What small things did you do TODAY to save money?

[Kitsune]

Carpooled to work with my husband and daughter.

Had an unexpected 2 hours between meetings with no work to do, so I made up a meal plan for the coming week that includes pantry ingredients and what's currently on sale at the grocery store; we should be spending about 80$CAD out-of-pocket (plus pantry ingredinets: about 55$ in USD these days....) for a week's worth of food for a family of 3, 3 meals/day, of good food we actually want to eat. Note that this includes about 30$ worth of milk (toddler, plus milk in Quebec is 6.50$/gallon minimum...)

[lunahsol]

I've been waiting a year to share this one . . .

*  made the final credit card payment this morning :)

I made it to zero!  It feels like a whole new beginning.

[jengod]

I've been waiting a year to share this one . . .

*  made the final credit card payment this morning :)

I made it to zero!  It feels like a whole new beginning.

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

[G-dog]

I've been waiting a year to share this one . . .

*  made the final credit card payment this morning :)

I made it to zero!  It feels like a whole new beginning.

Congratulations! Welcome to the other side!

[dantownehall]

I've been waiting a year to share this one . . .

*  made the final credit card payment this morning :)

I made it to zero!  It feels like a whole new beginning.

Yay!  That's awesome.

[MountainGal]

I've been waiting a year to share this one . . .

*  made the final credit card payment this morning :)

I made it to zero!  It feels like a whole new beginning.

Right on!  ((high fives))

[Bracken_Joy]

I've been waiting a year to share this one . . .

*  made the final credit card payment this morning :)

I made it to zero!  It feels like a whole new beginning.

Woooooo! That is awesome.

What is your next step? ;)

[NewMustachian]

Great job lunahsol!!

In my house we have a bad habit of neglecting to eat the last bits of cereal in the boxes, then rediscovering them when they are stale.  Today,  I combined two boxes (different brands) of cereal dregs to make an odd tasting but nutritious snack.  I also printed out confirmation that I got my flu shot and will get a $10 gift card from work as a result. 

[Bracken_Joy]

I'm all out of tahini, and I will NOT be buying more to replace it! Plenty of olive oil makes you barely notice, and adding a can of roasted jalapenos makes you not notice at ALL! And who doesn't love jalapeno hummus? (Rhetorical. If you don't like it, don't tell me- it's my happy place).

I also got 5 free large mason jars from my local buy nothing group. I'll also be getting 2 stainless steel water bottles tonight. Gifted a silky robe and 2 tank tops from my wedding this summer, and a pair of yoga capris that were too small.

[Juslookin]

I've been waiting a year to share this one . . .

*  made the final credit card payment this morning :)

I made it to zero!  It feels like a whole new beginning.

Nice! I bet you will sleep well now.

[OmahaSteph]

Packed yummy leftover loaded baked potato soup and focaccia bread for lunch.
Threw an extra $10 at the credit card and an extra $10 in the emergency savings. Just because.
Submitted form for (pre-tax) dependent care reimbursement. That will all go into the emergency fund, as well.

[Kwill]

Got a headlight changed at Walmart today $18 including installation (cheaper than Autozone without installation) and had my watch battery changed while I waited for the headlight. I almost bought two batteries for $6.88 but decided to go ahead and get one battery installed for $5.98 because I don't have anything else that uses the same kind of battery. So either 90 cents saved or $2.54 wasted, depending on how you look at it. I also managed to resist buying anything else in the store.

I posted a new ad for my car on Craigslist, and I made an appointment at Carmax to get the car appraised if it hasn't sold by Monday.

[BigHaus89]

I'm a volunteer tutor(mostly math) and met with my student last night. Her mom ended up buying me dinner as a thank you, which I chose the $13 Kobe Beef burger. Free dinner! I then did my weekly meal prep for work lunches.

[lunahsol]

Thanks, everyone!!!  Being able to post here and read about everyone else's progress, as well, has had a huge impact on me.  Thank you!!  My initial goal (last January) was to eradicate all non-mortgage debt - and that is now done . . . . so now what?

Basically, business as usual (so many good habits have been formed over the past year!) and instead of paying for the past, I now get to build up my future!

*  homemade lunch brought to work
*  researching a side gig idea
*  re-evaluating savings accounts and goals
*  will declutter pantry tonight to get a better idea of inventory before stock up shopping this coming weekend
   

[BPA]

I've been waiting a year to share this one . . .

*  made the final credit card payment this morning :)

I made it to zero!  It feels like a whole new beginning.

Great news!  Congratulations!

Shopped at the discount grocery store.  Got there and back on one bus transfer.

Learned to make chicken vegetable soup.  So easy.  Wish I'd realized this sooner.  With homemade fresh rolls and salad, we have supper for two of us for about $2.

[Rural]

Forgot my stupid lunch today, so I ate oatmeal with peanut butter and raisins from my desk drawer. Got a lot less hungry at the end of the day than usual, too.

[La Bibliotecaria Feroz]

I thought I had lost my gloves, so I bought replacements at Walmart (the $2 stretchy one-size-fits-all kind).

When I was putting away the groceries from that trip, I found my old gloves. Now, I should have taken the new ones back, but I decided to keep them since they are touch-screen compatible and the old ones weren't.

Then Mr. FP got a hole in HIS stretchy gloves. Instead of buying another pair, I just gave him the ones I had bought. How often do I REALLY need to text outdoors in the cold, anyway?

[Noodle]

Three recently:

1. Reset the auto insurance to annual pay to save around $70.
2. Went back to the grocery store service counter to get a refund when I discovered I had been charged for 21 avocados instead of 2 avocados.
3. Just cleaned out under the sink so the plumber could come today (saving money long-term by preventing a leak that would flood myself and downstairs neighbor, but costly in the short run, sigh. On the other hand, will pay any amount of money not to have to interact with said neighbor). When reorganizing, realized I needed a container of some kind to hold sponges, small items, etc. Realized I had an old trash can from my previous home that was perfect for the job!

[horsepoor]

Found a free calendar at work and brought it home for the kitchen.

Had leftover chili on a baked potato for lunch.

Brought my refilled water jug back to work (tap water at the office tastes awful, this is better than buying 88 cent gallons at the store and less waste over time)

Coworker gave me a $10 off coupon for the feed store.

[CindyBS]

I've been waiting a year to share this one . . .

*  made the final credit card payment this morning :)

I made it to zero!  It feels like a whole new beginning.

Congratulations!!  Way to go!

[FLA]

Bitch Magazine, on feminism and money and household labour. Gotta put that women's studies minor to use somehow, right? ;)

 

Where did you get your start in writing? I like to write and have some professional experience in research and writing, but I've never published an article. We have at least two common areas of interest, frugality and feminism, so perhaps you could recommend some sites to consider. (My other topics of choice include thrifting, politics, satire and advice.) I had thought about pitching to xojane.com but their content quality has deteriorated significantly in the past few years. While I'm no longer constrained by the nature of my work to not publish anything, I still have to give some consideration to mainstream standards of respectability.
[/quote]

I love Bitch! Have you written for them? 

[aetherie]

Boyfriend needed a new dentist, I referred him to mine, and we both got $20 off our next visit.

[ragesinggoddess]

Used polyfill from the Buy Nothing group to restuff our sagging couch cushions. Couch is still looking pretty rough thanks to our cats, but at least it's comfortable now!

Second week eating this soup: http://www.budgetbytes.com/2014/01/chunky-lentil-vegetable-soup/ Even using canned beans, it's extremely cheap and filling.

[Mermaid3011]

Does not going to Starbucks for 3 days in a row count?

I had a bad Starbucks habit for the last year and since getting on the MMM train I've scaled down sbux to only Sat and Sun (each $1.89).

[Shinplaster]

Opened up a TFSA account for Mr. SP.  Because I already had one with Tangerine, used my referral code.  We both get $50 added to our accounts.

[choppingwood]

I've been waiting a year to share this one . . .

*  made the final credit card payment this morning :)

I made it to zero!  It feels like a whole new beginning.

That's wonderful news! Good for you.

I'm going to do a dance of joy to celebrate.

[4alpacas]

Does not going to Starbucks for 3 days in a row count?

I had a bad Starbucks habit for the last year and since getting on the MMM train I've scaled down sbux to only Sat and Sun (each $1.89).

Yes!  Way to go!  I had a hard time giving up my fancy cupcake obsession.  You're moving in the right direction!

[Merrie]

When I'm making fiddly, time-consuming dishes with a lot of assembly time, like lasagna or stuffed shells, I make two batches at a time. It doesn't take much more time versus one batch because the sauce/noodle/filling prep time is basically the same, and it's not that big a deal to put in a little extra assembly time when you're already mentally in lasagna-making mode. Also, it's nice if a recipe as written leads you to have an extra half-pack of whatever left over. Example: today I am making Mexican stuffed shells to take to a potluck at work, and am making two pans so we can have one pan to eat at home. The recipe calls for ½ brick of cream cheese, and since we don't eat cream cheese much, that just invites the other half brick to sit around going bad. Two batches means one full brick of cream cheese used. Easy peasy. Alternately, if not for the potluck, I'd just freeze the other batch for later.

[Mermaid3011]

Does not going to Starbucks for 3 days in a row count?

I had a bad Starbucks habit for the last year and since getting on the MMM train I've scaled down sbux to only Sat and Sun (each $1.89).

Yes!  Way to go!  I had a hard time giving up my fancy cupcake obsession.  You're moving in the right direction!

Thanks Alpacas!!
oh yes... the cupcakes... LOL... luckily I love to bake, so now it's homemade apple cake and cinnamon streusel cake on the weekends.
Just got a 10 lb bag of flour for $7.97 at Walmart. That's a whole lot of streusels. :)

[lhamo]

Resisted the urge to hang out at a coffee shop while waiting for my school tour to start this morning -- sat in the car and browsed the forum on my phone instead.

Had leftovers that were on the verge of going off for lunch both yesterday and today.  +1 for eating down the fridge/limiting food waste!

Tried an extra coupon on my lightbulb purchase this morning and it worked.  $.21 saved just for trying.

[jengod]

Parked on the street instead of in the "official" parking lot for the pediatric dentist. Saved ~$8.

Despite being told "No, the new company doesn't offer dental coverage," poking around on our health insurance revealed that they DID appear to bundle in pediatric dental insurance. Receptionist called in with our numbers and found out we are fully covered! Saved ~$250-300 out of pocket for the two kids. Yay!

[lhamo]

Parked on the street instead of in the "official" parking lot for the pediatric dentist. Saved ~$8.

Despite being told "No, the new company doesn't offer dental coverage," poking around on our health insurance revealed that they DID appear to bundle in pediatric dental insurance. Receptionist called in with our numbers and found out we are fully covered! Saved ~$250-300 out of pocket for the two kids. Yay!

Thank the ACA.  Pediatric dental and vision coverage is now mandatory. 

[jengod]

Parked on the street instead of in the "official" parking lot for the pediatric dentist. Saved ~$8.

Despite being told "No, the new company doesn't offer dental coverage," poking around on our health insurance revealed that they DID appear to bundle in pediatric dental insurance. Receptionist called in with our numbers and found out we are fully covered! Saved ~$250-300 out of pocket for the two kids. Yay!

Thank the ACA.  Pediatric dental and vision coverage is now mandatory.

It's like living in a real First World Country, you guys!!

[Kitsune]

Parked on the street instead of in the "official" parking lot for the pediatric dentist. Saved ~$8.

Despite being told "No, the new company doesn't offer dental coverage," poking around on our health insurance revealed that they DID appear to bundle in pediatric dental insurance. Receptionist called in with our numbers and found out we are fully covered! Saved ~$250-300 out of pocket for the two kids. Yay!

Thank the ACA.  Pediatric dental and vision coverage is now mandatory.

It's like living in a real First World Country, you guys!!

Next up: medications, therapy, and massages covered by your insurance. ;)

[JLee]

Parked on the street instead of in the "official" parking lot for the pediatric dentist. Saved ~$8.

Despite being told "No, the new company doesn't offer dental coverage," poking around on our health insurance revealed that they DID appear to bundle in pediatric dental insurance. Receptionist called in with our numbers and found out we are fully covered! Saved ~$250-300 out of pocket for the two kids. Yay!

Thank the ACA.  Pediatric dental and vision coverage is now mandatory.

It's like living in a real First World Country, you guys!!

Next up: medications, therapy, and massages covered by your insurance. ;)

If only....

Hopefully one of these days.

[Kitsune]

Parked on the street instead of in the "official" parking lot for the pediatric dentist. Saved ~$8.

Despite being told "No, the new company doesn't offer dental coverage," poking around on our health insurance revealed that they DID appear to bundle in pediatric dental insurance. Receptionist called in with our numbers and found out we are fully covered! Saved ~$250-300 out of pocket for the two kids. Yay!

Thank the ACA.  Pediatric dental and vision coverage is now mandatory.

It's like living in a real First World Country, you guys!!

Next up: medications, therapy, and massages covered by your insurance. ;)

If only....

Hopefully one of these days.

Quebec. This is pretty standard for employer insurance. My insurance is actually considered to be really crappy here because it 'only' covers 400$/year of massages and 400$/year of therapy. Also private insurances need to match the (obligatory if you don't have any other insurance) provincial drug plan... which has a maximum payment of under 90$/month. You need 1K of meds per month? Your cancer treatment costs 5K/month? No problem. 90 bucks.

Oh, and for the record, this level of private insurance for my entire family costs 94$/month.

[JLee]

Parked on the street instead of in the "official" parking lot for the pediatric dentist. Saved ~$8.

Despite being told "No, the new company doesn't offer dental coverage," poking around on our health insurance revealed that they DID appear to bundle in pediatric dental insurance. Receptionist called in with our numbers and found out we are fully covered! Saved ~$250-300 out of pocket for the two kids. Yay!

Thank the ACA.  Pediatric dental and vision coverage is now mandatory.

It's like living in a real First World Country, you guys!!

Next up: medications, therapy, and massages covered by your insurance. ;)

If only....

Hopefully one of these days.

Quebec. This is pretty standard for employer insurance. My insurance is actually considered to be really crappy here because it 'only' covers 400$/year of massages and 400$/year of therapy. Also private insurances need to match the (obligatory if you don't have any other insurance) provincial drug plan... which has a maximum payment of under 90$/month. You need 1K of meds per month? Your cancer treatment costs 5K/month? No problem. 90 bucks.

Oh, and for the record, this level of private insurance for my entire family costs 94$/month.

My girlfriend is in Alberta - I think she gets 12 massages a year? I forget. Infinitely more than what my insurance provides here in the States (i.e. none). :)

[Mermaid3011]

Today I went for the little groceries I need with a list and during lunch break just with a shopping bag.

Results:
- I buy less if I have to carry it instead of pull my little cart.
- I decided to pick up only half of what was on the list because some of the items weren't on sale and it wasn't an immediate NEED.
- Walked out with $20 paid and $5 cash back in reward points.
- If I can stay away from stores this weekend, this will be all I need for the rest of the week. Yay!

[esq]

Used polyfill from the Buy Nothing group to restuff our sagging couch cushions. Couch is still looking pretty rough thanks to our cats, but at least it's comfortable now!

I save our old bed pillows for this.  Really helps when the cushions are super saggy on our old sofa.  I keep adding them, they sag, I add some more old pillows.  Lather, rinse, repeat.

[Kitsune]

Used polyfill from the Buy Nothing group to restuff our sagging couch cushions. Couch is still looking pretty rough thanks to our cats, but at least it's comfortable now!

I save our old bed pillows for this.  Really helps when the cushions are super saggy on our old sofa.  I keep adding them, they sag, I add some more old pillows.  Lather, rinse, repeat.

OMG. Using old pillows as stuffing instead of buying stuffing. WHY DID I NOT THINK OF THIS. I have old pillows, and I'd been holding off on buying stuffing for a craft project because I thought it was overpriced! BRILLIANT. Thank you so much!

[lemanfan]

Buy Nothing Day.  :)

[Mermaid3011]

Buy Nothing Day.  :)

CONGRATS!!! Those are the best :)

[jengod]

* Used a mesh laundry bag to dry greens instead of buying a new $30 plastic salad spinner.

* Collected a bag of OPL (other people's leaves) to use as fresh bedding for the chicken coop.

[Squirrel away]

It's a Buy Nothing Day for me too.

I got some cashback this morning, only £4 but every little helps.

[MrsPfennig]

A collegue let me know that the chef puts out the left over pastries in the afternoon when the canteen closes cause he cant sell them anymore. Talked to the chef and he said i can take what I want. So I got dinner for free! Have to check more often now.

[Mermaid3011]

* Used a mesh laundry bag to dry greens instead of buying a new $30 plastic salad spinner.

* Collected a bag of OPL (other people's leaves) to use as fresh bedding for the chicken coop.

Oh I love this!! What a great idea!!

And as you mention it: my mom used clean kitchen towels, wrapped salad in and shook the towel vigorously. That was our salad spinner. No need for an extra plastic gadget!

[dkaid]

This is a big thing rather than a small thing, but since I got the idea from a MMM thread, I must share.  We went for orthodontist referral for my almost 7 year old.  He (of course) proposed a Phase 1 of expander plus partial braces, likely followed by full braces when she's older.  I'm really not sure I buy into this phase 1 and phase 2 business.  Back in the day we didn't expand, we just pulled teeth!  But I'm really not an expert in this area. 
Anyway, Phase 1 estimate is $3200, phase 2 probably $4500.  Yikes.  After reading a thread on ortho services I decided to call our local dental college.  I will be able to visit them and get an evaluation in March.  Services provided there are about 50% less than private practice cost...... This could be some really huge savings!  Even though it means a 30 drive in traffic vs. 10 minutes to the private practice guy. 

[La Bibliotecaria Feroz]

* Used a mesh laundry bag to dry greens instead of buying a new $30 plastic salad spinner.

* Collected a bag of OPL (other people's leaves) to use as fresh bedding for the chicken coop.

Oh I love this!! What a great idea!!

And as you mention it: my mom used clean kitchen towels, wrapped salad in and shook the towel vigorously. That was our salad spinner. No need for an extra plastic gadget!

My mom used a salad spinner. I wanted one, too. After putting off this purchase for probably a year, I finally found what I was looking for: The same kind my mom had, half-price at Goodwill for $1!

Mesh laundry bags are awesome in the dishwasher, too. You can wash cookie cutters in them, for instance!

[Rural]

* Used a mesh laundry bag to dry greens instead of buying a new $30 plastic salad spinner.

* Collected a bag of OPL (other people's leaves) to use as fresh bedding for the chicken coop.

Oh I love this!! What a great idea!!

And as you mention it: my mom used clean kitchen towels, wrapped salad in and shook the towel vigorously. That was our salad spinner. No need for an extra plastic gadget!

My mom used a salad spinner. I wanted one, too. After putting off this purchase for probably a year, I finally found what I was looking for: The same kind my mom had, half-price at Goodwill for $1!

Mesh laundry bags are awesome in the dishwasher, too. You can wash cookie cutters in them, for instance!

Life improvement right there, thanks.

[FerrumB5]

Will paint rooms in the house myself. Savings - enormous: contractors ask for $450+ per mid-size room + paint. Only expenses are paint, trays, paint rolls/brushes, beer, my weekend time. I'm good at painting walls so it will be an easy job