Author Topic: What small things did you do TODAY to save money? (Read 5616824 times)

frooglepoodle · « **Reply #5900 on:** March 23, 2016, 05:55:16 AM »

Purchased a discounted gift card at Cardpool to pay for my brother's birthday gift. I made purchase through eBates and will get a $10 gift card for making my first purchase, and if the price drops I'll get a price adjustment through Paribus. Thank you to all you lovely folks for introducing me to these sites!

I tried a Caramelized Honey latte at Starbucks yesterday so I attempted my own syrup at home this morning. 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 cup honey, and 2 tbsp water heated to 300*F (or until the mixture starts to turn golden brown, for folks without a candy thermometer), then stirred in 1 cup of water. If I make it again, I may use all honey and add less water at the end for a thicker syrup, but I'm pretty happy with the result.

OmahaSteph · « **Reply #5901 on:** March 23, 2016, 08:28:54 AM »

Signed up for a lunch n learn offered by my employer on IRAs. Lunch is provided, so financial education + free lunch = win!

Willbrewer · « **Reply #5902 on:** March 23, 2016, 08:32:26 AM »

One of the temples of my reading glasses snapped in two. Glued it back together with epoxy, and now it's as good as new.

Dollar Slice · « **Reply #5903 on:** March 23, 2016, 01:04:54 PM »

I filled out a short survey (5 min) to get a free ticket to see a band I really love. Score!

Kitsune · « **Reply #5904 on:** March 23, 2016, 01:20:14 PM »

Money is tight right now. Really, really tight. And I'm hosting Easter brunch for the extended family - 8 adults and 2 children, INCLUDING an easter egg hunt for the kids (argh).

Total budget: 20$, INCLUDING the eggs for the hunt, plus an already-owned bottle of prosecco that we were given at Christmas and whatever is in the pantry.

Plan: Easter egg hunt with coffee for the adults, and then quiches and salad and mimosas. Festive enough?

Menu:
Chocolate eggs, and a chocolate rabbit for my daughter: 5$ MAX
Quiche lorraine x2, spinach and gruyere quiche x2 (Eggs on sale 2$, leeks 1$, gruyère/cheddar 4$, pie dough made from pantry ingredients plus 1$ in butter, ham leftover from the ham I made on Tuesday from the ham that was bought on sale, and about 1 cup of milk from our ever-plentiful milk supply - maybe 50 cents worth)
Spinach salad: huge bag of costco spinach for 3$ (take out 2-3 handfulls to put in the veggie quiche), with a lemon-dijon-fresh herb dressing that's homemade and kept in the fridge in a 1L mason jar; I make a batch every 2 months or so.
Mimosas: 2$ orange juice, already-owned prosecco (12$ to buy, looking at the govt website)

Decoration: 1 dozen eggs (on sale, 2$), hard-boiled and home-dyed (onion skins=yellow, slightly-rotten red cabbage=blue, withered and gross beets = red, and then you can compost them anyway, which is what I was going to do in the first place!). Lay that out on top of planted wheatgrass (planted last weekend, in a large serving platter, should be nice and green by weekend) and you've got a lovely centerpiece for 0$ out of pocket, since the hard-boiled eggs can go right back in the fridge and be peeled and used for lunches during the following week.

Festive brunch for 10, including mimosas AND easter chocolate for kids, for 20$CAD out-of-pocket or 35$ total (including alcohol and approximate cost of pantry ingredients). Yep. Go us.

frooglepoodle · « **Reply #5905 on:** March 23, 2016, 01:24:26 PM »

Quote from: Kitsune on March 23, 2016, 01:20:14 PM

Money is tight right now. Really, really tight. And I'm hosting Easter brunch for the extended family - 8 adults and 2 children, INCLUDING an easter egg hunt for the kids (argh).

Total budget: 20$, INCLUDING the eggs for the hunt, plus an already-owned bottle of prosecco that we were given at Christmas and whatever is in the pantry.

Plan: Easter egg hunt with coffee for the adults, and then quiches and salad and mimosas. Festive enough?

Menu:
Chocolate eggs, and a chocolate rabbit for my daughter: 5$ MAX
Quiche lorraine x2, spinach and gruyere quiche x2 (Eggs on sale 2$, leeks 1$, gruyère/cheddar 4$, pie dough made from pantry ingredients plus 1$ in butter, ham leftover from the ham I made on Tuesday from the ham that was bought on sale, and about 1 cup of milk from our ever-plentiful milk supply - maybe 50 cents worth)
Spinach salad: huge bag of costco spinach for 3$ (take out 2-3 handfulls to put in the veggie quiche), with a lemon-dijon-fresh herb dressing that's homemade and kept in the fridge in a 1L mason jar; I make a batch every 2 months or so.
Mimosas: 2$ orange juice, already-owned prosecco (12$ to buy, looking at the govt website)

Decoration: 1 dozen eggs (on sale, 2$), hard-boiled and home-dyed (onion skins=yellow, slightly-rotten red cabbage=blue, withered and gross beets = red, and then you can compost them anyway, which is what I was going to do in the first place!). Lay that out on top of planted wheatgrass (planted last weekend, in a large serving platter, should be nice and green by weekend) and you've got a lovely centerpiece for 0$ out of pocket, since the hard-boiled eggs can go right back in the fridge and be peeled and used for lunches during the following week.

Festive brunch for 10, including mimosas AND easter chocolate for kids, for 20$CAD out-of-pocket or 35$ total (including alcohol and approximate cost of pantry ingredients). Yep. Go us.

That's impressive!! Can you share the recipe for the lemon-Dijon-herb dressing?

Kitsune · « **Reply #5906 on:** March 23, 2016, 01:35:36 PM »

Quote from: frooglepoodle on March 23, 2016, 01:24:26 PM

That's impressive!! Can you share the recipe for the lemon-Dijon-herb dressing?

Hey, there's no reason a tight budget can't mean living a good life anyway, right? :)

Lemon/dijon/herb dressing = VERY approximate:

1 cup lemon juice (bottled tends to be ok for this, surprisingly). Approximately 1-2 tbs dijon. About 1 tsp of any dried herb you particularly like (I usually use oregano, but tarragon can be excellent, as can basil). Salt + pepper to taste. About 3 cups of olive oil (if you make it in a large mason jar, that's roughly 1/4 of the jar of lemon juice, add all extras, fill with olive oil). Shake before using, store in the fridge.

lunahsol · « **Reply #5907 on:** March 23, 2016, 01:49:54 PM »

Homemade lunch & stuff
Free gym tonight
Realized that trying to play games with credit card offers is not for me. I did manage to "earn" about $225 in the past couple months with credits, etc . . . but it stresses me out trying to keep track of it all. So, I am going back to simpler ways.

Gerard · « **Reply #5908 on:** March 23, 2016, 04:57:14 PM »

Quote from: Well Respected Man on March 21, 2016, 08:48:17 PM

The carnitas I made were incredible -- I used some concentrated chicken stock made from a $3 manager’s special whole chicken cut up, and the family was raving.

Concentrated/reduced stock, if it was good stock to start with, is an absolutely magic Turn Things Into Rich People Food ingredient.

My own small money saving thing: secretary at work told me there were leftover snacks from a reception in the fridge. Yeah -- leftover smoked arctic char, and moose sausage. Lots of it. Man, it's great to live somewhere with unusual stuff!

Also, it was super windy here today (gusting over 100 km/h), and lots of people were taking taxis to work, but I walked. It was kind of fun.

frooglepoodle · « **Reply #5909 on:** March 23, 2016, 07:10:35 PM »

Quote from: Kitsune on March 23, 2016, 01:35:36 PM

Quote from: frooglepoodle on March 23, 2016, 01:24:26 PM

That's impressive!! Can you share the recipe for the lemon-Dijon-herb dressing?

Hey, there's no reason a tight budget can't mean living a good life anyway, right? :)

Lemon/dijon/herb dressing = VERY approximate:

1 cup lemon juice (bottled tends to be ok for this, surprisingly). Approximately 1-2 tbs dijon. About 1 tsp of any dried herb you particularly like (I usually use oregano, but tarragon can be excellent, as can basil). Salt + pepper to taste. About 3 cups of olive oil (if you make it in a large mason jar, that's roughly 1/4 of the jar of lemon juice, add all extras, fill with olive oil). Shake before using, store in the fridge.

Thank you!! I'm embarrassed to admit I use bottled lemon juice most of the time. It's just easier to keep a large bottle in the fridge.

Kitsune · « **Reply #5910 on:** March 23, 2016, 07:34:50 PM »

Quote from: frooglepoodle on March 23, 2016, 07:10:35 PM

Quote from: Kitsune on March 23, 2016, 01:35:36 PM
Quote from: frooglepoodle on March 23, 2016, 01:24:26 PM

That's impressive!! Can you share the recipe for the lemon-Dijon-herb dressing?

Hey, there's no reason a tight budget can't mean living a good life anyway, right? :)

Lemon/dijon/herb dressing = VERY approximate:

1 cup lemon juice (bottled tends to be ok for this, surprisingly). Approximately 1-2 tbs dijon. About 1 tsp of any dried herb you particularly like (I usually use oregano, but tarragon can be excellent, as can basil). Salt + pepper to taste. About 3 cups of olive oil (if you make it in a large mason jar, that's roughly 1/4 of the jar of lemon juice, add all extras, fill with olive oil). Shake before using, store in the fridge.

Thank you!! I'm embarrassed to admit I use bottled lemon juice most of the time. It's just easier to keep a large bottle in the fridge.

I do too, alongside the bag of (more expensive... ) lemons. The bottles stuff is fine for most cooking and baking, but you need fresh for cocktails and for spritzing on vegetables. Bottled TOTALLY has its place.

jengod · « **Reply #5911 on:** March 23, 2016, 09:46:16 PM »

Purchased a like-new-but-used-price replacement for a library book my kids lost, in lieu of paying all the overdue fines and the full-price lost book replacement charge. Our library is nice.

PMG · « **Reply #5912 on:** March 24, 2016, 05:44:34 AM »

Re: lemon juice.

I quit soda a few months ago but recently I've been wanting something flavorful to sip. I spent a week or two wishing there were a more natural version of mio flavored water. Then I noticed the bottle of lemon juice in my fridge. Sometimes I can't believe my own silliness.

As for saving money, I did a big stock up grocery trip to Aldi last week and I got two huge cheap bottles of lemon juice and have since talked myself out of stopping for gelato with the promise of lemonade when I get home.

slappy · « **Reply #5913 on:** March 24, 2016, 05:54:51 AM »

Quote from: PMG on March 24, 2016, 05:44:34 AM

Re: lemon juice.

I quit soda a few months ago but recently I've been wanting something flavorful to sip. I spent a week or two wishing there were a more natural version of mio flavored water. Then I noticed the bottle of lemon juice in my fridge. Sometimes I can't believe my own silliness.

As for saving money, I did a big stock up grocery trip to Aldi last week and I got two huge cheap bottles of lemon juice and have since talked myself out of stopping for gelato with the promise of lemonade when I get home.

I just realized this recently too! My work has the bottle of lemon juice next to the water machine in the cafeteria. So it comes with the added benefits of extra steps on the fitbit every time I have to walk down and get lemon water instead of plain water from the break room. :)

Luckyvik · « **Reply #5914 on:** March 24, 2016, 06:41:19 AM »

Bought a few groceries for dinner $30 for food for tonight + tomorrow night) instead of $50 on dinner out.

Also did product tasting and got a bag of groceries + egift card.

Ate Apple brought from home + leftover Apple from lunch & learn yesterday as snacks, did buy lunch though

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Willbrewer · « **Reply #5915 on:** March 24, 2016, 09:56:30 AM »

It's been mentioned before, but I always web-search using Bing, and convert the points into Amazon gift cards. So far, in the last year or so I've earned $30 bucks worth of free Amazon product.

RamonaQ · « **Reply #5916 on:** March 24, 2016, 11:00:10 AM »

I cut open my tube of toothpaste to use the last little bits.

I realize this is something that probably everyone else has been doing for ages, but I figured I was getting it all out by squishing the tube along the counter. Not so! I'm now on day 2 and counting of an "empty" tube.

dandypandys · « **Reply #5917 on:** March 24, 2016, 11:14:16 AM »

haha yes, indeed a cut open toothpaste household here!
i just got a kick out of hacking the wet jet sifter! :
http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-remove-the-cap-on-a-Swiffer-Wet-Jet-cleaner/
filled it with a vinegar water soap mix. YAAAASSSSS

Inaya · « **Reply #5918 on:** March 24, 2016, 11:51:42 AM »

Quote from: dandypandys on March 24, 2016, 11:14:16 AM

haha yes, indeed a cut open toothpaste household here!
i just got a kick out of hacking the wet jet sifter! :
http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-remove-the-cap-on-a-Swiffer-Wet-Jet-cleaner/
filled it with a vinegar water soap mix. YAAAASSSSS

Thanks for this! My idiot cat tries to poison herself by licking the floor after I clean (for some reason, bleach and other cleaning supplies affect her like catnip does a normal cat), so I can't use the included solution.

I haven't made it to the store this week, so I didn't have anything to bring to work for lunch. Luckily, I was able to scavenge some pizza from a conference room instead of buying lunch.

PMG · « **Reply #5919 on:** March 24, 2016, 01:05:00 PM »

Home early today puttering around the house. I was cleaning up the kitchen when I realized that I could mix my own seasoned salt. Of course! I mix spices for everything else. A Google search found several Lawrys brand copy cat recipes and now my little jar is full and I can take it off my shopping list.

Maya · « **Reply #5920 on:** March 24, 2016, 05:56:24 PM »

Lucked out when a friend gave me some disposable diapers recently. Was enough to get me to the weekend without opening the box of diapers I'd bought from Costco. Potty trained my dd and was able to return them. Yeah! Hate disposable but daycare required them.

RetiredAt63 · « **Reply #5921 on:** March 25, 2016, 07:59:23 AM »

Wow, how old are you? I am 65, and my vision and hearing haven't changed much since 50. I probably did the worst damage to my hearing back in my late teens and early 20's, all those super noisy dances and concerts. Eat healthy (lots of healthy fatty acids, low carbs) to keep the inflammation down, and you should be in a holding pattern for years.

Quote from: infromsea on March 25, 2016, 04:26:07 AM

(here's a tip, don't age...).

RetiredAt63 · « **Reply #5922 on:** March 26, 2016, 07:05:42 AM »

Work induced damage, right. I suppose there is no hearing protection that is going to fully protect you from that.

Quote from: infromsea on March 25, 2016, 03:26:14 PM

Quote from: RetiredAt63 on March 25, 2016, 07:59:23 AM
Wow, how old are you? I am 65, and my vision and hearing haven't changed much since 50.
I'm only 41, but 22 years of being a jet engine mech is hell on the hearing. Eyes are hereditary.

Elliot · « **Reply #5923 on:** March 26, 2016, 08:15:16 AM »

Quote from: Inaya on March 24, 2016, 11:51:42 AM

Quote from: dandypandys on March 24, 2016, 11:14:16 AM
haha yes, indeed a cut open toothpaste household here!
i just got a kick out of hacking the wet jet sifter! :
http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-remove-the-cap-on-a-Swiffer-Wet-Jet-cleaner/
filled it with a vinegar water soap mix. YAAAASSSSS

Thanks for this! My idiot cat tries to poison herself by licking the floor after I clean (for some reason, bleach and other cleaning supplies affect her like catnip does a normal cat), so I can't use the included solution.

I haven't made it to the store this week, so I didn't have anything to bring to work for lunch. Luckily, I was able to scavenge some pizza from a conference room instead of buying lunch.

We use a Shark mop. Cleans with steam alone.

Tyson · « **Reply #5924 on:** March 26, 2016, 11:06:30 AM »

Family wanted to go to Dunkin Donuts as a treat, I convinced everyone to try out the peanut butter oatmeal with chocolate chips from the Oatmeal thread here on MMM. Saved at least $10.

Vanguards and Lentils · « **Reply #5925 on:** March 26, 2016, 11:12:45 AM »

Last night a friend asked if I wanted to eat out for dinner. Instead of just saying "No, I'm over budget for food this month," I invited him over and cooked for us: yellow rice and beans, and cheese and onion omelettes. I need to suggest this alternative more often!

Bracken_Joy · « **Reply #5926 on:** March 26, 2016, 11:21:27 AM »

Had bought back up wireless head phones on black friday when DH thought his were dying. A software update fixed the problems, so they've been languishing ever since- we never got around to returning them to Amazon. Last week, BIL needed new headphones. He paid us the $20 we paid. Win win- we get our $ back, he gets $115 headphones for $20 even though he missed the black friday sale.

Got a free baby gate on Buy Nothing Group. Still works, just a little grubby. This way we can open up both doors in the summer and not have the dog escape.

DH traded engineering support for a family member's business for whiskey. Again. Since it was the family member stupidly breaking the last thing DH helped with, he demanded a nicer whiskey this time. Heh. Looking forward to our bulleit rye this evening. (Don't worry guys, we're not being mean. DH priced it out- he gave over $1300 in services to the family member this week, and that's if he was charging his lowest rate).

Tom Bri · « **Reply #5927 on:** March 26, 2016, 05:24:19 PM »

Daughter suggested we build a raised garden. I didn't want to spend any $ on the project (duh!) and cast about for ways to get wood. I recalled my dad's old barn. He retired from farming about 15 years ago and the barn has not been used for anything but storage since (tractors, mainly). All of the old animal pens are still there. I recall 'helping' to build them back in 1968. Plenty of still-sturdy 1X12s and 2X4s there. I got dad's permission and went to town. Got home and started building. I have one wall done, two feet high, and have one more to build (it's on a hill, so the slope counts as the other two sides). Cost was my time doing something I enjoy, and 8 miles worth of gas in the clown-car. Even the nails were basically free, since they were remainders left over from other projects. Call it $1.50.

halftimer · « **Reply #5928 on:** March 26, 2016, 06:45:12 PM »

This week there was catered fruit and veg and sandwich trays at work for an event. So I didn't have to pack work lunches for 2 days with those leftovers. Then I took a handful of veg - it didn't even make a dent on the tray - and made 2 meals at home with them. I left early at the end of the week so I hope everyone else took a big share home with them and I don't find wasted, wilted food in the fridge on Tuesday when I return. I just couldn't take any more home with me the last day since I was going direct to the passport office and would not be near a fridge or cooler

Willbrewer · « **Reply #5929 on:** March 26, 2016, 07:01:54 PM »

Yesterday I went grocery shopping, and asparagus (on sale for $1.89) was on my list. Couldn't find it, asked the produce manager and he said that it didn't come in on the truck. Soooo, I nicely asked if he would price-match the sale price for a bunch of organic asparagus ($4.99 per pound). The guy was so nice, he initialed the tag on the asparagus and told me to tell the cashier that it was a freebie! What a score! Kinda made me feel guilty, but it didn't stop me from accepting it.

I should mention the store to ease my aching conscience LOL. It was City Market in Moab, Utah. And they do have a really great produce department. Very fresh veggies.

Astatine · « **Reply #5930 on:** March 26, 2016, 07:38:47 PM »

1) We buy UHT skim milk from Aldi as our milk. I don't mind the taste and it's convenient and cheap. No wastage because we can always get through 1 litre well before it goes off, and we always have some in the pantry so we never run out of milk.

2) Aldi has recently changed its packaging of UHT milk. Now it comes in convenient 6-pack boxes. Which I realised if you cut the lid off and one side, they fit perfectly on the bottom shelf of our pantry. A bit of work with some scissors yesterday and we got some free storage containers for our spare supplies/things bought because they were on special. So there is now a box for pasta, one for rice (low GI brown rice and basmati), one for assorted bags of dried legumes, one for tea and one for muesli/rolled oats. Free and minimises waste/resources! Edit: plus it's now much easier to see what we already have in stock, which will also minimise waste of buying more than we need or alternatively, unexpectedly running out of something.

horsepoor · « **Reply #5931 on:** March 26, 2016, 07:54:33 PM »

Needed to put the lights for my veggie seedlings on a timer. I had a light strip with a built-in timer, but it wasn't working, so went to Fred Meyer today and picked up another one ($19.99) because the cheaper timers were only built for 2-prongs. Spied some 3-prong timers on an end cap for $7.99, so grabbed one of those instead. Just now I went to set it up and re-examined the power strip, and figured out how to get it working again. Will return the $7.99 one next time I'm at the store.

Was thinking at the beginning of my 11.5 mile run today that my shoes were a bit too small and I should probably go to the running store and find a new pair. After a few miles they seemed to fit better and I finished the run without problems. I have another pair exactly like them waiting for my next few hundred miles, so I really didn't want to admit that they don't fit.

A couple months ago I put up new curtains in the bedroom, and they don't block as much light as expected, so DH has very elegantly hung three of his shirts up strategically on the curtain rod to block light. I love that our room looks like a thrift shop with old clothes hanging about randomly. So I was going to buy another set of curtains this weekend. However, the fitted sheet of one of our sheet sets tore a hole that is not fixable, so I am going to hang the flat sheet underneath the new curtains tomorrow in lieu of buying a new curtain. I'm also saving the pillow cases to use for potato and onion bags, or wherever else they might come in handy.

Got a $50 Amazon gift card from my Amex rewards and used it for a dog hammock for the back seat of my car

mrsnamemustache · « **Reply #5932 on:** March 26, 2016, 08:08:02 PM »

Wanted to buy a $3 iced coffee from a coffee shop. Settled for putting ice in coffee made at home. It completely satisfied me.

Astatine · « **Reply #5933 on:** March 26, 2016, 08:31:40 PM »

Another one that I just remembered: finally started keeping a price book* for price per kg for kitty litter. Turns out Target's normal price is a lot cheaper than anywhere else (even when it's on special elsewhere). Every place sells different size packets so it was hard to remember the price per kg. Most other things we can remember what prices things should be but we both had a mental blank with kitty litter.

*in Notes on DH's phone. Not actual book. Or even spreadsheet.

Dollar Slice · « **Reply #5934 on:** March 26, 2016, 08:53:31 PM »

Quote from: horsepoor on March 26, 2016, 07:54:33 PM

A couple months ago I put up new curtains in the bedroom, and they don't block as much light as expected, so DH has very elegantly hung three of his shirts up strategically on the curtain rod to block light.

A kindred spirit! :-) I am in a rental that came with cellular blinds installed - they work pretty well for blocking heat/cold through the windows but they are not really dark enough in the bedroom when the sun is directly hitting that side of the building. I hung some pajamas over the headboard to block the light shining on my face while I'm sleeping. (The headboard is metalwork and doesn't block light on its own... although it does make it look sort of like my teddy bear is in jail, so there's that.)

11ducks · « **Reply #5935 on:** March 26, 2016, 09:02:49 PM »

- I've not grocery shopped for myself for nearly two weeks in an effort to eat down the freezer and cupboard. As I cook separately for me (vegetarian, dairy-free) and DS/DH (meat/carb kings), I've still had to shop for the boys, but have saved 20% on groceries. I'm glad to finally be near the end of my stockpile of beans/lentils, though creativity (and digging through the back of the cupboard) has meant i've rediscovered some old favourite meals (cabbage noodle salad, fresh rice paper salad rolls).

- While undertaking bunny duties last night (Aus) - I realised that i'd definitely overshopped a little, and had too many smaller solid eggs. Rather than overstuff baskets and have DH/DS gorge, I put about 1/2pound of smaller solid eggs into the baking basket to chop up and use as choc chips in cookies and muffins later.

- Proactively came up with a list of holiday activities for the family, including using our yearly passes for free days out, and using a gift voucher we got for Christmas at an event park. If I don't have ideas, DH will innately choose really expensive things to do, and I hate being the naysayer. This way, we have a great cheap list of activities.

Astatine · « **Reply #5936 on:** March 26, 2016, 10:32:31 PM »

I decided that I was sick of the clutter on the little table next to where I always sit on the lounge (DH and I are creatures of habit in terms of where we sit at home). It's clutter that is used daily (or several times per day) - box of insulin pen needles, spare test strips for my blood glucose meter (I refill my kit every few days), 7-day box of my morning tablets, box of other tablets, work phone and a few other little bits and pieces. So it wasn't clutter that could be put away because it would annoy me far too much to get it out each day.

Then I realised that the box that the batteries for my blood glucose meter got sent in* would be about the right size. So I cut off the flappy bits (technical term). I then found some nice thin cardboard in our drawer of wrapping paper (NFI why we had it) and covered the box in it so it no longer looked like a packing box with labels and whatnot all over it. :D Table now looks much less cluttered and the bonus is when we have guests with small children it will be quick and easy to move it all to another room.

*it's the same business model as razors and printers - I got my meters for free (I have 4 now) and the company sends me free batteries when I need them. But the consumables, aka test strips, are expensive. Luckily they are heavily subsidised here.

Kitsune · « **Reply #5937 on:** March 27, 2016, 10:01:25 AM »

Had people over for Easter brunch yesterday, and made quiches. While I was at it, I spent an extra 3$ on ingredients (buying in bulk means I got almost twice as much, since buying less is more per lb), and made 3 extras. One is heating up for lunch today (1$ quiche plus spinach salad will feed the family), and the other two are in the freezer for really cheap, tasty lunches sometime in the next few weeks.

CindyBS · « **Reply #5938 on:** March 28, 2016, 08:26:40 PM »

We needed a new system for the kids' coats, boots, backpacks, hats/gloves, etc. We had a shelf/locker thing we built when the kids were young, but now their coats are too big for it.

So, I put in a new system into our closet. Hooks for coats/backpacks, shelves mounted on the wall with L brackets, a shoe rack, and plastic shelves for umbrellas and the like.

I found everything for the project in the house and did it with scrap lumber, hooks, paint, etc. I'm pretty proud b/c my carpentry skills are not that good and it turned out great.

Estimated I saved about $50-$100 over buying some new closet insert/system.

Old shelf, which was also made from scrap wood, will be sold on CL.

ElGrillo · « **Reply #5939 on:** March 28, 2016, 09:56:00 PM »

A few days ago I saw a pair of jeans on a popular clothing store's website that were $49 plus $5 shipping. I went to amazon and searched for the exact same pants and got them for $26, with free shipping to boot!

OmahaSteph · « **Reply #5940 on:** March 29, 2016, 09:46:49 AM »

On Day 2 of Easter leftovers: Ham sandwich with leftover cheesy potatoes, plus deviled eggs (that I made with eggs on sale for 79 cents/dozen and homemade mayo because we were out of store-bought).

Squirrel away · « **Reply #5941 on:** March 29, 2016, 11:27:29 AM »

Quote from: Londoner38 on March 21, 2016, 07:26:40 AM

I realised I had extra interest in a cash savings account and I realised my 0% credit card account was less than I thought. Easy way to realise I have £300 more than I had yesterday.:)

Also, I called up to see what our mortgage balance was and it was £2,000 less than what I thought. Happy times. I've been really distracted lately with personal stuff and not been updating net worth properly.:0

Kwill · « **Reply #5942 on:** March 29, 2016, 11:59:16 AM »

Today I wrote to customer service again about an online subscription. I'd tried to switch from monthly to annual to save money, and customer service disabled my recurring billing to allow that. But now I still can't seem to sign up for the annual membership, and getting back to the monthly membership would be more expensive now than when I joined initially. Sigh. Maybe they will try to win back my customer loyalty somehow?

Yesterday I tried to buy jeans (probably somewhere around £35) but gave up after two stores. Instead I bought a sewing kit (£3) and closed up the holes in the jeans I had. I also mended three other things. I still need new jeans, but this temporarily saves me £32 while I find some I actually like.

dandypandys · « **Reply #5943 on:** March 29, 2016, 01:39:49 PM »

Was on the phone for an 1 hr with liberty mutual insurance as I was sure I was going to switch to Geico, they wouldn't let an 11 yr customer go, and we negotiated. So monthly bill for car and condo insurance savings after that call is 60$ yes!

Bracken_Joy · « **Reply #5944 on:** March 29, 2016, 01:46:11 PM »

My AmEx for Costco is closing this summer (they're switching to Chase Visa). They offered me a pre-approval for a blue cash (the everyday one), with a $100 statement credit for spending $1000 in the first 3 months. This should keep my age of account, too, which is good since the AmEx is one of my oldest cards. While the everyday doesn't have as good a % on groceries at the preferred (3% instead of 6%), it also has no annual fee. Since I'm on DH's blue preferred account, we won't use this card much anyway... just going to get the initial bonus and use it to keep my account age going. Also, it ups available credit without another hard pull, so that's always nice for the credit score. Hope this will all save us money on our mortgage in a couple years when we get one =)

Noticed that Trader Joe's sells cashew bits and pieces for less than than their whole cashews. Since I just put them in curries, we don't mind the smaller pieces at all. That'll be ~$0.50 less per lb now.

Luckyvik · « **Reply #5945 on:** March 29, 2016, 02:27:10 PM »

I was kicking myself for forgetting my umbrella, and went to buy a $9.99 one from the supermarket but it rang up as $12.99. I pointed out the mistake and they gave it to my for free as there's a rule in Australia if an item rings up over the price it's free. So score!

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danielu · « **Reply #5946 on:** March 29, 2016, 02:47:02 PM »

I sold a gadget on blocket (sort of Swedens Craiglist) $80, bought index funds $50 and a pair of shoes $30 for my son. Cooked three lunch boxes with nice ecological ingredients. Explained to my kids that lunch at a restaurant was/is a bad option, especially after having bought shoes. Cooked lunch at home.

Yesterday I called the electricity company and got them to cancel the fixed monthly fee $10 for the next 12 months.

Willbrewer · « **Reply #5947 on:** March 29, 2016, 03:58:23 PM »

Quote from: Luckyvik on March 29, 2016, 02:27:10 PM

I was kicking myself for forgetting my umbrella, and went to buy a $9.99 one from the supermarket but it rang up as $12.99. I pointed out the mistake and they gave it to my for free as there's a rule in Australia if an item rings up over the price it's free. So score!

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Nice score! Since you already have one, sell the new one and make money on the deal.

Primm · « **Reply #5948 on:** March 29, 2016, 05:05:07 PM »

Quote from: Luckyvik on March 29, 2016, 02:27:10 PM

I was kicking myself for forgetting my umbrella, and went to buy a $9.99 one from the supermarket but it rang up as $12.99. I pointed out the mistake and they gave it to my for free as there's a rule in Australia if an item rings up over the price it's free. So score!

Not strictly true. If the item rings up at over the price they have to sell it to you at the correct price according to the ACCC. However SOME retailers have this policy, but it's entirely optional. Still, if they advertise it they have to honour it.

frooglepoodle · « **Reply #5949 on:** March 29, 2016, 08:01:22 PM »

Renewed my passport by mail to save the $25 processing fee.

Packed ham sandwiches (Easter leftovers) for us to eat after the passport appointments for DH and the little man.

Started sewing some headbands as baby gifts using scrap fabric and 1/4 inch elastic that I had on hand. They only take about 10 minutes to make and seem to be pretty popular for little girls.

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Author Topic: What small things did you do TODAY to save money? (Read 5616824 times)