What small things did you do TODAY to save money?

[I'm a red panda]

My dog chews a nylabone to the point where it becomes dangerous (just too much plastic coming off it) in about 2 weeks.  Rather than replace them this often- we've started using a saw to chop off the chewed end (because of course the dog only chews ONE side, and will not TOUCH the other one) so it is chewable again :)  We can do this twice before the bones become too small for me to want to give them to him.

Now we get about 6 weeks out of a bone instead of 2 :)


Wish there was a way to make the dog realize these things are double sided....

[horsepoor]

The only personal travel I'm planning in 2017 is to go to Omaha for the equestrian World Cup.  Previously, I reserved a room at the Hilton that is attached to the event venue to the tune of $660 for three nights, and was dragging my feet on booking the flight since it was $450ish last month.  This morning, I snagged a flight returning one day later for $328, cancelled the Hilton reservation and booked four nights at a La Quinta near the airport for $379. Hoping to also get some points from work travel to cut that down a bit more. I figure three days of cabs back and forth to the venue will be cheaper than my original hotel reservation, plus I get to stay to the very end instead of catching a plane Sunday night.

Now if only I can talk someone into going with me and splitting hotel and cabs...

Horsepoor... I am so happy to see someone on this forum that's thinking of going. I went solo to Vegas in 2015... walked back and forth 1.5 miles to the venue, packed food to eat and loved every minute. Unfortunately, flights from Edmonton to Omaha SUCK, the USD/CAD exchange rate is terrible (and getting worse) so I will probably watch on FEI TV this time. But if I find a decent and reasonably-priced flight, maybe I'll check back and see if you're still looking for a roomie!

Glad you enjoyed the trip last time!  Yes, the tickets aren't cheap; the lower sections were pretty much sold out, so I went for the upper sections and still... over $400 total... but last year I happened to be in DC for the Washington International and it was thrilling, so I know I'm going to love it.  Jumping is fun to watch, but dressage is totally my jam.

[Mongoose]

Traded haircuts with DH. Bonus: I almost always get a meh to bad haircut. I like this one!

[horsepoor]

Had my usual list of "things I am looking to buy", which I checked for Boxing Day sales on. No good sales on things we actually needed, and so didn't buy anything.

Oh yeah.  I went shopping yesterday since I need to dress more professionally than usual while I'm on a detail to DC this winter.  Couldn't find the specific items I wanted, so only bought four pairs of undies (on the list) and a big Fido jar for making sauerkraut.  Made it out of Marshall's without buying the Staub French oven I spied on the clearance table.  Pretty, but not the gorgeous basil color I really lust after.  Maybe someday when I get more Sur la Table gift cards from MIL...

[OmahaSteph]

The only personal travel I'm planning in 2017 is to go to Omaha for the equestrian World Cup.  Previously, I reserved a room at the Hilton that is attached to the event venue to the tune of $660 for three nights, and was dragging my feet on booking the flight since it was $450ish last month.  This morning, I snagged a flight returning one day later for $328, cancelled the Hilton reservation and booked four nights at a La Quinta near the airport for $379. Hoping to also get some points from work travel to cut that down a bit more. I figure three days of cabs back and forth to the venue will be cheaper than my original hotel reservation, plus I get to stay to the very end instead of catching a plane Sunday night.

Now if only I can talk someone into going with me and splitting hotel and cabs...

Horsepoor... I am so happy to see someone on this forum that's thinking of going. I went solo to Vegas in 2015... walked back and forth 1.5 miles to the venue, packed food to eat and loved every minute. Unfortunately, flights from Edmonton to Omaha SUCK, the USD/CAD exchange rate is terrible (and getting worse) so I will probably watch on FEI TV this time. But if I find a decent and reasonably-priced flight, maybe I'll check back and see if you're still looking for a roomie!

Glad you enjoyed the trip last time!  Yes, the tickets aren't cheap; the lower sections were pretty much sold out, so I went for the upper sections and still... over $400 total... but last year I happened to be in DC for the Washington International and it was thrilling, so I know I'm going to love it.  Jumping is fun to watch, but dressage is totally my jam.

You do know that there is a decent contingency of Mustachians in and around Omaha, right? And that one of them rents out her house a la AirBnB sometimes? Contact Crusher to see if she's willing. and let me know if you want to get together!

[1967mama]

Great idea on the nylabone, iowajes! Thanks!

Eating MORE leftovers today ... Trying to make sure we are eating the oldest things first (which may not be our favourites)

Used work car for a long errand (1 hour round trip) This is allowed in our company car and really helps me keep our gas bills down.

Trying to keep good track of library books to avoid fines.

Kids did 2 puzzles that we already owned, over Christmas -- putting away in ziplock bags and then elastics on the boxes.

Edit: typos

[10dollarsatatime]

I didn't buy the new stereo for my car...

I had to replace the my car battery and my stereo needs a code to reset after it loses power.  Turns out it is not the stereo that came with the car so the code in the glove box doesn't match.  Nearly talked myself into a new one.  With bluetooth, and and auxiliary input, and all that good stuff.  Came to my senses, did some research, figured out how to get the code. 

*sigh* I'll upgrade eventually.  Maybe.  Probably not.

[I'm a red panda]

Eating MORE leftovers today ... Trying to make sure we are eating the oldest things first (which may not be our favourites)

We have tamales to last until the new year!

[Rural]

Refrained from going to the store for ingredients for a dessert for in-laws' visit today - dug through the pantry and found ingredients for a cherry crumble instead.


I did go as far as Dollar General for TP, however, as it seemed rude to risk running out during the visit.

[rachellynn99]

gathered 6 eggs today
composted about 10 gallons of rabbit manure into our compost pile for gardening purposes
I made some cheesy quinoa broccoli soup with random ingredients I had handy- turned out good. Had one serving left, I froze for us to use for lunch when we go back to work in the new year.
Exchanged a book my daughter received for Christmas that she already had for one she has been wanting.
Took the kids to the local park to play

[Mezzie]

I saved $57 of the money I'd budgeted for the food at my party tomorrow by shopping at a different grocery store than my regular one.

[csprof]

Injured my toe skiing yesterday, and got my lift ticket and rentals for today fully refunded.  Stayed at home, worked, and prepped dinner while my family played.  Um, yay?  :p

[mustachepungoeshere]

Braved post-Christmas sales to buy next year's Christmas cards.

Spent $17 (I send about 90 cards) and went home. No impulse shopping.

[HappierAtHome]

Used a Christmas gift card to buy a maternity bra.

[plainjane]

Decided against waiting for an hour at the Egyptian brunch spot, instead went for a walk, ate apples we brought with us, and then came back for fried eggs with leftover spinach/cheddar polenta and my share of the leftover Christmas ham.

[Toffeemama]

I was planning on buying a math program for my daughter to use on the computer, but I missed the $13-off coupon's expiration date by a few weeks.  I emailed them to ask if they would send me a similar coupon code to use.  They offered me $9 off, plus bundled in their reading program for free!

[jengod]

Found 0.36 on the ground.

A friend regifted us some 10-bean-soup mix. I used leftover Christmas goose meat and broth for the base and now we have yummy soup.

[Bracken_Joy]

Saved my BIL money.

He meant to get us a bench press type bench for christmas, but instead got us an inclined fixed ab bench. So we went to exchange it. There wasn't an exact trade, and the one we decided on it turned out only had the floor model out. I asked for a discount and they gave 10% off.

Eating leftovers from all the big scale cooking I did for guests. And when it's just a smaller group (an extra 2 people, instead of an extra 5+), I've been "converting" the leftovers, like turkey sandwiches and turkey and rice soup.

[TightFistedScot]

I received a pair of clippers as an Xmas gift.

I gave myself my first haircut today (buzzed at #1). Saved myself $20-$25.

[frugalfelicia]

I received a pair of clippers as an Xmas gift.

I gave myself my first haircut today (buzzed at #1). Saved myself $20-$25.

Nice!

I've been doing my own hair and my kid's for a while now - have saved hundreds!

[1967mama]

Fired up my bread machine. So far have made a loaf of raisin bread and today my son made a regular sandwich loaf and made his own lunch with that.

Returning a load of books to the library and picking up some holds that came in.

Did the math on a family recreation pass and decided to skip it this year. $800 saved!

Quiet days at home this week after the hustle and bustle of Christmas. Invited to two different friends homes this weekend. One for dessert and one for lunch. Bringing a pan of homemade cinnamon buns as a hostess gift.

Making split pea soup for dinner with the leftover ham and ham bone.

[Step37]

+1 on the ham soup (ham bone/ham given to us by our Christmas dinner hosts, so double score!) - using up the last of the potatoes (getting soft but still totally fine) in the soup as well. It should feed us a few tasty meals for next to nothing.

Someone is coming to buy my downhill skis tonight (boots and helmet went yesterday) -- being done with skiing will save $$ for sure, and I LOVE not storing unused things. Getting money for them is an excellent bonus!

[mustachepungoeshere]

Planned the menu for NYE based around pantry ingredients I want to use up.

Also recycling candles and jars from my birthday party.

[frooglepoodle]

This is actually something I did before we left for the holidays, but I made sure we had enough food on hand to not have to immediately run to the store or rely on takeout when we returned. I thawed chili when we got home last night and made breakfast sausage and eggs this morning.

[OmahaSteph]

Made dinner out of two boxes of instant potato stroganoff I was gifted, along with two pounds of ground beef I had in the freezer. Also served leftover broccoli with pine nuts from Christmas. Made enough for me and the kids, a lunch for me to take to work, and dinner again tonight when we'll finish off the leftover green beans with garlic butter sauce. Yum.

Set out some dried chickpeas to soak in water to make homemade hummus for NYE. Also making a ham and cream cheese ball/spread with leftover ham.

Created new goals in Mint for Uber Frugal January.

[TightFistedScot]

Made dinner out of two boxes of instant potato stroganoff I was gifted, along with two pounds of ground beef I had in the freezer. Also served leftover broccoli with pine nuts from Christmas. Made enough for me and the kids, a lunch for me to take to work, and dinner again tonight when we'll finish off the leftover green beans with garlic butter sauce. Yum.

Set out some dried chickpeas to soak in water to make homemade hummus for NYE. Also making a ham and cream cheese ball/spread with leftover ham.

Created new goals in Mint for Uber Frugal January.

Yum and yum!

I think I'm going to follow suit and get on Mint. I've never used it before.

[frugalfelicia]

Caught a price error at the grocery store, so got SCOP - yay for free meat!

Used a coupon to get a 2L tub of frozen yogurt for 49 cents.

[Juslookin]

Cooking up a ham that we received as a gift today. Leftovers for lunch and freezing some leftover cookies to dole out to the family during the long winter ahead. 

When my mother asked what I wanted for Christmas, I asked for a gift card.  She gave me a $100.00 gift card that I will be using for groceries.  I intend to see how far I can make it stretch at Aldis. 

Some friends are going out to dinner tonight, I cancelled.  They changed the venue last minute to a place not very Celiac friendly and I didn't want to take the chance or spend the money.  It seems like they're angry, not sure why, still a big group of them, they don't need me, besides, they're the ones that changed the place.  Oh well.  I need to find some more like minded people who don't want to spend a lot of money to have a nice time. 

[Captain and Mrs Slow]

Stopped by Aldis today and walked out with only the very item I stopped in for tomatoes.

Was tougher than I thought but I'm under my now reduced shopping budget for the week YEAH

[1967mama]

Have two crockpots of turkey bones going overnight to make broth (it was a twenty pound bird)

Made a double batch of turkey curry for dinner. Served over basmati.

Made a loaf of cinnamon-raisin bread in bread machine.

Stayed HOME! Key for me.

Reading a personal finance book from the library.

Husband took kids skating - was "free" due to our rec passes

[Metric Mouse]

Sat by the fire drinking homemade bourbon rather than go out. Super cheap and so delicious.

[TightFistedScot]

Going to take my friend to a movie tonight. I will use my points for both our tickets which will save $30.00.

[nico demouse]

Post-Christmas is the time every year I go over all our bills to see if there are places we can cut.

Prompted by a post in this thread, looked at our Netflix plan. Didn't realize we were somehow subscribed to the more than one screen plan. Downgraded our plan, saving $2/month.

Cancelled a subscription box for our dog (I know, I know) that I really enjoy but will do without. They send more toys than she destroys and I think I can get treats and chews cheaper anyway. $19/month savings.

Realized I can pay for an app subscription annually rather than by the month. I need the app for my work, so it's not something I can just cancel all together. $10/year savings.

Baking brownies today so my husband can take them to a party. He didn't want to ask me to make something and was going to buy something to bring. But we have ingredients on hand and I like cooking.

Looking at our electricity use, trying to decide if real time pricing could save us money. I think it could, but I'm hesitant to enroll as the electric company requires a one year commitment.

[rachellynn99]

Post-Christmas is the time every year I go over all our bills to see if there are places we can cut.

Prompted by a post in this thread, looked at our Netflix plan. Didn't realize we were somehow subscribed to the more than one screen plan. Downgraded our plan, saving $2/month.

Cancelled a subscription box for our dog (I know, I know) that I really enjoy but will do without. They send more toys than she destroys and I think I can get treats and chews cheaper anyway. $19/month savings.

Realized I can pay for an app subscription annually rather than by the month. I need the app for my work, so it's not something I can just cancel all together. $10/year savings.

Baking brownies today so my husband can take them to a party. He didn't want to ask me to make something and was going to buy something to bring. But we have ingredients on hand and I like cooking.

Looking at our electricity use, trying to decide if real time pricing could save us money. I think it could, but I'm hesitant to enroll as the electric company requires a one year commitment.

I did that a few days ago and saw that somehow I had signed up for the HULU package that included $4 extra for "no commercials". We watch it very infrequently anyways, so I cut that out.

[Bracken_Joy]

-DH ripped another pair of jeans. Instead of buying the same jeans, which fit very well but are all fashionable, for $55 (I can usually find them on sale for that, down from $85-90 normally), we returned a sweater I got for Christmas and won't wear, and combined that with a gift card left over from our wedding. We bought him a kinda ugly but very thick pair of jeans for $18 (normally $30) that he'll use for work. He can wear the fashionable ones for daily life, ugly durable for work. If they work out, I'll go get him more with the remaining GC balance. We also picked up some propane for our camp stove at the same time. Still have $23 worth of GC.

-Eating Christmas hosting leftovers. Taking the "junk" food stuff we don't normally eat with us to the ILs for new years.

-Getting very excited for the Frugalwoods Uber Frugal January challenge!

[mustachepungoeshere]

Cancelled a subscription box for our dog (I know, I know) that I really enjoy but will do without. They send more toys than she destroys and I think I can get treats and chews cheaper anyway. $19/month savings.

I am shocked that this is a thing.

$228 a year on dog toys?

My pair had a seemingly endless supply of tennis balls, small stuffed animals, fresh beef shin bones and liver chews, and $19 would have kept them in treats and toys for a year. 

Good job cancelling it, I guess.

[Bracken_Joy]

Cancelled a subscription box for our dog (I know, I know) that I really enjoy but will do without. They send more toys than she destroys and I think I can get treats and chews cheaper anyway. $19/month savings.

I am shocked that this is a thing.

$228 a year on dog toys?

My pair had a seemingly endless supply of tennis balls, small stuffed animals, fresh beef shin bones and liver chews, and $19 would have kept them in treats and toys for a year. 

Good job cancelling it, I guess.

Beauty boxes are also a thing- basically, the shitty samples companies used to mail you, or people would steal from hotel rooms, only now you get them monthly and have to pay for it!

A frugal friend and I decided if we were ever tempted by one of the "box" services, we would just agree to mail each other shit monthly- same surprise, way cheaper. We briefly talked about a DIY-stitch fix type deal, but never pulled the trigger on it.

[I'm a red panda]

Cancelled a subscription box for our dog (I know, I know) that I really enjoy but will do without. They send more toys than she destroys and I think I can get treats and chews cheaper anyway. $19/month savings.

I am shocked that this is a thing.

$228 a year on dog toys?

My pair had a seemingly endless supply of tennis balls, small stuffed animals, fresh beef shin bones and liver chews, and $19 would have kept them in treats and toys for a year. 

Good job cancelling it, I guess.

Tennis balls (which are unsafe when ingested) and stuffed animals are destroyed in seconds in this house. We subscribe to bark box because their tough chewer toys last at least a week or two. Finding similar toys in stores are like $15 each, so 2 toys and some edible treats are a good deal for $20 a month shipped. Plus variety keeps the dog from getting bored and this bored dog gets destructive.

(Other dog can make a single rope last years, but now we can't have ropes either because the new dog eats the strings and it's unsafe...)

[nico demouse]

Cancelled a subscription box for our dog (I know, I know) that I really enjoy but will do without. They send more toys than she destroys and I think I can get treats and chews cheaper anyway. $19/month savings.

I am shocked that this is a thing.

$228 a year on dog toys?

My pair had a seemingly endless supply of tennis balls, small stuffed animals, fresh beef shin bones and liver chews, and $19 would have kept them in treats and toys for a year. 

Good job cancelling it, I guess.

I agree it's ridiculous. The toys last way longer than the stuffed animals I find at thrift or the pet store, though. She tears through one of those in about ten minutes. These toys last months. Hence no need for the box anymore.

[RamonaQ]

I cleaned out my purse and found a coupon for a free meal from Noodles & Co that expires tomorrow. That's what I'm having for dinner right now.

[1967mama]

Called health insurance to inquire about why they hadn't paid an expense that is clearly listed in the description as payable. They are looking into why it wasn't paid - their mistake.

Huge batch of turkey stock ready to be bagged after cooking all night in 2 crockpots.

Tried using my kids cheapo Walmart hair gel on my curls after showering today instead of my fancy salon gel that is almost empty. Waiting for hair to air dry so the verdict is still out on this one. Would be a huge win. $18 for fancy pants gel.

Loaf of French bread rising for dinner to go with leftovers.

Got our annual natural gas usage report and we were FOUR CENTS over from last year. Pretty happy about that but I actually couldn't believe my eyes that it was 4 cents!

Drinking lots of tea from my cupboards. NOT buying any tea till it's gone! Ridiculous how much tea we have!

Cancelled a $119/mo fancy pants service - always had guilt about that one so I'm glad it's gone!

Library books have come in on Origami - kids got paper packs for Christmas

[I'm a red panda]

Went to the store to get Diet Coke for new years eve. $6 for a 12 pack so I balked. No way.  We bought generic root beer for $2.50 instead.

[Kitsune]

Did groceries - between meal planning and sales shopping, we wound up 40$ under budget, and that's INCLUDING 2 fancy meals (1 for guests) and a bottle of bubbly for NY. (For the record: budget is 150$ for a family of 3, and includes 3 gallons of milk at 6$/gallon, yay Quebec milk prices...)

Have eaten at home or brought lunches for every single meal this month - no restaurant bills for us!

[horsepoor]

Stopped by the gym office while working  out today and asked if they could suspend my membership for two months while I'm out of town.  Took 3 minutes to save $36 (yes, my gym is cheap)

[Bracken_Joy]

Eating leftovers for dinner... made a fancy charcuterie platter. Also had popcorn and hummus. Will follow up with some butternut squash. A weird dinner, but all these things were brought and left over the holidays (except the popcorn kernels) so it's a free dinner! And no food waste. Plus, we feel very fancy. (Although I'll admit, I'm currently wearing flannel PJs, so less fancy that I could be feeling!)

[mustachepungoeshere]

Eating leftovers for dinner... made a fancy charcuterie platter. Also had popcorn and hummus. Will follow up with some butternut squash. A weird dinner, but all these things were brought and left over the holidays (except the popcorn kernels) so it's a free dinner! And no food waste. Plus, we feel very fancy. (Although I'll admit, I'm currently wearing flannel PJs, so less fancy that I could be feeling!)

I'm making a charcuterie platter and baking pumpkin for a salad (along with half a dozen other dishes for NYE party) and I would kill to be somewhere cool enough to wear jammies.

Summer in Sydney and a day in the kitchen. Delightful.


Edited for typo.

[Matt (Semper Fi)]

I built my own weight bench for bench presses, dips, etc.  Used an old 3/4 inch shelf from a closet remodel for the plank, and an old foam pad for the backing.  Bought vinyl, 4" x 4"s, metal brackets and screws for a total of $30.00.  The bench will literally hold tons, so I know it will be strong enough for 300 lbs of weights, plus my 280 lbs.  Looks pretty good, too.  If I had bought all of the supplies brand new, it would have run me around $45.00 to build the bench. 

[frooglepoodle]

In the past few days:
 
Made homemade chicken stock using the old stockpot my mom gave me when we visited at Christmas.
Purchased ingredients for enchilada sauce at the international market instead of the commissary. Had extra filling so I made another small pan of enchiladas for the freezer.
Thawed a loaf of egg bread leftover from Thanksgiving to make mixed berry bread pudding for breakfast.
Took my car to an independent mechanic recommended by a friend instead of the dealership. Wheel was bent from hitting a pothole at 40mph, so I asked lots of questions so I'd know how to handle it myself if it happens again.
Watched Minimalism documentary on Netflix with DH and started decluttering.

[MissPiggy]

Saved >$100 from cancelling my festival ticket to a NYE party + $30 for a taxi home. Had dinner with the family at home and a low key and early night instead.

Turns out there are benefits of having jetlag!

[Mezzie]

My sister introduced me to some shopping rebate apps. Of the four she showed me, two seem worth the time invested: the first gives cash back for certain purchases (I got $2.50 back for grocery shopping yesterday without buying anything I wasn't already planning to, plus a $10 bonus for my first shopping excursion with the app) and will deposit the money into my Paypal account once I earn $20. I figure if I get $1 rebate/week (which looks likely), it'll add up to two free grocery trips/year. The second gives points for entering stores and scanning items (and more points for buying items, of course). I get my glasses made at the mall, so as I waited for my eye exam, I got a bunch of points by scanning items in nearby stores. This one doesn't give cash; instead it gives gift certificates to useful places like Target for a few hundred points (I earned enough for two Target cards in less than an hour but didn't cash in). The big unlikely prize is a Vespa for almost two million points. I totally want a Vespa.

I understand that both are tracking my shopping habits and that both are trying to get me to be aware of/purchase items I wouldn't have thought about before. Nothing so far has looked tempting, so I'm safe for now. The fact that I'm tracking all my spending for the next few months should keep me from being overly influenced, but if I find myself making impulse buys, the apps will go. If it isn't pure profit/savings, it isn't worth it.