Author Topic: What small things did you do TODAY to save money? (Read 8664808 times)

alewpanda · « **Reply #7250 on:** October 16, 2016, 08:16:15 PM »

Strongly considered custard after youth group tonight, but sucked it up and came home to leftover homemade cheesy mac.....

Stayed in all weekend, avoiding money spending :)

I spent money, but probably also saved money...I went to a make and take party for essential oils today. For 4.00 you could make roller bottle mixes, sprays or scrubs, all while being given access to a huge variety of essential oils you could try, with recipes for various mixtures/uses.

Not sure if anyone on here subscribes to their usefulness, but in my book, spending 16.00 to try out several mixtures and their effectiveness was better than buying the full bottles and finding out I a) didn't like them or b) they didn't work!

jengod · « **Reply #7251 on:** October 16, 2016, 10:09:43 PM »

Used $5 off $30 coupon on groceries, plus reusable bag credit.

Hosted two friends for brunch at home instead of going out to a restaurant; made a frittata using some tomatoes and arugula from the garden.

Hung all loads of laundry to dry instead of using using machine.

Harvested and dried lemon verbena for winter herbal tea.

1967mama · « **Reply #7252 on:** October 16, 2016, 11:46:42 PM »

I made a birthday cake for my 21 year old son instead of buying one.

Gave him a lovely pair of Vans runners that were on clearance and on top of that, they were buy one, get one 50% off, so another son got a pair as well (his were getting too small).

Leftover salmon on a salad for lunch to day. Kids had free hotdogs since they were working at church over lunch.

llorona · « **Reply #7253 on:** October 17, 2016, 12:50:31 AM »

Saw an article in the local paper and played Chipotle's online game to get a BOGO coupon. You have to give them a mobile number and they will text the coupon to you.

Here's the link to the game: https://www.alovestorygame.com/

And here's the press release: http://phoenix.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=194775&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=2210817

frooglepoodle · « **Reply #7254 on:** October 17, 2016, 03:53:54 AM »

Cut my husband's hair.

When the ice cream truck came around, we all split one milkshake rather than buying individual items for all three of us.

Spent Saturday night working on some small craft projects together (glitter tree ornaments for neighbor Christmas gifts - will cost just over a dollar each to make and look really nice).

Did some mending for neighbors who don't sew to earn a few extra dollars of fun money.

Baked mini frittatas for breakfasts this week.

mustachepungoeshere · « **Reply #7255 on:** October 17, 2016, 03:58:42 AM »

Quote from: frooglepoodle on October 17, 2016, 03:53:54 AM

Spent Saturday night working on some small craft projects together (glitter tree ornaments for neighbor Christmas gifts - will cost just over a dollar each to make and look really nice).

This reminds me of one of my favourite Pancakes and French Fries blog posts.

Quote

“WE ARE GLITTERING THE DINOSAURS AND BY GOD YOU TWO ARE GOING TO LOVE IT!”

http://pancakesandfrenchfries.com/2009/12/a-mesozoic-christmas/

frooglepoodle · « **Reply #7256 on:** October 17, 2016, 05:26:38 AM »

Quote from: mustachepungoeshere on October 17, 2016, 03:58:42 AM

Quote from: frooglepoodle on October 17, 2016, 03:53:54 AM
Spent Saturday night working on some small craft projects together (glitter tree ornaments for neighbor Christmas gifts - will cost just over a dollar each to make and look really nice).

This reminds me of one of my favourite Pancakes and French Fries blog posts.

Quote
“WE ARE GLITTERING THE DINOSAURS AND BY GOD YOU TWO ARE GOING TO LOVE IT!”

http://pancakesandfrenchfries.com/2009/12/a-mesozoic-christmas/

My son is too young to be into plastic dinosaurs yet, but I see something like this in my future. :-) What we're doing is along these lines: http://www.silhouetteschoolblog.com/2014/12/glitter-ornaments-diy-silhouette.html

Inaya · « **Reply #7257 on:** October 17, 2016, 11:36:20 AM »

Went to a focus group at work and got a $25 Amazon gift card for my time, as well as free lunch! Today's packed lunch is now dinner.

Bracken_Joy · « **Reply #7258 on:** October 17, 2016, 11:49:53 AM »

Switched from the costco organic eggs (~$6 for 2 doz) to the non-organic from the same farm- both are local to my area. 5 doz for $4.88.

Did a costco trip just for groceries. Tossed pork to batch cook for carnitas in the instant pot before I left. Costco isn't my favorite, but is barely further than the closest grocery store. I've found the day and time that works best so it's not as bad anymore to go. Turns out, my costco is lazy and starts letting people in early, so I go in about 15min before they officially open. I'm usually at the register by 5min after their official open.

MountainGal · « **Reply #7259 on:** October 17, 2016, 03:46:56 PM »

Lately I:

Saved 24% on this month's grocery trip using coupons, ecoupons, and shopping the sales.

Received $7 store credit after writing to them about an unsatisfactory product last month.

Saved $8 for not buying canned refried beans at Sam's Club, instead I'll make my own after discovering another huge jar of dried beans in the pantry. http://www.budgetbytes.com/2011/08/not-refried-beans/

Saved 60 cents a gallon on fuel using my shoppers reward points.

mustachepungoeshere · « **Reply #7260 on:** October 17, 2016, 04:26:50 PM »

Quote from: frooglepoodle on October 17, 2016, 05:26:38 AM

Quote from: mustachepungoeshere on October 17, 2016, 03:58:42 AM
Quote from: frooglepoodle on October 17, 2016, 03:53:54 AM
Spent Saturday night working on some small craft projects together (glitter tree ornaments for neighbor Christmas gifts - will cost just over a dollar each to make and look really nice).

This reminds me of one of my favourite Pancakes and French Fries blog posts.

Quote
“WE ARE GLITTERING THE DINOSAURS AND BY GOD YOU TWO ARE GOING TO LOVE IT!”

http://pancakesandfrenchfries.com/2009/12/a-mesozoic-christmas/

My son is too young to be into plastic dinosaurs yet, but I see something like this in my future. :-) What we're doing is along these lines: http://www.silhouetteschoolblog.com/2014/12/glitter-ornaments-diy-silhouette.html

Cute! You should mention that in the Homemade Christmas 2016 thread.

http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/throw-down-the-gauntlet/homemade-christmas-2016/msg1180884/#msg1180884

CarrieWillard · « **Reply #7261 on:** October 18, 2016, 02:40:25 PM »

- Took a PTA bath instead of a regular shower, spritzed my hair with water
- Took breakfast to work
- Shared child care duties with hubby to avoid child care costs (I work for a couple of hours in the early AM, then come home so he can leave for work)
- Cooked lunch and dinner at home
- Made a huge vat of chili from one pound of ground meat, added leftover quinoa that may have gone bad otherwise
- Hung a load of laundry
- Entertained kids with free stuff: playing outside, bike ride, read-aloud, paint
- Drank water instead of milk, juice, tea or other fancy stuff
- Chopped up a half-eaten apple, artfully hiding browned bits, for use as a kid snack
- Stayed away from stores, online and off
- Cleaned my own house

mustachepungoeshere · « **Reply #7262 on:** October 19, 2016, 12:01:40 AM »

I had never considered the following until someone posted in another thread about office vending machines.

I have two days left in my current office, and in more than nine years in the building I have never used the vendos.

So that is one small thing I did - or didn't do - every day for a couple of thousand days.

Mikila · « **Reply #7263 on:** October 19, 2016, 05:52:41 AM »

I turn off the water in the shower while scrubbing and shaving. Also, I stayed out of the stores yesterday.

Kitsune · « **Reply #7264 on:** October 19, 2016, 08:14:32 AM »

I made my daughter's halloween costume (she wanted to be a dragon) out of 2$ of felt and a green hoodie (17$). And then I sewed the felt on softly enough that we'll be able to cut it off and she'll have a warm sweater to wear this winter, which she needed anyway.

In contrast, my colleagues are congratulating themselves for spending less than 50$/costum. So.

Bracken_Joy · « **Reply #7265 on:** October 19, 2016, 08:29:29 AM »

I tinkered with a recipe. Now it has more rice and veggies as compared to meat. Definitely benefits the casserole, plus it stretches the meat further now.

It's basically this recipe: http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/inside-out-stuffed-peppers
But I double everything except the beef. Also, I add a couple cloves of garlic, and I saute both the garlic and the onions into the beef a bit before I do the layers. Put rice as the next layer so it cooks better. I've made this several times now, and this was definitely the best ratios/texture and flavor.

As usual, DH has been taking lunch to work and dinner to classes so he doesn't go out to eat at all.

Cut hydrangeas from the yard instead of buying flowers.

Only left home on foot yesterday, and I plan for the same today.

Bought a whole squash instead of pre-cubed pieces. (They're just do dang easy... sigh). Also switched to whole carrots instead of pre-shredded now that we have a food processor.

Been turning off the heat overnight each night. Last night it got down to 62! Lowest yet in this house.

OmahaSteph · « **Reply #7266 on:** October 19, 2016, 09:11:56 AM »

Not today, but playing catch-up:

Over the weekend, used four free tickets from my employer to take the family to a huge local pumpkin patch (think fall-themed amusement park). On the bottom of each ticket there was a coupon for $2.50 off a pumpkin purchase (for a total of $10) plus $1 off any food item (total of $4). Walked out with three medium pumpkins and the BEST caramel apple for FREE.

Bought two whole chickens at Target with $2 off stickers on them (roughly $3 each after discounts) and cooked them both in the Instant Pot to make BBQ chicken, threw carcasses back in with veggie bits and made stock, then strained it, threw in chopped veggies and later egg noodles to make homemade chicken noodle soup. YUM.

Bought a Groupon for DD's birthday surprise visit to a trampoline place. Got more features for more people for less money. I did order her cake, but I'm still coming in under budget.

A co-worker is on vacation this week so I'm picking up her CSA share and she said to keep whatever I want. Sweet!

Tomorrow Boss Lady is coming to town so the firm is buying lunch for everyone. The next morning the firm is also paying for a Starbucks run.

frooglepoodle · « **Reply #7267 on:** October 19, 2016, 10:49:18 AM »

Went to Target to buy disposable diapers. Decided to spend $30 and change to get 1 box, rather than stocking up and spending $130 to get gift cards back. We just use disposable at night or if we're going to be out of the house all day, so we don't go through that many. And diapers are pretty much the only thing we buy at Target, so having $40 of gift cards isn't that useful when we wouldn't need diapers again for probably 8 months!

mustachepungoeshere · « **Reply #7268 on:** October 19, 2016, 07:12:53 PM »

Switched from a low-rate to a low-fee (which becomes no-fee after a minimum spend) credit card.

The card is paid off each month so interest rates don't bother me.

For the past couple of years I've just asked nicely and they've refunded the annual fee (as they did yesterday, saved $59).

MrsTuxedocat · « **Reply #7269 on:** October 20, 2016, 12:02:29 AM »

- Walked to an appointment after work in the rain
- Planned our date night at home
- Filled car with gas bought from the US (I have two jerry cans) sp?

misshathaway · « **Reply #7270 on:** October 20, 2016, 06:06:44 AM »

I have a problem with mice getting in to the house through the garage. There is a shared wall which had water damage and there are cracks along the bottom of it. Spent the day:

- Fixing dips in the garage door threshold with new cement to prevent entrance under the garage door
- Patching the holes in the wall with a combination of hardware cloth, steel wool, and spray foam

Could have paid somebody to do it but the work was not that hard.

CloserToFree · « **Reply #7271 on:** October 20, 2016, 08:26:23 PM »

-biked to a doctor's appointment even though I was under the weather and was considering just taking an Uber (was pressed for time and appt was in area hard to reach via public transport) - so glad I did! was a beautiful ride

-did NOT buy a new dress for an important work event

-forgot my lunch but resisted urge to go grab something from a sandwich shop near the office ($10-15) and instead made do with tuna salad from the vending machine ($2 - and it's actually super good)

-set a goal of doing only one load of laundry a week instead of doing it whenever I feel like it/ every few days (2 adults and one little kid, so it's easy to feel like there's lots of laundry to be done, but a lot of stuff doesn't really need to be washed)

When I think about some of these smaller things I'm reminded of MMM's "a millionnaire is made $10 at a time" post - one of my all-time faves - and feel inspired to keep making other small, but positive, spending decisions -- they really do add up! Go us! :)

PMG · « **Reply #7272 on:** October 20, 2016, 09:08:39 PM »

So happy to eat leftovers out of the freezer.

Prepped some stuff for tomorrow including consolidating the last little bits of honey, agave nectar and maple syrup. Just a few tablespoons but it will be enough to sweeten the ginger, apple, pear and butternut squash crisp I am planning for tomorrow.

Edited to add: do any of the rest of you get so excited for planned food? All evening I've been thinking about that fruit crisp... Mmmmm. I often spend Thursday afternoon just dreaming of all the grand food I will have time to prepare over the weekend.

frooglepoodle · « **Reply #7273 on:** October 21, 2016, 05:58:14 AM »

Quote from: PMG on October 20, 2016, 09:08:39 PM

So happy to eat leftovers out of the freezer.

Prepped some stuff for tomorrow including consolidating the last little bits of honey, agave nectar and maple syrup. Just a few tablespoons but it will be enough to sweeten the ginger, apple, pear and butternut squash crisp I am planning for tomorrow.

Edited to add: do any of the rest of you get so excited for planned food? All evening I've been thinking about that fruit crisp... Mmmmm. I often spend Thursday afternoon just dreaming of all the grand food I will have time to prepare over the weekend.

Oh my, that sounds amazing. I definitely get excited about planned food - I've been thinking about the short ribs we're having tonight all week.

Kitsune · « **Reply #7274 on:** October 21, 2016, 11:32:39 AM »

Quote from: frooglepoodle on October 21, 2016, 05:58:14 AM

Quote from: PMG on October 20, 2016, 09:08:39 PM
So happy to eat leftovers out of the freezer.

Prepped some stuff for tomorrow including consolidating the last little bits of honey, agave nectar and maple syrup. Just a few tablespoons but it will be enough to sweeten the ginger, apple, pear and butternut squash crisp I am planning for tomorrow.

Edited to add: do any of the rest of you get so excited for planned food? All evening I've been thinking about that fruit crisp... Mmmmm. I often spend Thursday afternoon just dreaming of all the grand food I will have time to prepare over the weekend.

Oh my, that sounds amazing. I definitely get excited about planned food - I've been thinking about the short ribs we're having tonight all week.

Tonight: homemade ramen (duck broth from last weekend's roast duck, with noodles and slivered vegetables and a poached egg).
Sunday night: AREPAS. I have been CRAVING arepas for 3 weeks, I'm 2+ hours from the nearest restaurant that does them, and I FINALLY found a south american grocery store in the city I go to for work and found masarepa so I don't have to wait another 5 weeks until I go into the city that makes them. Bonus: ingredients to make it for 5 cost about what 1 dinner in the (still pretty cheap) restaurant would have.

Arepas, you guys. I'm so looking forward to this.

In other words: um, YEAH, I get what you mean about being excited about food... :)

Dollar Slice · « **Reply #7275 on:** October 21, 2016, 11:28:07 PM »

I'm going to a ten hour live music event tomorrow, so tonight I went to the grocery store (even though it was 10pm... Bonus frugal points) and came home and prepped some food in bite size pieces in small containers that can be sneaked in easily.

And, on the corner of Frugal and Facepunch, I knew I was going for a nice dinner out tonight with a friend visiting from out of town, so I hardly ate anything all day (just a snack and a couple glasses of water) and really enjoyed my whole entree, while resisting appetizer/dessert/wine/etc. Good compromise.

TrMama · « **Reply #7276 on:** October 22, 2016, 12:18:02 AM »

Also on the corner of frugal and facepunch, I was offered free horseback riding. Yay! I'll still pay for my kids lessons, but now instead of watching them ride, I'll get to participate.

Moonwaves · « **Reply #7277 on:** October 22, 2016, 04:29:03 AM »

I resisted the temptation to further increase an ebay bid for an exercise bike when it went past my highest offer of 16.50. It sold for 17.25 but that-s fine. Yesterday was my first day starting to look and it was sheer coincidence there was one for sale in next town over with the auction ending today and spontaneous ebay bids can end badly. I'm pretty sure I'll be able to find one for free if I ask around and am patient.

PMG · « **Reply #7278 on:** October 22, 2016, 04:12:54 PM »

Went to Kroger today and only picked up the Friday free item. It was a Hershey almond chocolate bar. Shared it with my chocolate fiend boyfriend in the middle of a long work day.

It was really kind of fun to go through the checkout and not have to pay anything...

Ceridwen · « **Reply #7279 on:** October 24, 2016, 08:02:13 AM »

- Made jet-packs for my kids to wear for Halloween: http://www.instructables.com/id/Kids-Super-Sci-Fi-Rocket-fueled-Jet-Pack-made-for-/

- Cut my daughter's bangs

- Served family a mish-mash of leftovers for lunch on Sunday

- Sold $60 worth of toys on Varagesale after a big play room purge

Moonwaves · « **Reply #7280 on:** October 24, 2016, 08:44:17 AM »

Resolutely refusing to get dressed properly. Which means I can't go out and buy the giant bag of crisps I've been craving.

Lunasol · « **Reply #7281 on:** October 24, 2016, 09:23:51 AM »

Two weekends ago I had my friend's birthday party at a bar, I only bought one diet coke plus tip, paid for city parking instead of valet parking, and my share of a group birthday gift.

Money I could've spent: Dinner ($8)+ cocktail ($8)+ tip ($2.4) + valet parking ($5.3)+ share of bday gift($5.3) = $29

Money I actually spent: Diet Coke + tip ($2.65) + city parking ($2.12) + share of bday gift($5.3) = $10.07

So, I ended up spending 29% of what other of my friends spent!

alewpanda · « **Reply #7282 on:** October 25, 2016, 01:52:31 PM »

Not small really, actually very difficult.

We are on the hunt for a new-to-us vehicle. Unfortunately, where we live is very rural, we travel a lot by road (to different states even), and often cart our dogs around with us. We are looking for a small crossover that will permit all of this without being a gas-guzzler. I have settled on the old body style Rav4. I will also be the primary driver. Hubby said "ok, lets go get you a nice car", and very quickly we realized our versions of "nice car" vary dramatically.

His: nearly new, gadgets, back up camera, ect. ect.

Mine: Old body style (2012 or 2011 preferably), dark colored seats, an exterior that isn't red, white or gold, an aux or usb jack, and less than 100,000 miles on it.

We clashed a lot in the first week of the 'hunt'. Understandably.

Its official now though -- I will be driving it, I have a lower tolerance for depreciation of a car's value, and I have a better sense of the budget. Therefore, He wants me to choose...and he will come along behind and help get it checked out and negotiated.

Whew. Dodged a bullet.

mustachepungoeshere · « **Reply #7283 on:** October 25, 2016, 05:07:45 PM »

Not today, but Monday...

Started a new job, that brings with it fewer hours and a $9000 bump in pay.

And despite the slight financial nature of the department, my new team is giving me buckets of material for the Overheard at Work thread.

PMG · « **Reply #7284 on:** October 25, 2016, 05:30:23 PM »

Took the bus instead of uber for errands today. 1.80 vs $20.

I'm planning a big grocery shopping trip next week. I was ridiculously pleased to get some general coupons in the mail today. $5 off 50, $2 off 10 in meat, $2 off 10 in produce. Perfect timing. Now I'm even more inspired to get a lot of necessary items for as little as possible.

Bracken_Joy · « **Reply #7285 on:** October 25, 2016, 05:39:40 PM »

Make money rather than save money: Got a check for the LinkedIn class action settlement that went through. $20.43. Glad I replied to that email last year.

Had free lunch while volunteering. Was also offered however much bread I could take (a local bakery brings their day olds, and there was more bread than volunteers). I only took one small boule though, since I was walking the 1+ mile home. Oh, I guess that's the other savings- walked the 1.2mi each way, rather than driving.

Did NOT go and get coffee afterwards, either. Even though there was a starbucks across the street, and I have the app on my phone, and money on the app. I went home and made myself a mocha instead.

marty998 · « **Reply #7286 on:** October 26, 2016, 04:30:21 AM »

Quote from: mustachepungoeshere on October 25, 2016, 05:07:45 PM

Not today, but Monday...

Started a new job, that brings with it fewer hours and a $9000 bump in pay.

Ahem. The title of this topic is what SMALL things you did to save money.

This is quite big? Some big congratulations are in order? :D

horsepoor · « **Reply #7287 on:** October 26, 2016, 08:18:55 AM »

Wanted milk for hot chocolate, and the gallons were on sale for 90 cents more than a quart, so I grabbed a gallon of whole and made most of it into yogurt in the Instant Pot last night.

Put the last third of a pot roast into a pot of beans to create chili for tonight's dinner.

Shopping car insurance tonight.

4alpacas · « **Reply #7288 on:** October 26, 2016, 08:35:25 AM »

Quote from: horsepoor on October 26, 2016, 08:18:55 AM

Wanted milk for hot chocolate, and the gallons were on sale for 90 cents more than a quart, so I grabbed a gallon of whole and made most of it into yogurt in the Instant Pot last night.

We just got an Instant Pot, and I want to learn to make yogurt. Do you have a recommendation for where to look for a recipe/guidance?

Packed leftovers for lunch, made breakfast at home, made tea at home, currently making tea in my office (yes, I like tea).

horsepoor · « **Reply #7289 on:** October 26, 2016, 08:41:23 AM »

Quote from: 4alpacas on October 26, 2016, 08:35:25 AM

Quote from: horsepoor on October 26, 2016, 08:18:55 AM
Wanted milk for hot chocolate, and the gallons were on sale for 90 cents more than a quart, so I grabbed a gallon of whole and made most of it into yogurt in the Instant Pot last night.
We just got an Instant Pot, and I want to learn to make yogurt. Do you have a recommendation for where to look for a recipe/guidance?

Packed leftovers for lunch, made breakfast at home, made tea at home, currently making tea in my office (yes, I like tea).

It's pretty simple, and you can adjust based on your preferences. I think I just used the instructions that come with the IP. Pour in milk, select the yogurt "boil" function. Wait for the temperature to drop to <115F. Mix in a cup or two of plain yogurt. Start the yogurt cycle. When you like the tanginess level, it's done. I like to let mine go 12-14 hours. Then you can pour off the whey and or strain it if you want thick yogurt. I like to make high fat yogurt with a half gallon of 2% milk and about a pint of heavy cream, which results in a thick, rich yogurt that doesn't need straining, but I only do that when I can nab the good, local bottles of milk on mark down. This batch I just used about 3 quarts of whole milk and a cup of yogurt left over from my last batch, and could see this morning that it will need quite a bit of whey poured off. I save the whey and use it for baking bread.

4alpacas · « **Reply #7290 on:** October 26, 2016, 08:57:44 AM »

Quote from: horsepoor on October 26, 2016, 08:41:23 AM

Quote from: 4alpacas on October 26, 2016, 08:35:25 AM
Quote from: horsepoor on October 26, 2016, 08:18:55 AM
Wanted milk for hot chocolate, and the gallons were on sale for 90 cents more than a quart, so I grabbed a gallon of whole and made most of it into yogurt in the Instant Pot last night.
We just got an Instant Pot, and I want to learn to make yogurt. Do you have a recommendation for where to look for a recipe/guidance?

Packed leftovers for lunch, made breakfast at home, made tea at home, currently making tea in my office (yes, I like tea).

It's pretty simple, and you can adjust based on your preferences. I think I just used the instructions that come with the IP. Pour in milk, select the yogurt "boil" function. Wait for the temperature to drop to <115F. Mix in a cup or two of plain yogurt. Start the yogurt cycle. When you like the tanginess level, it's done. I like to let mine go 12-14 hours. Then you can pour off the whey and or strain it if you want thick yogurt. I like to make high fat yogurt with a half gallon of 2% milk and about a pint of heavy cream, which results in a thick, rich yogurt that doesn't need straining, but I only do that when I can nab the good, local bottles of milk on mark down. This batch I just used about 3 quarts of whole milk and a cup of yogurt left over from my last batch, and could see this morning that it will need quite a bit of whey poured off. I save the whey and use it for baking bread.

Thanks! I will give it a shot! I eat a lot of yogurt. :)

Kitsune · « **Reply #7291 on:** October 26, 2016, 11:21:23 AM »

Quote from: 4alpacas on October 26, 2016, 08:57:44 AM

Quote from: horsepoor on October 26, 2016, 08:41:23 AM
Quote from: 4alpacas on October 26, 2016, 08:35:25 AM
Quote from: horsepoor on October 26, 2016, 08:18:55 AM
Wanted milk for hot chocolate, and the gallons were on sale for 90 cents more than a quart, so I grabbed a gallon of whole and made most of it into yogurt in the Instant Pot last night.
We just got an Instant Pot, and I want to learn to make yogurt. Do you have a recommendation for where to look for a recipe/guidance?

Packed leftovers for lunch, made breakfast at home, made tea at home, currently making tea in my office (yes, I like tea).

It's pretty simple, and you can adjust based on your preferences. I think I just used the instructions that come with the IP. Pour in milk, select the yogurt "boil" function. Wait for the temperature to drop to <115F. Mix in a cup or two of plain yogurt. Start the yogurt cycle. When you like the tanginess level, it's done. I like to let mine go 12-14 hours. Then you can pour off the whey and or strain it if you want thick yogurt. I like to make high fat yogurt with a half gallon of 2% milk and about a pint of heavy cream, which results in a thick, rich yogurt that doesn't need straining, but I only do that when I can nab the good, local bottles of milk on mark down. This batch I just used about 3 quarts of whole milk and a cup of yogurt left over from my last batch, and could see this morning that it will need quite a bit of whey poured off. I save the whey and use it for baking bread.
Thanks! I will give it a shot! I eat a lot of yogurt. :)

For the record: the same process of heating/cooling works with whatever pot; just wrap the jar in a big towel to maintain steady temperature while it sits and cultures.

And adding 1/2 cup of powdered milk per litre gives a super thick yogurt with no straining necessary.

AND if you've got yogurt, you can strain it to make a yogurt spread called labneh, which is AMAZING when mixed with fresh herbs, and looks like it should be way more complicated/expensive than it is. With holiday potluck a coming up, I figured I'd throw that in there. :)

4alpacas · « **Reply #7292 on:** October 26, 2016, 11:35:36 AM »

Quote from: Kitsune on October 26, 2016, 11:21:23 AM

Quote from: 4alpacas on October 26, 2016, 08:57:44 AM
Quote from: horsepoor on October 26, 2016, 08:41:23 AM
Quote from: 4alpacas on October 26, 2016, 08:35:25 AM
Quote from: horsepoor on October 26, 2016, 08:18:55 AM
Wanted milk for hot chocolate, and the gallons were on sale for 90 cents more than a quart, so I grabbed a gallon of whole and made most of it into yogurt in the Instant Pot last night.
We just got an Instant Pot, and I want to learn to make yogurt. Do you have a recommendation for where to look for a recipe/guidance?

Packed leftovers for lunch, made breakfast at home, made tea at home, currently making tea in my office (yes, I like tea).

It's pretty simple, and you can adjust based on your preferences. I think I just used the instructions that come with the IP. Pour in milk, select the yogurt "boil" function. Wait for the temperature to drop to <115F. Mix in a cup or two of plain yogurt. Start the yogurt cycle. When you like the tanginess level, it's done. I like to let mine go 12-14 hours. Then you can pour off the whey and or strain it if you want thick yogurt. I like to make high fat yogurt with a half gallon of 2% milk and about a pint of heavy cream, which results in a thick, rich yogurt that doesn't need straining, but I only do that when I can nab the good, local bottles of milk on mark down. This batch I just used about 3 quarts of whole milk and a cup of yogurt left over from my last batch, and could see this morning that it will need quite a bit of whey poured off. I save the whey and use it for baking bread.
Thanks! I will give it a shot! I eat a lot of yogurt. :)

For the record: the same process of heating/cooling works with whatever pot; just wrap the jar in a big towel to maintain steady temperature while it sits and cultures.

And adding 1/2 cup of powdered milk per litre gives a super thick yogurt with no straining necessary.

Can you buy powdered milk at the grocery store? I apologize if that's a dumb question. I'm not very good at grocery shopping/cooking/etc.

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AND if you've got yogurt, you can strain it to make a yogurt spread called labneh, which is AMAZING when mixed with fresh herbs, and looks like it should be way more complicated/expensive than it is. With holiday potluck a coming up, I figured I'd throw that in there. :)

Oh! Thank you! Labneh sounds delicious.

K-ice · « **Reply #7293 on:** October 26, 2016, 05:43:20 PM »

Quote from: 4alpacas on October 26, 2016, 11:35:36 AM

Can you buy powdered milk at the grocery store?

Yes. I use it all the time to make latés at work.

Kitsune · « **Reply #7294 on:** October 26, 2016, 06:33:13 PM »

Quote from: K-ice on October 26, 2016, 05:43:20 PM

Quote from: 4alpacas on October 26, 2016, 11:35:36 AM

Can you buy powdered milk at the grocery store?

Yes. I use it all the time to make latés at work.

It's usually near the flour and sugar and other baking supplies.

Goldielocks · « **Reply #7295 on:** October 26, 2016, 07:10:55 PM »

Quote from: K-ice on October 26, 2016, 05:43:20 PM

Quote from: 4alpacas on October 26, 2016, 11:35:36 AM

Can you buy powdered milk at the grocery store?

Yes. I use it all the time to make latés at work.

I have a suggestion -- most powdered milk is skim milk, so if you are in the USA, go to a hispanic store (or walmart) and buy whole milk powder, 'Nido' Brnad....which tastes great, unlike the cooked skim milk flavour in the bags.

I keep it for backpacking, and for 'out of milk' mornings, for my coffee.

-- note, I finally found it in a Vietnamese / thai food specialty store in Canada.--

mustachepungoeshere · « **Reply #7296 on:** October 27, 2016, 02:30:36 AM »

Cut down another bottle gift bag to give a baby (well, first birthday) gift.

merlin7676 · « **Reply #7297 on:** October 27, 2016, 07:57:14 AM »

Bumped my 401K savings up another percentage point.

Asked for a promotion from my boss. She is on board but has to go through higher ups. And wouldn't go into effect until March. But I'm fairly confident it will go through.

choppingwood · « **Reply #7298 on:** October 27, 2016, 08:57:03 AM »

A coworker at my 5 hr a week job at the library brought me 20 lb of potatoes and 5 small spaghetti squash from her garden. I brought her fancy grade honey crisp apples from my trip to the city last week. (Honey crisp aren't available where we live.)

There are two grocery stores in my village. I shop at the one that is nearer and cheaper. The other store sometimes has great prices on sale items. I went over there to buy 3 litres of canola oil (4.98 Cdn) and black peppercorns. They also had fish sticks, which my store doesn't carry. These are great when I want a easy, light and cheap supper. (They are about half the cost of meat.)

Threshkin · « **Reply #7299 on:** October 27, 2016, 10:25:09 AM »

Quote from: mustachepungoeshere on October 27, 2016, 02:30:36 AM

Cut down another bottle gift bag to give a baby (well, first birthday) gift.

Yes, a full bottle is too much for a baby. Better to give them a half bottle.

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