How did YOU save today?
I saved by making homemade Chocolate Chip Cookies for my family. They love home-baked treats and they are less expensive (and usually better for you!) than buying store bought.
I used our family’s favorite Freezer-Friendly Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Oatmeal cookie recipe. These are packed with fairly wholesome ingredients and so delicious.
I especially love that they can be made ahead of time and frozen. You can either freeze the unbaked cookie dough or bake the cookies and then freeze them. Or, just eat them fresh from the oven! 🙂
Your turn: Tell us what you did to save today in the comments!
I’m not sure I should even admit to this, but I took a bunch of single-serve salad kits the grocery store was throwing out, and salvaged out several cups of parmesan and asiago cheese, plus a bunch of roasted pumpkin seeds and craisins. 🙂
This is a great way to save money! So many people buy store made foods because they are quicker! But baking and cooking yourself is so much cheaper – and tastier!
I am also waiting to go to the store til Oct. 1 so I hunted through my fridge and pantry for snack items for this week (to keep me out of my office neighbor’s M&M stash hopefully!) Came up with roasted chickpeas, zucchini chips, and GF banana bread (bananas in the freezer). I especially saved on the bread bc I was low on store bought gluten free flour (pricey!), so I ground up oatmeal i had in the blender to make some more and combined them! It turned out really yummy.
I went for a much needed shopping and decided to come home and eat lunch even though it was too late and I was HUNGRY (it was already 4.30 PM).
Thanks Crystal for the inspiration. I’ve decided to start “how I saved today” series in my blog as well.
We made zucchini bread. I had everything I needed on hand, and even made a few healthy substitutions. I put in a banana instead of one of the cups of sugar and made it with whole wheat flour. It’s a great easy quick breakfast for us.
We spent a lot of time as a family doing free things today. We went on a little hike up a hill where we ate a picnic. Our foods getting low, so it was a weird combo, tuna with saltines, canned beans, apples, homemade ice-tea (with a little bit of mango juice leftover I threw in) and muffins.
My husband went on a bike ride with our son, then he helped my daughter make a book. He did the drawings and she’s coloring it.
And then I read the kids books we had and a library book.
I love this! Thanks for sharing! You’re an inspiration!
I turned off the air conditioner and the outside water because a storm came through.
I cut three very large bunches of basil from our garden.
My daughter was baptized today. She wore a dress that I had made for her older sister’s baptism.
I planted radish and beet seeds in the garden.
I sewed a button on a pair of pants from my button jar (of buttons I have saved from clothing that was worn out).
I love the idea of a button jar! Thanks for sharing!
Today was a “no spend” day. I’m not too good at these so I reorganized our craft/homeschool closet and found a bunch of activities for my children. Also, last week I went to Target and bought a few driveway solar lights. We have been setting them outside every morning and charging them so we can have a “light show” after dark. Free, re-charging entertainment!
Organizing is a great thing to do on a no-spend day!
Today I took my son to Lowe’s for a build and grow clinic (free wooden project- fire truck) which was so much fun. We then headed to target where I used one coupon, cartwheel discount and gift card earned thru shopkick to get all 6 items for free. Finally went to Kohls and used a $5 rewards coupon (I never go there, don’t know why I got it) to get a box of kcups for my husband for cheaper (we have 2 reusable cups but he says he doesn’t like them…). When I got home I submitted my target receipt to shopmium (1st time using) for the noosa yogurt I bought (very expensive without coupons but so delicious). Put a blanket and a comforter to dry outside and made bbq ribs on the crock pot to go with bbq beans from the freezer my husband had made almost a week ago and some frozen vegetables.
Actually the gift card was from swagbucks. I also opened the dishwasher after the wash cycle to air dry instead of using heat…
That sounds like quite a combination of frugal activities! I love it!
I made all homemade meals and turned off the AC! Dinner will be chicken noodle soup and homemade sourdough bread, which cost me about $3 total! Oh, and my nine year old son mowed the lawns while my husband did the edging! My daughter helped bring in and fold the laundry that we dried on the line outside. Go team!
What a fun frugal family day!
One of my recessed lightbulbs burned out last night. Today I found a box of 6 bulbs at the thrift store for less than the regular price of 1 bulb. $4 for 6 instead of almost $30.
Oh, I love the fact that you found light bulbs at the thrift store!
I repurposed a spring burlap wreath and decorated it for fall for less than $5. I used artificial fall leaves that I found for 50% off at Rite Aid, artificial fall flowers, and a small scarecrow from Family Dollar to cover and add to the existing decorations.
Love your creativity!
Those look so good! I made yogurt. My husband made beans and rice in the crock pot outside for dinner.
Yum!
I spotted an apple tree at someone’s yard near the library. We knocked and asked if they would be willing to share some. They said they’ve been wanting to give it away. So we picked about 20 free apples!
How cool is it that they’d been wanting to give them away?!?
I’m holding out on going to the grocery store until October, but I wanted to make dessert for my family this evening. It took some digging to find a recipe we had all the ingredients for, but I made pudding from scratch!
It’s really delicious, isn’t it? I can never go back to the boxed mix now 🙂
Yes, delicious!
I’ve always wanted to try making pudding from scratch!
It was very easy and delicious. I highly recommend it! I can’t believe I waited so long!
I stayed home all day. No spending money. Enjoyed watching Netfix while working on a hand quilting project (baby quilt for a special friend).
Sounds like a wonderfully relaxing day!
Definitely just misread this as how you “Saved the day.” Homemade cookies could fit that bill too I think. 🙂
We saved today by using our garden membership to get out in the nice weather for our date “night” (afternoon) instead of spending money to go to a movie.
Homemade cookies pretty much always fit the bill, no matter what. 🙂
Glad you got to have a fun (and free!) date!
We used free Museum Day pass’s to check out a new-to-us children’s museum as a family!
How fun!
Oh, and I forgot to mention that we paid off the last of our student loans this week–so no more loan payments, and now WE’RE DEBT FREEEEEEE!!! That’s a pretty big way to save money. 🙂
THAT IS SO INCREDIBLE!!!!!!!!!!! I’m THRILLED for you!!! Thank you for sharing!
Way to go Erin!!! I paid off one student loan this month… Only about $16k to go on the last 2, but I’m getting there. Lol.
We saved money today by shopping on the last day (50% off already low prices) of our twice-a-year community consignment sale to get winter outfits that the kids can wear to school. I spent $12 and got four long-sleeves shirts and four pairs of jeans.
I made chocolate chip cookies also. 🙂
Great minds think alike!
I had been feeling pretty crummy all week and tried OTC meds that I had on hand, but my illness progressed. I went to Urgent Care, which my insurance bills as a regular doctor, so I paid a regular co-pay. I made sure there were no additional charges for the injections of steroids they suggested. I filled my prescription at a store that has gas perks and saved $0.20 per gallon. My husband is also ill, but we stuck with the food we had on hand instead of take-out like we would have done in the past. I even threw some beans in the crock pot and whipped up BBQ baked beans for one of my weekend freezer cooking sessions. Earlier in the week, I baked a cake from a mix that I’d picked up for less than 30 cents. It was a nice week-long dessert treat for my family. If I feel up to it, I will whip up pizza from scratch and a double batch of spaghetti pie tomorrow so that I will have plenty of easy meals for the future. I spent $8 on ingredients, but had everything else on hand. It will make 3 pizzas and 2 spaghetti pies, which is almost 8 meals for my family.
I’m so sorry you and your husband have been sick. 🙁 You amaze me with all you’ve done this weekend while sick!
I saved money by taking my daughter’s and I lunch to the mall to meet some friends.
Way to go!
I was hoping to inspire creativity in my friend’s 2 very crafty girls, so I made their birthday gifts & wrapping. I used hair clips (I can’t use since I cut my hair) decorated with ribbon (I had saved from a bridal shower). I made their card from pressed leaves and note paper. I also made their gift bags from brown bags (a store was throwing out) decorated with cut-outs from the fronts of greeting cards I had received. And for the ultimate in frugal, I re-used tissue paper (that I ironed). Total cost = $0. Sure hope they like ’em! =)
AWESOME!!
Wow! That’s called being creative and using what you have! I LOVE it!
I pulled into a Dunkin Donuts’ parking lot to use free wifi on my Kindle instead of subscribing to a (wanted but not needed) smart phone plan. 🙂
🙂
I baked cinnamon rolls (free with a Vons J4U coupon) and had a cup of black coffee in my new (to me) Starbucks mug – 75 cents at the thrift. I enjoyed it immensely.
Sounds like a wonderful morning!
My son and I made homemade play dough and dyed noodles for a craft project. Already had all the supplies needed in the pantry!
How fun!
There’s nothing better than homemade cookies!! Seriously, have you ever eaten a store bought cookie that could even come close??
I’ll have to try this recipe, I’ve been looking for a chocolate chip oatmeal cookie recipe.
I saved today by serving potato soup that was in the freezer…..even though buying pizza sounded better;)
Thank you for sharing!!
I *do* love me some Milano cookies… but otherwise, it’s homemade. Hands down.
Hi crystal. Thank u so much for your cookie receipe. It s a family classic at our house now :). Big hello to all of u from Morrocco. Oh yeah ur website got that far :). Love it
How fun to hear from you! Thank you for being a reader!