Author Topic: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?  (Read 8029634 times)

geekette

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #9400 on: August 16, 2017, 02:54:48 PM »
The pump on my 40oz conditioner always quits pumping long before it's out (combination of a too short "straw" and too thick liquid).  After days on its side, and days upside down in a glass, I drained out about 5 oz. of conditioner - over 10% of the original bottle!

Ha, I wonder if we use the same kind. I've been fighting with mine for weeks. I mixed some water into the dregs, to thin it out/bulk it up for the straw to work better. It's also easier to pour out once the pump really finally gives up. But I've gotten a good extra month out of it so far.
This is Pantene, and I tried to mix in water once, and it really didn't mix well.  The pump itself is fine, it's just that it doesn't go all the way to the bottom, and the stuff is so thick it won't "fill in" around the straw, so the pump sucks air. 

They changed their formulation ("new and improved" made my hair feel dreadfully limp), so I got a refund and have switched.  This is the dregs of my last good bottle, so I didn't have a new one to slowly drain it into. 

Dollar Slice

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #9401 on: August 16, 2017, 03:10:36 PM »
The pump on my 40oz conditioner always quits pumping long before it's out (combination of a too short "straw" and too thick liquid).  After days on its side, and days upside down in a glass, I drained out about 5 oz. of conditioner - over 10% of the original bottle!

Ha, I wonder if we use the same kind. I've been fighting with mine for weeks. I mixed some water into the dregs, to thin it out/bulk it up for the straw to work better. It's also easier to pour out once the pump really finally gives up. But I've gotten a good extra month out of it so far.
This is Pantene, and I tried to mix in water once, and it really didn't mix well.  The pump itself is fine, it's just that it doesn't go all the way to the bottom, and the stuff is so thick it won't "fill in" around the straw, so the pump sucks air. 

Ah. Different brand, same exact problem with the pump. I accidentally stocked up on it twice when it was on sale so I have about a 4 year supply of these bottles. I'll probably develop some really high-end bottle-emptying methodology by then. I wonder if my dad would let me borrow his centrifuge at work...

Step37

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #9402 on: August 16, 2017, 04:53:27 PM »
The pump on my 40oz conditioner always quits pumping long before it's out (combination of a too short "straw" and too thick liquid).  After days on its side, and days upside down in a glass, I drained out about 5 oz. of conditioner - over 10% of the original bottle!

Ha, I wonder if we use the same kind. I've been fighting with mine for weeks. I mixed some water into the dregs, to thin it out/bulk it up for the straw to work better. It's also easier to pour out once the pump really finally gives up. But I've gotten a good extra month out of it so far.
This is Pantene, and I tried to mix in water once, and it really didn't mix well.  The pump itself is fine, it's just that it doesn't go all the way to the bottom, and the stuff is so thick it won't "fill in" around the straw, so the pump sucks air. 

Ah. Different brand, same exact problem with the pump. I accidentally stocked up on it twice when it was on sale so I have about a 4 year supply of these bottles. I'll probably develop some really high-end bottle-emptying methodology by then. I wonder if my dad would let me borrow his centrifuge at work...

I just take an exacto knife and cut the bottle above the level of what's left. Then I can scrape it out with a spatula into a funnel and drain into the new bottle or a different container (or cover it with plastic wrap and use it up - this works for lotion).

mustachepungoeshere

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #9403 on: August 16, 2017, 04:59:36 PM »
Cancelled our water service. Husband primarily uses it, and he'll be out of town for school for a while, so no point in having it around. I can order my fizzy water elsewhere without renting a water cooler or paying a delivery fee.

When I read that first sentence, I was afraid this was going to be some mustachian-gone-wild post where you decided you didn't need to get tap water piped in from the city any more because you were collecting it in rain barrels and doing all of your showering at work or something... :-)

The pump on my 40oz conditioner always quits pumping long before it's out (combination of a too short "straw" and too thick liquid).  After days on its side, and days upside down in a glass, I drained out about 5 oz. of conditioner - over 10% of the original bottle!

Ha, I wonder if we use the same kind. I've been fighting with mine for weeks. I mixed some water into the dregs, to thin it out/bulk it up for the straw to work better. It's also easier to pour out once the pump really finally gives up. But I've gotten a good extra month out of it so far.
This is Pantene, and I tried to mix in water once, and it really didn't mix well.  The pump itself is fine, it's just that it doesn't go all the way to the bottom, and the stuff is so thick it won't "fill in" around the straw, so the pump sucks air. 

Ah. Different brand, same exact problem with the pump. I accidentally stocked up on it twice when it was on sale so I have about a 4 year supply of these bottles. I'll probably develop some really high-end bottle-emptying methodology by then. I wonder if my dad would let me borrow his centrifuge at work...

You're hilarious, Dollar Slice. Big laughs at these!

mustachepungoeshere

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #9404 on: August 16, 2017, 05:00:54 PM »
I just take an exacto knife and cut the bottle above the level of what's left. Then I can scrape it out with a spatula into a funnel and drain into the new bottle or a different container (or cover it with plastic wrap and use it up - this works for lotion).

I read a PF blog once about a woman who admitted she finally had to give up on a certain bottle of really thick conditioner because she was about to take a knife to it, then realised the chance of something going wrong with the knife just wasn't worth saving $2 worth of conditioner.

Step37

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #9405 on: August 16, 2017, 05:05:23 PM »
I just take an exacto knife and cut the bottle above the level of what's left. Then I can scrape it out with a spatula into a funnel and drain into the new bottle or a different container (or cover it with plastic wrap and use it up - this works for lotion).

I read a PF blog once about a woman who admitted she finally had to give up on a certain bottle of really thick conditioner because she was about to take a knife to it, then realised the chance of something going wrong with the knife just wasn't worth saving $2 worth of conditioner.

Hahaha!! I'm very careful and I've never been injured (though it has crossed my mind!). It just pisses me off to no end that companies package things in a way that makes them impossible to use up. I'm sure it's deliberate in most cases. I really hate wasting stuff... so I take my chances;)

mustachepungoeshere

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #9406 on: August 16, 2017, 05:45:59 PM »
I just take an exacto knife and cut the bottle above the level of what's left. Then I can scrape it out with a spatula into a funnel and drain into the new bottle or a different container (or cover it with plastic wrap and use it up - this works for lotion).

I read a PF blog once about a woman who admitted she finally had to give up on a certain bottle of really thick conditioner because she was about to take a knife to it, then realised the chance of something going wrong with the knife just wasn't worth saving $2 worth of conditioner.
Hahaha!! I'm very careful and I've never been injured (though it has crossed my mind!). It just pisses me off to no end that companies package things in a way that makes them impossible to use up. I'm sure it's deliberate in most cases. I really hate wasting stuff... so I take my chances;)

Yes! I used an amazing orange-scented liquid hand soap in an expensive restaurant once (work paid), and for some reason decided that I needed this in my life.

So next time we needed hand soap I paid a few dollars more than I usually would.

The scent was joyous but the bottle was a disaster. You couldn't pump it without hanging onto the bottle with one hand and pumping with the other, which plainly doesn't work when you're trying to put soap on your hands.

Back to the basic bottle and cheap refills for me.

Dollar Slice

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #9407 on: August 16, 2017, 09:12:08 PM »
The scent was joyous but the bottle was a disaster. You couldn't pump it without hanging onto the bottle with one hand and pumping with the other, which plainly doesn't work when you're trying to put soap on your hands.

I managed to squirt foaming hand soap all over my chest one time due to a similar logistics problem combined with a slightly blocked nozzle. (The nozzle was probably blocked because I bought one foaming hand soap pump bottle and have been refilling it for 3 years...)

You're hilarious, Dollar Slice. Big laughs at these!

We aim to please! :-)

mustachepungoeshere

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #9408 on: August 16, 2017, 09:22:19 PM »
The scent was joyous but the bottle was a disaster. You couldn't pump it without hanging onto the bottle with one hand and pumping with the other, which plainly doesn't work when you're trying to put soap on your hands.

I managed to squirt foaming hand soap all over my chest one time due to a similar logistics problem combined with a slightly blocked nozzle. (The nozzle was probably blocked because I bought one foaming hand soap pump bottle and have been refilling it for 3 years...)

Hmmm, it's almost like this things aren't meant to be refilled repeatedly...

I'm having a problem with refilling my olive oil bottle. I've had the same bottle for about eight years and just refill it from 4L tins of oil.

The lid is so flogged out now that there is a very fine line between the lid actually holding down the collapsible spout, and it spinning off into another dimension (also known as the kitchen floor).

I'm toying with the idea of ditching the lid completely and just leaving the spout there.

1967mama

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #9409 on: August 16, 2017, 09:43:13 PM »
*For the stevia fan, I buy a 24 pack of club soda and drop in flavoured stevia (available at Amazon.com in all flavours you can imagine). I love rootbeer and vanilla creme (tastes like cream soda) but there's pomegranate, coconut, cola, hazelnut, lemon, black cherry. The list goes on and on. Bottles last for ages since you only use a few drops!

*Cutting bottles: I cut the top 2/3 off those 3L jugs of Costco honey once the honey crystallizes. I use a chunk of plastic wrap on the top and an elastic band around it.

*I'm battling a bad fruit fly year with traps made out of a jar, apple cider vinegar, a plastic bag with a hole cut in (buggers crawl in and can't get out. They drown in the acv) and an elastic to hold it on

*Started using my new "Party in my pants" reusable pads. Wahoo!

*Watched a free airshow

*Kids have gone bowling with friends - we are doing that "kids bowl free once a day" thing that's offerred all over Canada and the US. Pay $1.69 for shoe rental

Edited for typo
« Last Edit: August 18, 2017, 01:00:54 AM by 1967mama »

Linea_Norway

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #9410 on: August 17, 2017, 04:31:12 AM »
It's been a week or so since I wrote something in this thread. I feel guilty every day I do not have something to add here, because then I didn't do anything special.

Yesterday I had some Norwegians visiting my house for a meeting. When they were leaving, it was getting darkish and my hallway was dark when they entered. I started apologizing for being Dutch and therefore not having lamps switched on in rooms that I don't use, like Norwegians are used to. That caused a discussion about sports clubs that pay a fortune for light casters that are on all the time without players on the field. They said I was very smart for turning off my lights. ;-)

I served them some homemade cake from ingredients that I already had, including a box of eggs that need to be eaten soon.

Nathaniel

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #9411 on: August 17, 2017, 05:13:12 AM »
Prepped and froze 3 weeks worth of breakfast burritos for work. Sausage, beans, vegan cheese, and jalapeños in a tortilla. A little over $1 a piece.

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk


DrSweden

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #9412 on: August 17, 2017, 06:28:31 AM »
I have started to write to my foodchain when I get a product that there is a problem with. I just register the problem online a get a card with little money on in compensation. It is usually small things like a tea bag that was defect or a sausage with a little piece of bone in.

mc6

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #9413 on: August 17, 2017, 11:38:13 AM »
I filed for what could be a pretty decent reimbursement today.  It may be February or later when I see it, but it's worth a shot. 

Kwill

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #9414 on: August 17, 2017, 02:20:31 PM »
I agreed to hold a friend's stuff for awhile when she's in the process of moving, and it looks like I'll get some food out of this -- leftover ingredients and so forth.

I had a smaller than usual breakfast this morning because I hadn't been to the supermarket recently enough. Fortunately I had a little stash of oatcakes at work, so I was able to snack on those during my morning break and make it to lunch. After work I biked to the supermarket, so I'm ready for tomorrow and the weekend.

DCKatie09

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #9415 on: August 17, 2017, 04:35:26 PM »
Finally adjusted our car insurance coverage - literally no need to be carrying collision on our 15 year old car with a blue book value of $1000... drops our rate by $18/month!! (Kicking self for waiting so long)

Sister C

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #9416 on: August 17, 2017, 05:38:39 PM »
Packed dinner instead of buying overpriced, mediocre airport food. Arugula, potatoes, steak, homemade Caesar dressing, deviled eggs, yum. Used up the leftovers in the fridge.

Washed my hair with rye flour today. I haven't used store bought shampoo or conditioner in 2.5 years.

alewpanda

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #9417 on: August 18, 2017, 10:36:38 AM »
Getting set up for a rummage sale tomorrow.  Hoping to get rid of a bunch of stuff and make a few bucks too!

Hung dry laundry, made lunches and drank coffee at home.

Not going anywhere today...yay!

Researching square footage and floor plans of potential apartments for our move.  I know you can't "know" until you get into one, but it is helping us pare down even more and simplify some functions. (for instance, it helped convince the hubs that his large computer screen and office space can function for our occasional entertainment center/zone, allowing us to forgo paying for a true extra office space in said future apartment.  Yay for selling the xtra furniture and the tv finally! Also, we almost never eat at the table, so my painting desk (standing desk height) will eventually function as painting table and occasional dinner spot with a couple stools pulled around it.  )

Doing our own work on the deck again this weekend...it will be finished...soon ...I hope.....

nouveauRiche

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #9418 on: August 18, 2017, 11:09:59 AM »
DH shopped around for insurance on a rental property & reduced the cost by $700 per year.  Looking into switching another property, which would save $500 per year.  So $58 - $100 per month savings for an hour or two of work.


MBot

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #9419 on: August 18, 2017, 07:35:29 PM »
Got a great deal last month on a baby carrier that is comfy while pregnant (like a backpack; no waistband) called an onbuhimo.

BUT I realized I was afraid to wear the light colour in case it got dirty/stained.

So I sold that  carrier in a swap group, bought another one on a different swap group (with a very stain resistant/hiding pattern)

The total  price difference was $4 between them. :)

Gone_Hiking

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #9420 on: August 18, 2017, 08:26:55 PM »
Our trash company has an insidious habit of raising their service prices every year.  After I received another invoice with a higher service price, I called them.  And they lowered the price by 50%.  Not too bad for a few minutes of being nice.

Trifle

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #9421 on: August 19, 2017, 04:41:11 AM »
I have started to write to my foodchain when I get a product that there is a problem with. I just register the problem online a get a card with little money on in compensation. It is usually small things like a tea bag that was defect or a sausage with a little piece of bone in.

I have done this with Aldi a couple of times, and they were very responsive.  Once we bought a container of hummous that had a piece of metal in it that had come off in the manufacturing process.  We reported it to our local store, and they had us call Aldi headquarters.  Headquarters asked us to mail them the piece of metal. They then sent us 8 containers of hummous.   

katekat

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #9422 on: August 19, 2017, 10:53:58 AM »
Two good ones today:

Called up to change the tariff on my husband's phone to something cheaper. The best the dude could offer me was £16/mo for 500MB. I politely mentioned the £11/mo tariff for 2GB plan that my phone is on (with the same provider) and hinted that I was willing to look elsewhere - and he suddenly found the same tariff for my husband ;)

I went to make our dinner which was some prepared (but raw) ready-to-cook chicken thing I bought yesterday, but the package was looking very swollen. I sniffed it and wasn't really sure about it at all. I nearly just threw it out, but I was disappointed at the waste of money and I realised how stupid I was being. I walked to the shop and asked to return/replace it. It's hard to remember for sure, but I don't think I've ever actually returned anything in my life! Clothes that don't fit/I don't like tend to end up shoved in a corner or given away, but I thought of this forum, and my obvious waste of money, and found the motivation to go and return chicken!

Jtrey17

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #9423 on: August 19, 2017, 11:33:58 AM »
Packed dinner instead of buying overpriced, mediocre airport food. Arugula, potatoes, steak, homemade Caesar dressing, deviled eggs, yum. Used up the leftovers in the fridge.

Washed my hair with rye flour today. I haven't used store bought shampoo or conditioner in 2.5 years.

Tell me more about the rye flour, please!

Bracken_Joy

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #9424 on: August 19, 2017, 11:39:57 AM »
-Bought a starbucks giftcard on cardpool. 10.5% off. I know, I know, just don't drink starbucks. And we don't, often. But we like it as an occasional treat when we end up on long drives for un-fun reasons.

-Canned spicy dilly beans. This works out to ~$2 per massively stuffed pint, as opposed to the $7+ I see in stores. Will also use a few jars as a christmas gift for someone who will *really* appreciate them.

-Friend visited a couple days ago. Instead of going out to lunch, we hung out and watched her daughter play in my sprinklers.

-Nothing we did per se, but we got a car insurance discount for being with the same company for enough years. Which is funny, since we always price compare at renewal, and they've always won! But sure, I'll accept it ;)

-Made ghee, made bacon bits. Refilled our fancy olive oil container from a big jug. All the usual things we do to reduce costs.

mc6

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #9425 on: August 19, 2017, 11:57:26 AM »
I purposefully did not take much cash money when a friend and I visited the exotic flea market this morning.  Also I'm eating weird things from the fridge so as to not be wasteful.

Imma

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #9426 on: August 19, 2017, 12:17:14 PM »
I pay my natural gas and electrical bill by equal payment plan to average out the costs over the year. I moved in to my new-to-me home in Jan '16 and opted for the equal payments a year ago, so the power company based the payments on the last owner's usage. It's now been a year, and based on my actual usage, they've given me a credit of $244 and lowered my monthly payment by $20!

I'm kind of shocked since I bake a lot and use the AC, but I guess that repairing the huge holes in the ducting and my habit of keeping the temp cool in the winter have paid off!

Woo Hoo!

Congrats! I'm waiting for my credit invoice too and it's probably a similar amount. We are a couple in an 800 sq. ft. house and we are apparantly using about half the amount of energy that an average couple in similar circumstances uses and I really don't know how we do it. We have a freezer and a fridge like everyone else, I like baking, we have a computer each and a TV and two Playstations (not mine). We don't have a dryer, but surely that can't be half of someone's electricity bill?

Imma

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #9427 on: August 19, 2017, 12:31:10 PM »
Yesterday I had some Norwegians visiting my house for a meeting. When they were leaving, it was getting darkish and my hallway was dark when they entered. I started apologizing for being Dutch and therefore not having lamps switched on in rooms that I don't use, like Norwegians are used to. That caused a discussion about sports clubs that pay a fortune for light casters that are on all the time without players on the field. They said I was very smart for turning off my lights. ;-)

That's Dutch? Norwegians like to waste money? :o I studied in Northern Europe for a while and was really surprised they all heated their house to 23 C in winter. I thought they'd be used to the cold. At home in the Netherlands, only my grandma heats her home to over 20 C and she only started doing that when she was well over 80. I could not get used to -15 C outside and + 23 C inside.   

My s/o works in electronics and we went to a large department store just to check what the competition was doing, not to buy anything. It was nice weather, so I figured we might pop into the supermarket as well and buy ice cream. Then we noticed the store we were in was handing out free italian ice cream from a well known local place. I had to convince him at first to stand in line (he felt cheap because we didn't buy anything) but we had free ice cream that was much nicer than what we would have bought otherwise.

alewpanda

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #9428 on: August 19, 2017, 05:41:39 PM »
-- Joined with several other families in throwing a rummage sale. Families aren't over spendy normally, but I found it interesting that several left the sale to get food or drinks and came back, after making maybe 20 bucks from selling stuff!   We were at someones house and no plans had been made prior, so I had packed a lunch and brought coffee.  I simply smiled and ate my lunch from the fridge...while enjoying knowing that I would actually keep the money I was getting from the sale.


snorrie

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #9429 on: August 20, 2017, 07:43:17 AM »
We are moving this week and just sold a lot of items we will not use anymore! Awesome feeling, because we can help others who need those things, we don't have to lift a finger to move all of it, and we can use the money for our next house, or save it.

Excellent.

Dicey

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #9430 on: August 20, 2017, 02:51:52 PM »
I don't have a mortar and pestle, haha.

I thought you got one once you crossed the state line? I think my idea of what Oregon is is probably way cooler than what it actually is.

Well, Portland does send a string of Tibetan prayer flags via bike messenger as soon as you have a Portland address. I live in a far less hip part of the state though ;) Think less "microroaster and microbrews" and more "rye fields and partial sets of teeth".

I do have a manual coffee burr grinder, but I don't think I will ever go long enough between cups of coffee to use it for anything else. Plus I wouldn't want to risk flavor changes!

Yeah, exactly.  I don't have a mortar and pestle, and I wasn't willing to contaminate either my cocktail muddler or the coffee grinder.  :)   So rolling pin it was.  I used the crushed up coriander in some chana masala, and also another Indian dish that had spinach and carrots -- can't remember the name of that one.  It was good.

I buy my Indian spices (cumin, coriander etc) in bulk bags and grind them in my blender. Works well! Just make sure the cup and blade are 100% dry.

Hmm, I do have a tiny bullet blender, I'll give that a try! Thanks.
Excellent mustachian problem solving!

Coriander's also good in salsa and Pico de Gallo.

Inaya

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #9431 on: August 21, 2017, 11:30:34 AM »
I was listening to the radio and hearing stories of people paying $90 or more for eclipse glasses (that may or may not be fake). Went down to the Planetarium this morning and got 3 free pairs. Am viewing from the roof of my building.

kilogulf

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #9432 on: August 21, 2017, 01:00:10 PM »
Unsubscribed from Showtime app ($10.99 per month) and Starz app ($8.99 per month) on my Roku.  That extra $20 will make me RICH beyond my wildest dreams!  At least until the next season of "Billions" comes back on Showtime...

Ken in Dallas  :-)

La Bibliotecaria Feroz

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #9433 on: August 21, 2017, 01:03:17 PM »
I was listening to the radio and hearing stories of people paying $90 or more for eclipse glasses (that may or may not be fake). Went down to the Planetarium this morning and got 3 free pairs. Am viewing from the roof of my building.

Nowhere had free pairs around here by last week. But I am at work at the library today and the staff had stashed a few pairs. We took turns with them.

Dollar Slice

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #9434 on: August 21, 2017, 01:45:01 PM »
I was listening to the radio and hearing stories of people paying $90 or more for eclipse glasses (that may or may not be fake). Went down to the Planetarium this morning and got 3 free pairs. Am viewing from the roof of my building.

Nowhere had free pairs around here by last week. But I am at work at the library today and the staff had stashed a few pairs. We took turns with them.

I went to Central Park to watch and everyone was being really friendly. I shared my glasses with a whole bunch of strangers (random passersby who didn't come prepared or couldn't find a place to buy glasses). Someone let me look through their Cheerios box projector so I could see what it was like.

I bought extra pairs of glasses last week and passed them out to friends so they could enjoy it without hurting their eyes. Hopefully they all shared them too. I am guessing 25-30 people got to safely see the eclipse because of me. B-) It was very gratifying to watch other people put them on and exclaim "OH WOW! That's SO COOL! Thank you SO MUCH!"

Technically I "wasted" $20 or so on a bunch of glasses to give away, but if I saved someone from retinal damage that's a lot of medical bills they won't have to pay ;-)

Imma

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #9435 on: August 21, 2017, 02:54:11 PM »
I went online to check for cashback deals before I went grocery shopping. I bought the right brand of buttermilk and received €1,10 back and had free Sprite worth €1,83. There was a deal for oat milk (€1,99) too but they ran out of oat milk, I'll have to check next week. I also went to the shop late in the evening so I could buy bread at 35% off. It's today's bread, so it's still fresh. I put them in the freezer and thaw two slices for lunch every morning.

I go through hardcore frugal phases where I don't go to the store before I've checked my shopping list for good deals. The trick to make sure you're actually saving money this way and not buying even more is to make a shopping list first. We generally drink water and tea at home, but I like to have a few bottles of soda in the pantry for when we have unexpected visitors. I try to always get these through cashback deals so I don't have to spend money on them.

4alpacas

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #9436 on: August 21, 2017, 04:01:52 PM »
Leftovers for lunch
Used overripe fruit for a breakfast smoothie
Went to a free yoga class at work

ohsnap

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #9437 on: August 21, 2017, 04:09:33 PM »
I was listening to the radio and hearing stories of people paying $90 or more for eclipse glasses (that may or may not be fake). Went down to the Planetarium this morning and got 3 free pairs. Am viewing from the roof of my building.

Nowhere had free pairs around here by last week. But I am at work at the library today and the staff had stashed a few pairs. We took turns with them.

I went to Central Park to watch and everyone was being really friendly. I shared my glasses with a whole bunch of strangers (random passersby who didn't come prepared or couldn't find a place to buy glasses). Someone let me look through their Cheerios box projector so I could see what it was like.

I bought extra pairs of glasses last week and passed them out to friends so they could enjoy it without hurting their eyes. Hopefully they all shared them too. I am guessing 25-30 people got to safely see the eclipse because of me. B-) It was very gratifying to watch other people put them on and exclaim "OH WOW! That's SO COOL! Thank you SO MUCH!"

Technically I "wasted" $20 or so on a bunch of glasses to give away, but if I saved someone from retinal damage that's a lot of medical bills they won't have to pay ;-)

Oh, that's very nice of you!  I was out running errands this morning.  I hadn't bothered to figure out how to view the eclipse as I didn't think it was a big deal.  But when I stopped at the cleaners just as the eclipse was starting in my area, there were some office staff at the business next door looking at the shadow through a pinhole, and they let me check it out.  It was kinda cool.  Then I headed for Costco.  As I left Costco, the receipt-checker had some glasses that she was letting customers use to view the eclipse as it was ending!  So nice of her, and it was interesting to see it that way, too.

frooglepoodle

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #9438 on: August 21, 2017, 05:08:44 PM »
Shopped at Aldi. We are visiting family who don't cook much, but DH volunteered us to cook dinner and I ran and picked up groceries to cook with. They'd have paid for the takeout (and did insist on buying the groceries), but home cooked will taste better and be healthier for everyone.

mustachepungoeshere

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #9439 on: August 21, 2017, 07:19:02 PM »
Made a huge, lentil-packed veggie lasagne.

Pegged out the washing before work.

Linea_Norway

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #9440 on: August 22, 2017, 06:31:49 AM »
Finally I can write something on the list. I walked to work again, and as always I brought my own lunch.

I wanted to buy a specific book. The Norwegian bookstore sold a new English translation of a danish book. for 401 crowns + 59 porto = 460 norwegian crowns. With some searching I found a second hand copy of the original Danish book in the correct edition and ordered that online from Denmark for 235 norwegian crowns in total. As Danish is very similar to Norwegian, this is a good alternative. The second hand book is in a very good condition.

Currently I am drying a lot of different mushrooms that I found in the forest. I might not need to buy any mushrooms for the rest of the year.

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #9441 on: August 22, 2017, 05:04:51 PM »

I wanted to buy a specific book. The Norwegian bookstore sold a new English translation of a danish book. for 401 crowns + 59 porto = 460 norwegian crowns. With some searching I found a second hand copy of the original Danish book in the correct edition and ordered that online from Denmark for 235 norwegian crowns in total. As Danish is very similar to Norwegian, this is a good alternative. The second hand book is in a very good condition.


OK, Linda -- how many languages do you speak? I'm counting at least four and am very impressed! I have a friend who is Dutch and she has three, but you have managed to add Norwegian too.  Wow! 

Bracken_Joy

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #9442 on: August 22, 2017, 05:12:48 PM »
Full credit goes to another mustachian! She knew I was buying expensive pet food (prescription stuff) and sent me a coupon she got, since she has no pets. $20 off a $60 purchase. So we went to buy two flats of canned dog food. But they only had one flat. They were trying to sort it out, find another store with stock, etc etc, and the line was backing up. I said we'd be totally fine with a rain check, I just needed to use the coupon since it was expiring. The manager waved me off and let me use the coupon on the one flat they had! So we got $20 off of a $32 order. Holy smokes. Ended up being $1/can for prescription dog food.

Usual stuff:
-Reading a book from the library
-Made coffee at home instead of buying out
-Picked garden produce so I'll can more salsa verde soon

Dollar Slice

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #9443 on: August 22, 2017, 09:30:07 PM »
So we got $20 off of a $32 order.

Score! :-)

I screwed up my schedule a little today due to work stuff - had to go in extra early, wasn't going to be home until 11PM due to evening plans, and did not have nearly enough food planned. (Should have gone grocery shopping yesterday but I had a killer migraine. Apparently photophobia and eclipse viewing mix poorly...) Anyway, I was starving around 7PM and had no food with me and was going to a place where they don't allow food or drink. But then I remembered I was going to walk past a place that has really good $2 Tuesday Tacos, so I was able to grab a quick hot dinner sitting at the bar for $4 plus tax/tip.

More of a rescue than a win, but I'll take it.

mustachepungoeshere

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #9444 on: August 22, 2017, 11:40:59 PM »

I wanted to buy a specific book. The Norwegian bookstore sold a new English translation of a danish book. for 401 crowns + 59 porto = 460 norwegian crowns. With some searching I found a second hand copy of the original Danish book in the correct edition and ordered that online from Denmark for 235 norwegian crowns in total. As Danish is very similar to Norwegian, this is a good alternative. The second hand book is in a very good condition.


OK, Linda -- how many languages do you speak? I'm counting at least four and am very impressed! I have a friend who is Dutch and she has three, but you have managed to add Norwegian too.  Wow!

I love this as a money-saving tip.

Learn multiple languages!

Linea_Norway

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #9445 on: August 23, 2017, 02:13:31 AM »

I wanted to buy a specific book. The Norwegian bookstore sold a new English translation of a danish book. for 401 crowns + 59 porto = 460 norwegian crowns. With some searching I found a second hand copy of the original Danish book in the correct edition and ordered that online from Denmark for 235 norwegian crowns in total. As Danish is very similar to Norwegian, this is a good alternative. The second hand book is in a very good condition.


OK, Linda -- how many languages do you speak? I'm counting at least four and am very impressed! I have a friend who is Dutch and she has three, but you have managed to add Norwegian too.  Wow!

Dutch (native)
English (fluently with minor mistakes and Dutch accent)
Norwegian (fluently with minor mistakes and Dutch accent)
German (had it at school for 3 years, understand it pretty well passively, speak it terribly badly,)
French (only had it at school for 4 years, don't speak it, but still remember some words and phrases)
Swedish (sounds more or less as Norwegian and all waiters in Norway are Swedish, easy to understand, reading it goes slowly as it is spelled very differently)
Danish (easy to read, as it is written as slightly misspelled Norwegian, a bit more difficult to understand because of the pronunciation).
Latin grammar (learned at school to translate it passively with the help of a dictionary. Not used it since.)

Most Dutch people learn English, Dutch and French at school as mandatory subjects.
All Norwegians understand Swedish and Danish because it is so similar. I have lived in Norway for almost 20 years, so I am pretty much Norwegian.

This particular book is not a novel, but an informative books to recognize mushrooms. For novels I stick to Dutch, Norwegian and English, which are easiest to read.
« Last Edit: August 23, 2017, 02:17:26 AM by Linda_Norway »

nouveauRiche

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #9446 on: August 24, 2017, 02:42:22 PM »
I've needed a new bike seat for a while but haven't wanted to spend the money.  Our neighbor was moving and giving away several bikes.  We took one with a comfortable seat & DH swapped it onto my bike.  Now we just need to give away the "new" bike with the old seat.


Bracken_Joy

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #9447 on: August 24, 2017, 02:47:55 PM »
-With the larger house and the larger garden, my canning is increasing accordingly, so I needed more jars. Regular mouth pint jars were $1.50/12 flat than the wide mouth pint jars, and since I'm doing mostly slasas in the pint jars, I went with the regular mouth.

-Harvested more from the garden.

horsepoor

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?
« Reply #9448 on: August 24, 2017, 09:37:35 PM »
I'm heading to Oregon for an educational workshop this weekend.  Packed most of my food, including homegrown eggs and veggies.  Will be staying with a friend, so no hotel costs, and bringing homegrown heirloom tomatoes as a thank you (and making dinner).

mustachepungoeshere

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Re: What small things did you do TODAY to save money?e
« Reply #9449 on: August 26, 2017, 03:13:05 PM »
Staying in a hotel this weekend so I snaffled a couple of the fancy teabags for my stash at home. I haven't bought tea in years.

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!