What small things did you do TODAY to save money?

[Frugal Lizard]

I was tired after working on the house and in the garden all day but instead of going out for dinner, I made dinner at home.  But I really didn't feel like cooking but I did it anyway.

[lemanfan]

Yesterday, just a Buy Nothing Day.  Ransacked the cabinets for food.  Survived. :)

[lhamo]

Took the bus to/from the shopping center where we looked for shoes and shorts for DD.  Paid roughly $1.60 RT for the three of us, compared to the $10+ a taxi both ways would have cost.

[Tabitha]

Stayed out of all stores this week, including grocery stores. Today I made bread, yogurt, and hummus to help get us through this next week on pantry cooking and freezer clean-out.

Sadly I broke another kitchen thermometer. That's 3 in 2016.  I'm back to the wrist method and think I'll stay with that for a while.

[dandypandys]

Ate falafel on naan with salads and yoghurt for dinner, was delish, and one of the cheapest meals you can make. Haven;t gone out at all today, so haven't spent a thing :-) Just quality husband time, watching films .

[Evgenia]

This weekend, I took advantage of longer days and sun and am back to drying all of the laundry on the line. I get lazy and use the dryer when it's cold and foggy, but we save $10-$14/month when I'm a diligent line dryer.

I've also been cooking meal after meal at home, as the frugal food hammer has come back down. Almond flour pancakes, quiche, chicken soup with dumplings, smoothies, quinoa salads, and tonight tamale pie. I'm also going to try some new recipes this week for more variety.

My recent Q1 spending review "uncovered" the fact that we spent $5,113 on groceries, dining out, and wine in three months. Looks like some of us have been celebrating FIRE a little too much! Woops. Some of this is because my family visited, a very rare occasion. Sweet Huz and I, being the rich people we are, paid for a few group dinners for seven people with wine ($1,500 of the $5,113 total) and filled the larder with groceries for that many during the visit (another $200). But take away the special occasion, $1,700 family vacation food bill, and that still leaves over $1,000 month on food spending. For two adults. Unacceptable.

At least it's easy to get back on track!

[Rural]

Stir fried my radish thinnings (roots and greens) with garlic and half a (small) smoked sausage from the freezer for lunch.


Supper is instantpot "German bake": cabbage, kraut, 4 chopped potatoes that have seen better days, half a large turkey smoked sausage from the freezer, applesauce and a handful of dried cranberries, all cooked in slightly too much chicken bone broth from the freezer. Cabbage was also from the freezer, about half a head as I've determined roughly chopped cabbage freezes just fine for stews and stir frying even without blanching. Cabbage waste around here has plummeted (and cabbage usage has risen since I no longer feel compelled to try to use a whole head up fast and thus husband doesn't get sick of it). Slightly too much broth is being sopped up with the heels of homemade multigrain bread, also from the freezer.


Stayed home all day, walked in the woods with the dogs, and snacked on wild greens as we went. Dogs snacked on deer poop, as is their wont.

[Inaya]

Cabbage was also from the freezer, about half a head as I've determined roughly chopped cabbage freezes just fine for stews and stir frying even without blanching. Cabbage waste around here has plummeted (and cabbage usage has risen since I no longer feel compelled to try to use a whole head up fast and thus husband doesn't get sick of it).

Thanks for sharing this. I feel like I can't buy cabbage because half the head goes bad before I can use it. Problem solved.

[Rural]

Cabbage was also from the freezer, about half a head as I've determined roughly chopped cabbage freezes just fine for stews and stir frying even without blanching. Cabbage waste around here has plummeted (and cabbage usage has risen since I no longer feel compelled to try to use a whole head up fast and thus husband doesn't get sick of it).

Thanks for sharing this. I feel like I can't buy cabbage because half the head goes bad before I can use it. Problem solved.

I know, same here. One day I decided I'd just try it - it's not like there was anything to lose, after all, since otherwise I'd just store the damn left-over half cabbage in the fridge until it got slimy and then put it into the compost heap where it would take way too long to break down because of being in head form. Life is better since.

[Kitsune]

Cabbage was also from the freezer, about half a head as I've determined roughly chopped cabbage freezes just fine for stews and stir frying even without blanching. Cabbage waste around here has plummeted (and cabbage usage has risen since I no longer feel compelled to try to use a whole head up fast and thus husband doesn't get sick of it).

Thanks for sharing this. I feel like I can't buy cabbage because half the head goes bad before I can use it. Problem solved.

I know, same here. One day I decided I'd just try it - it's not like there was anything to lose, after all, since otherwise I'd just store the damn left-over half cabbage in the fridge until it got slimy and then put it into the compost heap where it would take way too long to break down because of being in head form. Life is better since.

If you like fermented things, you can make sourkraut  in a mason jar, a half head of cabbage at a time. Red cabbage is especially pretty.

[marcela]

I am working on unsubscribing from email lists for stores. The less shopping temptation I have in my inbox, the better.

[dandypandys]

I am working on unsubscribing from email lists for stores. The less shopping temptation I have in my inbox, the better.

I need to do this.

[Kitsune]

I am working on unsubscribing from email lists for stores. The less shopping temptation I have in my inbox, the better.

I need to do this.

This combined with the honey plugin for Chrome.

It gives you the coupon codes for the website you're on... So, no emails to tempt you, but if you're shopping online because you actually need something, you'll still have easy access to the coupon codes you unsubscribed from.

[dandypandys]

I am working on unsubscribing from email lists for stores. The less shopping temptation I have in my inbox, the better.

I need to do this.

This combined with the honey plugin for Chrome.

Ah cool- i usually go to retailmenot.com first, then ebates to click through.

It gives you the coupon codes for the website you're on... So, no emails to tempt you, but if you're shopping online because you actually need something, you'll still have easy access to the coupon codes you unsubscribed from.

[LindseyC]

I was a little disturbed that it's May and my furnace is still on (usually it's off for a month by now) but I have saved a lot this winter with lower temperatures, which means that my equal billing has dropped from $130 a month to $85 until August. So that is saving me $45 a month which is significant and it was no real hardship to have cooler house temperatures all winter.

I stocked up on some groceries all bought on sale, with coupons and groceries points which was a big win for the grocery budget this month. I also received a free $5 GC from the bulk store.

I've been making cold tea like crazy lately (bought some lovely tea on sale) and I have found that the boxes of peppermint and peach flavour are delicious as cold tea with no sugar added. Super healthy and makes a wonderful spring/summer drink. It's a slightly more expensive tea, but significantly cheaper than any drink store bought would be.

[fishnfool]

Did laundry, ripped a dryer sheet in half!

[horsepoor]

Called Chase and had my Sapphire card changed to the no annual fee option.  The only perk I lose is the free foreign transactions, but I'm not planning on traveling out of the country any time soon, so it's definitely not worth the $95/year.

[Squirrel away]

I just cleaned the patio with a stiff broom and soapy water rather than using the pressure washer. It's actually more of a hassle to use the pressure washer anyway.:D

Leftovers for lunch. I have rice and steamed vegetables in the fridge and they will be transformed into a Chinese type dish with my wok.:)

I was a little disturbed that it's May and my furnace is still on (usually it's off for a month by now) but I have saved a lot this winter with lower temperatures, which means that my equal billing has dropped from $130 a month to $85 until August. So that is saving me $45 a month which is significant and it was no real hardship to have cooler house temperatures all winter.

Yes, I was thinking that today, that I still have the heating on here as it is has been chilly in the UK. I would usually switch off the heating in late March.

[Ceridwen]

Made chicken burrito bowls for supper last night and packed the leftovers for lunch today and tomorrow.  Realized that my portions were way too big, so I stretched it out to last for 3 lunches instead of 2.

[annieme]

Just changed  my phone plan from $50 a month to $35. 
Can still reduce, but at least it was an improvement while I do more research about what's available.

[lunahsol]

*  let amazon prime expire (saved $99)
*  brought leftover baguette to work to have with leftover lentils for lunch
*  free coffee :)  (in the same stainless mug I have had for about 6 years now - makes it taste even better!)

[Orvell]

Leftovers for lunch, and office pickings for breakfast! (Extra fruit and granola bars from a weekend shindig)
Last night I got my seriously ganked up Wacom tablet to keep on keeping on just a little bit longer. The pen/stylus is taped together, and I bought it in 2010, but these things cost about $300 new, sooo.... yeah. Just keep on trucking little buddy!

[Rural]

Not small, and not me, but wonderful husband dug up and troubleshot the malfunctioning septic system and cleaned out the clogged effluvia filter (nice word for a true horror, that). Now all fixed. Would have been free but he broke a sewer pipe fitting and the replacement (better one with a cleanout) was $10.99. That's at least $500 we didn't spend on a contractor, there. Probably worth it, but if he ever decides he wants to hire that done, I'll pay and smile because worst job ever. Really.

[Rural]

Cabbage was also from the freezer, about half a head as I've determined roughly chopped cabbage freezes just fine for stews and stir frying even without blanching. Cabbage waste around here has plummeted (and cabbage usage has risen since I no longer feel compelled to try to use a whole head up fast and thus husband doesn't get sick of it).

Thanks for sharing this. I feel like I can't buy cabbage because half the head goes bad before I can use it. Problem solved.

I know, same here. One day I decided I'd just try it - it's not like there was anything to lose, after all, since otherwise I'd just store the damn left-over half cabbage in the fridge until it got slimy and then put it into the compost heap where it would take way too long to break down because of being in head form. Life is better since.

If you like fermented things, you can make sourkraut  in a mason jar, a half head of cabbage at a time. Red cabbage is especially pretty.

You know, I've never tackled kraut. Do you have a recipe for the half head in a mason jor method? All I've ever really seen is a big (big) crock and a weighted-down plate for a lid - this for kraut or other veggies.

[annieme]

+1 for that recipe!

[Kitsune]

Basically, do this: http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-homemade-sauerkraut-in-a-mason-jar-193124

The plate in bigger crocks is really only used to keep the cabbage submerged in the brine (it'll go off if part of it is exposed to air, hence weighing it down) I've also used ziplock baggies filled with brine to keep the cabbage under.

The salt-to-water ratio is the same no matter the quantity of cabbage, so... A half head vs 6 heads doesn't change the 'recipe', just the amount and size of the crock. :)

[horsepoor]

Discovered the other day that my truck was completely dead.  So dead that the power door locks wouldn't work.  It wouldn't take a jump, but the battery showed as charged on the trickle charger as well as my multi-meter.  I went and bought a test light to start going through the fuses and ignition cable, etc. before giving in and having it towed.  The test light lit up on my running vehicle, but nada on the truck battery, so took the battery to AutoZone, where they charged it and pronounced it D.O.A.  Before going to collect it and buy a battery, I looked online and found that Napa had a 10% discount for placing an online order for store pickup, plus they had a better warranty.  Ordered the battery and gave them a call to ask about turning in the old battery.  They confirmed that the core charge would be waived if I brought the old battery, so I went and collected it from AutoZone and saved $18.  Now to put the receipt somewhere I will be able to find it should the new battery go bad within the next 65 months.  Popped the new battery in and the truck roared to life again without a tow and mechanic's bill. 

[HairyUpperLip]

Now to put the receipt somewhere I will be able to find it should the new battery go bad within the next 65 months. 

I keep my car pretty clean, so things like this usually go best in an envelope in my glovebox. Just my two cents.

[Kitsune]

Now to put the receipt somewhere I will be able to find it should the new battery go bad within the next 65 months. 

I keep my car pretty clean, so things like this usually go best in an envelope in my glovebox. Just my two cents.

... That's brilliant. Much more likely to actually be found when needed than trying to remember to file it in the house. Thanks for the tip!

[frugalparagon]

Took Big Brother (age 5) to buy undies. Explained that the Spiderman undies were more than the plain ones, and if he wanted Spiderman, he could cough up the $3 difference.

Now, obviously "his" $3 had come straight out of my wallet last allowance day. But I am expect this groundwork to yield future dividends--he'll be used to making choices with "his" money!

[horsepoor]

Now to put the receipt somewhere I will be able to find it should the new battery go bad within the next 65 months. 

I keep my car pretty clean, so things like this usually go best in an envelope in my glovebox. Just my two cents.

... That's brilliant. Much more likely to actually be found when needed than trying to remember to file it in the house. Thanks for the tip!

Absolutely!  I was thinking glovebox, but a separate envelope for those sorts of things would be best.

[WhoDey]

Cancelled out stupid expensive gym membership $105 per month.  Savings of $1,260.  add that to our savings from Time Warner and we're up $2,772 this year - its like getting a 4% raise just cutting out these expenses, but that is not how we are thinking.

All of these savings are being plowed into our tIRA!

[Orvell]

Got the bank to stop taking 4.95$ out ever month for an 'inactive bill payer' fee. God damned bullshit. But finally got my thumb out of my butt and dealt with it!

[a1smith]

Just changed  my phone plan from $50 a month to $35. 
Can still reduce, but at least it was an improvement while I do more research about what's available.

We changed to Ooma years ago.  Right now, it's $14.82 per month.  I have the premium version which is $10/month more but gives you many more features.  If you don't want that it's $4.82 per month.  May be different for you since thr $4.82 is mostly taxes and fees which are locality dependent.  You do need to buy an Ooma Telo but you can find good deals on them and it pays for itself quickly.

[Bracken_Joy]

Have been loving my 40oz hydroflask for work. Unfortunately, when I say "my", its actually my husband's. Who also likes it for work. Used a local contact to get a wholesale sourced 40oz bottle for $17.50 (at cost before customization) instead of $30. Now we can both have our big fantastic water bottles!

[MissNancyPryor]

Made my own BBQ sauce from an online recipe, tweaked to our taste.  Everything was on hand, yay for a well stocked pantry!

[Kitsune]

My toddler spent the night with her grandparents... So my husband and I stayed home instead of going out, and spent some time *aahem* in bed, made an awesome dinner (roast duck in brandy and cherry sauce) out of pantry/freezer food, and watched a Netflix show.

... I can pretty much guarantee that we had more fun than we would have going out

[Tom Bri]

Not small, and not me, but wonderful husband dug up and troubleshot the malfunctioning septic system and cleaned out the clogged effluvia filter (nice word for a true horror, that). Now all fixed. Would have been free but he broke a sewer pipe fitting and the replacement (better one with a cleanout) was $10.99. That's at least $500 we didn't spend on a contractor, there. Probably worth it, but if he ever decides he wants to hire that done, I'll pay and smile because worst job ever. Really.

Dug up how? By hand, or with some machine? I am dreading the day my septic system goes bad.

[Tom Bri]

I planted sweet corn and beans today. I used saved seed from last year, so cost was essentially zero. I will buy some sweet corn seed and add to the mix. If you are saving seeds you need to add some genetic variety every now and then with corn.

[Rural]

Not small, and not me, but wonderful husband dug up and troubleshot the malfunctioning septic system and cleaned out the clogged effluvia filter (nice word for a true horror, that). Now all fixed. Would have been free but he broke a sewer pipe fitting and the replacement (better one with a cleanout) was $10.99. That's at least $500 we didn't spend on a contractor, there. Probably worth it, but if he ever decides he wants to hire that done, I'll pay and smile because worst job ever. Really.

Dug up how? By hand, or with some machine? I am dreading the day my septic system goes bad.

By hand because the backhoe can't get to the small flat area in front of the house without either going over the edge and  down the mountain (well, okay, lodging against trees) or crushing the field line.


Most of the digging was diagnostic, not required for repair; he located and checked all the pipes for blockages and snaked to be sure before deciding he had to go into the tank itself. That was very little digging, likely the case with yours, too. You'd rather dig, though, trust me.

[Erma]

Some weeks ago I fixed my laptop. Windows wasn't running anymore, so I decided to install a linux operation system. But some update must have disabled my sound, so today when I started the laptop, I couldn't hear anything. So I fixed this today. Now the laptop works again perfectly and I was even able to get Netflix to run, so we can use the account for two people that we have.

I also warmed some food for lunch, but I do this almost daily because I don't like the convenience products.

And I won a 100 CHF coupon for a grocery store. Free food for almost a whole week :)

[swick]

A new parcel tax has recently been adopted in our city. Becuase we are in an area of the original townsite, we have two parcels as they were super small back then, everyone has two or more, and they are assessing tax on each.

This would cost us an extra 150.00 a year. Looked into getting the internal property lines erased and the parcels combined and were getting quotes of 1% of the assessed value of the house to have this done - which would cost us over 2,700.

Discovered you can file the paperwork yourself online with the Land titles registry office for 87.00. But you have to know where to look and what form you are looking for to be able to do this (Thanks, mom!) So we are saving a bunch of money :)

[jengod]

No-driving day today: Walked and took bus w 3yo to downtown Santa Monica, shopped the children's book sale at the library, played at a park.

Put leftover chicken carcass in crockpot yesterday, made chicken-noodle soup today, and the bones are back in the crockpot for the remouillage round.

Collected onion seed and borage seeds from the garden; saved some cantaloupe seeds from a grocery store fruit and will bury them shortly in hopes of some late summer canteloupe.

[Luckyvik]

On holiday in New York, waked everywhere saving on transport and also bought water bottles in bulk from Walgreens less tha $1/bottle as opposed to $3+ a bottle in food carts etc, still spent money on some things but was well spent


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Kitsune]

I hired a housecleaner.

Which allows me to free up a weekday, which allows me to increase the hours I work (instead of cleaning the house and running errands), which means that, after taxes and paying hte housecleaner, I will make an extra 480$/month.

AND I don't have to clean the house. ;)

[marcela]

I added a credit card with no foreign transaction fee in preparation for my upcoming trip to Brazil. Will save us 3% on all our purchases and from having to carry around too much cash. I don't travel much outside of work (this upcoming trip notwithstanding) and will use the rewards from the card to cancel the cost of my business trips while also getting reimbursed for my costs.

This weekend was finally my sister's baby shower and so I finished all the projects and crafts I had done leading up to it. Getting home yesterday I was exhausted, but I dragged my butt off the couch and returned all my unused supplies to 3 different stores. $40 back in around half an hour worth of work. There's also a bolt of tulle and a spool of rope that still need returning, but those are back in my hometown. I'll have my family bring it up when the come visit next weekend.

 

[Bracken_Joy]

Forget if I posted this, forgive me if I already did! Hold your face punches, please, I know it's expensive. But our dog is our baby... whine.

What we had been doing. Monthly: Bubble bath, with ears, teeth brushing/gel, anal gland expression, nail clipping and grinding, hypoallergenic shampoo, and comes home stuffed full of organic freeze dried liver treats. $25, plus $5 tip, so $30.
I already knew this was expensive, but we kept doing it, because denial our dog loves the place, always comes back so so soft, and they're great with her nails- when we got her (rescue), they were grown in a circle back into her paw pads. They've worked the quick back so they're almost normal, but 3 are still very funky and hard to work with.
Last month when we went in, they told us they were raising her price $10! So now we would be looking at $40 per month. That I just couldn't swallow, so it finally pushed me to change to...

Monthly: just nails, $10. I bathe her at home. Still need to figure out teeth cleaning and anal glands though. Sigh. Her breed is not notorious for cooperation with grooming!

This $30 savings per month will partially offset our $100 rent increase starting July or August. (PS- don't move to Portland guys. I am elated about a $100 increase, since it could have been so much worse. DO NOT MOVE HERE. I beg you).

[Kwill]

Today I went and visited the current tenant in my future flat and agreed to buy his furniture. It's all very sensible, wood, like-new Ikea stuff, and £300 for the whole apartment, pre-delivered. It seems like a good deal. I will have to work on making it girlier, but one thing at a time.

[PMG]

I hemmed and made new back pockets for a pair of jeans.  Yeah. These are fancy quick dry travel jeans that I picked up for a dollar at a thrift shop two summers ago. I convinced myself they were snug. No, they were way too small and just languished on my shelf. But now I've lost weight and they fit, but the pockets were too small to be useful and made my butt look pitiful.  I used the extra couple inches I cut off the hem to make new pockets. They've gone from "mom jeans" to "boyfriend jeans".


Edited to add:  10 minutes after I posted this the boyfriend commented that the pocket placement in my jeans was odd.  Haha. Granted he was more referring to the feel of the high waist.  But. Hah. Maybe I'm not as clever as I thought.

[horsepoor]

I was too lazy to leave my hotel room to go get ice cream tonight.