitely lost more money of my time than they saved on my parking... but that's their problem!

[nessness]

Filed a claim for the Seresto flea collar settlement that was mentioned in this thread a couple months ago. I had proof of purchase for 17 collars. The settlement is for $13/collar, so I should get $221 for about 10 minutes of effort.

[Loretta]

Took a hot and headache nap as soon as I got home from work then felt much better.  Next I'll be eating some good leftovers for dinner.

[crocheted_stache]

DH used a partial portion of leftover taco filling to make quesadillas for lunch.

[Omy]

The rear wheels fell off of our several year old battery-powered lawn mower. While shopping for new battery-powered lawn mowers (in the $500 range), I found that we could spend $85 to buy 2 new wheels online.

After a bit more googling, I found a YouTube video with a link to the parts that were actually broken inside the wheel and ordered the parts. They arrived last night.

Watched one YouTube video and spent 10 minutes and $12 to fix the wheels!

[crocheted_stache]

Took my vacuum cleaner to a pro for service. The motor and suction parts are working fine, but there's something wrong with the self propulsion, so when I use it for floors, there's a belt slipping or something. I've fixed what I think are related problems before, but this time, I took it all apart and couldn't find the problem.

I'm about halfway between two vacuum cleaner repair shops, in opposite directions, fortunately neither very far. I ended up visiting both.

Store 1. Will do $200+ worth of service that isn't what I asked for and may not fix the problem, but it's their standard package and they cannot offer anything different/less/more specific. Really, for this old thing, you are better off getting a new vacuum. You'll like our Miele canister vacs for $1300. (Thanks, let me take down the model number and go home and research it.)

Store 2. Have you ever had it tuned up? Well, I've been doing that kind of stuff myself, belts and whatnot. Tune-up is $75. I asked to turn it on so I could explain what seems to be going wrong. He actually listened to me, and he assured me the tune-up will include inspecting and adjusting the stuff that's having the problem. I signed up for this one.
 
I've gotten my nickel's worth out of this machine. It came off a neighbor's curb during extra trash set-out, and I fixed the problem that landed it there. It's loud and heavy, but it's been doing its thing for 20 years now. I wouldn't mind something lighter, quieter, and more effective. But if I'm going to get the Miele, I'm going to look for a secondhand one, a floor model, or something else a fraction of the price, and warranty support be damned.

Vacuum is still in the shop, so there may be an update.

[MountainGal]

I unplugged about half dozen unused electrical items.

[Taran Wanderer]

Ran into a relative’s car in my own driveway….  wait, did that say “save money”?

[aloevera1]

Switched my mobile plan to be only talk, no data. That saves me about $200 per year...

[chasingthegoodlife]

Went through the fridge and freezer and turning odds and ends into useable meals.