What small things did you do TODAY to save money?

[Toffeemama]

Made mayo and bread, saving a trip to the store.  Today I'm loading up my trunk for one big donation to Goodwill, decluttering the house and getting it all dropped off in one go next time I'm running errands.

[Kitsune]

Husband took Toddler to the used-goods store to find a hockey helmet (she's young enough that there's no hockey collisions to worry about for helmet damage, so used is a good option). Savings: 50$.

My kid has my sense of balance, though. Which is to say: good luck teaching her how to balance on skates, and yay helmets!

[lemanfan]

I normally eat out quite a lot, at least many lunches and a couple of dinners a week.  Trying to keep January a resturant-free month.  I like cooking, and this forces me to try some new things. :)

[andreamac]

I had a bunch of prepaid visa gift cards with only a dollar or two on them remaining. Went and added loaded them to Amazon so I wouldn't forget about them. 11 bucks gained that normally would of gotten lost. Had second no spend day in a row and hope to keep the ball rolling.

[PMG]

I've been working on refreshing my wardrobe on a tight budget. My need for nice but comfortable shoes was getting desperate. This morning I was looking at leather loafers online but just couldn't pull the trigger. This afternoon when I dropped off some things at goodwill I found two brand new pairs!  Born brand and bed:stu. I'd never heard of the second brand but the leather feels so nice and they are so well made I wasn't surprised to find similar new shoes above $100. It feels like such a splurge to get two new pairs at once. They will last for years and the 3.99 price can't be beat!

I got home from three weeks of travel last night and didn't have any food to take to work today, so I let myself be hungry for a couple hours until I fixed some pasta and spinach when I got home.  This evening I sorted the past prime veggies in the fridge and made a big batch of ginger garlic stir fry. Im going to be able to avoid grocery shopping for a week or two.

[1967mama]

I got through my whole Mustachian to do list today!

*Made 5 loaves of whole wheat bread for the freezer

*Made a huge vegetable beef stew for dinner with 4lb of stew beef from my freezer

*Organized kids sports gear and clothing for upcoming activities - wanted to do well in advance to give myself time to borrow from friends or find at thrift stores and not have to pay full price at the last minute.  Turns out we have verything we need! Yay!

*Completed and mailed health care reimbursement forms

*Drinking blueberry tea from my stash. It's not terrible! I'm trying to drink it all before I buy any new tea

*Decided to leave up our Christmas village on the mantle for another month. Now it's a winter village! It's very homey and cozy in my front room with this addition to the decor.

*Took a photo of my Mustachian to do list this morning on the forum - was super motivating to keep checking back since I'm a visual person

[pancakes]

My hospital appointment was running late and went longer than I expected. I was hungry by the time I got out and normally under those circumstances I'd buy some food on my way home. Instead I came straight home and made myself some lunch with things we already had.

I didn't end up eating too late and didn't spend $10 out. I also know to pack a snack next time.

[Metric Mouse]

Added an item to my amazon wish list, and will let it sit at least until February before we decide to buy it. (An alarm for our chest freezer).

Lots of freezer thefts in your neighborhood?  Or is that where you keep your valuables? An alarm would totally help me cut down on my 3 a.m. ice cream binges. :D

[Bracken_Joy]

Added an item to my amazon wish list, and will let it sit at least until February before we decide to buy it. (An alarm for our chest freezer).

Lots of freezer thefts in your neighborhood?  Or is that where you keep your valuables? An alarm would totally help me cut down on my 3 a.m. ice cream binges. :D

Hahaha. Nothing so exciting! It alarms if the temperature rises too much for too long, so you don't lose a freezer full of meat. We buy by the half cow and hunt and fish, so it would be a tragedy of epic proportions to lose a whole chest freezer worth. I can delay the purchase though because the freezer is in the garage and is honestly almost a warming box right now it's been so cold!

[G-dog]

The Prospector family could have used an alarm when the boys left the freezer door open and they lost their inventory recently...

[Bracken_Joy]

The Prospector family could have used an alarm when the boys left the freezer door open and they lost their inventory recently...

Ah yes. That is another scenario it's good for!

[I'm a red panda]

*Drinking blueberry tea from my stash. It's not terrible! I'm trying to drink it all before I buy any new tea

Blueberry tea makes excellent iced tea. I can't stand it warm...

[4alpacas]

*Drinking blueberry tea from my stash. It's not terrible! I'm trying to drink it all before I buy any new tea

Blueberry tea makes excellent iced tea. I can't stand it warm...

Teas that I dislike hot usually make excellent iced teas. 

Made overnight oats for breakfast (chocolate and peanut butter), bulk cooked chicken for dinner last night (and for lunch today and tomorrow)
Have plans to meet friends out for dinner.  Instead of spending money on drinks, I'm bringing a bottle of wine to a restaurant with no corkage fee.  We leave a larger tip, but still come out ahead by quite a bit. 
Meal planning for next week.  I'm trying 4 new recipes this weekend. 

[OmahaSteph]

Last night I dug out the three (!!!) partial bags of leftover sliced holiday ham, and after the sniff test (it was frozen for some of that time, relax) I chunked it, threw it into the food processor with some other ingredients already on-hand and made two containers of ham salad. One is in the fridge for lunches, the other is in the freezer.

Brought two small containers of leftovers for lunch. Been eating much smaller portions lately and eating more slowly.

Two of my items sold at the nearby ladies consignment store! Trying not to check my account more than twice once per day. :)

[1967mama]

Thanks for the tips on icing tea! Hadn't thought of that!

*Continuously pulling meat from the freezer. Trying to keep 2-3 days ahead. We have 2 sides of beef and 60 chickens in there. (Well, we did have that much)

*Spaghetti sauce going for dinner. Trying to have dinner cooking before we eat lunch.

*Being more organized with groceries - keeping a detailed list of needs and only shopping 1-2x per week (sometimes need produce or dairy midweek). I'm feeding a small army here..haha

*Keeping warm with a wool infinity scarf and slippers I received for Christmas from my mom and dad

[misshathaway]

Dropped the car off for routine maintenance and walked home, a couple of miles away, instead of taking a taxi. I love having the car repair place near my home so that I can do this.

Was sort of challenging this morning because it snowed, but just a very slippery inch. There were fender-benders all over the place. There was one, that I still can't figure out  where 3 cars all had their front ends smashed into each other in a star configuration and not one was aligned with any lane or street.

[SingleMomDebt]

Packed my breakfast & lunch for work, including my coffee.

Didn't succumb to buying the 3pm snack (although I didn't pack my snack and my stomach was growling. haha).

Dinner was paid for by a family member.

[1967mama]

*Cooked two chickens from the freezer for dinner and already deboned them. A box of good meat in the fridge and bones ready to make broth in my InstantPot ... it makes the best broth ever!

*Used up rice from the fridge by making stir fried rice with our chicken - added onions, carrots, celery and a red pepper

*Made a copy of a sign I saw at a store .. it worked out pretty well

*Took 3 youngest kids to the pool today with our pool pass

*Getting out Oatmeal to remind myself to cook a batch for breaky

[Cressida]

Was planning on going to an old friends party next weekend, despite the drive and expense, aise we use to be very close and I miss them and I'm not going to reliably see them after giving birth. Last night, said friend, and their roommates/new friends, ganged up on someone in a FB argument because that person claimed that biological sex existed as a more-or-les-general binary (lots of men, lots of women, some intersex people making up a percentage of the population). Apparently acknowledging the existence of biological sex is bigoted and transphobic and generally worth fighting? (Note: the person was very clear that sex =\= the social construct of gender or most things socially associated with gender. The argument was over whether biological sex EXISTED. Like... there's open-minded, and then there's brainless?)

I... decided that I live 2 hours away, and I'm NOT interested in driving 4 hours, including gas and wear and tear on the car, in order to spend an evening with people who will call other people names in response to a statement like "biological sex differences exist". I let Old Friend know I wouldn't be going, best of luck, also I'm very busy these days and won't be seeing them much, cheers. 40$ gas not spent. Wine party contribution not needed. An evening and 4 hours of driving not spent.

I've decided that, instead, I'm going to spend 2$ on mulled cider ingredients and spend that time sitting in front of the fireplace with my husband, enjoying the peace and quiet before the second child comes along next month. Somehow, that seems a lot better than spending $ to spend time with Tumblr activists. Ugh. Escape achieved. 60+ dollars not spent. Time is miiiiine. Nonsense is avoided. Good lord, welcome 2017.

+100

[mustachepungoeshere]

Getting ready for work tomorrow and thinking about the usual Monday morning conversation.

How was your weekend? What did you get up to?

I tend to leave out the specifics.

Not much, just:

- went grocery shopping (buying as little food as possible after taking stock of fridge, freezer, pantry)

- tidied up (sorted out the pantry and spent 10 minutes deciding whether to keep empty jars to re-use or toss for less clutter)

- went out with friends (a friend came over and we walked her dog, then sat outside, drank water, and talked for an hour)

- did some exercise (walked about 12kms all up, free, while listening to podcasts, also free)


In all fairness, I had a great weekend. :D

[Linea_Norway]

My DH went skating on the fjord while I went waling in the same area. There is a nice café around there. But we brought along our own food an drink and didn't spend anthing else than some diesel.

[jengod]

Sold an extra baby item on eBay.

Harvested green onion and parsley and an egg from the garden for dinner.

Conditioned our wooden cutting board with beeswax and mineral oil to extend its life.

[Bracken_Joy]

Took inventory of our fridge. Used up/plan to use up lots of odds and ends.

No spend day, didn't leave home (thanks ice storms!).

Sold an extra baby item on eBay.

Harvested green onion and parsley and an egg from the garden for dinner.

Conditioned our wooden cutting board with beeswax and mineral oil to extend its life.

We also conditioned a cutting board! Although we just use coconut oil, as it is what we have on hand. It was a hand-me-down from my parents (too big for them) and way very dry.

[Poundwise]

I don't know if these are small, but yesterday our refrigerator stopped cooling. I disassembled the back of the freezer and checked to see if a fix I rigged up last year had held (I wrapped a wire around the defroster and let it dangle into the freezer drain to prevent the drain hole from freezing over).  It had, so we vacuumed out the condenser from the front, pulled out the fridge from the wall, removed a service panel, and vacuumed out the condenser etc. from the back too... and the fridge started to work again!

Then, the dishwasher stopped draining.  We ended up disassembling and cleaning a lot of parts; finally found some broken glass in the drain pump which probably was blocking the motor from turning.

It wasn't the weekend I was planning for, but we probably saved hundreds of dollars in service calls.

[Linea_Norway]

I don't know if these are small, but yesterday our refrigerator stopped cooling. I disassembled the back of the freezer and checked to see if a fix I rigged up last year had held (I wrapped a wire around the defroster and let it dangle into the freezer drain to prevent the drain hole from freezing over).  It had, so we vacuumed out the condenser from the front, pulled out the fridge from the wall, removed a service panel, and vacuumed out the condenser etc. from the back too... and the fridge started to work again!

Then, the dishwasher stopped draining.  We ended up disassembling and cleaning a lot of parts; finally found some broken glass in the drain pump which probably was blocking the motor from turning.

It wasn't the weekend I was planning for, but we probably saved hundreds of dollars in service calls.

Well done.

[Kitsune]

Got a car-load of baby gear from friends - all things we'd borrowed last time from another source, and that source is currently using them (baby swing, etc). Free baby gear = best baby gear.

[horsepoor]

Was in line to spend $3 for coffee at the airport when I remembered that the shop at a different gate offers $1 refills for personal mugs, so I got a little exercise  and cheaper coffee.  (Didn't want to create waste getting little disposable cups on the plane)

Yesterday, repaired the strap on the carry on bag DH and I share.

[jordanread]

Sold an extra baby item on eBay.

Did anyone else miss the 'item' word above, and assumed that eBay had drastically changed it's TOS?

[Poundwise]

I don't know if these are small, but yesterday our refrigerator stopped cooling. I disassembled the back of the freezer and checked to see if a fix I rigged up last year had held (I wrapped a wire around the defroster and let it dangle into the freezer drain to prevent the drain hole from freezing over).  It had, so we vacuumed out the condenser from the front, pulled out the fridge from the wall, removed a service panel, and vacuumed out the condenser etc. from the back too... and the fridge started to work again!

Then, the dishwasher stopped draining.  We ended up disassembling and cleaning a lot of parts; finally found some broken glass in the drain pump which probably was blocking the motor from turning.

It wasn't the weekend I was planning for, but we probably saved hundreds of dollars in service calls.

Well done.

Thanks so much for the pat on the back! I needed one, especially as we woke up this morning and found our pipes had frozen because somebody left the garage door open from running back and forth with tools to fix the other stuff. 

Pats on the back for everyone here!! You're doing good work and an inspiration!

[Thinkum]

Bought a bunch of staples at Costco and none of the shiny things.

Baked an English Muffin Toasting loaf of bread today, new recipe I found on the KA site. Next time I am going to add some of my sourdough starter, because while it tastes awesome, it's just missing that tang baby!

Had to buy le pooch some food since I miscalculated and his regular stuff wouldn't be here until tomorrow. So I checked online and found his food for even cheaper than Amazon. Go in store and of course it's marked up like $8 more than their online price. I knew they matched their own online price and so I got the food for $8 less than sticker and about $1 cheaper than papa Amazon. Score!

[1967mama]

*Did a bunch of cooking: a rice pudding with leftover rice, 2 dozen muffins with leftover oatmeal, 2 batches of stock from chicken bones and a loaf of French bread.

*Dressed warmly and kept the heat a little lower. Oven heat helped keep our living area warmer.

[mustachepungoeshere]

This morning I took stock of the food then froze bread, celery (for use in soup, stew or stock) and chicken breast.

I have leftover fresh pasta so I will use that with the pumpkin for dinner, which I am ridiculously excited about. It's grey and wet here today.

[alewpanda]

Our weekend was notoriously spendy....it was my birthday weekend, and husband's business trip rolled into one.

However:
-- hotel and hubs meals were covered by employer
-- gas and wear and tear were covered by employer and company car
-- several items that were spent on weren't "birthday items", they were items I needed that I had to be in a larger town to get -- but they scratched some of the "its my birthday and a fun weekend" shopping itch.  Items included: new slippers to replace the ones my puppy chewed up, undergarments required by the fancy dress for my sister's wedding, and my favorite brand and scent of dish soap...lol)   
-- "unneeded" items were still useful ones: new all natural perfume (mine was gone), bulk teas, a lovely candle, and several outings for fancy coffees and gallery exhibits

All in all, we spent a bit, but it was useful and some was needed.


Since arriving back:
-- grocery shopped and came in under budget.  Am working to use up pantry items and freezer items still.  Plus random foodie gifts from Christmas.
-- went to work
-- getting dental work done that isn't free, but should be covered better by this new year's improved dental insurance.
-- Drinking lots of water in place of other sugary drinks.

[PMG]

Did the same old cooking my own food, packing my lunch, planning ahead.

I also made a "cake" using leftover oatmeal. It's a little gummy and crumbly, but I was generous with spices and it tastes great.

Went to the gym today. It's free with tuition and I am trying to get my money's worth!  It's been so miserably cold today that I've hardly walked at all.  I didn't do a hard work out today but it felt amazing to just walk a couple miles on the track.

Mended a shirt.

Wire started showing on my phone charger, I wrapped it with electrical tape hoping it will extend its life.

Got a lot of little things done around the house. Cleaning, cooking, putting stuff away, small things that help keep me contented and in that help reduce my spending.

[Armer Student]

I moved and cut my rent in half. 850€ vs. 420€ per month in Munich, Germany.

The move cost ~100€ (Truck and Beer for my helpfull friends), saving will be 5160€/y.

not really "small", though ...

[mustachepungoeshere]

Had a couple of things on the go while cooking dinner tonight.

Boiled pumpkin, boiled parpadelle and made a brown butter and sage sauce for pasta tonight (leftovers for lunch tomorrow).

While all that was cooking away, I diced the rest of the pumpkin for baking, to be used in salads.

Since the oven was on anyway, I baked a couple of chicken breasts, to be shredded for salads and enchiladas.

Still have to cut up some fruit to use it up.

[SingleMomDebt]

Finally utilized our espresso machine at work and made a latte. forgot how much fun it is to froth milk.

[csprof]

While we had an electrician over, had him fix a bit of wiring so I could get our humidity-controlled fan switch installed in the bathroom.  Bought it last year but didn't have a neutral available.

This cost money.  It didn't save money.

But last year I had to repaint the bathroom ceiling and half of one wall because the paint bubbled, and I'm looking forward to not ever doing that again.  It's easier to install a new switch than to convince people to change their habits about always turning the fan on. :)  Doing a great job thus far.

[YoungGranny]

Built a piece of furniture instead of buying one. Got the wood from a local lumberyard and all other material (wood glue, screws, stain etc) for less than $100 total. Fits the dimensions of our space perfectly and buying it instead of making it would have been over $1,000.

[4alpacas]

Built a piece of furniture instead of buying one. Got the wood from a local lumberyard and all other material (wood glue, screws, stain etc) for less than $100 total. Fits the dimensions of our space perfectly and buying it instead of making it would have been over $1,000.

Awesome!

[NV Teacher]

Someone at work was getting rid of a couple boxes of apples.  I took them home, cut them up, and have them in the freezer ready to go in my morning smoothies for the next several months.  We are both happy.

[mustachepungoeshere]

I moved and cut my rent in half. 850€ vs. 420€ per month in Munich, Germany.

The move cost ~100€ (Truck and Beer for my helpfull friends), saving will be 5160€/y.

not really "small", though ...

Not small but fantastic!

[CloserToFree]

Have been neglecting this thread and posting mainly in the Uber Frugal January thread - but wanted to share that I gave up my afternoon Coke habit in favor of a cup of tea - I need a small jolt of caffeine, and tea is free at work (and we have a huge stash at home that needs working down since we're not big tea drinkers).  And it's been a nice jolt of warmth too in the cold weather we've been having!

[Bracken_Joy]

Have been neglecting this thread and posting mainly in the Uber Frugal January thread - but wanted to share that I gave up my afternoon Coke habit in favor of a cup of tea - I need a small jolt of caffeine, and tea is free at work (and we have a huge stash at home that needs working down since we're not big tea drinkers).  And it's been a nice jolt of warmth too in the cold weather we've been having!

That's a big change! Seriously. DH gave up a mountain dew habit ~5 years ago. It is a big step, but it's just pure profit- 100% health gains, completely free alternatives, etc. Congrats on making that step, I hope it sticks for you! Took DH 1 false start, but he got it to stick on the second try =)

[Poundwise]

Mixed a cup of oats into the chocolate cookie dough.  Fed cookies to kids and friends, instead of a prepackaged snack.

[frooglepoodle]

I had to spend the better part of an hour applying pressure to a cut on my toddler's finger instead of making dinner. The dinner I'd planned obviously wasn't going to happen at a decent hour, so I pulled a frozen dinner out and stuck it in the oven instead of ordering pizza.

[Poundwise]

I had to spend the better part of an hour applying pressure to a cut on my toddler's finger instead of making dinner. The dinner I'd planned obviously wasn't going to happen at a decent hour, so I pulled a frozen dinner out and stuck it in the oven instead of ordering pizza.

Great job having a plan B ready!

[alewpanda]

Bought a whole bunch of veggies and I've decided that this is the week that none of it goes to waste.  I spent an extra hour in the kitchen prepping multiple salads/veggie dishes, roasted a bunch of potatoes, and prepped fresh veggies for morning eggs or midday munching.  First day down....the rest of the week to go.  Gonna make this happen.

Ate leftover "eh" ice cream out of the freezer instead of going out like husband initially suggested. 

Planned a lunch for Thursday with a friend -- planned it for a restaurant that I have part of a gift card for to use up.

[Dicey]

I've been sick in bed for three days, so I haven't spent a cent. Good, right?

[10dollarsatatime]

Cooked (getting back into the habit...)

Tossed a bag of frozen cauliflower and half a bag of peppers and onions into a pint of homemade turkey stock.  Added curry powder and some other spices.  Blended it up, and served over leftover turkey.  Super tasty, and I have enough for another meal.