What small things did you do TODAY to save money?

[Freedomin5]

We are on vacation for the next few days. Today, I checked into the hotel and saw that the room had a mini fridge, so I bought enough groceries to take care of lunch and breakfast for the next few days.

[41_swish]

Rode my bike to the park and grocery store. I am really trying to live as car lite as possible. I am challenging to ride the bike for anything within a 3 mile radius.

[Freedomin5]

Decluttered a bit and sold a few things online.

[sonofsven]

Fixed my fraying Chromebook cord with heat shrink tubing.

[tygertygertyger]

We have utilities doing work in our area. We received a flyer on our door saying they needed to do a scope of our sewer line, as they were unable to see what they needed to from the main.

(Backstory: When we bought our house three years ago, we paid for a sewer scope that showed a couple of small root balls. We believed we had killed the tree that caused those -a weed tree volunteer too close to the house- but hadn't paid anyone to come in and do a rodding.)

I asked the utility company 1) were they making a recording of the video, and 2) could i get a copy?

The answer to both was yes. I was so pleased! The video showed no roots (huzzah!) AND they were able to identify a cleanout that we hadn't known existed. It was grown over with ivy.

Happy to save hundreds of dollars on plumbers and get good news!

[MaybeBabyMustache]

I had to make a long drive last weekend, so I went through my credit card offers & selected all of the gas station related one. I selected gas stations based on price & convenience along the route, but it was nice to see that one of my choices led to a credit card reward - a whopping $.84, but it's $.84 that I did nothing to earn, so I'll take it. I find the credit card offers to be super useful, as long as you aren't the kind of person to be tempted to use them, had you not already planned to spend money of course.

[41_swish]

Called and renegotiated my car insurance. I was due for my six month renewal and I called and got a couple quotes and was actually able to get them to beat those quotes. Definitely a pain, but it ended up saving about $50 a month

[Serendip]

I just cut my own hair.
Usually it costs $60-80 plus a tip but my favourite stylist recently moved and instead of finding someone else I watched a YouTube tutorial and snipped away. I actually really like it since I acted more boldly than I would ask someone else too..

Am also allowing my grey to grow in so it's all a bit wild now.

[Freedomin5]

I spent $412 on three pairs of prescription glasses and two pairs of prescription sunglasses. DH has really bad eyesight and works with computers, so his lenses are always expensive because they need to be extra-thin, anti-glare, blue light blocking, transitions lenses. We know a wholesaler here who always gives us a good deal, so we are stocking up on good quality glasses. These five pairs of glasses should last us three or four years. The same glasses in Canada would easily cost us double.

[Sandi_k]

I was bummed that DH threw away the Valpak, which always contains a coupon for the local car wash I use 4x per year.

He convinced me to have a salad out while running errands, and I picked up the local newspaper for entertainment - which contained a coupon for half off an entree at that restaurant. :-)

[partgypsy]

Not so much saving money but keeping the $ in house, paid my kids to redo some of the work to redo my brick patio (lots of digging) rather than pay someone outside, plus it was cheaper. Going t0 pay my sister to cut and color my hair when I visit. Win win because I like how she does it, less expensive, and she gets a little spending $.

[midweststache]

I just cut my own hair.
Usually it costs $60-80 plus a tip but my favourite stylist recently moved and instead of finding someone else I watched a YouTube tutorial and snipped away. I actually really like it since I acted more boldly than I would ask someone else too..

Am also allowing my grey to grow in so it's all a bit wild now.

I've been looking forward to greying for some time now. I'm starting to get quite salty at my hairline, and my mother commented on it recently. My response? "Have you met my kids? I EARNED that grey!"

Today, I split my grocery shop three ways to keep things cost effective (fruit & veg where it's cheapest, Aldi for some shelf-stable stuff, sales at our Kroger for everything else). We'll come in ~$115 for the week, which includes a $15 gift of coffee beans.

[Dicey]

I checked my receipt.

Two items that were shelf tagged $1.29 actually rang up for $9.99. I was only buying because it was a screaming deal, so I returned them on the spot.

[Sandi_k]

We bought some wine at BevMo last weekend. We opened a bottle of chardonnay, and it was AWFUL. BevMo allows returns with receipts within 7 days of purchase. Since we did the BOBO 5 cent sale, DH returned both bottles on Weds.

[crocheted_stache]

Instead of going out, we cooked a teriyaki stir-fry with a bunch of veggies that were not getting crisper in the crisper.  There's some for lunch another day.

[Catbert]

I checked my receipt.

Two items that were shelf tagged $1.29 actually rang up for $9.99. I was only buying because it was a screaming deal, so I returned them on the spot.

When my Sprouts has "manager specials " frequently the computer isn't updated.  I try to always take a picture of the shelf tag so I can prove to the checker what the price should be.  Saves them sending some back to check.

[Freedomin5]

Made a big pot of chili which will be my work lunch for the next few days.

[Loretta]

I’m making a new soup recipe.  It’s a Cajun Potato Andouille cream soup concoction and it’s using up a lot of bits and bobs from my kitchen.  It’s gonna be great too. 

[Arbitrage]

I was STARVING after spending a few hours at a local tulip festival with the missus, and it sounded so good to just stop by somewhere and grab a burger or similar.  Sucked it up, drove home, and heated up leftovers.  Better for me, and filled our bellies for ~$3 instead of $35.  Eating at restaurants has gotten SO expensive. 

[41_swish]

Oh my gosh. Going out to eat is ridiculous these days. A fast casual spot is like $16 and a sit-down meal is $30 easy. It is just not worth it anymore. I budget $150 a month for dining out and that's it. After that I am done.

[aloevera1]

I also did not eat out today. Was super tired and running errands. Work has also been crazy busy. Basically, I have no time for both shopping and cooking.

It was oh so tempting to go out or get a takeout. Yet, I was strong and ate my granola bar. And then I ate a delicious apple at home.

[ChpBstrd]

Oh my gosh. Going out to eat is ridiculous these days. A fast casual spot is like $16 and a sit-down meal is $30 easy. It is just not worth it anymore. I budget $150 a month for dining out and that's it. After that I am done.

Yesterday I enjoyed a meal-sized megaslice of pizza from an old bar near my work. Cost a whole $5, and it's the best pizza in a 150 mile radius. They made my individual slice to order.

Given, the place is a disgusting rat nest. There are dust stalagtites hanging from the 125 year old ceiling, and there's a faint wiff of ashtray. The floor creaks and buckles under your feet when someone walks on the other side of the room. But they sell a genuinely gourmet quality product at 20-years-ago prices.

There was no drive-thru, no giant sign, and the furniture looked like somewhere else threw it away 3 decades ago. Yet this little business has been cranking out the best pizza in town for several decades now. I was a bit concerned because there was only one person in line in front of me, and I hope against hope that this little place can stay in business. How TF do people line up at nasty places like McDonalds or Chick fil A when there are places like this in the world? Aesthetics?

Anyway, it seems most restaurant-goers are idiots, so search well off the beaten path for the little mom and pop dumps scratching out a living by delivering extraordinary value instead of selling ads, putting up skyscraper-height signs, or seizing prime real estate.

[Raenia]

I was at the grocery store early this morning, picking up a treat for the team at work. The bakery day-old mark downs hadn't been labelled yet, they were just piled in a cart with the roll of stickers sitting on top.  I and another lady went through the stickers until we found the ones that matched what we wanted. 50% off vs giving up and buying non-discount muffins.

[crocheted_stache]

Oh my gosh. Going out to eat is ridiculous these days. A fast casual spot is like $16 and a sit-down meal is $30 easy. It is just not worth it anymore. I budget $150 a month for dining out and that's it. After that I am done.

How TF do people line up at nasty places like McDonalds or Chick fil A when there are places like this in the world? Aesthetics?

Familiarity, I suspect. McDonald's in Ohio and McDonald's in California are going to be substantially the same meal.

Here, I look for an independent taquería or even a taco truck. The stationary version is most likely a small operation in an aging strip mall, with vibrant paint colors on walls in rough shape. It's guaranteed to be better than Chipotle. Really, why bother?

California requires restaurant chains above a certain size to put the calories on the menu, so a soft rule of mine is to avoid any restaurant large enough to have to do that. (It's a soft rule because sometimes a person I'm meeting chooses the place, and sometimes, Denny's is what's available when we finally get back from the airport at 11:30pm and it's breakfast time in the timezone we came from.)

Independent restaurants need affordable rents, too, and I try to remind people of that when the time comes to build new stuff in my city. Otherwise, looking for the ones that are a little run-down is a good way to find places that are putting their resources into good food instead of real estate and decor.

[41_swish]

McDonald's is pretty much the same from Florida to Oregon and everywhere in between. Probably because it is literal slop. I still eat it from time to time as a guilty pleasure, but it is so overpriced for what it is. Back when it was dirt cheap it was a different conversation.

[La Bibliotecaria Feroz]

Oh my gosh. Going out to eat is ridiculous these days. A fast casual spot is like $16 and a sit-down meal is $30 easy. It is just not worth it anymore. I budget $150 a month for dining out and that's it. After that I am done.

How TF do people line up at nasty places like McDonalds or Chick fil A when there are places like this in the world? Aesthetics?

Familiarity, I suspect. McDonald's in Ohio and McDonald's in California are going to be substantially the same meal.

Wow, judgy much?

I wind up at McDonald's and Chick Fil A because my kids think it's a treat and it has the accommodations one needs for being in the world with a small child. If my husband has book club, we'll get fast food for dinner. If I have a morning thing with a big kid and the baby, maybe we grab breakfast at McDonald's on the way.

I agree that it's shockingly expensive. $50 for the four of us (2 bigs one little and one grownup), and that's if I give the big kids a budget. One time they talked me into Olive Garden and it was $100.

[41_swish]

I will never ever act like I am above fast food. In fact, I like Chick Fil A. It is pricey, but from time to time it's a nice treat or a good meal in a pinch.

[Taran Wanderer]

McDonald’s is the same in Ohio and California and New York and Florida and Italy and France and Poland and Hawaii.  Except in Hawaii they offer pineapple.  It’s amazing quality control.

McDonald’s was use by one of me college professors as an example of types of quality.  “Quality” can mean absolute level of quality, for example where a Yugo is rather low quality and a Rolls Royce is high quality.  “Quality” can also mean level of consistency in delivery of the product.  I’ll leave it to you do decide whether McDonald’s fits better in one type of quality or the other.  Or both?

[41_swish]

Quality is just as much about how consistent a product is from Maine to Miami and everywhwere in betweeen.

[classicrando]

The last few posts in this conversation have been reminding me of a few articles and videos I'd read/watched years ago about the homogenization of America, and how it's basically becoming bland corporate sameness almost everywhere you go.  Same strip malls.  Same shops.  Same brands.  Everywhere.

[GuitarStv]

The last few posts in this conversation have been reminding me of a few articles and videos I'd read/watched years ago about the homogenization of America, and how it's basically becoming bland corporate sameness almost everywhere you go.  Same strip malls.  Same shops.  Same brands.  Everywhere.

Quality.


:P

[MaybeBabyMustache]

-Had DH charge our electric car for free on his last day of employment. I will miss that perk.
-Dug dinner out of the freezer last night. Underestimated how hungry people were, and had to add pizza (frozen leftovers) as well.
-Cut back a bunch of volunteer lettuce to use on our salad.

[41_swish]

I do find it a little eery how any strip mall in middle America looks like it could be from 30 different states. It is also sad that suburban sprawl has created a very isolated lifestyle for people.

[alewpanda]

Combined some leftover tomato sauce, paste and diced tomatoes into a pasta dish with clearance noodles.   

Transplanted some spreading chives into the front beds.  I'm making the front beds a combination of perennial flowers I am starting from seed and perennial edibles and herbs.  So far we have chives, lavender, green onions and mint scattered through the beds...and I have cone flowers started indoors.

Have been making lots and lots of salads out of the greenhouse.  Lettuce, radishes and snap peas are ready...and I add some diced fruit or cucumber from the store on top.  Add a protein and we are golden.

Considered a quick summer trip this June....opted to delay and save the vacation time and money till the fall.  Also canceled a weekend away at an air bnb. Being at home kid-less is basically a vacation anyway...why am I paying for a different bed to sleep in when I can enjoy mine without the interruptions of a preschooler!?

Mixed up my own frugal dishwashing detergent to try.

Lots of clearance bread and crackers at the store this week.  Packed some away in the cabinets and freezer to spread out over the next couple months.

[midweststache]

Drain clogged and wouldn't budge, so ran to get heavy-duty drain cleaner. It's been A. DAY. so I was going to grab a coffee as an afternoon pick me up.

Totally spaced. Forgot to buy coffee. Made one at home instead. Still out the $9 for drain cleaner, but $0 on to-go coffee.

[crocheted_stache]

Drain clogged and wouldn't budge, so ran to get heavy-duty drain cleaner. It's been A. DAY. so I was going to grab a coffee as an afternoon pick me up.

Totally spaced. Forgot to buy coffee. Made one at home instead. Still out the $9 for drain cleaner, but $0 on to-go coffee.

I applaud any successful attempt, but I strongly recommend mechanical over chemical means of unclogging stopped drains in the future. It's safer and usually more effective, plus lingering drain cleaner can be dangerous if you (or a pro) end up having to snake the drain or open the trap after all.

[La Bibliotecaria Feroz]

Drain clogged and wouldn't budge, so ran to get heavy-duty drain cleaner. It's been A. DAY. so I was going to grab a coffee as an afternoon pick me up.

Totally spaced. Forgot to buy coffee. Made one at home instead. Still out the $9 for drain cleaner, but $0 on to-go coffee.

I applaud any successful attempt, but I strongly recommend mechanical over chemical means of unclogging stopped drains in the future. It's safer and usually more effective, plus lingering drain cleaner can be dangerous if you (or a pro) end up having to snake the drain or open the trap after all.

I have a cobra hair snake that works that works pretty well. I have a pedestal sink that is strangely installed so that I can't get access to the trap. Someday I will rip it out and put in a tiny vanity but in the meantime the hair snake keeps the plumber away!

[ChpBstrd]

Drain clogged and wouldn't budge, so ran to get heavy-duty drain cleaner. It's been A. DAY. so I was going to grab a coffee as an afternoon pick me up.

Totally spaced. Forgot to buy coffee. Made one at home instead. Still out the $9 for drain cleaner, but $0 on to-go coffee.

I applaud any successful attempt, but I strongly recommend mechanical over chemical means of unclogging stopped drains in the future. It's safer and usually more effective, plus lingering drain cleaner can be dangerous if you (or a pro) end up having to snake the drain or open the trap after all.

Makes me think about how I keep a closet auger and a sink snake in my tool inventory. I'd never even consider calling a plumber for something like a clog. And I've never accounted for how much money these tools and the know-how have saved me over the decades. Hundreds? Thousands? Honestly I have no clue. It's a lot like my hair clippers in that way.

[sonofsven]

I returned a package of fish hooks for twenty dollars. I got home from the tackle shop and realized I bought the same pack a few months ago, to tie up prawn spinners for salmon fishing (that I still haven't tied up).

[MaybeBabyMustache]

This one is the definition of "small things", but I was helping DS18 clean out his room (and, hurrah for that, because he's a hoarder) & found a bunch of receipts. Uploaded them all to Fetch.

[JLee]

I switched ISPs to save $35/mo, then the loyalty department from the old ISP called me and offered a better rate (about half what I was previously paying) price locked for 36 months with five months free.

I switched back, lol - out $90 for one month of service from the other provider, and saved $2485 over 3 years otherwise.

[41_swish]

Bundled my phone and internet since I just moved and started using Comcast internet. I know everyone hates Comcast, but it is the only thing available at my apartment complex

[Catbert]

Bundled my phone and internet since I just moved and started using Comcast internet. I know everyone hates Comcast, but it is the only thing available at my apartment complex

Everyone hates all internet and cable companies.

[Dicey]

Bundled my phone and internet since I just moved and started using Comcast internet. I know everyone hates Comcast, but it is the only thing available at my apartment complex

Everyone hates all internet and cable companies.

Lol, I was thinking the same thing.

To stay on topic, I volunteer at the library and am on the Friends Board. We raise money by running book sales. Today was Day 2 of set-up for the sale that begins on Friday.  I found two books that will become gifts and paid a buck apiece for them. I also tidied up the puzzle exchange area. I found three that looked interesting.  If they're complete, I will shrink wrap them and sell them at the Holiday Book Sale. If not, they'll get donated. Total cost to me: zero.

[41_swish]

I have gotten some of my favorite books from my local library's book sale. That is probably where about half of mine have come from

[Dicey]

I have gotten some of my favorite books from my local library's book sale. That is probably where about half of mine have come from

If your schedule allows it, see if you can volunteer. We vols get first choice on everything. We also get our pick of anything that's left over for F-R-E-E!
I started volunteering years ago because I was spending too much on books and wanted to retire early. That initial experience has opened so many doors for me in my community. Now I'm actually the president of the Friends, 'cuz I'm FIRE now and have plenty of time.

[Josiecat22222]

changed our oil today in the car.  DH is super handy and we have gotten to a place where we have a system in place and I actually enjoy doing these super mundane chores together.  I married my best friend.

[midweststache]

- Paid for a kiddo's sports league all up front, rather than spread out over the year, which avoided a 5% admin fee.
- Was exhausted last night, but powered through and made dinner at home rather than using up our "out" night for the week.
- Got reimbursed for a minor work charge. I could've easily covered the cost, but you know what? No.

[Freedomin5]

Got a $100 discount for early bird registration for DD’s school next year, plus another $100 discount by paying via etransfer instead of credit card.

[Gerard]

Learned there's a 10% discount on the Toronto Islands ferry if you buy ten tix at a time. Took a boat to the islands, rode bikes around on the car-free streets (my sweetie is still learning to cycle and is car-shy for now), watched some birds, ate a picnic supper, boat back to the city, trip cost $13.47 CAD.