What small things did you do TODAY to save money?

[2ndTimer]

That foccacia recipe looks great.  I am adding it to my recipe book.  Started a batch of mushroom barley soup this morning with a pkg. of marked down mushrooms and the broth from a pot roast that I had in the freezer. 

The green onion roots that I planted about a week ago are making nice shoots.  When they get a little bigger I will cut them and use them.  Anybody know how long I can keep doing this to the same root?

[purplepants]

You know those little floss picks? I had a few of them, but the plastic thread on them had broken (meant to be disposable). I stopped by Walmart in hopes of finding a reloadable floss holder, where I could buy cheap floss and load it in, but all that could be found were more single-use molded picks. Wasteful both in terms of resources and money, but of course I should have know that they wouldn't sell something to let people break that cycle.

A couple quick notches made with my Leatherman on an existing floss pick and I can now wrap the floss around it and it stays firmly in place!

Oh man, they used to make these - I had one as a kid!  They kind of sucked though, because they were way bulkier than the floss picks. 

[MountainGal]

Made a slow cooker pot of African peanut soup using tomatoes from our garden.  Total cost $2.70 for about 4 servings.

Reused a large plastic bag for the big block of cheddar DH bought.

Ate leftover homemade tortilla chips (tortillas cut into triangles, then fried) with homemade buffalo chicken dip for supper last night.  Served with the rest of a side salad I made for a Halloween pot luck the night before.

Amazingly, I have all of the ingredients for African peanut soup...plan on making it next weekend.  Thanks for the inspiration!

You're most certainly welcome!  Isn't this stuff great?  :D

[Gerard]

Technically late last night: Walked home from the airport! I got in after the last bus, and a 6-km walk was much nicer than a $30 cab ride.

[Prepube]

Tried pump and glide hypermiling technique on commute today, and the prius got just over 57 miles per gallon, 5 better than I am usually able to do!

[NoraLenderbee]

On Friday, I cut my own hair (couple of inches) using the ponytail technique. Didn't expect much, but it looked OK. Today, I got compliments from 4 people at work! This saves not only money but stress, because I HATE getting my hair cut but it looks lousy with no styling.

[1967mama]

Made a large batch of applesauce with the remaining apples in the 40 lb box I bought a few weeks ago. It was delicious!

Made a beef stew with some of the side of beef I bought today. No meat purchases necessary till this time next year -- I have a side of beef and 40 chickens in my freezer :-) Ok, well maybe the occasional ham, bacon and fish!

Gathered kids laundry up to combine with mine to make a full load. Washed on cold setting.

Put on a sweater and drank a cup of tea instead of turning up the thermostat. Funny, it worked! I'm toasty now! Who knew?! haha

Daughter boiled eggs for her lunch for tomorrow.

[Chaplin]

Ours is getting pretty bad too and needs to be changed.  How long did it take?  Did you go on youtube for tutorials?

All told it was about two hours. That includes removing and replacing the stacked dryer. Yes, videos and manuals on line were very helpful, mainly to find the tricks for taking it apart. Take a picture of where all the wires go so you have an easy reference.

I replaced the door lock a few years ago and that took five minutes flat, exactly the same amount of time it took in the video I watched. The control board was more involved but not really more difficult. Having the right tools helps of course (mainly some stubby screwdrivers that allowed me to work on the back without sliding it out from the alcove it's in).

[galliver]

Saved some unappetizing raspberries last night by converting them into tasty jam; got about 12 oz of raspberry-lime tastiness. Tactic I learned from my sister.

[flashpacker]

downgraded my internet connection. I'd been told I'd lose my new customer discount if I did this, but I actually didn't. They applied it to the new plan. w00t! And, I found out they'd increased the speed of the next plan down from the one I had, so I am still getting a super fast speed.

[2ndTimer]

Spent half an hour phoning around to check on a chiropractor bill.  Sure enough they had not recorded a check that the bank said they cashed.  Saved $40.

[1967mama]

Made a fall squash soup from a butternut squash that had been languishing on the counter for weeks. Its quite yummy...will be interesting to see what the kids think of it. Has apple juice and curry powder in it.

Got dish scrubby things at Dollar Store instead of grocery store.

Turning off lights around the house all day long. Kids keep leaving them on (homeschoolers).

[Fodder]

Turned the house from 18C to 17C.  So far, no one else noticed and it's still quite comfortable, so long as you wear slippers and a sweater.

[homehandymum]

Turned off the in-ceiling ventilation system.  In our climate it's better for winter-use, and we're just mid-Spring transition here. 

I'm trying to track down what is using all the power.  We've got a smart meter, and I can see on our utility's website that we're using about 23kwh per day.  I know in our last house we used about 16 to 18 on days we didn't use the heat-pumps, so I'm not sure what the difference is.  It's a bigger house, with waaaay more lights, but hot water isn't an electricity expense in this house (it's gas), so theoretically our usage should actually be lower.  Hopefully the recently discovered heated towel rail in the guest bathroom, plus the ventilation system is the bulk of the answer, otherwise it will take more intense sleuth work.

Left my wallet at home so wasn't able to buy anything to contribute to the joint afternoon tea at homeschool meetup this afternoon.  While not being ideal, there was no shortage of food, and it saved us a few dollars.  Mustn't make a habit of it, however.  (am too disorganised and pregnancy-tired to consistently bake at the moment, although that is my preferred option)

[gopackgo2]

Got our weekly "energy usage report" email yesterday - saved 46% last week over previous week!  I'm pretty sure this savings came from turning off my electric oven at the breaker (and using a toaster oven instead) and line drying clothes instead of using the dryer. 

Nice to see that paid off (especially since I came home from work yesterday with a migraine and ended up ordering in hot wings because I couldn't face the salmon and broccoli I had planned) :( 

[Prairie Gal]

Didn't feel like cooking dinner last night so I had oatmeal. It was actually really good; I will add it to my line up of "no cook night" meals. Maybe add some almonds next time for protein.

[Pooperman]

Had to buy a few things at IKEA. Borrowed a pickup from family instead of renting (paid $20 to family instead of $100 to rent).

[horsepoor]

I got my Geico bill and they'd ratcheted my 6 month premium up by another $20, so I hopped onto Progressive's website and bought a new policy with higher deductibles and dropped my premium by $120/6 months.  I'll check back with Geico in a couple months and see if they'll entice me back with a better rate, since they do offer horse trailer insurance and Progressive doesn't (I'm paranoid about theft because it's pretty easy to steal a parked trailer).

[Rural]

I got my Geico bill and they'd ratcheted my 6 month premium up by another $20, so I hopped onto Progressive's website and bought a new policy with higher deductibles and dropped my premium by $120/6 months.  I'll check back with Geico in a couple months and see if they'll entice me back with a better rate, since they do offer horse trailer insurance and Progressive doesn't (I'm paranoid about theft because it's pretty easy to steal a parked trailer).

True fact, but if there are a lot of trailers around, a hitch lock will make yours more of a pain in the ass to steal than the next guy's.

[MountainGal]

Added a lonely zucchini picked from our garden last week to the rutabaga before baking last night.  There remain several green tomatoes and bell peppers braving the cold...

Bought generic band aids instead of name brand.

Bought the cheapest-per-piece as possible Halloween goodies for the kiddos Friday night.  We receive a TON of Trick o' Treaters at our house.  200 is our max, then it's lights out.

Didn't go to the store's bakery section this morning to avoid temptation.

[fitzgeralday]

Researched how to make my own chai tea lattes - yum!  http://www.instructables.com/id/Home-Made-Chai-Latte/

[Lyngi]

called my insurance to make sure a claim had been re-billed.  It had been, but nothing had been refunded.  So I called the clinic, they had to research it...... "oh, yeah, there is a credit....  well, hmm,  I'll have to submit a request for a credit"  I'll still have to keep an eye on them to make sure the correct amount gets refunded.    Another provider automatically refunded an over-payment, and that claim was paid 2 weeks after the other clinic.
   

[CommonCents]

Lunch:  Homemade bread with peanut butter and homemade canned apple jelly.  Side of grapes on sale.  I continue to try to drink water regularly at work, and resist bringing in coke for lunch.

Calculated I should not buy a commuter rail pass for the month of October, but buy day trips for the 9 days instead, use my husband's monthly pass for the 4 days he'll be at a conference, enjoy Nov. 11 holiday train free, and my vacation train free.

[4alpacas]

I cut my hair for the first time.  I think it looks pretty good too.

I packed a lunch from dinner leftovers from two meals.  The dishes meshed well. 

Tonight I have a long list of cooking that I need to get done.  Usually my bulk cooking is done on the weekend, but we were busy working on the house/packing. 

[1967mama]

Hung out a load of laundry in the cool sunshine.

Made a beef roast in the crockpot from my freezer and have homemade buns rising for beef dip. Will add a coleslaw at mealtime.

Went to the dentist for a semi-annual cleaning...keeping up with these is like preventative maintenance.

Made homemade slurpees for my kids and neighbourhood kids. Practically free with Winco's 10 cent packets of koolaid. Quite unhealthy, yes, but a treat for the gang.

[horsepoor]

I got my Geico bill and they'd ratcheted my 6 month premium up by another $20, so I hopped onto Progressive's website and bought a new policy with higher deductibles and dropped my premium by $120/6 months.  I'll check back with Geico in a couple months and see if they'll entice me back with a better rate, since they do offer horse trailer insurance and Progressive doesn't (I'm paranoid about theft because it's pretty easy to steal a parked trailer).

True fact, but if there are a lot of trailers around, a hitch lock will make yours more of a pain in the ass to steal than the next guy's.

Yep, I have one of those hitch locks, but it's of no use if I don't use it.  Thanks for the reminder!

[tmac]

Grumpy day today. Rather than depend on an expensive, bad-for-me lunch out to boost my mood, I came home for lentil soup and a ham sandwich, then had a couple of cups of mint tea. I'm still grumpy, but at least I didn't waste any money.

[BPA]

I was so tired and wanted to take the bus to work, but forced myself to ride my bike instead.

[AgileTurtle]

Charged my cell phone at work. Let them pay the electric bill. Also drank free work coffee. it is horrible, but makes my coffee at home on the weekends taste a ton better in comparison.

[OSUBearCub]

I researched replacement batteries and factory resets for my 2 year old Galaxy S3 so that I can better resist the temptation to buy a new phone over the Black Friday sales coming up in a month.

[Threshkin]

Walked 40 minutes to drop off my ballot rather than spend $0.70 to put it in the mail.  As a bonus a got a free "I voted" sticker!

[JimLahey]

I researched replacement batteries and factory resets for my 2 year old Galaxy S3 so that I can better resist the temptation to buy a new phone over the Black Friday sales coming up in a month.

I have a two year old S3 as well and the battery would not last through the work day. I did some research and got these batteries yesterday: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00GHDLR4C/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I charged one of the batteries and installed it around 8pm last night. So far i'm at 20 hours 9 minutes and still have 46% battery left. Much much better than the battery life I was getting with the stock battery. You get a second battery to boot so you can switch them out.

Back on topic. Even though I technically got the batteries yesterday these should extend the life of my cell phone for a little longer and keep me from spending money on a new phone.

[Andy_in_Aus]

I researched replacement batteries and factory resets for my 2 year old Galaxy S3 so that I can better resist the temptation to buy a new phone over the Black Friday sales coming up in a month.

I have a two year old S3 as well and the battery would not last through the work day. I did some research and got these batteries yesterday: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00GHDLR4C/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I charged one of the batteries and installed it around 8pm last night. So far i'm at 20 hours 9 minutes and still have 46% battery left. Much much better than the battery life I was getting with the stock battery. You get a second battery to boot so you can switch them out.

Back on topic. Even though I technically got the batteries yesterday these should extend the life of my cell phone for a little longer and keep me from spending money on a new phone.

Thanks Jim, I was in the process of doing the very same thing.

Now just got to find out if Amazon will ship it down under!

[Nancy]

Patched our flannel bottom sheet that had three tears in it. My husband has had the sheets for 15 years. So comfy.

[2ndTimer]

Signed up for the free month of KindleUnlimited.  I have been saving it until I needed a distraction and I am currently having a lot of dental work.  Reread three old favorites that I got there yesterday while recovering from the most recent procedure.  Needless to say, I will cancel at the end of the month. 

[xylophone]

First post - please be gentle!

Still not got the heating on - having an unusually warm Autumn in the UK.
Resisted the coffee shop and we had latté and mocha at home for pennies.
Signed up to MMM for free knowledge, information, inspiration and humour (loved the TP thread)!

[Fodder]

My husband backed into someone else's car today.  Obviously we will pay for the repair to the other vehicle, but for our own, I googled DIYs and found this simple boiling water trick.  Given the age of our car and $0 cost of the attempted fix, I figured it was worth a try.

Turned out not bad!  Paint is still scratched, but given that this is a 2005 Matrix, I'm okay with that.

A new bumper cover would have been at least $200 + installation, so at least I don't have to worry about our vehicle.

The dent to the other vehicle is much smaller and it is equally old, but I'm sure the owner will want it fixed, so that will still cost, but at least we saved some money on our own.

[Gerard]

If anyone has a good recipe for candied orange peel, I would be glad to have it.

I don't have a good recipe (I just cut 'em in strips, boil in two changes of water, then simmer in thick syrup and eventually roll in sugar and let somewhat-dry).

Mostly I posted to say that these are also awesome chopped up into green salads. The Ottolenghi books have quite a few recipes where you intensely flavour chopped fruit (e.g., simmer dried dates in balsamic) and add it to veg dishes.

Also, orange peels have as much vitamin C as the orange's flesh! Free nutrients!

[Malaysia41]

Rather than drive, I biked to the hardware store to pick up a 5L can of paint. 

It's for painting the big (cheap) cement planters we bought to contain the huge palm trees we just received for free.

I enlisted my son to help paint.  As we waxed on and waxed off, he dreamt out loud of painting for money saying, "we could be paid for doing something we enjoy!"  He judged himself to be quite skilled.  (I only had to go clean up about 80% of his work). BUT!  He didn't splatter.  So he is, indeed, more skilled than many.  Maybe someone would pay him.  Methinks he needs a few more lessons first. 

[Pooperman]

It's gotten pretty cold out already. SO and I just moved and the gas has yet to be turned on (installed on Tuesday). We've survived. Indoor temp has dropped to 64 (would be a lot wors if we weren't in an apartment building). So 7 days with no heat makes us badass

[BPA]

Boyfriend wants to go to MEC to buy bike lights.  I said that we could go for him but that I can source some for $10 on kijiji.

I love him but I'm glad we don't live together and never will.  I would have been in one of those fighting couples for the last seven years if we lived together.

Sometimes it seems so strange because since we started dating, he's become spendier.  His income has increased but it's still less than mine.  I guess he will return to his formally frugal ways if he feels he needs to.

[horsepoor]

Yesterday - after running my half marathon, I had two cups of the free (and delicious!) coffee and some food at the after-race party instead of the big mocha I usually treat myself to.

Stopped by the feed store on my way home from the race instead of making a separate trip.  Bought a cheaper brand of chicken feed that's $3 less per bag, and used a $10 off coupon, so one bag was almost free.

Instead of turning on the heat when we got home to a 58 degree house, built the first fire of the year, which was much cozier than just flipping on the heat anyway.

Got off my butt and cleaned the inside of my car after talking about paying the car wash near work to do it.

[MySweets]

Returned a Groupon item for a wide pet gate and repositioned my dog's food container so that the old baby gate we've had for 6 years now will still fit.

Remapped my route to work to avoid all tolls.

Re-plugged electronics into power strips so I can turn them off when not in use.

[Prairie Gal]

Raked and bagged the leaves in my yard yesterday. Even though my back is killing me today, at least I saved the $80 that a guy on Kijiji wanted to do it.

Got out the crockpot and some chicken thighs that have been in the freezer for who knows how long. That will be dinner for the next few nights.

[Fodder]

Friends were going for coffee at Starbucks.  Initially, I was going to bike there and just get a tall bold ($2 or so).  But then they decided to go to a Starbucks 15 km from me (instead of 6 km).  Rather than getting a drive there and spending money on the coffee, I just declined.  I didn't want to bike 30 km, because then I knew I would get hungry and probably end up buying food, and I didn't want to spend the money to drive there.

We haven't used our car at all this weekend, though we will have to use it tonight for swimming, but it's all four members of the family, and we will also tuck a couple of errands in the trip, so it will be efficient.

[Zaga]

Went to a friend's house for the weekend, and before we left I moved all of the leftovers from the fridge to the freezer, now I'm all set for food for 2 days without spending extra.  Love not wasting!

[Nancy]

I repatched my jeans making them wearable once again. They are so soft. I can't quit them. I also patched my gardening jeans and my new jeans that started getting the bicycle seat tear after only a few months. Weak sauce.

[colganc]

After getting my haircut, I didn't schedule another visit.  My self haircutting tools already arrived and later this month I will cut my own hair.

[4alpacas]

After getting my haircut, I didn't schedule another visit.  My self haircutting tools already arrived and later this month I will cut my own hair.

Bada$$!  I just started cutting my hair myself.  It looks pretty good.  It saves time and is free!

Today I cooked a batch of food for the week.  I made green smoothies for breakfasts, hard boiled eggs for snacks, cooked a few sweet potatoes for lunches, and cooked a large serving of rice to serve with our dinners.  I also brewed a large batch of tea that is cooling in the fridge. 

[Gin1984]

Burned candles that I got as gifts to heat the house an additional degree instead of increasing the heat.  That meant three candles were used up and are no longer cluttering up the house.