Author Topic: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?  (Read 8020600 times)

Rural

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #3950 on: July 30, 2015, 04:54:36 PM »
For lunch I ate what I jokingly call "kickback food" provided by a textbook rep (to whom I genuinely did need to talk and who represents a company that's selling our students everything they need for a course for $35, so relatively guilt-free).


Then I brought home extra kickback food and added some stuff from the garden for chef salads for supper - fed both of us.

mustachepungoeshere

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #3951 on: July 30, 2015, 05:14:16 PM »
About to use up another lip balm (I usually have a couple on the go, one in my bag, one in my coat pocket, one in the bathroom, etc).

It's wound up all the way but there is still product left in the cavity. So I use my pinkie (and later a cotton bud) to scoop it out and apply it.

I can keep each lip balm going for another week by doing this.

I do something similar with lotion.  I have a bottle on my night stand, in my office desk and next to the recliner.  When the level is too low for the pump, I cut the bottle in half and use the remnants.  It lasts for at least another week.

My mum does that!

mustachepungoeshere

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #3952 on: July 30, 2015, 05:24:06 PM »
Received estimates for our tax refunds yesterday: $5500 all up. (Please, don't jump on me for 'overpaying' tax. The Australian system is different, plus my husband and I have a lot of work-related deductions.)

And our updated HECS (government student loans) balances show we've paid off more than $5000 in the last financial year through compulsory payments, so I was able to update our balance sheet.

Had $150 worth of stuff in an online cart. Deleted everything except the $18 item my mum had requested and paid for, and which was the only reason I was on the site.

My husband found out he can lower his motorbike insurance if he takes an advanced rider training course, so he requested that for Christmas.

And I've been reading all the eat your pantry/zero waste/cut your grocery budget threads. When we got married our weekly grocery maximum was $100. Now it's become the minimum. At first that was okay, because we were saving money in other areas and it was kinda nice not to have to pinch pennies while buying food. But I'm simply buying too much, so that's the next thing in my sights.

ArcadeStache

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What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #3953 on: July 30, 2015, 05:30:03 PM »
Sold my bbq smoker I never use on Craigslist for $225. I also spent $5 on Taco Bell, but hey, still $220 ahead!

Oh, and I have been bringing my lunch all week.

a1smith

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #3954 on: July 30, 2015, 07:02:55 PM »
The auto insurance company decided to do price optimization.  They raised my policy 9.7%  One day later, I switched.  Overall savings, about $230/yr on auto and home.  And if the new insurance company does price optimization I'll switch again.  Not bad for sending one email!

pbkmaine

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #3955 on: July 30, 2015, 07:52:43 PM »
I needed T-shirts for yoga class. Found two huge racks of Ts at Goodwill priced at $2.17. Bought 4, brought them home and washed them. You know you're Mustachian when you walk into Walmart, look at the clothes and say: "Too expensive!"

Ysera

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #3956 on: July 31, 2015, 01:45:51 AM »
I needed T-shirts for yoga class. Found two huge racks of Ts at Goodwill priced at $2.17. Bought 4, brought them home and washed them. You know you're Mustachian when you walk into Walmart, look at the clothes and say: "Too expensive!"
Lol! I am with you there!

I made a foray to Value Village today and found a lot of nice household items in great shape for super cheap. I found a real Pyrex casserole glass dish with its top (not made of the explode-y new materials they use), a bread pan, a scale, and a computer lap desk. I also found a pair of shoes I really wanted, some Keen's brand Mary Janes that were exactly my size and nearly new, but they wanted $40 for them. Better than retail, but still far to much for second hand shoes. Then I noticed that a metal prong was missing from one of the buckles (is that why they got donated?), so I asked for a discount and they gave me half off! I am convinced I can make a tiny replacement prong out of a piece of paperclip or some wire. Now I have a super comfortable pair of nice shoes I can wear to my new office job next week. I will probably need to make another thrift run for more office wear once I get a sense of what the unofficial dress code is. Plus I have a ton of stuff to donate.

MountainGal

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #3957 on: July 31, 2015, 01:00:10 PM »
About to use up another lip balm (I usually have a couple on the go, one in my bag, one in my coat pocket, one in the bathroom, etc).

It's wound up all the way but there is still product left in the cavity. So I use my pinkie (and later a cotton bud) to scoop it out and apply it.

I can keep each lip balm going for another week by doing this.

I do something similar with lotion.  I have a bottle on my night stand, in my office desk and next to the recliner.  When the level is too low for the pump, I cut the bottle in half and use the remnants.  It lasts for at least another week.

My mum does that!

<<high fives>> Right on!  :D

acepedro45

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #3958 on: July 31, 2015, 04:28:14 PM »
I jumped on the Amtrak train just before it left the station. I decided because it's Friday I would buy an overpriced beer for the ride home.

As I walked up to the bar, the bartender snarls, "We're closed. I made the announcement five minutes ago."

#Blessed, because she was rude enough that I decided the train shouldn't get my money.

Seriously, she is a monster. We just pulled into the next station and she's yelling "Leave, leave!" at those who have the temerity to congregate at the bar.

Justin1911

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #3959 on: August 01, 2015, 01:42:28 AM »
Today we did final preparation for my wedding that is tomorrow. Instead of paying for a DJ, I bought a bluetooth speaker for $230 and built a free playlist on my phone. The rehearsal was tonight and all the music was perfect. Not only did we save on the DJ cost (the ones we looked at quoted us closer to $600 for the event), but I also gained an awesome outdoor speaker that I can keep for future use or sell to recoup a lot of the money spent. The Speaker is a Klipsch KMC-3 if anyone cares to know. It performed amazingly well in both the outdoor and indoor settings I needed it for. The people at the rehearsal were shocked by how much bang for the buck we were getting from that little guy.

Also, my bride and I bought all the food and she prepared everything herself (along with some help from family) and we are borrowing all the kitchen and serving equipment from my church for free. The savings we are getting my not using a catering service is over $2500. We are also using a free venue thanks to a nice family home in the country, another savings of at least $1000.

Total cost of the wedding is barely $4000 for us because we did so much of the work in house. We think that's pretty darn good considering what some people pay to host over 100 people for a ceremony, full sit-down dinner, desserts, drinks, games, party favors, tuxedos, dress, etc.

G-dog

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #3960 on: August 01, 2015, 06:15:11 AM »
Today we did final preparation for my wedding that is tomorrow. Instead of paying for a DJ, I bought a bluetooth speaker for $230 and built a free playlist on my phone. The rehearsal was tonight and all the music was perfect. Not only did we save on the DJ cost (the ones we looked at quoted us closer to $600 for the event), but I also gained an awesome outdoor speaker that I can keep for future use or sell to recoup a lot of the money spent. The Speaker is a Klipsch KMC-3 if anyone cares to know. It performed amazingly well in both the outdoor and indoor settings I needed it for. The people at the rehearsal were shocked by how much bang for the buck we were getting from that little guy.

Also, my bride and I bought all the food and she prepared everything herself (along with some help from family) and we are borrowing all the kitchen and serving equipment from my church for free. The savings we are getting my not using a catering service is over $2500. We are also using a free venue thanks to a nice family home in the country, another savings of at least $1000.

Total cost of the wedding is barely $4000 for us because we did so much of the work in house. We think that's pretty darn good considering what some people pay to host over 100 people for a ceremony, full sit-down dinner, desserts, drinks, games, party favors, tuxedos, dress, etc.

Dude, this may not be the right thread - this is "what SMALL things....". These seem pretty big to me! 😃

Congratulations!

Mrs.LC

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #3961 on: August 01, 2015, 09:07:03 AM »
Spent the day yesterday at the court house on jury duty. Deliberations lasted well into the evening so the court ordered pizza for the staff and jurors so I saved on the cost of supper. It was the first time I had takeout pizza in years and I now remember why I make homemade pizza. Yuck!

bsmith

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #3962 on: August 01, 2015, 09:33:41 AM »
Shaved the dog for the first time today. It went well, except for the legs. Didn't try the head.

Electricity company is giving a 5% discount if you reduced your consumption by 10% yesterday between 3 and 7 pm. Hard to do, since we keep the house at 86, but we turned it up to 87, turned off fans, unplugged laptops, and left for a while. We'll see.

Basenji

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #3963 on: August 01, 2015, 09:36:05 AM »
Today we did final preparation for my wedding that is tomorrow. [...]

Total cost of the wedding is barely $4000 for us because we did so much of the work in house. We think that's pretty darn good considering what some people pay to host over 100 people for a ceremony, full sit-down dinner, desserts, drinks, games, party favors, tuxedos, dress, etc.

Amazing and congrats.

aperture

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #3964 on: August 01, 2015, 03:44:37 PM »
Bought a 25 lb ssac of pinto beans and started soaking a pound.

RobinAZ

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #3965 on: August 01, 2015, 11:07:31 PM »
Hired an HVAC company through Home Depot to replace our AC/heater which was almost 20 years old and died.  Middle of AZ summer :-). Also contracted with them to add insulation to the attic (when we bought the house, the inspector said we were down 60%). 

They installed the AC, which is ice cold, and our electric usage is down 15% from last year.  But the never came back to do the insulation.  I have called repeatedly, it has been a month... So today, I drove over to Home Depot, priced the DIY option for the insulation ($325 for materials and blower), and then got the HD manager to call the approved HD contractor to immediately refund the ... $1358 they were charging.  $1358!!!!!

1. Turns out they are NOT authorized by Home Depot to do insulation;
2. This Mustachian stuff must be wearing off because Intold my husband "Screw that, we can learn how to do it ourselves on YouTube!!"

So, we are saving $1000!! I am so excited!!! 

Dee18

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #3966 on: August 01, 2015, 11:32:41 PM »
When I returned a rental car today I mentioned to the check in guy that the upholstery on all the seats was really dirty, below the company's usual standards, but I hadn't noticed it when first getting the car because it was in the dark parking garage.  He took a look and asked me to give him my receipt back, whereupon he said he was taking $60 off the bill and issued me a new receipt.

lemanfan

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #3967 on: August 02, 2015, 02:11:54 AM »
I tried out a tip and loved it: I tried using hair conditioner (dollar store) instead of shaving cream for shaving my legs. It works like a dream, and now I have a use for all those bottles of conditioner that were going unused!!

A friend swears by using olive oil instead of shaving cream.  Although, he's a man and its for his face not legs.  Might work fore someone though.

Didn't work for me - clogged up my razors. :)

DrSweden

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #3968 on: August 02, 2015, 04:23:51 AM »
Decided to switch from contactlensen discarded each day to the kind you keep för 30 days. It will save me about 400 $ ear year.

I am also looking into the possibility of cutting my own hair. My very frugal father have been doing this for the last 10 years.

worms

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #3969 on: August 02, 2015, 05:06:48 AM »
I tried out a tip and loved it: I tried using hair conditioner (dollar store) instead of shaving cream for shaving my legs. It works like a dream, and now I have a use for all those bottles of conditioner that were going unused!!

A friend swears by using olive oil instead of shaving cream.  Although, he's a man and its for his face not legs.  Might work fore someone though.

Didn't work for me - clogged up my razors. :)

Around here, cheap supermarket shaving foam is £0.40 for a 250ml can, while cheapest olive oil is £3.45 for a litre...

Tyson

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #3970 on: August 02, 2015, 04:41:31 PM »
Shaving cartridges are ridiculous!  I ended up getting one of the vibrating Mach 5 razors for sensitive skin.  About the same prices as the other Mach 5 stuff, but I find I can get 15 or so shaves from each cartridge instead of just 3 or 4 with most others.  Plus the last time my parents were in town I was out of work and they bought me like a year's supply.  So technically it was free.

mustachepungoeshere

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #3971 on: August 02, 2015, 05:48:01 PM »
As of August 1, my husband and I are 'counting every dollar' this month.

It's been a while since we've done this so it will be good to see if we can identify a few spending areas where we can improve.

This morning, made breakfast, packed lunches (with a cold brick for my husband because he's not going straight into the office. In the past he might have used that as excuse to buy lunch), pegged out a load of washing, skipped ironing my dress... that's frugal, right? I saved all that electricity... :)

serpentstooth

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #3972 on: August 02, 2015, 07:12:21 PM »
Shaving cartridges are ridiculous!  I ended up getting one of the vibrating Mach 5 razors for sensitive skin.  About the same prices as the other Mach 5 stuff, but I find I can get 15 or so shaves from each cartridge instead of just 3 or 4 with most others.  Plus the last time my parents were in town I was out of work and they bought me like a year's supply.  So technically it was free.

Do you know about Dorco? They're great and much cheaper.

1967mama

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #3973 on: August 02, 2015, 08:05:23 PM »
+1 for Dorco razors!

Husband and I have made the switch. Just ordered myself some new cartridges today. My husband has a heavy beard, and he gets over a month of shaves from one blade! Amazing!

http://www.dorcousa.com

bsmith

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #3974 on: August 02, 2015, 08:16:55 PM »
In the past few months we've cut the grocery bill for the two of us down from $650 a month to $350. I've been whittling away at it, and yesterday I only spent $62 for the week's groceries. I used $13.25 of coupons for stuff we would have bought anyway.

(I facepunch myself for never budgeting or even trying to spend less on groceries before this, though. What a waste.)

1967mama

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #3975 on: August 02, 2015, 08:23:46 PM »
*Made a gluten free friend some easy fudge for a birthday cake as a surprise ... melt 3 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips, 1 can sweetened condensed milk, pinch of salt, stir in 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla when melted, and pour into a lined 8x8 pan. Easy peasy! Its hot out and I'm recovering surgery so this is all I could muster, but I think the surprise will still be worth it!

*Turned back the a/c now that I'm feeling more comfortable post-op

*Enjoying food brought by kind family members and then will switch to eating food I prepared in advance in the freezer


Threshkin

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #3976 on: August 04, 2015, 01:46:37 PM »
I tried out a tip and loved it: I tried using hair conditioner (dollar store) instead of shaving cream for shaving my legs. It works like a dream, and now I have a use for all those bottles of conditioner that were going unused!!

A friend swears by using olive oil instead of shaving cream.  Although, he's a man and its for his face not legs.  Might work fore someone though.

Didn't work for me - clogged up my razors. :)

I use (homemade) soap.  Works just fine and i get cleaner in the process.

I'm a red panda

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #3977 on: August 04, 2015, 01:59:49 PM »
Sanded and stained our deck instead of hiring someone to do it.

Doesn't look quite as good as "the Joneses" deck next door, but we are pretty pleased.

Bettis

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #3978 on: August 04, 2015, 02:15:24 PM »
I have to do an overnight tour tonight that is closer to my work than my house so after I get out of here, I'm going to attempt to sleep in my car for a few hours instead of driving 30 miles home to drive 60 miles back and forth just a few hours later.  I can still get reimbursed if I don't tell them since they don't know how crazy I am :)  Then I can work from home tomorrow and save another 60 miles roundtrip.

Rural

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #3979 on: August 04, 2015, 07:16:52 PM »
Finally sewed the missing buttons back onto two shirts of mine that my wardrobe has been sorely missing.


Also figured out how to patch a frayed area near the waistband of a pair of my husband's cargo pants - it will involve a piece of an iron-on jeans patch cut from a larger pice that has already been partially used to fix something else. It's blue and the pants are brown, so it's going on the inside.

1967mama

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #3980 on: August 04, 2015, 09:38:23 PM »
*Big shop at Costco

*Using no-poo or sham-free for hair washing. Works wonderfully! I mix 1 Tablespoon of baking soda with 1 cup of water. For the rinse, its 1 cup of water and 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar. That much will last several washes. My hair is looking the same as when I was using shampoo (fancy and cheap--no difference to me) TMI: Scalp health much improved.

*Made 2 loaves of cinnamon raisin bread in the bread machine, set out on the front porch to keep the heat out of the kitchen

*Kids using up movie passes they received as Christmas gifts

*Working our way through the chickens from the farmer. One per week will last me the year. Using up this spring's side of beef before October beef arrives (large family)

*Kids are at the beach swimming with their big sister = free

*Feeling much more like myself after surgery last week and feel excited to dive back into Radical Homemaking! (Hat tip to The Goblin Chief for this book recommendation!)

homehandymum

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #3981 on: August 05, 2015, 01:07:53 AM »
Glad to hear your surgery went well, 1967mama!

1967mama

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #3982 on: August 05, 2015, 01:40:34 AM »
Thanks, homehandymum! nice to feel like a mama again and not a patient! :-)

Moonwaves

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #3983 on: August 05, 2015, 03:00:52 AM »
I was sick on Sunday and still not great on Monday so didn't cook the planned veggie curry. To be honest still wasn't feeling hungry at all yesterday but I invited someone over and dragged myself into the kitchen, hoping that everything would still be okay. And it was. So pleased I put everything into proper Tupperware containers as soon as I got my delivery last Thursday. Even the chard was still fine, as were the kohlrabi leaves that I'd taken off the kohlrabi. So one giant pot of curry made using a quarter of the biggest onion I've ever seen, the last couple of tomatoes, one courgette, chard, half a kohlrabi plus its leaves, a tin of chickpeas and coconut milk along with various spicy bits and pieces to make it into a curry. And a really delicious one, even if I couldn't really do it justice. Have to laugh that the friend who came over had misread my message and thought I'd be having chicken curry (not chickpea curry) - he went off out to the supermarket to buy some chicken and cooked that separately for himself. Didn't even have any of my lovely Thai curry to go with it, just made up some chip-shop curry from the powder I keep on hand for, ahem, emergencies.

Spruit

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #3984 on: August 05, 2015, 03:08:58 PM »
Spendy day today, but at least I reigned it in a bit. BF went to shop for a new tent, but couldn't make up his mind. When he noticed that the store was about to close, he felt somewhat pressured and was about to buy "the next best" tent just to be done with it. I intervened and we shopped online later, found a much better suited tent, better quality for a decent price. Luckily I had a coupon in my mail somewhere and BF got a bonus for signing up for the newsletter. Few tens saved. Still couple of hundreds spent, though. Can't win 'em all, I guess :-/

1967mama

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #3985 on: August 05, 2015, 03:46:42 PM »
*Successfully converted husband to no-poo/sham-free method of hair washing! yay! He says his hair and scalp feel great and the water/baking soda combo was very soothing.

*Quiet day at home with no spending and minimal electricity usage - reading library books, researching a possible one night road trip for next week, eating salad, drinking water


HappierAtHome

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #3986 on: August 05, 2015, 08:15:50 PM »
*Successfully converted husband to no-poo/sham-free method of hair washing! yay! He says his hair and scalp feel great and the water/baking soda combo was very soothing.

I want to switch to this method - did you find the transition period difficult? I'm worried about having to put up with greasy hair for a few weeks while it gets used to not having commercial shampoo.

Bracken_Joy

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #3987 on: August 05, 2015, 09:53:37 PM »
*Successfully converted husband to no-poo/sham-free method of hair washing! yay! He says his hair and scalp feel great and the water/baking soda combo was very soothing.

I want to switch to this method - did you find the transition period difficult? I'm worried about having to put up with greasy hair for a few weeks while it gets used to not having commercial shampoo.

So, chiming in with curly hair- lots of hair, but each strand is thin. I found baking soda mixes far too abrasive. What works for me is "Cowashing", basically, just washing with a special conditioner. Still quite cheap and I avoided the adjustment period. Boar bristle brushed help spread the oil as you adjust, too. Be sure you "strip" the hair if you use silicone-based product. Basically, only silicone containing shampoo will get out a silicone styling product (that whole "like dissolves like" thing in chemistry essentially) so be mindful of what you so to your hair OTHER than washing, because that will determine how well it all works!

Wishing you the best. I'm going on 3 years now and my hair is the least frizzy its ever been (lots less breakage). And cheap to boot!

mustachepungoeshere

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #3988 on: August 05, 2015, 09:59:21 PM »
A family member asked for my assistance in putting together a photo book. I saved them $25 by finding a site with a sale.

My husband and I sometimes commute together (down, attack dogs, down! Work car, work fuel) and we had been getting a bit slack about downloading podcasts on wifi before leaving home, therefore chewing up phone data.

So this week I'm downloading a bunch of free podcasts that we can listen to in the car.

I also feel a lot happier of a morning if we listen to something we've chosen and are interested in, rather than the same 10 minutes headlines repeated for an hour and a half.

1967mama

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #3989 on: August 05, 2015, 11:54:54 PM »
*Successfully converted husband to no-poo/sham-free method of hair washing! yay! He says his hair and scalp feel great and the water/baking soda combo was very soothing.

I want to switch to this method - did you find the transition period difficult? I'm worried about having to put up with greasy hair for a few weeks while it gets used to not having commercial shampoo.

Not at all! For me and my husband, the day we started, our hair looked the same as the day before. I'm finding now (after a few weeks of this) that I can go an extra day between washing. And my hair looks and feels nice.  I did this for 6 months straight, 2 years ago and stopped when life got in the way, but I'm so glad I've come back to it. Taps into my Mustachian sensibilities, too <wink>.

As BrackenJoy mentioned, how well it works also depends on what other products you use in your hair. In our case, my husband uses no products and I use a tiny amount of water soluble gel on my curls. YMMV.

Good luck, and let us know how your experimentation turns out, HappierAtHome! The worst thing that could happen is you don't like the results and will have wasted 1 tablespoon of baking soda! haha! Maybe try on a weekend or something where you can hunker down at home if you get the greasy look for a while??

Moonwaves

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #3990 on: August 06, 2015, 02:20:03 AM »
*Successfully converted husband to no-poo/sham-free method of hair washing! yay! He says his hair and scalp feel great and the water/baking soda combo was very soothing.

I want to switch to this method - did you find the transition period difficult? I'm worried about having to put up with greasy hair for a few weeks while it gets used to not having commercial shampoo.

Not at all! For me and my husband, the day we started, our hair looked the same as the day before. I'm finding now (after a few weeks of this) that I can go an extra day between washing. And my hair looks and feels nice.  I did this for 6 months straight, 2 years ago and stopped when life got in the way, but I'm so glad I've come back to it. Taps into my Mustachian sensibilities, too <wink>.

As BrackenJoy mentioned, how well it works also depends on what other products you use in your hair. In our case, my husband uses no products and I use a tiny amount of water soluble gel on my curls. YMMV.

Good luck, and let us know how your experimentation turns out, HappierAtHome! The worst thing that could happen is you don't like the results and will have wasted 1 tablespoon of baking soda! haha! Maybe try on a weekend or something where you can hunker down at home if you get the greasy look for a while??
And if you do get greasy, oatmeal is the nicest way to deal with it. Just rub dry oatmeal into your scalp (and hair if necessary). It absorbs the grease and leaves a lovely smell, similar to lots of shampoos, except natural. :)  Just brush it out when you're done. Don't try and wash it out 'cos then you'll end up with porridge in your hair. :D   

dorothyc

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #3991 on: August 06, 2015, 06:04:56 PM »
*Successfully converted husband to no-poo/sham-free method of hair washing! yay! He says his hair and scalp feel great and the water/baking soda combo was very soothing.

I want to switch to this method - did you find the transition period difficult? I'm worried about having to put up with greasy hair for a few weeks while it gets used to not having commercial shampoo.

Not at all! For me and my husband, the day we started, our hair looked the same as the day before. I'm finding now (after a few weeks of this) that I can go an extra day between washing. And my hair looks and feels nice.  I did this for 6 months straight, 2 years ago and stopped when life got in the way, but I'm so glad I've come back to it. Taps into my Mustachian sensibilities, too <wink>.

As BrackenJoy mentioned, how well it works also depends on what other products you use in your hair. In our case, my husband uses no products and I use a tiny amount of water soluble gel on my curls. YMMV.

Good luck, and let us know how your experimentation turns out, HappierAtHome! The worst thing that could happen is you don't like the results and will have wasted 1 tablespoon of baking soda! haha! Maybe try on a weekend or something where you can hunker down at home if you get the greasy look for a while??
And if you do get greasy, oatmeal is the nicest way to deal with it. Just rub dry oatmeal into your scalp (and hair if necessary). It absorbs the grease and leaves a lovely smell, similar to lots of shampoos, except natural. :)  Just brush it out when you're done. Don't try and wash it out 'cos then you'll end up with porridge in your hair. :D

For dark hair you can also use a little bit of  bittersweet (sugar free) cocoa as a dry shampoo if necessary. Just use it as Moonwaves said.

2ndTimer

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #3992 on: August 06, 2015, 06:58:17 PM »
Skipped the Chinese restaurant on the way home.  Made hot and sour ramen instead.  Cha Ching!

jengod

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #3993 on: August 06, 2015, 07:45:10 PM »
Wrapping my nephew's birthday presents in biodegradable reused materials: brown-paper grocery bags, jute twine and clippings of herb from the garden including incense bush and lemon verbena.

There's nothing eight-year-old boys like than the ecological stylings of the Martha Stewart crowd. Ahem.

1967mama

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #3994 on: August 07, 2015, 01:25:03 AM »
*Hung a load of towels to dry

*A lovely friend brought me a post-surgery meal for the family - a shepherd's pie, fruit crisp and carrot muffins for snacks for the kids! It was a total surprise since she lives an hour away

*Used up 3 day old noodles for lunch for the kids with some red sauce and parmesan

*Reading a book I bought (shhh!) as if its a textbook and I'm taking a course. Using a highlighter pen to memorize/internalize salient points and jotting things down on inside of back cover. Its The Primal Blueprint by Mark Sisson (the marksdailyapple.com guy) - Ive lost 11 lbs which is a modern day miracle! haha  -- this isn't really a way I saved money today, but it feels like at least I'm wringing the most information out of the book that I can for the $$ I spent :-/




« Last Edit: August 19, 2015, 07:07:55 PM by 1967mama »

Moonwaves

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #3995 on: August 07, 2015, 02:25:54 AM »
I had to call into the supermarket yesterday to get the last two ingredients to make a curry in a hurry paste - they had neither and so I just left without buying anything, not a frozen pizza, not crisps, not chocolate, nothing. That definitely felt like a victory. Will head to the Turkish supermarket after work and should be able to get what I need there. Was doubly glad I hadn't fallen for the lure of an easily prepared but really not that tasty frozen pizza when I was at home because while chatting to my sister on the phone I remembered I still had leftover kidney bean, carrot and cumin burgers in the fridge. Heated them up and had them in a small wrap stuffed with lettuce and topped with some grated cheese. Sooo good and just what I needed.

I also transferred data into my spending spreadsheet - ten days and counting. It's such an important thing to do and I've been very lax about it for the last year or so.

Bracken_Joy

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #3996 on: August 07, 2015, 10:20:30 AM »
My buy nothing group came through- again! We set up our home gym, but we live in a... well, slightly rough area. We built a stand for our weights, and wanted a bike lock to run through the centers and secure them to the stand. Not a foolproof system, but enough to deter petty opportunistic stuff, which is the main problem around here. The problem being- no bike lock! So I posted on the group and lo and behold, a neighbor kindly offered me their spare bike chain, thus saving me an $8 amazon purchase. Thanks kind neighbor!

CommonCents

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #3997 on: August 07, 2015, 12:23:35 PM »
Yesterday my new eye doctor offered me the opportunity to use a new machine rather than the old eye dilator drops.  He pointed out I could go back to work right away, rather than waiting 2-3 hours.  Knowing the worst would be initially afterwards, I planned to have lunch with my husband afterwards who is on the same floor as the eye doctor, and then I'd handle as needed with meetings rather than computer work if needed.  It would cost $35 though, so I declined.  He then offered to me for free (claimed "because my husband works in the building").  I'm guessing he has an expensive machine he tries to get people to pay for, but prefers to use even if they don't (ease, better information, etc.)

$35 saved!  I then promptly spent $13 on a plasma coating for my new hard contacts that he recommended.  I believe in paying where the difference is warranted and saving where it's just convenience.

SwedishChef

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #3998 on: August 07, 2015, 05:58:52 PM »
Finally ditched our Verizon contract and account permanently! Got a new job recently, and work gives us phones, offering to port our personal numbers over, plus assume any remaining months of our contracts. Read: free phone!

My husband switched to Republic Wireless recently too (and loves it!), so our monthly phone bill dropped from $114 to $28 -- a $1000 a year savings. A no-brainer!

Bracken_Joy

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #3999 on: August 07, 2015, 06:34:34 PM »
I'm eating leftover rice for dinner! That definitely counts as "small", but I used to throw away any extra rice. I saved it though last night and now we're eating it tonight. Any tips for re-hydrating/re-heating rice? It's basmati.