What small things did you do TODAY to save money?

[Just Joe]

In the height of fishing season my engine had a breakdown (A Honda!).
A friend was at our marine store (perks to living at the coast) and picked up the parts I needed for $140 and dropped them off. I spent the day replacing the solenoid and the trim control in the tiller handle of a 50 hp Honda.
It took me about six hours, I bet a shop could do it in four. The shop rate is $140/hr.
I'd heard horror stories about taking tiller handles apart before. It was bad, but not too bad. Ok, it was bad. At one point I almost had the linkage put back together in the engine, when I dropped a circlip. I could barely see it in the depths of the innards, no way to reach it.
I took the bag out of my shop vac and jury rigged a tiny crevice tool and shoved it in as far as I could, opened up the vacuum, and there was the clip.

Congrats McGyver! ;)

[Just Joe]

Teenager and I cleaned a couple sections of gutter that were backing up during the recent heavy rains. One had a clogged downspout. We always do our own gutters but I guess each time saves us cash.

Replaced a power window motor on one of our elderly cars. Less than $50. Easy work. No idea what a shop would charge.

Plumbed in the condensate drain for our HPWH finally. Had been using a 5 gallon bucket to gauge how much moisture it was removing from the basement air (a gallon or so per week). The fittings and glue were less than $20 except I had to make a second trip to the hardware store b/c the first T fitting I bought was the wrong size. So, gas money... Twice.

Still... STILL... Still working on our kitchen reno. Excited for the finished product but not enjoying the journey. ;) Its taking so long b/c procrastination.

[oneday]

1. Cheap phone case from Amazon didn't quite fit...the opening for the charging port was slightly too narrow, so got out the x-acto knife and shaved of bits until the charging cable fit.

2. While I had the knife out, wondered if the metal handle could be a stylus. It works! (Blade removed for safety.) Only one the phone, which has a screen protector. I wouldn't use it on a bare screen, as it might scratch. It doesn't work on the computer touch screen which is really what I want a stylus for, but for now I can wait a bit more before shopping.

3. Sewing up the washing machine bag that holds bras. The plastic cage was poking out.

[smisk]

Just wanted to throw it out there, if anyone wants a cheap(er) Washington Post subscription DM me. I realized that my access includes a free bonus subscription and I would be happy to sell it to someone, one year for $75, which is half of what I pay.

[sonofsven]

Filled out an online survey for a $5 off coupon at my local grocery co-op.

[nessness]

Just wanted to throw it out there, if anyone wants a cheap(er) Washington Post subscription DM me. I realized that my access includes a free bonus subscription and I would be happy to sell it to someone, one year for $75, which is half of what I pay.

If that's for online only, at $150/year you are majorly overpaying. If you tell them you're going to cancel, they'll offer you a better rate (you can do this online,  without having to talk to a customer service person). I just did this and secured a rate of $2/month for a year.

[Dollar Slice]

Just wanted to throw it out there, if anyone wants a cheap(er) Washington Post subscription DM me. I realized that my access includes a free bonus subscription and I would be happy to sell it to someone, one year for $75, which is half of what I pay.

If that's for online only, at $150/year you are majorly overpaying. If you tell them you're going to cancel, they'll offer you a better rate (you can do this online,  without having to talk to a customer service person). I just did this and secured a rate of $2/month for a year.

Yeah, the most I've ever paid is $40/year for WaPo.

[tygertygertyger]

We had a great day enjoying the circular gift economy… My brother is loaning me a full size keyboard so I can take piano lessons. We recently found a skateboard swing in its unopened original packaging, so we installed that in a tree in his yard for his kids to enjoy.

Then we swung by my mom’s to drop off some tomatoes, and she gave me a jar of artichokes that she’s unlikely to eat.

Pretty cool day. No money spent and everyone gets to enjoy something new.

[nessness]

I want to paint my chicken coop to help with weather resistance. I'm not picky about color, so I checked out the "oops" paint and scored a gallon of paint in a nice barn red shade for $15, marked down from $58!

[Loretta]

Redeemed a reward for a chicken sandwich.  Then ate a cookie and iced tea with it for a total of $5.

[Freedomin5]

There are always leftovers at company events. The leftovers get thrown out usually. I brought a Tupperware and filled it with food after the event. That will be snack and lunch for DD tomorrow. There was also a company event this evening where a buffet dinner was served. DD had to stay in my office since DH was working late tonight as well, so I loaded up the plate and it was enough for dinner for two. DD ate the fried rice and dumplings and dessert; I ate the fruit and veggies. There’s another event at work tomorrow, so I plan to again load up a Tupperware afterwards. A lot of food gets wasted at work.

[Dollar Slice]

Resisted paying for a taxi to a medical appointment yesterday when there was a transit snafu. It was physical therapy and they're pretty laid back - I was 15 minutes late and it was OK, they just skipped the most basic part of the session which is NBD.

Last night I had a restaurant delivery order all queued up and decided not to order it at the last second. I've been in a lot of pain and was feeling sorry for myself since I couldn't go shopping for groceries or cook anything. I ate something out of the freezer instead.

[SpareChange]

Nearing almost a decade, my electric shaver's battery was showing signs of nearing the end. Found a video on how to replace it, bought a new battery for about $15 on Amazon, and installed it.

[Tigerpine]

I fixed my wife's sewing machine.  It needed a $5 internal part that had deteriorated to the point of disintegration.

[MaybeBabyMustache]

-Pulled together ingredients for dinner, when I flew back from Tokyo & was super jetlagged. Bonus points, as my flight was 5 hours later than expected & planning even the most mediocre meal felt like a huge win.
-Helped my son make banana bread for a school project, using ingredients we already had on hand. It also used up some overripe bananas from the freezer, which was also a fun addition.
-Was very temped to do takeout tonight, when we are deep into the college application process with our teen. But, managed to find a few things in the freezer & DH made Philly cheesesteaks.

[la Condessa]

Waterglassed a half-gallon jar of excess eggs from the chickens to use in the winter when they stop laying.

[Dicey]

Waterglassed a half-gallon jar of excess eggs from the chickens to use in the winter when they stop laying.

Well, that was a fun rabbit hole!

[nessness]

Waterglassed a half-gallon jar of excess eggs from the chickens to use in the winter when they stop laying.

FYI, the USDA advises against water glossing because of the risk of botulism. I was planning to water glass eggs, but after I read this I decided it wasn't worth the risk and froze some eggs instead.

[Dreamer40]

Due to a family emergency, I had to cancel the international trip I was planning all year only a week before departure. I got credits for most of the big expenses so I can reschedule for next year. But was planning to be out a few hundred dollars for the “nonrefundable” hotels. But I asked the hotels for a refund anyway and got most of the money back! It never hurts to ask.

[Michael in ABQ]

I went to a volunteer training event this morning and was planning to leave before the afternoon session to grab some lunch at a fast food place on my way into the office to catch up on some work. I decided to stay for the free lunch (pizza and salad) so I saved about $10 and got to catch up with someone I hadn't seen in a few years who couldn't make the morning session but was showing up for the afternoon.

[la Condessa]

Waterglassed a half-gallon jar of excess eggs from the chickens to use in the winter when they stop laying.

FYI, the USDA advises against water glossing because of the risk of botulism. I was planning to water glass eggs, but after I read this I decided it wasn't worth the risk and froze some eggs instead.

Hmm.  I will look into this more.

[Catbert]

Waterglassed a half-gallon jar of excess eggs from the chickens to use in the winter when they stop laying.

Well, that was a fun rabbit hole!

Yep.  Most interesting thing I've learned in a long time.

[Dicey]

Waterglassed a half-gallon jar of excess eggs from the chickens to use in the winter when they stop laying.

FYI, the USDA advises against water glossing because of the risk of botulism. I was planning to water glass eggs, but after I read this I decided it wasn't worth the risk and froze some eggs instead.

Yeah, and I never eat raw cookie dough, either. OTOH, freezing them does sound easier.

[GuitarStv]

Waterglassed a half-gallon jar of excess eggs from the chickens to use in the winter when they stop laying.

FYI, the USDA advises against water glossing because of the risk of botulism. I was planning to water glass eggs, but after I read this I decided it wasn't worth the risk and froze some eggs instead.

Yeah, and I never eat raw cookie dough, either. OTOH, freezing them does sound easier.

I've been eating raw chocolate chip cookie dough on a semi regular basis for a solid 35 years now and never had a problem.  I've also never known anyone who got sick from eating it.  Is it really not a danger, or have I been very lucky?

[Raenia]

Waterglassed a half-gallon jar of excess eggs from the chickens to use in the winter when they stop laying.

FYI, the USDA advises against water glossing because of the risk of botulism. I was planning to water glass eggs, but after I read this I decided it wasn't worth the risk and froze some eggs instead.

Yeah, and I never eat raw cookie dough, either. OTOH, freezing them does sound easier.

I've been eating raw chocolate chip cookie dough on a semi regular basis for a solid 35 years now and never had a problem.  I've also never known anyone who got sick from eating it.  Is it really not a danger, or have I been very lucky?

I got sick from eating raw cookie dough once as a child, but I'm pretty sure it was a quantity problem, not a food safety problem...

[Taran Wanderer]

Cleaned my own gutters with my $3 plastic spatula from past years.

[Dicey]

Waterglassed a half-gallon jar of excess eggs from the chickens to use in the winter when they stop laying.

FYI, the USDA advises against water glossing because of the risk of botulism. I was planning to water glass eggs, but after I read this I decided it wasn't worth the risk and froze some eggs instead.

Yeah, and I never eat raw cookie dough, either. OTOH, freezing them does sound easier.

I've been eating raw chocolate chip cookie dough on a semi regular basis for a solid 35 years now and never had a problem.  I've also never known anyone who got sick from eating it.  Is it really not a danger, or have I been very lucky?

I got sick from eating raw cookie dough once as a child, but I'm pretty sure it was a quantity problem, not a food safety problem...

The first time I had Covid, way back before we knew what the heck we were suffering with, I had a craving for chocolate chip cookies. I made a batch and proceeded to eat the dough while avoiding the chips. Seems raw dough is fine, but "raw" chocolate chips, not so much. I remember sitting at the table in my bathrobe, with a puzzle out on the table and a bowl of cookie dough in my lap. It sounds so gross now, but it was comforting at the time.

[Trifle]

Waterglassed a half-gallon jar of excess eggs from the chickens to use in the winter when they stop laying.

FYI, the USDA advises against water glossing because of the risk of botulism. I was planning to water glass eggs, but after I read this I decided it wasn't worth the risk and froze some eggs instead.

Hmm.  I will look into this more.

I think the USDA is assuming supermarket eggs, which have been washed.  If one is using home/unwashed eggs that might change the decision making calculus.  (Washing removes the natural cuticle a/k/a the "bloom" on eggs.  It decreases the shelf life of the egg, which is why USDA recommends that eggs be refrigerated.  In other countries where eggs aren't washed, they're usually not refrigerated in stores or at home).

[GuitarStv]

Waterglassed a half-gallon jar of excess eggs from the chickens to use in the winter when they stop laying.

FYI, the USDA advises against water glossing because of the risk of botulism. I was planning to water glass eggs, but after I read this I decided it wasn't worth the risk and froze some eggs instead.

Yeah, and I never eat raw cookie dough, either. OTOH, freezing them does sound easier.

I've been eating raw chocolate chip cookie dough on a semi regular basis for a solid 35 years now and never had a problem.  I've also never known anyone who got sick from eating it.  Is it really not a danger, or have I been very lucky?

I got sick from eating raw cookie dough once as a child, but I'm pretty sure it was a quantity problem, not a food safety problem...

The first time I had Covid, way back before we knew what the heck we were suffering with, I had a craving for chocolate chip cookies. I made a batch and proceeded to eat the dough while avoiding the chips. Seems raw dough is fine, but "raw" chocolate chips, not so much. I remember sitting at the table in my bathrobe, with a puzzle out on the table and a bowl of cookie dough in my lap. It sounds so gross now, but it was comforting at the time.

Breakfast of champions!

[Josiecat22222]

Got paint at local Sherwin Williams and ran into my favorite neighbor... who is a painter. .and kindly put it on his account, saving me more than 50% on purchase price .  So, being a good neighbor was my primary goal, but had the unintended benefit of saving money!

[Catbert]

Waterglassed a half-gallon jar of excess eggs from the chickens to use in the winter when they stop laying.

FYI, the USDA advises against water glossing because of the risk of botulism. I was planning to water glass eggs, but after I read this I decided it wasn't worth the risk and froze some eggs instead.

Yeah, and I never eat raw cookie dough, either. OTOH, freezing them does sound easier.

I've been eating raw chocolate chip cookie dough on a semi regular basis for a solid 35 years now and never had a problem.  I've also never known anyone who got sick from eating it.  Is it really not a danger, or have I been very lucky?

I got sick from eating raw cookie dough once as a child, but I'm pretty sure it was a quantity problem, not a food safety problem...

The first time I had Covid, way back before we knew what the heck we were suffering with, I had a craving for chocolate chip cookies. I made a batch and proceeded to eat the dough while avoiding the chips. Seems raw dough is fine, but "raw" chocolate chips, not so much. I remember sitting at the table in my bathrobe, with a puzzle out on the table and a bowl of cookie dough in my lap. It sounds so gross now, but it was comforting at the time.

Breakfast of champions!

I'm another one who's eaten a lot of cookie dough over many years without incident.  However, I've seen in the forums several times that the issue at this point is really the raw flour rather than the raw eggs.  Still tasty.

[eyesonthehorizon]

Chocolate chips are fine uncooked, like any finished chocolate candy. Consider how many desserts use them without cooking as a topping.

Concur on the raw flour as a pathogen risk. Raw eggs, especially industrial eggs, can be too, but most won’t have an issue. If you ever do, however, it will put you off them for life. Salmonella is an enduring memory twenty years on. I’ll just keep pasteurizing mine before eating any dough.

[KYFIRE]

Gathered seeds from flowers around the house so won't need to buy next year.  The free pollinator seed packets reaped massive amounts more seeds.

[jnw]

I got a covid and flu shot the other day, and Walgreens gave me 2 x $10 store coupons.  My BF got his covid shot as well and got a $10 coupon.  We bought $30 in stuff we needed for like 5 cents.. shampoo/conditioner we like etc..

Edit: all the vaccines were free to us.

[Dicey]

This happened two days ago, but I've been gloriously out of range since then. We're in CO, so I stopped in to the Motherlode Mercantile* while the boys were doing a dump run. I quickly collected a basket with a handle, a wooden charcuterie board, a silicone ice cube tray, a large covered plastic bowl, a good-sized Rubbermaid covered container, and a pair of 3T Paw Patrol PJs, still in the package. When I went to pay (nothing is priced, you just collect your finds and they name a cheap price), it was closing time and busy, so they said, "Just take it."

When i unpacked my stuff, I noticed the basket is a Longaberger (RIP). Once upon a time, someone paid a ridiculous price for it. I plan to use it for toting S'mores supplies to the campfire each night at next week's Magnificent Moab Meetup.

*Located at the Pitkin County Solid Waste Center, aka The Aspen Dump, my favorite place to shop.

[jnw]

I bought $125 worth of goods I normally buy from Amazon at 40% off with the following deal -- I was targeted:
https://www.doctorofcredit.com/amazon-get-30-off-150-on-amazon-when-using-1-discover-point/

I used 1 discover point and got 40% off.   Also this Q4 discover it cashback rotatating category is 5% off Amazon.com.  So actually got 45% off.

But since this is my first year with Discover It Cashback I get double cashback.. so 10% off not 5%.

So I got everything at 50% off or so.

$135 or so in stuff (with taxes) for about $71, including shipping.

[Raenia]

This was a few days ago but I forgot to post then. We did some drywalling in the basement a little over a month ago, and realized when we brought the supplies home that we'd overbought the drywall - calculated how many linear feet we needed, and forgot that many of the pieces we needed were only two feet tall, so they could be doubled up and taken out of a single sheet. We saved as many whole sheets as we could and kept them until the next time we had access to a truck, and finally last weekend we were able to bring them back and try to return the extras. And they took them back for a full refund! Almost covered the cost of the supplies we needed for the next step of the project.

[oneday]

Hey, neat! I know it's just accounting mumbojumbo, but always a bit fine to get "free" stuff like that.

[Dicey]

Went to the Motherlode Mercantile again on our way to Moab. OMG, so much stuff for $10.  I was buying serving and cookware for the MMoabMers Canadian Thanksgiving celebration. Too much to list. I'll try to post a picture tomorrow.

[oneday]

Got a coupon code for cat food in my email this week. Called the company since the auto ship happened on Monday. Even though the coupon didn't start until Tuesday, they are honoring it for my order and I'll get $13.79 back!

[jnw]

Bought $100 Lowe's gift card from Amazon for $50, by using 1 US Bank reward point -- promotion.

https://www.doctorofcredit.com/amazon-get-40-off-amazon-when-using-1-u-s-bank-max-15-savings/

[trashtalk]

Made biochar with last year's fruit tree prunings. Fire starter was dryer lint and oily rags. I still need to "charge" it with comfrey tea, but then going to add it to the miniswales in the front yard.

[Trifle]

It's fall!  I'm making homemade vegetable stock from veg scraps I save up in the freezer.  I should get about 4 quarts, enough for two nice big pots of soup.  In the next couple of weeks I plan to make pasta fagioli and also a creamy mushroom/wild rice soup that the family likes. 

[MountainGal]

@Trifle, that soup sounds delicious!

-A few months ago, I bought about a half dozen gift cards using cc points.  The cards have been used as birthday and thank you gifts.
-I sold two boxes of CDs to Decluttr (not a typo) dot com.  $45.
-I sold a pair of boots to a friend.  $25
-Saved $0.10 a gallon at the pump using the gas station ap.
-I used a makeup brush to get the bottom remnants of two bottled products.
-When my allergy eye drops get low, I turn the bottle upside down and lean it against something to get several more days' worth of drops.
-Used a code on a recent winter clothing purchase.  $16.30
-Used Sam's Club cash on last week's order.  $2.34
-I'm dropping off Goodwill donations which will be a tax write off.
-We're having our annual Halloween party and cocktails will be based around liquor we have on hand.

[Dollar Slice]

I have the Chipotle app on my phone because I had a gift card from them, and I got a BOGO entree coupon from them in my e-mail today. Plus I had a couple of dollars left on my gift card. So I got a couple of veggie burrito bowls for $9 and change out of pocket. Should be good for a few meals, and it was good timing since I've been in a lot of pain and didn't sleep much last night.

[sonofsven]

I used a coupon for  $10 off a $40 dollar minimum purchase at my local co-op.

I have 5 US Bank credit cards, and four have $16-$22 worth of rewards that are inaccessible as cash back since they are under the $25 minimum, but I signed the cards up to use the points at Amazon for purchases. I used $8.99 worth on a new spatula since one of my two broke last week.

[oneday]

Left my wallet at home & just took the driver's license with me when I went to the gym. This prevented me from picking up "just a few things" at the grocery store. I have ingredients at home waiting to be made into dinner, don't need those things!!!

[Dollar Slice]

I dunno if this should count, as "savings," but my mom e-mailed me a few days ago that her favorite chocolate shop in NYC was having a 100th birthday celebration (as in: they opened 100 years ago to the day) and having some kind of incredible sale. I am not dedicated enough to get the freebies you had to wait in line in the rain for (the "be one of the first people here when we open" stuff) but I did get some "20% off everything in the store" chocolate and the baggie of "original recipe" pieces they were selling for $1.25 a bag. According to their per-pound prices and my kitchen scale, that baggie should cost $14 or $15, so that's an absolute steal.

I wasn't going to bother, because chocolate is definitely an unnecessary expense, but I was out with a friend today and when I mentioned it to him, he was excited about it and really wanted to go, so: luxury chocolate acquired.

[AccidentialMustache]

Well, I was going to birthday gift my spouse a functional in-dash navigation system in the fit. That was the plan up until I found the new one I bought on amazon didn't actually have the proper wiring harnesses with it, despite claiming it did. Okay, that's a return then. Start looking at new in-dash units from crutchfield and get annoyed at the only not-stupid-expensive one loses the steering wheel audio controls.

Since I had the old unit out, I started tearing it apart. I mean I've decided to replace it and I wasn't planning to put the dash back together until I get the new unit install and I haven't quite clicked order yet.

Yeah, dvds don't do well when there's the top half of the spindle has fallen off and attached itself to the laser's tracking magnets. Apparently the red dust that kept collecting on the nav dvd was the drive slowly grinding the top spindle's plastic mount to dust. There's a cd player in the head unit too, but cd only so I can't just swap it for the dvd... but it did have the same loading mechanism. This doesn't bode well for not having the same thing happen, but hey, if I can revive it now the car may rust out before the dvd dies again.

So I managed to fish the top half of the spindle out of the cd and swap it to the dvd drive, all without actually disassembling the drives. Reassemble everything with only a few screws left over in the head unit's many-dozen screws, plug the thing back in and turn the car on. Lo and behold it boots. I didn't mess up any of the dozen ribbon cables with friction attachments, nor did I short anything (and I was working on the floor, no static mat in sight). I build my own PCs and repair our laptops and phones, so I do have some idea what I'm doing inside electronics. But I wasn't "good" about this one (static mat, laying things out so I could reassemble properly, etc). I tore it apart because I wanted to know what happened. I wasn't really planning on being able to attempt a fix.

It took a bit of work to find the nav data dvd. First one goes "you upgraded to a newer version, you'll need that." Great. Then spouse turns around and spots the newer dvd sitting on a garage shelf. Drop that in and it boots! It is fussy about not finding gps, go outside give it up to 10 minutes but it seems to work. I had to set the location (thought it was in LA -- uhhh no) but it seems fully functional. iPod input works, radio works, does seem to track gps as I puttered around the cul-de-sac.

So, um, yeah. Thanks amazon seller for having the wrong wiring harness you saved me a couple hundred bucks!

[Taran Wanderer]

Wait, you swapped internal components from a CD player to a DVD player?  Wow.  Nicely done.