What small things did you do TODAY to save money?

[Raenia]

Yesterday we finally stopped by the little local farmer's market that we've been meaning to visit, and one of the vendors had a section for seconds!  Great prices, I picked up enough pears and tomatoes to make 3 quarts each of brandied pears for holiday gifts, and a mild salsa for us.  Next week I want to go back for more pears and tomatoes, and possibly some hot peppers to make a spicy salsa as well, and maybe even some blemished apples for applesauce!  Need to get more canning jars before then, though, so not a total money-saver :)

Do you can your applesauce? I’ve had great luck with freezing mine (reusing plastic containers from sour cream, yogurt, etc.). Assuming you have the freezer space, of course. The brandied pears sound delicious!

For saving money today, I’ll read my library book and cook at home, as usual. Last Sunday I made a batch of pasta sauce that made 12 servings. Delicious, and roughly only $5 I am sure.

I do can my applesauce.  I'm sure it would freeze great, but my freezer space is currently full of soup, chili, pizza crusts, and many other things.  My plastic containers have already been pressed into service for soup, homemade veggie broth, and homemade yoghurt :)

Today I hung a load of laundry to dry, baked a loaf of break, read my library book, and ate leftovers to clear out the fridge.

[frooglepoodle]

Didn't spend anything today!

Cut up a slightly stale loaf of (homemade) bread and made croutons to serve with soup.

Used the carcass from tonight's roast chicken and the bag of veggie scraps I save in the freezer to make stock in the Instant Pot. Tomorrow morning I'll strain it and make a batch of chicken soup to freeze.

Did a bunch of small fix-it projects around the house. The drill got a workout this weekend!

[MrsTuxedocat]

This is combining yesterday and today's money saving activities:
- friend gave us two squash from her garden
- went to potluck for Saturday night fun
- used thrift store birthday card for nephew's birthday
- found three beer cans to return for deposit
- made soup with dried chickpeas (usually I use canned beans)

[Linea_Norway]

- found three beer cans to return for deposit

Yes, people leave too many beer cans and other rubbish out in the forest. Maybe I should also be better at picking stuff up. I pick up rubbish sometimes on my way out of a national park, but do not always want to carry it with me on a long trip. At least beer cans have a return value.

[MaybeBabyMustache]

-Reviewed interest on accounts, and moved large chunk of savings to another bank. Increased my interest by over $100 last month!
-Used up a few lingering fridge items in our dinner recipe
-Planned ahead for the week, making most dinners in advance
-Arranged for a carpool for a birthday that was 30 minutes away
-Line dried all clothes

[honeybbq]

Not sure it's exactly saving money, but it's making something out of nothing.

We have a huge plum tree in our backyard and finally harvested it (my dog was eating too many that fell on the ground!). Got probably 10 lbs worth?  Made:
- one plum crisp
- prepared the plums for another one and froze it, will probably make another around thanksgiving
- boiled down the rest into a compote for meat or ice cream

[GilbertB]

Saved 28€ by going to the hospital at 13:00...
... Apparently in small town hospitals in Morocco, if the cashier is having a post lunch nap, the staff usher you out with a shrug and raise of the eyebrows!

(That said, the service was great, the doctor thorough and spoke better French than most Frenchmen, the x ray cristal clear and no waiting to be had, so 28€ was really no problem. I was actually a bit embarrassed to not pay.)

[10dollarsatatime]

Brought lunch to work.  As per usual.

The office assistant (and person who earns the least) keeps trying to institute a Monday group going out to lunch thing.  I keep bringing my lunch.  So does my assistant.  So does the general manager.  And the box office manager.  So only the part timers go out...

[Luckyvik]

Free hospital stay- Australia

I'm having practically free nose surgery (deviated septum) as my health insurance doesn't cover it (as I'm on the cheapy plan to just save on tax), so had to wait almost a year for it but now I've had it, same surgeon, public hospital in a shared room for one night  but I didn't have to share as they haven't brought anyone else in, you do have to pay for tv but I choose not to as browsing forums is more fun.


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[Linea_Norway]

Free hospital stay- Australia

I'm having practically free nose surgery (deviated septum) as my health insurance doesn't cover it (as I'm on the cheapy plan to just save on tax), so had to wait almost a year for it but now I've had it, same surgeon, public hospital in a shared room for one night  but I didn't have to share as they haven't brought anyone else in, you do have to pay for tv but I choose not to as browsing forums is more fun.


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I wish you to get well soon. Smart move skipping the TV.

Free or practically free healthcare is great. But the waiting times are very long. Same here in Norway. That is why many companies still buy an extra insurance to treat you faster at private places. I'm not sure what we will do when we are FIREd. Having such an incurance privately is expensive (although nothing compared to US insurances). The alternative, risking to wait for year for treatment when you have something serious is a long time. For small things, it is not critical and it is worth the savings.

[frooglepoodle]

Made a pot of chicken soup using leftover meat and homemade broth. Split into two freezer bags to keep on hand for the next time one of us gets a cold.

Combining several errands into one trip to save on gas.

[Luckyvik]

Free hospital stay- Australia

I'm having practically free nose surgery (deviated septum) as my health insurance doesn't cover it (as I'm on the cheapy plan to just save on tax), so had to wait almost a year for it but now I've had it, same surgeon, public hospital in a shared room for one night  but I didn't have to share as they haven't brought anyone else in, you do have to pay for tv but I choose not to as browsing forums is more fun.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I wish you to get well soon. Smart move skipping the TV.

Free or practically free healthcare is great. But the waiting times are very long. Same here in Norway. That is why many companies still buy an extra insurance to treat you faster at private places. I'm not sure what we will do when we are FIREd. Having such an incurance privately is expensive (although nothing compared to US insurances). The alternative, risking to wait for year for treatment when you have something serious is a long time. For small things, it is not critical and it is worth the savings.

Yes, I think about this too, I had priced it out and I could have had it done privately for about $4,000 straight away but as it wasn't serious and I had lived with it  this long I figured I would wait.
To have insurance that would actually cover me for hospital procedures for my husband and I would cost an additional $1000 on what we pay now per year, not that much but given that we haven't needed the extra cover for 10 years, that's a savings of $10k plus interest etc. I might need to reconsider as we get older.



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[Cadman]

Took the left over Mexican casserole and made myself burritos to freeze for lunch down the road.

Used my personal CC to pay for an E-Room visit bill to get the 2% cash back, then wrote myself a check from my HSA.

Used the invisipon app at the grocery store where I bought two boxes of cereal, two cans of black beans, a loaf of bread and two tubes of refrigerated biscuits. Total bill: $3.71, which I put on my new promo checking/debit card (need ten >$3 transactions this month).

Tomorrow: New snow tires for the plow truck. Cross shopped for the cheapest price, found they were on sale, and a $50 Visa gift card if you sign up and use their CC.

[MaybeBabyMustache]

-Arranged for a free carpool to & from work (vs driving), through a trial my employer is running. Definitely took longer, but may be able to work it out. Or, better yet, I should be biking. But, no gas/car usage for today.
-Ate free breakfast & lunch at work
-Picked up a new free hoodie on the giveaway table at work. I've been looking for a good "around the house" hoodie, and this is perfect.
-Having leftovers for dinner

[Dollar Slice]

I can't take the subway for a little while post-op, and round trip taxi to work is in the $50-$70 range. Lyft/Uber maybe $40. I managed to keep costs down today by taking a ride share one way ($8) and a taxi ($15) to a bus stop (free with my monthly pass) in the other direction. The bus drops me at my front door so I can use that without hurting myself. (In theory I could do the ride share both ways, but it's really difficult to get a car to come pick you up on demand at my office at rush hour - my boss does it and there are frequently long waits and delays and the drivers hate it. But it's no problem being picked up at home in the mornings.)

I also inadvertently had surgery right before my monthly transit pass expired, so I didn't waste any time on my pass. Probably saved $30-$40 by not renewing it for those 10+ days when I couldn't use it.

[Mariposa]

Used 50,000 Merrill points and ~30,000 Chase points to book 3 plane tickets (with all of us sitting together!) to see my family over Thanksgiving. We both work and are traveling with a toddler, so we need to travel on specific dates at specific times. These tickets would have been around $1500 on the open market.

[FrugalAussie]

Loquats are in season here so foraged some from a tree on a vacant block near our library.  Stewed them to have with our morning porridge. Currently have Red Onion Jam (onions brought cheap) cooking on the stove.  Yesterday SO made Beetroot Relish.  Our house smells divine.

Exploring yearly membership to our recreation centre.  We currently go to water aerobics twice a week, new membership will give us seven day access to water classes and gym for the same price. It's a no brainer but I'm reluctant to pay 12 months in advance instead of monthly. 

[marielle]

Rode my bike to the pool hall yesterday. Joined the club there which is $50 for a year ($30/year after first), for unlimited free pool. That's dirt cheap considering the next nearest pool hall is $10 an hour to play and I'd like to play at least 10 hours a week.

[Stachetastic]

I normally go home or lunch on days I don't telecommute (I live 2 miles from the office), but yesterday was out in the field all day. Packed my lunch and ate it at a really nice rest stop while I got to people-watch. Almost doubled my daily salary due to mileage reimbursement.

Today, starting the day telecommuting, which means hanging some laundry to dry. Then back out into the field, which means more mileage.

[MaybeBabyMustache]

Feeling so inspired & happy that I found this thread!
-Ate free breakfast (and will eat free lunch/snacks) at work
-Ran/walk the 7 miles to my office! First time ever. :-) Feeling a little sore, but pretty badass. Will take free carpool home.
-Making dinner out of leftovers in the fridge. (I only cook Friday, Saturday & Sunday, and we eat leftovers on the other days). Today 1/2 of us will eat potato soup & homemade rolls, & the others will eat chicken burritos.
-Line dried the entire load of laundry. (Typically I cave & use the dryer for our cloth napkins, towels, socks & undergarments).

[I'm a red panda]

Noticed the daycare has a sign for a discount for biotech employees.
Asked if that was only for new registrations, and apparently it isn't.
Had my husband send an email that will save us $1,300 a year :)

[Step37]

I rescued a veggie platter that was languishing in the fridge at work and used the still good broccoli and carrots in a chicken stir fry tonight. Also used the (reasonably healthy yogurt-based) dip in falafel sandwiches for lunch. Yum!

[Linea_Norway]

I just ordered to get paid out 22 hours of official overtime. Usually I would have chosen time off. Now I see it as an extra source of income. I have enough flexible (not possible to be paid out) overtime hours left to cover my other needs to take days off.

[Erma]

This will save money in the future. I got a coupon for a calendar at the grocery store and unlike last year I decided to look for it seconds after receiving the coupon. The calendar has coupons in it for every month like 10% off of everything. Last year I could never find this calendar even though I had the coupon.

[Tyson]

Learning to make beans in my instant pot.  I've got a 20 pound sack of pinto beans from Sam's club that's just been sitting around waiting for me to get going. 

So far I've learned that 35 minutes high pressure is not long enough.  Close, but not quite.  I'll do it 40 next time.  And use a bit more stock/water.

[PMG]

Learning to make beans in my instant pot.  I've got a 20 pound sack of pinto beans from Sam's club that's just been sitting around waiting for me to get going. 

So far I've learned that 35 minutes high pressure is not long enough.  Close, but not quite.  I'll do it 40 next time.  And use a bit more stock/water.

wow.  Each bean is different, but I do black beans all the time in my instant pot.  Soak for about an hour, rinse, then 2 minutes on high with a natural release.

[Dollar Slice]

Learning to make beans in my instant pot.  I've got a 20 pound sack of pinto beans from Sam's club that's just been sitting around waiting for me to get going. 

So far I've learned that 35 minutes high pressure is not long enough.  Close, but not quite.  I'll do it 40 next time.  And use a bit more stock/water.

Pintos always take longer than I expect (45+ min unsoaked). And it varies depending on how much you make, I think (if you're doing natural release, anyway - more volume = longer release = more time under heat). 

PMG, are you cooking canned beans or something? :-/ 2 minutes seems crazy!

[MaybeBabyMustache]

-Took free carpool to & from work today (via my employer)
-Ate free breakfast, lunch & snacks at work
-I've given a lot of thought to our vacation next week, and have started compiling snacks & healthy options to bring with us for breakfast, eliminating the need to eat out for at least that meal. (We'll also pick up lunch stuff at the store when we arrive).
-I've been researching vacation options for a girls trip, and figured out that by swapping months, we can get 3 free nights & a $400 credit at the resort. (Las Vegas). Done & booked!
-Defrosted taco meat before I left the house, so we can have "Taco Thursday". The kids love it, and we'll be using up the remaining guacamole, sour cream, & shredded cheese.

[horsepoor]

PMG, are you cooking canned beans or something? :-/ 2 minutes seems crazy!

IDK about 2 minutes, but after suffering through a batch of apparently old black beans, (where it seemed like 10% stayed crunchy no matter how long they cooked) I just got a fresh package from Natural Grocer.  Soaked about 18 hours and they were totally cooked after 90 minutes on medium slow cook in the IP.  I'm guessing 15-20 under pressure will do it for these if they're soaked.

[Linea_Norway]

It is nice autumn weather, so I walked to work for 75 minutes, while listening to a podcast. Will eat my homemade sandwiches for lunch and the free bananas provided by my employer. As it is Friday and autumn holiday for school children, a lot of colleagues have the week off. Therefore there is a lot of fruit left. I might take some apples home if they are still there at the end of the day. Otherwise they will be thrown away on Monday. I can make apple stew that I can use for an apple cake of just as a vegetable serving for dinner.

We are not going to our cabin this weekend as planned, because DH currently has so much pain in his leg when he sits that it is not possible for him to sit in a car for 5 hours. Therefore we will save a lot of fuel, time and toll money and can eat the leftovers in the fridge before they perish.

Apropos: DH has been seeing a doctor a few times since May without his leg improving, but he managed to google himself to a very plausible diagnosis. He will soon get an MRI that might confirm it (Paid for by his health insurance).

[gutts]

If I don't swipe my credit card (which I treat like a debit one and always keep positive balance) anywhere tomorrow, it will be 5 days without spending a penny.

[Stachetastic]

Teamwork: I remembered to send the $5 dog food coupon with DH last night, AND he remembered to use it.

Eggs were .48/dozen this week at Aldi, so we have been eating lots of them. I hard boiled 9 earlier this week and made tuna salad for lunches and left a bunch for breakfasts on the go. All of them have been consumed as of yesterday. I have 2.5 dozen left in the fridge, so I will be boiling some more. And also baking lots this weekend.

[Bracken_Joy]

If I don't swipe my credit card (which I treat like a debit one and always keep positive balance) anywhere tomorrow, it will be 5 days without spending a penny.

Wait. So are you prepaying on your credit card?

...why? You're basically giving the CC company a loan. Just pay off the balance in full each month when the statement comes in, and you'll never accrue interest. It doesn't instantly start charging you interest! It's not until after the statement period comes to a close.

[Imma]

If I don't swipe my credit card (which I treat like a debit one and always keep positive balance) anywhere tomorrow, it will be 5 days without spending a penny.

Wait. So are you prepaying on your credit card?

...why? You're basically giving the CC company a loan. Just pay off the balance in full each month when the statement comes in, and you'll never accrue interest. It doesn't instantly start charging you interest! It's not until after the statement period comes to a close.

I don't pre-pay on my credit card, but my credit card company pays me interest if I keep a positive balance! And while I get 0,05% on my savings account, my credit card company pays me 0,3%  (interest rates are crazy low in here).

[mm1970]

Yesterday was really craving chips and dip.  Did not go buy any.  Went home and ate random bits of leftovers.  Later made myself nachos.

Today basically the same.  Made a weird lunch salad concoction when I realized I only had 2 lettuce leaves.

[MaybeBabyMustache]

-Unfortunately, had to drive to & from the office today, instead of using free carpool. (Times didn't work with unexpected childcare swap with husband's work schedule). Bummed, because I have really been enjoying it!
-On the plus side, ate free breakfast/lunch/snacks at the office
-We've gone two years without a Friday afternoon nanny, as my work schedule has been flexible. (I work Asia/EMEA hours typically, and everyone is already gone by the time Friday afternoon rolls around).
-Made almond butter for the first time yesterday, with almonds that have been lingering in the pantry. Bonus is that we're out of peanut butter, and I need it for a recipe this weekend. Will swap instead!

And, by far my favorite-I'm helping (per their ask) my best friend & sister with some financial challenges. I'm putting together sort of a "best practices tool kit", helping them review expenses, etc. I'm building a multiweek strategy for tackling things. It feels so nice to help, and I'm super excited about it to share what I've learned.

[Tyson]

Eating the beans I made in the Instant Pot yesterday.

[Thinkum]

Walked to the market, even though it was hooooooot at over 90F. Just took a more shaded route and it wasn't too bad. I'm starting to really not like driving.

Cooked a crazy good lunch and had a nice craft IPA. I get almost sick when I see the prices of a beer at places around here. Same goes for coffee. So we save money and eat better than if we were like the rest of these sucka's who eat out every single day and night.

[Poundwise]

Noticed the daycare has a sign for a discount for biotech employees.
Asked if that was only for new registrations, and apparently it isn't.
Had my husband send an email that will save us $1,300 a year :)

Mega score!!

Called credit union that was charging me $3/month for paper statements, showed that I had asked for e-statements in July, got all fees reversed.

Have been helping out some WOHM friends with pick up and emergency babysitting. One stopped by with two pizzas. Thankful not to have to cook tonight!

[newgirl]

Meal planned for the first time in FOREVER (like, since before I was pregnant). Made a point of "shopping our kitchen" - using our freezer meat for one meal per day, and at least 2 ingredients from our pantry for each meal. Our grocery trip tomorrow will be mostly fresh fruit/veggies and a few pantry items I didn't have on hand, so I'm looking forward to a cheap run for once.

[horsepoor]

Trying the dog on CostCo Nature's Domain dog food instead of Taste of the Wild.  $28.99 for 35# vs. $29.99 for 15#.  Managed to get out of CostCo without buying anything else.

[marielle]

Managed to get out of CostCo without buying anything else.

Impressive. Teach me your ways.

[ElleFiji]

Last night I wanted takeout soooooo bad. I almost gave in, and then I came home and ate popcorn.

[Thinkum]

Managed to get out of CostCo without buying anything else.

Impressive. Teach me your ways.

Go with a list and stick to it, no matter what. The same as going to the market. We have done the same and get incredulous looks from others in line and cashiers. Always like "that's it?!?"

So far this morning I have saved money by drinking coffee at home and plan on eating breakfast at home as well. It would be super simple to walk to the numerous tasty breakfast options around, but homemade breakfast and homebrewed cold brew is top notch. Saving money is fun.

[frooglepoodle]

Shopped at the farmer's market with a prioritized list, and a budget.

Baked my own bread and pumpkin pie granola.

Spending the day close to home instead of going out and paying for an activity.

[horsepoor]

Managed to get out of CostCo without buying anything else.

Impressive. Teach me your ways.

Go with a list and stick to it, no matter what. The same as going to the market. We have done the same and get incredulous looks from others in line and cashiers. Always like "that's it?!?"

Yes, what Thinkum said.  I've had an eye out casually for new soup bowls, and I spied and fondled a nice set there that I now want to go back and buy.  Resisted once, but should have gone straight to the dog food then GTFO.

[Imma]

Had friends over and cooked dinner and dessert from scratch. I'm not sure if it was actually much cheaper to make the cake instead of buying one, but baking is more fun. I baked my grandma's variation on a traditional Dutch cake. It's incredibly easy and my grandma's cakes are famous. Plus, I love baking recipes that my grandma taught me because I have so many good childhood memories of being in the kitchen together. She's well in her 80s now and I saved her a few slices because she doesn't make it anymore. She still bakes a bit, but this cake requires some physical strength.

By cooking from scratch from the pantry I have also avoided going to the grocery store and buying things I don't need.

[MaybeBabyMustache]

-Went for a hike with a friend. Free, and an opportunity for exercise+chatting
-Avoided lunch for myself at Costco by grabbing a sandwich from the fridge on my way out the door.(The boys did get lunch, so $5 on that). Had I planned ahead, I could have made & packed a lunch for everyone. So, fail on that part.
-Carefully reviewed/trimmed our Costco list, as we're leaving for Hawaii on Wednesday, and my parents will be at the house with the kids. They eat different things than us, so it's less wasteful to leave money for groceries, vs trying to guess.
-Made cashew butter for a recipe.
-Used up almond butter in a protein ball recipe, to bring with us on our trip, and reduce eating out
-Used up a variety of pantry items that I've been trying to get rid of, in a granola bar recipe. Felt so good to empty out a few bags of lingering items.
-Redeemed Bing rewards for a $5 Amazon gift card
-Combined errands to reduce gas costs
-Price checked mushrooms at Costco, and determined I didn't need the giant package. Picked up just a handful at the produce stand, saving $3.50
-Bought laundry pods (which are, IMO, a giant waste of money) for our trip to Hawaii. We have a free washing machine in the hotel, and will make use of it. The laundry pods are lighter than soap, and easier to transport. Shopped around for the "best" deal possible, even though it was still pricey.
-Making dinner at home tonight, and serving with a bottle of wine purchased on sale. No date night, but a fabulous evening at home. We may even get crazy & play Monopoly with the kids.

[4alpacas]

I wanted to buy ice cream while I was out and walking around.  I resisted.  My neighbor dropped off some cookies her daughter made...score!

[I'm a red panda]

Bit of a breakdown so I decided I wanted to dye my hair. Got a quote from a salon for $160.

Went to Sally's spent $15 and DH bleached it tonight and I'll dye it tomorrow