What did you do today to save money?

[Chickysmom]

This from my DH on the dimmer topic...

"Dimmers will reduce the power requirement however they can not be used on flourecent lights"

So there ya go!!

 

[paper1225]

I use it in the downey ball in place of downey! And, no, our clothes don't smell like vinegar, just clean.



I do not use Downy, so I may not be right here-is it used instead of fabic softener, as in the sheet I put in my dryer? Can I use vinegar instead and no static? I do have a tip about the dryer sheets-when I open the box the first time I cut them all in half, twice the use

 

[MrsNick]

Today I filled out $3 rebates for each case of our dog's food. 4 cases = $12.

Had a new, more efficient hot water heater installed today. Cost $$ but hopefully it saves on our gas bill.

 

[Chickysmom]

went to Stpales the other day and bought their 12 pack of Sharpie markers for 5.99.

had a 5.00 cash coupon

paid the difference and them mailed away for a refund for 5.99! that check will go in my Disney jar!

 

[KristinU]

I use it in the downey ball in place of downey! And, no, our clothes don't smell like vinegar, just clean.



I do not use Downy, so I may not be right here-is it used instead of fabic softener, as in the sheet I put in my dryer? Can I use vinegar instead and no static? I do have a tip about the dryer sheets-when I open the box the first time I cut them all in half, twice the use

Yep, I use it in place of liquid fabric softener. The ball just allows you to not have to be right there to pour it in during the rinse cycle - it opens automatically from the force of the spinning I guess. It makes everything soft but doesn't mess with the absorbancy ability of towels (or cloth diapers - I learned this trick fom a cloth diaper web site, not sure which one).

 

[GIGI&MIMI]

I went to RiteAid and got the Free rebate items (toothbrush,hair color, and hair gel). They also had H.E. haircolor 1/2 off (4.99) with a coupon for b1g1 and free H.E. shampoo with purchase plus a $3 offf coupon. Grand total 1.99 for everything.

 

[nzdisneymom]

I didn't drive through McD's to get the boys some dinner, and I didn't let my family talk me into going out to Wendy's or Steak-n-Shake (even though we have coupons and still have $ left in our dining-out budget for the month). We made dinner from food we already had at home... I'm hitting the "use it up" stage as part of saving $ because items we don't use are just waste.

I also skipped the vending machine this afternoon even though I was munchy and my snack-box at work was empty. Gotta remember to take in some crackers tomorrow.

 

[Boston Tea Party]

I cancelled Netflix....

Oh I wish I had the strength...

 

[katerkat]

I returned a wiper that didn't fit on our car, and actually ASKED the guy in the shop what works. Turns out, I need to buy it directly from Honda. So I got my money back (three lattes right there) and since I'm leaving the car soon, I'll just wait on the wiper until April. Oh, and on Friday, I'll be taking the other wiper purchased by my husband back to Walmart.

Not a real money saver, but I discovered that some pacifiers had apparently been mating under the crib - I went from 2 to 6, and I swear they weren't under there before. So I won't have to buy more!

DH is out and I really wanted to go pick up some dinner when I was dropping off his uniforms, but I was good and came home and had leftover sauce and meatballs.

 

[lori1043]

I bought school curr. at a second hand curr./book shop-save tons that way. I also ate at home. When DH is out of town, I cave easier b/c I the cleanup after. Been staying home! Oh and worked at church tonight, too-xtra $$-

 

[grlzmom]

I called our cell phone carrier Verizon and switched to a plan with less minutes saving 40 bucks a month

I am loving reading all these great tips.

 

[ducklite]

Day 11 of the IPCEO! I worked over ten hours yesterday, and almost caved--I was craving Chinese, but I was soooo tired. I went home and told DS to forage and clean out the leftovers in the fridge, and had a bowl of cereal and went to bed. Talk about a cheap dinner!

Tonight I'm going to make meatless pasta and sauce. Not so great for my diet, but it's rainy and cold here-just raw feeling--so it will be a nice warm meal--and cheap! I'll make enough that DS will have leftovers for a couple of days.

Anne

 

[OceanAnnie]

I needed an 8x10 picture frame to match the others I've got. I've been looking for a deal. Couldn't find one. So I found this really ornate frame on an 8x10 mirror at the Dollar store. I got that and spray painted it gold. It looks great!! Matches my others fine. Sure beats paying $20 for one!

 

[mrsbornkuntry]

Here's another use for vinegar from the idealbite.com newsletter:
For windshields, mix a 50/50 water and white vinegar solution in a spray bottle. Spray it on the night before. Voila! No ice the next morning.

For those of you who want to go out to eat when Dh is away, when I get in that mood I cook or at least make sandwiches and raw veggies for dinner, but I use paper plates. Right now I am using ones I bought for really cheap after Christmas, the kids don't care that they have rudolph on them still. We don't do it every night, just when I'm really tired or not in the mood to clean up.

 

[nzdisneymom]

Keep sharing your accomplishments!

Today I brought a poptart for breakfast (12 cents) instead of going to the cafeteria for a bowl of grits (80 cents). We were running late and I didn't have time to eat at home... but hey, that saved me 68 cents ... plus saved that 80 cents in my dining out budget for the month.

This isn't really saving money, just being aware -- I wrote down last night what I have left in our groceries, gas, dining out, entertainment, clothing and household supplies budget for the month so I can see what we have left for these last few days of January. That will keep me from going over in any one area. We started the month writing down every penny we spend and so far we've kept that up. It definitely helps with unnecessary spending and it helps me keep track of where our money is going. This thread is helping me do things to stretch that budget a bit further!

 

[UTgirl]

This morning I skipped going by the 7-11 for my ritual cappacino - came home and made a pot of coffee. Mixed up a vinegar cleaning solution that I read about here. Loved that tip.

FYI - yesterday I signed up for a free subscription to www.budgetsavvymag.com there are some really good tips here and some other great links to budget minded sights!

 

[Carrie772]

Keep sharing your accomplishments!
This isn't really saving money, just being aware -- I wrote down last night what I have left in our groceries, gas, dining out, entertainment, clothing and household supplies budget for the month so I can see what we have left for these last few days of January. That will keep me from going over in any one area. We started the month writing down every penny we spend and so far we've kept that up. It definitely helps with unnecessary spending and it helps me keep track of where our money is going. This thread is helping me do things to stretch that budget a bit further!

I do this too! I have a chart taped to the pantry door on the inside that has the budget amount for each category and just subtract everytime I buy something. That way I know at a glance if I can go to Macaroni Grill or Rosies on the weekend!

 

[deanainnc]

I switched to dsl from Netzero and was able to drop the extra phone line. Got my first phone bill after doing all this and the savings was $2.07. And we got high speed now. Would never want to go back to dail up.

I also switched my long distance service from AT&T to Touch Tone Communications and it saves us over $8 a month.

So just switching around phone plans to include DSL is saving us $10.07 a month. Every little bit helps.

 

[SparkleDust]

I wainted until after 9pm to do laundry last night (it's cheaper between 9pm and 5am weekdays, or at anytime on weekends)

 

[ohiominnie]

I wainted until after 9pm to do laundry last night (it's cheaper between 9pm and 5am weekdays, or at anytime on weekends)

Do you also have a load demand meter?
I can wash my clothes before 9, but cannot dry them b/c the load demand meter will shut off my dryer heating element.

We have from 9pm-8am weekdays and anytime on the weekends for low cost power.