What small things did you do TODAY to save money?

[netskyblue]

Last night I re-sewed the hem in a pair of pants, it had broken free.  Today I biked to work, and I brought a lb of carrots ($0.59 at Aldi) to work to snack on, so I don't run over to Target and buy food.

[firelight]

Returned some stuff, hemmed a few clothes and selling things on craigslist. Win!

[thedayisbrave]

Went for a run but did NOT stop by the convenience store for a Gatorade (I don't keep it in the house because if I did, I'd be tempted to drink it all the time).

Got some groceries (mostly frozen stuff, eggs, Ramen, and spices) at Food Lion instead of Harris Teeter.  I've decided I need to do this more often, and go to Harris Teeter and the farmer's market only for meats/produce.

[GardenFun]

Made homemade bagels for the first time.  DS's love bagels each morning so we spend a semi-ridiculous amount on them.  This will cut the cost by 75%. 

[Less]

Had my first attempt at pickling today as peppers are on their way out of season. Lots of minor blemish/very ripe stock available at the fruit and vege store for very little.

[Gerard]

Had my first attempt at pickling today as peppers are on their way out of season. Lots of minor blemish/very ripe stock available at the fruit and vege store for very little.

Cool. Roasting and freezing works really well in that situation, at least for me.

What I did: I keep the heat really low when I'm at work. Today I left it low when I came in because I turned on the oven for pizza and bread, and that's warmed up all of the house that I'm actually in.

[Kwill]

Today I sent in receipts from a recent trip to be reimbursed. I also updated YNAB for the first time since late February.

[thef0x]

Fasted until 7pm, then had a free dinner at my dads house AND got all the leftovers -- $0 day + I didn't eat any of my food!  I might need to just so it doesn't go bad :)

Added annual income today by signing new clients for my business.

Hit the gym and had a really good workout too! 

Woo!

[Giro]

Gonna hit the gym later today for some squats!  Should cost me ~$2USD.  Hilarious that people don't spend money on a gym and think that just walking is going to make them resilient!  I'm going to be throwing ~315LBs on my back and squatting that past parallel!  That'll make you resilient :)

-j

WOOHOO!!!  I just got up to 315 squatting but I can only do 3 reps and I need a spotter to feel comfortable enough to do them.  I am working on the mental aspect that I'm fine and can do it but it's a struggle for me.  I like to have my husband at least put his hands on my belt to make me feel safe. 

I love when women squat!  I don't see too many moving too much weight like that. 

KUDOS!!

[2ndTimer]

Created a designated spot for reimbursable health purchases.  When I have a few I will send a form to the FSA

[MountainGal]

I grabbed meeting leftovers at work: fruit, baked ziti, and salad.* Went back at 4:30 with a giant Tupperware to grab the rest of the salad, only to see it, serving bowl and all, in the trash. What a waste...

Of course at this point I'm only breaking even because facilities threw out a bunch of my freezer food over the weekend.

*cough and cookies.

Oh, this would piss me off!  Have you tried labeling it w/ freezer tape: "Do not toss" or something similar?

[thef0x]

Haven't turned on the heater in 4 days.  Today is rough!  But I'm making it work so far. 

Ate 1 meal yesterday (hey, every once in awhile it's good to go to bed hungry) and saved the leftovers (a large portion) for today and just scarfed that down -- mostly to combat the cold!  Tasted unbelievable, I was really hungry. 

Gonna scarf down some more food I have in my apartment before I head out to play bball later today with my friends.  Productive work day handling my work load and my biz partners.

Have been adding some old decaf coffee into my coffee to use less of the good stuff!  Tastes not quite as good but it's fine when I'm using it as a supplement mostly.

Have been super good about turning off lights and electronics that are not being used.

Another 0$ day :)

[Candace]

I ordered LED light bulbs to replace incandescent ones that are currently in use in my kitchen and living room. The initial outlay was something like $74, but I expect to realize net savings due to lower electric bills in under a year, and then reap savings over the life of the bulbs, which is over ten years. The lights in those rooms are probably the most-used ones in my house.

[4alpacas]

Last night was a real test for me.  Since I was out of town for the weekend and my husband didn't get groceries, our kitchen is empty.  I checked the freezer and found two pieces of naan (purchased from Trader Joe's as an impulse buy).  I had a can of chickpeas, so I made hummus.  I also put a tortilla with a little olive oil under the broiler.  The meal was simple, but fantastic.  I also made a double batch of granola bars (peanut butter and chocolate chip),  but I didn't have enough oats.  I used a cup of stale honey nut cheerios, and the bars are really good. 

Today I went to the gym.  I showered there.  I also used their shampoo, conditioner and body wash.  I'm still bringing face wash.  I've significantly cut back on the amount of hair care products I purchase by working out so frequently. 

For breakfast, I had a homemade granola bar (with stale cheerios).  For lunch, I had a single serving of sweet and sour meatballs and rice (made in January for the Superbowl). 

[laka]

Transferred a credit card balance using a 0% balance transfer.  I'll keep the same payoff schedule, but save ~$300 in interest.

Picked up some fresh basil from my kid's preschool - one of the teachers has DIYed an aquaponics system, and the basil went crazy, so they're thinning it out by giving it away. Will make the homemade tomato soup on the menu for dinner tonight that much more delicious.

[lunahsol]

*  took the last of the homemade pasta to work for lunch
*  no extra driving
*  making a big batch of hummus from garbanzos crocked last weekend (guess what is for lunch tomorrow? ;)
*  looking into a cheaper option for anti-virus program about to expire
*  will spend an hour or so tonight devoted to side hustle
*  made "budget" for next paycheck and somehow have an extra $95 that I don't know what to do with - hooray!

[Two9A]

made "budget" for next paycheck and somehow have an extra $95 that I don't know what to do with - hooray!

The default answer to "what should I do with this spare money", of course, is "save it save it why is there even a question here" :D

[lunahsol]

made "budget" for next paycheck and somehow have an extra $95 that I don't know what to do with - hooray!

The default answer to "what should I do with this spare money", of course, is "save it save it why is there even a question here" :D

Love it!  Yes, of course :)  But I have a feeling I will choose to have it go toward the final credit card.  Sigh.  Still, it is fun to see RESULTS from all these little things piling up! 

[midweststache]

- leftovers for lunch
- walked to work and back today ($0 on transit AND healthy options)
- chicken chili for dinner using chicken leftover from yesterday's whole chicken
- took a stab at crockpot chicken stock from said chicken's carcass--pretty easy. Should make about 3 cups of stock and a few bouillon cubes...

[thef0x]

Resisted invitation to spend $$ eating out and invited my friend over instead.  He bought us some awesome drinks and some chocolate and I fed him the food I had cooked (all just "using up the kitchen" food) -- Chicken breast saag w/ potato, delicious!! 

Purchased $4.59 iPhone tripod mount on eBay.

Am selling very awesome but not-used-enough Digital Camera for (current bid) minimum of $340USD -- and I have 6 days to go.

Net = $336.41

Sweet!!!!!

[ShaneD]

Finally got around to cooking the turkey that was "free with purchase" at Thanksgiving.

I am $1.04 away from a similarly free spring ham...

Had my first attempt at pickling today as peppers are on their way out of season. Lots of minor blemish/very ripe stock available at the fruit and vege store for very little.

Cool. Roasting and freezing works really well in that situation, at least for me.

Also slicing/chopping raw and freezing. Good for soups, stir fries, etc., later.


My small things:
* Figured out where to sell and donate clothes.
* Figured out where to sell inherited jewelry.
* Figured out where to LPs.
* Going through old papers and stuff to scan/photograph and recycle/trash. Lots of old report cards, mementos, bad poetry (oy), plus 7 old yearbooks.
* Did a major grocery stock up, which meant I
* Made dinner last night despite not feeling like it, instead of calling takeout.
ETA: * Reaching out to potential new client.

[dunhamjr]

*  looking into a cheaper option for anti-virus program about to expire

i have used clamwin on all my machines for years with few problems.
its free, http://www.clamwin.com/

[lunahsol]

*  looking into a cheaper option for anti-virus program about to expire

i have used clamwin on all my machines for years with few problems.
its free, http://www.clamwin.com/

Thank you!  I will check it out. 

My victory for today definitely makes me feel like a bad ass:
Had a small issue with my car this morning and instead of panicking and spending money to have someone come help me, I looked up the problem on the internet and was able to figure out how to resolve it myself! 

[4alpacas]

*  looking into a cheaper option for anti-virus program about to expire

i have used clamwin on all my machines for years with few problems.
its free, http://www.clamwin.com/

Thanks for the recommendation!  I'm in a similar position as lunahsol.

*Just found a cheaper option for an antivirus program
*Packed my breakfast, lunch and snacks.  Turned down lunch out with a coworker. 
*Last night, we ate random food items from the freezer.  Our dinner was eclectic, but fun.  I'm working on clearing out our freezer.  We've let too many things sit for too long. 
*Showered at the gym. 
*Carpooled to work. 

[thef0x]

Headed to Grocery Outlet for the FIRST TIME!!!!  It's only an 18 minute walk from my house.  Awesome reviews for this location too!! Wooo!

AND, wait for it, in the mail I got a Chase Checking Account Promo:  Sign up in person (bleh) at a Chase bank for a checking account, make sure my paycheck is going to that account (create direct deposit), and once both are setup, get $300 for free.  Keep the account open for 6 months, maintain $1,501 minimum, and there's not monthly fee.

Free money? Stoked!!!  Talk about an awesome day so far :)

[laka]

Got clarification on how my bank is applying money towards my credit card (apply minimum payment to lowest balance, then anything above the minimum payment to the highest balance).  Since I have half the balance at a fixed 0.99% and half at a temporary 0%, this is not what I want. So I'm adjusting my payment allocations and I'm just going to pay the entire thing off before the 0% offer ends.

(And I'm still on track to have everything paid off by the end of 2015! Woohoo!)

[lunahsol]

Requested first payout from online side hustle.  Still a bit skeptical about this, but here's hoping!  If this all works, I made $58.03 for fooling around online for a couple weeks :)

[Pooperman]

Worked late last night. Briefly considered buying dinner on the way home. Decided not to because it was too much of a hassle when leftovers were waiting for me at home!

[1967mama]

Drinking lots of tea at home -- trying not to buy any new tea till I drink down my stash a little.  Turning the furnace off in the day. Might even be alright to leave it off overnight.

I've been feeling very spendy and unfrugal lately. Renewed my costco membership -- spent $500 <sigh>. I keep reading this thread for motivation. Even if I'm not doing little things to save money, I need to at least keep a leash on mindlessly spending. At least most of the spending has been on food/consumables and not "stuff."

Edit: typo

[2ndTimer]

Not me, today it's the Hub.  He is off to spend a couple of weeks in Puerto Rico at Government expense.  Noticed him tucking a half eaten pkg of fig newtons into his carry on.  No need to spend that per diem on airport food.

[thef0x]

It's my birthday!!!!

Woo!

1)  Got $150 of credit to a high quality meat shop via a gift card from my dad.  This forces me to eat grass fed beef while spending $0.  I eat it rarely but really enjoy it -- and I always get the cheapest cut, usually the neck, and make a delicious roast.   Grass fed beef neck roast..... mmmmmmm.... :)

2)  My friend SUPER generously gave me $25 gift card to a super fancy health food store.  While this only buys me like... maybe 2 things there (haha yeah), it's two free things!  I can take a friend or lady for extra fun.

3)  I'm going to SPEND WITHOUT GUILT at dinner tonight -- having happy hour sushi!  AND I think my mom is going to call in and order us something extra (awwww yeah!!).  To prepare I'm going to make sure I'm well fed so I don't need to go crazy but still, going to eat and be merry :)

4)  Just went to Grocery Outlet for the first time and I'm totally impressed at the quality of food, store cleanliness, and staff.  Totally has a bad rep among my friends for zero reasons.  Highlights:

-- 10lbs of Whey Protein Powder w/ Probiotics for $60
-- 10lbs potatoes for $2
-- 12 eggs for $0.87
-- 3lbs bacon ends for $6.50
-- 2lbs pepperjack cheese for $6

Also grabbed: gallon of white vinegar, butter, cornstarch, 3x beans, 2.5lbs sugar for a total of $89.30.   Will get through the eggs and cheese quickly but everything else will last for quite some time.

AND... you guessed it, I brought my backpacking backpack and walked the 1.5 miles there and carried 30+lbs of food on my back on the way back for a very solid afternoon exercise session :)

Awesome day so far!!!  Gonna hang out and read in my bathtub (still reading 1 book a week in 2015!), process my bacon into 3rds to freeze, and eat a big omelette with some fresh avocado, cheese, and bacon (calories baby!).  My god they had 2 for $1 avocados at Grocery Outlet too!! 

Ethnic store + Grocery Outlet = huge future savings.  Stoked!!!

Life is good!  Happy birthday me :)

[lunahsol]

Life is good!  Happy birthday me :)

Awesome!  Happy Birthday!! :)

[swick]

Happy Birthday thef0x! I love your enthusiasm :)

I called our telephone/internet service provider and got them to give us a promo rate for 6 months. Now that we actually have options in our new town, we will be looking at different providers, but this is a good start.

Hubby has been working insane amounts of overtime and his company allows them to order in food (but won't give them food credits for grocery stores like some on the union employees get) so he has been  really great about ordering as healthy food as he can and stretching each meal over several meals. Saving us a bit of money in groceries and allowing me to make meals for myself that use up things he is not fond of. Also on the bright side - he is going to have ZERO desire to eat out for a long time after this :)

Made up some aromatherapy blend to help my grandmother with shingles. I already had the ingredients so it cost me 12.00 in shipping (and maybe 10.00 in ingredient cost) vs the almost 400.00 it would cost her to buy the ingredients retail and make it up. And it has been working, so really it's priceless.



 

[wintersun]

I called a utility company to query a $70 charge on the bill and got it taken off.

[Better Late Than Never]

1) Combined a sale with coupons and got 6 Minute Maid OJ and 4 Carolina rice pilaf for $3.78 -- Savings of $15.22 (80%)

2) Resisted the urge to order pizza for dinner and cooked at home -- Savings of about $25

3) Lowered the temperature on the hot water heater

[Joshin]

I've been reading this entire thread over the last few weeks -- love the positive motivation :) Decided to quit being a looky-loo and to chime in:

* Hubs ripped out carpet in the living room today. One step closer to our new DIY floors!

* Made a stir-fry with the last of the veg in the fridge, in preparation of shopping tomorrow. Cheap and filling.

* Canvassed my FB list to see if anyone had an Android they were willing to part with. My MIL's sister, who is a constant upgrader, offered to mail us her old one, and to cover the shipping.

* Gave younger son the good news that a compatible phone is on it's way. He's almost done building his Google Cardboard VR viewer, he was just missing the phone to run the aps. As a double money-saver, he didn't order the kit and instead printed the DIY instructions, and he traded an extra telescope eyepiece with an astronomy mentor for the two lenses he needed. Yay for free kid projects!

* DH and I need a break after all the flooring work this week. Pulled out a coffee gift card I've been hoarding so we can enjoy a free date away from the work zone this evening :)

[horsepoor]

Made green tea at my desk instead of doing a Starbuck's run this afternoon when work started to drag.

Made a delicious soup for dinner out of leftover turkey, mashed potatoes and random bits of veggies. 

Used old leftover paint to fix up my Craigslist horse jumps

Went for a run from home instead of driving to the gym

Told the vet I'd pass for now on the "mobility formula" prescription dog food because I'd just ordered the dog another 6 month supply of joint supplements.  I just opened the order tonight, and it came with a free 60-day supply of a diet supplement that basically rounds out her Costco dog food with all the extra stuff in the prescription dog food.

Watered the veggie seedlings and collected 9 lovely eggs from the chickens.

[madamwitty]

Today I decided to buy an immersion blender and driving gloves using money my mom gave me for my birthday. They have been on my wish list for a long time and nobody has gotten them for me yet.

This evening I went to Amazon.com and searched for "immersion blender". I got who-knows-how-many hits and wilted at the thought of picking out a model. I used to love making the comparisons and picking the best value for the money! But it's been long enough since I ordered something from Amazon that it felt like more of a chore. I made a half-hearted effort and then decided, "Screw it, I don't really need an immersion blender. Or driving gloves for that matter."

I already have a regular blender and a food processor. An embarrassment of riches, actually. And instead of fancy driving gloves I can continue wearing the stupid-looking gardening gloves I bought years ago for $1. They work just fine.

[pancakes]

Finally remembered to bank the medicare cheques that have been in my wallet for months. Picked up $2 on the foot path on the way. Without fail every week I find money on the footpath in that area.

I'm now about to do a meal plan for the week which will hopefully cover me for all my work lunches. We are at $40 for the month on lunches for March whereas this time last month were were over $110.

[Mistah Cash Lion]

Today I decided to buy an immersion blender and driving gloves using money my mom gave me for my birthday. They have been on my wish list for a long time and nobody has gotten them for me yet.

This evening I went to Amazon.com and searched for "immersion blender". I got who-knows-how-many hits and wilted at the thought of picking out a model. I used to love making the comparisons and picking the best value for the money! But it's been long enough since I ordered something from Amazon that it felt like more of a chore. I made a half-hearted effort and then decided, "Screw it, I don't really need an immersion blender. Or driving gloves for that matter."

I already have a regular blender and a food processor. An embarrassment of riches, actually. And instead of fancy driving gloves I can continue wearing the stupid-looking gardening gloves I bought years ago for $1. They work just fine.

Awesome! I love realizing that I honestly have more than enough already and the new stuff, while nice, won't significantly increase my happiness or usefulness more than that money would going towards FI.  And you exercised your frugality muscles! Win win!

Today I went to Costco for the first time and bought:

• 25lb bag of beans (will last me 6 months and at a price of 6 times less than buying canned beans
• 25lb bag of rice (will probably last all year)
• Two big jugs of olive oil
• Coconut oil for over 30% less than usual
• Canned Tomatoes

Should help me substantially reduce my monthly grocery bill.

[Spruit]

I just picked up a free coffee table. I'll use the glass for making a heavy duty coldframe for the garden. The rest will be repurposed as a trellis for climbing plants.
 
I also returned the floor oil I bought by mistake (not the right kind for use on a table). 25 euros saved.

[nessness]

I steamed some peas last night and had leftovers, so I pureed them and froze them for my baby, who will be starting solids in a few weeks. No overpriced jars of baby food for us!

[Melody]

2 no spend days in a row!!!! Win!

[midweststache]

Today I went to Costco for the first time and bought:

• 25lb bag of beans (will last me 6 months and at a price of 6 times less than buying canned beans
• 25lb bag of rice (will probably last all year)
• Two big jugs of olive oil
• Coconut oil for over 30% less than usual
• Canned Tomatoes

Should help me substantially reduce my monthly grocery bill.

I'm always so intrigued by bulk buying (difficult to do when you would take public transit to Costco...) - do you have a particular means of storing a year's worth of rice, or do you leave it in the bag in a cupboard or pantry (same thing with the beans). Also, is it simply one giant can of tomatoes (that then becomes pasta sauce or that you use in batch canning or something)?

- Saw clearance pants at Lands End; decided that they weren't quite worth it yet, although the BF will need new work pants soon...
- Lots of leftovers for lunch today; frozen fish for dinner tonight
- Aldi's red potatoes were 5lbs for .99 yesterday - sides for dinner all week, and perhaps if we have any leftover we'll do breakfast has next weekend!

[madamwitty]

Today I went to Costco for the first time and bought:

• 25lb bag of beans (will last me 6 months and at a price of 6 times less than buying canned beans
• 25lb bag of rice (will probably last all year)
• Two big jugs of olive oil
• Coconut oil for over 30% less than usual
• Canned Tomatoes

Should help me substantially reduce my monthly grocery bill.

I have a newfound love for costco. I've had a free membership for years (family member works there) but didn't start going regularly until a few months ago. It's not in a particularly convenient location. Maybe that's a good thing :-) I did a spreadsheet comparison and realized that even if I had to pay for the membership, I would have recouped the cost within my very first trip.

I bought some coconut oil there too, but it soon got some discoloration at the bottom of the jars. I did an internet search and discovered it's not an isolated incident. I won't be buying my coconut oil there anymore, but there are still lots of savings to be had on other items.

[thef0x]

Haven't turned on the heat in the last 5 days and if this weather remains, I won't need it until next October! :)

Tips:
-- sweatpants and sweatshirts :)
-- warm beanies
-- when 2 or more people are in my apartment and the doors are closed, our body heat keeps the place warm -- when groups come over I have to open the windows
-- window shades
-- a hot bath + a book will make you physically sweat from increasing core body heat (hot water comes w/ my apartment)
-- 15 minutes of yoga or dynamic stretching will do wonders and is healthy
-- prevent cooking foods that smoke to keep in warm air
-- hot drinks are great: coffee, tea, yerba mate

[h2ogal]

INSURANCE COSTS!!! 

These drive me nuts, because we almost never had a claim (one small house claim in 25 years, one minor fender bender car accident in 25 years)   I compared our monthly insurance costs with MMM and ours were 3x higher!

Details:
MMM Car = $29/mon vs. Ours = $90/mon. 
MMM Home = $34/mon vs. Ours = $92/mon

I wrote to my Insurance agent and asked him to gather up all our policies - home, cars, businesses, umbrella, etc. and do a review and make a recommendation for cost cutting - either by raising deductibles, or shopping around.  I should have some savings to report in the next 2 weeks I hope!

[lunahsol]

Mostly staying home today and setting up secondary side hustle idea.  (Goal = $100/month)
Also roasting some veggies for lunches for the week.
Also need to do something with the potatoes.

[Mistah Cash Lion]

Today I went to Costco for the first time and bought:

• 25lb bag of beans (will last me 6 months and at a price of 6 times less than buying canned beans
• 25lb bag of rice (will probably last all year)
• Two big jugs of olive oil
• Coconut oil for over 30% less than usual
• Canned Tomatoes

Should help me substantially reduce my monthly grocery bill.

I have a newfound love for costco. I've had a free membership for years (family member works there) but didn't start going regularly until a few months ago. It's not in a particularly convenient location. Maybe that's a good thing :-) I did a spreadsheet comparison and realized that even if I had to pay for the membership, I would have recouped the cost within my very first trip.

I bought some coconut oil there too, but it soon got some discoloration at the bottom of the jars. I did an internet search and discovered it's not an isolated incident. I won't be buying my coconut oil there anymore, but there are still lots of savings to be had on other items.

Interesting about the coconut oil. I'll see what I find.  My family has a membership too, so I just went with them to get the stuff. Score!

[1967mama]

In-laws are coming for dinner and offered to bring marinated pork loins to BBQ ... of course, we said "yes!" I'm rounding out the meal with rice (done with chicken bouillon), homemade sour dough bread and a huge green salad with homemade dressing.