What small things did you do TODAY to save money?

[Shinplaster]

Took home potato peelings from dinner at a friend's house tonight. We will roast them in the oven with some salt & oil. Yum! Saves a bit of food waste going to the compost heap.

I've done this! (the roasting the peels part, not taking from a friend's house part)

It's delicious. I usually cook with the peels on, but for certain recipes I peel the potato. I don't like throwing it away so I make some roasted potato skins that are like having potato chips. You can do the same with squash, sweet potato, other peels.

I'll be eyeing skins at friends houses now that you've given the suggestion. ;-)

Why have I never thought of this?  My family doesn't like skins in their mashed potatoes, so I have been pitching the peels in the composter.  I will be roasting them from now on.  Thanks!

[lakemom]

Took home potato peelings from dinner at a friend's house tonight. We will roast them in the oven with some salt & oil. Yum! Saves a bit of food waste going to the compost heap.

Recipe?  This sounds good and I waste a lot of skins since one of my kids won't eat mashed with skins and discards them from baked or boiled too.

[1967mama]

You can also make a delicious treat out of apple peels when you're making apple sauce. Wash your apples before you start, then keep the cores and bad bits separate from tasty looking skins. Butter a cookie sheet, toss the peels with cinnamon sugar. Bake at 350 till a bit dried out. Sweet treat with something you were going to throw out.

[Astatine]

Wow! So much love for potato skin crisps. :)

It was easy to ask for the potato skins because a) they're very good friends and they know I don't like to waste stuff and b) DH was on potato peeling duty so he asked if he could keep them and then just peeled them into a clean plastic bag to bring home with us.

Took home potato peelings from dinner at a friend's house tonight. We will roast them in the oven with some salt & oil. Yum! Saves a bit of food waste going to the compost heap.

Recipe?  This sounds good and I waste a lot of skins since one of my kids won't eat mashed with skins and discards them from baked or boiled too.

We don't have a recipe as such but I asked DH what he did last time he cooked them (I haven't cooked them for a while).

Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius (we think this is the temperature - our oven is old and we've never checked the temperature is what it says it is).

Coat the potato skins with vegetable oil. We use canola oil - olive oil doesn't work so well for this. Lay flat on an oven tray as a single layer (we put down a silicone sheet on the oven tray but you could use baking paper instead). Sprinkle with a bit of salt.

Roast in the oven for 10-15 minutes (maybe longer?). But you need to keep a close eye on them because they can burn pretty quickly. They're done when they start to brown and look crisp.

Edit: according to google, 200C = 390F.

[mustachepungoeshere]

Picked up a free 2016 calendar from a local business. It's exactly the type I like with attractive-enough pictures to hang up the calendar in its usual spot near the kitchen, and minimal advertising. I'm a bit of a Luddite with tracking appts, invitations etc so everything goes on the calendar. Otherwise we forget. Electronic scheduling only works for me at work for some reason.

Anyway, saved somewhere between $2 and $20 on a calendar for next year.

Combined online sales with a rewards program to save $60 and score 1000 Frequent Flyer points on Christmas shopping.

Forgot to say, love your username. (except often I read it as mustache pung oes here)

Good work on the calendar. Last year my mother-in-law bought her 2015 calendar from an art gallery in Paris only to get it home and discover it didn't have boxes for writing. She got a freebie business calendar, cut off the pages and stapled them month by month to the art calendar. It sort of ruined the effect of the beautiful calendar but was effective. :D

Aaaaand now I can't unsee pung... :D

[mustachepungoeshere]

I've continued to buy medication, toiletries, and some household items (dishwasher tablets), etc from an online discount chemist.

They offer free delivery for orders over $99 so a couple of times a year my mum gives me her list, I order it with my stuff and have it all sent to her house, she is happy to store my spare boxes of soap and bottles of shampoo, etc, in my childhood bedroom, I just pick up what I need when we visit, and we both save a heap of money.

[horsepoor]

Made sriracha from scratch, canned tomato jam, and am just finishing up processing about 50# of homegrown sweet potatoes.  7 quarts canned, a bunch blanched and frozen as steak fries, more as has browns, and the last random bits will be dried for dog treats (I think I read that tip right here on this forum).  Also drying peppers to make into chile powder and filled jars with some herbs that have been drying on the windowsill.

Wasting no time selling off gear that fit the horse I just sold, since my new horse is way bigger and thus fits in my old guy's stuff for the most part.

[Astatine]

Picked up a free 2016 calendar from a local business. It's exactly the type I like with attractive-enough pictures to hang up the calendar in its usual spot near the kitchen, and minimal advertising. I'm a bit of a Luddite with tracking appts, invitations etc so everything goes on the calendar. Otherwise we forget. Electronic scheduling only works for me at work for some reason.

Anyway, saved somewhere between $2 and $20 on a calendar for next year.

Combined online sales with a rewards program to save $60 and score 1000 Frequent Flyer points on Christmas shopping.

Forgot to say, love your username. (except often I read it as mustache pung oes here)

Good work on the calendar. Last year my mother-in-law bought her 2015 calendar from an art gallery in Paris only to get it home and discover it didn't have boxes for writing. She got a freebie business calendar, cut off the pages and stapled them month by month to the art calendar. It sort of ruined the effect of the beautiful calendar but was effective. :D

Luckily the business calendars were unwrapped so we could check the size of the boxes for writing in appts and parties and such. Your MIL was very creative in solving her problem.

Aaaaand now I can't unsee pung... :D

And... my work here is done.

[1967mama]

Aaaaand now I can't unsee pung... :D

And... my work here is done.

Until today, I thought it was pronounced like pung - go - share :-o  Doh!

[Astatine]

Aaaaand now I can't unsee pung... :D

And... my work here is done.

Until today, I thought it was pronounced like pung - go - share :-o  Doh!

Me too, until one time I thought, that doesn't make sense and made myself read it slowly to see what I was missing.

[Spiffsome]

I cut my own hair using instructions from the Internet. So far, two people at work have complimented me on my new haircut.

[1967mama]

Aaaaand now I can't unsee pung... :D

And... my work here is done.

Until today, I thought it was pronounced like pung - go - share :-o  Doh!

Me too, until one time I thought, that doesn't make sense and made myself read it slowly to see what I was missing.

I didn't get that far in my thought processes, but rather figured it was some hip/cool thing that I wasn't in on :-)

[mustachepungoeshere]

Aaaaand now I can't unsee pung... :D

And... my work here is done.

Until today, I thought it was pronounced like pung - go - share :-o  Doh!

Me too, until one time I thought, that doesn't make sense and made myself read it slowly to see what I was missing.

I didn't get that far in my thought processes, but rather figured it was some hip/cool thing that I wasn't in on :-)

1. This whole exchange is hilarious.

2. Hip/cool? You're giving me far too much credit.

Apologies for inadvertently taking everyone so far off track!

[Kitsune]

Made dinner out of things in the freezer and pantry, which saved both time and money.

I also used youtube tutorials to figure out how to hem 2 jersey dresses (total combined cost at the seamstresses would've been about 40$, with tax, and it took me a half-hour once I figured out the machine, and now I have a new skill!).

[1967mama]

1. Used leftover rice to make a stirfry to go with our chicken tonight.

2. Lots of tea at home.

3. Leftover homemade sausages for breakfast (added eggs).

4. Reading library books this afternoon. Daughter returned a video for me that was one day overdue :-/

5. Went for a brisk walk (with hills) with my husband.

[mustachepungoeshere]

Have to brag about a friend's achievement.

She just messaged me to say her suburb has council clean-up today she she 'shopped' the neighbourhood and dragged home two kitchen stools, a timber desk, a timber change table (she's going to knock the frame off the top and use it for storage), a cross trainer and a scooter. All free.

She won't put it on Facebook (what would people think?) but she messaged me with photos, knowing I would applaud. :)

[Tamster]

I'm learning a lot here - just love this thread!

My big thing today was organizing the gift wrap and using only what I have on hand for Christmas bags, ribbons, and tags. This is huge, as I've always gotten this or that when I've seen something I like. I probably have enough gift wrappings for years.

Turned the heat off (do this every day though) and will reuse the tea bag for another cuppa.

[zephyr911]

Made DW her birthday breakfast with potluck leftovers from Sat night + 3 eggs.
Made our own coffee.
Lunch: frozen leftovers staged here in the office last week.
Dinner: more detritus from the party.
Drove electric.
Total expenses: ~$1

[Bracken_Joy]

Wanted a lazy weekend, so I replayed a video game I already had (Fallout 3). So much fun, felt very novel (I haven't gamed in months), and no additional cost! Using what I already have instead of acquiring more.

[Catbert]

Last two dinners have been "use up the veggies" dishes:

Pizza with spinach (pureed with garlic), eggplant dip, more eggplant and a couple of roasted tomatoes, topped with cheese.  Chopped broccoli salad on the side.

Frititta (sp?) with spinach, cauliflower, onion, zucchini, the rest of the roasted tomatoes and, of course, egg and cheese.

[choppingwood]

I also used youtube tutorials to figure out how to hem 2 jersey dresses (total combined cost at the seamstresses would've been about 40$, with tax, and it took me a half-hour once I figured out the machine, and now I have a new skill!).

Good for you! News skills get bonus mustachian points.

[1967mama]

mary w,

Your pizza with spinach and garlic sounds delicious! Another way I've been using up vegetables is using any of the following:
potatoes, sweet potatoes, mushrooms, onions, cauliflower, bell peppers, zucchini, ??? and tossing them with olive oil on a baking sheet. Then I sprinkle them generously with sea salt, pepper and rosemary.

[jordanread]

mary w,

Your pizza with spinach and garlic sounds delicious! Another way I've been using up vegetables is using any of the following:
potatoes, sweet potatoes, mushrooms, onions, cauliflower, bell peppers, zucchini, ??? and tossing them with olive oil on a baking sheet. Then I sprinkle them generously with sea salt, pepper and rosemary.

Good recipe!!! I actually have the opposite problem: No veggies to use up. I'm not vegetarian at all, but roasted veggies are amazing. And we can cook them easily in bulk. I provide the below picture as evidence.

[1967mama]

Thanks for posting the photo, jordanread! That is exactly what my roasted vegetables look like. They are new to us and so I can't believe I haven't been doing this all these years of cooking. I do 2 huge cookie sheets for my big family and there is never any left. Yum!

Today I made a spaghetti sauce in the crockpot with more vegetables than I've ever put in before. Along with the ground beef and tomato sauce are: onions, minced garlic, red and green bell peppers, mushrooms, spinach, shredded zucchini, fresh basil and lots of spices and seasoning along with 1/2 cup of apple sauce to cut the acidity of the tomatoes.

[Bracken_Joy]

-I used up ALLLL the wasabi in the tube. DH thought I was being "weird", but I didn't have to open the new tube at all today! And here I thought I was "out". Ha!
-Asked about any "pay cash" discounts for Dog's upcoming surgery. Sadly, there were none, but the fact that I ask regularly now is a big step for me.

[jordanread]

Thanks for posting the photo, jordanread! That is exactly what my roasted vegetables look like. They are new to us and so I can't believe I haven't been doing this all these years of cooking. I do 2 huge cookie sheets for my big family and there is never any left. Yum!

It's the only way I could justify the turkey roasting pan!! And holy crap with a bit of balsamic vinegar they are absolutely delicious. Provides an amazing amount of food, very little effort, and it holds enough for a week. I would test it for longer, but see the aforementioned bit about deliciousness. :) And with those roasted veggies, I can't keep them longer than that (cause somebody eats them...).
As far as the actual topic goes, the thing I did was make a purchase that should be used once a year, but I use it at least monthly.

[1967mama]

Good idea to use a roasting pan! Doh ... didn't think of that! Yes, we use balsamic liberally on 1/2 the batches, depending on my mood:-)

[mustachepungoeshere]

Shopped for Melbourne Cup staff party, scanned my loyalty card and earnt points I can exchange for store vouchers.

[4alpacas]

Trimmed my bangs
Packed breakfast, lunch, and snacks
Mailing in a race registration instead of using active.com (saving ~$3.50)

[2ndTimer]

Stopped at the cafeteria today and asked if it was ok to take some hot water to refill my thermos.  It was and I had a lovely second cup of tea.

[Eric222]

Last night I didn't want to make dinner, so I just snacked.  But before I decided to be lazy I checked to make sure I had leftovers for today.  If I hadn't, I would have cooked. 

That is the first time lunch the following day has influenced by thought process the night before.

Yay for small steps!

[horsepoor]

Packed a cooler for an overnight work trip, so I'll be pocketing 100% of my per diem.

[Bracken_Joy]

Carpooling with another mustachian to hike today! Saves on gas. And using my trail pass- so no trailhead fee.

[Eric222]

I bought a bike trailer so that I can bike to the grocery store instead of driving.

I'm going to buy studded bike tires and fenders for my road bike (instead of buying a separate commuter bike) so I can bike in the winter.

[Ceridwen]

- Skipped out of a work team lunch.  Official excuse: I'm sick and not feeling up to it.  The actual reason: I'd rather not spend $20 with tax and tip (sushi).  Eating leftovers instead.

- Made photobooks, calendars and Christmas cards on snapfish yesterday.  Had to rush to meet the deadline of a 50% off coupon code about to expire.  Between that and ebates, I saved $230 and got almost all of our Christmas shopping done.

- Signed up for the yearly subscription program for my train pass.  It was a no-brainer because you get 2 months free by doing this (@ $110 per month) plus the added bonus of not having to line up every month to buy a new pass.

- Borrowed 2 novels from colleagues.

[JLee]

I packed lunch today - finally getting settled enough in my new place/job that it's no longer worth the expense of paying for lunch.

Before we left, roommate said he might start packing a lunch as well. I am contagious! :D

[Catbert]

Made soup last night for dinner:  roasted eggplant (last of my summer garden), onion, garlic, home canned tomatoes, homemade broth, and near the end of cooking green bean leaves. 

 I never would have thought to use green bean leaves until I went to a farmers' market in an immigrant neighborhood.  Most of the sellers grew their produce in their yard or community garden.  Lots of greens I'd never seen before (not just kale and chard).  One woman was selling green bean leaves which I had a mild flavor of, well, green beans.  I have a volunteer green bean plant which is pretty and healthy but with limited beans since green bean season is over.  So I cut it back and used the leaves in my soup.

[mustachepungoeshere]

Took home half a cake and two only-just-opened bottles of wine from yesterday's office party.

I don't drink wine, but my husband enjoys a glass occasionally. Or I can cook with it.

Saved $1.50 on my morning train fare by starting work at 9.30am. Started work at 9.30am because I worked till 9pm last night ... not sure I'm really winning there!

[Gerard]

green bean leaves. 

I had no idea this was a thing! Thanks so much!

Today's things for me: Commuted by bike in the snow for the first time. Packed a big-ass lunch involving chick peas, turkey, and turkey gravy (man, poultry and chick peas go well together... I might start putting chick peas into chicken "noodle" soup). Sipping homemade masala chai. Prepping up some stock.

[Eric222]

I turned my water heater down - guess what it was set at?  The highest setting, of course. :P

[G-dog]

Dinner from the pantry / freezer - broccoli, ham, rice, and cheese casserole.
Should be yummy! I had to make some ingredient substitutions, but it will be fine.

[FIreDrill]

Yesterday I change over our vehicles to studded tires.  I then curb checked and dented a rim which now needs to be replaced.  I guess you win some and lose some.....

Sent from my klte using Tapatalk

[Tamster]

Traded in some old coins and jewelry for cash, which will be used for Christmas.

Packed a picnic lunch to enjoy the gorgeous day outside, it was so relaxing!

Heat was off today, and I did some dinner prepping so it wasn't too time consuming after coming home late (orthodontist appointment for one son, and then picking up from after school club for another).

These are all little things, but I do feel good that no money was spent.

[FIreDrill]

Yesterday I change over our vehicles to studded tires.  I then curb checked and dented a rim which now needs to be replaced.  I guess you win some and lose some.....

Sent from my klte using Tapatalk

Update*

Didn't turn out too bad.  They were able to fix the rim and it was only 20 bucks for the repair.  usually a tire swap is about 70 per vehicle so I still came out on top 120 bucks over the last two days.

[MgoSam]

I fought the urge to get a hoagie and instead went home to eat a homemade buffalo chicken salad.

[Gunny]

Replaced kitchen sink and fixtures myself.  Saved $250 over having Lowes install it. 

[lhamo]

Used a bunch of coupons at Fred Meyer and stocked up on pasta (.69/lb) and canned tomatoes (.50/can).  Plenty of food for the rest of the week and spent under $30. 

Went walking with my sister and her colleague -- weather was wonderfully obliging and i got a good hit of Vitamin D! -- and resisted the urge to buy lunch out and went home instead.  Only took 15 minutes on the express lanes to get home.  I love being able to travel around town outside of rush hour....

[ozbeach]

When I moved to a LCOL area a year ago and got the electricity connected I noted that I signed up to a 12 month plan that included a 15% discount if I paid my bills on time (which I do of course!), plus various other perks. I put a note in my calendar to check things out in a years time. Fast-forward, and I get a reminder today to check into it, so I go to a comparison web site and it is all just too confusing. I went to my providers web site and they had a web chat thingy which I far prefer over trying to get through on the phone so I put the question to them. Oh yes, your plan is due to expire and you will automatically move to the standard plan that has none of the discounts and a higher rate. BUT, because I thought to ask they could sign me up to a new plan, same as the old one, but now with a 20% discount. Shits me that the default is to screw the loyal customer.

Similar story, I got my house insurance renewal a week ago. It had gone up $150 since last year. I did the comparison web site thing, rang my provider and told them I was going to cancel as I could get it cheaper elsewhere, and magically the price came down $200. They know that 98% of people can't be bothered and just pay the bill when it turns up.

/end rant

[Eric222]

When I moved to a LCOL area a year ago and got the electricity connected I noted that I signed up to a 12 month plan that included a 15% discount if I paid my bills on time (which I do of course!), plus various other perks. I put a note in my calendar to check things out in a years time. Fast-forward, and I get a reminder today to check into it, so I go to a comparison web site and it is all just too confusing. I went to my providers web site and they had a web chat thingy which I far prefer over trying to get through on the phone so I put the question to them. Oh yes, your plan is due to expire and you will automatically move to the standard plan that has none of the discounts and a higher rate. BUT, because I thought to ask they could sign me up to a new plan, same as the old one, but now with a 20% discount. Shits me that the default is to screw the loyal customer.

Similar story, I got my house insurance renewal a week ago. It had gone up $150 since last year. I did the comparison web site thing, rang my provider and told them I was going to cancel as I could get it cheaper elsewhere, and magically the price came down $200. They know that 98% of people can't be bothered and just pay the bill when it turns up.

/end rant

Identical thing happened with my internet.  I told them to give me my old price back or I was switching providers.  They said no so I canceled service.  Next day their 'customer retention department' called to ask if there was anything they could do to keep me.  The new promotion was cheaper....so now I only pay $35/month for internet.

On the one hand, it makes me angry when stuff like that happens.   On the other hand, if I'm vigilant companies will bend over backwards to keep you and you can save money in the long run.  A millionaire $10 at a time, right?

[Ceridwen]

I checked out a thrift store near my office for the first time.  It was awesome! It's in the YWCA and they have women in an employment program clean and alter the clothes as need-be, as well as run the shop.  I had very attentive service and came out with a gorgeous full-length black wool coat.  Listed at $45 but I got it for $35 because the belt was missing (I didn't even have to ask for the discount).  I'm sure the coat is easily worth $300.  I have gained weight since baby #2 came along and thought I would have to go without a dressy winter coat this year, so I'm really happy to have this since I work in a professional office.

My mom gave me a ton of fresh parsley (last of her summer garden) and last night I started making a bit batch of tabbouleh for my work lunches.  Since the parsley was unexpected, I didn't buy extra tomatoes and cucumber for the recipe, so I was kind of annoyed that I would have to use those items that I had planned for other meals on the tabbouleh, but then I decided to use the roasted red peppers and sundried tomatoes from the fridge instead.  I'm not a huge food waster, but those are two items that notoriously spoil in my fridge because I always forget about them.  Recipe turned out great (a new twist!), and I got to save my fresh veggies for their originally intended purpose!