See my green sweater above? I ordered it sweater awhile back — I can’t even remember from where. I think it was from credit I’d earned by sharing a really hot deal to ThredUp?
At any rate, I’ve fallen in love with it. I love the color green, it fits me perfectly, and it’s a great way to add pop to a few of my outfits.
Well, we went on a double date with some new friends of ours here the other night and I wore it with my navy and white polka dot dress. I thought it looked so cute.
Then I got home and discovered that the sweater sleeve had a huge hole in it. And I’d worn it like that the whole night long. Yes, I’m such a fashionista. 😉
Even though I have limited sewing skills, I decided to try to mend it. I didn’t have any green thread, so I just used the grey thread I had on hand.
I’m pretty happy with how it turned out. It only took me about 10 minutes total to fix (and I played Swagbucks videos and earned some Swagbucks while doing so because I’m all about multi-tasking like that!)
Share How You Saved a Win Some Books!
How did YOU save today? I recently cleaned out my books and came up with a stack of books I have duplicates of or have gotten through PaperBackSwap that I’d like to pass onto a good home.
In this stack of books:
The SaturdaysRhinestone JesusThe Mouse and the MotorcycleMom’s Night OutWhat’s In the Bible? DVD #12In This House, We Will Giggle — I ordered a copy of this book and then the publisher sent me one, too! I haven’t read this yet, but am looking forward to soon!Say Goodby to Survival Mode — This is an extra copy I had that is a little scuffed up.Jab, Jab, Jab, Right HookIt Will Be Okay — We love this book!
So, just for fun, one person who leaves a comment sharing how they saved today will win the stack of books shown above. I’ll choose and post a winner tomorrow.This giveaway is now closed. The winner is Sally {sallycoupons@}
Kristy says
Today we saved by rearranging our furniture and moving things around between rooms. It is so tempting for me to want to buy something new to freshen things up when I get bored with how our house looks or to make a room feel more functional. By moving things into a new space I am able to accomplish both with sweat equity as the only investment. AND I gain a sense of creative accomplishment as well. Bonus!
Erin says
We are saving today by doing some plumbing ourselves this weekend. It is amazing the things we have learned through looking at videos on the web and following the DIY instructions. Instead of paying the plumber the $200 he charged last time (and did not finish the job) we rented the machine for $42 and will work until the job is complete. I’m praising God for my husband insisting on this, since I cannot take credit for the DIY ideas.
Melissa says
I saved today by booking a hotel room we need for my daughter’s swim meet through Travelocity, which saved us, and first I went through Swagbucks, so I’ll earn points on the booking which I will use for Amazon gift cards! Score!
Mary Bauercamper says
My girls and I brainstormed ideas for Halloween costumes from things we have at home! They decided on a pop star (many sparkly things from our dress up bin), Elsa (blue dress, tiara & gloves from our dress up bin) and a fairy princess (again dress up bin items). My 18 mo old son will wear a pumpkin costume we already own and the 6 mo old baby will just look cute & warm at home!
We are also painting our pumpkins this year (instead of carving), so we can use the inside of it to make our own pumpkin purée!
Kristen says
We saved today by using the library for books. We read such a larger variety that way too. Also we made a special dinner at home. The groceries cost a little more but it was WAY cheaper than dinning out.
Jennifer says
I saved today by splitting a meal with my sister when we went out to eat.
Kristine says
I saved today by packing lunch for my daughter, making granola bars at home for a playdate today, and buying only the 3 items that were on my list at Target — At Target, people! The place where all my friends joke that they go in there for one thing and come out with a cart full! 😉
Beth says
I saved today by saying no to a sweater I really, really liked but didn’t love. I’m trying super hard to fill my closet only with items I LOVE and it has been a practice in discipline!!
Melody says
My clothes don’t all work with my post baby body, so a wardrobe update is in order! Although I wanted to get out and just get new clothes now, I tried on every single item in my pants drawer so that I won’t be spending on items I already have. I also used cloth diaper wipes made from old receiving blankets I already had- figured I’m already cloth diapering my two kiddos, so might as well use cloth wipes, too!
Anissa says
We used our alumni book it coupons tonight for dinner, they expired today. Thanks for the heads up on this awesome freebie! Those personal pan pizzas were a definite splurge and the price was right.
Miranda says
I saved by getting a big bag of hand me down clothes from my nephews that my boys will now wear!
Theresa Little says
I don’t know if this counts, but I was feeling really down the other day and was tempted to do some unnecessary shopping. Instead, I called a friend and made a date for coffee for us and play time for our kids. We got together this morning and had a wonderful visit. I saved money by not going out and buying things I didn’t really need and had a womderful visit with a dear friend. Bonus: our kids (who are homeschooled) all got some play time together and some exercise outside!
Shere says
I saved in a lot of different ways today!
First, I used a text club coupon at a local grocery chain to get 2 (2liters) of TEN drinks for a total of 99 cents.
I also bought other groceries there, at least one of which I will redeem for an IBOTTA rebate. And some checkout 51 rebates, and possibly saving star, snap and shopmium as well (my phone died so I can’t remember what all I earned).
Then, I shopped for my friend’s daughter’s 1st birthday at once upon a child, and Target. At Target, i earned enough shopkicks to redeem for a $2 gift card which I used in store. I also earned some rebates towards ibotta there as well, and used cartwheel to save 5% on my frozen chicken breasts and tortillas for tomorrow night’s chicken tacos.
Cindy says
Saved 20% plus my Barnes &!Noble membership discount on a B & N purchase.
Denice says
Instead of stopping to buy a soda, I grabbed a freebie from the goodie table at a conference I was attending before leaving for the 1+hour drive home. Every little bit helps, right?
Thia says
I cooked dinner instead of eating out.
Suzanne C says
I organised our scary-messy storage closet for a grand total of $9.68. No more towels, band-aids, and batteries falling on your head when you open the door. Thank you Dollar Tree!!!
Joyce says
I have a spot on my long wool coat that looks like a moth ate its dinner there. The spot is close to the shoulder so I looked through my jewelry box to find a nice pin to cover the spot. This also works on spots that don’t wash out if they are in the right place. Sometimes a scarf saves the day by hiding that little spot. If you don’t see it, it’s not there.
april edens says
Made my own fancy coffee at home instead of stopping at my favorite coffee shop….saved about $3 there. Grocery shopped with coupons and store deals and saved $30. Enjoyed beautiful weather with kids for free…best part of the day!
Ashley Weaver says
I went to a friend’s house for a play date this morning and instead of buying a fancy coffee shop drink, we made coffee at her house! And I found some bananas for .39 cents a pound at a local grocery store, much lower than what is averages usually!
Anna Miller says
I saved by making our own dinner, lunch, and breakfast. I saved money by purging today. 🙂
Kristen says
I used two coupons at JC Penney to save $20 off my clearance clothes. I ended up getting 6 shirts, a tank top and a skirt for around $35. Oh — and I used gift cards that I won in a contest. So, my total out of pocket for all those clothes…$0.74!!
Ali says
I saved by putting together yummy leftovers for dinner, and watching a DVD with my hubby that we already had instead of picking one up at redbox (which I never get back by the next day)!
Crystal Storms says
Today I made 94 on Swagbucks and 25 on Bing. And with a free afternoon, my husband and I enjoyed the “free” outdoors by going for a walk along the water. I know that may not sound like saving, but we enjoyed the outdoors instead of a walk through the mall which would have cost us, I’m sure : )
Natalie says
I just found a great tutorial for making key fobs and today I saw that all notions were 50% off at the craft store. I also had a coupon for 50% off the ribbon. I couldn’t wait to make it! And now I’m so excited that it came out really well! I plan to make more for gifts. I also gave my son and husband haircuts at home.
Carolyn says
Today I saved by… borrowing a book from the library, instead of buying it. (I always like to do this and then will buy the book if it’s a keeper).
Picked raspberries from our patch… made jam with said raspberries, packed lunches for tomorrow, made cookies, ate eggs from our chickens for breakfast, leftovers for lunch and a homemade dinner. 🙂
Holly says
I saved today by bringing reusable shopping bags with me to my grocery store and saving $0.05 per bag I used. Not a lot but every little bit of savings helps and I was helping the environment at the same time! 🙂
JanL says
packed child’s school lunch. went to lunch with friend, got senior discount. drank water so no expense for additional drink. got hair cut using coupon they sent me after last visit. went into Penney’s and found boy shirts for $1.99 – cheaper than I could get used at Goodwill. Saved money by buying two shirts that were needed, plus bought one flannel shirt half-price in slightly larger size so 6-year-old can grow into it. allowed 6-yr-old to play at the mall inside playground – FREE!
Julie Barr says
I saved today by taking protein bars for snacks on a road trip today, to avoid high priced, sugary treats at a gas station stop…saved money on future medical bills by making a healthier choice, too!
Leslie says
I saved today by going into the fridge, gathering up any and all leftovers I could find. With some creativity and the help of some almost used up cheese wedges, carefully chosen seasonings and herbs, leftover pasta from a few nights before, random veggies that were starting to lose their luster, and various sauces crammed everywhere in small containers, came up with a rather yummy and satisfying casserole that the whole family loved! I got to completely clean out the fridge from all the selection of leftovers from the week in one sweep, and was able to avoid having to go out and spend more to make a new meal!
Tiffany says
A couple ways I saved today- by making and freezing burritos and by making my own iced coffee.
Cheryl says
Creatively made dinner tonight with food from the freezer instead of running to the store because we “had no food”. Seriously, we have a ton of food! 🙂
Jeanette C. says
I saved money by making a shopping list and sticking to it, not buying anything that was not on the list.
Sandra says
I saved today by remembering about a free ShopRunner account and using it for free shipping on a necessary purchase.
Tricia says
I took my son on a date to a carnival tonight while daddy golfed. Since food is always so expensive at carnivals we first went to Chick fil A and I got him a kids meal and traded the toy for an ice cream cone so he could have a special treat.
Cassi says
We found out today that my 17 month old has a peanut allergy but the clinic gave us a coupon so we got his epi pens for free.
I also bought a second hand Halloween costume for him today.
Beka says
I saved today by staying home!! Didn’t go to any stores to browse, didn’t make an extra grocery trip run, didn’t spend any gas money! I gave birth to my sweet baby boy 3 weeks ago (baby #5). So actually, since he’s been born, I’ve saved money in all of the following categories out of our budget: gas (from staying home so much!), groceries (we’ve been making due with what we have on hand because it’s hard for me to get out with a newborn and 4 other little ones) plus people have been bringing us meals!, and other categories like household and homeschooling and my blow money (because I haven’t been going to stores that tend to eat up these categories!)
kathy wallace says
I have been putting off buying kitchen towels because the ones I kept finding was more than I wanted to pay. So I got into my Christmas boxes and pulled out my Christmas towels and some don’t even look like Christmas. No one has
even noticed and they are working out great.
April Upjohn says
I saved $44 at BJ’s today with coupons and special deals! Then we when out to eat for dinner and I didn’t order any sides and ate from the sides that came with my children’s meal because I knew they wouldn’t finish it all.
Milla says
I saved today by making my kiddos breakfast, lunch and dinner. Also by not doing any shopping even though I was tempted because I received a new credit card in the mail and thought it would be a great opportunity to pick up some things we need. However decided to wait for the hubby to do shopping with me to keep my/our spending under control. Kept my self occupied by going through my boys room and cleaning it out.
Jennifer H. says
I was going to get coffee today, but didn’t stop! Made some at home instead.
Jill says
I saved by not buying a treat at a stop on our road trip…even though everyone else was having one I realized I wasn’t hungry and didn’t need it. Crazy for me:)
Tracie h says
I made one of our favorite “out to dinner” meals at home. Wings! My family loves wings, but feeding the entire family out can be cost prohibitive. This is one way we can have what we love at a more reasonable price.
Bridget Johnson says
Today is my youngest son’s birthday and we clipped lots of coupons to use at Chuck E Cheese to save money. :0)
Crystal says
Let’s see: I saved today by making breakfast and packing my son’s snack and lunch. Since it is his birthday, he had a coupon for a local sandwich shop for a free birthday entree; he shared his “big ole sandwich” with Mom (which was my LUNCH!) We went to the library to borrow a DVD instead of renting one from Redbox and while we were at the shopping center, we returned 2 bags of bottles / cans for recycling .. so I guess I actually came out ahead today(!) 🙂
Thanks for your blog! I love it! Everyone’s stories INSPIRE me every day!
Morgan says
I used coupons and the grocery store flyer to save $37 today!
Jayleen says
I saved today by returning a pair of jeans and a red coat (not real practical) that have been sitting in the bag for almost a month. It’s funny how you just have to have something when you’re in a store and yet it just sits at home with no desire to wear.
Karen Massey says
Today is our fourth wedding anniversary, and we saved by making a lovely dinner at home instead of going to a fancy restaurant.
Crystal Paine says
Happy Anniversary!
Betsy says
I carefully checked my grocery store receipt before leaving the store. The customer service desk staff know me well — if something is off, I politely let them know and they are wonderful to make an adjustment. Today, I noticed that a cereal that was on sale rang up full price and that an electronic coupon was not applied. I was refunded the coupon and the entire price of the cereal — free food because I took few minutes to double check before leaving.
Jennie C. says
I saved by going to Starbucks and didn’t spend any money. I had stashed away some old gift cards that I thought might have a few cents left on it and apparently there was way more than I thought. We still have an extra 3 bucks after treating our family of 4.
Lori says
After spending all morning at MOPS with some awesome women, I just really wanted to pick up lunch on the way home. Instead my husband and I ate leftovers – he had leftover pizza from who-knows-when and I had the last bit of the Florentine Chicken Ring (from Pampered Chef which looks super impressive!) I cooked earlier this week. Even if I had picked up Chick-Fil-A or Whataburger, we easily saved at least $10 on lunch. And it felt good knowing that I won’t be tossing these leftovers in the trash this weekend.
Susan says
I saved today my using my birthday freebies I got via email from different places. I got $20 worth of stuff from World Market for free with my $10 birthday certificate. I also got a free BPA free shaker bottle from 14 Carrot (Local health food store) For my birthday picnic lunch, I got a free entree at Moe’s to share with husband, and packed lunches for the kids.
Michele says
I saved today by using a gift card I earned by completing a survey on MySurvey.com to treat my family to a take out dinner at and a family movie on through out Amazon Prime account.
Jill W. says
I made my own taco seasoning (no additives…yeah!) and stored it an empty margarine container.
Jill says
Your post today prompted me to do something I’ve been wanting to do for some time now. My oldest son just turned three and is long over due for his 3rd haircut. I cut it once before and it looked really good but I was afraid to do it again. Today I cut his hair and it looks so much better. In the process I also swept the bathroom floor and emptied the trash. I have four boys of which my 3 year old is the oldest so being able to cut their hair (and my husband’s) will save a lot of money over time. Thanks for the encouragement!
TikiKrissy says
I saved today by getting a huge stack of library books (7!!!), mostly new releases, and a dvd from the library. I read 2-3 books a week, so this should keep me going for a while. Right now, I’m reading Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King, it’s sooooo good!!
laurie says
My family saved today by eating leftovers! It doesn’t sound like much, but it saves us money. It’s Friday and it’s so tempting to just go out to eat, but we save by staying in. It also saves TIME because we’re only putting dishes we eat off of in the dishwasher and not washing any new pots/pans by hand. I love that it gives my hubby more time with the kids before they have bedtime. And it saves my sanity with having one less meal to plan since I just made a double batch from earlier this week 🙂
Heidi says
I saved today by making my own applesauce from my neighbor’s apple trees. They do not use them so I collect them and can applesauce.
Heather CLarke says
I sent my husband and daughter out to a restaurant for a Daddy/daughter date equipped with a promo card that covered most of their meal. The cost would have been $30. They only paid $5. That was a pretty cheap date and it made for special time together.
Laura says
I needed an 8×10 frame & saved money by shopping at a garage sale & paying $.50 rather than paying full price at a store. 🙂
Thanks for all the moneysaving tips!
Sarah says
We go camping on Halloween and there is costume contests and site decorating contest. We rarely decorate due to time and money. But just today I pulled the tomato cages out of the garden, got 25 cent sheets from Goodwill, gathered all the balls from the garage, and made 4 ghosts inspired by p interest!
Melissa says
I packed the kids lunches and instead of going out for coffee I stayed home
Christy says
I have homemade yogurt in one crockpot and am soaking dried beans in the other — both frugal versions. But better than that, today I cashed in most of my bonuses from the recent healthy living bundle. So I spent a lot of money . . . but got a LOT of stuff for it!
AnnMarie Hofer says
I saved today by using a mystery shopping job to pay for my lunch out with my daughter. Now they are going to pay me for the report too, so I made money today.
Martha says
I’ve been diligently picking up coins as I clean up around the house and throwing them in the coin jar. Today the kids and I counted them up: $22.50! That was enough to buy a box of apples so we can have homemade applesauce (no sugar involved) all winter long in our home-packed lunches.
sherry says
I saved money by cooking all week, meal planning, making my own broth and using coupons at the grocery store!
Alessandra says
I saved by shopping with a list and using coupons and cartwheel at Target! And we got costumes early bc of the buy one get one free!!
Hannah says
I saved today by using the warranties that came with my faucets. My kitchen faucet and three bathroom faucets were corroded or else leaking and by contacting the company and letting them know the problem, I was able to get all four faucets replaced for free. They just arrived today in the mail!
Margery says
I saved today by checking out seven books from the library for my two voracious middle school readers.
I also saved today on our Friday night taco feast. I made my own taco sauce and my own taco seasoning mix from scratch. It’s more economical and healthier, too!
melissa feliz says
I saved today by using a thumb tack as a nail to put up a picture frame. It was absolutely free and innovative.
Sheri says
I saved today by not purchasing my glasses at my optometrist, but online instead.
Amy b says
I saved by finding some Aden & Anais swaddle blankets for my new little one for $1 at our new thrift store!
Sarah says
We are traveling to Disneyland. Instead of buy expensive clothing there, we purchased cheap Disney clothes at Kmart. I got a MInnie shirt for $6.99 and my daughter got a Minnie top/shorts outfit for only $3 (summer clearance)! I was also able to get her a Minnie night dress for $3 too. They also had candy bars on clearance for 10 cents so I bought a dollar’s worth.
We are eating mostly vegetarian (close to vegan) which has helped save money on meat. I am lucky my family LOVES rice and beans. We had that last night with canned white chili beans (50 cents), mexican rice with turmeric, and corn tortillas. Very cheap dinner indeed.
I did a craft project with my daughter out of the Focus on the Family’s magazine Club Jr. It was an elephant made entirely of “trash.” We emailed a picture to the magazine.
We took “school” (we homeschool) pictures with a group of other homeschooling families. A package with a professional photographer was only $40. The pictures were taken outside. I thought that was pretty good. 🙂
Love these “what I did to save money” posts.
Kimberly says
I left the house for the first time this week, liking our playgroup day with some errands, saving us gas since the errands where on our way home from our playgroup. I also earned some swagbucks and requested a gift card. Yay! We’re headed for family movie night tonight with pasta and homemade sauce and a netflix movie. (Way to go on mending your sweater, by the way. I have a favorite sweater with a hole I intend to mend, but as the hole isn’t on a seam, I’m a bit daunted by it! Probably just need to get up and do it.)
Kerra says
We are just about to catch a train from IA to CO…saving money by taking rail rather than air, and saving stress since we have a five month old who wouldn’t do as well in a car.
Corie Jones says
I pack lunches for my kids and husband every day, and instead of buying pre-packaged snacks, I took a large carton of goldfish crackers, and a big bag of raisins, and poured them into (reusable) zip lock bags! They’re all ready for lunches next week, and MUCH cheaper than buying the single serving bags/boxes.
Heather Siani says
I saved today by Christmas shopping and clothes shopping at our twice a year children’s consignment sale. Sunday I’ll go to the half off sale to score on clothes.
Kristin says
I was at Walmart today and stopped by the clearance section only to discover that all clearance clothing was only $1! I found lots of summer outfits for my kids–which will save me money when I don’t have to purchase them next year! What a blessing! 🙂
DelRae H says
I will be saving tonight by handwashing our cloth diapers instead of going to a laundry mat or using disposables until our washing machine is replaced. Buying a new washing machine was NOT inexpensive. Thankfully we have an emergency fund. I’m hand washing instead of using disposables or spending money at a mat so that we can replenish our emergency fund as soon as possible!
Jessica B. says
We saved today by making the martial arts headbands that my husband wanted to get for the youth camp he and his middle school boys group is going to this weekend. I already had the fabric, knew how to make the stencil, and only had to buy one fabric marker and a low stick tape. $7.00 vs. lots + shipping? Yes, please! 😀
Carol S says
I saved today by buying a lot of frozen convenience food from the local outlet store. I have been extremely busy studying for an upcoming certification exam and have not had the time to coupon as I normally do. A freezer full of food keeps me away from fast food dinners.
jen b says
I saved today by checking out a movie from the library for movie night tonight (instead of Redbox), packed picnic lunches to take to the park (instead of drive-thru), and bought a shirt at a consignment store (to go with a skirt I bought last year from Goodwill for my daughter to grow into)
Melissa says
I saved today by making lunch at home when we met friends at the park, instead of eating out. Healthier and cheap!
Kathy A. says
I saved today by paying our water bill on time which meant no late fee! The late fee is $5 and might not seem like much but when multiplied by 12 months, it’s $60/year we’re saving!
Gaytha Bolton says
Today I am scrubbing the door hinges and handles from my kitchen cabinets, so I can re-use them. I am painting the cabinets white—updating the 1959 varnished look.
Stacia says
We ate lunch at home, used a coupon for a free burger at Carl’s Jr. for a special lunch for my husband, and used the Free Friday download coupon at Fry’s. Free is fabulous!
Amy says
I saved today by utilizing my gift closet instead of running to the store. I was able to create a fun gift for a party that I’m going to tonight and it cost about $5 total!
Katie S says
I saved today by carpooling with my sisters!
Sheila says
By asking, we got $100 off a snow blower we bought this morning. It was a discontinued model and was already marked $200 off. However, it was still a lot of money!
Sarah says
I was actually going to post this yesterday! I stopped using my dryer about a month ago, since I had tons of liquid fabric softener that wasn’t getting used and I was tired of staring at it, plus I wanted to see how much the dryer was costing us. Well we got our energy bill yesterday and it went from $80 to $30!!!!! I saved $50 over the past month simply by hanging clothes in our basement!!! So exciting! So it wasn’t specific to yesterday but it was definitely substantial!
LINDA says
I saved by by making my own superfoods salad, a copycat creation from a local restaurant.
Terri says
I saved today by checking your blog before shopping to print coupons for things on my list.
christine says
I stopped by a coffee shop for a cup of coffee, had only a credit card with me, no cash. I was told there was a five dollar minimum. “Old me” would have added a muffin or bagel to the purchase to get to the $5.
“New me” decided to not get the coffee and I simply left the shop. 🙂
Melissa Jones says
I saved today by getting Cartwheel up on my phone at Target! 25% off my son’s new tennis shoes! And 10% off some other stuff! (Not to mention B1G1 Halloween costumes!) Woohoo!
Melissa R says
I saved by using Walmart’s Savings catcher program – right after I shop there, I enter my receipt number. After a couple of months I already have over $13 in my account!
Carla says
I just made up a big pan of goulash to bring to my husband and the others who are working on our new house. They didn’t have to take a long break to go out for lunch and I didn’t have to buy takeout!
Amanda Pennington says
Just bought a slew of green beans, apples and zucchini to blanch, freeze, and can from my local farmer’s market!
Lacey says
We saved big yesterday! I went to pull food out of our freezer and all of it had thawed! The whole refrigerator and freezer were not keeping temperatures! Luckily, I found it in time to rearrange things into my stand alone freezer. The savings comes in when my husband came home and looked at the refrigerator and found the problem. There was so much dust in the back the unit was overheating! We spent around twenty minutes cleaning it up and saved $2000! We thought for sure the compressor had gone out and we would need a new refrigerator!
Kim McCulley says
I saved today by packing lunches for hubby, son and self, as usual. =)
Amanda says
I saved by not eating out lunch and packing mine instead!
Hope says
I saved today by making extra homemade pizza last night for the kids to eat tonight. Date night for me and my husband! Selling extra items on our local FB group will fund our dinner. Yay!
C Webb says
I’m saving money today by making a meatless supper. We have lots of cheese (including homemade goat cheese), so I’m making lasagna. I’ve been frustrated about the price of meat lately; it helps when I start thinking of other sources of protein.
Amanda says
I saved today by refusing to re-wash the clean clothes my daughter stuffed in her laundry basket!! She didn’t want to fold them all. Ugh! We’ve been having this problem more and more lately. I explained that it costs a lot of money to wash clothes so re-washing clothes that are clean is not going to happen anymore. (I’m such a mean mama!!)
Crystal says
I saved today by joining Pampers rewards. A couple of weeks ago, Target was having a killer deal on Pampers and i have two under two, so I stocked up on the large boxes and filled our spare shower with the loot. I joined Pampers rewards, entered all the codes from their boxes, as well as codes I found on other deal blogs, and I can now go shopping in their store FOR FREE!
Lisanne Barnes-Seymour says
Hi Crystal! I save $$ today after I got a call from Oreck Vacuum in the suburb we used to live in, reminding me I can bring my vacuum in for a free tune up, worth $79.95. Since don’t live there anymore I called my nearby store and asked if they would honor the other store’s policy. They did and I got our vacuumed tuned up for free and only spent $4 for a new belt! I feel so good about this since it’s such a workhorse around here and I want it to last as long as possible! Happy Friday to you!
Ashley says
I saved today by overcoming the sleepy voice in my head that wanted to stay in bed this morning. One of my goals this year is to read through the Bible. I am 70% of the way through, and can’t let my sleepiness throw me off my groove!
Angela says
We just moved to new town a couple weeks ago..in a brand new state..today I took my kiddos (1and 2) to a free learn and play group I found online..it was amazing..tons of learning toys, teaches, story time and even snack…and totally free! Kids loved it, I met some other local moms and it didn’t cost a cent 🙂
Michelle says
To save today I printed coupons and made a list for a stop at target when we’re out of town tomorrow!
Sheryl says
I boiled beef bones overnight in my crock pot last night. Today I canned the beef stock and picked the usable meat off the bones and froze it to use in meals this winter.
Jennifer says
I used leftovers to make dinner instead of going out to eat… which is what I really wanted to do 🙂
Miriam B says
I saved money today downloading coupons onto my Kroger card and writing out a shopping list. Simple steps, yes, but it works great for me.
Amy Medeiros says
To save today, I went to Goodwill and got two dress shirts and a like-new Lego Ninjago T-shirt for my boys for only $8!
Cassie says
i needed new jeans bad! I’m post baby but need out of my maternity jeans but my regular jeans are too small. I went to goodwill instead of Macy’s and found a like new pair of denizens for $5!
Erin says
I have a horrible reputation for overdue library books. I almost always have a fine of some sort. So today I saved by renewing my books BEFORE they are overdue. Such a novel concept, I know! Haha!
Amber says
I found a YouTube video about how to remove battery acid from connectors and saved a $100 electronic!
Julie says
I used my library website to checkout and download a video for tonight’s movie night. We saved on the cost of movie rental, the cost of driving to the library (and since it is returned automatically, I won’t have a late fee to worry about either!)
Abby @ Mother on a Mission says
I saved today by using Ibotta at Walmart. There are always a ton of offers for items that my store either doesn’t carry or that our family doesn’t use, but today there were a few that earned me $2.50 back.
Tia Robertson says
I put off grocery shopping for to more weeks (today is payday). We want to try a 14 day no-spend challenge, and see how much we can eliminate in our house (there is food EVERYWHERE).This will save us $250 this month. I also shut off the thermostat, took out blankets, wool socks, and extra hot cocoa mix 😉 It may be cold, but it won’t cost us to keep warm!
Kaylee says
This morning I made a couple batches of waffles (chocolate and plain) to put in the freezer!
Christy says
Sewed on 9 patches onto my son’s Boy Scout shirt. It was rough, They kept being crooked. My sewing and haircutting skills need much improvement, but trying to save money wherever we can.
Allecia says
I saved by coming home and eating leftover after running errands instead of grabbing something from a restaurant. We’re also eating leftovers tonight as a family.
Jill says
I saved today by using plastic grocery bags as liners in our small trash cans instead of buying them (thankfully, our grocery bags are white so from a distance you really can’t tell they’re not store-bought)! =)
Shelly C says
I’ve recently started going through our house, one room at a time, to sell items on FaceBook (thanks to a post you did awhile back that I came across again called 31 Ways to Save Before Christmas). There is a local group for our town and I’ve started posting items to the group that we no longer need/want.
Such a great giveaway!! Thank you 🙂
Sarah says
Today I saved money by deciding, with my husband, to have him pick up our son from preschool from this point forward to save gas money. My husband typically takes him to school and I pick him up. Even though it’s something I enjoy as a way to get out of the house, we need to save money and I can get more creative about ‘fun things’ for me.
Cheryl Rogers says
Made a nice homecooked breakfast( eggs and homemade coffee) and lunch (tuna salad and lettuce salad)for everyone, keeping the costs to the minimum on her food budget.
Marcia Huddleston says
My husband and I travel between our home in Minnesota and an apartment in Montana every month to work in the oilfield. Food out in the oilfield is very expensive! This time I will be here for five weeks instead of the normal two weeks, so the boss can go on vacation. I brought a few grocery items from Minnesota and am determined to live out of my pantry in the apartment until I go back to Minnesota. Should be a nice savings there. Today I was going to buy some paper and a notebook for money-saving notes, but re-purposed what I found at the apartment instead.
Lauren says
I saved today by packing lunch for me and my husband, and he drove over from work and we ate our sandwiches and fruit on a bench outside my office for a little “date.” Would have been easier to meet at Chick-fil-A, but $50/week for all food and home supplies is making me get creative and take a few more minutes in the morning to save a lot of money the rest of the day!
I also took over a load of clothes to a local consignment sale, and am volunteering there tonight to earn a higher percentage! I hoping to add to our Christmas fund with the profits.
Allyson @ All Our Days says
I figured out how to put the swagbucks TV app on my husband’s phone and let it play while we all got ready this morning.
Kayla Wimpy says
I retires my old nursing pillow and use the fluff along with some scrap material for new throw pillows.
Kayla says
It is about time to refresh this house again . I was thinking a carpet shampoo and some new throw pillows in the living room. We are saving money by scribing the carpet by hand with carpet cleaner from the dollar store . Our new throw pillows are made from scrap material and the stuffing of retired nursing pillows . My son got to learn how to sew !
Amanda Smith says
We did not use our grocery budget money this week but instead cooked from the pantry/freezer!!
elaine says
I found a pretty basket at a second hand store for 1.99. I turned it into my coupon station today. All coupons go in the basket so they are visible. When I have a few minutes, I will be clipping those coupons and having them neatly in one spot makes it that much easier.
Heather says
We packed leftovers for lunch, and bought fall clothes for our son at a consignment sale today. I also used fruit I’d frozen to make a smoothie for breakfast.
Kirsten S says
We saved today by trading some of our garden potatoes for some wild game meat with a friend. Win win. 🙂
Julie Crabb says
I re-used my current dining room table set as a sun room table. Used old curtains I had to re-cover the cushions and make new sun room curtains. Voila! Re-purposed, saved $, and now have a pretty sun room.
Andrea T. says
Saved by making my husband tea in the morning with Fresh Lemon/Hot Water. He no longer needs to stop at Starbucks OR Dunkin’s every morning for tea/coffee… We now ENJOY going Starbucks ONCE a week (on the weekend) for a special treat!!
Crystal Paine says
I LOVE this! Way to go!
April says
I saved by only buying a few produce items and going to eat out of my freezer and pantry this coming week; maybe even for two weeks.
Jessie says
I bought a bushel of apples, peeled and cored by hand, and learnt to can apples! It was to most fun I’ve had, canned apples, apple butter, and apple jam. Plus I took the peels and made apple cider vinegar out of it. No waste and so much fun! 🙂
Kelsie H says
I saved by bringing my lunch to work with me instead of having to go find something since I commute 20 minutes one way to work
Rachel says
I saved a jar from applesauce, washed it, and have been filling it with homemade pear sauce that I made a few weeks ago. Today, I noticed the jar in my fridge was getting empty, so I pulled a bag out of the freezer and refilled it. It feels like getting free food!
Suzanne H says
I have been putting leftover potato peelings, onion ends, dried out carrots, etc. in a Ziploc in my freezer. I just used the bones from a rotisserie chicken we had (for 2 dinners!), the contents of the Ziploc, some fresh herbs from my planters and some water to make low sodium chicken broth. I let it cool completely, skimmed the fat and divided into labeled freezer bags. Basically, I used what would have been garbage to make delicious chicken broth!
Lauren says
I just made some too, but never would have thought to save potato peels! I used onion, carrot, and pepper leftovers.
Mona says
I wanted to have waffles for dinner, but I was out of white flour…so we had whole wheat waffles. DH was less than thrilled, but the kids & I loved them (there are usually leftovers, but not this time!)
lyss says
Went out to dinner and used a $25 restaurant gift card, plus a $4 off 2 entrees coupon I got in the mail. I appreciate it when my husband spoils me. But I also love it when we can save even on special occasions. (It was our 9th anniversary! : ))
stacey says
I taught my daughter and her best friend (both 8) how to use the website Supercook, and by inputting all the ingredients we had on hand we found a yummy snack recipe to make from scratch instead of buying something! They loved the lesson in using up what you already have, too : )
Angie Hopkins says
I made a meal plan based on what I already had, then made my shopping list to round out the meals based on the BOGO items, went to the store with coupons in hand, and left saving 50%.
Michele M says
I’m making homemade applesauce today.
Janet says
I’ve put off going to the grocery store for three days, instead making do with what we have.
Miriah says
My husband started carpooling to work this week with co-workers. (His truck is broke down too and a friend also offered to help us fix it instead of taking it to a shop, so another savings!) I also am planning on Friday’s being “homebody” days where we don’t do any errands. This is HARD for me – I love to get out, but I am realizing my 3 yo also always wants to be on the go too & we need to learn to be content with where we are at and not so much focused on “what’s next”. Plus we’ll save money this way too!
Nancy says
While driving, I listen to audiobooks borrowed from my town’s public library, which has an awesome network for free inter-library loans. (Presently I’m listening to “Unbroken” by Laura Hillenbrand, thanks to a suggestion from the comments on a recent MSM post.)
Crystal says
To save today, and really the rest of this week, I have put off grocery shopping and canned. I usually go shopping on Tuesdays while my son is at preschool (one less kid to chase in the store!), but we still had plenty of milk and our garden is still producing enough produce that I didn’t need to. Also we got free apples last week so I canned applesauce and tomatoes from our garden to save on those things later in the year! It is now Friday and I still dont need to go to the store- i think i can wait until tomorrow. And we have tons of fresh apples, produce from the garden, bottled applesauce and tomatoes to sustain us! I kind of feel like i made money, not just saved money!
Courtney Brock says
Stayed at home and didn’t go out to shop- that always saves me money 🙂
Rachael says
Can we say that I saved money by not going to the grocery store, not running the dishwasher or washing machine, and turning off the lights early and going to bed? I took the closest thing to a sick day that a mom can get, but I met Swagbucks and Bing Rewards goals, so made progress toward our Christmas savings.
Jenny says
I saved money by checking out books instead of buying them and borrowing DVDs instead of renting or buying.
Kristin Fitzgerald says
I cut up my husband’s old white undershirts (that have shrunk in the wash 😉 ) into kitchen/cleaning rags to use in lieu of paper towels! I still have a few more to go through today!
Teresa says
I saved today by getting books for my son’s AR library at the local thrift store. They were $0.10 each and it was buy one, get one free. So I got a great deal and was able to him some great books.
Jill says
I saved by going through the Winter clothes before I made our clothes shopping list.
Theres says
I attended a conference in September and they had a book table where everything was 70% off. I stocked up for birthday & Christmas gifts. This weekend, I have 2 birthdays tomorrow and the very nice gifts are costing me less than $5 each!
I ran out of facial scrub today and I’m not going to replace it. I’m going to make my own with items from the pantry.
Rachel says
I saved by eating leftovers—kept food outta the trash, and kept me outta a restaurant, lol
Connie C. says
I brought my lunch from home!
Jenny S. says
For dinner last night, we ate an odd variety of items cleaned out of our freezer instead of ordering food (like I was tempted to do!).
Kristina Nairn says
Yesterday I dug an old Starbucks gift card out of a box. I checked the balance and it said $6.70, so I took my son to Starbucks and purchased a chai latte for me and a cake pop for him. Not sure if that counts as saving but we pretty much never go to Starbucks and had I not checked the balance it would have been tossed out and never used, so that was a major treat for us! I also work at an HEB and used my partner perks savings and their in store coupons yesterday to take $33 off over $70 worth of groceries. These are great items that will last us a while for meals. Every little bit helps! Thank you for all your tips!
Alexandra says
I am a Social Worker and do home visits for my job. I saved by not stopping for fast food on the way back to the office and eating the food that I had brought from home.
Sarah says
I saved today by packing my lunch, even though the rest of the office ordered out!
Anna says
I sent my Sam’s Club shopping list with my MIL, and avoided impulse purchases (which at Sam’s, rack up to a lot of money!).
Kelly Hess says
We have a wedding this weekend and I had been putting off buying a dress, well I cleaned out a much needed closet and found a gorgeous fall dress that fit! I was so excited that one, I finally got that closet cleaned out (and sold some items for $$) plus I saved a whole lot of money by not having to buy a dress!
Jean says
I used the library for movies to watch and books to read. Love, love, love my library! Also, going to attempt alterations of “pre weight loss” pants for this winter. We’ll see how it goes.
Jenny says
I save by making my own stain remover for laundry. Simple and even works on red wine! Peroxide and dawn dish soap in a spray bottle. Sprinkle spot with a little baking soda before spraying for tougher stains!
Carrie says
I saved this week by swapping clothes with a friend for our daughters. Her five year old wears the clothes that our seven year old outgrew, and she gives them back for our two year old to wear some day. I’ve got clothes in vacuum bags for the next couple years!
Jen says
I earn points at work as an initiative program that rewards above and beyond behavior. I used those to purchase a Groupon gift card, that I used to buy a fun trip out for my family. Huzzah!
melissa l. j. says
i saved money by choosing not to shop — not running into stores or responding to the emails in my inbox indicating TODAY ONLY, MUST-HAVE deals. i am choosing to keep my money in my wallet.
Amber says
We save by grouping our errands, since we are 60 miles from town, this has saved us tons of gas. We choose to push grocery shopping to every three weeks for our family of 12.
Your meal planning got me thinking about our cooking. I try to cook once and eat twice. With planning I was able to get our food for the month for $750.
Jen says
I took some time last night to look up an item that my husband needed to buy a large quantity of for our remodel. At a store a little further than his preferred hardware store I found some for almost half the price!!! He was happy to drive an extra 15mi total to save a couple hundred dollars this morning!
Tracy says
My son is in between sizes on jeans right now. The only places I could find jeans that would fit him were $50. Way more than what I am willing to spend. So I found jeans that would fit his waist and hemmed the pant legs to the correct length.
Jen says
I will pick green beans and onions from the garden for dinner today.
Last weekend I found a great bargain but had to phone a friend to make it happen. My college age daughter needs a coat warm enough for the Colorado mountain town she lives in. I found a snowboard coat on the clearance rack of sporting goods store. It it was still $109.00. I saw a Buy one get one sign! I didn’t need two coats and needed to purchase two items of similar value for the deal. I texted a couple of friend that I thought may also need a warm winter coat. A cousin texted back and we both got a great deal. She paid 75.00 for a coat that was regularly $199.00 and will keep her daughter warm in Montana. I paid 75.00 for a coat with original price of 189.00 for my daughter! Not my best deal but the coat was a necessity, I will remember to ask friends again!
MaryEllen@ImperfectHomemaker says
We used eggs for our protein rather than meat. I was thinking about how eggs are so much cheaper than meat since we only buy pastured and grass-fed meats, which cost a small fortune! (Pastured eggs aren’t the cheapest either, but are still cheaper than meat!) I was thinking that I need to start buying up as many eggs as I can when the farmers have them available and make egg dishes rather than meat dishes since it’s still an excellent source of protein while being more budget-friendly than meat.
Need A Nap says
My husband called and compared prices for new tires for his car.
Dianna says
I was going to take the kids out for dinner last night, but we decided instead to pick up 99¢ freezer meals instead. Not very impressive, I know, but it was a lot cheaper!
Joscelyn Yonker says
I just switched my newborn to cloth diapers this week! 🙂
Kristi says
I saved on Halloween costumes by borrowing from friends for one child, selling an old one on craiglist, and using that money to purchase a few supplies to make my other child’s costume.
chantel says
Made a homemade iced flavored coffee at home instead of wasting gas and money driving through Starbucks. Also stayed home all day with 5 kiddos instead of going shopping which would have ended up buying items that were not on our grocery list.
Melissa Hallam says
Thanks for the giveaway!!
I save by using vinegar as my fabric softener.
Holly says
I saved today by making my own homemade latte!
April says
I’m so excited because I was able to plan our family’s outfits for family pictures without spending a dime! I started browsing online stores for outfits, but then I decided to shop our closets first. Found everything I needed for our pink, brown, and navy color scheme!
Tina says
made a quick dinner at home even though it was a busy sports night;
Brenda Heimann says
It was my moms birthday, and quite honestly she does soooo much for us! I wanted to give her something, even though I knew she would tell me not to! Money is tight with four kids, so I looked around on pinterest for ideas, hoping we could make her something she would love! I found an idea with taking a pint jar and modge podging fall leaves onto it and then putting a candle in it! SHE LOVED IT! Best part…I had the jar, went outside for the leaves, and modge podge was leftover in my craft supplies!!!! Cost me $0! 🙂
Tiffany says
Last night for dinner we used some leftover beef from a dinner earlier this week, and added it to our meal. It saved cooking time and money! A win in my book!
Donna says
We had a house full of teen boys yesterday–ours and a guest. Rather than any eating out, I made omelets for breakfast with our home grown eggs, let everyone choose his leftover for lunch, and made everyone grilled cheese as they were heading out the door to tide them over till dinner. Lots of positive comments that would not have been accomplished by a costly fast-food drive thru!
Randi says
That’s too funny….I mended a white blazer I have. The bottom hem came undone and since I bought the blazer at a consignment shop there was NO way I was going to pay for a seamstress to fix it. The little stitch to tack the cuff came undone as well so I ironed it really well, grabbed some white thread and its good as new!!
I LOVE the list of books! What a great little giveaway. Looking forward to see if I win them!
Amy says
I figured out what to make for lunch with friends from the pantry. Potato soup will be great on this cold and rainy day!
jennyandcompany says
I dropped a box of clothes at a children’s resale store and now have $25 in store credit in order to fill in the gaps in their winter wardrobes after pulling out the hand me downs.
Mandy says
I cut and repurposed a king-size blanket to fit our new queen-size bed.
Kelly says
I stuck to my grocery list when shopping this time!
Mary Ellen says
I hit up local church rummage sales!
Ebie says
Chips and salsa for lunch. I know it’s not super healthy, but it was that or drive thru and it gave me time to actually make a grocery list with coupons 🙂
bee says
We prepared a meal in the toaster oven instead of the stove’s oven.
Courtney says
I made homemade apple butter in the crockpot.
becky says
We took a gamble on hotwiree for a hotel room at a cheaper price. Happy with what we got, glad. And eating lunch at home to save a few extra spending dollars for tomorrow’s trip.
Cris says
Ate leftovers for lunch and dinner and redeemed a milk offer from checkout 51 (the only thing I really needed to buy yesterday).
Brandi N says
I also made a tiger costume for the 3 year old by taping black duct tape to an orange shirt 🙂
angie c says
I took a stained shirt and tye dyed it and you could not notice the stain any more.
Kayla Lowery says
My family utilized 2 leftover meals and enjoyed a sit down leftover dinner together and had fun playing games before bed. We also made some new crayons for coloring by baking old broken crayons together in the oven and were able to make some artwork for when Daddy comes home tomorrow from Texas. Thanks so much!
Karin says
I saved money by not buying the sweater I really liked at the Loft because it was not on sale.
Brandi Neal says
We saved money yesterday by eating leftovers, staying home, and planning to car-pool with my in-laws to attend a wedding on Sat.
Cathy says
Nothing glamorous or new here, just the usual routine things that help us save over time: making my own coffee to take in the car, packing snacks and water from home for our hike, eating lunch at home (well, all meals), reading a book from the library, watching a show on Netflix (no cable).
Trish says
I saved by making my own iced coffee at home instead of stopping at a drive-thru for my morning fuel! In my opinion, mine tasted even better 🙂
Doretta says
Last night we went to AT&T to add a cell phone to our existing wireless home phone pkg. We were happy to to find that this month they are doubling data packages so for our 15 GB data plan (existing home phone) that we were struggling to stay under. We now have 30 GB for not a penny more! And no, we didn’t even add another phone, just updated our account to the new plan.
Christi says
We had a “buffet night” eating leftovers from the fridge and freezer.
Ashley D says
I took home stale bread from an office luncheon to feed our chickens. They love bread and it will reduce the amount of feed we need to use for the next couple of days.
Jodi Epps says
I saved by making coffee at home this morning instead of purchasing it on the way in to work.
Sandi Jensen says
I am saving money today my homeschooling my minions rather than paying tuition for private Christian school and making burlap wreaths tonight for Christmas gifts! 🙂
Amanda S says
Stocked up on bread at the dollar store which is such a big savings for us since we pack our sons lunch for school everyday.
Melissa says
I cleaned out my closet this morning for our clothing and accessory swap at church next week. We are also making our own granola bars this afternoon instead of buying them!
Jacqui says
I am an avid crocheter. Which means I have a yarn stash that is huge. One of my cats got into it and decided that my stash was perfect for his litter box. When I found it I nearly died! It was well over $200 worth of yarn that my first instinct said I had to throw away. After I calmed down I scoured the interwebs for another solution and discovered I can wash skeins of yarn. And the yarn, after being laundered, was is much softer and easier to work with. I saved over $200 worth of yarn for about $5.
Cindy says
I gave haircuts to 3 sons and my husband – total savings at least $36 if we went to the cheap place. Over the years that pair of $20 clippers has saved me many hundreds of dollars.
Amy says
We had several pillows with holes on the sofa in our den. I kept procrastinating and not mending them (even though stuffing was coming out.) With company coming, I stitched them all up in less than 10 minutes!
Leslie R says
I saved today by paring down our possessions to prepare them for a garage sale. We also ate all of our meals at home.
Erin says
I shared a lunch plate with my husband, ordered water to drink (always) and hit a kids consignment shop afterward finding the exact denim shirt I had been looking for for my tween at a fraction of the price! Also, we plan on going apple “picking” next week but only for a sampling. We hit Aldi on the way home and fill up our bags with delicious apples for a less than half the cost do the orchard. Win 🙂
Heather @ My Mothermode says
Other than a meeting and child pick-up, both close to home, I made myself stay home! No gas-guzzling 11+ miles to towns full of stores with amazing clearance deals. Even Goodwill can cost me in $ and clutter if I am not careful! Choosing to stay home a few days a week really, really helps our budget.
Julie says
I went to CVS yesterday. I bought 3 packages of Northern toilet tissue at $5/pack and got $3 reward bucks, and I also bought a 4-pack of CVS batteries for $5.99 and got $4 reward bucks back. I will go back on Sunday, pick up 2 newspapers ($5 total and apply my reward bucks to my purchase – I will add $2 in gum or something else as a filler) in order to take advantage of the coupon inserts!
Reva says
We had leftovers for supper tonight!
Shannon says
We are eating more oatmeal for breakfast in the mornings, rather than cereal out of a box.
Ruth says
I am canning tomatoes and applesauce to prepare for the long winter using jars and lids that I already have on hand.
MaryBeth says
I saved by continuing my decluttering project. Now I won’t need to buy something just because I can’t find the one I already have!
Kristi says
I waited to fill my gas tank until after I’d been to the store to get a 10 cent/gallon coupon!
Danielle B. says
Brought leftovers to work for lunch AND did not grab that smoothie I was craving for an afternoon snack.
Staysa says
I made a cloth diaper instead of buying one! I’m kind of in love with it too!
Tabitha says
I needed a more fitted pair of jeans to wear with my boots for family pictures. New jeans are not in the budget. So, instead of buying a new pair I updated a pair of my own thanks to a tutorial from pinterest. Thanks for the chance to win! Have a great day!
Jessica Woodward says
I was cleaning in the kitchen yesterday and spilled grease all over my t-shirt. I immediately ran it through the wash 2x. The shirt came out clean! In the past, I would have considered it ruined and bought a new shirt.
Christina says
After years of begging, my husband has FINALLY agreed to let me start packing his lunch for him each day, rather than hitting a drive-thru (or skipping lunch altogether). The savings has been mind-blowing, and has given us tons of motivation to save in other ways!
However, I must confess -face palm moment here – that I overslept this morning and groggily told him to just buy something out today. Now that I’m fully conscious, I’ve hatched a plan that will still allow me to get his lunch to him this morning, without driving out of our way, and will also give our daughter a chance to go visit daddy at work, which she LOVES. Savings + additional entertainment for the morning? Yes please! 🙂
Jenifer says
I came up with a 2 week menu plan and went shopping just for those items! Only spent $100!
Sharayah A. says
Made a big pot of your hamburger soup and we’ve been eating leftovers for lunch and dinner every day this week! 🙂 saves the urge to go eat out when you have something as simple as a yummy soup to warm up.
Annette says
I made my son a homemade Minecraft ice cream cake. He had his heart set on one for his birthday, and it was going to cost nearly $40!!!!!!!! He saw the design this morning and said it was the best ever. 🙂
Annette says
My cost – less than $10!
Pam says
I’ve been working on not spending all month. So far my credit card bill is 1/3 of what it had been. 🙂
I keep telling myself “2 new cars and a trip to Disney”. Saving for those things in the future have helped me not spend in the now.
Nikki says
I packed my lunch for work! AND- bought diapers on sale at target! The diapers were discounted and you got a free box of wipes of you bought two boxes of diapers!
Kelly says
I’m playing the “drugstore game” to fill my boxes for Operation Christmas Child using Extrabucks and Up rewards!
What's Linda Cooking says
I used up my leftovers. Did not stop at a coffee shop. Used the library.
Tracy B. says
We ate leftovers 🙂
Katrina says
We had leftovers for lunch, and fed the rest of our foodscraps to the chickens. Not a bit of food goes to waste here 🙂
Jamie says
While Daddy served dinner to people who need a good dinner, the boys and I had eggs instead of eating out!
Dee Wolters says
Our vacation got cancelled due to work schedule change. So I had a week free of commitments. I did a lot of sewing and quilting- using scraps that were given to us. Made 1 baby quilt and started another. While doing the hand sewing portion of the quilts, I watched Netflix movies.
Cooked 2# black beans in crock pot. Separated into 2 cup portions and froze for use later. Then cooked 2# white beans, same thing.
You mentioned mending: while I do sew, when my children were young, I saved SO MUCH money mending! I learned to patch holes and repair hems. This is also key when accepting hand-me-downs, as they often need a bit of altering. Now that my kids are in college and beyond, they can mend their own clothes (thanks to 4-H sewing project participation- even my son!). I still mend clothes.
Abbie says
My rough and tumble middle child he completely ripped out the hanging loop and one strap from the seem of his backpack (in year 3). So last night I stitched it back up. Double thread and went over it three times, twice to stitch together and once to tack the binding back down so it looks like new again.
A month ago I used duct tape (on the inside) to reinforce the bottom of my busy oldest child’s backpack (in year 6), which was starting to wear thin from being tossed on the ground.
Bound and determined to get another year out of them. 🙂
April says
We had leftovers for dinner.
Lori Ewart says
Spent most of the day at home. We had a “buffet” lunch using up leftovers.
Vickie says
I saved money yesterday by resisting the urge to get a cheeseburger last night ..saves money, gas, and was better for my health.
Heidi Clemens says
I bought my daughter 2 dresses and a pair of black dress shoes at once upon a child for $15, rather than buy new clothes at the store!
Laura V says
I didn’t buy a new (used) stainless oven and microwave. My current ones are white and don’t match my fridge and dishwasher, but still work great.
sally mcquaid says
we are making our Halloween outfits. The kids want to be super heros so we are going through out play clothes bin and finishing them off with homemade accessories. They’re always amazed at what we can make out of felt and some imagination.
Katie says
I saved by bringing my own lunch 4 days this week! I also bought by daughter a pair of jeans from a thrift store for $2 instead of $20 and up.
Tracey says
Drove past the grocery store and did not go in! 🙂
Hannah regnier says
A few months ago I had bought large quantities of meat to freeze. I have not bought meat in over two months, saving us trips and money at the grocery store while having good meals at home.
Lindsay says
I made bread from scratch! Healthier and cheaper! Yay!
Sara K. says
Last night I avoided the temptation to stop for dinner on the way home (It was late. We were tired). I went home and made the meal I had planned to make! We also made a stop at the library to borrow some new books to read!
Judy says
You mention a lot of apps you use to save money. I’d love to see a post on getting the best Smartphone plan.
Judy says
“Saved $79” by cancelling the new wireless router I had ordered on Amazon after the repairman came and replaced their modem for free….
Sarah says
I made Spaghetti at 5.30 this morning so I could bring some to work with me for lunch.
Terri White says
That is a REALLY cool idea! I had never thought of making pasta before work but that would be totally doable.
cinda nordin says
Ate 3 meals at home. We’ve been a little bad with eating out lately….
Amber Core says
I saved by making my own Halloween costumes for my kids.
Corey says
My friends and I did a clothing swap for our boys 🙂
Lee Privette says
We used bread we froze last to week to make french toast in the morning, and the heels from our loaf to make a sandwich for lunch.
stacie Polmateer says
We bought a much cheaper house.. Like half our old mortgage payment.. Today I saved us 12,000 this coming year! 🙂
brandi says
I drove across town (10 minutes) to pick up clothing someone had posted of freecycle. There were 5 garbage bags (kitchen-sized) of clothing from sizes 3 mo-3T! If I have a girl, I’ll be set. If not, I’ll donate to a crisis center.
Ann says
My husband and I had lunch with a missionary couple who have become really good friends. Praise the Lord, they will be leaving for Brazil at the end of January! So we spent some money treating them to a nice lunch (which was WELL spent), but I saved $5 by doing an internet search for printable coupons before we went!
Krissie Huston says
My son wanted a punching bag for Christmas. I kept my eye on a certain one (that would also offer options for my own workouts) for months. When it went on clearance, I took my coupon and bought the one on display. So the $275 punching bag cost me $80.
Sarah Johnson says
I shop for clothes and shoes only on the clearance rack and only when it’s at least 40% off…it takes a lot of self control to resist buying the cute, trendy outfits I see on other but literally patience pays off because it inevitably ends up on that clearance rack.
Mippy/Sabrina says
Let’s see….how did I save today? Instead of going out and spending money that I don’t really have (ie; charging something) I entered giveaways! It was not only fun but I may win! 🙂
Stefanie says
I started cutting out our Halloween costumes – I got all the material for five angry bird costumes for $30! (I used a coupon to help bring it that low, but that was last week :-P)
Lauren says
Last weekend, I bought a crib & dresser from Kohls for our new baby. I had a mystery coupon for 40% off, bringing the total to $351 (before tax, it qualified for free shipping). I received $70 in Kohl’s cash & got points with their new reward card. Went through shopathome.com to earn cash back as well! So excited about this awesome deal!!! Last night I used the leftover rotisserie chicken for quesadillas.
R Binder says
I prepared to mail 3 books for paperbackswap.com and of course did my swagbucks.
jeannie says
I patched up my favorite jeans where the knee was getting a little thin so that they would last longer.
Alison says
We had do a meatless meal at least once a week probably more. And we try to pack a lunch instead of buy.
Rachel Brown says
Although my family offered to take me out to dinner for my birthday, I opted to stay in and have a family dinner at home. Saved AT LEAST $30! =)
Sarah Wright says
I brought leftovers to work for my lunch today. I also read a book that I had purchased on Amazon with Swagbucks. Finally, a good friend gave me two pounds of deer meat which I will use for meals next week. Yippee for free meat!
Jen says
I think it may be too late, but I only saw this just now. We saved by eating dinner my husband batch cooked over the weekend–saves us from takeout and mom’s cooking something out of a box because I just don’t have time to plan anything great today. The children have activities almost every night.
Stacy Mc says
Went to the library to pick up some books. And Thursday night is leftover night.
Amy says
I are in instead of going out.
Betsy R says
I saved the day by getting up on time this morning.
Christina says
Last night we had “leftover night” for dinner. I pull out all the leftovers from the last few days and everyone fills up their plates. It’s a great way to use up all the food and not waste.
sStevi says
I picked up my first upcycle project. Its one of those things that you hang near your door hang either keys or jackets on. It has a nice mirror and shelf. I got it for free at our local transfer station that has a swap and trade shelf. Not only did I get rid of some stuff I found something cool to transform into something for my daughters bedroom for free! I also already have most of the stuff that I’m gonna use so I won’t have to spend much money (if any!) For something for my daughters bedroom!
Ruth says
We have been cutting and storing a lot of wood for this winter. Mostly my husband has been doing all the hard work so far. He is amazing! 🙂
Suzanne says
My husband has been in LA on business for the whole week and I discovered our basement was flooded. So I’ve been cleaning and dealing with insurance all week all while taking care of our three boys and going to work each day!!! 🙂 It’s been a rough week, but it’s almost over.
Jessica says
I helped a coworker who was going to Kohl’s save by providing them with a coupon! Personally, I saved by making hot cocoa at home, packing my lunch, and going to Dollar Tree rather than an expensive party supply store to get balloons for a coworker who is relocating 🙂
Anna says
I brought a gluten-free snack to our homeschool mtg – popcorn! I almost brought nothing because our budget is tight and I didn’t want to buy a dessert. But we had popcorn at home. Great meeting too -Zan Tyler from Apologia spoke with her hubs Joe!
Sarah says
We’re stretching the fridge a couple of days past our usual grocery day, eating up odds and ends. Three kids two and under makes it hard to get to the grocery store, but it does have some financial benefits!
Good job fixing your sweater – doesn’t it feel good when you fix something among your clothes or the house? Not only do you get to use it, but for me, there’s the same pleasure as having something new every time I see the fixed “rescued” item.
Crystal Paine says
Yes, I so agree! I love the fulfillment that comes from fixing something yourself!
Mandy Cheshire says
I brought leftovers for lunch!! Thanks for the chance. 🙂
Sara says
I made my own coffee, used store brand liquid creamer. Got dressed in my work clothes which were purchased from good will on 50% off day. Drove my 16 year old car – which we bought used 5 yrs ago using cash…..that baby gets 30+ miles to the gallon. The biggest savings of my day -fought with a doctor office about a bill with a balance of $533 ( this amount after being appealed to insurance company for an oversight on their part) that has been paid (i have proof) and the DR office lost all the information and have turned it over to collections….just another freaky Friday:)
Manette Gutterman says
I made crockpot yogurt and made a big ham I look forward to making ham bean soup with the leftovers and got for $14.
Jackie says
I’ve been working on updating rooms in my house one by one, as I can in my attempt to rebuild our lives and make the house mine after a divorce. I thought I was going to have to repaint my daughter’s room but saved time and money by using a magic eraser that I had to get some really bad scuff marks off of her white wainscoting and rearranging the wall decals she already had to cover some Knicks on the upper wall. While we didn’t change her theme, just the new placement of her tinker bell decals, rearranging her furniture, and purging out old toys and books for goodwill was enough to make my 6 yr old think her “new” room was the best ever.
Erin says
I collect coke caps and enter them in for coke points. They can then be redeemed for items, including gift cards. I used my coke points to get a gift card for a family member’s birthday. $20 gift for free!
Jenny Veleke says
We just painted our living room, homeschool room and hallway, basically the main living area, a totally new color. I bought the paint from Lowe’s with Coinstar certificates I saved up by cashing in all my change every month. It took about six months to save for the paint. Then I saved another two months for a large piece of art to go over the fireplace. Those coins add up!
Jen says
I’m nearing the end of medical school, so I got on amazon textbooks and found a couple books to sell for Amazon credit!
Valerie says
I brought my lunch to work.
Meredith M says
We ate food we had in the house instead of buying take out for dinner!
Lisa Guyer says
We all are on a girls weekend getaway and the hotel we are at doesn’t offer breakfast so I made breakfast pockets beforehand to bring along!
Mary Dorsey says
I sold my first item on Ebay! I was excited.
I found a Starbucks mug that was obviously an extra that I didn’t know we had, because I had the some one on my collectible shelf. I paid $11.00 for it, and sold it for $60.00
Sarah says
I worked from home and watched my kids, which saved on the daycare and gas I usually spend! And I loved every second of it!
Carol says
Defintely saved money by making my own cleaning products
Michelle says
I regifted a regal cinemas gift card to the cross country coach at the banquet. No one had bought him a team gift, it was in my purse so when I realized they hadn’t gotten him anything I handed it to my daughter who made a big deal about how awesome he was (he is) and that now he should take his wife to the movies since he hasn’t seen her much the last two months. She likes to talk so I hope she doesn’t let it slip what I did
Sarah says
I accidentally scuffed a pair of black shoes I wear all the time. Instead of getting rid of them and getting a new pair, I used a black sharpie on the scuff and you can’t even tell it was ever there!
Rachel says
Today, we saved by using an online code to save 50% off on take out pizza. It’s a splurge and we only order when we have a coupon or code to save. I’d love to win the books!
Dara says
I love reading everyone’s comments! I recently got back on the coupon wagon after taking about a year off to have my second baby. I saved $86 in my grocery trip today!
marcie says
made a meal of leftovers today
Lynne W. Sullivan says
We ate home made Chinese for supper instead of going out. I made homemade egg rolls and all. Super easy!
Lyn says
I’m a big fan of Chinese food also. Do you have a go-to recipe site for ideas? I’m sure your meal was delicious!
Su says
I saved today by using the public library to get Debbie Macomber’s new book to read(Mr. Miracle)–instead of buying it. Also, I used coupons at the grocery store and today I’m going to try to use the “Friday Freebie” from Saving Star. Thank you!
Ashley D says
Today I saved by only shopping Clearance items. I wanted to get some little gifts for my MOPS group at church and found some great journals and key chains that match the theme and at a great price 🙂
Busy Mama says
I had coupons for Lindt truffles from a fb offer a while back, and they are expiring on Saturday. The large (9.3? oz) bags were on a rollback for $3 (down from $5.94) and combined with my $2 coupon, I scored a couple of jumbo bags for $1. Woo-hoo! I put them in my Christmas stash for our postal worker and garbage collector. Oh, happy day!
And I priced matched red peppers (10 of them) and avocados (8 of them) for $0.50 each.
Yup. That’s all I bought today – Lindt truffles, red peppers, and avocados. The rest for the week will be coming out of my pantry.
Mallory Annis says
I saved by fixing eggs for dinner
Suzanne says
Making pajama’s for my kids out of clothing we would have donated
Donna says
This must have been the day for leftovers for supper. I notice several folks commented that they, too, had leftovers for supper. We do this about once a week to keep food from going to waste and to clean out the refrigerator before weekend grocery shopping. I love your green sweater, by the way. I see why you wanted to “save” it.
Shannon says
We saved today by bringing a brown bag lunch with us to the airport for our flight instead of paying lots of money for airport food!
Lisa K says
I just bought brand new moby wrap ($49.00 worth) for $12.00 at consignment events.
Melissa says
today was my daughters birthday. We saved money by making our own brownies and pizza to celebrate instead of eating out!
Barb Whitney says
We are in Vegas for hubby’s work. The prices are so high. Husband get meals at his training. I had won a free breakfast sandwich thru monopoly. I walked down the street to have that for breakfast. I decided also I would eat either breakfast or lunch each day, but not both.
Sherri says
My daughter is getting ready to take the test to apply for grad school so she was in need of the books and materials to prepare her for test. The test site wanted well over $100 for the bundle of three. I shopped around on different sites and also looked online for available coupons for the sites that had the best prices. I ended up getting the exact same bundle of three books for $41 by shopping around and using a coupon I found online. Plus I scored free shipping and they shipped it out today!
Brooke says
This week, I got 40 lbs of apples super cheap and some free pears. Today I turned that all into about 18 quarts of apple/pearsauce for our family to eat this winter!
Katie holden says
By using Amazon credits that I’ve saved up (and that were earned through Swagbucks and Bing searches) I was able to purchase a new RV cover and only had to pay for half of the original cost out of pocket. The gift cards covered the other half! This was a huge savings for my family and my husband was so thankful that I’d been saving those Amazon credits.
Jeana Weng says
I finally figured out the perfect pumpkinspice latte recipe .
AmazonsRock says
I found a simple yet cute project on Pinterest to do with my Moppets group next week. All of the supplies needed are either in my stash or in the closet at church. As an added bonus, it coordinates perfectly with the VeggieTales movie we’ll be watching!
Kim B says
This may sound silly, but today I saved by sticking to the budget! My daughter earned a keychain she had been begging for since August and I took her to the store to pick out the one she wanted. I gave her an $8 budget and she set off to pick out what she wanted. There were a few she liked that would have gone over by a dollar or two, and it’s really easy to fall into the trap of “oh, it’s only a dollar,” but I resisted the temptation to let her “splurge” and held firm at the budget. And wouldn’t you know, every time I said “no, that one is over the budget” she just moved along without a second thought. She didn’t care that she couldn’t get one that lit up. She was just excited to get one. She left 67¢ under budget and happy as could be 🙂
Annemarie says
Wanted to buy some Greek and Latin root words flashcards for our homeschool but I decided to make my own instead, especially after reading the reviews that said some of the example words weren’t words kids would normally come across. I Found some on Pinterest, wrote them out and it gave me a good head start on leading them:)
Sandi says
Our family had PB&J sandwiches for lunch today instead of eating out on our vacation. 🙂
Karen says
I saved money today by making coffee and putting it in a thermos for my husband to take to work. He has been spending $6.00 a day on coffee so I saved a lot by making it at home.
Sylvia Alonzo says
I saved by buying summer clothing items on clearance for next summer.
Kayla Akers says
We saved money today by treating some family visiting from out of town to a home cooked meal rather than eating out! I even doubled part of the recipe to use in another meal – double score!
Rachell Averett says
I bought all the ingredients to make $5 Dinner Mom’s new freezer cooking plan. I did a big freezer cooking session last month and we have been eating from them all month. It has saved me so much money and time.
Jessica Hawney says
We saved today by staying home and having board game night as a family. We had the option of going out for the evening, but our kids had never played Monopoly before and they wanted to play. So instead of spending our real money, we chose to spend our play money and make fun memories instead.
Katherine H says
We saved by making at dinner at home. I reaaaallly didn’t want to, but I’m glad I did 🙂
Paula says
I didn’t spend any money today! 🙂 I used leftover chicken to make a chicken chili for dinner!
Nancy Lord says
I saved with Ibotta today. Thanks to you for recommending it!
Jessica says
Went to library and was surprised by a book sale. They had which (I bought all) the little books about insects, volcanoes, birds, butterflys etc. For $.50 each. They fit nicely into the kids hands and are perfect for nature study.
We enjoy drinking kombucha and I just made a new batch (7 quarts)for maybe $.75 compared to $5+ for 16 oz.
Tiffany says
I stayed home! I cooked every meal we ate, washed laundry with my homemade laundry soap and amused the children with all the toys they already have:) Sometimed the best way to save is not to spend:)
christina says
My husband offered to buy pizza tonight for dinner, I said we don’t need to spend the money. Instead I made turkey subs with tomatoes and a side of green beans. The tomatoes and green beans were from our garden!
NancyL says
I did not stop after work to buy dinner. It seems like such a small thing but a penny saved is a penny earned. 🙂 It was late when I got home but it was healthier for me and my wallet
Barbara A says
My husband has been out of town on a business trip and my 6 yo boy and 3 yo twin girls have been driving me crazy! I pulled out some old luggage, we packed a picnic and the kids rolled the luggage all around town going on an adventure. http://www.thefoodbehaviorproject.com/?p=924
Laura says
Shopped around for cheaper auto insurance.
ginniebez says
I roasted a chicken and served it for dinner tonight and sliced some for dinner tomorrow night! I cut up and froze the chicken for a pot pie, stir fry, and another dinner! I cooked the carcus and froze the broth and chicken that fell off the bones for future chicken noodle soup.
Elaine says
I took advantage of free birthday meals, entrees and desserts some of our favorite restaurants were offering and had fun celebrating inexpensively.
Natalie says
Have been thinking about getting an ACT preperation book for my son. Decided to check goodwill to see if by chance they had one or something similar. I found a new edition for .59 cents…saved at least $20 by not buying new from amazon!! Woot woot!! (I’m obviously way more excited than my son! Lol)
Dana says
Finally hung our family photos that have been sitting out since September. I am so happy with how they turned out!
Monica says
We had a clean out the fridge night for dinner!
Julie says
A little random, but one of my spark plugs is on an OmniPod insulin pump. We have to fill each pod with a minimum of 85 units of insulin or it won’t work. The pods occasionally malfunction, and during this morning’s pod change, TWO malfunctioned before we got a third to work. In order not to lose both doses of 85 units, I took a syringe and retrieved as much insulin as I could from the dead pods and to put into the new pod. While this isn’t usually recommended, I felt fine doing it since it was fresh insulin straight from the fridge. This definitely saved money, and although it’s not something that I can normally do, it saved several dollars today!
Jessica says
I saved by eating a home cooked meal instead of going out. Also made my own laundry soap.
Maarja Shisler says
I canned applesauce after the kids went to bed!
Lisa Miller says
We ate breakfast for dinner with ingredients from the fridge/pantry so I didn’t have to stop at the store and spend money!
Angela R says
I checked out the “free” table at my moms group and found a Halloween costume for my little one!
Dawnette Wood says
The latch of the detergent-cup door on our dishwasher broke this week. Instead of calling a repairman, my husband (who can fix just about anything) fixed it by cutting a piece out of the cover of an empty cream cheese container and superglueing it in place! I don’t know how long it will last, but it didn’t cost us a penny! 🙂
Tina Clum says
We saved money today by going to the library to pick up books we had requested.
Angel Barstow says
Tonight I really needed to go out with some friends. But because I usually ending up spending money I don’t need to when we are together, I made sure to leave my bank card at home! Can’t spend it if you don’t have it! And you know what? We had a great time just talking and window shopping 🙂 and my budget is still intact.
Heidi K says
I saved by putting together an easy dinner in the crock pot instead of asking my husband to order pizza, like I was tempted to do. I used a recipe with ingredients I had on hand.
Cathy says
I decided to paint the lower half trim on the exterior of my house. Cut the cost in half!
Heather says
My husband and I packed our leftovers from yesterday for lunch today! It was yellow beans and rice with salsa! So, a meatless meal fed the family dinner and lunch the next day! Yummy
Jodi says
We had leftovers for supper after a long day/week/month!
Leah says
Purchased a $60 coffeemaker for $20 by using Craigslist! It was a wedding gift and they never used it – hello to yummy coffee at 1/3 the price!
Asheritah says
I called to pay off my daughter’s surgery bill and asked if they had a prompt pay discount. They did, and I saved $120 just by asking. Woot woot!
megan says
I made a 2 week meal plan and shopping list!
Jessica says
I saved money by staying home, warming up leftovers, using homeschool funds to purchase an iPad case (instead of personal funds), drying laundry on the line, and making a big student loan payment.
Arlene O. says
I cooked dinner using what was on-hand/in the freezer instead of going out to eat (because when my hubby is out of town, I’d always rather eat out!). 🙂
Aleah says
I planned three more dinners out of our pantry and freezer!! Saved the money on groceries AND gas to get to the store 😀
Vi Yaso says
I was making meatloaf for dinner when i realized I had three needed-to-be-used peppers in the refrigerator. Stuffed them with a bit of the meatloaf mixture and had two entrees instead of one. Woohoo! 🙂
Andrea R says
I took my daughter and my friend’s daughter to Awana. My friend picked them both up and brought them home, so we each made one trip out. Gas is expensive in California so every little bit adds up.
Marcia Humble says
I saved today by mending a stack of my husband’s jeans.I also make the patches from an old pair that couldn’t be salvaged, instead of spending money on iron ones. Along with we ate left overs .
Monica Dowell says
Coupons, coupons, coupons! I may be a little late to the game, but recently discovered that I can load coupons to my grocer’s reward card. Then, I use at my convenience with no paper to manage. Used today!
Timalee says
My kids saw pirate costumes at the mall they wanted for Halloween, so I took them to the thrift store and helped them create their own custom pirate suits. We also found a couple books there for $.49 each that we had been planning on ordering online for $4 each.
Shawnda Embrey says
I saved money by adding a hanging closet organizer to my kids’ wardrobe rather than buying a chest of drawers for folded clothes! The savings was two-fold because I saved floor space and money!
HeidiGwood says
Scored a brand-new (in original shrink wrap!) Melissa & Doug puzzle from Goodwill for $1.47. It’s GREAT Christmas gift for my 2 year old on a tight budget! I nearly cried buying it!
Dawn York says
Today my husband went for a flu shot at CVS. When paying, he reviewed a 20% off coupon for a future purchase. I paired that with some store coupons and cash back to stock up on clearance Tylenol, pull-ups, BOGO vitamins and even milk. I saved 30%.
Amanda says
I cleaned out some books and sold online to help pay for some of my kids activities 🙂
Rachel Warner says
I saved today by making up a menu plan that uses up several things in my fridge and cabinets! Plus, once my shopping was done, I used the Walmart Savings Catcher app to see if I could get any additional savings.
Becky says
This afternoon we had a good friend come by and cut my husband’s and little guy’s hair versus going to the barber shop. He did this for free and did a good job, so we were excited to save today!
Julie says
I used an Inbox Dollars coupon and ibotta to purchase a gift today – saved at the register AND I will get cash back!
Kacey wurster says
i made two birthday gifts with craft supplies I had on hand!
Stephanie says
I clipped a coupon and signed up for diapers via Subscribe & Save on Amazon.
Jennifer says
I packed lunch for myself and the kids when we would be out and about during the middle of the day today! I would rather eat out, but I would much rather see that pretty green bar stay GREEN on our budget app!
Mo says
I matched up my coupons with ads for the week. Also, signed up to save money on a couple of new websites. Love saving money for my family.
I would love to win these books for my daughter and I to read.
Jen mc says
I made dinner by combining a couple containers of leftovers into a ‘chicken soup’
Charity Simpson says
I ran out of sniffer pads so I used an old sock instead. Worked great and cost nothing.
Charity Simpson says
Swiffer… Gotta love auto correct! 🙂
tori ross says
It was pouring here, so we went to the drive through elk and bison park that is free. (I always drop some change in the donation box though.) I went to the library and got some kid books on CD for a few long drives we have coming up!
I made tacos at home using what I had at home.
I also bought glow sticks and flashlights for the kids for Halloween at the dollar bin at target and they played flashlight games and glow dance party forever instead of watching TV. $3 and it will keep them busy on rainy evenings for awhile.
Katie C says
I used a code from Shutterfly to get a free 16×20 print of my daughters 18 month pic. Can’t wait to get my new “wall art”.
Susa says
It wasn’t today, but over the past weekend, I mended 2 shirts, 1 sweater and a pair of underwear. (That last one was just to see if it would actually work – and it did!)
Sissy Sweet says
I saved money today buy using a $10 off $10.01 coupon at Staples on an item we needed. The item was also 30% off, so we saved a lot.
I also chopped up and froze 30 sweet peppers a friend gave us. I also had 2 containers of cottage cheese that go bad next week. I made Italian spinach pie with one container, and stuffed shells with the other. The Italian pie is for tomorrow’s lunch and we had the stuffed shells for dinner. The stuffed shells were meatless, and instead stuffed with spinach, yellow squash, onions and cottage cheese.
Beverly says
I started meal planning!
Michelle says
I saves today on my snack to my childrens piano recital. It was free apples that I had picked from a friends tree! Thanks for the fun giveaway!
Amanda says
Came home after my bible study group and made sandwiches for lunch instead of going out for lunch with the ladies from my group, really hard to tell those sweet ladies no. Had leftovers for supper instead of tossing them out, so I was able to save a meal from the menu plan for another night. Also took advantage of the free books for Kindle today. 🙂
Kelly Smith says
I used ingredients from the pantry to make a pumpkin chocolate chip bread. It kept me out of the grocery store and away from Sonic!
Margy Richardson says
We are on a really tight grocery budget this week so I saved tonight by having a meatless meal for dinner. My husband is a huge meat and potatoes person, but he didn’t even complain. I think I may have to try this more often:)
Melody says
I saved some money today by going around the house outside and caulking any spots that looked like they needed it before winter. I also used coupons at Weis to get free paper towels!
Megan says
I made dinner at home in the crock pot instead of eating out since we had a very busy day. While I was busy helping my fussy 4 mo old my toddler decided to peel the bananas so instead of just throwing them away I made muffins with him for the morning role dinner finished up. 🙂
Crystal d. says
I used the Ibotta,snap and checkout 51 apps.
Stacy Stuart says
I saved money by eating Grouse noodle soup (it’s a mountain chicken) that my husband hunted while looking for Elk. No Elk but we boiled it and put in our families chicken noodle soup recipe. The frozen veggies were from our garden (green beans, carrots, and peas). Frugal and healthy!
Tamah Collier says
I saved money by cleaning my bathroom with home made cleaner. Heat 1 cup vinegar and put it in a bottle and then add 1 cup of dawn dish soap. It works even better with a Mr. Clean Magic Eraseer.
Melissa says
I saved money by getting my shopping list ready along with my coupons that matched up. Big score for the day was being able to get Halloween candy for 50 cents a bag by using coupons and register rewards!!
Michelle Vetsch says
I saved by going to Grocery Outlet to pick up snacks for my son’s preK class. (A box of Annie ‘ s organic chocolate chip granola bars for 77 cents! )
Tammy says
So I’ve been trying to figure out if the rocky background was your counter tops or a walkway/driveway outside, and now I know. 😉
For my thrifty endeavors today: I sewed myself a pair of pajama pants using flannel I’d already purchased over a year ago. I didn’t have any flannel or winter pj’s and definitely need them for our cold winter here! Also, I hemmed up a pair of jeans I purchased at Salvation Army. They were too long but fit well otherwise, and are in really nice condition. I hemmed up a skirt I got for $1, also at Salvation Army. I’ve had both garments for a while now so it is great to be able to wear them now. 🙂
Crystal Paine says
I’ve found it’s one of the best lit places to take pictures, so it’s become my new backdrop! 🙂
Kristy says
I had a big bag of jalapeños from my Aunt-in-law that were getting close to going bad in our fridge (I couldn’t use them fast enough!). I hated the thought of such good fresh produce from her garden going bad, so tonight I cut up the remaining few dozen jalapeños, diced them up in a food chopper, and then scooped a them by a couple tablespoons at a time onto pieces of Saran Wrap. I rolled them up into little bundles and them put them all into a freezer bag and put them in the freezer. Now I have little packets of diced jalapeños to add to recipes! So relieved! We love Mexican food, but we were getting tired of eating it every night trying to finish off those jalapeños!
heidi says
Great idea! My husband loves jalapeno poppers and has learned to make them himself and freeze them. He takes a few out at a time and bakes them in the toaster oven
Kristy says
You can do that!? I thought they’d get soft after freezing and reheating. Is there any trick to it?
Linda says
Instead of driving to the community rec center, I ran in my neighborhood.
Jilli says
Had a loooong day of work/school, then cross county meet followed by soccer practice. My daughter and I were gone almost 12 hours. I packed food to last us all day, so no drive-thru.
Sissy Sweet says
We do the same when I go for my every 6 weeks surgery. My driver doesn’t have to buy breakfast , coffee or lunch. I have a small cooler and a thermos, and these two items have saved a lot of money, and were a good investment.
Aleshia Harr says
I saved money today by going to the library with the kids and getting book and a few movies to watch this next week! That equal free family fun that the kids look forward to.
Debbie says
Hubs isn’t home tonight so was tempted to get a pizza for me and the kids but resisted and made dinner instead. My kids also brought lunch to school versus buying hot lunch.
Elizabeth says
Got some ceiling fans for our new house at a parking lot sale for a fraction of the cost.
Sarah @ The Teacher's Wife says
I feel sort of bad confessing this but I returned some clothes that my grandmother purchased for my daughter and then re-purchased them so I could use a 25% off Target cartwheel coupon. I was able to swap the sizes out and get the same items as well as add in a pack of tights, and we still have about $5 left to spend. This only worked b/c she gave me her original receipt and I noticed the coupon expired today. I was so thankful we were able to stretch her generous gift and could purchase some extra items she needed! 🙂
Lyn says
Don’t feel badly, that was a smart decision – and you stretched those dollars even further, which would probably please your grandmother. I think your decision was a wise one. 🙂
Heidi H says
I cooked up a roast that had been in the freezer way to long that I found when I did a deep freezer clean out this week. I cut off few frostbitten spots and you couldn’t tell it was old. I was pretty proud of cooking it where no one knew it was old.
I made smoothies today for my family for a snack and used fruit that I had frozen and canned myself. Not only was it cheaper it was also healthier than store bought canned fruit.
I went for a jog while my kids rode their bikes. Getting fresh air and exercise will hopefully save us money in the long run on doctor bills. I have been running and trying to eat better and have lost 10 lb in the last 2 months. That should help on do it bills as well. It also makes me feel better and so I get more done. That helps me feel motivated to make dinner at home instead of feeling lazy and behind which makes me want to eat out!
There are several books in that stack that I’ve been wanting to read but have been choosing to put money towards other things right now instead of my book collection.
Kristen says
We called today to have our cable and phone bill lowered. Hello extra $90 a month!
Crystal Paine says
Woot! Woot!
Sarah S says
Out of town and ordered only water at my meals out.
Sarah S says
* water for drinks. 🙂
Jenn says
I ate leftovers. I read a downloaded book from my library. Simple things!
Lindsey says
Decorated my new baby’s nursery with free airplane printables I found on the internet. Dresser was a freebie painted with free paint from a True Value coupon. Hanging a model airplane that my husbad made with his grandfather. Chair was a dumpster dive freebie that a local carpet cleaning service cleaned as a gift to us.
heidi says
How clever and thrifty! Congrats on your new baby
Kayla H says
We had leftovers for lunch that my mom brought over on Monday, so they were totally free! Plus we went out to eat dinner but split two meals for the four of us so it ended up being $5 per person, not to bad for around here :).
Lisa says
Refused to turn the A /C on even though it was 85 degrees. . . in October … in Kansas!
Polished a pair of dress shoes that I thought were past their time. They look almost new!
And my dad gave my hubby a couple of like new belts for his work clothes.
Pretty good savings day!
Amanda says
Hung all the laundry for a family of seven. Ate leftovers. Used stale bread for French toast. Made my own “magic eraser” solution to clean the walls. Resisted using paper towels for a yucky salsa spill, and used a rag instead. Drank water and nothing else!
Donna says
Saved money today by shopping at Goodwill, eating leftovers, and buying the “free after rebate” copy paper at Staples.
Katherine says
I brought a lunch to work. I also carpooled to a work event instead of taking my own car, saving gas as well as wear and tear on the vehicle. It would have been a ninety mile round trip.
Em says
I saved on dinner by getting my free BookIt alumni pizza! Nice to not pay anything!
Kaela McPherson says
I am loving these simple ideas for saving money!! So much more approachable and “doable” than the sometimes overwhelming bigger goals and ideas. Today I saved money by taking my kids to a class at the library where we pretended we were forensic scientists and used clues to solve a mystery. Free entertainment and learning 🙂
L says
I resisted coffee at the dreaded S (word). I shopped clearance at Walgreens for some fab Halloween decorations. I found a clever way to provide treats to my daughter’s class for Halloween this year approx. 30 kids. We had dinner at grandma’s and have leftovers for tomorrow. Great day!
Stacey says
I found my so. A used pair of rollerblades on an online garage sale today after searching for a while, instead of just ordering new ones. 🙂
Lyn says
Today I saved by going to a local hair salon for a haircut. By doing so I saved $10 and also gas, since my other hair salon is further away. (I stretch out haircuts as much as possible and color my hair at home.) For a birthday dinner today I was able to contribute with a $25 gift card instead of money, and for the birthday gift I had purchased an on-sale shirt with an additional discount. I also gave a homemade baked item as part of the present. The recipient was happy, which made me happy too. 🙂
missy says
Been challenging myself while on maternity leave to cook only what is on hand, managed three more meals today!!
Karen Amberson says
I used my homemade swiffer wipes, made from old towels, to mop my floor. We had eggs for dinner tonight and the savings there was from our hens who provided the fresh eggs!
Denise G. says
I went to the new Winco that opened up today. I used the coupons I got in the mail from them for a free brownie mix, cake mix, and frosting. Plus, they gave out coupons for free Litehouse ranch dressing, $1 off Langers juice, and $1 off Kraft mayo. I also saved by buying brown sugar, powdered sugar, oats, salt, noodles, etc. from the bulk bins.
Kristen says
I packed my lunch today for work, and instead of feeding my 11 month old prepackaged baby food for dinner, I made him pasta with sauce and just cut it up into bite sized pieces. He loved it, and it was so much cheaper!
Tasha says
I used a wire hanger to unclog the bathtub. Twisted it apart and made it straight to fit the drain. Then I fished out the clog. Not pretty but it works.
Emily says
I combined trips to our homeschool co-op and grocery store to save on gas, and we had leftovers for dinner!
MK says
Today I didn’t stop at the grocery store on the way home from MOPS for a treat…even though I very much wanted to!
Courtney says
Fed homemade baby food to baby. I would love to do this everyday, but time just doesn’t allow it.
Miranda says
I went to the Dr. today for my preventative health screening to save on my insurance costs….and I got a flu shot! So I guess I won’t have to buy cold and flu medicine later, ha!
Mel says
I usually always make a meal plan and stick to it (since my husband is a full-time student and I’m at home with my kids right now), but for the last two weeks both my kids and I have been really sick and I’m just TIRED. So because of my complete exhaustion, we used coupons and gift cards the last two nights and went out to eat. Today, even though I really wanted to go out to eat again and not make dinner, I thought about how much we would save just by eating in for the one meal. So I threw together a very simple meal and we enjoyed being at home for the evening.
Krista says
I made my first attempt at making my own baby food today. It was a success! Sweet potato, carrots and pears–all organic! Super easy and so less expensive than buying it!
We also ate dinner at home. My husband wanted go out, but we stayed in and saved $30!
Lisa Stiers says
I tried the new Snap app and earned $3 back from my regular grocery shopping!
sally says
First of all, cute sweater! That’s a great color of green.
I prepped snacks for tomorrow since we have mostly ingredients and I didn’t want to cave in to the chorus of “I’m hungry” that is sure to happen and go buy premade things in the heat of the moment. My batch of apples in the dehydrator are almost finished, celery sticks are sliced and soaking in water, I’m setting aside ingredients to make another batch of homemade chocolate granola bars, and now I’m printing off free homeschool worksheets. Great day!
Jessica says
I resisted to urge to go shopping and decided to wash the mountains of laundry instead.
Melinda D says
My husband and middle son changed the brakes and rotors on my car tonight. We priced them out and found them about $100 cheaper on Amazon (I love my Prime) versus the 2 auto parts places in town. We also saved at least $400 or more by doing them ourselves instead of taking it into a mechanic (and when I say “ourselves” I really mean my husband and son). =)
Jamie says
I took my lunch to work and my husband and the kids with a packed lunch to save even more.
Rachel Smith says
I modified a recipe today using ingredients we have at home already, rather than going out to buy the specific ones it required. I also switched my 6 year old’s warm weather clothes out for winter weather ones. Now I have a specific plan in my mind of certain clothes to buy her (on consignment if possible) to supplement what she already has so she can be warm through this NY winter!
Mary Rodenbeek says
I mended two pairs of slacks 🙂
Kathleen says
Packed lunches for the kids, made dinner and followed up with cable company to request a credit they owed us
Esther says
I made a delicious homemade pizza instead of ordering takeout!
Robyn says
used amazon credit from swagbucks to purchase dishwasher soap and moisturizer – no money out of pocket!
Melody says
Our blender died (again) and I decided that I want a Blendtec or a Vitamix this time around… but until I can save up the money, we don’t have a blender. Today I scored a used Ninja blender for $20! Who knows, I may be happy with it for a long time… but if not, at least it’s something until I can get what I really want!
beth s says
We stayed in today and had leftovers for dinner.
Jen says
We went to the library on the way home and got lots of books and movies which will entertain us all week for free!
Corinne says
Im
Rachel says
I stayed home 🙂
Mandy says
We went to McAlisters and used the come back cup. Plus I had a free tee on my tea punch card, so my husband and I got two teas for 1.07 and Mcalisters lets you go back for refills all day. It’s not much but we’ve been trying to reduce out to eat spending so that’s one way I can still visit my favorite place and not spend much. Their tea is what I like best anyways.
Kim H says
We cloth diaper our 2 kids and are potty training our oldest without Pullups. He is doing great & today was the first day of no accidents!
Stephine says
I cleaned my youngest son’s room today and took the toys he no longer plays with (or were simply lying in the same spot since the last time I cleaned) to the children’s resale shop. With the money I received, I was able to buy him and his older brother winter clothes.
Jean says
I saved today by using leftovers to create nachos for lunch and we finished leftover mashed potatoes at dinner.
Isabel Acosta says
I saved today by making a cake from scratch and flavoring it with strawberry syrup I made from strawberries that were getting too ripe. So instead of tossing out the berries they were made into a great dessert.
Lindsey Carl says
I opened the windows and let the cool fall air breeze through our home! (For a former Texan, this is a big deal on electricity costs 🙂 )
Denise says
The nose pad on my husband’s eyeglasses cracked and a piece broke off. We couldn’t find any replacement nose pads locally, and he was about to purchase a new pair of glasses. I found a replacement on Amazon for $2 earlier this week, paid for it with a gift card earned from Swagbucks, and just fixed them for him today. His glasses are as good as new!
Heather says
Got a book from paperback swap! Slowly trying to accumulate Before Five In A Row books on the cheap.
Karen says
Okay, it’s a small one, but after a busy day, really wanted to “pick up” supper from somewhere….Resisted, and ate from the fridge. $30 saved!
Tracey says
My husband and I made homemade pizzas for supper instead of ordering takeout pizza. Yum!
Christa Pate says
I had a friend over and instead of going out to eat we stayed at my house and had sandwiches for lunch.
Abbey Harder says
We’re doing a bathroom reno in our home, and today, I went to our local ReStore (Habitat for Humanity store) and brought home 27 (!) marble tiles for a little something special in our shower surround for $1.42 with tax!
Donna says
We had half of a grilled pork chop in the fridge. Instead of just eating it himself, Hubby chopped it up and we both had bbq sandwiches for lunch.
I went grocery shopping at got 4 Voskos yogurts for $1!! They were 10 for $10. I had a $2 Publix coupon for 4 and a $1 off 3 manufacturers coupon.
I re-sorted some of my condiment stockpile by date, so we wouldn’t waste food by letting it expire. I have a crazy amount of bbq sauce by the way. I really need to donate some.
Libby Terrell says
I did run the a/c again today. And I was at my in-laws today and she let me go through her stack of coupons. I also sat and worked on some mending!
Kate Simmons says
We walked to school to save gas, ate leftovers, mended pants, and passed used baby clothes to a friend.
Yolanda says
I normally pack lunches for my daughter, husband and myself. However, today was one of those extremely busy work days. I could have easily requested everyone eat out for lunch due to my work load. I almost feel silly for posting this, as I have saved far more on other days. Yet, I had to smile knowing that I saved at least $25 dollars just by taking the time out to make lunches today. Oh, and we ate leftovers tonight!
Angelica says
I buy starbucks about 4x a week, but today I decided to make my own iced coffee at work, not once, but twice! A little goes a long way.
Thank you for the giveaway! Will you sign the copy of your book?
Heather says
After a crazy week I wanted to spend some extra time with the kids today and have fun together. I thought of the places we could go and the money we could spend but eventually decided to stay home, play games, watch a movie from the library and read some books. Later, the kids said, “Mom, this day was awesome!” We saved money AND had a fun and relaxing afternoon!
Sara says
I packed my lunch 🙂
Davonne Parks says
Cute sweater and fun book stack!
I saved today by putting a whole chicken with potatoes and onions in the crock-pot for dinner! The chicken and potatoes can be stretched into a few different meals plus we use the bones to make our own broth for the freezer so we won’t need to buy store-bought.
Erin says
Waiting 30 minutes for my sons class to go on a field trip, I sat in my van reading a book instead of wandering the stores nearby.
Erin v says
I got a Halloween costume for my son at Salvation Army today for $2.99. I was so excited that I could get him a really nice costume for so cheap! And it can go in the dress up bin for lots more fun pretend play!
Staci Brown says
I put chili in the crock pot this morning to make me not go through the drive thru after work.
Stocked up on kid toothbrushes at walmart because they are on sale for .94.
Bought a reusable sack for .97 to use for a birthday gift instead of an expensive gift bag.
Gretchen says
I shopped at Aldi!
Diana Anderson says
Okay, I was just thinking about some of our household frugalities today! We use powdered eggs in our baking! WAY cheaper and my goodies come out just as delicious. I really can’t believe how much of a money saver this has been for us!
I’m looking forward to reading through these comments
Becki @Running with Team Hogan says
When my children have their well-visits at the doctor’s office. I always take them out to eat (as a special alone-with-mom time). Today, was my daughter’s turn. We planned the restaurant ahead of time, and I looked up a coupon from home before we went.
Nancy H. says
Resisted the temptation to drive-thru at 37 weeks pregnant and packed a picnic supper for the kids instead!
Jay Kay says
I love all the ways people are using their God-given creativity to save money! I love this new series and have learned a few smart tips! I myself made homemade buttermilk today. I also received my check from shopathome.com for over $39!
Brandy Fisk says
We ate leftovers for lunch, ate free at 2 kids events tonight for dinner (a slice of pizza, juice, water at one and a healthy homemade snack at the other), we also went to the grocery store after all of our free entertainment to pick up some free coupon items I received for being a bzzagent!
Beth says
I made apple sauce and froze it!!
Amy Villarreal says
Today, I made my own homemade chalk paint and attempted fixing up an old Craigslist desk for 2 of my boys to share.
KT says
I cut my husband’s hair.
My hubby grilled burgers on the grill tonight with local meat that had been gifted to us.
I received a $4.99 rebate check in the mail.
I used a free sample of a micro-dermabrasion paste I had been given by a friend.
Rita says
Shopped at a consignment tonight for warm clothes for the kids. Packed my husbands lunch this morning, made a batch of muffins for the freezer & cleaned the house w/ good old vinegar & water!
Teresa says
We went to the library today (free books) and had programmable thermostats installed in our house (for free)!
Ashley says
For dinner, we had green beans, tomatoes, and carrots (all from our garden). We rounded it out with oranges that my grandfather gave the kids and some zucchini noodles that a friend gave us. Delicious and free!
Molly Taylor says
i medaled planned for the next two weeks with the items I already had in my cupboard and freezer.
Kalpana says
I saved money by cooking at home and finishing the food we had left over in the pantry. Also I take kids to a free soccer practice available to 2 to 4 year olds.
Deana says
We ate our homemade granola bars as a snack.
Deana says
I too have limited sewing skills but I recently bought a beautiful shirt and it got a hole in it right on the seam. I probably could have taken it back but would have had to drive there and take my kiddos and run the risk that they were sold out of a shirt that is really did love so I mended the hole and it looks awesome if I do say so myself!
Mary says
I went to my specialist appointment for a thumb injury that happened a week ago, and found out that my joint is not dislocated. Yay! The walk-in clinic doctor thought I had a fracture and a dislocated joint; instead, I just have a fracture. I opted to continue wearing the brace for the fracture, instead of getting a cast. This definitely saved some money, as I have a $5000 deductible. After getting home, I made paleo spaghetti for supper and used zucchini from our garden for the noodles.
Linnea Lewis says
I got frosted banana bars out of the freezer for a late night snack so that I wasn’t tempted to buy a treat at the store when I was out this evening!
sherry says
Today I saved by not running out to the store when I realized I was out of an ingredient I needed but making do with what I had. I also chose to invite a woman over to enjoy lunch instead of eating out.
Melissa Bieniek says
Instead of stopping for fast food, We went home and I made dinner at home. We had potatoes, broccoli, and sausage. Girls loved it and I saved money!
Vanessa says
We purchased apples on sale to make homemade applesauce – the nutrition is better and the overall price is cheaper this way than store bought. Just a bit of extra elbow grease to can 🙂
Micaela says
Well, this morning I packed a sack lunch for my husband to take to work. Next, I officially started my 7 week old in cloth diapers. I now have both of my kids in cloth and feel like I’m saving twice the money! 🙂 then I made a batch of DIY laundry detergent, and fed my son his lunch which included green beans I canned from our garden this year instead of purchasing. This evening I went shopping for some shirts I was needing, and found all I needed on the clearance racks! Add to that the fact that I didn’t have to spend any money on formula today since I’m breastfeeding, and the savings really add up! Thanks for posting this. Whether or not i win the giveaway, I was encouraged by the reminder of how many savings opportunities I am blessed with! 🙂
Catherine says
I raked leaves today with my daughter, the old-fashioned way! there was no need to spend money for gas for a leaf blower, we got exercise, and most importantly, quality time together!
Amy Wilkening says
I paid cash for braces instead of making payments and saved a whopping 5%.
Libby says
Ate leftovers for dinner–homemade calzones. And renewed library book.
Shauna says
We used a roast that was leftover from another meal for french dip sandwiches tonight. I also took my son to the library for their discovery time and free crafts. We also love our library for the books and movies that are all free.
Tracie C. says
I saved today by finding a resource I needed for my church’s Kids Ministry for 1/4 the cost! WooHoo!!!
Carrie B says
Resisted the afternoon urge to buy a coke and refilled my cup with (free!) ice and water in the breakroom instead.
Courtney Lemon says
I checked the price of a package of meat and discovered it didn’t reflect the sale sign posted. Took it to the butcher to change price, saving about $2.
Sheri says
I packed lunches for everyone, making a lesson on cost savings of the reusable sandwich containers (my children discovered we save 40 cents a month using those two containers alone). For dinner, we enjoyed the last of the fresh green beans from the garden, leftovers, and home-canned peaches (an incredible bargain as they were the much-reduced seconds off of a commercial peach packing line). I joyfully carpooled children to Scouts in my 15+-year-old car that I love! 🙂
Sarah H says
I made homemade fries for dinner tonight even though frozen is so much easier! I also stayed away from any stores today.
Janelle says
We stayed home all day (using no gas and spending no money!), I made homemade zucchini bread and we have planovers for dinner.
Marina says
I returned something I really didn’t need!
Dani M. says
I cut up a whole, raw chicken and ended up with two breasts, two drumsticks, two thighs, one cup of cooked chicken, and two quarts of broth. I have two more chickens in the fridge, but they’ll have to wait until tomorrow!
Jen Smith says
My family is part of a ministry to Veterans at our local library. One of the vets has a soft spot for our four kids and also works at a food bank. He had a bag of frozen bread, muffins, hamburger buns, and other goodies that he couldn’t wait to share with our family. He said there was a surplus and knew we would be able to use it! Our trip to the grocery store was quickly cancelled by his generosity.
Angela K says
I needed to clean out my freezer. It is so full I have a hard time shutting it. So I took several bags of shredded coconut out of the freezer that I had used to make coconut milk and dehydrated them. After I dehydrate all the bags, I will grind the shredded coconut up to make coconut flour. I think I will have about a gallon of dried shredded coconut…not sure how much flour that will make…but not bad for something I used to just throw out. Also, I use a lot of shredded coconut so I had bought a bulk bag from amazon…I think it was 50 pounds. I also took several bags of fruit peels and cores out of the freezer that my husband had been saving to attract deer (for hunting) but never used. I will feed this to our chickens tomorrow to save on chicken feed. Yay for rescuing food from the trash!
Sarah says
I breastfed my 7week old, earned 39 swagbucks, made a whole skillet of fried potatoes out of one potato, DVR 3 Christian kids cartoons for my 3 year old instead of buying them. Took all 3 kids outside to play for free entertainment and exercise. Watched all 3 kids with their daddy, Priceless!
Sara K. says
I’ve been hoarding my CVS Extra Bucks for a little while since I have two kiddos in diapers now (25 months and 13 weeks), so I used them today to buy diapers. I spent $30 on diapers (four jumbo bags) applied $22 in extra bucks and applied coupons on top…I paid $0.09 (yes! Nine cents!) out of pocket and got $10 extra bucks back! I was on a serious coupon high!
Debbie says
I had a Dr.’s appointment located an hour away from home and knew I would be gone most of the day. So, I packed my lunch instead of eating out. I had to have an ultrasound done while at the Dr.’s office, which my insurance would not cover. My Dr. very graciously waived the fee of the ultrasound and the remainder of my visit was covered by insurance – no bill! I visited two stores without purchasing anything. There’s an ALDI in a town that was on my way back home, so I stopped in and purchased items needed to make the 6 crockpot soup freezer meals that was posted earlier this week, which I wouldn’t have been able to do at my local store until the items would have been on sale. 🙂
Katherine Lewis says
I was off from work today so I was able to cook my husband and me lunch. We usually easy out everyday so this saved us about $12 today.
Eleya says
I didn’t cave in to my daughter’s pleas for Chick fil a! We ate leftovers….even though I probably wanted Chick fil a more than she did 😉
lacie masaveg says
I made my own ‘seasoned salt’ and taco seasoning.
kris says
Ate leftovers today, sorted clothes (found some that I didn’t know I had and made a donate pile), got school items ready for tomorrow.
Kirsten says
I made dinner from the pantry when I didn’t have a meal plan…and made a great dinner of waffles, muffins & bacon.
Oh–and I used up the over-ripe bananas in the muffins! 🙂
Deb says
Today I packed a lunch, took out books from the library, and watched a live stream of a conference for free instead of paying to attend.
Wendy says
We had a jammed packed evening and it would have been super easy to pick up fast food. Instead, I saved by having a crock pot freezer meal ready for us when we got home…a recipe I got from a post on this site by the way.
Rebecca says
I needed Windex to clean in the bathroom, but I was totally out. I looked up on line homemade cleaner and found a “recipe” that called for vinegar, water, and lemon essential oil. Worked great. I think next time, I’ll add a little more water and add more lemon to cut down on the vinegar smell. I was pleased considering it’s the first time I’ve ever made homemade cleaner. I’ve also updated my shopping list to get more vinegar (instead of Windex). 🙂
Alice says
I packed 4 lunches today – mine, my hubbys, and my two children’s.
Amy says
We earned enough fuel points at the grocery store over the last while to get a dollar off per gallon of gas. Gas was down to $2.98/gallon today, so we jumped at that and only had to pay $1.98/gallon.
Nan M says
I shopped at CVS: got 2 cases of water, 3 12 packs of Sierra Mist and a bottle of Pepsi for $2.33 after coupons and Extra Bucks. Then got $2 EB back!
Then I made homemade soup from leftover chicken and leftover corn cut from the cob. Yummm
Abbie says
I called my wireless provider and lowered my bill by almost $50 a month by making some changes to my plan! I also started my first menu plan! Tomorrow, the shopping list!!
Tasha says
I saved today by using cloth diapers. It takes a little extra effort, but it saves a lot of money and they are actually really cute on my little Isaac!
Just want to say I love your blog! I just found it about a month ago, and I have enjoyed reading your posts. I also have three children (ages 6, 3, and 10 months), and I’m homeschooling my daughter. I’ve found a lot of helpful info in your posts that relate to my situation. Keep up the good work! 🙂 Be blessed!
Crystal Paine says
Thanks so much for your kind encouragement!
And I love cloth diapers! Used them exclusively with my first and we saved SO much money!
Christa says
My front door is very outdated and really needs replaced. But, that’s not an option right now. So, I went to the paint store and bought a can of black paint for $9 or so. I painted that old wooden door inside and out. It looks so fresh and nice against the white siding and white trim!
Natasha says
Stayed home today, so I didn’t spend any money. Wanted to get out of the house today, but had to watch my niece instead.
Ashley says
Let’s see…. I made our own whole wheat bread, cleaned our bathrooms with a homemade cleaner, and mixed up spices for Italian, Taco and Adobo Seasonings.
Amanda says
I used up some fridge items instead of throwing them away. It gave us another meal and I don’t feel like it’s money down the drain!
Heather Schneider says
Today I was home all day and that saved a lot of gas! We have been running with a family member in the hospital and it was bliss to have three home cooked, scratch meals and family home all day. We ate almost all vegetarian and seasonal today as well, which also saved a lot of money and the fruit and veggies are great for our health! Oh, I also cancelled a Dr. Visit which was not needed and would have cost us $600, so that was the biggest savings of all. 🙂
Andrea says
I made an easy dinner at home instead of going out. It ended up costing less than $3.50 for the whole meal rather than the over $20 we would have spent at a restaurant.
Amanda says
I cashed in my Swagbucks for an Amazon gift card. 🙂
Crystal Paine says
Woohoo!
Kathryn G says
Today I cleaned out my fridge–we ate some leftovers and I sent some along to work for my husband’s college-student coworker. It saves her money and helps me along to my goal of zero food waste. I also made my own coffee creamer instead of buying the expensive stuff. I received my daughter’s Christmas present–bought entirely with Amazon gift cards from Swagbucks. Yay!!
Becky Przy says
I put the canned cream of chicken soup back on the shelf at the grocery store. I knew I had the ingredients at home to make my own–I chose saving $ over convenience.
Carrie O. says
By cooking dinner at home tonight ( even though I was tired and debated eating out).
Turned out to be one of the best quiches I’ve ever made!
CateH says
I made dinner with what I had from the pantry instead of getting MickeyD’s!
Charity says
I used a $2 coupon from a Hallmark survey receipt to buy wrapping paper and I got another survey on my receipt!
Jessica says
Made chicken pot pie for dinner instead of ordering out!
Michelle D says
I went to a rummage sale today and got my son like new jeans for 1.00 a pair. I also got like new Nike sneakers for 1.00. I got a like new slip for .50 and my daughter loved it as she just paid 30.00 for one just like it. But my best deal was an android phone for 1.00 that was like new and works great to replace mine that was not working well.
Kaci says
I used a mobile coupon at Target and saved $5!
Bobbie Jo Shockley says
I drove back to the house (normally go right to preschool), after getting my first grader to school, to get the Preschool bag with jump rope for show and tell today that my 3 year old uses to bring show and tell to preschool.
Bobbie Jo Shockley says
So, I misread the post and thought we were supposed to tell how we “saved today,” not how we saved money today. 🙂 To save money today, we went to the library. 😉
Jacki says
I went through the freezer to see what we needed and what we had already. I made home made French fries for supper and cooked all our meals at home this whole month! I’m planning on stocking up on ground beef this week for $2.49/lb for locally grown beef and frozen veggies for .69lb. I cleaned house with vinegar and water. It’s clean and sanitized.
alissa says
My daughter has an eight o’clock soccer game over an hour away on Saturday so today I made a double batch of muffins for lunch so I will have enough for breakfast Saturday. Now I won’t have to stop somewhere for food on the way to the game.
Jen F says
Today I saved money by using the cream skimmed off of the top of raw milk to make butter. Saved the “buttermilk” to use in baking bread, tortillas, pancakes etc.
anna says
Cooked up a big batch of black beans in the pressure cooker, and froze most in baggies to use instead of canned. Then ate some over rice with my daughter for lunch. Saved the price of canned beans, the time it would have taken without a pressure cooker, and enjoyed a cheap, healthy meatless meal.
Angie H says
Husband grilled burgers (with discounted meat I had frozen). Great night at home not spending money.
Maria says
Made and froze banana bread from very ripe bananas, served my family mini apple pies from apples I bought in bulk, enjoyed the rainy night with my loved ones by watching free redbox( my reward from shopkick) and finished Christmas shopping through Swagbucks. Praise God for amazing deals like these!
Kori says
Our public library has a culture pass program that allows us to get 2 free passes to various attractions in the area such as the children’s museum and the zoo. They are a first come first serve basis, and they only have 1 of each available each day for the most popular places. So, with a little bit of planning and organization, we picked up passes to the children’s museum today. This will allow me or my husband to have a special weekend outing with our son.
Amie says
I saved money on my kids’ Halloween costumes and shoes by using shopyourway rewards coupons that were emailed to me. I had a $10/40 and a spend $35 and get $10 back in points. I actually called Syw and asked if they could be stacked. The representative said as long as I spent $50, I could. Well, I bought 3 costumes on sale for 30% off and 2 pairs of boys’ shoes that were marked down to $4.99 and $7.99. The coupons did not work together, but the customer service rep was great and they split up my transactions, made a few mistakes, and corrected it with a return. In the end, I spent $64 and got back $10 in points. I know there are cheaper places to get costumes, but my kids play dress up in their costumes year round and get a lot of use out of them so I don’t mind paying more for the more durable ones. They also get so much joy out of walking into the store and being able to pick out whatever they want for a costume.
Rebekah D says
Bought my husband a new pair of high quality shoes to keep from buying several ok quality pairs.
Whitney says
I saved by taking the time to compare prices, make a plan & jump through some hoops to get the best possible deal on a new vacuum ( mine konked out last week). Between discount codes, ebates & Kohls cash I got a great deal, but it took some planning & time!;)
Eunice says
I went on my daughters school field trip to the zoo (discounted price!), left my other two with my sister in law (free babysitting!) and we had leftovers to eat for dinner!!
Emily says
I went on a quick Target run and used: Cartwheel, Target coupons, Manufacturers coupons, ibotta, checkout51 AND Snap. Thankfully my 2 girls (ages 1 & 3) are great shoppers so I’m able to figure out the deals on the run. 🙂
Liz says
With four little ones (5 to 7 months) it’s super hard to go shopping for anything but needful items – hence my love for online shopping, using coupon codes and free shipping! Today it was saving $70 for dress boots, and cooking a large pot of black beans vs. canned. 🙂
Heather says
Ha! I just did the same thing two days ago. I have a cute dress I was about ready to wear out of the house when I noticed a gigantic hole in the armpit. Well, I learned how to sew this summer on my grandmother’s sewing machine which was passed down to me (free). I whipped it out and repaired the hole. I able to wear the dress the very next day, hole free!
Tiffany says
Not sure if this counts as saving but…I ordered a deep freezer and organized my next few weeks of freezer cooking. Gotta get ready for baby number two to join us! Oh…we’re picking it up from the store so we don’t have to pay delivery 🙂
Melissa says
I cut my 2 boys and husbands hair. My oldest son even wanted a new style and my daughter thought I had taken him to the barber. We found the style by looking online and looking at photos from different angles of the “famous” soccer player.
Melissa says
I actually made homeade bread… Thanks to this fall weather getting me in the mood!
Emily says
We had leftovers for dinner 🙂
Jasi Peterson says
I saved today by making homemade salsa with veggies from my garden. Tonight’s dinner was tacos and hubby has to have salsa on them so by making it fresh I saved a trip to the store.
Cathy says
OK, It’s not fancy, but I saved today by getting our next book on CD at the library instead of buying it.
Alicia says
I saved today by making homemade pizza, instead of ordering like I was very tempted to do!
Kristan says
I took the kids to our local farmers market. Each week we go the ones who are 5 and up get $2 each in tokens to spend on fruits and vegetables. Between my 3 oldest we got a free cantaloupe and 4 free apples.
Michelle Plemons says
We saved by staying home, and eating leftovers and from the pantry for all three meals today.
Kim B says
My daughter (nearly 5) has never had access to her closet because we starting using it before she was born for the Christmas and camping stuff. However, the makeshift manner in which we’ve been hanging dresses from the side of a small bookshelf is no longer working now that they’re getting longer. I had some PVC pipe hanging around and repurposed a few other materials and she shall soon have a custom clothes rack for her dresses. Beats buying one by a long shot!
Stephanie says
The kids and I had to go out to tackle a few errands. Instead of stopping to eat, we packed some healthy snacks to eat in the car!
Tracy says
We saved money today by heating up a frozen pizza for dinner instead of going out to eat.
Julie Waldron says
I used coupons tonight at Rite-aid.
Rebecca Scott says
I used a Cartwheel and the bogo sale at Target to get two costumes for $15 – my girls are finally old enough to want to pick their own so I was happy with that. I will be able to resell them after Halloween and get back what I paid : )
Cindy Stevens says
We all ate a home cooked meal and watched a movie that we checked out of the library. Dinner and a movie for a fraction of the cost
Kelly M Wright says
I fed my parents, husband and son dinner tonight for about $10. (I don’t eat meat so I only had carrots). I kept my 3 year old laughing when he was having a melt down because he didn’t get his way, and yes he will say that is why he is doing it.My day ended on a positive note!
Michelle says
i saved .25 on milk with iBotta app. It may only be .25 but I almost forgot to submit it!
Robin Y. says
I did my own ironing!
This seems like an easy task, but did I mention that it was 2 duvets: one that my LO “tee-teed” on (!) and the other for our guestbed. I knew it would take forever, so I asked my dry cleaner how much it would cost, and she said “$30 for two”. I came home & put on a podcast & got to work!
Jennifer West says
I try to have several days a week that I spend no money and see how much I can earn that day. So today was eating all meals from food at home, walking with a friend for lunch instead of going out shopping, and a small chunk of my day doing swagbucks, super points, and big rewards to bring in a little as well. Since I have to do domes hopin tomorrow I have also spent a few minutes organizing my coupons and shopping plan.
Teresa says
I ate leftovers and earned some swagbucks.
Kristy says
I was really in the mood for Chinese food but not the expense or drive for it. So I made chicken fried rice with leftover chicken, leftover rice, some veggies I had to use up and some delicious veggies I had on had. And I had pit stickers in the freezer I picked up I sale for nights like this to round out our meal!
Good job on the mending -that is a serious money saver. I got to the bottom of my mending pile last week!
Rebecca says
It probably seems basic, but tonight we skipped the temptation of a fast food run on a busy night and used up leftovers for dinner instead.
Caroline says
I worked on removing the wallpaper in my bathroom. Then, I had leftovers for lunch, took at 3 mile walk at the park instead of having a gym membership. After that I read an ebook I had checked out from the library. Lots of great savings today!
Kari says
I used a coupon combined with a Toys R Us rewards certificate to score some free board games for my son for Christmas!
Miranda says
My husband did the grocery shopping today, so I wasn’t able to use coupons. However, I did take a picture of the receipt when he got home and earned some cash back with the rebate apps ibotta and snap!
Katy @ Purposely Frugal says
Saved today by earning some swagbucks (I have enough for about $70 of Amazon gift cards). I made homemade laundry detergent today too.
Marcie says
I went through my closet and found out that I can wear a lot of clothes that I could not fit last year at this time (I dropped about 35 pounds). I will have a new fall wardrobe without buying it!
Catherine says
Stayed home and played with my kids and randomly had swagbuck videos playing!
Karen says
I saved today by not giving into my my children’s requests to buy any of the Halloween candy that seemed to be surrounding us at Walmart and Menards.
Mandy says
I’m a college student who has been REALLY bad about eating out too much.. And today I made the effort to pack my lunch and bring it to school! It feels SO good knowing I not only had a healthy meal but I saved money by bringing it myself. Perhaps a small step for some, but a big step for me! 🙂
Misty Nicole Overstreet-Roberts (The Lady Prefers To Save) says
Today I went to see my primary care physician, and as I have lost over 20 lbs., and am half way through my weight needed to jump start my pcos, low-amylose diet, I no longer need one of my medications; not only is my health bettering, but not having to buy this prescription, I will save $200.00 over the next year! The pills I no longer need can be donated to my local veterans home nurses office. Win win for me!
debbie says
I packed a lunch rather than buying something.
Jessica says
My 4 year old son asked for a smoothie for lunch… then didn’t eat it. I dug out my bpa-free popsicle mold and poured it into the holders. Tomorrow we’ll have four healthy fruity pinapple-kiwi-mango popsicles!
Danielle Gregory says
can i say how i saved *this week*? because i saved $2.25 *today*, by using coupons, but that wasn’t the big deal. on Tuesday, i stopped at a second hand store and bought a 1960’s blender that actually ground rice into fine flour; i paid $15 – some people pay hundreds of dollars for the Vitamix to be able to do that! AND, yesterday, i found someone on Craig’s List giving away a used office printer; we have needed a printer for some time now, i got this for free, and will save a bit on having to go to the office store for printing services – plus, after doing a little research it turns out it’s a $2,000 printer! just had to share! 🙂
Sarah says
I needed new sunglasses and spent time digging through walmart’s clearance and found a cute pair for $5.
Linda Webber says
i made apple butter to freeze with sale apples.
Jen says
Today I breastfed my baby instead of buying formula, saved gas by staying home all day, got my basement cleaned out to make room for a freezer which will save me money eventually since I will be able to do more freezer cooking and stockpiling. And in the process of cleaning out the basement I found a jacket I had saved from my older son that my younger son can wear now instead of buying a new one.
Christina P says
I price matched at the grocery store this afternoon. Didn’t save much, but every little bit helps!
Amy says
I sewed some buttons back on some shirts and pants, brought my lunch to work today, and drank 8 cups of water from my reusable tumbler!! 🙂
LeeAnn says
We have been eating off of a whole roast chicken all week! It is amazing how far you can make it stretch. Granted, we are a family of 2 plus a 4 month old baby. But, first night, roast chicken. Second night, chicken casserole. Third night, tacos. And I just finished simmering down what was left for chicken soup for tomorrow night. $7 protein all week long!
Krystal says
I am currently cooking a large pot of potato hamburger soup (Your sister Bridget’s recipe ;)) for dinner for our family of 4 that will last for 3 meals total!
Tammy @ SkipperClan says
does it count as saving money that I sold stuff on local facebook swap sites and pocketed $160?!? Besides that, we grilled dinner at home instead of ordering takeout even though we were both really tired!
Krista says
I continued to shop from my pantry for meals this week to stay out of the grocery store 🙂
Alisha says
I saved today by making my coffee at home – although I was dying for Dunkin Donuts pumpkin spice, lol!
Rebecca Cross says
I packed snacks (bought on sale!) for my five kids and I while we were in town today instead of stopping and getting fast food!
Esther says
I cooked a big batch of popcorn on the stovetop, added spray oil and salt, and put it in a big Tupperware with a lid. I took it with us when we ran errands so the kids would have something cheap and sorta healthy to eat!
Tracy Hawkins says
I saved $$ today by staying home! No money spent today 🙂
heather says
I saved by letting my mother in law trim my hair instead of going to the hair salon!
Miriam says
I packed my lunch and brought it to work instead of going out.
Carrie Byerly says
I have 2 children in grade school. I thought it would be fun to send treat bags to their classes for Halloween. That’s 41 bags in total. So to cut the cost down. I used my printer to print out cute Halloween tags and used a huge bag of candy left over from my son’s birthday last month. So all I ended up buying was little fillers such as pencils and stickers. Inexpensive treat! That I’m sure the all the kids will love.
Sandi says
I bought a beauty device that cost the same amount as ONE of the same service at the salon! Major save!
Anna says
I packed picnic supper for my kids’ tonight instead of going to the concession stand at the cross country meet I attended to support my husband’s team.
Susan in St. Louis says
We are moving into a larger home in a few weeks, so I’ve been on the lookout for furniture. Today I bought a La-z-Boy loveseat in PERFECT, like-new condition for $99. A FREE La-Z-Boy recliner (with a bit more wear) came with it. Both are only 4 years old and were in an elderly lady’s apartment. I feel like we got a great deal, as there’s no way we’d get a loveseat of that quality for less than $500 or so new. Yay! And can I say that I love Craigslist…?? 🙂
Mindy says
I saved today by making soup for supper–used homemade broth I made with a rotisserie chicken I got for free, meat from the same bird, and some ingredients I had on hand (sort-of-free soup!). Then I made my own granola bars (thanks for the recipe, by the way). I stayed home all day instead of driving my Suburban Gas Hog around; served leftovers for lunch, used a power strip to turn off the TV, DVD player, Wii, and VCR all at once; and commented on a blog post to try to win free books! 😉
Amber Martin says
I kept my niece for the morning, my turn in our babysitting swaps to save us both money! And the kids love playing with their cousins.
Ate leftovers for supper and packed lunches for tomorrow.
ashley says
Ever since I became a stay at home mom our spending has been very limited. We have made changes in our life to afford for me to be at home with our kids. One of the hardest change was for my husband to give up not only sporting events but even being able to watch sports on TV due to us eliminating cable. Today we went to a local Jr High football game even though our children are 5 and under. Not only is it free entertainment for my family but it helps provide “sports entertainment” for my husband, as well as supports our community. That is a lot of positivity ALL FOR FREE.
Diane says
Great idea! I’m sure the players appreciated the extra support, too.
kathleen says
I saved today by checking out some books at my local library 🙂
Sarah McCubbins says
I made dinner at home and made my own curtain for my kitchen!
Darla says
I saved today by making take out at home rather than ordering. I really wanted fried rice and sweet & sour chicken and had the ingredients here, so I made it for waaay less than ordering it would’ve cost.
Sarah Von Eye says
I saved by bringing my own lunch and coffee to work. I also just stayed home on my break instead of venturing out to Hobby as planned.
Ariel says
I took my kids clothes to a local consignment that keeps a store balance for me that I turn around and use to buy new outfits for my kids that are on a 50-75% clearance. It’s more of a trade for clothes instead of buying clothes constantly. I rarely have to purchase clothes out of pocket anymore.since kids grow so quickly it saves money. My kids also pick toys to bring in and consign and in turn get new toys. They love trading toys and always having something new to play with.
KimF says
I saved today by using brown packing paper I got from a shipment as filler to cut out a tree for our church bullentin board. Also used burlap from an old wreath that had faded and painted a Bible verse on it to use on the board too. It all turned out great!
Jillaine Comardo says
I searched the newspaper to find a coupon for the restaurant where my husband wanted to go for his birthday.
faith says
instead of throwing out leftover spaghetti sauce I made pizza!
Rebecca says
I put off going to the store for one more day, and instead scrapped up something to make with what I had left (pigs in a blanket, kids were happy lol).
I also have felt like I’m in a fashion rut, but instead of going shopping, I pulled out all my clothes & tried to make some new outfits by pairing up things I usually wouldn’t. And while it’s not saving me money, I also came up with a box of clothes to take to goodwill at the same time.
Great job on your sweater! I love that green.
Christy says
Served my 4 kids concession stand nachos for dinner! We are playing sports this year, and nachos are so tempting for them at the concession stand. I told them that instead of buying them each an order at the game at $3 each, I would buy the giant can of nacho cheese sauce and chips from Sam’s and they could have several servings at home. They couldn’t wait for a game, so I cooked taco meat to make it more filling and we ate a special, although quite unhealthy dinner. We will take the rest to an outdoor gathering Saturday night. All for less than the price of four orders of nachos at the ballgame.
Brett says
I saved today by redeeming a starbucks reward for a free venti salted caramel mocha. (I ended up spilling the whole thing – yup, that kind of morning ;)) Thanks for the giveaway 🙂
Anna Belle says
I had a brunch (instead of breakfast + lunch) at home using leftover dinner which I re-cooked into a new dish using some additional ingredients from the fridge. Also, since my clothes from yesterday is still clean, I wore it again today (less laundry) to go grocery shopping using coupons on sale items.
Shannon says
I saved money on Halloween decorations, by saving jars to decorate like pumpkins and ghosts.
Anna says
I made my own applesauce.
Shelley says
I finally downloaded the ibotta app and watched the videos, did the polls, etc. before I went to the grocery store for my usual trip. It had been a while since I downloaded it and am glad I trie it again
Sheila says
I ordered a large amount of groceries from Azure Standard and spent a bunch of money. By doing this, I will save money this month by staying out of the local grocery store! Not as many trips to the store = money staying in my pocket.
Jo says
I made homemade gluten-free pizza instead of ordering out, used that $10 off $25 coupon at JcPenney’s and stacked sales to get some much needed jeans and pajamas for myself for under $24! (mine have holes that cannot be repaired), and skipped the drink I really wanted at Starbucks despite having to be a single mom for a few days while my hubby travels for work. Ate leftovers for lunch and homemade granola for breakfast.
Jaime says
i am helping my daughter and son-in-law save on daycare costs by babysitting my grandson while they both work fulltime. I am enjoying every minute of it. I am saving money by not driving in town every day to work.
Angela Brown says
Tonight I used what we had on hand for dinner instead of finding an excuse to eat out when we don’t have the extra funds to do so. Also I chose to use cloth wipes instead of some pampers we had on hand.
Amy says
We had breakfast foods for supper.
Allison says
Hi Crystal! I save by using a 32 oz water jug at work to drink from. I try to drink one full of ice water in the morning and another one after lunch. I also pack y lunch every day instead of spending $5-10 on lunch every day. I have been using the sale flyer to pick out what I need from the store and then searching for coupons in your database.
Allison
Etta says
I canned up some fresh pear sauce today it will help fill my pantry for the hard winter months
Becky says
Today I made an ice cream cake for my sons birthday party this weekend–much cheaper than buying one 🙂
Christina L. says
Everything my family ate today was food our entire family prepared at home! For breakfast, we all had cereal or waffles. For lunch, my kids and husband brown-bagged it, and I ate last night’s dinner, part two. After school, kids and I brought snacks and drinks from home to a nearby park. For dinner, I made arroz con pollo and a part two lunch for tomorrow. Full-circle food savings today!
Becky says
Stayed home!
Jenn says
I cooked dinner with all items that we had on hand(pepper steak and rice). It was a new recipe that I found on pinterest, and we agreed that it was a keeper! I also baked some brownies instead of going to the store to buy some junk food to pack in our lunches 🙂
Jen says
I mended a kids apron my daughter received as a gift. It will, along with a little chefs hat, now be my one-year-old son’s Halloween costume.
I also got up extra early (3:20 am) to get beef stew in the crockpot. My son had minor surgery REALLY early this morning and I knew we were going to be tired and I wasn’t going to want to cook later in the day. Crockpot to the rescue. We all enjoyed the beef stew and it was all super tender and flavorful for having cooked for 14 hours.
Karissa says
I used my cartwheel app and red debit card at Target today for some savings 🙂
Kelli says
I took my lunch to work and am reading a kindle book I borrowed through the library.
Jen says
i made my own roasted tomato soup from the garden vegetables laying in my counter. My kids love tomato soup, so instead of buying yet another can of the condensed variety, I used what I had on hand to make my own. The soup is healthier, I used up a bunch of vegetables that needed to be used up, and I saved money to boot. Win, win, win!
Stephanie says
When I realized we were out of bread, I baked a loaf at home rather than running to the store to buy some. I always end up with more than just bread, even at Dollar Tree and their great nature’s own bread specials. Plus this is fresh, free of preservatives, and used ingredients we already had on hand!
Taylor Clark says
We made our weekly visit to the library. Free entertainment for the kids at story time, a new assortment of books for the kids and one for me, and even a DVD.
Emily Fife says
I served leftovers for dinner since I didn’t want to cook and was pondering eating out.
Jennifer P says
My kids always want to do something after school. Usually it involves spending some sort of money. Today we went to our local park that has outdoor trails and a duck pond. We hiked around the trails, fed the ducks and collected fall leaves. We came home, had a snack and made leaf rubbing! Fun that didn’t cost a thing and fall decorations for our home! Win/win
Katherine says
I sepa
Katherine says
I separated and packaged up a bulk bacon purchase into 12 and 6 oz portions and froze them. This purchase saved us $2/lb on something we use fairly often!
rachel says
I saved today by painting our trim instead of hiring painters. Technically, we saved the money nine years ago when we originally built the house and decided to paint it ourselves rather than hire painters. BUT, four kids and nine years later…the window/doorway/baseboard trim are all still unpainted. I finally painted half of the downstairs trim today!
Stephanie says
I used CVS extracare bucks earned from prescriptions to pay for our Halloween candy stacked with coupons and sale. Six bags of name brand candy for $.75 out of pocket. My husband was impressed.
Karen says
My kids and I tried air popping popcorn on the stove. Yummy and frugal!
I also am making curtains for my kids rooms this evening.
It Will Be Okay looks like a book my daughter would especially benefit from. You always have such great book recommendations! Thank you!
julie says
I stayed home all day. Not leaving the house always saves money!
Susan says
We were out of bread and salad dressing so my boys and I made our own. It all turned out pretty well, and we used ingredients that we already had on hand. If we had made even just a quick run to the store we would probably have purchased other things which we didn’t really “need.”
Terry Whitney says
I hung three loads of laundry outside on the line saving on my electric bill 🙂
Ashlie hogan says
I used a Walmart savings catcher gift card to save on groceries when I didn’t have coupons!!!
Tracy Selle says
I bought a slipcover for my faded chair instead of buying a new chair. It doesn’t fit perfectly, but it looks good and saves me money! 🙂
Karen says
I saved today by eating leftovers at home instead of going out to eat. I hate leftovers, but I love saving money! 🙂
Karen says
I hung the laundry out on the line to dry rather than running the dryer. And then for dinner we ate leftovers with vegetables from our own garden.
Emily N says
I compared prices for something online vs. buying it in store and found out that my item was cheaper online. To top it off, I was able to order it from Amazon using gift cards earned through swagbucks! Yay!
Diane says
I recently signed up for an account at Ulta, so they started sending me their catalog. Today I discovered that there are 4 fragrance sample cards in the current catalog. I pulled them out and will use them on my next evening out. Beats spending money on expensive perfume!
CryStal says
i made a pallet bookshelf today. The pallet was given to me and I painted it with paint I already had. Frugal and green! 🙂 there are so many books in the stack that are on my reading list. Thanks for doing a giveaway!
Lynette Wheeler says
It’s nothing spectacular but I used our leftover rice to make a simple fried rice for dinner. I had been cooking bigger meals all week and was a bit burnt out. It turned out perfect though… We had a quick, simple dinner that we caught a glimpse of the International Space Station flying overhead tonight! It was awesome!
Allison says
I got an email that said I had surprise “shop your way” rewards credits, one for 10 dollars off a 10 dollar clothing purchase at sears and one for 12 dollars off any 12 dollar purchase at sears. I ordered some clothes for my nephew from Sears.com and chose free pick up at our local store, so all together I paid only 71 cents for 23 dollars worth of cute and cozy winter baby clothes, yay!
Julie says
I made hot chocolate to take to my sons soccer game instead of stopping to buy a hot drink
Kylie says
I took some of the “give-away” shirts that my husband no longer wears, and instead of donating them, I cut one up and used it to make patches for his two pairs of work jeans that were going to get tossed.
Saves me a bundle on clothes, AND I got to introduce my little girl to frugal thinking and how to sew!
Julie says
I saved by repurposing ‘Melissa & Doug’ wooden crates from playdough and magnet kits. I used English chestnut colored stain on them and sealed with a clear coat. These kept me from buying 2 trays to use on my kitchen counters to organize with. I’ll use one for coffee stuff, the other for baking odds and ends. And they don’t look too shabby either!
Debi says
How fun! I saved today by shopping at Aldi. Their prices are much lower than other stores. Nice work on the sweater!
Blessings!
lori says
This church and car business were offering free oil changes to single mom’s.
Jessica says
I had leftovers already packed for my husbands lunch, so he grabbed that instead of spending the money on gas to come home.
Amanda says
I packed leftovers for lunch instead of going out. I also did not visit the vending machine.
Stephanie Figurella says
I was planning on taking the boys to Target today to get a few things to fill a basket so that we can Boo a neighbor (ding dong ditch, Halloween style). I think it was just automatic to think of Target for this little project. But, it occurred to me on the way there that the dollar store was a much better place. I mean, of course but it just didn’t occur to me until I was on my way. We got a great basket together for a few dollars instead of 20 or 25 that it would have cost at Target.
Laci says
We are in the thin part of the month before my husband gets paid so I saved today by eating all meals at home and I also found a good deal on a used coat for my growing 2-year-old.
Terrie M says
I painted my entry way myself instead of having a painter do it. I also used coupons at Great Clips to save money on haircuts for the boys.
Thank you for not asking how I didn’t save money today as I had a few examples of those too 🙂
Amy S says
It’s a hurry up and get to child activity tonight that makes it easy go to a drive through, but we came home and warmed up left overs!
Jen in TX says
Made my own nut milk, and made my own deodorant!
Amanda says
I saved by taking one of my husbands old t-shirts and making a “new” one for my son from it!
Mercy says
I saved today by making my breakfast at home and bringing it to work with me instead of buying breakfast on the way to work or in the cafeteria at work. Thank you for your heart for God, this amazing website, and this great giveaway!
Tami says
I’m canning and freezing organic fruit for winter. Nectarines, applesauce, pears, Italian prunes. $.25-$1 per pound.
Renee says
I used cloth diapers on my baby, and knitted on some wool covers for the diapers–way cheaper than buying them!
Jennifer says
I saved today by not spending any money…which can be difficult with all these special offers out there lol. My girls and I also used already colored on art/scratch paper for cutting out paper dolls and we made our own cream of chicken soup. 🙂
Stephanie DeMarr says
Instead of going out to eat when my guy went out to a meeting my son and I dug around the fridge and made a homemade cheese pizza with some crust homemade sauce and cheese I got on sale:)
Melinda says
I packed lunches this morning for my husband and 2 kids. I graciously turned down a lunch and shopping invite to clean out my basement and pack up for goodwill. I made a nice spaghetti and meatball supper then we had homemade popcorn for a snack before bed ! A good day!
Paula says
I saved by scrounging around for dinner when I forgot to plan a meal for tonight and TOTALLY did not feel like cooking. I did anyways. And I paid our car bill early and put extra on it, so that’s saving us on interest in the long run. (We just started baby step 2 on the Dave Ramsey plan.)
Karolina Wayne says
I fixed our lawn mower! my hubby was ready to go to the store, when I asked him to give me a bit more time. He watched kids, I took apart and put it together lawn mower and it works!;)
Christy says
Today was a CRAZY day-nothing went as planned! By dinner time, I was spent and so ready to pick up the phone and order take-out. Instead I raided my fridge and threw together a stir fry with veggies, leftover rice, and chicken. I saved money (and calories) by using up my leftovers and making a fast and healthy meal!
mountain mama says
Well, we were believing the Lord for a good deal on a winter coat for our son…not just any coat…a camoflauge coat, mind you. In walked my MIL today with a Carhart coat, camo size 7. She did not know our request but HE did! That is $ saved! Praise the Lord!! 🙂
Kirbee N. says
Today was a crazy busy day, but I’m still proud of myself for a little something. I saved money today by cooking up a bunch of veggies to use for meals throughout the next week. I baked a cooking pumpkin and spaghetti squash. Veggies can take so much time, so I’m hoping to use the squash for a healthy cheesy “alfredo” bake this week and the pumpkin for some muffins. Because pumpkin spice is all the rage right now 🙂
Sarah Jenkins says
I saved today by packing my lunch instead if going out, made my own shake n bake with ingredients in cupboard instead of buying and used coupons and mail in rebates.
Morgan says
I made lunch for my friends and myself instead of going out to eat.
Anne Obie says
I saved time by using the crockpot today!
Amanda@CrunchyHippieLife says
My husband got to come home for lunch today! So I made us some turkey burgers, potatoes, and got out some carrots and dip. Tonight I’ll be multitasking (listening to webinars and podcasts while I make dinner and clean the kitchen), and I just renewed our DVDs and library books that I have checked out.
Michelle Walsh says
Sorry if this is a repeat…I didn’t see my comment. So disregard one of them! I saved 30$ at Publix. Cost went from $105 to $72.42. I also had purchased a 3 piece swimsuit set for my daughter that was 90%off, so I paid 5$ for it. It was too big and I took it in. It fits her great now. The inside sewing job doesn’t look so great but on the outside you can’t even tell!
Melissa says
I car pooled with my husband to work and brown bagged both our lunches.
Rebecca says
I bought supplies to make a headboard using 50% off coupons.
Kari L. says
I’ve recently lost weight and my clothes are getting too big! So I went to goodwill today and found 2 pants, two shorts, and a really cute dress for $30!
Melissa says
I made bread. We use about four loaves a week and at a savings of $3 per loaf it really adds up.
J says
We went to the library today after our flu shots we have been eating out the pantry all week long , made banana bread with my over bananas and lastly hung out my laundry as I do all the time until it gets too cold to do,so!
Brooke says
I saved today by borrowing books from the library and preparing/eating dinner at home with my family.
JoAnna says
Picked up some groceries and used the Savings catcher ap with Walmart to try to save!
Jennifer B says
Brought lunch to work
Stopped buying soda
Said “no” to Starbucks
becky says
My hubby and I went to breakfast. Such a great way to have date time without spending a lot! Under $20, no sitter (kids at school) and we had s great time getting out!
Jamie says
I bartered with a former classmate of mine and got a free massage (we’re both massage therapists). Next week I give her one 🙂
Debbie says
I saved by meeting my morning caffiene need with part of a 75 cent generic bottle of diet cola rather than going through the drive thru for a $1 fountain soda. I have about 3 days of soda for less than the price of one fountain.
Rebecca says
I saved today by staying home (no gas used) and not going out to eat like I had originally planned. I made a grilled cheese sandwich for dinner instead.
Beth says
Cleaning out the refrigerator and eating leftovers for dinner saved us money today.
Sheryl Williams says
I saved today by staying home =)
Michelle Walsh says
I saved 30$ at Publix today. My final total was 72.48, The initial cost was 105$. I also bought a swimsuit for my daughter that was 90% off (I paid 5$ for the swimsuit tankini, bottoms and board shorts) When we tried it on it was too big. So I took in the sides. It fits her great!
Jennifer says
I mended two pairs of workout pants that I’ve had for 15 years!! They’re still going strong except for a seam that needed stitched back up. Since I workout at home I don’t want to spend any money on “nicer” workout clothes. The ones I have work just fine!
Kristina says
We went to the park for some free family fun!
Tracy says
Ate leftovers for dinner
Walked to the park for entertainment
Played swagbucks videos on my phone (thanks to the tips in your recent post!)
Used cloth diapers on the baby
I’m sure there’s more, but “saving” is such a normal part of life now that it’s hard to think of things that stand out 🙂
Danielle says
I didn’t go to Target.. was planning a trip after dinner but decided to stay home instead.. INSTANT savings!
Teresa says
I saved today by doing the coupon matchups by “I Am That Lady” at Walmart, Price Chopper and Dollar Tree. Here are some things I got free:
WestSoy Soymilk, Roman Meal Bread Loaf, Splenda, 50 ct, Werther’s, Sugar Free Candy, Fisher Boy Fish Sticks, 6 oz, Cascade Dish Detergent, BIC Cover It, BIC, Pens, 10 ct, AcneFree, Breathe Right Nasal Strips , 10ct, Colgate Toothpaste, Firefly Toothbrush, L’Oreal, Project Runway Nail Sticker
Sue Ellen S. says
I took my water to work today in reusable water bottles from home (don’t like the taste of the water there)….so not only did I save $$, but I’m also doing my part to save the planet. Win-win!
Stacey says
i made chicken stock using leftover chicken bones from a roasted chicken and veggie stumps that I would have thrown away!
Heather says
I saved today by making my own baby food 🙂
Heather Kee says
I saved by printing coupons and following your site to find all the really good deals.
aprila says
I used the 40% off Target Cartwheel for Rachel Ray cookware/bakeware and got 2 items and I saved $16.00 and one of the items cost $16.99 so I almost got one item free.
Elizabeth says
I knew today was going to be a busy day and I would be tempted to grab something fast-foodish for dinner. So early in the day, I baked bread and put a pot of soup to simmer on the stove. Now we’re all set for a quick dinner after the evening rush calms down, and I don’t have to drag myself into the kitchen to cook or give in to the temptation of buying convenience food.
Jennifer says
Instead of hiring a maid I’ve been working on a 31 days series on being your own maid. So I spent nearly two hours deep cleaning my kitchen today instead of hiring someone since it’s not in the budget we’ve mapped out.
Zac Weikal says
I got $35.15 in products for $9.63 at the grocery store.
Pam says
I saved by shopping at Aldi’s today – only my second time there!
Amanda E says
I borrowed movies from the library instead of paying to rent at a video store or Redbox.
Jennifer Doub says
I keep track of items online that I would like to get for future birthdays, etc., (items that I really want to get my dad and other family members without paying full price) and then when the price goes down, snatch them up and use Discover reward points to get them for cheap! Today, I found two DVDs that my dad really wants, and each of them are less than $10! Free with use of Discover rewards!
Pamela says
I saved today by going shopping (literally shopping, not buying). Since cutting back on our spending, I have learned that the thrill of shopping is the same as if I had spent the time buying. I get to look at things as if I were going to buy them, but then I walk out of the store empty handed (or at least not carrying the things that I didn’t really need.) I get to have the feel good feeling I get from looking at new things, walk away with my money, and not feel guilty about spending money that I should have been saving.
Mandy says
I made coffee at home instead of buying it at a restaurant.
Michelle Garin says
Enjoyed tea at home with my visiting aunt instead of eating out or starbucks. K cups for the win!
Faith Y says
I’m working on turning an entertainment center into a play kitchen and instead of buying everything new I picked up most of the stuff I needed at Habitat!
Cayla says
I had to drive my mom home from a doctor’s visit today and I was so tempted to stop for a coffee on the way to treat myself, but instead I brewed my own at home and took it with. =)
MelissA says
I saved on vacuum powder for atleast the next three months by finding my favorite arm and hammer brand at my local dollar tree. I saved atleast a dollar per box and I went ahead and got twelve boxes because I love the stuff soooooo much.
Rachelle says
I used a freezer meal that I had made a while back. It fed my family and my sisters 4 children as well. I stretched it with rice. All 8 kids thought it was great!!!!
Amanda Y. says
I used the back of some junk paper for notes.
Rachael Williams says
I saved today by making my daughters Halloween costume.
Robin Lynch says
I saved today by unplugging a few electronics not in use. It may not be much but it will add up!
Lucy says
I saved today by making our own baby food, and cleaning spray.
Callie says
We decided not to buy halloween costumes this year and instead we have collected items from around our house to make one of a kind costumes. Im so excited to see the creativity my 3 children have and how they will take their ideas to create something. They think its fun and I love it because it’s completely FREE!! Win-Win!
Kristen says
I made mini pizza bites for dinner and made enough to freeze a batch so that we don’t have to order pizza the next time my little boys want it for dinner! 🙂
Lauren says
We saved today at Target when we bought clearance toys (for Christmas gifts) and everything else on our list by using manufacturer coupons, Target coupons, cartwheel and prescription rewards. Pretty good deal!
Beverlly says
I saved today by couponing and purchasing a department store gift card at my local grocery store to be used to pay on a Christmas layaway. By purchasing the gift card I earned $.20 off per gallon on my next tank of gas.
Danielle says
I stayed home. I did not drive anywhere or spend money 🙂
Elissa Mowery says
I actually received a ton of children’s books for free! All of my child’s items have been free–from crib to clothes to necessary items. I went through the books and plan on donating the ones I don’t want to a Christian organization.
Lana says
Instead of using expensive cheese to top a casserole I used the ends of a loaf of homemade bread whizzed up in the food processor. It tasted way better than cheese which I do not think adds any flavor to the top of a casserole and used something I often toss in the trash.
Michelle Garin says
Enjoying tea at home with my visiting aunt instead of eating out or starbucks. K cups for the win!
Rhonda mullins says
i worked on sewing a quilt for use on my bed cause my other one is getting worn out
Debbie says
i used a free meal coupon for lunch and clipped lots of great coupons for tomorrow’s trip to the grocery.
April says
My son’s birthday party is in two weeks and for decorations I use cardboard boxes that I paint (FREE) and a wooden cut out my husband made for pictures I have painted multiple times over the last 3 years year for each of our kids birthday. I enjoy the craft time and the kids live the orginality! 🙂
Kelly says
It was leftover night at our house! We didn’t waste any food, didn’t spend anything on dinner, and left food in our freezer/pantry for tomorrow to spread out this week’s budget.
Megan says
My kiddo and I had a stay at home day. It’s much easier to save when you don’t go to the store!
Christina M says
I used a Starbucks gift card I earned from viggle to splurge on a morning latte, and then used cartwheel and coupons to get Silk and YoBaby for my daughters at a discount!
Christy says
I readjusted our budget and our envelope system to sack more into savings 🙂
Kelly Floden says
I started meal planning again. Have the kids involved as well by having them pick out recipes they like!
nanete says
I saved the day by helping my children decorate a pumpkin and make a Halloween poster that they were so excited.
Amy Poller says
I saved today by ignoring those all-too-tempting Scholastic book orders sent home from preschool, and going to the library instead. Same books but free!
Anne B says
Packed lunch for work in lieu of going out.
Michelle says
I went back to Target and received the buy one, get one halloween sale for costumes that I had bought last week.
Patty says
I found a used DVD player to gift to my sister. (My sister babysits for me, so as a “thank you” I wanted to give her something she’s mentioned that she wants.)
ann says
I saved by making Halloween costumes for my kids. We used cardboard boxes and paper I had on hand for one and some safety pins and a broken down old laundry basket for the other, so no out-of-pocket cost. Both kids are thrilled! 🙂
Karen says
Printed coupons and was able to get a great deal on candy for my family and students.
Rachel says
I saved by taking a dress my daughter had that was getting too short, cut the top off, added elastic to make a waistband, and turned it into an adorable skirt that’s long enough for her to get at least another year or two out of!
Anna says
I saved today by using tax-free money in my HSA to pay for a prescription.
Kimberly says
I saved today by making snicker doodle bread from scratch- instead of going to the store and buying a dessert:-)
MARILYNN GARRETT says
coupons.
Kayla says
Here are a few ways I saved today! I used coupons to save exactly 50% on my bill at target. Instead of eating out, we had all three meals at home. We went to the gym to play basketball as a fun way to get out of the house. Our gym membership is free, because we are a military family!
Sarah P says
It was leftover night at our house. I love getting our fridge cleared out before we pick up our Bountiful Basket, so there is plenty of room to store all of my tasty and economical produce 🙂 Making sure to use all of our leftovers is one way we stretch our grocery budget.