Author Topic: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?  (Read 8029696 times)

jengod

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #5950 on: March 31, 2016, 11:08:05 PM »
Line-dried two loads of laundry instead of using the electric dryer.

Villanelle

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #5951 on: April 01, 2016, 01:40:24 AM »
I've spent so much time in the last couple weeks organizing our finances and doing some much delayed housekeeping of all the accounts. I've sold everything that wasn't in TSP or Vanguard, and am redistributing it into Vanguard funds.  This includes several IRAs accounts we had from years ago.  I'm ashamed to admit that we were still contributing to one of them. I won't tell you the expense ration on that, or how baldy it's performed.  Some of these transfers will take a few weeks, but I got the bulk of it done yesterday and today, after paperwork and sorting out allocation issues over the past couple weeks.

Now we are set to max out TSP ($18k.yr), in addition to a few other things.  It feels really good to have everything streamlined, and to have it all in places where it can do the most good.

It feels so good!

lunahsol

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #5952 on: April 01, 2016, 11:11:07 AM »
Chose a different brand of hot sauce than my usual because it was on sale for 79 cents a bottle. 

Bracken_Joy

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #5953 on: April 01, 2016, 11:18:54 AM »
Planned: drinks with DH at a place we used to go to a lot, combining with an appointment. (Savings #1!). I noted that it will likely span lunch time. Instead of giving in to the delicious pizza or sandwich offerings where we will be getting drinks, I packed a PB&J. The place won't care, we used to be regulars and did that sort of thing periodically, and it's a very casual place with outdoor seating, so long as we're drinking they'll be happy. Planning ahead will save us ~$10. Obviously I would save more if I DIDN'T buy cider, but hey, gotta have some joy in life ;)

Yesterday carpooled with DH, since work laid in the same direction for both of us. 70 miles each way of gas overlapping, and we both get work reimbursement. Bonus: did it in his 55mpg TDI, instead of my 18mpg truck. He will probably be doing more work with that contract through the summer, and if so, we will make a habit of this. Should save us big money, especially as gas prices will undoubtedly rise through the summer. Bonus: an extra 3hrs on those days to hang out with DH! Whereas I normally only see him about 1 waking hour on my work days. Increasing happiness while saving money and the environment? The perfect MMM combo!

Inaya

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #5954 on: April 01, 2016, 01:38:47 PM »
Bought some $1.99/lb smoked pork necks to make bean soup. Picked the meat off the bones for the soup, then the bones and cartilage went right back into the pot (didn't even have to wash it!) with some frozen potato and onion skins for a batch of broth.

jengod

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #5955 on: April 01, 2016, 09:22:32 PM »
Paid by check for a certified birth record instead of using a credit card. Saved $1.75.

Borrowed an ebook from the library; instant gratification and saved ~$15.

Squirrel away

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #5956 on: April 02, 2016, 02:54:55 AM »
I saw that there was a random £1.19 in one of our savings accounts so I transferred it into our joint bank account. Every £ helps.

I'm about to go and collect up carrier bags to give to our delivery driver when he/she arrives. You get 5 pence back for each bag you give to them. Every penny counts, lol.

Jakejake

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #5957 on: April 02, 2016, 08:55:49 AM »
This week while biking home from work, I've found a large can of unopened beer, a can of vegetarian chili, and a can of beans on the sidewalk.

At the fruit ranch, got an entire case of markdown grapes for $2 - sorted them, tossed the bad ones, got 6 trays of raisins going on the dehydrator and a giant mixing bowl of fresh ones for snacks, got a case of apples for $2 and a case of randomness for $2 (a lime, sweet potatoes, grapefruits, oranges, bananas).

And at the regular store, got 2 boxes mac and cheese, walnut milk, soap, and chocolate/fruit snacks for a tiny profit.

Heading out today  on the bike to get a free (after coupon and rebate) pound of sausage.

overwhelmed

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #5958 on: April 02, 2016, 10:13:28 AM »

Returned 2 pairs of pants that I purchased in January & were just sitting in my closet. I also managed to walk directly out of the store even as those pretty spring things were taunting me.

$50 credit :)

Tyson

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #5959 on: April 02, 2016, 12:08:52 PM »
Made a pot of world famous "3 meat, 2 bean" soup on Sunday, it was a little on the salty side.

Before paying attention to our spending and grocery bills, that's something that we would have let go bad in the fridge then feigned feeling bad when we tossed it in the trash.

Since we are now re-focused, we had it for dinner last night and I just polished it off with my lunch.

One trick to deal with food that's too salty (or too spicy or too anything) is to serve it over rice - the blandness of the rice will dial down the saltiness quite nicely.

Well Respected Man

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #5960 on: April 02, 2016, 01:54:21 PM »
Cancelled my Kindle Unlimited subscription, which I had recently discovered/remembered exists. I missed last month’s deadline, but not this time. Before going grocery shopping, hunted around the grocery bags for a good coupon that I remembered receiving last week. It turned out to be a $10 off a $50 purchase. At the store, I scored some imperfect produce off the discount cart — broccoli for $0.89/lb, and 3 limes for $0.42. Eyed the Trillium IPA bombers, and passed at $11.95 each. Recently opened a Discover savings account to get a free $100. Made my own pizza dough last week, and topped with delicious planned over pulled pork.

Orvell

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #5961 on: April 02, 2016, 02:21:54 PM »
The weather is doing crazy things (snow, ice, wind, forgetting that it's fucking April) so I stayed in and made a frittata despite only having 3 eggs. Made it work by stretching them with almond and coconut milk. :)
Making do is a mustachian's middle name!

Kwill

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #5962 on: April 02, 2016, 03:27:54 PM »
At the supermarket today, I looked for some thinly sliced beef or chicken to use for a stir fry, but instead I bought a small pack for bacon marked down to 39p because it had to be used by today. It's more like Canadian bacon than like American bacon. I cooked it all but put half in my stir fry and saved half for later. I also cooked ordinary rice instead of using the microwavable or boil-in-bag kind--my first time since moving into the dorm. Downside was that I was stuck in the hall kitchen during the whole process, but I watched some shows on my laptop.

The big bonus today was that I cashed in my supermarket loyalty points during a "double up" special. For my £5 worth of points, I got a £10 voucher that could only be used on store-brand wines, so I picked out two bottles that exactly totaled £10. It's no good opening them by myself, but I'm prepared for the next time I need to bring a bottle of wine somewhere.

4alpacas

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #5963 on: April 02, 2016, 03:36:13 PM »
Bulk cooking for the week!
I made a curry from curry paste, chicken ropa vieja (http://www.budgetbytes.com/2015/06/slow-cooker-chicken-ropa-vieja/), turkey burgers (http://www.budgetbytes.com/2015/08/mini-black-bean-turkey-burgers/).  I'm planning to use my slow cooker to make pasta sauce tomorrow and carmelized onions on Sunday/Monday. 

We also rented a few DVDs through Redbox to break up all the yard work we had to do today. 

Bracken_Joy

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #5964 on: April 02, 2016, 03:37:23 PM »
DH and I wanted a fancy date night. Went to the store. Got steaks on manager's special (grass fed, worked out to $6.50/lb... still expensive, but could have been worse!). We found a bunch of local wines on their 50% off racks by the bathroom- a fantastic local cab and a local reisling, both originally $21, were marked down to $17, then 50% off of that. They also had mega packs of bacon on close-out (rearranging the store) so we got local sugar-free nitrate-free pepper bacon for $3/lb. Also going to be using asparagus we got last week for $1.99/lb.

If you're gonna roll in luxury, may as well still economize it!

ETA: and the night's entertainment is free streaming of a Comedy Central show. If you've never seen @midnight, give it a try. Rotating guests, so as long as you like the host, there's almost always someone people like.

4alpacas

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #5965 on: April 02, 2016, 05:50:18 PM »
DH and I wanted a fancy date night. Went to the store. Got steaks on manager's special (grass fed, worked out to $6.50/lb... still expensive, but could have been worse!). We found a bunch of local wines on their 50% off racks by the bathroom- a fantastic local cab and a local reisling, both originally $21, were marked down to $17, then 50% off of that. They also had mega packs of bacon on close-out (rearranging the store) so we got local sugar-free nitrate-free pepper bacon for $3/lb. Also going to be using asparagus we got last week for $1.99/lb.

Sounds like an amazing meal!

Bracken_Joy

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #5966 on: April 02, 2016, 05:53:01 PM »
DH and I wanted a fancy date night. Went to the store. Got steaks on manager's special (grass fed, worked out to $6.50/lb... still expensive, but could have been worse!). We found a bunch of local wines on their 50% off racks by the bathroom- a fantastic local cab and a local reisling, both originally $21, were marked down to $17, then 50% off of that. They also had mega packs of bacon on close-out (rearranging the store) so we got local sugar-free nitrate-free pepper bacon for $3/lb. Also going to be using asparagus we got last week for $1.99/lb.

Sounds like an amazing meal!

Whoever thinks MMM is about self-deprivation and stinginess isn't doing it right ;) You can have an obscenely deluxe evening for cheaper than a fast food burger.

Bonus: gonna set the scene with a table runner I got from a relative for free, and candles I got from Buy Nothing Group =)

Tigerpine

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #5967 on: April 02, 2016, 05:53:59 PM »
Went to the library to check out The Ascent of Money by Niall Ferguson.  Saves $29.95 + tax over purchasing the book.

By the way, the book was adapted into a great documentary back in 2008.  You can find all six parts on Youtube or on my blog.

frooglepoodle

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #5968 on: April 02, 2016, 06:39:06 PM »
Regifted some baby things we never used for a baby shower gift.

Used dried tortellini instead of fresh in a one-pot pasta recipe.. I poured boiling water over them and let them soak while I did the rest of the prep, so I saved some money without increasing total cooking time.

Cut DH's hair, then patched a pair of his workout shorts.

Kitsune

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #5969 on: April 02, 2016, 07:25:34 PM »
Invited my family over for dinner instead of meeting them at a restaurant, since I can feed 6 people an excellent meal for cheaper than paying restaurant bills for two adults and a toddler.

Am extra thankful we did that, because my toddler refused to eat and then projectile vomited over me, my sister, herself, and about 6 feet of my kitchen floor. I am so, so thankful we were home and not in a restaurant... And I am so extra-thankful that we have 2 bathrooms, and so everyone could scrub off ASAP. ANd I am so, so extra thankful to have an excellent understanding family.

The next time you think a dinner party is meh, just be thankful that there's no projectile vomit. Parenthood lowers your standards, omg.

horsepoor

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #5970 on: April 02, 2016, 07:45:07 PM »
I brought my horse trailer home today for spring cleaning, and wanted to stop by WinCo to stock up on cheap produce, but it was too warm to leave my dog in the truck.  Was kind of grating at the idea of having to go drop him off and then make a separate grocery trip.  Then I realized I could put him in the horse trailer, which doesn't heat up the way the cab of the truck does.  Got my cheap groceries and saved some gas too.

This morning I was grinding out my final, 13 mile training run for a half marathon, and decided that after my race on 4/16 I am DONE with running that distance.  So I'll save $$ since:  shoes won't wear out as fast, shorter races are usually cheaper, and no need for "running fuel" anymore.  In the long run, it will probably save me some sort of medical maintenance on my knees and ankles, too.

Have been putting my veggie seedlings outside to enjoy the warm, sunny weather instead of keeping the grow lights on.  Tomorrow all the cold-tolerant crops will go in the ground and I'll hopefully be harvesting free greens within a few weeks.

cerat0n1a

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #5971 on: April 03, 2016, 12:14:00 PM »
This morning I was grinding out my final, 13 mile training run for a half marathon, and decided that after my race on 4/16 I am DONE with running that distance.  So I'll save $$ since:  shoes won't wear out as fast, shorter races are usually cheaper, and no need for "running fuel" anymore.  In the long run, it will probably save me some sort of medical maintenance on my knees and ankles, too.

Running must be about as inexpensive as you can get as far as leisure time activities go. All the evidence is that it's good for your knees and ankles as you age, though, as shown by lots of scientific studies. It's one of those persistent urban myths that it's bad for the joints. Good luck with the HM - sounds like you're planning to stick with the shorter distances.

horsepoor

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #5972 on: April 03, 2016, 01:07:24 PM »
This morning I was grinding out my final, 13 mile training run for a half marathon, and decided that after my race on 4/16 I am DONE with running that distance.  So I'll save $$ since:  shoes won't wear out as fast, shorter races are usually cheaper, and no need for "running fuel" anymore.  In the long run, it will probably save me some sort of medical maintenance on my knees and ankles, too.

Running must be about as inexpensive as you can get as far as leisure time activities go. All the evidence is that it's good for your knees and ankles as you age, though, as shown by lots of scientific studies. It's one of those persistent urban myths that it's bad for the joints. Good luck with the HM - sounds like you're planning to stick with the shorter distances.

Well, my knees and ankles kind of disagree with the science.  I think some running is good, but for me, keeping it under about 15 miles a week seems to work best.  I'm mixing it up with other activity too, not trading mileage for more couch time. 

ElGrillo

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #5973 on: April 03, 2016, 01:55:08 PM »
Last night I made a delicious omelet with eggs from a friend's chickens, and a salad. This is all instead of buying a $15 order from Pizza Hut, which is what I was tempted to do!

Bracken_Joy

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #5974 on: April 03, 2016, 04:04:51 PM »
Worked the garden!

Saved money by:
Going old school with a rake, shovel, and hands, instead of renting a roto tiller to clear the years of neglect.
Bought seeds, $12 for everything we need, instead of starts, which would be... a lot more expensive. (Although come tomato time, starts it is. I have had no success doing those from seed).

Also, eschewing thing I really WOULD want, but am not going to do, like: extra soil, proper row markers, good soil amendment, nematodes, lady bugs, etc. These would certainly benefit the garden, but it just isn't somewhere we want to invest right now. Also, we don't own the property and may move in July, so that would eat most savings anyway =(

Rural

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #5975 on: April 03, 2016, 05:05:29 PM »
Gathered a bunch of blackberry leaves for  tea, and had to warn my better half off the trap I laid for him, hanging them to dry (I'm trying Erica's method of drying on the stalk,  though with blackberries, I may be sorry later).

infromsea

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #5976 on: April 03, 2016, 06:56:14 PM »
This morning I was grinding out my final, 13 mile training run for a half marathon, and decided that after my race on 4/16 I am DONE with running that distance.  So I'll save $$ since:  shoes won't wear out as fast, shorter races are usually cheaper, and no need for "running fuel" anymore.  In the long run, it will probably save me some sort of medical maintenance on my knees and ankles, too.

Stick with it long enough and you can train to the point of not needing the running fuel for anything less than 18-20 miles, especially if you carb up the day/night before.

I speak from experience, I don't gel/supplement during a run unless I'm doing more than 3 hours. It takes time to get used to this, just involves starting out with lower miles (7-8) and working up in steps without using anything, until you get to the point of bonk. I did 12 this morning, no water, no gels, but I've got a lot of miles in that fashion, wouldn't recommend it without proper "build up".

Our daily savings came from not going anywhere today and eating some questionable asparagus with dinner, was real close to tossing it but it turned out ok.

Squirrel away

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #5977 on: April 04, 2016, 12:33:26 AM »
Reading my book for entertainment and eating home cooked meals all day. I checked the salary with an income tax calculator I saw on a money saving forum and need to draw up a new budget for the tax year. Paying less tax so kind of saving money that way.:)

cerat0n1a

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #5978 on: April 04, 2016, 01:27:02 AM »
Also, eschewing thing I really WOULD want, but am not going to do, like: extra soil, proper row markers, good soil amendment, nematodes, lady bugs, etc.

You can buy lady bugs in the US? Tell me more! Does that mean that there are people who "farm" them? I just avoid tidying up too much until early spring so that they have places to shelter - there were loads out and about yesterday.

I spent most of the weekend in the garden; the next few weeks is the "hungry gap" for us - last of the over-wintered leeks, broccoli etc. is gone but too soon for this year's crops to be ready.

Luckyvik

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #5979 on: April 04, 2016, 05:34:31 AM »
Invited my family over for dinner instead of meeting them at a restaurant, since I can feed 6 people an excellent meal for cheaper than paying restaurant bills for two adults and a toddler.

Am extra thankful we did that, because my toddler refused to eat and then projectile vomited over me, my sister, herself, and about 6 feet of my kitchen floor. I am so, so thankful we were home and not in a restaurant... And I am so extra-thankful that we have 2 bathrooms, and so everyone could scrub off ASAP. ANd I am so, so extra thankful to have an excellent understanding family.

The next time you think a dinner party is meh, just be thankful that there's no projectile vomit. Parenthood lowers your standards, omg.

OMG why did she projectile vomit? Is there something that can be done to avoid that? Just for future reference for when my nephews are over.

Primm

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #5980 on: April 04, 2016, 05:38:01 AM »
Invited my family over for dinner instead of meeting them at a restaurant, since I can feed 6 people an excellent meal for cheaper than paying restaurant bills for two adults and a toddler.

Am extra thankful we did that, because my toddler refused to eat and then projectile vomited over me, my sister, herself, and about 6 feet of my kitchen floor. I am so, so thankful we were home and not in a restaurant... And I am so extra-thankful that we have 2 bathrooms, and so everyone could scrub off ASAP. ANd I am so, so extra thankful to have an excellent understanding family.

The next time you think a dinner party is meh, just be thankful that there's no projectile vomit. Parenthood lowers your standards, omg.

OMG why did she projectile vomit? Is there something that can be done to avoid that? Just for future reference for when my nephews are over.

Just a guess, but if she refused to eat beforehand she probably had some form of gastro. And no, there's nothing that can be done to avoid that. All babies / children do it at some point, and you can guarantee it will be at the most inconvenient moment every time.

Luckyvik

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #5981 on: April 04, 2016, 06:47:34 AM »
Invited my family over for dinner instead of meeting them at a restaurant, since I can feed 6 people an excellent meal for cheaper than paying restaurant bills for two adults and a toddler.

Am extra thankful we did that, because my toddler refused to eat and then projectile vomited over me, my sister, herself, and about 6 feet of my kitchen floor. I am so, so thankful we were home and not in a restaurant... And I am so extra-thankful that we have 2 bathrooms, and so everyone could scrub off ASAP. ANd I am so, so extra thankful to have an excellent understanding family.

The next time you think a dinner party is meh, just be thankful that there's no projectile vomit. Parenthood lowers your standards, omg.

OMG why did she projectile vomit? Is there something that can be done to avoid that? Just for future reference for when my nephews are over.

Just a guess, but if she refused to eat beforehand she probably had some form of gastro. And no, there's nothing that can be done to avoid that. All babies / children do it at some point, and you can guarantee it will be at the most inconvenient moment every time.
Noooooo!!!! Mmmmmm maybe my husbands idea of keeping children in a pen in the backyard on grass and hosing them when they get dirty Isn't such a bad idea

Kitsune

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #5982 on: April 04, 2016, 07:15:21 AM »
Invited my family over for dinner instead of meeting them at a restaurant, since I can feed 6 people an excellent meal for cheaper than paying restaurant bills for two adults and a toddler.

Am extra thankful we did that, because my toddler refused to eat and then projectile vomited over me, my sister, herself, and about 6 feet of my kitchen floor. I am so, so thankful we were home and not in a restaurant... And I am so extra-thankful that we have 2 bathrooms, and so everyone could scrub off ASAP. ANd I am so, so extra thankful to have an excellent understanding family.

The next time you think a dinner party is meh, just be thankful that there's no projectile vomit. Parenthood lowers your standards, omg.

OMG why did she projectile vomit? Is there something that can be done to avoid that? Just for future reference for when my nephews are over.

Just a guess, but if she refused to eat beforehand she probably had some form of gastro. And no, there's nothing that can be done to avoid that. All babies / children do it at some point, and you can guarantee it will be at the most inconvenient moment every time.
Noooooo!!!! Mmmmmm maybe my husbands idea of keeping children in a pen in the backyard on grass and hosing them when they get dirty Isn't such a bad idea

Some form of gastro, and no, you can't avoid it, sorry! (For the record: 5 minute earlier she was running around and singing, no fever, zero symptoms of anything.) and there are meals where she's feeling ok but not hungry, so she doesn't eat, so even that's not a reliable indicator.

Kids are gross. They're fantastic enough to totally make up for it, but: gross. Sorry! (And hey, like I said: at least we weren't in a restaurant!)

Bracken_Joy

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #5983 on: April 04, 2016, 08:12:41 AM »
Also, eschewing thing I really WOULD want, but am not going to do, like: extra soil, proper row markers, good soil amendment, nematodes, lady bugs, etc.

You can buy lady bugs in the US? Tell me more! Does that mean that there are people who "farm" them? I just avoid tidying up too much until early spring so that they have places to shelter - there were loads out and about yesterday.

I spent most of the weekend in the garden; the next few weeks is the "hungry gap" for us - last of the over-wintered leeks, broccoli etc. is gone but too soon for this year's crops to be ready.

Yes indeed! Are you kidding? If something can be monetized, we have probably figured out how to do that here. Haha. But yeah, we can buy beneficial nematodes ($24 for enough to treat a 3000sq ft lawn at my local garden store), ladybugs, etc. It's actually pretty cool, because at least my local store does native breeds appropriate for the area, so it helps with conservation stuff as well.

Inaya

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #5984 on: April 04, 2016, 10:16:20 AM »
Also, eschewing thing I really WOULD want, but am not going to do, like: extra soil, proper row markers, good soil amendment, nematodes, lady bugs, etc.

You can buy lady bugs in the US? Tell me more! Does that mean that there are people who "farm" them? I just avoid tidying up too much until early spring so that they have places to shelter - there were loads out and about yesterday.

I spent most of the weekend in the garden; the next few weeks is the "hungry gap" for us - last of the over-wintered leeks, broccoli etc. is gone but too soon for this year's crops to be ready.

Yes indeed! Are you kidding? If something can be monetized, we have probably figured out how to do that here. Haha. But yeah, we can buy beneficial nematodes ($24 for enough to treat a 3000sq ft lawn at my local garden store), ladybugs, etc. It's actually pretty cool, because at least my local store does native breeds appropriate for the area, so it helps with conservation stuff as well.
You can even get them off Amazon.
Other bugs too.

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #5985 on: April 04, 2016, 12:58:25 PM »
Also, eschewing thing I really WOULD want, but am not going to do, like: extra soil, proper row markers, good soil amendment, nematodes, lady bugs, etc.

You can buy lady bugs in the US? Tell me more! Does that mean that there are people who "farm" them? I just avoid tidying up too much until early spring so that they have places to shelter - there were loads out and about yesterday.

I spent most of the weekend in the garden; the next few weeks is the "hungry gap" for us - last of the over-wintered leeks, broccoli etc. is gone but too soon for this year's crops to be ready.

Yes indeed! Are you kidding? If something can be monetized, we have probably figured out how to do that here. Haha. But yeah, we can buy beneficial nematodes ($24 for enough to treat a 3000sq ft lawn at my local garden store), ladybugs, etc. It's actually pretty cool, because at least my local store does native breeds appropriate for the area, so it helps with conservation stuff as well.
You can even get them off Amazon.
Other bugs too.

I bought a praying mantis egg case at the farmer's market this year. Very cool to show the kids the baby mantises when they hatched.

Inaya

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #5986 on: April 04, 2016, 02:19:50 PM »
Hubs was gonna grab lunch on the way home from getting cat food. I suggested a specific place then looked up their menu to text him my order. $9.50 for lox on a bagel??? Yeah no. Told him to get whatever he wanted but I'll just eat what we have here. The kicker? The cat food place apparently closed down, so he wasted train fare for no reason,  and now I can't find another place that sells it in the flavor she'll actually eat.

Threshkin

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #5987 on: April 04, 2016, 02:36:57 PM »
Scored a great deal on Honey yesterday.  I did not really need it but I was scouting for sales and found this fancy schmancy organic, sustainable, wild bee honey on BOGO sale.  This stuff was over the top fancy and normally I would have ignored it, even on sale.  But I though about it for a bit and realized it was only $0.26 per ounce on sale.  Typically the cheap honey is around $0.40 per ounce.  I grabbed 6 bottles to put in the pantry for later.  It was starting to crystallize but that is no big.  Essentially, honey will last forever.

Kwill

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #5988 on: April 04, 2016, 04:59:59 PM »
I (mostly) finished my taxes today with freetaxusa.com. I had to pay for state returns but federal was free. Probably all you saver people know about the IRS Free File, but here's the link in case: https://www.irs.gov/uac/Free-File:-Do-Your-Federal-Taxes-for-Free

Depending on your income, you may be able to do everything for free with some of the services.

Anyway, I mostly worked on it over the weekend but checked back through it a few times today and fixed issues that saved over $100 by filling out everything properly. I still have to send one thing by postal mail because I'm overseas, but it's good to have it mostly done.

cerat0n1a

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #5989 on: April 05, 2016, 02:17:47 AM »
You can even get them off Amazon.
Other bugs too.

Interesting. I was expecting this to be more of a plant nursery/farmer's market type thing rather than mail order because presumably keeping them alive without food & water for any length of time is a challenge. I think Amazon in the UK prohibits selling anything living. Having done a bit of googling, it seems that you can buy larvae of native British ladybirds & also lacewings and they are sent with food in the package. I'm now wondering whether they are wild caught or bred in captivity...

OmahaSteph

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #5990 on: April 05, 2016, 10:18:28 AM »
A co-worker was going to donate his barbell weight set but offered it to another co-worker. They said no thanks, but I sure spoke up! It's not an Olympic set, but it was free and it's in good shape. A few more pieces and I'll be able to cancel the gym membership when it's up.

Made egg salad out of the cheap eggs I picked up over Easter weekend.

Adjusted goals on Mint to throw more at the credit card, now that the e-fund is where it's supposed to be. Also set up a new goal to save for estimated moving costs this summer.

Put out a call in my Buy Nothing group for a coffee maker to replace the one Current accidentally broke yesterday.

AlwaysLearningToSave

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #5991 on: April 05, 2016, 10:51:39 AM »
My American Express card is running a promotion where you get a $10 statement credit for paying your cell phone bill via the credit card each month through June.  Signed up for that one on the spot-- $30 free dollars for doing essentially nothing!

Inaya

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #5992 on: April 05, 2016, 11:18:26 AM »
My American Express card is running a promotion where you get a $10 statement credit for paying your cell phone bill via the credit card each month through June.  Signed up for that one on the spot-- $30 free dollars for doing essentially nothing!


Ooh, thanks for mentioning this! I had already activated the one for cable/satellite bill, but I didn't know about cell phone. Almost makes me regret switching from Sprint to Ting (but not really).

OmahaSteph

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #5993 on: April 05, 2016, 02:47:40 PM »
A co-worker was going to donate his barbell weight set but offered it to another co-worker. They said no thanks, but I sure spoke up! It's not an Olympic set, but it was free and it's in good shape. A few more pieces and I'll be able to cancel the gym membership when it's up.

Nice! Add a cheap-O set of bumper plates from craigslist (if you can find them for sale used) and you are set for the Olympic style lifts, which is really all you need when it comes to lifting (in my opinion).

It's got a full set of bumper plates, but they only fit on that specific bar (not a 25-pound or 45-pound one). I need a squat/bench rack and a bench and I'll be set, and those are on CL all the time! :)

1967mama

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #5994 on: April 06, 2016, 01:29:42 AM »
*Homemade birthday cake for my son who is turning 11 tomorrow ... Worms and Dirt, actually, as per his request

*Bubbles for the party -- silly for 11 year old boy, but much, much cheaper than silly string, and still fun/funny. I got a 6 pack of full sized bottles of bubbles for $3. It was $3 PER CAN for silly string .. forget it! I'm all for home birthday parties but that's ridiculous!

Kwill

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #5995 on: April 06, 2016, 04:55:38 PM »
Today I got an annual membership to the group that runs some of the dance classes and events I've been attending. £12 for a year gets £1 off for each class / event. It should pay for itself in a few months, and it's an incentive to get better at this particular dance style.

I forced myself to actually leave work on time today for a change. It doesn't save money exactly, but since time is money . . . Anyway, it was good, and I got to take a nap before the dance class.

MrsTuxedocat

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #5996 on: April 06, 2016, 06:13:54 PM »
Hubs was gonna grab lunch on the way home from getting cat food. I suggested a specific place then looked up their menu to text him my order. $9.50 for lox on a bagel??? Yeah no. Told him to get whatever he wanted but I'll just eat what we have here. The kicker? The cat food place apparently closed down, so he wasted train fare for no reason,  and now I can't find another place that sells it in the flavor she'll actually eat.

The things we do for our picky cats. Mr. Tuxedocat and I have created a monster with our kitty cat. For Valentine's Day, we bought her a special treat, local canned cat food (expensive!). It is now her favourite and she will wake up us for her food. We only give her a small serving, which is supplemented by dry kibbles.

MrsTuxedocat

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #5997 on: April 06, 2016, 06:15:37 PM »
Mr.Tuxedocat takes a herbal supplement. I have always bought it at the drugstore, but it's never on sale. Today, I checked Amazon and it's 40% cheaper. Woot woot!

lunahsol

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #5998 on: April 06, 2016, 08:00:12 PM »
Realized today that I actually really like my hair at this grown out to this current length (no paid haircuts in over a year) . . . and am inspired to get better at trimming it myself and NEVER PAY for haircuts again!

jengod

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #5999 on: April 07, 2016, 02:09:31 AM »
* Picked up $0.50 worth of recyclable beer bottles from the Goodwill parking lot.
* My mom brought over a very nice changing table she found abandoned in an alley near her house, and a friend gave me a barely used Ergo baby carrier.