What small things did you do TODAY to save money?

[lunahsol]

No money spent today, even though I REALLY wanted Thai take-out - which btw, I love and and have not had in forever.  I made homemade beans/rice/tortillas instead and saved $24.

[1967mama]

@lunahsol! You have so many no spend days ... I consistently see you posting that on this board! Inspiring!

I had a no spend day today, too :-)

Also today:

-hung 2 loads of laundry outside
-made soup for lunch out of turkey stock I made -- used up some veggies from Easter dinner too
-froze the rest of the leftover veggies for future soups
-baked buns for the freezer and hamburger buns for dinner
-shopped at Costco and got good deals on sunscreen and ladies deodorant  -- earlier this year we gave up our Costco membership for a time when it lapsed, but I can see that we can save a lot of money there (just have to stay away from the treats/books/clothes)
-made guacamole out of 3 sad looking avocados from fridge drawer

[lunahsol]

You have so many no spend days ...

Got some lost time to make up for . . .  :/

*  leftover hummus and crackers for lunch
*  free coffee (and lots of it)
*  found a book/software I need for 50% off

[midweststache]

- Leftover mac n cheese, carrot sticks, and some old free hummus for lunch.
- Picked up some groceries at Aldi last night and then made another mini-run today to cut costs on our Mariano's grocery trip tomorrow. Between the two, we were able to get about half our run at Aldi (and I learned that Aldi's milk is NOT cheaper than the Clear Value we get at Mariano's -- surprise!)
- Found a really nice eyelash curler on the ground. I've been without one for a few months now, and I haven't wanted to spend the money to buy a new one. I'm researching how to adequately disinfect it (the last thing I'd want is pink eye or something...) in order to make it useable.
- Potentially found a buyer for my boots!

[onwisconsin]

- Leftover mac n cheese, carrot sticks, and some old free hummus for lunch.
- Picked up some groceries at Aldi last night and then made another mini-run today to cut costs on our Mariano's grocery trip tomorrow. Between the two, we were able to get about half our run at Aldi (and I learned that Aldi's milk is NOT cheaper than the Clear Value we get at Mariano's -- surprise!)
- Found a really nice eyelash curler on the ground. I've been without one for a few months now, and I haven't wanted to spend the money to buy a new one. I'm researching how to adequately disinfect it (the last thing I'd want is pink eye or something...) in order to make it useable.
- Potentially found a buyer for my boots!

Regarding the eyelash curler - maybe soak it in hydrogen peroxide?

[Elliot]

20 minutes at a rolling boil is good enough to sterilize a diva cup, so it ought to work for an eyelash curler.

[10dollarsatatime]

Clients left a couple of Kneader's salads in the fridge when they left yesterday... so free lunch for me!

[mattchuck2]

I googled the word "coupons" along with the name of a prescription I take.

I got a coupon good for all of 2015 that knocks down the cost from $25/month to $10/month. Huge.

My only regret is that I already missed the first 3 months of the year.

[midweststache]

20 minutes at a rolling boil is good enough to sterilize a diva cup, so it ought to work for an eyelash curler.

I read that comment right before I went to sterilize this month's diva cup - serendipitous. So boiled, plus I'll find some antiseptic for a good once over.

In other news, I baked cookies tonight. They'll last all week and be the dessert for BF's lunches. This saved us $5 in bakery costs from our weekly grocery visit, and only cost us $1.29 in chocolates chips (we had the other ingredients). Cheaper sweets, plus slowly honing my baking skillz...

[Better Late Than Never]

Replaced bulbs in some frequently used lights with LEDs and swapped the old bulbs into lights that aren't used very frequently.

Had a night light that ran 24/7, even though it had a light sensor and should have shut off automatically when the room is bright. Replaced it with an LED night light with a sensor that seems to work correctly. Old light -- 4 watts running 24/7. New light -- .5 watts running only when dark.

Did some grocery shopping matching sales with coupons. Saved 67% -- total saved was $41.52.

Picked up a ream of paper at Staples with a coupon which will make it $0.01 after Easy Rebate. Also redeemed a coupon that Staples sent me for $5 off cleaning or breakroom purchase. I got a 6-pack of Scott paper towels which were $6, so I only paid $1 after the coupon.

Today was shopping day. I saved up all these little trips to combine into one big trip to save gas.

[jengod]

* Haven't given any of my money to Starbucks for 45 DAYS! Been making all coffee at home and filling Thermos.
* Recycled bottles and cans that I pick up on walks and drives for $4.95.
* Dried half a load of clothes outside. Drying the other half inside. We have an incredibly hot/sunlit spot in our yard just outside the laundry room. Wondering if I can rationalize the cost of a wall-mounted foldable clothesline on ecological grounds. We'll see.
* Got some more food plants in the ground: garbanzo, bell peppers, eggplant, tomatillo. (If I get even one pepper off each plant I'll be beating the grocery store organic price.) Saved the seedling pots for future use.
* Watered the garden with water from our recently refilled rain barrel. (All our rain barrels were bought at a steep discount due to municipal water rebates.)
* Ate all meals at home.

[cashstasherat23]

Went to the Apple store today to get my computer repaired, and by the time it was done, I was starving and still had a 40 minute bus ride home. I was so tempted to stop and grab a couple slices of pizza, but I waited and made my own calzone when I got home!

[firelight]

Saved on parking today by finding cheap parking and getting it validated for free.

Didn't spend anything today.

[No-stache]

Transferred an RX to Kroger and got $25 gift card to spend. Hit the store at the right time apparently as the reduced rack for the bakery came out. I got two small lemon cakes for when I have company, 4 packages of garlic naan I'll use as pizza crusts, a 6-pack of jumbo blueberry muffins and a 4-pack of regular cream cheese muffins (these will be saved for a road trip next month), a package of dinner rolls, a package of frozen veggie sausage patties for a friend coming over tomorrow who requested them, and some oyster crackers. Still have $10.45 left on the gift card.

But...I did spent $1.50 on a soda out of the machine at work so that was a slip.

[1967mama]

- rescued a load of laundry that one of my helpful teens had put on while I was out. Hung it on drying racks.

- ate up leftovers of many types

- cooked a chicken in the crockpot all day and used it on yesterday's buns for dinner along with fresh veggies

- helped adult son choose "value" glasses today instead of the fancy pants ones he wanted. The entire amount is now reimbursable on his medical plan! Tonight he told me he loves them! WINNING!

- found 2 shirts, a pair of jean capri pants and a skirt at the thrift store in my size -- all in like-new condition

[HappierAtHome]

Tried out a new grocery store: fruit and veges were great quality and much cheaper than my usual supermarket. We'll be eating a lot of veges this week :D also picked up sunflower seeds a few dollars per kg cheaper than usual. Stocked up on sale items.

Made my own almond meal and oat flour - takes almost no time in the food processor!

Made big batches of healthy snacks and treats for the week ahead.

Substituted sunflower seeds (less than $5 per kg) in a recipe calling for almonds (>$20 per kg).

Tried to make best use of heating the oven by baking three batches of healthy cookies, two trays of sweet potato and a big batch of nutty and seedy granola in short succession.

[ShaneD]

* Carried a bin of papers to the county's industrial paper shredding event.
* Combined that trip to make a deposit at the bank and pick up 5 DVDs at the library.
* Tonight making soup from slightly sad but still perfectly fine spinach, arugula, and peppers, a gallon bag of mixed chopped stems left over from last summer's fresh greens (collard, kale, chard, beet, mustard -- who knows!), whiting, and maybe extra rice frozen from a Chinese food order. If feeling industrious, might make broth from bags of bones saved from many, many dinners.

[onwisconsin]

*sent bag of clothes to ThredUp

*washed towels, line-dried

*did fridge inventory, made calendar to use up all meat before next Costco run

*made batch of sriracha deviled eggs to finish up eggs, had for lunch

*planned next month's dinners in order to save money at Costco

*stopped at Dollar Tree and Big Lots in order to compare prices on "feminine needs" - realized that Amazon Subscribe and Save is a better deal.

*unsubscribed from Netflix DVDs and Netflix streaming (checked and saw our library has the TV series we like to watch); unsubscribed from Audible (library also has downloadable audio books)

*unsubscribed from 4 magazines:  all they do is make me want to spend money

*began sensitive diplomatic conversation with DH about switching from pricey Starbucks French Roast (from Costco) to Folgers (we're retiring in a year and are in hard-core savings mode).  I don't think I'm going to win this one.

[1967mama]

*washed towels, line-dried

Haha! My adult daughter (still living at home) calls my line dried towels "exfoliating towels!"

[MoneyCat]

I'm currently making a homemade pizza using ingredients I already had available instead of ordering one.  I am making the pizza dough using a bread machine I bought for cheap last summer off Craigslist and it is powered by electricity we produce with solar panels on our roof.  When the pizza is ready, I'm going to watch a soccer game on the season-long streaming internet sports package I purchased for less than the cost of one month of cable TV.  Life is good.

[lunahsol]

*  There is laundry drying on racks and hangars all over my house right now.
*  Cleaned out/surveyed fridge & pantry to make list for tomorrow's stock up shop
*  Renewed amazon prime with my .edu email address to get the student rate (yay!)
*  Volunteer work this morning - which just makes me feel grateful and blessed, in general
*  Oh and did not buy gas, even though the guage is perilously low - I think I can stretch it till Monday

[Better Late Than Never]

Gave DS a haircut. We haven't paid for a haircut in about 20 years. I cut DH's and both sons' hair, and my mother has cut my hair my whole life.

[Zaga]

Had my brother over to run new electrical circuits for us.  He works for fresh baked bread and an exchange of favors, which is WAY less expensive than an electrician!

[jengod]

* Participated in a historic family cemetery cleanup; had a nice time visiting with friends, made memories with my son, and came away with five bags of soft mulch for my garden, a succulent that was mistakenly chopped up that I can try to resuscitate, and last enjoyed a nice lunch provided for the volunteers.
* Played two board games with my son--both were free gifts from the neighbors, whose own kids had grown out of them
* Used up some shredded chicken and aging tortillas to make my first-ever homemade taquitos. Yum!

[Rumball]

paid 3 bills online, rather than mailing them in, saving, like, what $1.50 (who even knows what a stamp costs these days)

skipped daily coffee at convenience store ($1.00 saved)

started setting things up to pay mortgage with Target red card (who knew this could really work), thus getting amex points  my 1k/mo mortgage payment.  (2% of every dollar spent gets funneled into my Fidelity Roth IRA; meaning that I will end up with around $240 in that account at the end of the year, all for taking about 10 minutes to set this up)

[louloulou]

I have been wanting a new pair of shoes- like a casual street shoe. Had not seen anything yet. Yesterday I was in a charity shop, spotted some new looking shoe boxes, turns out a local shoe shop had donated some of 'last years style' street shoes. Brand new $200 shoes for $20. Thank you very much! I was not intending to pay $200 for shoes but it still probably saved me $50.

[onwisconsin]

*Listening to the Grand Old Opry on the radio for free entertainment tonight with my DH!
*put a hold on a 7 hour Zig Ziglar seminar from the radio rather than paying for it!

[ShaneD]

*  Renewed amazon prime with my .edu email address to get the student rate (yay!)

Be warned: they may ask for a copy of your student ID for proof. (Been there.)

[Merrie]

I put my husband's student loan on auto-deduction which saves a part of a percentage point on interest. I used to really, really hate auto deductions and only used them when forced, but I'm kind of starting to come around. I should have done this long ago, but better late than never.

[TheFixer]

Repaired a broken solder joint in the 12V cig lighter power supply/transmitter cord for DW's MP3 player.
Double win because it's a free repair that will allow her to resume listening to free audiobooks from the library during her work commute.

[Melody]

Got my dad to help me fix my bike :-)

[auntie_betty]

Fitted 6 shelves in wardrobe in holiday-home-probably-permanent-home-sooner-than-expected rather than get handyman to do it or fork out around €100 for ready made ones. Accomplished it despite walls being out and only having a hacksaw (hardware store cut roughly to size but needed bits taken out for wardrobe frame and lack of right angles). Total cost of €29. 

[Cookie78]

Spent the day at the flea market visiting friends I hadn't seen in awhile and selling my wares. Only sold just enough to be make it worth my time, but I have lots of potential orders, a few very promising ones, and one of which will be around a $700 sale. Most of my sales are custom things, so I'm not too surprised. It was my first flea market too, so I learned a lot.

Brought my lunch with me so I wouldn't have to pay for a crappy hot dog or expensive crappy drink. I only brought a sliced apple and sliced cucumber and a little yogurt, so I was hungry by the end of the day, but I managed. :)

[Melody]

Fixed my ipod!!! $300 saved :-)
Also chose "local pick up" an online order (of something I needed, not just crap)  saving $27 in shipping charges (probably spent $4 in petrol, but was able to combine the pick up with dropping in at a friend's place for a beer, so seeing a friend, and free beer = win, win, win!).
In other wins this week, got all my paperwork together for opening a stockbroking account, will drop these in the mail on the way to work tomorrow and went to a free concert featuring Jimmy Cliff (a favorite of my dad)... he hadn't been aware of it so I got massive "great daughter brownie points" and an inexpensive night out (we bought some snacks and used petrol so it wasn't completely free, but very cheap).

[handsnhearts]

I love Jimmy Cliff!

Saved last of spring mix from wilting. Sorted out bad bits and rinsed rest. Had salad and enough for one tomorrow too.
Ate leftovers, pasta and sauce.
Ate at home.
Thawed pumpkin from last fall to bake with.
Pantry and freezer are getting more spacious as we eat things up.

Onwisconsin - how do you like Thredup?  Do you get cash or credit?  If you get clothes, how do you know they will fit?

[GardenFun]

*sent bag of clothes to ThredUp

*washed towels, line-dried

*did fridge inventory, made calendar to use up all meat before next Costco run

*made batch of sriracha deviled eggs to finish up eggs, had for lunch

*planned next month's dinners in order to save money at Costco

*stopped at Dollar Tree and Big Lots in order to compare prices on "feminine needs" - realized that Amazon Subscribe and Save is a better deal.

*unsubscribed from Netflix DVDs and Netflix streaming (checked and saw our library has the TV series we like to watch); unsubscribed from Audible (library also has downloadable audio books)

*unsubscribed from 4 magazines:  all they do is make me want to spend money

*began sensitive diplomatic conversation with DH about switching from pricey Starbucks French Roast (from Costco) to Folgers (we're retiring in a year and are in hard-core savings mode).  I don't think I'm going to win this one.

That is quite a change in coffee quality.  Do you have a Woodman's close by?  Check out the 8 O'clock coffee brand.  I believe they have a French Roast and have great prices, especially if you can stock up when they have deals. 

[wordnerd]

Made my own hummus from dried chickpeas. Unfortunately, I broke my (cheap) blender in the process, but I guess if I continue to make my own hummus I'll come out ahead in the end :)

[lakemom]

*began sensitive diplomatic conversation with DH about switching from pricey Starbucks French Roast (from Costco) to Folgers (we're retiring in a year and are in hard-core savings mode).  I don't think I'm going to win this one.

Have you thought about trying the sneaky approach.  Gradually add the inexpensive ground to the expensive (95%/5%, 90/10, 80/20) until he comments or until you've reached the 100% mark then quit putting it in the expensive can and just tell him he's been drinking the "cheap" stuff for X number of days/weeks whatever without noticing.  If he notices in the above 50/50 mix then the switcheroo may not be possible.  But its worth a try.

[Better Late Than Never]

Finally have a day where it is warm enough to turn the heat off and open the doors and windows. It's colder inside than outside, but it feels great to air out the house!

[ShaneD]

* $40 more dollars in online clothing consignment (this time from Twice).
* Washed 6 plastic bags for re-use. Working on a homemade contraption to make drying them easier.

[onwisconsin]

I love Jimmy Cliff!

Saved last of spring mix from wilting. Sorted out bad bits and rinsed rest. Had salad and enough for one tomorrow too.
Ate leftovers, pasta and sauce.
Ate at home.
Thawed pumpkin from last fall to bake with.
Pantry and freezer are getting more spacious as we eat things up.

Onwisconsin - how do you like Thredup?  Do you get cash or credit?  If you get clothes, how do you know they will fit?

I'm opting for the cash (saving up for down payment) but I buy most of my clothes online from Lands End so I'd know what the correct size is at Thredup (they carry that brand).

[onwisconsin]

*sent bag of clothes to ThredUp

*washed towels, line-dried

*did fridge inventory, made calendar to use up all meat before next Costco run

*made batch of sriracha deviled eggs to finish up eggs, had for lunch

*planned next month's dinners in order to save money at Costco

*stopped at Dollar Tree and Big Lots in order to compare prices on "feminine needs" - realized that Amazon Subscribe and Save is a better deal.

*unsubscribed from Netflix DVDs and Netflix streaming (checked and saw our library has the TV series we like to watch); unsubscribed from Audible (library also has downloadable audio books)

*unsubscribed from 4 magazines:  all they do is make me want to spend money

*began sensitive diplomatic conversation with DH about switching from pricey Starbucks French Roast (from Costco) to Folgers (we're retiring in a year and are in hard-core savings mode).  I don't think I'm going to win this one.

That is quite a change in coffee quality.  Do you have a Woodman's close by?  Check out the 8 O'clock coffee brand.  I believe they have a French Roast and have great prices, especially if you can stock up when they have deals.

Thanks for the reminder of 8 o'clock - we've had it and liked it.  Also like LakeMom's idea too :)

[Cookie78]

Figured out a dish to bake with zucchini and spinach that were getting close to expiring. Will work for lunches for the week.
Walked to my meeting today.
Cereal for lunch to use up milk that has 2 more days before it goes bad.

[lunahsol]

*  went for a long, long walk this morning for exercise (instead of driving to free gym)
*  found one penny on the ground during my walk :)
*  freezing questionable produce so it will last a bit longer
*  watching free videos on youtube while cleaning the house and doing meal prep for the week

[RetiredAt63]

What a shame!  I have kept my Ottawa library membership as a non-resident, and I can take out anything - books, CDs, DVDs, e-books, kill-a-watts.  And do.  It is $50/year, but saves me a bundle in money I would otherwise have to spend - even buying second-hand at our local used book store can get expensive.

This all makes up for going to sign up for a non-resident's card at the library where my current contract is, on the understanding that I could use their amazing e-book and e-movie services. Paid the fee and then found out they are changing the license to city residents' only. They refunded the fee, but I was very sad.

[Melody]

*sent bag of clothes to ThredUp

*washed towels, line-dried

*did fridge inventory, made calendar to use up all meat before next Costco run

*made batch of sriracha deviled eggs to finish up eggs, had for lunch

*planned next month's dinners in order to save money at Costco

*stopped at Dollar Tree and Big Lots in order to compare prices on "feminine needs" - realized that Amazon Subscribe and Save is a better deal.

*unsubscribed from Netflix DVDs and Netflix streaming (checked and saw our library has the TV series we like to watch); unsubscribed from Audible (library also has downloadable audio books)

*unsubscribed from 4 magazines:  all they do is make me want to spend money

*began sensitive diplomatic conversation with DH about switching from pricey Starbucks French Roast (from Costco) to Folgers (we're retiring in a year and are in hard-core savings mode).  I don't think I'm going to win this one.

If you have Ikea near you I can fully recommended their home brand coffee. Here in Australia it's $4 for a 250g packet (about half the price of a decent brand and equal to the cheapest crappiest supemarket brands) and its great! Everyone I serve it to who visits comments how great it is!
Of course not everyone has a convenient Ikea, but if you do its great. You need to grind it yourself, I got the grinder super cheap at Kmart. It only has one setting but does the trick.

[Better Late Than Never]

- We had warmer weather again today. I was able to turn the heat off and open the doors and windows to warm up the house.
- Signed up for automatic checking withdrawal for my sewer bill. I would have liked to do an online credit card payment to earn cc rewards, but there is a $4.50 fee for cc payments, so ACH it is. Savings - 4 stamps and 4 envelopes per year - about $2
- Received a free travel size body wash in the mail.

[11ducks]

Went to look for new running shoes to transition into for an upcoming race - had put aside $50 to pay for this (cheaper shoes are awful on my knees for longer races) - visited the clearance rack, no luck, found a pair at Target for $40 (decent), popped back past the clearance on the way out, and at the back, spotted a pair - hideous colour (why are womens running shoes always pink and purple?) - but reduced from $50 to $25, with 25% discount on top - total cost of $18.75! Used $17 I had left on a gift card, paid $1.75 total! Saved $21.25 just by looking around. 

[mabinogi]

1) Called my insurance company (State Farm) and increased my comprehensive and collision deductibles to $500, which will save us about $10/month. I also added roadside assistance on our primary vehicle for virtually no cost - with two little kids, this will be worth the peace of mind.
2) I packed up a bag of my clothes and shipped it off to ThredUp for resale. This is the first time I've tried this, so I don't know how much to expect, but undoubtedly it will be more than I'd get by giving them to the thrift store!

[wordnerd]

Got reimbursed for parking at an in-town work conference, which I've never done before. It seemed petty or not worth the effort before, but it was very easy and saved me $13.