What small things did you do TODAY to save money?

[mustachepungoeshere]

I was all set to go to the post office today to post a 30th birthday card for a friend working in England. He has decided to come home so I put a local stamp on it and sent it to his parents' house instead. Saved a few bucks on airmail.

[4alpacas]

Used my misto instead of using the more convenient (but expensive - both financially and environmentally) aerosol oil spray.

I LOVE my misto!  I stopped buying the spray cans because I prefer my misto. 

I've been under the weather, so I didn't get my usual batch cooking for the week finished.  However, I made a quick batch of cornbread (http://www.budgetbytes.com/2015/09/everyday-cornbread/), which I will eat with canned soup for lunch today.  I will also have cornbread and soup for dinner tonight. 

For the rest of the year, my budget is really tight because I'm working on the post-tax portion of my megabackdoor Roth (http://www.madfientist.com/after-tax-contributions/), which includes paying a lot more in taxes each month.  I need all of the motivation I can get to keep from spending unnecessarily.

I've run out of my favorite tea, but I have a lot of tea from gifts.  This morning I brewed a pot of tea from the gifted tea leaves, and it's great.  No tea purchases until I run out.

[marcela]

Today I bought 3 pairs of tights online. Sounds like a facepunch, except I waited until they went down in price to $10 each and applied a promo code that took $15 off my order. The promo code did not work originally and instead of just giving up and buying them at the higher price, I called customer service and am getting them to apply the code. They were $23 to $27 originally so I ended up saving over $60!

[Eric222]

I had to get up early today to haul the kids over to their mother's (handoff delayed because she was out of town) and it was cold out (well, compared to the lovely weather of the last week). I also was on clinical service this morning, which makes life super crazy on normal days. 
1)  I still ate breakfast and made coffee at home instead of grabbing things at work.
2)  I brought my leftovers for lunch instead of saying 'fuck it' and buying lunch at work.
3)  I biked to work for day #15 instead of taking mass transit or my car into work. 

[tyort1]

I had to get up early today to haul the kids over to their mother's (handoff delayed because she was out of town) and it was cold out (well, compared to the lovely weather of the last week). I also was on clinical service this morning, which makes life super crazy on normal days. 
1)  I still ate breakfast and made coffee at home instead of grabbing things at work.
2)  I brought my leftovers for lunch instead of saying 'fuck it' and buying lunch at work.
3)  I biked to work for day #15 instead of taking mass transit or my car into work.

Nice!  I'm finding that getting little stuff like that right is both the hardest and the most powerful in my own life.

[Bracken_Joy]

DH went and bought the filter and oil to change the oil on our car. Coming from a family that always outsourced this, I still think it is SO COOL that you can do that yourself. Bonus: since we have a truck, we don't need jacks or ramps or anything to get under the car.

Submitted the paperwork to get my gas bonus for a contract that was out of town. I only found out there was a different process for it because I inspected my paystub and saw the numbers didn't work to include it. For all you Harry Potter fans: CONSTANT VIGILANCE


DH and I found an AWESOME recipe to use the freezerburnt chickens we're working through. We shredded the meat once cooked, and had it on sandwiches with homemade chipotle mayo and shredded cheese, then grilled on the BBQ. (Bonus: the walnut oil we made the mayo with was a stock-up when it was on super sale, and the chipotle powder was out of a spice box we got for our wedding). Now just 12 more whole freezerburnt frozen chickens to go!

[Eric222]

I had to get up early today to haul the kids over to their mother's (handoff delayed because she was out of town) and it was cold out (well, compared to the lovely weather of the last week). I also was on clinical service this morning, which makes life super crazy on normal days. 
1)  I still ate breakfast and made coffee at home instead of grabbing things at work.
2)  I brought my leftovers for lunch instead of saying 'fuck it' and buying lunch at work.
3)  I biked to work for day #15 instead of taking mass transit or my car into work.

Nice!  I'm finding that getting little stuff like that right is both the hardest and the most powerful in my own life.

Yep!  If I start to let things slip on the difficult days, then I let them slip on the medium difficulty days, and then it is back to my bad habits.  I consider today a victory! :)

[Orvell]

Yesterday the girlfriend and I cooked up a delicious batch of butternut squash risotto (resisting the urge to buy the squash pre-cut was also a win! A quadruple win is having a girlfriend who keeps great kitchenware and sharp knives on hand.) and divvied up the leftovers for our respective lunches. \o/

I also resisted the urge to stress-buy sweets.

[mustachepungoeshere]

Here's a to a community that applauds ongoing effort as "constant vigilance" and not what other people call it ... nagging. :)

Our constant vigilance is paying off in the form of a $130 phone subsidy from work. Currently a one-off, but he will have a few uncomfortable conversations to see about getting a $60-$70 month subsidy.

A friend in the same industry has advised my husband and I to cancel our union membership, as it has become a toothless tiger. I'm torn on this one. It costs us about $115/month and we have never directly benefited from that, but the union has been involved in massive layoffs at my husband's large company. I work for a smaller company with no HR to speak of. And the industry is unstable and in decline. But I also know that we are working towards being financially stable independent of all those factors, and an $1400 a year will help us do that...

[Bracken_Joy]

Here's a to a community that applauds ongoing effort as "constant vigilance" and not what other people call it ... nagging. :)

Thumbs up to that!

Saving money: used the chickpeas I had cooked to make a giant quadruple batch of spicy hummus. Using up the last of our tahini, and won't be buying more after this. I've found that if I make the hummus with peppers, I don't notice the lack of tahini at all. It may be ever so slightly less smooth, but nothing major.

Now to convince myself to make real food tonight (need to use the veggies I bought for the curry), and not just eat spicy hummus with popcorn.

[PMG]

I skipped grocery shopping the past two weekends.  I am out of some of my essentials and down to the dregs of quite a few things, but I think I can make it through the week.  I'm stuck eating things I'm not excited about and I don't have easy lunch options but I was getting too lazy and wasting too much food.  I'll be just fine even if I have to eat cold rice and beans a day or two. 

I'm hoping basics will be on sale for Thanksgiving by the time I make it back to the grocery. 

[Tigerpine]

Some patience is finally paying off.

I have wanted a work chair for home for months now.  You know, the kind you buy at Office Depot for $100 or so.  I just couldn't bear to part with that kind of cash for that, so I've been waiting, silently biding my time.  Today I was able to bring one home from work for free!  All I had to do was put it aside before it went to the dumpster and ask the right guy to sign the release form.  I feel like a king in my new (to me) chair!

[Orvell]

Some patience is finally paying off.

I have wanted a work chair for home for months now.  You know, the kind you buy at Office Depot for $100 or so.  I just couldn't bear to part with that kind of cash for that, so I've been waiting, silently biding my time.  Today I was able to bring one home from work for free!  All I had to do was put it aside before it went to the dumpster and ask the right guy to sign the release form.  I feel like a king in my new (to me) chair!

Ooooh! Great find! You waited for the right opportunity to present itself, and pounced on it! A+ work. :)

[WorkingToUnwind]

Rode my bike to work. Brought leftovers for lunch. Returned stuff to Home Depot from a home improvement project we decided wasn't necessary.

[mustachepungoeshere]

Brought leftovers for lunch today only to be asked to attend an event that included a free lunch.

Half an hour of my time in exchange for tasty wraps, and my leftovers live to nourish another day,

[Astatine]

Some patience is finally paying off.

I have wanted a work chair for home for months now.  You know, the kind you buy at Office Depot for $100 or so.  I just couldn't bear to part with that kind of cash for that, so I've been waiting, silently biding my time.  Today I was able to bring one home from work for free!  All I had to do was put it aside before it went to the dumpster and ask the right guy to sign the release form.  I feel like a king in my new (to me) chair!

Well done! And you saved it from going to landfill, plus avoided the inherent environmental impact of buying a new chair!

[tyort1]

I skipped grocery shopping the past two weekends.  I am out of some of my essentials and down to the dregs of quite a few things, but I think I can make it through the week.  I'm stuck eating things I'm not excited about and I don't have easy lunch options but I was getting too lazy and wasting too much food.  I'll be just fine even if I have to eat cold rice and beans a day or two. 

I'm hoping basics will be on sale for Thanksgiving by the time I make it back to the grocery.

I am in this exact situation - things are running low of the "well loved" food in our house and I felt the need to do a Costco run.  But I don't want to spend the money right now, so we're working our way through the "second tier" food we have.  I'm actually quite please - we are saving money and being more efficient with regard to our previous food purchases.  Man, before MMM this type of thinking would never have even occurred to me!

[HappierAtHome]

Really wanted pizza last night. Ate leftovers instead.

[Kwill]

I got my roommate to drive me to the airport for a flight too early for public transportation. Taking a taxi would have been about $50, and parking at the airport for a week would have been $140 in "economy" parking. I also brought an empty water bottle and filled it at a water fountain once I got through security.

[aetherie]

I won $50 in a sweepstakes and I biked to work even though it was raining.

[Orvell]

Made a big batch of cabbage rice and bean... soup? slop?
It's somewhat Newtonian and neither a liquid nor a solid, but damn if it isn't filling and cheap. ;)
It will be my lunch for the entire week.

[Bracken_Joy]

I got a great night's sleep. Bear with me. I have found my impulse control is MUCH BETTER when I've slept well. I'm more productive, cook more, and generally happier, so I spend less money when I'm well rested.

A little esoteric, but hey, I think it counts!

[horsepoor]

My dog is having surgery today, so I checked my various credit card rewards balances and will pay with the account that will accrue enough points to get a statement credit or gift card back.  I've also arranged to telework the next few days so I can do the surgery after-care rather than bringing him to the vet each morning on my way to the office.

[choppingwood]

My dog is having surgery today, .... I've also arranged to telework the next few days so I can do the surgery after-care rather than bringing him to the vet each morning on my way to the office.

You and your dog will be much happier about this arrangement, too. Good luck!

[Orvell]

I got a great night's sleep. Bear with me. I have found my impulse control is MUCH BETTER when I've slept well. I'm more productive, cook more, and generally happier, so I spend less money when I'm well rested.

A little esoteric, but hey, I think it counts!

That's a really good observation!

[mustachepungoeshere]

Had a brainwave about stale bread last night.

One of my favourite summer salads is panzanella, with crusty bread to mop up all the amazing tomato and basil dressing.

To make panzanella I would usually buy a $5 or $6 loaf of foccacia (for a recipe calling for stale bread), tear it into pieces, bake it on low to dry it out (with my oven, using electricity I pay for), then add it into a famously rustic salad.

At 10pm last night I was staring at the last three pieces of stale bread in the bag, when an idea formed...

Honestly, just when I think I have economised every area of my life something like this happens to remind me that I'm a world-class moron and this is why every single habit needs to be re-examined.

So I took the bread out of the bag, left it out for a couple of hours to dry out, then put it in the freezer to be recycled into panzanella.

(At least I always use up my soft tomatoes in panzanella. If I need to supplement I buy the 'odd bunch' slightly less attractive tomatoes.)

[11ducks]

Made a big batch of cabbage rice and bean... soup? slop?
It's somewhat Newtonian and neither a liquid nor a solid, but damn if it isn't filling and cheap. ;)
It will be my lunch for the entire week.

If its tasty, do you have a recipe? Ive had bean and carrot stew/mush for work for a few weeks and would love to branch out to other fine slop-based cuisines.

 

[peppermint]

Repaired a split in my rubber boots with duct tape. Not sure how long it will hold, but so far so good.

[horsepoor]

My dog is having surgery today, .... I've also arranged to telework the next few days so I can do the surgery after-care rather than bringing him to the vet each morning on my way to the office.

You and your dog will be much happier about this arrangement, too. Good luck!

Thank you.  Poor bugger has a pretty big hole in his leg. :(

[Orvell]

Made a big batch of cabbage rice and bean... soup? slop?
It's somewhat Newtonian and neither a liquid nor a solid, but damn if it isn't filling and cheap. ;)
It will be my lunch for the entire week.

If its tasty, do you have a recipe? Ive had bean and carrot stew/mush for work for a few weeks and would love to branch out to other fine slop-based cuisines.

Sure! My methodology/recipie is about as loosey goosey as it gets, but here's what I do:

Sautee a small onion (or however much onion as you want) in oil for 5-10 minutes in a large pot
Then add a crap ton of very finely chopped cabbage (8 cups is your goal, but your pot size dictates this more than anything else)
Cook this with one cup of broth for 10+ minutes (broth of your choice; I use veggie)
Add an additional 3 cups of broth and 1 cup of arborio rice and cook for another 15 minutes (or until the rice is about done)
Then add a can of red kidney beans (or a not can if you've got a pressure cooker on hand, but kidney beans are one of the ones I worry about so I skip that and pay for the water and packaging) and cook 5 minutes...

and then you're done!
You have your very own cheap, filling, and newtonian mush. :)

[Kitsune]

Saw cloth napkins in a fabric I really like (dark florals on a burgundy background), 35$ for 4 napkins. Went to the fabric store, found a similar fabric, bought 2m (enough for 8 napkins - we use 6 on a regular basis) for 7.50$, and spent an hour sewing them up. Savings: 62.50$.

I find value in having a 'pretty' dinner table - I find it makes dinner feel more special and makes us want to go out less.

[Ceridwen]

Saw cloth napkins in a fabric I really like (dark florals on a burgundy background), 35$ for 4 napkins. Went to the fabric store, found a similar fabric, bought 2m (enough for 8 napkins - we use 6 on a regular basis) for 7.50$, and spent an hour sewing them up. Savings: 62.50$.

I find value in having a 'pretty' dinner table - I find it makes dinner feel more special and makes us want to go out less.

That's awesome.  I bought a bunch of beautiful (and very cheap) cloth napkins in Sri Lanka a few years ago with the intention of using them as our everyday napkins, but then I got lazy and put them away.  I'm going to dig them up tonight.

[mustachepungoeshere]

I needed new black flats for work and there is one brand I favour.

I signed up for their loyalty program in store but hadn't linked it with my online account. I just persisted in doing that (I have a vague memory of trying it once before and it seeming like more trouble than it was worth).

It was definitely worth it, I had enough reward points to save $25 off my order, plus free shipping.

[PMG]

A few days ago I mentioned skipping grocery shopping and using up things I had.  Yesterday I turned 1/2 a chicken breast (the last meat in the house) 2 past prime carrots, 3 huge onions and a couple spears of frozen brocolli into curry.  It is so delicious.  I'm eating it over the last of my rice.  It should last through the weekend.

This evening I am making pumpkin custard topped with pecans.  I'm using a bent discount can of pumpkin & the last cup of milk.  I only have about 1/4 cup of sugar left, so I'll rely on honey and molasses to sweeten it, those are better options anyway.  It will also warm the apartment while baking. 

I've been badassng my way through some cold nights.  I turned the heat on this morning for a few minutes while I was getting ready for the day, but layers and hot tea have been pretty effective.

Salt isn't expensive but it seems silly to buy a canister of table salt when I have a jar full of sea salt, so I am making it work.  I don't have a mill, but I cleaned up my coffee grinder and reduced the size a bit.

I've been handwashing laundry to put off trips to the laundromat.  It's not that bad.

I'm determined to get  my moneys worth out of my fancy pants liberal arts college.  I'm not all into "#collegelife" but music, art shows, lectures, workshops, entertainment?  I am there.  Free food has been pretty scarce but I am getting good at packing!  I recently did a couple surverys to get entered in a bookstore giftcard drawing....  crossing my fingers. 

[Nangirl17]

I reveled in the luxury of a hot washcloth to wash my face. I figure if I can feel pampered during my daily routine with a simple facecloth, why would I need to be pampered with a $$pedicure$$? (I also find a hot shower to feel extraordinarily luxurious!)

Took my lunch to work today, ate leftovers for supper, resisted the urge to buy a chocolate bar at the grocery store (where we were picking up multiples of the loss leader, of course!), and instead ate some of ds halloween candy lol. Now going downstairs to watch a library DVD!

[mustachepungoeshere]

Inspired by the 'use it up' brigade, I surveyed the fridge last night for what needs to be eaten before we shop next.

Soft tomatoes, limes, capsicum, chicken ... I have a jar of enchilada sauce in the pantry, so Mexican for dinner tomorrow.

[ShaneD]

A couple of years ago, I'd switched from overpriced, fancypants-brand body moisturizer to pharmacy-level bargain-brand body moisturizer. (Doesn't smell as fun, but actually works better.) Comes in one of those big plastic pump bottles.

Today the pump stopped pumping, suggesting that the bottle was empty, but you could tell from the weight of it that there was definitely still product inside. I cut the bottle in half and scooped the leftover moisturizer into a (marked) ramekin, and holy frijole: out of a 20-oz bottle, there was a full 3 oz of product remaining. 15% of the bottle was completely inaccessible to the average customer. I've now got weeks more product to use.

[Tamster]

As today was a holiday - thank you to all who serve - my boys were home from school. We watched Empire Strikes Back and made Christmas cookies (we freeze them after sampling).

Inspired by the cooking successes here, I made my first batch of homemade focaccia bread today to go with supper. The boys and I loved it! It was great to make bread again.

I also paid bills (much lower electric bill this month --- switching those lights off and having no ac makes a difference).

I decided to not shop for food tomorrow, and wait the extra day for the Friday sale so I can get next week's shopping and some turkey day shopping done.

[Bracken_Joy]

DIY squat rack! Well, not a rack per se, but a stand. This rounds out our current home gym projects- we can do all the olympic lifts now in our garage! So two aspects of money savings- 1, we didn't buy a pre-made squat rack ($$$), and 2- we're not paying for gym memberships (which then also saves gas, as we're not walking distance to a gym).

[tyort1]

DIY squat rack! Well, not a rack per se, but a stand. This rounds out our current home gym projects- we can do all the olympic lifts now in our garage! So two aspects of money savings- 1, we didn't buy a pre-made squat rack ($$$), and 2- we're not paying for gym memberships (which then also saves gas, as we're not walking distance to a gym).

Oh, more details please, I'd love to have a go at a DIY squat rack.

[sunshine]

Same old boring stuff. Cooked meals, packed our lunches. Minimal heat. Did some removable caulking for the winter on the 12 foot high Windows.

[Daisy]

Looks like my water heater crapped out 2 weeks ago when I was staying with a friend. Turned power off to it when I wasn't going to be home. Got back and turned on power and now it's not working at all. I've been taking cold showers until I have enough time next week to call a plumber. I found the showers aren't too bad. But I do have a gym and showers at work so half the time I shower there.

My power bill is going to be even lower than low this month.

I'm thinking  since I live alone I can get by with cold showers sometimes so why not just turn on water heater when running the dishwasher or clothes washer or when I want to take a hot shower? Is that bad for the water heater to turn on and off like that?

[mustachepungoeshere]

A couple of years ago, I'd switched from overpriced, fancypants-brand body moisturizer to pharmacy-level bargain-brand body moisturizer. (Doesn't smell as fun, but actually works better.) Comes in one of those big plastic pump bottles.

Today the pump stopped pumping, suggesting that the bottle was empty, but you could tell from the weight of it that there was definitely still product inside. I cut the bottle in half and scooped the leftover moisturizer into a (marked) ramekin, and holy frijole: out of a 20-oz bottle, there was a full 3 oz of product remaining. 15% of the bottle was completely inaccessible to the average customer. I've now got weeks more product to use.

Welcome to the dissecting-the-moisturiser-bottle club, there are tens of us!

[4alpacas]

Packed breakfast and lunch. 

Cooked dinner from the freezer

Had a craving for cookies, so I made a giant chocolate chip cookie.  I didn't have chocolate chips, so I diced up part of a dark chocolate bar.  I didn't have brown sugar, so I used a bit more vanilla and regular sugar. 

[10dollarsatatime]

Trimmed the poodles' feet/faces/sanitary areas.  I have no idea how much I saved, as I've never taken them in for a professional grooming.  Luckily they are really patient dogs, as I'm not very good at this yet.  I am certain, however, that with this second trimming, I've definitely saved at least as much money as the mid-range trimmers cost.

Sold a couple more items from my junk room.

Resisted the urge to go out to eat.  Using fridge stuff instead.

[Kaikou]

returned some garbage to Amazon

hope I dont get banned

[acorn]

Used a tub of coconut oil (that I never cook with) to make soap - was surprisingly easy and fun. I now have enough soap for a few months.

[plainjane]

I'm thinking  since I live alone I can get by with cold showers sometimes so why not just turn on water heater when running the dishwasher or clothes washer or when I want to take a hot shower? Is that bad for the water heater to turn on and off like that?

I don't know about how good it is for the water heater, but it can be bad for you if you don't follow guidelines around how long the water temperature needs to be at certain level to kill various bugs.  I see from http://www.treehugger.com/green-food/is-it-safe-to-turn-down-your-water-heater-temperature.html that this is very Canadian view on the subject :)

[mbl]

-We were in London for 10 days and did  the usual staying in an AirBnb, cooking,  walking or taking the tube and doing many free things,  but  I came up with something that I thought was kind of cool.
We went to visit Liberty's, a store known for it's textiles which I really was interested in seeing.  They had one whole floor dedicated to materials for sewing all manner of things as well as various bolts for drapes and upholstery.   I got them to give me an number of material samples of some very pretty patterns.  Came home and a friend sewed them together into a mini-quilt.   I thought it was a really nice "souvenir" if you will and didn't cost anything.

-I'd signed up for the Chase Sapphire card before we left and was able to make about 10% back on what I spent.  I was pretty happy with that.

-I've been gleaning butternut squash, peppers and broccoli from the farm fields surrounding our land.   Even after the fields are turned over, there's still a lot of stuff on the edges of the fields  that don't get plowed under.   I've been cooking and freezing the squash as it seems to keep very well and just using whatever else I find.

-Doing my usual ebay sales of things that I have or have been given and can't use.  I found a bunch of small items that were stored in the rafters in our garage so I put those up.   I've found that there's always someone to buy the items if you 're just patient.

-Keep using my Bing searches to earn rewards cards.  This has been a really nice find for me.

[Verdandi]

We went to visit Liberty's, a store known for it's textiles which I really was interested in seeing.  They had one whole floor dedicated to materials for sewing all manner of things as well as various bolts for drapes and upholstery.   I got them to give me an number of material samples of some very pretty patterns.  Came home and a friend sewed them together into a mini-quilt.   I thought it was a really nice "souvenir" if you will and didn't cost anything.

That's awesome! and it will be a much more individual souvenir than Kate on a 10 pound mug ;)