Author Topic: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?  (Read 8020925 times)

SomedayStache

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #7200 on: October 11, 2016, 11:17:22 AM »
I had similar sticker shock at disposable pans from the grocery store.

Since then I've noticed that the dollar store has a nice variety, and they are only a dollar.  Don't know why the markup at the regular store is so much, but it seems to be so.

Lunasol

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #7201 on: October 11, 2016, 12:02:21 PM »
Accidentally missed out on a concert I really wanted to go to, they ended up showing in the news how the band had playback on a few of the songs, phew! I'm better off buying the CD or listening to them on youtube...

Went to movies on saturday, my friend had 4 free tickets so we saw a movie for free, plus the movie theater has free parking!

We went to dinner afterwards to an apartment complex+restaurants area with free parking too :)

I went to movies again with another friend last night, to the same free parking movie theather place, we only spent $5 on frap and movie tickets each =)

mustachepungoeshere

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #7202 on: October 11, 2016, 04:43:15 PM »
Had yesterday day off work so I:

- made pesto pasta salad to use up leftover pesto (penne and pine nuts from pantry).
- did four loads of washing, all line-dried.
- refilled the hand soap, shampoo and conditioner pump packs (and realised I still have more than enough on hand).
- cleaned out the fridge, finally, and took inventory of what needs to be used up (four kinds of mustard, five kinds of cheese, and a huge jar of pickles - I see cubanos in my future!).
- had a friend stay last night who bought groceries and cooked dinner, so now I'm brainstorming how to use up the leftover ingredients - it's like a cooking show.
- itemised my husband's work expenses so he can claim the $1200 the company owes him.

Back at work today and the first thing I did was the necessary paperwork to stop the mandatory deductions for my uni loans, so my net pay will go up as of next pay period.

frugalsurfer

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #7203 on: October 11, 2016, 06:28:01 PM »
Dumping my comprehensive insurance policy and getting a cheaper, 3rd party cover policy instead with another company. It's not worth spending $900 a year for a car that's only worth $6500 with nothing owning on it.

Inaya

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #7204 on: October 12, 2016, 07:49:53 AM »
Bought some freezer dinners and pizzas at Trader Joe's and Aldi in an attempt to keep hubs from sneaking off to McDonald's when I'm at work. "But there's nothing to EAT at home, so I HAVE to go to McDonald's before I go to work or I'll STARVE at work!" Freezer food isn't great, but it's cheap and at least a little more wholesome than fast food.

Goldielocks

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #7205 on: October 12, 2016, 01:43:10 PM »
Bought some freezer dinners and pizzas at Trader Joe's and Aldi in an attempt to keep hubs from sneaking off to McDonald's when I'm at work. "But there's nothing to EAT at home, so I HAVE to go to McDonald's before I go to work or I'll STARVE at work!" Freezer food isn't great, but it's cheap and at least a little more wholesome than fast food.

LOL..  then you get " I have no time to heat that"... and finally the revelation after 20 years of marriage "I don't like leftovers or crockpot foods"....     

DH will drink the Boost beverages, though.   But yikes at $9 for 6 (on sale, and he drinks 2), I don't get them often.

Kitsune

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #7206 on: October 12, 2016, 01:58:37 PM »
Bought some freezer dinners and pizzas at Trader Joe's and Aldi in an attempt to keep hubs from sneaking off to McDonald's when I'm at work. "But there's nothing to EAT at home, so I HAVE to go to McDonald's before I go to work or I'll STARVE at work!" Freezer food isn't great, but it's cheap and at least a little more wholesome than fast food.

LOL..  then you get " I have no time to heat that"... and finally the revelation after 20 years of marriage "I don't like leftovers or crockpot foods"....     

DH will drink the Boost beverages, though.   But yikes at $9 for 6 (on sale, and he drinks 2), I don't get them often.

"I don't like leftovers or crockpot foods" .. "Great, so I'll be home at 6, let me know what you have planned for us for dinner!"

I just got some of the ingredients for my husband's favorite 'fancy' (read: expensive and complicated and therefore not made very often) dinners on huge sale. Roast duck with brandied peaches for under 10$? Sounds great.

But the rest of the time, especially weeknights? We have a list of 'easy and cheap and on the table in 20 minutes' dinners, and we alternate through them, and neither of us love all of them but they're good and healthy and fit the budget so I can live with omelette and a salad, and he can live with tacos.

Eilonwy

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #7207 on: October 12, 2016, 03:22:14 PM »
I'm paying attention to peak electricity times and charging things/doing laundry in the evenings. Will be kind of happy when we go off peak next month, though, and I can forget about it for awhile.

Bracken_Joy

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #7208 on: October 12, 2016, 04:08:38 PM »
Went adventuring through my parent's mouse infected, funky barn to reclaim long ago abandoned holiday decor, instead of buying new. Cleaned everything up today. For about 4 hours total work, I have 5 rubbermaids full of holiday decor, (~75% christmas, 25% thanksgiving).

Instead of recreation shopping like most of my relatives, I did my favorite "get out of the house" activity- went and walked around nearby neighborhoods for an hour. Bonus: got sunshine. Who knows how long it will hold up here in the PNW- we're supposed to have big storms rolling in.

Bracken_Joy

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #7209 on: October 12, 2016, 04:10:33 PM »
OH! And I forgot the best one of all! Need to replace the vinyl insert in the door bottoms of all our exterior doors. This turned out to be IMPOSSIBLE. After many stores, many hours online, and lots of other details I won't bore you with, I finally found the entire door bottom assemblies for sale. This was a start, but I don't want to pay $60 total for 6 little pieces of vinyl! So I wrote the company (Frost King). And they're going to send me the vinyl FOR FREEEEEEEEE.

*picture me doing happy dance*

wintersun

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #7210 on: October 12, 2016, 06:01:57 PM »
I left home early this morning so I could walk and take public transportation and..I enjoyed it thoroughly.  I got in 11,000 steps by mid-afternoon.
I skipped having a proper dinner so no need for a grocery expedition.
Paid a bill early to get a discount.
Found a place where I can get my hair trimmed for a lot less!!!!


wintersun

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #7211 on: October 12, 2016, 06:10:49 PM »
I left home early this morning so I could walk and take public transportation and..I enjoyed it thoroughly.  I got in 11,000 steps by mid-afternoon.
I skipped having a proper dinner so no need for a grocery expedition.
Paid a bill early to get a discount.
Found a place where I can get my hair trimmed for a lot less!!!!

choppingwood

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #7212 on: October 12, 2016, 06:26:10 PM »
While in the city today to do a couple of errands, I stopped at my favourite produce store, which bills itself as selling "Fresh for Less."  I picked up 20 lb of red-skinned potatoes for 36 cents a lb, 3 lb of onions for 99 cents, and 6 winter squash (4 varieties) at 68 cents a lb (Canadian prices).

Russet potatoes were even less (24 cents a lb), but I prefer red-skinned. I would typically pay 92 cents a lb through the year for either.

MrsTuxedocat

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #7213 on: October 12, 2016, 06:36:17 PM »
My packed lunch was looking super unappetizing and my coworkers were going out for lunch. I remained strong and eat my leftovers.

Metric Mouse

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #7214 on: October 12, 2016, 06:59:07 PM »
Dropped my pea coat off at the clothesmith shop today. Hurray for custom-fitted clothes - will look sooo much nicer on me, and way cheaper than buying a new one that fit better.

nyxst

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #7215 on: October 12, 2016, 09:54:44 PM »
I got a tiny Crock-Pot for my desk at work. I am always tempted to run out and buy lunch, so now I put the food in the Crock-Pot as soon as I get in, that way when lunch rolls around I am already committed to what is in there, and it smells pretty good :) almost 2 whole weeks without buying anything for lunch because of it! Best part, I got it on Amazon, on sale, and with a credit I had from something else that arrived broken, making my total cost $7. That $ is gonna save me a lot in the long run!

Metric Mouse

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #7216 on: October 12, 2016, 09:57:24 PM »
I got a tiny Crock-Pot for my desk at work. I am always tempted to run out and buy lunch, so now I put the food in the Crock-Pot as soon as I get in, that way when lunch rolls around I am already committed to what is in there, and it smells pretty good :) almost 2 whole weeks without buying anything for lunch because of it! Best part, I got it on Amazon, on sale, and with a credit I had from something else that arrived broken, making my total cost $7. That $ is gonna save me a lot in the long run!

I'm sure the office loves you on curry and fish day... :D

horsepoor

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #7217 on: October 13, 2016, 08:45:46 AM »
I got a tiny Crock-Pot for my desk at work. I am always tempted to run out and buy lunch, so now I put the food in the Crock-Pot as soon as I get in, that way when lunch rolls around I am already committed to what is in there, and it smells pretty good :) almost 2 whole weeks without buying anything for lunch because of it! Best part, I got it on Amazon, on sale, and with a credit I had from something else that arrived broken, making my total cost $7. That $ is gonna save me a lot in the long run!

Well dang it.  I saw those at Fred Meyer the other day and they looked cool.  Now I'm perusing the reviews on Amazon.  Our microwave at work sucks.  I think I did 5 minutes last time on soup and it was lukewarm, but I feel like I'm hogging the microwave at lunchtime if I keep sticking it back in. 

As far as saving money - nothing yet today, except staying home and keeping the heat off (it's 57F downstairs right now).

Yesterday - planted about 100 garlic cloves and 20 shallots.  Dug up about 50# of sweet potatoes and picked about 40# of tomatoes and a big bucket of peppers before it frosted.

Used a coupon at the feed store and also saved $7.50 by buying the bag of feed that had a tear in the bag taped shut.

Shipped out a couple hundred $$ worth of things I sold on eBay.

Did some body work on my horse instead of hiring a pro.  Seemed to work (she was getting sore and pissy because she's in horsey reform school right now).

Had fried green tomatoes, burger patties with mushrooms and leftover homemade bread for dinner last night.  Discovered that if I call it Salisbury steak, DH will eat burger patties.  If I call them bunless burgers, he feels he's being deprived of something. 

Bracken_Joy

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #7218 on: October 13, 2016, 10:18:17 AM »
I got a tiny Crock-Pot for my desk at work. I am always tempted to run out and buy lunch, so now I put the food in the Crock-Pot as soon as I get in, that way when lunch rolls around I am already committed to what is in there, and it smells pretty good :) almost 2 whole weeks without buying anything for lunch because of it! Best part, I got it on Amazon, on sale, and with a credit I had from something else that arrived broken, making my total cost $7. That $ is gonna save me a lot in the long run!

Well dang it.  I saw those at Fred Meyer the other day and they looked cool.  Now I'm perusing the reviews on Amazon.  Our microwave at work sucks.  I think I did 5 minutes last time on soup and it was lukewarm, but I feel like I'm hogging the microwave at lunchtime if I keep sticking it back in. 

Be sure to check your local goodwill. Ours has a ton, because Crockpot for a long time (maybe they still do) gave away the little ones with every big one they sold. I think it was at walmart. Anyway, I ended up with 2, my MIL with 1, and we never used them and donated them. This long winded reply to say, be sure to check goodwill and the like =)

horsepoor

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #7219 on: October 13, 2016, 10:27:43 AM »
I got a tiny Crock-Pot for my desk at work. I am always tempted to run out and buy lunch, so now I put the food in the Crock-Pot as soon as I get in, that way when lunch rolls around I am already committed to what is in there, and it smells pretty good :) almost 2 whole weeks without buying anything for lunch because of it! Best part, I got it on Amazon, on sale, and with a credit I had from something else that arrived broken, making my total cost $7. That $ is gonna save me a lot in the long run!

Well dang it.  I saw those at Fred Meyer the other day and they looked cool.  Now I'm perusing the reviews on Amazon.  Our microwave at work sucks.  I think I did 5 minutes last time on soup and it was lukewarm, but I feel like I'm hogging the microwave at lunchtime if I keep sticking it back in. 

Be sure to check your local goodwill. Ours has a ton, because Crockpot for a long time (maybe they still do) gave away the little ones with every big one they sold. I think it was at walmart. Anyway, I ended up with 2, my MIL with 1, and we never used them and donated them. This long winded reply to say, be sure to check goodwill and the like =)

I think what Nyxst has is one of these:  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006H5V8US/ref=s9_simh_gw_g79_i4_r?ie=UTF8&fpl=fresh&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=&pf_rd_r=6EQ34GD1VGP5QNKH5H90&pf_rd_t=36701&pf_rd_p=b21f7431-0e6c-4207-b08b-cc9492e60b0f&pf_rd_i=desktop

The container seals so it is easy to transport to/from work and has a removable liner.  There is also one model up from that with a detachable base like a cordless kettle.  One of those little dip ones would be OK too, just not quite as convenient and portable.

Bracken_Joy

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #7220 on: October 13, 2016, 10:30:07 AM »
I got a tiny Crock-Pot for my desk at work. I am always tempted to run out and buy lunch, so now I put the food in the Crock-Pot as soon as I get in, that way when lunch rolls around I am already committed to what is in there, and it smells pretty good :) almost 2 whole weeks without buying anything for lunch because of it! Best part, I got it on Amazon, on sale, and with a credit I had from something else that arrived broken, making my total cost $7. That $ is gonna save me a lot in the long run!

Well dang it.  I saw those at Fred Meyer the other day and they looked cool.  Now I'm perusing the reviews on Amazon.  Our microwave at work sucks.  I think I did 5 minutes last time on soup and it was lukewarm, but I feel like I'm hogging the microwave at lunchtime if I keep sticking it back in. 

Be sure to check your local goodwill. Ours has a ton, because Crockpot for a long time (maybe they still do) gave away the little ones with every big one they sold. I think it was at walmart. Anyway, I ended up with 2, my MIL with 1, and we never used them and donated them. This long winded reply to say, be sure to check goodwill and the like =)

I think what Nyxst has is one of these:  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006H5V8US/ref=s9_simh_gw_g79_i4_r?ie=UTF8&fpl=fresh&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=&pf_rd_r=6EQ34GD1VGP5QNKH5H90&pf_rd_t=36701&pf_rd_p=b21f7431-0e6c-4207-b08b-cc9492e60b0f&pf_rd_i=desktop

The container seals so it is easy to transport to/from work and has a removable liner.  There is also one model up from that with a detachable base like a cordless kettle.  One of those little dip ones would be OK too, just not quite as convenient and portable.

Ah! I stand corrected. I didn't even know those existed. Kinda looks like the thermos I used as a kid for soup =P Yeah, I can see how that would work better for transporting food.

Kitsunegari

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #7221 on: October 13, 2016, 10:55:58 AM »
Last night I didn't cook and we snacked on what was in the fridge, so today I had no lunch.
I fished an old jar of soup from the freezer I keep for emergencies like this and I'm integrating it with the free apples we get at work... I just can't drop 10 - 12$ on a made-meal!

WilliamWallace

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #7222 on: October 13, 2016, 11:47:24 AM »
Switched from the ridiculously expensive Gillette Mach 3 razor to safety razors.  Instead of paying $100/year or so for razors, I'm down to $10!

Although I am cutting my face more...no pain no gain!  I'm hoping I figure it out and the razor replacements are chaper than the few than came with the $30 razor holder.

Rubic

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #7223 on: October 13, 2016, 01:19:47 PM »
Switched from the ridiculously expensive Gillette Mach 3 razor to safety razors.  Instead of paying $100/year or so for razors, I'm down to $10!

Although I am cutting my face more...no pain no gain!  I'm hoping I figure it out and the razor replacements are chaper than the few than came with the $30 razor holder.

If you're cutting yourself, you're probably using the same shaving technique
as you were using with the Mach 3.  You need to modify your shave technique
when using a double edge razor.

Here's a good video tutorial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ps88RU_BXlA

OmahaSteph

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #7224 on: October 13, 2016, 02:17:12 PM »
Had a "duh" moment today: Rescheduled a routine, twice yearly appointment with my primary care physician from January 12 to December 30 BEFORE my high-deductible insurance plan resets. Right now I only have to pay 20% co-insurance because I met the first deductible. Probably saved myself a couple hundred.

1967mama

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #7225 on: October 13, 2016, 04:21:26 PM »
Kids were fooling around with the dial on my deep freeze and turned it OFF! Didn't notice till 24 hours later, so I promptly cooked all the thawed (but very cold) meat: 2 bags of salmon filets, 5 lb of ground beef, 2 bags of hamburger patties.

The dial is now taped in place :-O

La Bibliotecaria Feroz

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #7226 on: October 13, 2016, 04:25:08 PM »
Kids were fooling around with the dial on my deep freeze and turned it OFF! Didn't notice till 24 hours later, so I promptly cooked all the thawed (but very cold) meat: 2 bags of salmon filets, 5 lb of ground beef, 2 bags of hamburger patties.

The dial is now taped in place :-O

Some of that you can re-freeze, and shorten your future freezer-to-table time :-). I like to put cooked, frozen ground beef in spaghetti sauce, for instance.

Goldielocks

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #7227 on: October 13, 2016, 04:33:06 PM »
FOAM ALERT.

I just had to show off my "Magnum Stache" on the most (currently) active thread.


:-)

....Carry on....

PMG

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #7228 on: October 13, 2016, 06:47:37 PM »
I'm always picking up change off the sidewalk. Recently my boyfriend has found pennies a couple times and made a big production about picking them up and teasing me for missing them. We've had a lot of fun with it but it's also lead to really good conversation about finances.

Yesterday I did not buy the discount 3.29 box of a dozen donuts at Kroger. I... almost touched it.... then reminded myself of the pumpkin muffins and raisin bread I baked and froze last week (and all the crazy calories in those donuts!!). I did buy a $1 pack of cream cheese to have on raisin bread toast and then I splurged on 24 cents worth of chocolate covered raisins from the bulk bin.

When I got home I split that cream cheese pack up, 3/4 in the freezer for baking later, 1/4 out to have on raisin bread.  I am much more reasonable with portion sizes when I work from a smaller portion to begin with.

Tried a new recipe tonight, I'm calling it Almost Asian Style Ginger Veggie Stir Fry.  Delicious. I used a mass of different greens from my CSA share.  I think I'll like it better with broccoli as the greens are a little bitter but it's ok and a lovely new flavor to add to my regular menu.

I am trying to keep my grocery spending low this month. Coming in at $50 is doable but would mean not replacing staples as I use them up. It's silly to put off purchase just to manipulate my numbers, so I am going to try to balance wanting that number and common sense! 

HappierAtHome

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #7229 on: October 13, 2016, 07:09:32 PM »
FOAM ALERT.

I just had to show off my "Magnum Stache" on the most (currently) active thread.


:-)

....Carry on....

Congrats :-)

dandypandys

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #7230 on: October 13, 2016, 07:57:31 PM »
FOAM ALERT.

I just had to show off my "Magnum Stache" on the most (currently) active thread.


:-)

....Carry on....

Congrats :-)

RaD!
Well i bought some cool waterproof Merrell hiking boots for my Iceland trip from Zappos, 20% off too. Got them but they are half a size too small. Sent back and bought a pair in the right size on Ebay, barely used and saved 36 bux woooohooooo. I love Ebay

WilliamWallace

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #7231 on: October 14, 2016, 05:28:22 AM »
Switched from the ridiculously expensive Gillette Mach 3 razor to safety razors.  Instead of paying $100/year or so for razors, I'm down to $10!

Although I am cutting my face more...no pain no gain!  I'm hoping I figure it out and the razor replacements are chaper than the few than came with the $30 razor holder.

If you're cutting yourself, you're probably using the same shaving technique
as you were using with the Mach 3.  You need to modify your shave technique
when using a double edge razor.

Thanks!

Here's a good video tutorial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ps88RU_BXlA

Threshkin

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #7232 on: October 14, 2016, 10:15:33 AM »
Made another batch of pumpkin soup.  The main ingredients are pumpkins and peppers from our garden.  Just wash and chop the pumpkins and peppers, removing the stems and seeds.  No need to peal.  Add a few other ingredients like onions and fresh ginger.  Boil till tender then puree with a stick blender.  Delish!

Hot peppers give it a bit of a bite if you like that.

LAdria27

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #7233 on: October 14, 2016, 12:33:45 PM »
Didnt order that tasty and full of saturated fats pizza.

Instead I made some pasta with tuna. yum yum!

I used to spend a lot of money on food, garbage food!

Kitsune

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #7234 on: October 14, 2016, 12:50:25 PM »
I thawed a turkey I got on sale after Thanksgiving (Canadian). Roasting it for dinner tonight, alongside carrots from the garden, pan-fried kale from the garden, and a roasted squash (cut in half, empty seeds, add butter/maple/garlic, roast till soft, mash - THE BEST).

All in all, including the squash we bought, that should make a meal for under 12$ and feed 4, PLUS at least a few lunches worth of soup from the broth, PLUS meat to do freezer meals for at least 4-5 dinners (casserole-type things with broccoli and rice and a bit of cheese, mostly). Like, even adding the ingredients for the extra meals (say, 20$ total), we're talking about meals for about 50 cents per person.

And not even high-sodium ramen-style meals for 50 cents. Real and reasonably healthy whole foods-type meals.

Bless having cooking skills is what I'm saying.

mustachepungoeshere

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #7235 on: October 14, 2016, 06:33:55 PM »
Bought socks for my husband and a birthday gift for a friend's one-year-old. Used some of my $30 in reward points, so out of pocket $0.

My husband is travelling (very common) with his whole team (less common) all next week. I'm getting him to pack a few extras in terms of toiletries, first aid supplies, phone chargers, etc, to prevent any last-minute shopping for the boys.

I've been much better this week at using up leftover ingredients. Yay for reducing food waste.

Bracken_Joy

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #7236 on: October 14, 2016, 07:29:13 PM »
Replacing our own faucet. I know this is probably small potatoes to most people, but neither of us had done this before, and the previous home owner was a MESS with the silicone. Great bulbous gobs, everywhere. An exercise in patience, haha.

Bonus round: NOT ordering food/going out to eat, even though it was reeeeeeeally tempting.

llorona

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #7237 on: October 14, 2016, 10:29:44 PM »
We dined on salmon tonight for $2!

I went to the butcher shop to buy pork belly for making pancetta, but they were out. As I was leaving, I checked out the seafood shop in the next stall over. They were selling bags of salmon tails for $2 so I bought one. It probably contained 3 lbs of salmon, although a lot of it was bones. I tossed the pieces in a roasting pan with salt and pepper, slathered them with honey mustard sauce, and baked them. When they were done, I took the meat off the bones. Served the salmon with baked potatoes and spinach. There was enough for our dinner (two humans), the cats are happy, and there are leftovers for tomorrow.

I can see this being a very economical way of making salmon cakes or salmon chowder. Yum.

llorona

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #7238 on: October 14, 2016, 10:33:14 PM »
@BrackenJoy: Congratulations! It IS a big deal. Learning to do small projects like replacing your faucet can save a considerable bit of money, plus you get to enjoy the post-accomplishment feeling.

newelljack

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #7239 on: October 14, 2016, 11:07:52 PM »
Tossed my Costco rotisserie chicken carcass and legs/wings into a pot and made chicken soup with other things we had on hand. Kids all had second helpings and there's enough for at least one more round for everyone another night. Perfect meal as the rain moved into the California today.

MoonLiteNite

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #7240 on: October 15, 2016, 01:47:18 AM »
Cleaned my dishwasher, i use it MAYBE once a  month, and after 6 years the mold was growing out of the drain. There was like 1/4 pound of gunk sludge in there...

I kinda what to just pull the damn thing out and get rid of it! I normally just hand wash my little dishes.

BobTheBuilder

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #7241 on: October 15, 2016, 10:33:15 AM »
Checked my car insurance: Raised the deductible on comprehensive coverage for my car from 300€ to 500€, and changed the payment schedule from quarterly to yearly (5% rebate for that). I can handle these sums better now as my emergency fund is rising :-) Overall change 10% saved :-)

Bracken_Joy

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #7242 on: October 15, 2016, 02:00:27 PM »
Replacing our own faucet. I know this is probably small potatoes to most people, but neither of us had done this before, and the previous home owner was a MESS with the silicone. Great bulbous gobs, everywhere. An exercise in patience, haha.

Bonus round: NOT ordering food/going out to eat, even though it was reeeeeeeally tempting.

This ended up including switching our sink shut off valves, since they wouldn't close all the way. We now have quarter turn valves we installed. I'm extra proud of this one- required shutting off the main supply and everything. Credit goes to my husband though. He's awesome.

And *STILL* haven't gone out to eat.

Bonus round: doing all this during the storms hitting the PNW.

Catbert

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #7243 on: October 15, 2016, 04:13:35 PM »
Neighbor gave me a grocery sack full of very ripe guavas.  I've learned from past experience that guavas go from ripe to very ripe to rotten in a nanosecond.  And one rotten guava spreads to others just as quickly.  So even though I feel lousy today I soldiered on and did a rough prep of all the guavas.  Enough that I can deal with them in a day or so when I feel better.

In past years I've frozen a lot of the guava shells for smoothies.  But I'm off smoothies so these guavas will become guava bread (like banana bread only with guavas) or canned as guava butter.

newelljack

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #7244 on: October 15, 2016, 05:56:17 PM »
Today I ordered the parts to allow me to hook up to the existing 50'+ antenna next to my house. Once that's all hooked up we can ditch the dish and save $94/mo. All of the parts were $70, but it will pay us back big time.

swick

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #7245 on: October 15, 2016, 07:13:22 PM »
Spent the day processing some pears we got from a neighbours tree. Canned two batches of chutney. Used up a bunch of spices we had kicking around. One batch pear cardamom and one pear Mango that used up some dried mango we got but didn't like to eat as dry fruit. Also have some cinnamon pear chips int he dehydrator. If they turn out any good we'll be making several more batches and giving them away as Christmas presents.

Moonwaves

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #7246 on: October 16, 2016, 04:57:14 AM »
... used up some dried mango we got but didn't like to eat as dry fruit.
Another good use for dried mango is to leave it steeping in orange juice for a couple of hours and then puree the manjo and juice using a stick blender and pour it into small cups/glasses and chill it in the fridge for a few hours. Top it with a spoonful of cream/creme fraiche/yoghurt and you've got a very easy and pretty healthy but very impressive looking dessert, kind of like a fancy mousse.

Kitsunegari

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #7247 on: October 16, 2016, 08:08:08 AM »
Tossed my Costco rotisserie chicken carcass and legs/wings into a pot and made chicken soup with other things we had on hand. Kids all had second helpings and there's enough for at least one more round for everyone another night. Perfect meal as the rain moved into the California today.

Storytime!
Last w-e I was at a chalet with a bunch of friends for Thanksgiving. We had splitted cooking duties, but the girl in charge of dry groceries forgot to buy bouillon for the risotto I planned. So on the evening of the turkey roast I took the carcass of the bird, threw it in a pot with carrots, onions and herbs and I made the broth to make risotto the following day. Man, the other people think I did some kind of magic! Some seriously didn't know that's how you make broth.
Furthermore, as the meals were mostly organized by me and my unofficialy moustachian DH, the total for the meal for the whole long w-e amounted at about 30$ per person. Some people were impressed, some were seriously in disbelief :-D And to think it's waaay over what we usually spend...

Hotstreak

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #7248 on: October 16, 2016, 09:38:36 AM »
I walked down a random aisle at an out of the way grocery store and found my favorite chocolate bars on sale for $1.68.  At my normal groceries they are usually $3.28 and go on sale for $2.50.  I bought a lot of chocolate!  These are the 100% cacao Bakers bars, which are food, not candy.  At 720 calories each, not a bad deal :).

swick

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #7249 on: October 16, 2016, 10:24:33 AM »
... used up some dried mango we got but didn't like to eat as dry fruit.
Another good use for dried mango is to leave it steeping in orange juice for a couple of hours and then puree the manjo and juice using a stick blender and pour it into small cups/glasses and chill it in the fridge for a few hours. Top it with a spoonful of cream/creme fraiche/yoghurt and you've got a very easy and pretty healthy but very impressive looking dessert, kind of like a fancy mousse.

This sounds awesome! Thanks, Moonwaves!

 

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