Life has been a little full the past five days — attending the Allume conference (see some of the beauties I got to hang out with above? That was after 1 a.m. and we were still going strong!), spending a lot of quality time with my kiddos and husband on either end of the conference since I always miss them so much when I’m gone, and working with my team mapping out some big projects for 2015.
At any rate, I didn’t get a chance to get a How I Saved post up for a few days and this one isn’t from today, but I am still going to count it. 🙂
{I brought home some Scripture tattoos for him from the Allume conference and he wanted to put all of them on so he could be, as he said, “Covered in Scriptures!”}
This is such a simple way to save, but it’s amazing how much it saved. Last week, Silas needed his hair cut. So Jesse got at the little trimmer and buzzed it. It only took him a short while and saved us at least $10-$12! Score!
Last post’s winner of the $25 iTunes gift card was Melinda who said she saved by:
Since I knew I was going to be spending all afternoon at the dentist office with the kids, I went ahead and made chicken and dumplings in the crock pot for dinner in the morning. Planning ahead ensured that we didn’t order take out and spend $60 on dinner. -Melinda
Share How You Saved Today & You Could Win a $100 Target Gift Card
Leave a comment telling us how you saved today. I’ll choose one winner later this week who will win a $100 Target gift card. I can’t wait to hear all the ways you are saving!
I just got some toothpaste for free after using a $5 CVS gift card that I earned from completing surveys/quizzes/reading articles from Recyclebank!
I got free cashews and caprisuns with register rewards!
One thing I do to save money is to double an easy (and hopefully freeze-able!) recipe from time to time. As a single woman, there isn’t usually a reason for me to make a whole mess of anything 🙂 but one of the singlehood perks is time for serving other families. Anytime I am making a meal to take to a family, I’ll try and double it and save a little for my lunches for the week. The opportunity to buy in larger quantities ensures that the price per meal is lower!
I bought lots of acorn squash when on sale. I cooked it today and am storing it in the freezer for my little guy
I’m making dinner tonight mostly from our garden! We cleared it out due to frost but don’t want any food to go to waste. So tonight’s menu is fried green tomatoes, stuffed zucchini, and twice baked potatoes (not home grown, but will top with home grown parsley!).
Oh and I should add I’m using some of our zucchinis to make chocolate zucchini muffins for my daughter’s school tomorrow. So I’m even planning ahead for tomorrow too by using the garden food! 🙂
I wait until after peak hours to wash laundry to help save a little mula.
I’m line drying laundry when I can!
I made handmade birthday cards instead of buying them. 🙂 My friends love them and they are so fun to make!
We were having a large group of friends over, so I made pumpkin spice latte in the crockpot and pumpkin bread instead of buying something already made at the store.
I brought leftover chili to work for my lunch.
We do not have smart phones but have been thinking about it….we just talk/text..so we went into Verizon to pay our internet bill( we have 1 desktop , no laptops etc..) and the salesperson was telling us we could get a FREE tablet and only up our bill by $10 a month. Offer good until Oct 31..they kept trying to sell us covers, stylus etc…and we said no…so on the way home we talked about how we saved not paying for smartphones and paying extra for gigs .. or buying laptop etc. I said I will make a cover for it for free and I have a stylus someone gave me when I starting texting (last year).
I like to give 31 bags for gifts. This month I really like their special but you have to spend $35 to get the special price. I asked my consultant if she had anyone that is spending $35 and not getting a special that she can add my monthly special to. She has one order so far, so I’m able to get the special without spending $35.
I use the Target cartwheel App and print out there coupons plus manufacturer coupons ive been doing this for the past year and have been able to get most of my christmas shopping done early and save alot of money on other home products
Making dinner for my son’s birthday celebration instead of going out to eat. For a family of 8 it’s a huge savings!
I am not really a good cook. My husband is the fantastic chef in the family. He works on projects out of town for work so he normally prepared meals that we can use throughout the week. The current project lasted longer than we thought. I had made a pesto balsamic chicken in the crock pot and it really didn’t turn out that well. ( my daughters said it was ok… But I knew better). So tonight I turned the remainder of the leftovers into a really yummy Italian taco night by taking the chicken and adding some Mexican spices and peppers and cilantro. So instead of just throwing out a meal gone awry I reused and reinvented our normal taco Tuesday !!!!! Yay me!!!!!
I picked up books and movies we had reserved at the library. Otherwise, we would buy them, read/watch them once, then they would be dust collectors! (And huge money wasters.)
I saved today by repurposing an old saggy dress into a skirt I can wear around the house. The extra fabric becomes little rags for really dirty clean ups.
I used $1 coupons at Dollar Tree to score 2 free cartons of Westsoy soy milk!
I saved by shopping online (and using a discount code) for much needed car parts and getting them all for 35% off! And my husband will install the parts himself so that’s even more savings 🙂
I’m saving veggie scraps in the freezer to make homemade stock.
I brought my coffee and lunch from home so I wasn’t tempted to purchase expensive cafeteria food at work!
Free shipping and clearance on carters.com!!
I would like to be generous with gifts this Christmas but money is tight. So I bought yarn and needles with 40% off coupons for both and am learning to knit!
My kids are needing clothes so we shopped at the second hand store today to find some great buys and save money!
I milked the cow (pulling the babies off for a few minutes to steal some) to make butter cheese yougurt and ice cream. Takes time but saves a lot.
We keep it extra warm during the summer and extra cold during the winter. This has done wonders for our utility bill! We also have a programmable thermostat so that the temperature is not quite so drastic when we are trying to sleep.
Found a Christmas gift for my daughter at Joann’s that was half off. When I entered the store they had a sign the said you could get a 20% off coupon when you signed up for text messages. It was good for regular and sale items. So I was able to get the additional 20% off the Christmas gift.
I barter! I designed a new website for a local business in exchange for painting the exterior of our house. I also tutor the sons of my hair stylist in exchange for cuts and occasional highlights. Zero out of pocket, and I get to keep my skills current while staying home to raise the kids!
Sadly we’ve gotten into a bad habit of having sodas around the house. Well, went to the store today and did not purchase sodas to restock the fridge. Back to drinking water for free :).
We stayed home all day. It’s easier to save money when you aren’t out and about at the store!
I went through the refrigerator and froze several leftovers before they went bad
We went with our homeschool group to a farm on a field trip today. I knew my children would be hungry when we were through. Even though it put us a few minutes late, I managed to pack all 5 of us a healthy lunch from home. Yay!
We have a small garden, today I used fresh basil in my grilled tomato and cheese sandwich. For dinner I will use some fresh snipped lettuce leaves for a side salad for dinner. We love having fresh veggies from the garden.
i’m cooking chili tonight and saving the leftovers to make chili dogs for dinner tomorrow night
When split chicken breasts go on sale or marked down close dated, I cook them up in bulk (boil) then chop the chicken into 2c portions for casseroles, soups etc. then I throw the bones back into the water w some veggies and seasonings and make free broth!
Made sausage and biscuits using ground pork I purchased last month on clearance. I seasoned and cooked it, then froze it for a quick meal.
I saved today by using your tub and tile cleaning recipe from your website!! I was going to go to the store to buy cleaner, but then remembered I read your post a while ago and decided to finally give it a try. It worked like a charm at cleaning the bathroom – PLUS it saved me money! Thank you!
I used some felt my Mom had leftover from an old project to make my daughter a basic vest to wear with a skirt she already has for a simple cowgirl costume.
I made the freezer friendly refried beans and got 4 freezer bags out of it, so much cheaper than the can!
Sometimes when I order things I look for someone else that may also want to order from the same online store. If we combine our orders we can usually save quite a bit of money on shipping.
With having 3 kids gifts for my husband birthday have to be cheap.. Took 1 of his old white shirts that he wouldn’t miss and had kids write names and do hand prints saying ” best dad hands down” he loved it and kids loved doing it most of all cost next to nothing!!
Today I saved by planning all of November’s meals and grocery shopping ahead of time.
Making a ginormous pot of homemade french onion soup. It freezes perfectly and reheats in a snap so it’s handy to have around for dinner on nights I don’t feel like cooking and for a quick lunch before we head out for therapy days.
I cut my husband’s hair, my son’s hair and trim my own to save money. I cook enough at dinner to have leftovers for the next day and carry some to my aunt who is unable to cook. I clip coupons and shop sales, trying to save all I can since we are helping take care of our 6 grandchildren!
Today we stayed home all day and cleaned the house, then ate leftovers for dinner. Saved gas and money on food!
I saved today by hand washing t-shirts, jammies, panties, bras, and socks. Filed the bathtub up with water, dropped in my Purex pods, jumped in and stomped the dirt away. Rinsed the same way. Wrung them all out by hand and then hung them to dry. The cost of doing laundry in my building went up $2.00 per wash & dry. Using the machines is going to be for jeans, towels and linens this week.
My husband saved a ton of money by winning a free ticket to GAME 6 of the World Series! Of course, we wouldn’t have bought a ticket, so he is extremely pleased to be there. And I’m watching the party at home with the kids. 🙂
I used ebates to shop for a gift for any upcoming wedding. I was going to buy the item anyway and I got 2.5% cash back for my purchase!
I youtubed how to change my oil so that I could prepare to do it for the first time without having to take it somewhere!
We saved by going to our Farmers’ Market’s kids club this weekend. Any kids who came in costume got $5 in free money to spend on food items! All 6 kids went so we had $30 to get food! The kids got to help pick out what veggies to try and buy. We saved today by dehydrating lots of the peppers we got there.
The kids got out of school early today for parent conferences. They really wanted to go out to lunch. Instead we had a picnic on the floor while watching a movie at home and eating an at home lunch. They were thrilled and we saved at least $15!
I just found out that I might end up on bedrest for the rest of my pregnancy. So today I made banana muffins and bread to freeze for quick snacks for dh and my toddler. I also doubled our dinner tonight so I can freeze one to have on hand! Hopefully doing this now before anything happens means that we will have food prepped and won’t waste money on take out if I can’t cook.
I cut my son’s hair at home today and organized my coupons for my next shopping trip.
Today I saved by ordering bulk chicken, rice, beans, flour, and oats online for significantly less than grocery store prices thanks to buying clubs and wholesale. I highly recommend looking into your local buying clubs, co-ops, and other wholesale resources. A little research and advice from other frugal mamas has proven very fruitful for our family!
I am saving about $45 today by doing home manicures with my 6 year old daughter
Today I saved by not running to the store to get an ingredient I forgot for soup. Instead, I just subsitued something else, and saved myself a couple bucks!
I did errands without the children, because they were at swim lessons with Daddy…and one of my stops was Joann’s…and when they wouldn’t take one of my coupons, I put that item back–even though it was “only” $1.39. Just wouldn’t have tasted nearly as good without a Q! 🙂
After story time at the library we walked down to the pet store to check their price on dog food. They were significantly higher than Petsmart but when I asked, they agreed to match Petsmart’s price—meaning I didn’t have to make another trip for food.
Over the weekend I made lots if loaves of bread and did some food prep work (browned ground beef, cut up onions) so that I can have good meals with fresh home baked bread all week when I don’t have time to make bread! This saves me going to the store for a bakery loaf:D
dinner in instead of going out!
I love the fall and the chilly ‘sweater weather’ here in New England, but I dislike turning on the heat for the first time because of the expense of oil. Early last spring, the city cut down two trees in our front yard and let us know that we could have the wood if we wanted. My husband had some great workouts chopping wood this spring, and these last few chilly nights, I’ve made a roaring fire in the fire place to warm up the house.. haven’t had to turn the heat on yet 🙂 Free wood = free heat… and it’s kind of cozy having the fire going. Planning to hold off on starting the furnace until Nov 1st – two weeks later than last year!
I borrowed a simple cowgirl costume from a friend to wear to our church’s Trunk or Treat tomorrow night. Free costumes are the best costumes!
We’ve joined a health club (saving as much on swim lessons as we spend on the monthly membership, 4 kids adds up) and today was member appreciation with a free dinner! 🙂
We had my son’s birthday party this weekend and we had lots of leftover hot dog buns (we served meatball sandwiches and lots of people chose to eat the meatballs without the bun). Instead of letting them go to waste, I redid our weekly menu to take advantage of the hot dog buns and save us some money on meals we like but don’t always eat. I added shredded beed sandwiches with green peppers and pasta with garlic bread (hot dog buns make great garlic breads).
beef not beed
We are eating up our leftovers for dinner tonight instead of making something new. That pushes back my grocery shopping by at least one day and our menu plan for the week will last another day.
I unplugged items like the toaster and can opener. There is no need to let them stay plugged in all day!
I wrapped my daughter’s birthday gift in the Sunday funnies instead of purchasing a gift bag or wrapping paper.
Hi! I have spent my afternoon researching ways to slash our winter utilities! Looking into whether or not an electric fireplace is cost efficient in comparison to our gas heat. We use an electric oil heater upstairs and are wanting an alternative for downstairs as well. Called electric company, researched different models/watts, and reading a lot!
I got a prescription filled at a grocery store having a promotion that will give me a $25 grocery gift card for transferring my prescription to their pharmacy.
I bought used homeschool curriculum and paid only one third of the cost.
I put dinner in the crockpot before I left for work this morning, so when we both got home from work tonight, we could eat what we already had on hand, rather than eating out.
After my dad passed away in July my mom was swamped with some of his remaining debts. We have been in contact with a financial coach, but she still is completely overwhelmed. I saved today by taking the lead in contacting the creditors and saving my mom a major heartache. A lot of work needs to be done, but step one was taken this afternoon!
Instead of having my husband pick up a pizza on his way home, I made pizza dough in the bread machine and used leftovers from a rotissorie chicken to make a homemade pizza.
We saved money by using food from our pantry for dinner and freezing leftovers for another meal.
Before I do my weekly Target run, I check Money Saving Mom, Cartwheel, etc for deals. I always find at least some deal I wouldn’t have known about otherwise. Thanks MSM!!
I put several leftovers from the weekend into the freezer today: pancakes, bacon, and allergy free cookies. We had a baby in May, and it has taken me this long to get back to being proactive. It doesn’t feel like much, but the pancakes and bacon will stretch our grocery money an extra day when it is needed, and during the next few weekends I will not need to resort to buying allergy free store bought cookies for my son to have at church and parties.
I did two things! The first was to take my receipt back to Bed, Bath and Beyond with my coupons (they take one coupon per item) and get my total adjusted to get $13 back! I didn’t realize their coupon policy originally when I made my purchase. The second was to roast two pumpkins to make my own pumpkin puree to make pumpkin muffins for breakfast.
Like you, I broke out the hair clippers and scissors today. Saved on 5 haircuts!
We ate leftovers today instead of eating out or using more energy to cook a whole new meal and I scored free doggie treats with a coupon I got in the mail.
i cut my husbands hair… i have been doing this for 6 years now!
We cleaned up the leftovers for breakfast and lunch today!
I saved money today by cutting out all the coupons. I can flip through my binder when it’s time to go grocery shopping and find any coupons that will help save any bit of money.
I brought my lunch
I’ve been having a craving for honey walnut shrimp from Panda Express. The problem is my whole family would devour it, and one serving just wouldn’t be enough. I found a copycat recipe online, and we had most of the ingredients already. Kids helped me make the sauce and prep the batter, and we made way more than our money could buy at the restaurant.
I went to 4 different grocery stores today to find the cheapest prices!
I saved by using an old coffee can as a feed scope for my chickens rather than spending money at the store for a “real” one. I also combined two paleo chili recipes and used what I had on hand from both to make a delicious dinner for the family.
Sometimes when I order things I look for someone else that may also want to order from the same online store. If we combine our orders we can usually save quite a bit of money on shipping.
I try to only buy things I have a coupon for and really need. I’m also using discount gift card sites to purchase gift cards at a discount then using cash back sites to order online and paying with the gift cards. Typically I save at least 10% that way, sometimes more.
I take online surveys and cash out the rewards as Amazon gift cards: today I paid for one of my husband’s Christmas presents with the gift cards I earned.
After being gone all morning for our homeschool group, I’m always tired in the afternoon. I wasn’t able to get out grocery shopping like I needed to so I made some green enchilada sauce utilizing the rest of our tomatillos from our garden, and then revamped some leftovers to make enchiladas. It was yummy! The temptation is to grab something quick on Tuesdays because I’m so tired! But I pushed through and made dinner. 🙂
Our car has been having what we thought was transmission/throttle problems with an estimated shop cost of $600. My husband and I did some research online and found that we could fix the problem ourselves. So with a $5 can of throttle body cleaner, an hour of time, and some elbow grease, we saved ourselves $595 and the car runs better than the day we bought it!
I saved money by staying at home all day! Also made dinner at home!
I read an article about saving money and downloaded the snap by groupon app. I made lunch at home and studied at the library instead of a coffee shop. I had planned to go to the store today since I haven’t been since last week and am running out of produce. But I decided to make do with what I had at home instead of spending money. Beans, rice, cooked chicken (from the freezer), and an avocado plus some frozen spinach made an inexpensive dinner. The best part is that I didn’t buy food on impulse or items I can’t afford since it’s the end of the month.
I home canned 9 pints of diced tomatoes using produce from my garden.
We did not drive anywhere today, only walked & rode bikes, even though it was chilly and windy here today. I also redeemed Kelloggs Family Rewards points for a free book for my son.
Scanned my WM receipt with the Savings Catcher………
Today was co-op day and I was prepping this morning before we left for my classes. Since I was busy until we left, I forgot to put something in the crockpot for dinner. Since we usually get home after 4pm, that doesn’t leave much time to prep and cook a frozen meat and we already had pasta the day before. I was tempted to stop at Chinese take-out but knew it would be better for my budget if I didn’t….so we bypassed eating out and threw together Chicken Fajitas.
I saved by shopping clearance and their BOGO at Target today 🙂
I cut my son’s hair today, too! I also shopped with coupons in hand and saved over $20! For supper I am making homemade pizza and saving even more money!
I also saved money by cutting my daughter’s hair (simple trim on the bottom), sewed the strap back onto her crossbody purse (third time now but as a college student she is saving where she can), and baked her muffins and banana bread to bring back to school.
I shopped at the grocery salvage store. They have items that are about to expire or have damaged packaging. I often find items that I normally buy full price that are marked down up to 90% off!
With the colder weather coming up, it was time to change out the closet! But having 3 kiddos who have all grown a ton since last year can sometimes be a tad concerning. However this year, we went through the closets early, and got out everything that wasn’t going to work for this winter and had a yard sale and sold the leftovers on our local Facebook yard sales. With the money I made, we went to several thrift stores and consignment sales (and I ONLY buy upper name brand clothes so they last longer) and within a matter of 2 weeks, had an entirely new wardrobe for each child! And did not spend an extra penny out of our bank account!
I didn’t leave the house. Played on Swagbucks and cashed in $50 worth of Amazon cards. Another $25 in Amazon from MySurveys and $5 from Hallmark Rewards. Ordered something from Lowe’s and used RetailMeNot for hubby to pick up on his way home. Oh, and signed up for a free month of Amazon Prime so we can get free shipping on gifts and watch new movies!
I went to CVS to purchase Halloween candy. Most candy was on sale for 1.88 so I was able to get six bags for 11.28. I had a 5.00 dollar off coupon so I only spent about 6.75. Looking forward to seeing the sweet kids from my neighborhood in costume!
Once again, I brought lunch with me to work. I’m on a roll. Except for a work/lunch meeting last week at a restaurant that I was required to attend, I’ve brought lunch with me for three weeks in a row. I’m hoping I’ve formed a habit. 🙂
I still hang clothes out on the line to save on my energy bill. I think it helps a little 🙂
Whenever I use my debit card and spend less than I expect to (like today–got some great deals at the grocery store), I take out an extra $20 in cash. I stow this away in a soda bottle (so I can’t just reach in and grab it out on a whim)—-I have something special I’m saving up for. Almost $400 in there so far. 🙂
I did two things today! I took my receipt back to Bed Bath and Beyond to price adjust with my coupons (I didn’t realize you could use one coupon per item). I got $13 back! I also roasted two pumpkins to make my own pumpkin puree.
I started a batch of this bread, http://www.gwens-nest.com/easy-bread-recipe/ with ingredients I already had instead of running to the store for bread sooner than I wanted and possibly spending more than intended on other things. Plus, we’ll have inexpensive, yummy homemade bread.
I’m in the process of repairing my wife’s car. I went to the dealership to get the needed parts (the local auto store did not have what I needed), and when I found out how much the parts would cost I decided to go online and found the parts for almost $100 less. We have to share a car for a few days while the parts ship, but to save $100, it is well worth it.
I made my own laundry detergent. So easy!
I was checking our Habitat ReStore for a desk for our guest room makeover and found a Royal Albert bud case to give to my grandmother as part of her Christmas gift. Best $0.48 I’ve ever spent.
Vase. Auto correct… 🙂
I always call around to get the best deal if I need a service done. Today I needed my wedding ring appraised, and found a place that was over $100 cheaper than the mall jewelry store!!
I chose discounted “ripe” fruit at the grocery store because I knew my kiddos would eat it right away. 14 lbs of apples and bananas for $6!
I used older curtains, cut in half, altered, and hemmed to make new sidelight curtains for my back door, and saved $80.00!
We ate lunch at home and cleaned up using rags, not paper towels. Home haircuts were done last week. 🙂
One thing I did to save money was lose my debit card, literally I lost it Monday 😉 . Every time I thought to buy something, whoops I couldn’t, without having to go to the bank and go in the branch and get cash. That many times was not worth it to me. There were many purchases I likely would have made if I had the debit card on me, but didn’t because I did not have the debit card. When I did go to the bank to get money I needed, I only took out what cash I needed and no more, so the roadblock would remain. Use cash, and don’t carry a lot of cash, that my friends saves!
My husband and daughter packed their lunches (My son and I always eat at home for lunch). Also we happened to have spectacular weather, so no heat or AC used today. Bonus: lovely fresh air filled the house today!
i saved a total stranger 40% off her daughter’s birthday present by giving away my Justice coupon! 🙂 i saved today on trick-or-treats by comparing price per/piece; and that is very important, because we give out all natural snacks, and they have to be as good as or better than all the junk candy so the neighborhood kiddos don’t get mad at us (it gets rather expensive!)
I saved today by waiting until the dishwasher was all the way full to run. Our dishwasher is only a year old but it runs for 2 hours, so I figure that is a lot of water and electricity.
Redeemed my swagbucks for an amazon gift card!
ha! i cut my own hair, i’ve been doing it since the 7th grade. with 30 years experience i’m much better than the first time i wet my bangs, pulled them down and carefully cut. when they dried i had spikes and my boyfriend couldn’t stop laughing…
I saved money today by having my dear friend over for lunch instead of going out. We lingered over our conversation while the kids played happily together outside.
After our daughter’s doctor appointment, we went home to have dinner instead of going out to eat.
today, doing laundry I noticed a bunch of my husbands shirts had holes in them. Instead of throwing them out, I mended the ones I could and then cut up the others into rags! I can use the rags instead of paper towels for cleaning, and we didn’t have to go out to buy 5+ replacement tshirt a for my hubby!
Unintentional–I have a stomach bug keeping me at home. Didn’t eat anything and didn’t go shopping!
I realized that I have saved money by staying home the last two days. I am a “home”schooling mom and stay at “home” mom but I am an extrovert so I love to go to the library, the store, the park and really anywhere. Even the “free” places cost money in gas, so I saved by keeping the car parked the last 48 hours. 🙂
That’s how we saved today too!:-) my husband cut all three of our boys hair- we saved at least 30 bucks! I love it:-)
I’ve been waiting for you to post this again because I actually had a few to share. These are from the last few days –
#1 – I needed to bring a dish to a meal, and instead of running to the store, I shopped in my pantry and found a new recipe (I had already pinned on pinterest) to try using the ingredients I had. Bonus: we now have a new favorite recipe.
#2 – We had a lost library book and were looking at having to pay $20 to replace it. I offered a $3 reward to my children who searched for it until it was found. $17 savings 🙂
I LOVE this! I would so do the offer a reward thing… it’s amazing how well that works to find missing items that I really, really want to/need to find!
cashed in some ecbs at cvs
I cut my son’s and husband’s hair to save money. When my daughter is old enough for her first haircut I’ll try hers as well! I learned from YouTube!
I packed my lunch and brought it to work instead of going out.
I made my 20 year old daughter who is away at college a homemade Halloween card with my scrapbook scraps instead of buying one at the store . I mailed it to her and included a coupon book from Wendy’s for 5 jr frostys that I paid only 1.00 for . She will feel loved and it cost next to nothing , but knowing your thought of when away at school…..priceless!
I had a few things to pick up for my away-at-college daughter. The difference in climates between home and her new home-away-from-home means that she needs some warm seasonal items.
Our favorite discounted store for clothing items is Ross. I had my 55-year birthday coming up so I waited to do this shopping for her until after I could qualify for the store’s senior discount. Today I used that discount for the first time and got another ten percent off of the already steeply-discounted prices! Now my daughter has some much-needed items on the way to her, via Fed Ex Ground. (I did my homework there too; it’s the least expensive way to ship things to her.)
The unexpected bonus? On her Christmas gift wish list is a black leather jacket. Yeah. Not an easy one on a tight budget. I found one, sufficiently detailed to satisfy her slight fashion “edge”, retail priced at 299.99. Ross price? 29.99. AND, I got 10% off of that!
It was a day that satisfied needs AND a Christmas desire at a discount. I’m so glad I waited. Patience IS a virtue!
I spent 15 minutes looking online for money saving coupons before going grocery shopping today. I saved over $40.00 for that 15 minutes of work.
Today I saved money by using up some venison meat, that my brother had given us for free, in a roast for dinner. Using some cheap veggies and seasonings we already had on hand, I was able to make a delicious meal for very little cost! Bonus, there are plenty of leftovers and it was made in the crockpot so not much work!
I am saving by not going to the grocery store and eating from my pantry and freezer.
How I saved today…I ate leftovers for lunch and dinner!!
My mom had a cookout at her house and I asked if I could take some of her leftovers home. I was able to eat what she gave me for two meals!
I waited to place an order on Amazon until we needed enough for free shipping. Amazon had the best prices on what we needed plus we didn’t have to pay tax so it worked out great.
I line dried laundry today, probably the last time until spring, our weather is turning colder. I love my clothes line. Not only does it save on electricity it also saves on bleach and detergent since the sun helps remove stains and there’s no dryer sheet or fabric softener that can match the fresh scent of line dried clothes!
Mailed my college age daughter a homemade card from my scrapbook supplies and a coupon for 5 junior frostys that I paid only 1.00 for, to wish her a happy Halloween.
I saved today by buying two bone-in chicken breasts on sale, making soup from them that will feed us for the next two days, and boiling the bones and scraps so that I have broth for another batch later in the week. That’s 3 meals for our family of four from $5 in chicken and a few pantry items! And it will save us so much more than that, as we won’t have to eat out despite having busy evenings the rest of the week.
I made homemade salsa and didn’t have cilantro. Instead of running to the store, we just did without. I also used dry black beans. Both little savings, but they all add up.
I am moving in less than two weeks. Today, I accepted a friend’s offer to help me move so I don’t have to hire someone to assist me. I shopped through eBates when setting up my new cable/internet service, getting $47.50 back.
My husband grilled out tonight for dinner. He cooked some boar meat we had received for free from my cousin. It was delicious!
I saved by taking my coffee card out of the van. No stopping for a coffee while running errands today. And since I had my young two I saved more since they would have wanted a treat too.
Honestly, I tired to save today. I had a hair appointment booked a month out, as a treat for myself for my birthday. my friend watched my boys so i didn’t have to pay for a sitter. my older son was too rough on her sons leap pad and broke it. you can’t really save when you have to replace the damage your kid did to someones property, and you are limited on places you can go to get the replacement. I made lunch for all of us when we got home. and we did go out to dinner as a family. some times you do have to treat your self. especially when we have been saving a lot recently.
My daughter wants to be The Riddler for Halloween. Rather than buy an expensive costume in a store, we visited a charity garage sale to see what we could find. My daughter purchased a long kelly green trench coat for $1. She will use a sharpie to draw question marks on it and perfecto, one Riddler costume for one dollar!!! Plus that dollar will help a family in need. Can’t beat it!
I wrapped a baby present in a gift bag I had saved from a gift I received at a baby shower.
cleaned my house today instead of hiring someone to do it!
I saved today by doing a quick search for a free shipping code. I haven’t placed the order yet, but it’s sitting in my cart, ready to go with free shipping!
I got together with some friends today and we did some freezer cooking! I haven’t been much in the cooking mood lately and I’ve been a lot more tempted to grab fast food, so I’m so glad to have healthy, homemade food in the freezer. 🙂
I save money around the holidays by trading in my Swagbucks, MyPoints and RecyclePoints for gift cards to use for buying gifts.
I’m on day 6 of a pantry challenge where I’m not spending grocery money for about a month. Today I made bread, with which I made grilled cheese sandwiches (to with tomato soup) for supper.
On Saturday, my husband gave our 2 boys haircuts and then I gave him a haircut. Today, I used ingredients from pantry and freezer to make burritos for dinner instead of shopping or eating out. 🙂
I saved TWO ways today!! First I bought some pie pumpkins for $1.99 each and got about 2-2.5 cups of purée out of each one (following your crockpot method, of course
I colored my own hair, cut my boys’ hair, used the crockpot 6 times this week, and made a blanket for a friend who paid me.
Bought some summer clothes for my daughter for NEXT year, off of a 70% off clearance rack, downloaded free kindle books, and I made a wooden sign/plaque for a friend getting married.
After nearly four years in our home, my husband and I decided it was finally time to focus on hanging art (I know, I know!). Instead of combing places like Etsy and Society6 to find artwork, we focused on combing through our families’ pictures. I used coupons from both Shutterfly and Mpix to print almost a dozen photos of various sizes to hang throughout our house and spent less than $75. Not only did we save a lot of money, but our home is now a showcase for all our happiest memories. Win win!
We cloth diaper our youngest. It was beautiful out today so I hung them up to dry. No throwing money in the garbage on diapers or using the dryer. $$ saved!
I walked to do all my errands (pushing the double stroller) rather than drive.
I saved today by using a gift from my stash for the birthday party my daughter had today. I bought things ahead several months ago when there was a clearance sale at Toys R Us.
Stocking stuffers from the dollar bins at Target!
I took my kids to our children’s museum and to Jamba Juice after for a treat and didn’t spend a dime. I had previously bought groupons for both and saved more than 50%. I love that I was able to treat my kids for cheaper.
i made homemade apple chips with the apples that were marked down to under $1 a pound. Yummy and cheaper than the already made ones.
Shopping for furniture and accessories my home via my local freecycle group!
My husband and I needed a night stand for our bedroom. My dad over heard us talking about going to yard sales to try to find one. He offered us an extra one that he already had. Saved us at least $20. Just needed to be dusted off and it looks great to me.
Today (& everyday), I saved by having my daughter carpool to school with my neighbor!
I saved today by soaking my black beans (rather than buying canned), buying my tomatoes and chili seasoning at Aldi, halving the meat in my chili recipe, and making cornbread from scratch:)
I saved today by buying up discount meat from the market with all intentions of freezing it for later use. We’ve been doing home haircuts for my 2 boys and my husband for years now, saves us sooooo much money!
I saved by using our cashback bonus on our credit card to pay for a new dishwasher that we bought. (We pay our total balance every month!) So I also saved by paying on time so we don’t get charged interest!
Today I sold something on my local facebook group- I cleared out some space and made a little money!
We are eating dinner from what we have in our fridge/cupboards. It’s a pathetic meal that I’m putting together. But it’s somewhat healthy and it saved a trip to the grocery store! And no food was being wasted in the process. 😉
I saved the leftover lettuce and tomato from our BLT’s and made a side salad tonight.
I finished up and I really mean *finished* up a tube of lotion. It was ‘out’ of lotion several days ago but I cut the bottom of the tube open and have had many more applications from it. I just clip it closed with a clothespin after I get a dab out.
I also needed a birthday card and went by a Fred’s store where brand name greeting cards are always half price. (They have the 50 cent kind, too, but I needed a really nice card.) Anyway, I bought two wonderful $4.99 cards for…$4.99. I used one and will save the other for a future birthday.
I also saw some drinking glasses on clearance that I like and do really need. Instead of buying them, I came home and told my husband they would make a nice Christmas gift for me. He seemed to be paying attention–we’ll see, lol.
I saved today by getting all my coupons clipped and ready for my grocery shopping tomorrow. I love pairing up coupons with sales and stretching my dollars as much as I can. Thanks for all the tips and advice you share on your blog daily.
When we purchased our minivan, we received a deal that included free oil changes at the dealership for the life of the car. I went today to get the oil changed for free. Although taking it to the drive thru instant oil change with 4 kids would have been much easier, by waiting an hour at the dealership I saved at least $45!
We started using cloth diapers on our baby a few weeks ago, and it’s working out pretty good. We’re saving money by not buying a $40 box of diapers each month and our baby gets to look super cute in all the fun diaper prints!
Instead of running to the grocery store when it seemed as though we had “nothing for dinner”. I “shopped” my basement pantry to make up a yummy dinner!
Recently I’ve been calling the manufacturer of items I’ve purchased that were defective or didn’t work for me in some way. In the past I would’ve thrown the items in the trash. I’ve received a $15 coupon for a flash light replacement, a $20 coupon for battery replacement, three coupons for free food storage containers that broke, a coupon for free ziplock bags (the zippers wouldn’t lock on package), coupons for free freezer jars (the lids cracked with first use), a free mop (the handle had snapped in two when wringing the sponge out), & a coupon for a free full size moisturizer. There’s been no wiggle room in the budget, so this has been a tremendous blessing!!
I drive my kids to school in the morning and I decided to take two extra minutes before rushing out the door to make myself a coffee to go. I knew 2 minutes would not cause the kids to be late but would cost me an extra $2.60ish.
My son needs to dress up like a community helper for school tomorrow, so we are using a dress-up Dr. costume we already have instead of going out and buying something.
I did not go anywhere, so I saved money I might have spent!!!
I used a rewards certificate at Hallmark to save on Christmas wrap!
I bought three 10 lb. bags of potatoes for .88 cents each and am shredding one bag into potato hash to freeze to use later on, and another to make mashed potatoes in the crock pot to also freeze for later on. Can’t beat convenience and savings!!!
I saved money today by walking past some things in the grocery store that I was tempted to buy. I stuck with my (mental) list and didn’t spend money that didn’t need spent.
I saved today by going to the grocery store first thing this morning to purchase meat that was marked down. Following your advice from a post months ago, I asked my butcher when they typically marked down meat items. Tuesday mornings. I saved $10 on each package of beef brisket I purchased. $20 for 2. This will make a great, special occasion dinner for friends.
Made chicken soup in my crockpot all day and then my 11 year old daughter made the homemade noodles to go in it when she got home from school. Easy and fast dinner before early school events tonight.
I hung a load of laundry on our drying rack instead of putting it in the dryer.
I cooked 4 of the butternut squash grown in my garden, using the “cook it whole” method I read about here. It’s puréed & ready to go in the freezer to use in homemade baked goods & soup.
We had a simple supper with food from home rather than grabbing dinner out, which would have been easier since I’m not feeling well. BUT I’m glad we saved that 30.00 tonight!
I cashed in my points from doing surveys so I could get a gift card to purchase Christmas gifts. I also signed up for a mailing list so I could get high-value coupons. I used the coupons to purchase dry goods for a gift basket for Christmas. I am slowly collecting honey, tea, dry mixes, etc. deeply discounted to make a nice gift.
I knew my husband wasn’t going to be home for dinner, so I wasn’t going to cook. I was tempted to go grab some fast food for me and the kids but instead we had leftovers!
my husband, our new baby girl, & I saved today by eating one of the freezer meals I made while pregnant. & a few chocolate chip cookies we had frozen in dough form too.
I receieved a $10 off coupon from three separate stores and I used them all today!! And spent right under $10 at all three stores – got a couple Christmas gifts for free!!
Also hit Bath and Body Works fall sale, plus a free item coupon and a 20% coupon – I got nice gifts for 4 Sunday School teachers for
$20!!
i saved by eating leftovers for lunch at work.
I saved today by cleaning my bag-less vacuum cleaner and all the parts to make it run a little longer and better.
Also, reheated some leftovers for dinner instead of eating out.
I had to run to Walmart for some items (which they didn’t have, bummer) and I had time to kill (dangerous). I picked out a couple of dresses for my daughter–they were such a good price. But I put them back since she doesn’t really NEED them. I did however, buy a mini mouse dress on clearance that I’ll give her before we go to Disney next fall, something I was planning on buying anyway.
I saved the leftover green beans and corn from last night’s supper, and froze it. That way I can use it again when I make my homemade vegetable soup. I also qualified for 6 different freebies that will be coming in the mail soon.
I saved by cutting hair too! I always cut my husband’s, which saves us about $15 every three weeks. Today, I watched some you tube videos and cut my own hair… Woo hoo!
We ate left overs instead of eating out.
I also cut my hubby’s hair, plus my three boys. Two get buzzed cuts, which are easier, mostly. The two youngest I cut their hair with scissors. After watching a YouTube video, it wasn’t so scary. And not too hard, if they sit still. Ha! 🙂
I’m also resisting the urge to get takeout tonight. Threw a couple potatoes in the oven and I’ll fry up bacon for BLTS. It’s been a LONG time day, so something simple like this is good.
I volunteered to bring clementine “pumpkins” to a Halloween gathering- A bag of tangerines is pretty inexpensive and I’m ensuring to have at least one healthy option there.
Our apartment complex was having a Halloween fest tonight. Not my first choice, but FREE STEAK DINNER for 4!!
The only thing I did today was shop at Target~so I saved a little by using my redcard debit card. 🙂 It’s an easy way to save, even if it’s not a lot!
Cut my husbands hair and made a double recipe of bean soup and cornbread for the freezer
I saved by cashing in my Walmart savings catcher receipts and added it to my grocery money. It allowed me to extend my budget a little and get some small “sweet treats” that weren’t expected! The kids loved that!
I had to pick up a few things at the grocery store and thankfully I had coupons on hand for a few of the items.
I cooked dinner when I really, really didn’t want to!
We save by not paying for cable. To watch our college football games for free on the internet, we go to a website called first row sports. It is a European website that allows you to watch American football. You have to click on the icon American football in order to watch the college games. When you click on that website, there are other pages that pop up that are annoying, but once you click them off………..then you can enjoy the game.
I brought my coffee and lunch to work and ate leftovers for dinner.
I traded in my Kellogg’s reward points for a free Shutterfly book that will be a Christmas gift!
The weather was unexpectedly warm here the last two days, and so I opted to hang our clothes out on our deck instead of running the dryer. I have no idea how much that saved, but every little bit helps!
I took some towels and bathroom accessories back to target today. I saved by deciding I didnt really need them.
Had dinner for tonight planned yesterday. No rushing or running to get an ingredient!
I saved today by bringing breakfast and lunch to work!
I used a $2 coupon at Fatz Cafe that I received for doing a survey.
We went to goodwill for Halloween costumes – I found a gorgeous white sparkly dress that’s the start of an Elsa costume, and it’ll look better than those cheap (looking) halloween store costumes! I also get women’s shirts and tailor them into dresses for my daughter.
We ran out of shampoo today and instead of running out to buy more, I put a basket of samples in each shower. I sue samples when we run out of shampoo and soap.
I make meals for my dog. He gets rice, frozen veggies and inexpensive cuts of meat. I stock up when the food is at rock bottom prices and freeze everything. Anything he doesn’t eat gets saved and tossed in the next meal. Not only does it save money, it’s healthier for our dog!
We saved by saving all of our birthday party candy that we don’t like for trick or treaters! We have a lot of October parties and very few trick or treaters – this is doubly good because it prevents me from eating leftover candy!
We ate homemade chicken noodle soup instead of hitting the drive thru! The broth was even from scratch!
I decided to make homemade Christmas presents instead of buying big extravagant (or not so extravagant gift cards) for the adults in mine and my husbands families. We are doing Sundae gift boxes that provide all of the ingredients to make sundaes or cones (minus the ice cream but will provide a $5 Target gift card to cover the cost). I estimate this to be a savings of around $200 on our Christmas budget.
Hung coats outside to dry awhile instead of in the dryer!
We ate all of our meals at home today.
I’ve been trying really, really hard not to stop for just that quick – sandwich, drink, snack, etc. Did not stop at Wawa to get a soda or a pretzel or a cornbread muffin. And I drove by there twice today!
I saved today by brewing my own coffee for work instead of buying it.
We are having leftovers for supper!
I packed snacks in the diaper bag for our long outing today to ensure that we wouldn’t be stopping at a fast food joint on impulse. We also pulled soup from the freezer for supper instead of eating out on the way home. I was very glad I thought ahead and made a double batch in order to freeze some weeks ago!
So if yours isn’t from today… Can I comment with what I did yesterday? It was much better *blush*. Yesterday, my mom watched our kids for free while my husband and I went on a date. On the way, I looked for gift cards in my purse and found over $40 to use at olive garden. after eating for “free” we went to our wholesale club (BJs) and used the coupons I had with me to do a big stock up trip and get us through the end of the year on laundry detergent, toothbrushes, dishwasher tabs etc etc. I saved about thirty dollars with the coupons I had!
I LOVE this! Yesterday’s savings totally counts, too! 🙂
I made my coffee at home, rather than stopping somewhere to get it.
I also gave my son a haircut yesterday and am planning to give my husband one tonight! They have fast growing, thick hair so they need haircuts every four weeks, and I can save sooo much by cutting it at home!
I do cut my husband’s hair. For today, I joined a local barter group on Facebook.
Speaking of Target…I found boots originally prices 29.99. They were on clearance for $18 add a 25% off from Cartwheel and 5% from my Red Card. I ended up paying under $13.
I went to Kroger today for groceries for the week. I downloaded ecoupons onto my card which saved me some. Also, I bought generic soda because it was on sale for $2. I don’t like to have a ton of soda around but sometimes it is nice to have plus it saves me from stopping by McDonalds and spending $1 on just one drink and it saves me from my husband stopping by a gas station on his way to work to buy soda.
I bought a dress off the clearance rack for $1 and used some material and a sash left over from my wedding to alter it.
We had what might be the last warm day here in PA so I packed a picnic dinner of sandwiches, fruit and cookies and we enjoyed a fun, free evening at the park instead of a dinner out at a restaurant.
I do a lot of Amazon shopping, liquid foundation(I now refuse to spend more than 1.50$), almost all of my teenaged son’s school clothes (usually a spine chilling 300$ bill, this year I spent a whopping 80$),
With only days until Halloween, I knew I needed to buy some candy, stat! So I decided to venture over to my local CVS, because I knew they had candy on sale, which I could pair would the coupons I had. This is the deal I was able to work out: Hershey’s candy (i.e. Reese’s PB Cups & Kit Kat’s, specifically) = $1.88 each, I purchased two of them and used a $1.10 off of two coupon, plus, I purchased two bags of Caramel Apple Jolly Rancher lollipops for $2 each and used a $1.60 off of two coupon, PLUS, to sweeten the deal, I received a $1 Extrabuck to use on my future purchase!
I cooked a big pork roast that we will use for several nights’ dinners! I also got the last few supplies to make my children’s Halloween costumes 🙂 MUCH less expensive than buying them!
As an adult still living with her parents, I try to help out where I can. Today I biked to the Post Office (12 min drive by car) to drop off my mother’s mail, after she realized we did not get it to our mailbox in time. This saved us gas for the car and included a bonus of quite enjoyable exercise for myself.
I did my grocery shopping at Aldi, so I’m sure I spent less than if I had gone to a regular grocery store.
Today I used my stash of “free” couponsto shop formylocal homeless shelter. I feel good, while they receive great freebies.
Shopped at Aldi’s bought enough for husbands lunches for the week only spent $16
I spent the day two hours away from home, in Des Moines with my son while my husband was at a meeting there. My son and I wondered around the city window shopping and, instead of spending money, we were intentional about adding everything we wanted (or in my son’s definition “needed”) to our Christmas lists. Now we have a plan for the Christmas gift season and we saved money! In addition, for his fun time we chose to browse books at Barnes and Noble and spend time at the mall play area instead of expensive activities!
I made my son’s “Fall festival” costume from clothes he already had (this is how we did it growing up- it amazes me how many ‘real’ costumes there are!). I cut his hair the other day too.
Today I finished my toddler’s Halloween costume (Woody the cowboy) by sewing a cow print vest. Not only was his costume inexpensive (it was thrifted, handmade, and birthday gifts from grandparents) but it will be much more comfortable than the polyester bodysuit option.
My husband teaches at a junior college, part time, on top of working a full time job. Tonight he’s teaching and I’m going solo as I shuttle the kids from one activity to the next. I just got off work, I’m exhausted, and I will NOT be grabbing something through the drive through. It won’t be a fancy dinner but it will save us $30. 🙂
Normally I carpool to work with my husband, but the next few days we’re going in opposite directions, so I’m taking the bus and I bought bus tokens = 20% off each ride.
I cut oregano and chives from my garden.
I saved the water from the shower to water potted plants in the garden.
I started a crock pot dinner this morning so I’d have more uninterrupted time today to work on fixing up some cloth diapers I’m planning to sell to bring in a little extra money. I also had to run to the grocery store to pick up some milk, and I resisted the urge to pick up this or that extra item while I was in the store, and actually walked back out of the store holding only the items I intended to get- that almost never happens! 🙂
How I saved today…
1) made homemade baby food, as opposed to buying pre-made pouches.
2) made my daughter’s halloween costume.
3) made a deal with my sister – we will watch each other’s kiddos so that we may each have some much needed “me” time 🙂 without having to pay a sitter. (And the kids get the added bonus of spending more time with family – win, win.)
Today I saved by using our creditcard points for a Old Navy giftcard and combining that giftcard with $30 off $75 and free shipping i was able to buy socks, underwear, and winter stuff for my son!
I only shop clearance foods and use coupons.That is how I plan My Family meals for 4. I also rotate my pantry and freezer and plan meals for the week. I take advantage of my apps use Target Cartwheel, price match and I botta and receipt hog to save money. There are a lot of apps out there to help you save. I gave a few away to you right now. I saved
at Target this year and we are now set for next year. I bought a pool 14X 42 $399.99 sale price marked down half off addition off ended up paying $1.98 with the tax. Bought Hamburger at Target for 89 cents a pound. fresh fruit for 99 cents and bread 99 cents a loaf than with an additional 25% off at register. Christmas is wrapped just waiting for Dec to come. Saved on all of My Christmas gifts to boot.
I went thru the coupons that were in this past weekend’s newspaper and clipped a few that I can use grocery shopping this weekend. They match up with some sales at the grocery store this week.
I made applesauce from free apples and scratch biscuits for dinner.
I cut my 3 kids hair and my husband does his. I also color my own in order to save more money. I have also learned to make a lot of things from scratch like granola and bread and different things like that ever since I lost my job. Not only have we cut down our grocery bill but it has helped us eat healthier too.
I used a coupon when I got the oil changed today.
I searched the internet and found a PDF file to make my sons Steve from Minecraft head for Halloween. It cost me $8 total when it sells for $20 in stores!! #msmsuccess
Instead of the usual dry cleaning for his work shirts, I took the couple hours to wash and press my husband’s shirts. Saved us probably $30.
We are in the middle of a move across country. My husband and I saved today by coming up with ways to pack without buying packing supplies. All our clothes and ours kids clothes are the “bubble wrap”. I pinterested ideas for moving and there are tons of great tips on there.
We also brought a lot of nice things we owned to the Goodwill. So, we got a little tax credit. I guess that can count toward saving.
We are also saving by eating up everything in the kitchen that we stock piled, instead of giving it away and relying on convenience food (Which would be so much easier at this point). We actually eat healthy non-processed food. So…this means cooking everything from scratch. Grains from the cubbard and meat and veggies from the freezer.
I saved today by packing snacks for work, instead of buying something from the vending machine. It was healthier too.
We ate out of the cupboard instead of buying food. Also I wormed the cats myself instead of taking them to the vet.
We went to the Pumpkin Patch today, but first I checked their website which offered $1 off the cost of admission, which saved our family of 9 $9. Not a huge amount, but every little bit helps.
Btw….we also cut our kids hair at home too;)
Blessings!
This actually took about an hour over a couple of days but…
I have a skirt I love that the seams weren’t done well so the stitching kept coming out. I re-sewed every seam so now I can wear it again and I’m not tempted to go out and buy a new one.
I saved today by not buying name-brand foods. I did my usual weekly grocery shopping at Kroger. Normally I would purchase name-brand foods because of my coupons, but decided to try kroger brand foods. I’m so glad I did! I ended saving a whooping 15 dollars more then if I would have used my coupons for name-brand foods. So a little extra money for next week budget! Whoop-whoop!
Today is Tuesday, which means kids eat free at ikea. My kids ate for free and I enjoyed a free cup of coffee there. They also got to play in small land for an hour. All for free!
My baby is now 6 weeks old. I decided to ditch the ‘sposies and go back to cloth diapers. It saves a lot!
Turned my skinny jeans into maternity skinny jeans instead of spending $40 on new jeans!
Today my family and I ate from the pantry. No one ate the same thing and it saved money from eating out. We also switched our car insurance to where we have the house insurance so it saved us another 10% off the house insurance. (Every little bit helps)!
Currently we are making our sons squeeze fruit. I buy strawberries, all natural yogurt and bananas, then blend it up fill the bags! We pay next to nothing and we know what our son is eating, win-win!
I’m not sure how well this relates, but I spent some time today working on making a menu and grocery list of a month’s supply of meals that requires only a once a month shopping trip for some friends looking to save money. It saves a lot of money in the long run because you have easy, already prepared homemade meals that are healthy for you and your family. It saves gas money from having to run out to the store every day just to grab something for dinner and lastly it allows you to use your time wisely by being prepared giving you more time to spend with family and friends.
I’m not sure how well this relates, but I spent some time today working on making a menu and grocery list of a month’s supply of meals that requires only a once a month shopping trip for some friends looking to save money. It saves a lot of money in the long run because you have easy, already prepared homemade meals that are healthy for you and your family. It saves gas money from having to run out to the store every day just to grab something for dinner and lastly it allows you to use your time wisely by being prepared, giving you more time to spend with family and friends.
We bought a bike on Craigslist instead of buying it new.
My husband packed his lunch. And when I took our company out to do their shopping I carefully stuck to my list, avoiding those tempting extras.
For supper tonight we are having Mexican rice bowls which is a fun way to use leftovers up and will make enough for some lunches for my husband.
I have been looking for ways to save around the house. I bought some reusable napkins and we use those for all meals instead of buying napkins. There was an initial investment in doing this, but it will save my family in the long run.
My husband and I had an ‘eat out the fridge’ left over night. We had a little bit of everything…salad, butternut squash, kiwi, and grilled cheese (one of my husband’s favorites), he loved it and it saved us from eating out. After dinner we went for a walk instead of paying to visit the gym.
We chose items from my stash for my niece’s birthday gifts instead of running to the store.
i have ben using the “free” codes for shutterfly and only paying shipping. Ive gotten mugs, bags, cards, magnets, luggage tag holders etc to use as gifts
I prepped food yesterday so that we could eat at home/pack lunch to work: veggies, taco meat, etc. I also resisted a strong urge to buy an ice cream cone. 🙂 Overall, we spent no money today. ..always good!
It’s been a crazy-busy start to the week – with a kid coming down sick this morning – but since I already planned easy dinners with components I can make when time is free I haven’t been tempted to just get take out.
We eat vegetarian meals for dinner several times a week. Meat can be so expensive! Last night I made a lentil stew with fresh rolls. It was delicious and there are plenty of leftovers for me to have for lunch for a few days, extending the savings!
Went for a walk on the downtown trail with my dear husband while we waited for the car to be aligned….got some fresh air and didn’t have to pay for a workout! 🙂
I packed my lunch for work today instead of spending money buying it.
We saved today by eating a freezer meal even though work commitments made eating out tempting! 🙂
Today I gathered all the products in my home that either I, or another family member disliked or had a problem with. I called each customer service number and told them the issue(s). After I was done I calculated the savings from reimbursements and I saved $260.00! I did not expect to have such a big reimbursement value but I was very happy! I will never throw away another faulty/bad product again without calling first!
I had a mystery shop at a local restaurant this afternoon. So to save gas I talked the kids into getting some exercise and we walked to the restaurant to meet my husband for dinner. I had planned to do the shop today because Harris Teeter is in the same shopping center and we needed to buy some more strawberries before the sales change tomorrow. 🙂 Every little bit of gas we can save helps!!! And the added exercise was a plus. . . although we did catch a ride home with my husband after dinner.
I racked in the savings on groceries by picking up a ton of “manager special” items. Love those discounted food items at my local Kroger’s. Now to plan out my weekly menu based upon the items I picked up today.
Tues is kids eat free night at our local Chik-fil-A so it’s our one weekly night out splurge!
I saved today by packing lunch for the kids and myself.
We made pizza at home instead of going out. My kids love to help chop up veggies, put on the cheese, roll out the crust, and taste the final product. So, a savings of about $15 and entertainment to boot!
I saved today by turning a 6 year old Old Navy fuzzy and warm Bat Costume that my son wore when he was 2, and making a cute tutu and hair bow ( I had all the tulle and ribbon from previous projects) I added them to the costume to give it a sweet girly touch for my 2 year old daughter to wear for Halloween this year! Perfect for Michigan Weather! She will be the cutest bat ever! Absolutley perfect Halloween costume Savings!
Planned our weeks menu based on the sales and coupons I could find for Hyvee. Saved over 45 dollars with coupons and have a plan during our busy week to avoid eating out. And I avoided getting my usual cup of coffee while shopping, saved another 4 bucks. Everything counts!
I filled up my van for only $37 using Fuelperks! I also purchased 6 bags of groceries for only $9.15 matching coupons and sales.
I save every single day by packing lunches for my son & husband. Packing lunches is my least favorite task. I. Hate. It. But, it saves money and is healthier for them so I do it Sunday-Thursday nights. Always the night before so there’s no added responsibilities the next morning.
I always joke that when I’m rich we’ll eat out at lunch. That day will never come because it’s too big of a money saver. Now I’m off to make PB&J for tomorrow….
Slightly over ripe fruit and ice and magic bullets equaled delicious after school snack of fruit smoothies!
We saved today by using chicken I cooked up yesterday to stretch into today’s dinner. I’m 38 weeks along with baby number 3, and the temptation to order out for every dinner is overwhelming at this point. 🙂
I saved today by saying no fast food when we were out and about today! 🙂
I made a new meal for supper out of leftovers in the refrigerator. The children did not even know that we were eating leftovers. This was a hit because they tend not to care of leftover.
We packed a lunch and went to the park!!!
Our local Chick-fil-a was having a food bank promotion where, in exchange for a jar of peanut butter, the customer would receive a free meal! I have a stockpile of peanut butter that I got for $1 each, so my husband and I had a cheap date out! $2 worth of PB for a yummy meal that I didn’t have to cook! Winner, winner, chicken dinner (for real!) 🙂
I made my husband’s grandma’s secret chocolate cake recipe for his birthday tomorrow rather than buying one from the bakery.
I saved by buying our organic lunch snacks on the clearance aisle at the local market.
I saved money today by hanging out 4 loads of laundry and using homemade laundry detergent to boot.
My baby came down with a cold today and instead of running to the store (which is 20 mins away) I made up a batch of homemade cough syrup from home! I happened to have half of a lemon in the fridge, raw honey in the cupboard, and extra virgin olive oil on the counter. A couple mins is all it took and it saved me time and money for gas and store bought cough syrup!
I moved an appt around and combined my errands into one trip. So not only was I able to save money on gas, but also time. Win win!
I had my wisdom teeth out and because we don’t have dental insurance I chose local anesthesia over general and it was significantly cheaper!
I repurposed my son’s Halloween costume from last year (Yoda) into my daughter’s Halloween costume this year (Princess Leia)!
My son asked to go out for coffee (he likes to get juice & a cookie while I get coffee) and a movie so we borrowed a movie from the library and made cookies and coffee at home. Not only did we save money but we had a memorable experience!
Today, I didn’t buy Tide when grocery shopping – because even at a great $1.99 price – I already had several bottles of detergent at home. Plus, I got a rain check on $1 Craisins so I could stock up later at a bargain price. Both things kept me within my monthly budget!
I saved today by using chicken I bought on markdown in the crackpot so it would be ready after a long day and I’d not be tempted to order out. I also saved by checking my receipt at Target and getting it corrected. I was charged full price for 2 soups that had been marked down to $.38 each.
I had prepped lunch to avoid buying out this week. But i had to run out during my break and ran out of time to heat what id brought. I remembered that I’d saved enough points to get a Smoothie King for free! Liquid lunch for free 99 and healthy to boot!!!
I saved by trying out a new recipe for turnips! I had never cooked or even bought a turnip in my life, but they were very inexpensive at the store (and there was a Snap App rebate) so I bought some, cooked them up and the family loved it!!
Thus weekend I cut my husband’s hair, along with all 3 of my son’s hair! That saved us at least $48 plus tips. Before I left to take my kids to their swim practice today I popped some chicken sausages and corn on the cob into the Crock pot for an easy ready dinner. The beauty part? I got the sausages on sale at Sam’s Club for 3.22 a package (normally $9) and the corn was given to us! That’s a cheap dinner for a family of 7!
I bought the supplies for making homemade laundry detergent. Planning to make it for the first time later this week.
I shop ahead usually 6 weeks of meal planning at a time. No running to the store and impulse buying and always knowing what is planned for dinner. this saves me money everyday:)
We saved money by using an old picture frame to create a chaulk board to track our new business inventory. We also cut our children’s hair at home today, too which is why I came to the site. Such great ideas everyone!
My husband made made bacon cheeseburger macaroni for dinner from left over meat loaf and bacon. It was quick and delicious on an evening when we had unexpected company during the time we usually make dinner.
Hi, i saved today buy transfering my perscription to kmart and recieving a $25 giftcard. I then used a coupon for some shoes $5 off $5 for my daughter. I also used some more coupons to purchase wipes. They had a lot of clearance clothes so i got my baby 4 onesies, 3 shirts for my son, and 2 shirts for my daughter. Some chapstick with my coupons. And still have $4. Left on it. Love it!
We ate leftovers for lunch and supper. No wasted food equals saved money.
I saved today by buying a giftcard from a resale Gift Card site. Saved me 15% off a $125 purchase that I have been planning to make for a while now! Yes!!!
I brought my lunch to work and used my grocery store reward card to get sale prices on groceries.
I volunteered for an expensive Lego program so my daughter could attend; it’s free if I volunteer, but $$$ if I drop her off. 🙂
I saved by making six loaves of bread from scratch instead of buying them at the store.
I clustered my errands to save money on gas, packed my son & hubby’s ) lunches & highly encouraged my hubby to carpool, which he ended up doing.
Packed picnic for family and guests as we visited nearby tourist attraction.
I went to the farmer’s market and bought fruits and vegetables a little past their prime and then went home and froze some, sorted some, (potatoes – mushy ones out so they don’t rot the rest) and we had salad for lunch because the lettuce was three heads for a dollar and the tomatoes 12 for a dollar.
I’m pregnant, sick, and tired of my own house. Today, instead of walking the mall on this rainy day and tempting myself to spend money, I spent the day at my mom’s 🙂
I saved money today by cooking a turkey. Not only did it make a great dinner, but it will also save me from having to buy lunch meat the rest of the week. I can also use some of the leftovers for turkey rice soup which I’ll make in the crock pot tomorrow!
I saved by packing leftovers for lunch instead of going out with coworkers!! This is huge for me when everyone else goes out to lunch!
I walked to the grocery store which saved gas and provided exercise . Plus having to carry everything home makes you think twice about buying things not in your list.
I saved by making my multiple cups of coffee in the chemex today instead of buying it at a coffee shop… I saved quite a bundle considering how many cups of coffee I had to drink to stay awake after hanging out with a certain bunch of amazing ladies until 3am every night for 4 days last week. Hehe! 🙂
I saved money last Friday when I took my kids to visit Jamestown, Virginia. By printing off & presenting our NC homeschool registration, we were able to get tickets for at least half off. We also packed a lunch and ate outside at the picnic tables in order not to buy food on the way there or back or at the Jamestown Cafe.
I made popcorn from bulk kernels, instead of the more pricey microwave bags.
I saved by eating leftovers for lunch, giving my son a haircut, and getting some videos at the library for the kids (and a book for me).
I got out our cloth diapers and started using them again (baby #3!) We hope to save at least $1000 before he’s potty trained!
I saved by making- with the help of my mother-in-law- my kids’ Halloween costumes. I paid $15 out of pocket for two costumes that would have cost me twice that at the store. Not to mention that I think our versions are cuter.
i saved money by selling several outfits my daughters had outgrown : )
Won a session of gymnastics on a auction night below value. I was already planning on signing DD up.
Tonight we had a clean out the refrigerator night for dinner!
I was going to save on a dinner out by researching which restaurants had kids deals on Tuesdays…
But instead, we saved by eating leftovers at home for dinner since my daughter developed a fever today.
I needed to bring a baked item for the school carnival, so I made something at home with ingredients I had in the pantry. It saved me a special trip to the store to buy special ingredients. It also saved me money to bake my own item instead of buying something premade.
I saved today by accident. Decided to splurge and go to lunch with a friend who recently left our company. The restaurant was super busy and we only had an hour. A brand new place was opening next door so we decided to give it a try. Well they were having a test grand opening and offering free lunch!! So I took the cash out of my wallet that I was going to spend on lunch today and tucked it away in my Christmas money envelope. So even though the free lunch was an accident I have purposely put away my savings to avoid spending it mindlessly.
I saved today by rummaging through our craft supply cupboard to find some school supplies that my kids needed replenished. Instead of running to the store to purchase new items, I spent a few minutes searching through what we already had. I found everything they needed, and didn’t spend a cent. 🙂
I printed my coupons for double coupon week at k-mart. I am so excited to get some great deals!
I saved money today by eating leftovers for lunch and using coupons at the grocery store.
I saved several ways today, first was repurposing items to create a Halloween costume so I didn’t have to buy another. We also checked out a huge amount at the library. Lastly, I stopped at Kroger to buy pork on sale to make bar b que for a crowd this weekend which was supposed to be on sale. I couldn’t find one with the sale price that was still good through today, so I talked to the butcher. He said this had been happening recently on the days right before an ad change so he very nicely corrected the tag to show the sale price. This made it about $8 cheaper!
Some times I feel self-conscience wanting to be a saver around other people who aren’t. Today some sweet ladies at my husband’s office threw us a baby shower. When they were helping us organize all our special gifts, someone started throwing away all the cute tissue paper and bags. I said kind of sheepishly, we will reuse all of that if you don’t mind saving it. I love saving money. Why do I feel like some times I have to apologize for it?
I went to a store to buy a pillowcase for a child’s costume for a fall party we are attending. I decided to pass on paying over six dollars for a costume and go to the thrift store instead for a dollar pillowcase. However, while at the store I found a dress on clearance for $4.00 for another child as well as another marked down skirt. The trip was a win win! Saved by not buying the pillowcase and got some needed clothes for $25.00 off the original price! Total savings: $30.00! It pays to always check out the clearance rack!
My husband and I really wanted Starbucks but settled for brewing our own coffee at home.
I used some reward points to get a free Starbucks card.
I made dinner with what we had on hand instead of giving into my desire to go out. It saved us money and it let me use food that would have otherwise been wasted!
I packed a lunch and brought it to work.
I saved today by making my family lunches for school and work.
Last year, I was buying 2 large iced teas and a sausage muffin at McDonald’s every day on my way to work (and often more tea later from Sonic!) There’s something about a straw and disposable cup that makes a difference to me. In June, I bought a case of 32 ounce cups and lids and an iced tea machine, and I have hundreds of straws accumulated from over the years. I know even this sounds like a waste of money, but honest, it’s saved me a ton over the summer. This last month has been so busy that I’ve gotten back in the habit of going by McDonald’s again. This morning, I got on it and made some tea and brought my own again :o) One day, maybe I can make it to reusable cups!
I made 4 loaves of bread today and a huge pot of tomato soup. A super-economical meal that makes a ton. Then we took soup and bread over to our neighbors, just because. We love our little cul-de-sac and have the best neighbors.
We live in the middle of nowhere, so today when my husband had a meeting in the city we doubled up so I could do some grocery shopping while there.
I got up in time to get breakfast and lunch ready to take to work!
Packed lunches for the whole family instead of buying them along the way.
Today I saved by making more cloth wipes from receiving blankets. They work perfect for my 10 month old in diapers and my almost 3 year old who is potty training. I haven’t bought wipes for 3 months and the extra I made today means I don’t have to do a load every day to be prepared for the next day!
We ate leftovers for lunch instead of picking up fast food!
I saved today by making my own pumpkin spiced latte instead of driving to Starbucks and spending $5 for one coffee. Mine was delicious, and I had two cups! And I really needed it after being up half the night with a teething baby. 🙁
We collect items all year for the Operation Christmas Child boxes… we try to make as many as possible, today my local HEB had a side walk sale where everything (no matter the original cost) was $.50!!! I was able to get 40 items to round out our 12 boxes for only $20! Two of the shirts I picked up were marked $7 each alone! The total value of the items was well over $100!
I saved today by going into my gift closet for a gift for a friend and her little girl. When I travel, I buy gifts for my family and friends to use for birthdays and Christmas. I love giving unique gifts (always at a good price). I can shop while on vacation and actually finishing my birthday and holiday shopping. I chose a photograph that I bought last summer in San Francisco and used a frame I already had on hand for the perfect gift for my friend, Meg. For her little girl, Madryn, I chose a copy of “The three Little Javelinas” that I purchased at a book signing in Arizona. I have special gifts to give my friend, and I only went shopping in my gift closed!
I got in the car with every intention of driving to the store but decided to stay home instead. There are so many temptations when I’m out. It’s much easier to save by staying home.
I saved money this week by writing out a simple meal plan on Sunday afternoon. We have an activity planned for every evening this week so it is nice to know in advance what we will be eating each night. Several nights I will double the meal and freeze the other half for a future meal. Other nights I planned to eat something from the freezer which was made a couple of weeks ago.
Last week we went to Disney, not exactly a place where you are going to save money. I was reading a lot of blogs and one person said you could ask for large ice water and bring flavor packets (if you don’t want to drink straight up water) and add them to your water. It was really hot there so instead of buying 5 drinks at three dollars a pop 3 to 4 times a day we got ice water and added the flavor packets. We got so many people telling us what a smart idea this was. We easily saved $100 (probably more) just on drinks over the course of a week.
I just cut all 4 of my boys’ hair tonight, major savings there. Plus used leftovers from supper to make my husband’s lunch for tomorrow. My oldest daughter also got leftovers ready for her lunch.
My mom bought our supper. 🙂 🙂
I took my daughter to the park this afternoon for some free entertainment and planned out dinner using what was already in my fridge so that it would be ready to pop in the oven when we got back. Yay for no take-out!
I saved today by buying birthday presents for parties my kids would be attending this weekend at Kmart. I had received a “surprise” $12 in rewards and I used that towards toys on clearance that were an additional 40% off! We scored some great gifts for way less than the original prices!
I was making a double batch of baked spaghetti and instead of doubling the meat (which would mean 4 pounds of meat), i just used 3 pounds- i know it wasn’t a huge alteration but I couldn’t even tell a difference from the way i normally make it.
My son has a Halloween party at his preschool and I signed up for party bags. At work we host a fall carnival every year with prizes and other giveaways. I was able to use the left overs from the Carnival to fill all of the goodie bags (and not candy!) great things like crayons, Erasors, hair clips etc that were going to get thrown away (if someone couldn’t take them) because there was not enough to save to give out the following year! I ending up putting together 18 great goodie bags and didn’t pay anything!
Made the remainder of the weeks dinners and froze them for easy homemade dinners instead of being to eat out this week.
I saved money today by skipping the pumpkin patch!
I used a gift card I got from using MyPoints to buy new underwear for my daughter.
We are using Life of Fred for our homeschool math curriculum. I had been borrowing the books from a friend who owns all of them. I discovered that the book we are ready to start (after finishing one last week) is the same one my friend’s son is currently using. At first I decided to go ahead and purchase the book we are needing, but felt I ought to at least check our library first. I was super excited to discover that my library has all the Life of Fred books! I requested it and picked it up yesterday. Savings….around $20!
I finally dug up the potatoes I had planted this summer. I had contemplated just giving up on harvesting them since life has been just so crazy, but tonight after work, I spent about 15 minutes digging up one row 🙂
We decided to try to buy a foreclosure and fix it up rather than get another mortgage.
I like to play what I call the grocery store game. I check the ads then check my coupons and see what deals I can get with rebate apps like ibotta, checkout51 and walmart’s savings catcher program. My friend gave me a bunch of $5 off $30 coupons for a local grocery store and today my husband and I competed to see who could get the lowest price for all the groceries we got. I won today but after all of my rebates and coupons he got a ton of groceries for $17 one day.
I saved money today by buying cat food with a Petco gift card that I received for doing surveys.
Today, I decided to take back two items that I had previously purchased and didn’t need. I then snagged a deal on great value tampons with coupons using the money I just got back. I was pretty satisfied. 🙂
I saved today by turning yesterday’s leftovers into another good meal for dinner tonight. 🙂
We did haircuts at home today! 🙂
I made dinner at home instead of eating out!
I made vegetarian tacos for dinner instead of buying ground beef for $5/lb. (and my 4 yr old amazingly gobbled it up and asked for seconds!)
I cleaned out my fridge today and noticed some things that needed to be used up so I got on pinterest and found a recipe. We made chicken cordon bleu casserole and it was so yummy!!! And then had green beans and fruit and biscuits all from the fridge. It felt so good to know I saved some food from going bad
I started a free 5K running app- instead of joining a gym. And found a new-with-tags Fila workout shirt with electronic device pocket at Goodwill with my mother- at less than $3 with her senior discount & preferred customer card!
We had been planning all month long to go to the local pumpkin patch. It is something we look forward to every fall, especially because the falls in Florida are nothing like the ones we used to have in South Carolina. We try to pretend that it feels like fall as much as we can. We knew we would have to spend about $25 to get our family of 4 into the patch. We purposely bought two large pumpkins (one at Aldi and one at Sam’s Club) prior to going so we wouldn’t be tempted to pay a premium price at the pumpkin patch. We also saved money by bringing a picnic lunch, bottled water, sodas and juice instead of paying for lunch from the food trucks and local vendors. As wonderful as their meals looked and smelled, ours were far healthier and cheaper (spent $8 on lunch as opposed to about $30 or more). All said and done, we saved well over $35. We even stuck to all of the free rides, climbing the hay bales, and other free activities. My kids still had so much fun that they never asked more than once to do something that cost money (like a pony ride) – they knew it wasn’the worth waiting in line and missing out on all the other fun!
Instead of spending the $5 and $10 Target gift cards I receive for buying laundry detergent, toilet paper, diapers and the like, I stash them away each year until late October. Today I took them all in to customer service and and consolidated them onto one I can use for my kiddos gifts this holiday. Holidays are so much more relaxing when it doesn’t cost a penny out of your pocket! Thank you MSM for your heads up on Target gift card offers, while I was there I got an additional $20 gift card for buying diapers! 🙂
A handful of my kiddos Halloween candy haul secretly got put in their Christmas stocking. As did all their plain MnM’s- for holiday baking- simple and easy savings!
I saved today by cooking breakfast for me and my husband instead of buying breakfast on my way to work. I also picked up a gift card on the daily deals today using my Verizon smart rewards program. This will add to my Christmas gift stash.
I saved money today by carpooling with a friend to a neighboring city to run some errands! Thank you!!
I saved today by harvesting some kale in my garden – a 5 gallon bucket full! Some will be used this week and some blanched and frozen for winter use.
It’s not an interesting way to save really, but I saved by eating leftovers instead of going out to lunch. That saves money and gas.
Today I bought my boys’ Christmas presents from Amazon using my Swagbucks! And I got free shipping!
I stopped at the thrift store first rather than order snowpants online and saved $75 dollars.
I saved today by eating lunch at home. I really wanted to pick up some Chik-fil-a but we are paying off debt and could use that money elsewhere.
We went to the library and got plenty of books and DVD’s for the next two weeks. Then I went the resale shop and found a still-!n-the-box craft kit for my daughter for Christmas, which saved me at least $9.50!
As a foster and adoptive mom, we have five kids under 8 in our home, so we need to watch what we spend, especially this time of year with the Holidays coming up. I had a major week of savings this week Starting with Trick or Treat on Sunday, Garage sales and Kids used store for costumes, Spiderman, Iron man, Tootsie roll, Duck and a baby butterfly, total cost? Fifteen Dollars. I knew we would be cutting it close for lunch after church, so I thawed out chili from earlier in the week, so we didn’t spend sixty dollars on Mexican food as we do on many Sundays. I ended the day with order some Christmas gift, out of this was a Shutterfly vacation book for grandma, a Shutterfly mug for Grandpa with the kids picture on it, all for under twelve dollars, I saved up some freebie coupons and only had to pay shipping, and then ordered a twenty five dollar gift card for Applebees that I earned on my points from doing reports on bzzagent. I ended up doing a few more reports on bzzagent, to try to earn another gift card before Christmas, and also did a few surveys on Toluna, where I have already earned Twenty five dollars in gift cards from Target, which right now is offering free shipping! I am very please with how much I have saved this week, and so is my husband.
I sewed velcro and patches on my husband’s flight suit (he’s in the Air Force). It was a labor of love for my husband (I had to re-do one patch a few times!), but we saved by not paying for professional alterations. 🙂
Planned out my daughter’s costume for trunk or treat using what we already have at home.
Last week we had appointments all day. My son had to be taken to school, then my youngest had a doctors appointment, then a therapy group after school for my oldest, then soccer for my youngest. I had to pack a lunch for my oldest for school so I decided to pack lunch and dinner for the rest of the family. I was so proud of myself and we easily saved $30 by not eating out for those two meals. Not to mention the foods we packed were much healthier than what we would have eaten at a fast food restaurant.
I saved today buy painting and fixing an old toy chest instead of getting a new one!
I saved today by painting and fixing an old toy chest instead of getting a new one!
Today I baked two quick breads, one using some leftover homemade cranberry sauce and the other with some past prime bananas. I also made a quiche with left over cheese ends, one egg and some liquid egg whites. I also went shopping with loads of coupons at ShopRite and was under my planned purchase (just spent $32.00!) and got everything on my list.
I was in desperate need for new tennis shoes for work. I wear mine until I start having feet issues due to the shoes loss of support. I really like Target’s C9 brand. Great support, cheaper than brand name. I checked out cartwheel and found a 25% off any shoe for the family. Instead of paying $28, I aid $21 and my feet won’thurt anymore!!!
I made extra when I prepared dinner tonight and packaged it and froze it for another dinner on a busy night. There was also enough left over after we ate that my husband has plenty to take for his lunch tomorrow.
I work at a school so when one of our band teachers had a rip in one of his drum sticks’ bag, he came to me to see if it could be fixed. I offered to sew it for him – saving him and the school money rather than purchasing a new one. It took about me 2 minutes to fix, and I love that I was able to help out. I know it’s not a personal save, but saving money for others is important too. On a personal note, however, I did take a leftover chicken breast that we had grilled last night and made it into chicken quesadillas. It helped stretch the meat budget, and re-purposed some leftovers. And my kids’ made homemade cards for my mom’s birthday today rather than buying her one. She loved them.
I walked to work today instead of driving, saving gas money. I work just around the corner so it’s a short walk, but it’s tempting to drive when I’m tired and it’s chilly outside.
I saved by continu
My husband is on vacation this week. Instead of breaking our budget, we opted to stay at home and enjoy quality time. Today, we explored our city by starting a new adventure for our family…geocaching. Free activity and we had a blast!
We saved today by switching our cell phone plan to a less expensive carrier. $60/month!
I strained my homemade apple cidar vinegar. Its my first time so wish me luck. I’m still unable to smell due to a sinus infection, but my almost 6yr old daughter says it smells like vinegar!
We saved in a couple ways today, we are at the tail end of a home renovation that has completely drained our bank account. There are things we had plan to contract out however with no funds left. We are rolling up our selves and figuring it out. A positive is the letter you get from the usps came with some great 10% off coupons that will help out
My son’s birthday party is this Saturday and today was the day to go shopping for the treats. I saved by only getting what was on sale and what I had coupons for. EX: $0.50 bags of chocolate cover pretzels and $1.50 boxes of cheez-its!
The way I save money is packing lunch/snacks when we have sports activities on the the weekends. We are gone most of the the weekend and if we paid to eat at concessions or at local fast food places the money we spend would add up fast. An added bonus, bringing healthier options than fast food or concession type items.
Canceled a work lunch which easily saved me $20+
Checked out a huge stack of books from the library instead of ordering several hundred dollars of new books for the second quarter of school.
My sister in law took my extra pumpkins to work and sold them- I made $12 without doing a thing! I also traded a friend a few squash for coffee cake (I’m totally eating it for breakfast tomorrow morning!)
I saved by continuing to eat from the pantry & resisting the urge to get in the car & go somewhere!
While trying to teach my son colors, I had looked at different things to buy. I wanted visuals that I could use daily. I couldn’t find what I was looking for, so I drew a template of a paint splotch(inspired by one I saw on his ABC cards), traced it on printer paper, and used markers to fill it in. I then used contact paper that I had to laminate them. I am by no means an artist, but they work! I didn’t make them today, but since he used them today I thought I’d post this. 😉
I had a doctor’s appointment an hour from home. I knew we’d be getting back near dinnertime, so I put some soup from the freezer in the crockpot. It really saved a bundle when I could have easily been tempted to go through the drive through.
This weekend was busier then usual and my niece was visiting us so I didn’t have a chance to do my usual weekly meal plan and shopping trip this weekend. Instead of going to the store without a plan and spending more then I needed to or ordering takeout I dug in our pantry and freezer to come up meals for the last couple days.
We saved today by my husband changing the alternator on our excursion himself rather than having to take it to a shop! Probably a $200-$300 savings!
Used the flexibility of my menu plan and switched to an easier meal from later in the week when my hubby called (last minute) and asked us to visit him at work since he had a meeting in the evening. It would be easy to order take-out, but since I had our meals and ingredients for the whole week, I could rearrange and not spend any extra money 🙂
We saved today by playing in our own backyard instead of going to a fast food restaurant where we would inevitably spend money!
I combined 4 errands into one trip (with kids in tow), used coupons to save on groceries, got cheap kids meals at Moe’s (where I drank water), got books back to the library to avoid fines, got a great deal on my husband’s prescription meds, used codes to get a free movie to watch with the kids… A full day of savings that total over $70 (a rough guess, but the prescription saved us a lot!).
Instead of having the sitter come to watch my 2 year old son I decided to give her the day off and spend extra quality time with him.
We saved by having a no spend stay at home day. I try to do this half the week because it seems like on days we have plans outside of the house extra money is always spent!
i saved today by fixing my outdoor grill ‘ our grill had stopped working I dug out the Manuel watched a few videos and fixed it myself , I also washed all our windows and screens , and shampooed the dog!
I’m splitting a box of apples with a friend to make our own applesauce for the freezer. We waited to get “seconds apples” that are cheaper and work just as well in sauce. Yummy and cheaper to make it ourselves!
I searched the grocery ads to purchase sale items for the freezer. Turkey breast on sale this week for .99/lb. Tastes so much better and way cheaper than cold cuts. I buy smaller ones that will fit into my large crockpot and cook it all day.
We have been looking at getting my daughter a nightstand for her room. This morning while running I saw someone had put out with their trash a nice nightstand. It has some marks and words written with sharpie on the top, but my husband was able to sand those out. Now all we need to do is prime and paint it. I can’t wait to see how our trash to treasure project turns out!
I sent my husband to the grocery store to get just the couple things we REALLY needed for this week so I wouldn’t feel the need to do a huge shopping trip.
I made all my kids costumes for Halloween. I used coupons and sales to get the fabric. While it took more time to make them, had I bought them from the store, I would have spent a LOT more money!
i made homemade Landry detergent ..it cost me $10 before taxes for at least 6 months of detergent ! And only took me about a half our… So freaking easy! I love it
I met a friend at a coffee shop but resisted the urge to buy a cup!
To entertain my 1 year old, we went to an free open play at his baby gym. Then I dug through the garage for a bin of clothes from my older son. It’s always fun to shop in my own house. The 18month clothes is coming out for a whole set of new clothes.
I save money by making our own laundry soap.
I used a gift card I purchased earlier in the year to use for a fun lunch out with friends. I happened to purchase the gift card when the restaurant was selling $20 gift cards for $10! So, not only did I pay half the price for the gift card but I was also able to use a coupon with my order! Not going over our monthly budget in the eating out category and having money left on the gift card for another outing at a later time is a win, win, win for me!
Our microwave decided to stop working yesterday, which was very unfortunate… I cook ahead and freeze pretty much everything we eat, so I microwave food all day long to quickly and easily feed my little ones. Despite being on day 14 of a horrible cold while taking care of my two sick boys, I did not cave in and buy fast food (or a new microwave
Don’t know what happened to the rest of my comment above…
I used our toaster oven to defrost today and will be doing so until we save the $400 (yikes!!) for a replacement over-range microwave.
I saved my prepackaging lunches from leftovers tonight. Can’t wait for lunch tomorrow.
I made pumpkin muffins from scratch to bring to a lunch potluck playdate with friends instead of picking something up on the way.
I also worked on our homemade halloween costumes using material I already had on hand.
I saved today by making cold brew coffee at home instead of buying it from a coffee shop. 🙂
I had been planning on buying some storage containers for my different flours that I own now that I make my own bread. After checking out various options online and feeling indecisive, I went to the local thrift store for another need (which I found for 50 cents!) and found large glass jars for my flour! I rarely see glass storage containers at the thrift store, so I was amazed and snatched them up 🙂
I swapped babysitting with a friend so that I didn’t have to pay for a sitter while I had four redo fillings put in. Later, I swapped some of my son’s outgrown baby clothes for a custom made pair of baby booties and crochet headband for my new daughter. Savings: priceless.
I saved today by cooking dinner at home even though I was so tired after work and would loved to have just gone thru the drive-thru
I packed our lunches to eat on the go today instead of stopping for fast food!
We ate leftovers for dinner.
I am invited to a Halloween party with some good friends on Friday, and instead of spending $50 on a costume to wear for one night, I will reuse a costume in my closet from years ago. I don’t really like Halloween all that much, so I figure it’s best to save my money to pay off my mortgage instead.
I cut my son’s hair today too! I’ve NEVER paid for haircuts for our 3 kids and our oldest is almost 6! We’ve also never paid for my husband’s haircuts our entire 10 years of marriage because he’s bald! Who would have thought being bald would save money 🙂 As for me, I get a cut once a year, which will be this Saturday!
Found a used robe at Goodwill to refashion into a Statue of Liberty costume. $8 & a little creativity will be great by Friday! Also made it home to eat lunch instead of eating out.
We saved to day by having leftovers. When I meal plan, I build them into the week with our favorite foods. Saves money, and such an easy preparation for me :-).
Made dinner for tomorrow night so we won’t end up going out to eat before church.
I combined necessary trips with stops at nearby stores to get items on the sale or need list.
I saved today by eating leftovers.
No money was spent today! Stayed home with the girls and my husband avoided the temptation to stop at Walgreens for a pop/snack. It’s a small thing, but it’s a win!
I saved today by completely avoiding shopping — even online! That’s hard with lots of great “deals” popping up.
We lost our “costume” box in a recent move. I headed off to Walmart to buy a variety of wigs and one face paint kit for my teens. Now they can use their creativity and closets to expand their costumes and it cost me less than $20 for Halloween for 4 kiddos.
We are having a halloween party on Friday. I dug out some of my candy molds to make white chocolate skeleton hands and skulls out of the white choc that we had leftover from previous candy making. Also, made zucchini bread with zucchini that was in the freezer for snacks on Friday so we won’t spend as much money on treats.
We ate at home for every meal today – a big accomplishment for our house! We have got to stop eating out all the time for convenience!
My plan was to buy all of the ingredients for pizza in the way home from the store. Because it was pouring rain, I got French bread from a small bakery and made subs with pasta sauce, cheese, sandwich pepperoni, and veggies we already had on hand! I spent 2.00 when I could have easily spent 15!
The kids and I took our weekly trip to the library to pick out dvd’s. At our local library, one can check out up to 5 kids movies at a time, and keep them for a week. I use this to placate my children so that we don’t have to hit the redbox. If they want to watch a specific movie, we go onto the library’s website and request it, and pick it up in our weekly trip. I know redbox is only $1.50 or so, but it never fails I wind up keeping it for 3 days, so getting 5 movies for free for a week seems like a good deal to me.
Bought clothes for my twin girls from a local swap and sell site…7 long sleeve shirts and a pair of corduroys for $8 total, and I met a neighbor in the process!
Mine wasn’t today either, but this past weekend I cut my son’s and husband’s hair, too.
A few years ago I signed up for a free Panera loyalty card. I went to Panera tonight and discovered I got to choose any bakery item for free because it is my birthday month. Free chocolate chip cookies always taste really good!
After a weekend full of guests we had lots of leftover bits of food in the frig, so I went through the frig and made all sorts of yummy dinners that I froze for those busy days when I do not have tims to cook. Left over food was saved from spoiling and meals were made for those days when pizza delivery is just too tempting.
I hung out laundry instead of using my dryer. I don’t know how much that saves me but I do know that the dryer is one of the most expensive appliances to use, so I try to do my laundry on days that I can hang it out if at all possible!
Rode our bikes to the library instead of driving
Breakfast for dinner!
We are “eating from the pantry” all week. Only bought fruits and veggies at the store and I am getting creative with dinners to see how healthy and cheap we can eat!
We sell farm fresh chicken eggs and I cut my husbands hair tonight. Also went through grocery ad and did coupon matchups with our local grocery store.
I cut up old t-shirts to use as paper towels. I still use some pt but this cuts down immensely!
I also cut my own hair just yesterday! My husband cuts his own and our son’s.
Also, I made plans today to save tomorrow. A friend wanted to get together for lunch tomorrow to catch up and wondered where I wanted to meet. I offered that we have lunch together at my house. We can save money and our kids can play freely. 🙂
My family saved tonight by enjoying time together at a free storytime at a local library. Our son got to wear his costume (bought at a consignment store) and loved running around. For dinner, the three of us ate for free at Chickfila, thanks to two dinner vouchers I’d saved, and our son being in costume. Fun family outing!
My daughter will be one 5 days after Christmas so to save money I went to the consignment store today and found 4 of the “most loved toys” this season for a one year old for less than $22 total and they look practically brand new!
I cooked 5 meals worth of chicken in the crock pot this morning and then froze 4 of the portions for use in later meals. I get a better price on the meat by buying it in bigger portions and I save by having cooked meat ready for an easy meal on a day that I might otherwise by tempted to eat out.
I used cloth diapers on my toddler.
I started making 2 robot costumes for my boys (1yr & 2yrs). They will be made entirely out of things we already have! Old boxes, spray paint from a previous project, markers and construction paper!
I packed the kids lunches tonight so I won’t be tempted to buy school lunches tomorrow.
I jumped on a chance for a free painting class with my daughter. We spent $10 on dinner at the restaurant it was at, so only $10 for a mommy-daughter dinner and painting date! We had a lot of fun. 🙂
I saved today by using an old white sheet my mom had and part of a red curtain for my son’s roman emporer halloween costume. Now to find a gold chord of some sort to use for the tie belt.
Phew! We saved today by packing a picnic lunch rather than eating out when we went to the playground. All the other moms with their McDonald’s lunches made me a bit jealous, but I was SO glad to have our healthier and cheaper option!
We saved today by all taking lunches to school and then ran to Publix to get the last minute juice boxes for one child’s class. While at the register I said to the cashier I believe there is a store coupon for this would u happen to have an extra. To my surprise she did and saved us a $1. Yippee!
I talked myself out of the $200 winter coat that I thought I needed and instead bought six coats, six hats, and six sets of mittens to give to Coats for Kids (http://www.qcacoatsforkids.org/) for a grand total of $176.00, saving us $14.00 and a whole lot of buyer’s guilt. I did this two weekends ago and since then I’ve been staying home to clean out and organize our home, instead of heading to Target to find something to fill a need.
Should I be selected to win the Target gift card, I will be donating it to my friend’s charity, From Cover to Cover, which provides a book and blanket to elementary aged children. (http://www.fromcovertocoverproject.com/)
I needed 1/2 and 1/2 for a recipe this week. I went to get the Meijer brand, but they were out. I hunted down an employee to check on it for me and sure enough…totally out. No big deal you are thinking, but the name brand was over a dollar more and I am recommitted to our budget after a summer of getting off track (blaming pregnancy cravings) on our grocery budget. I asked if he could price match and he said they doubt they would. I asked at the checkout and the cashier didn’t even question it she just adjusted the price and I thanked her! It pays to ask politely. Score one for the grocery budget 😉
We were out of jarred spaghetti sauce, so instead of running to the store to buy some more, I made some from scratch instead!
Probably had less sodium than the jarred stuff too 😉
I picked up a ninja turtle costume at a yard sale for my son to wear to the church trunk-or-treat. The problem was it didn’t have a mask so I crocheted a matching red ninja turtle mask. My husband has only been working part time so It was a blessing to spend less than two dollars on my sons adorable costume.
I made homemade toothpaste!
Every Sunday afternoon I prepare my lunches for the week and take them to work each day instead of eating out – saving time each morning and hundreds of dollars each year!
I didn’t leave the house! No spending money on gas or driving anywhere to buy something.
I wanted to go check out the thrift store today when I was out but I knew we really didn’t have the extra money right now for that so I drove on by :).
I hoard gift cards. After doing the math between making halloween costumes for my kids and using gift cards to but them, I bought two for half off!
Today I saved by purchasing craft supplies for the girls I nanny at Michael’s who had their fall/Halloween stuff 70%. They don’t care if we have pumpkin crafts when it isn’t Halloween and I’m much happier with the price when I buy them at the end of the season.
Also, we are purging and I took our clothes to a consignment shop and made $20
I saved by changing my twin sons’ preschool to a different one that costs about $150 less per month.
I made coffee at home instead of coffee out today! Playgroup instead of going shopping while my older child was in preschool. And I have been finishing up my kids diy Halloween costumes with things I find around the house and the dollar store!
This year for Halloween I didn’t want to spend an obnoxious amount of money on a cheaply made costume that will be used one time and we will never use it again.. Soo I did some searching on Pinterest and came up with the idea of a scarecrow for my toddlers costume! I used a pair of oshkosh overalls that we already had, a flannel button up, bought a cheap straw hat. will be sewing some patches on the overalls and sewing raffia in the bottom of the overalls!
I made 18 freezer dinners so meals during the busy holiday season will be healthier, easier, and less expensive.
I bought a 15 lb. bag of potatoes. It cost as much as the 5 lb. My family will be having a lot of potato meals. YUM!
We just purchased a new home and it needed appliances. I saw that Sears had double the cashback on ebates.com and there was a $35 off $300 purchase coupon code. I bought each appliance separately so I could use the code for each one.
Not only did I save $150 with the coupon code, I’m getting $200 back from ebates next month!
i made homemade bread today!
We NEVER have enough taco meat leftover for the next day. So I stretched it tonight by mixing it with a box Uncle Bens rice and beans. Now we have enough for a 2nd meal tomorrow night (after a LONG day at work!) Saved money 3 fold because we cooked at home, used less meat, AND we have leftovers, so we have no excuse NOT to eat at home tomorrow.
We use cloth diapers for our baby girl which could be saving us hundreds of dollars.
Not only that but today I learned how to change out the damages elastics in the diaper! The diapers can cost over $20 to replace and changing the elastics myself only costs pennies!
I saved by skipping a Target run, I only needed one thing and who walks out of there with only ONE thing?! And making lunch at home instead of grabbing fast food. Been doing that a lot lately and not only is it saving me money it is better for my health.
BTW I also cut my and my two daughter’s hair at home. My hubby hates it (he thinks pro is the way to go with a lot of things) but it looks good and saves us a ton of money.
I brought items to work with me to store there for this weeks meals: frozen breakfast sandwiches, bagels, cream cheese, canned soup and crackers. I’m not good at grabbing breakfast in the morning or packing a lunch which often means I’ll spend an exorbitant amount in our cafeteria where the prices are very high. By bringing everything with me on Monday (or in this case Tuesday as I was off yesterday) it ensures I’ll have something to eat all week and can direct that money elsewhere. Breakfast and lunch in our cafeteria can easily cost $13 a day. Being proactive saved me approximately $65.
Lol, ironically i cut my sons hair today for the first time! Turned out great and now have years of savings:)
I saved today by not buying ice cream at the ice cream truck. My kids wanted it from the truck but I went to the store and bought 6 ice cream bars or the same price of 3 in the truck.
I saved today by not buying ice cream at the ice cream truck. My kids wanted it from the truck but I went to the supermarket nearby and bought 6 ice cream bars for the same price of 3 from the truck.
I saved money today by planning my freezer meals to prep. I’m having a total hip replacement in two weeks. This will aide DH by being able to pull out a home cooked meal to feed the family rather than going out.
We had the final football games of the season tonight. Instead of spending $50 at the concession stand for dinner we packed a picnic. The kids loved having our own food, which tasted great, and we did not have to stand in the long line at the concession stand.
I saved money by going to the library and maxing out our video options and borrowing awesome “I Spy” books for my son! LOVE that place!
I spent the afternoon freezing cooking with 2 friends. We made 12 meals so on those days when we would go out to eat because we are busy supper with already be done.
This week I was a little short on cash so I cooked meals using only what I had in the pantry and freezer!! Kids had fun helping me “CREATE” meals and we saved a while week of grocery money!! Bonus: we may try this one week out of every month:)
I’m getting married in almost exactly two years, I’m only 24 so I don’t have a ton of disposable income, and I don’t want to run my parents into the poor house, so I’ve started earning Swagbucks at every possible opportunity! I’m going to save them over the course of this year and the next, and cash out for amazon and other gift cards to pay for things like favors and stationary and other wedding details that are important to me! It’s more like on-going saving, but I earned 340 Swagbucks today!
Instead of ordering takeout or delivery, I made dinner for my family and a family who just had a baby.
I have been keeping a savings journal for a little more than a year now. According to my entry from last year Target had boys athletic wear jackets on clearance. As we were out using a gift card to a local restaurant I saw a Target I have never been to and sure enough the Jackets were on clearance. For $20.16 I picked up two Jackets in my son’s next size and a package of boxers. Saved $40.74 between clearance and the cartwheel app! Living in NJ that is a huge Savings Score!!! Plus showed off my price saving skills to the hubby= priceless 🙂
My mom came over and we made a couple of pots of soup to divide up into smaller portions and freeze for another day. I am bound to get sick from these kids at some point and trying to plan ahead! No take out.
Today I made my sick sister a big pot of homemade soup, and in doing so cooked an extra pot to feed my own family later!
I shopped 1/2 price day at the local thrift store. And I said “no” to many things there, only buying what I needed.
A few days ago I bought a Minnie Mouse costume for my niece that was on sale from $30 to $24. Today I found the exact same one in the clearance section of the store for $9 because it had a snag in the fabric. I purchased it, returned the $24 one and sewed up the snag. Good as new and less than half the price!
I save by taking leftovers for lunch each day.
I saw that our local Chik-fil-a was doing a drive for peanut butter for the local food bank. For every jar of peanut butter you donated (per number of people in your group) they gave you an 8 piece nugget meal free. I got some peanut butter from our food storage and we had a yummy meal. I only spent $.15 to upgrade to a lemonade instead of soda!
Today I made coffee at home! Last time I went shopping, I bought the syrup like they use at my favorite coffee shop. Even though it was early morning and I had to leave work, I made my own coffee in a travel mug instead of giving in to the temptatiion of coffee drive-thru. And it was just as good!
I packed my husband a lunch and a breakfast for his busy day at work in reusable Tupperware so that we won’t be tempted to eat take out. Also, much healthier than take out. I also wanted to buy oatmeal for the last few weeks, but I waited until today. Thanks to krogerkrazy.com posts I got 2 whole boxes for free!
I hate wasting food and started storing vegetable clippings in a ziploc bag in the freezer. I make my own vegetable broth by boiling water over vegetable clippings and letting it simmer. Once the broth is done cooking, I scoop out all of the veggie clippings. I toss in dried lentils, herbs, noodles and fresh veggies to create a hearty soup. Each batch of soup is a week’s worth of lunches for me and so much cheaper than the store bought soups.
I redeemed reward points on huggies.com and ordered a Christmas gift for my son. Gotta love free!!
I got invited to a last minute Halloween party and am making my costume using only things I already have – no buying anything 🙂
Just like you, I have given haircuts at home for us all for years. We did invest in a new clipper set which paid for itself in only two haircuts had they gone to a barber.
I have been doing a mini “pantry challenge” this week since we had to have some car repairs done. So far instead of spending my normal $80 in groceries I have only spent $25! I have 2 more days to go so I’m pretty excited the money I’ve been able to save.
We also do buzzed haircuts for the boys to save money. Also, our in-laws live very close to us and we eat dinner at their house several times a week. It seems silly, but it saves us so much money on meal costs!
I bought hair color at the store and dyed my own hair today. Saved $125.00 for a cut & color (since I didn’t really “need” a cut yet…mostly wanting to cover the greys!).
I’ll be cutting my 3 older kids’ hair tomorrow after their short day of school and I . First Cuts (where I used to take them) is $25/per child plus tip.
That’s over $200 savings just this week 🙂
I carpooled with a fellow to my school 45 minutes away.
Found “almost bad” tomatoes and apples on the markdown rack at the grocery stores. I dehydrated the apples – is there a better “real food” snack? – and made exactly a gallon of tomato sauce for pizza and pasta dishes.
Oh!! And then I made vinegar with the apple cores! It’s my first time trying – looking forward to seeing how it goes.
Bought a jacket at Target today for a Christmas gift. Used the cartwheel app (20% off women’s outerwear) and saved $8!
I spent this past Saturday afternoon stocking my freezer with nine new freezer meals.
Two things:
My bread maker paddle had an unfortunate run in with the garbage disposal which sent me into panic mode since I use it almost daily. I immediately jumped on Amazon to order a replacement and then paused to see I could make due without. I usually only use the bread maker to make dough and realized I could use my kitchen mixer. This only saved $5-10 but reminded me to think about an alternative before spending money on a replacement.
We decided not to buy new Halloween costumes this year. Usually we spend an average of $20 per child on each of our 3 kids. This year everyone picked a costume based on what we had from previous years, dress up clothes, and anything else in the house. Our oldest was skeptical at first but now everyone is happy and ready for class parties and trick or treating. We estimated that we saved $60 by doing this based on what we spent in previous years.
When I started supper tonight, I realized that I was out of a pantry item I always stock (canned tomatoes) that were necessary for the meal I had planned. Instead of running to the store for one item (which would use gas AND cause me to find other things I “needed”!), I just found a recipe that I had all the ingredients for, and we enjoyed some delicious potato soup for supper!
I used both a manufacturer coupon and a Target store coupon to save money on the Halloween candy I bought today.
I used homemade laundry detergent today and cooked pork chops that I found on clearance for dinner tonight.
I made a homemade card with my sons cute little toddler signatures for a baby shower gift rather than buying one. I also decided to clear my Amazon cart and a couple of other clothing retail sites of wish list items so I’m not tempted to spend money! Not spending on things that I don’t really need equals saving to me!:)
I gave my son a haircut at home and I cut up fleece scraps to use in our cloth diapers so we don’t have to switch to disposables while treating a diaper rash.
I made a birthday gift for my friend by using my sewing skills and only what materials I had at home instead of going to the store for a card or gift. 🙂
I made a homemade card with my sons’ cute little toddler signatures for a baby shower gift rather than buying one. I also decided to clear my Amazon cart and a couple of other clothing retail sites of wish list items so I’m not tempted to spend money! Not spending on things that I don’t really need equals saving to me!:)
Today I used a store coupon and a manufacturer coupon to purchase bags of Halloween candy (the good stuff….Milky Way, 3 Musketeers, etc.). Instead of paying $3.99 a bag, I bought them for only $1.49 a bag!!! Score!! 🙂
Instead of running to the store for a few ingredients I needed for dinner we substituted with that we had in the cupboards.
I used coupons when I grocery shopped. I am making food for a community event, and I bought three canned spaghetti sauces on clearance for .94 each. Then when I checked out I recieved a coupon for $2 off my next grocery bill. So, I bought 3 jars of spaghetti sauce for $1.
I made a birthday cake with a fancy cake pan from goodwill instead of buying one!
I saved at CVS… Between a sale and coupon I purchased Soft Soap body wash for 1.99 and a received a $1 ECB. I then used the ECB and a $1 off 2 coupon to buy two bags of candy for Halloween for $1.76.
I have been cooking from my freezer and have not gone to the market thus far and I have saved tons. I am so proud of myself and the fact that I took the initiative to finally use all of the yummy food in my freezer. Yay for me and my wallet!!!!
I took some outgrown kids clothes to the consignment store, received store credit and walked away spending 88 cents out of pocket for several winter items my daughter really needs!
I worked on quilts I’m making for our grandmothers which include all the names of their children and grands. All from scrap fabric with my sewing machine. These will be our Christmas gifts to them!
I bought my children’s costumes second-hand. One was a $7 ice dancing or ballroom dancing costume that is now a Queen Elsa dress in the perfect shade of ice blue!
Utah Chick-fil-A’s had a promotion today if you brought in a jar of peanut butter (for the food bank) you got a 8 ct. nugget meal free. So using peanut butter jars from my stockpile we got free dinner on a night when we were going to be on the go and not home for dinner!
I was in town which is 1 hr away from home around dinner time. I decided we’d get home close enough to dinner time to eat at home, saved over $15 eating good food we already had at home.
Last weekend we bought packaged beef bones on manager’s clearance at Smart & Final and made homemade beef broth. We canned 7 quarts of broth for only $1.50 total!
That will save a tremendous amount for various soups we’ll make over the next several months!
I saved today by playing with my kids in the yard instead of driving to a park. The kids get bored of playing on our swing set but I played tag with them, London Bridge is Falling Down, and Ring Around the Rosy. We had such fun, especially Mummy is usually too busy to play with them!
I saved today by making homemade bread crumbs using crusts I saved from my toddler’s pb&j sandwiches. I hate to waste but she doesn’t like the crust so it’s a win/win! Also, I use bread crumbs all the time especially freezer cooking lentil burgers.
Today, my husband roasted raccoon for dinner….he and the kids loved it(said it tasted like a beef roast). I didn’t try it…I had eggs from our chickens so we all saved money on protein for our dinner.
I saved today by leaving my debit card at home. As I made my own gel using flax seed and water.
We saved by using a gift card we’d stashed away for the ice cream place tonight on $1.29 Scoop Night. Our entertainment envelope is just about empty, but we we’d saved that card for six months, for such a time as this! 🙂
Today I saved by using points I earned from a store to purchase diapers for my son – for a penny! Doesn’t get much better than that 🙂 I always look for “getting something back” for my purchases.
Today I used 3 free coupons (at Target, Safeway & Harbor Freight)!! Saved about $12 using those. Plus 4 Barilla Pastas at Safeway for $1.41 after coupons!!
I saved by going to the 99 cent store to get hamburger buns for dinner. Also got some plum organic puffs for my daughter and 2 packs of strawberries. Only spent $4. If I would spent $4 on the buns alone at the grocery store! Plus we ate all meals at home.
Instead of spending $700+ on World Series tickets, we invited some friends over to watch the game and had homemade snacks.
I love this 🙂
My friend and I had a mom-playdate while our kids were at homeschool co-op. We rented a movie from the library, cooked food together for our toddlers and ourselves, then talked through the whole movie while we tackled laundry and our babies played.
Wonderful, refreshing friend time…that was free and productive!
I went through my gift closet to find out what I actually need to purchase for Christmas presents…I am 1/2 way done, due to sale shopping throughout the year!
I made a recent purchase at a retail store, and within two days the items were marked down significantly. I returned and ask for a credit between the price I paid and the NEW, lower price…and received $15.50 back!
My oldest son has class just down the road from my office and at least once a month we usually go to lunch at one of the area restaurants. Today we did things a little different. We talked about it in advance and decided we’d eat at my place. I live 5 minutes from the office and knowing we were going to eat in I made a big batch of taco soup in the crockpot yesterday so all we had to do was heat and eat. It was quick and easy and so yummy and didn’t cost any more than I was already spending for my groceries.
I bought a coffee at McDonalds instead of a pumpkin spice latte.
I saved huge today by stepping out of my introvert comfort zone and greeting our new neighbors. I baked some cookies and walked over to introduce myself. I explained that we will be moving in 7 months and asked if they would consider selling their boxes. We ended up getting over $500 worth of moving boxes for free! I am undone by their generosity and proud of myself for taking the 1st step.
Mine is from this weekend – I took our family (and extended family’s) photos this weekend instead of paying another photographer (I also do photography, but it’s more challenging to do your own family!). A few days before that, I cut all the boys hair to prepare. Three haircuts and the sitting fee =over $250 saved!
I saved today by making soup with leftover baked potatoes and by ordering some things online through ebates, using a coupon code, getting free shipping and using shop your way rewards.
I saved today by combining coupons, ibotta rebates app and Walmart’s saving catcher app for maximum savings at Walmart!
I chose not to go out today because we are trying to save money to fix my hubbys broken truck so he wont have to use my car all the time. As long as I dont leave the house and go to a store I am saving money.
Today I saved by making dinner last night for tonight. I knew we had a busy day of sports ahead of us as my daughter had her last volleyball game and my boys had soccer right after. By planning ahead I had pasta ready to go just needed to be warmed up! Saved us $30 on take out!!
As a bonus my husband went to fill up our Tahoe and drive to the Von’s has station and used our .40 cent discount, paid cash and paid .50 a gallon!! That’s huge for our big car!
*drove and *gas and wow I need to go to bed. He received .50 cents off a gallon!!!
I saved tonight by “buying used and saving the difference.”. It was 3 toddler bed sheets for $6…instead the cost of one of those new for that price or more.
I saved today by using my cold-coffee stash in the freezer instead of hitting up the McDonald’s drive-thru. I make the Pioneer Woman’s recipe for iced coffee concentrate, every few months, then freeze it in batches to thaw as needed. Just a few cents per serving compared to $1.50!
I save money in my two story house by using less electric. Our last child move out in the last yr. so instead of using our heating and air, we run smaller units when we can. And also we groom our own animals, instead paying someone to goom them:) And when I cook dinner I cook enough so my husband has enough for his lunch the next day at work.
We decided not to buy Halloween costumes this year. I told the kids they could trick-or-treat if they could come up with a costume from around the house. They did a great job! I found a costume that my 10 year old wore that fit my 2 year old perfectly and was able to use ribbon, tulle, a onesie and some felt to make my 1 year old’s costume. The money we saved went to buying tires for my husbands car.
I am reading this, thinking how I did save today, and I can only think of the ways I should have saved. We went out to buy a birthday present for a friend today, which ended up being something my son really loved as well, so I went out and bought another gift for the receiver. I wrecked my brain with guilt, because we have a very low bank account at the moment, and really couldn’t afford another gift. My son, you see, never asks for anything, and even made me a Christmas list because ‘Santa didn’t bring me anything for Christmas last year’. So how will I make up for this loss today? I can’t, we are already doing so much to save, I haven’t bought any new clothes in two years, we get all our son’s clothes from the consignment store, I’ve reduced our shopping list each week by carefully planning out our meals and we scour second hand toy stores for Christmas gifts. But as I see my son now, sleeping with the gift we were supposed to gift someone else, I see that not saving has its benefits too. It turned out, that the gift was a book about a chameleon, that he used to read with a beloved teacher who left at his school. Reading the book again, was a way for him to deal with the loss, I didn’t know and I am happy I did not say ‘no’ or question his motives. There is more to saving money, and sometimes, not saving pays off too, in different ways. I am glad we have love in our hearts, rather than money in the bank. We make a lot of sacrifices so I can work from home and stay home with my son, but that is worth more than money can buy.
Recently I decided to quite buying paper towels and to use old towels and cloths instead. Well today it saved big. I have an 18 month old who is learning to use a fork and spoon and 3 year old who is learning to use the potty. Between the two of them I very well could have used 1/4 of a paper towel roll, if not more, cleaning up all of those messes, and instead, I’ll just have a couple items to add to my laundry load that I was already planning on doing.
Sorry, I meant quit.
We opened the windows tonite and turned off the a/c!
I save on mine and my daughter’s haircuts by getting them at the beauty institute..This way both our haircuts cost $5 each…plus a $2 tip…
Another thing I do is instead of buying a $5 birthday card,,i buy a whole pack of
cute blank cards from the dollar store,and write a note to the birthday person in it…I also buy gift bags and tissue paper and balloons from the dollar store…
You just can’t beat the price….
I saved in a few ways today….I posted some things on craigslist and ebay to get ahead of the halloween crunch (plus we are expecting a baby during the holidays). SInce we live a little out of the city limits, I offered to meet someone in town, sold them my desk, then walked right into the goodwill and got the fixings for my son’s monkey costume and my husband’s man with a yellow hat ensemble! And I still had a few dollars for coffee. Now, the money I budgeted for costumes can go towards our stroller!
Being the PTO vice president, we were hosting a Harvest Fair which they did not have for many years. This school does not have much money to begin with and our funds were low due to the PTO president the year before fraudulently stole the money,so we basically started from scratch and our goal was to spend as little money as possible but create a fun time for the kids.
So, we looked in the old PTO storage and found some games, I collected cans from the cafeteria and bottles and made up our own games-throw the ball at the Frankenstein cans,toss the ring around the bottles, lollipop tree we made,had some of my old games too-we ended up with 25 games. We did it as free as possible! I did find some lighted monsters at Target’s dollar bins to throw.
Our haunted house was awesome and the kids said “cool” as I borrowed one of my neighbor’s special effect props(he had everything-fog machine,characters,etc),we took fridge boxes from Lowe’s or cardboard from Costco and built rooms/maze in black.
We got generous donations from Target for our prizes-21 bags of candy,food items that we sold.etc. This 4 hour event brought in 2000.00 to go back to the school! Other than food items that we bought to sell,we did not spend much at all for the games and haunted house. We were actually overwhelmed bc we did not expect 500 people to show up! It would be awesome to win a Target card for our next PTO event which is going to be Hot Cocoa and cookies with Santa (we were going to do breakfast but I think it may be too expensive,so we thought this may be better). This way many of our families who don’t have money can take pictures with Santa for very cheap (just cost of pictures/entry fee-thinking 3.00-5.00 for the event as we only charged 3.00 for our Harvest Fair and games/haunted house was free after entry fee was paid-great family fun for cheap is our goal!).
We want to bring the community together and offer fun things to do on the cheap that normally these parents cannot afford! So I am proud of what we accomplished thus far(and we did it in two weeks too and featured in the local newspaper!). If we win the Target card (and they were awesome-students made THANK YOU posters for them!), we would use it for the Santa event-great idea! Both the president of the PTO and I are usually cheapies/frugal-so that helps-lol- and we are focusing on building our funds now which we doubled in one day! We want to save,save,save…and make sure it goes back to the schools,teachers and the kids!:)
Every time I go to Target I beeline to the baby clearance section. They had a basket full of Plum Organics food marked down to $1.04. Since there were so many I was sure they wouldn’t run out. I went home and checked out their coupons and ended up printing multiple B1G1 free for them and then stacked it with a $1/1 they had. Therefore; I was able to get each food for .02. I haven’t started feeding solids but will next month. This was a deal I could not pass up!
When my husband is working nights, I don’t usually cook dinner for my daughter and I. I just pull leftovers or odds and ends out of the fridge to use stuff up. Our dinner tonight was a hotdog, pickle, cheese, and leftover kale made into a soup with chicken broth. If I don’t have any leftovers or I am mood for a treat, we have popcorn and smoothies for dinner 🙂 This save me a lot of money and time.
That is weird,my post disappeared! Oh well, I will write it again-this one is my personal savings tip I did today. I am normally very frugal (some have called me a black belt in frugality! Even paid off my house/mortgage early!). I do this off and on-I go through my day and as it progresses throughout the day, I ask myself is this the cheapest I can do this!? Is there a cheaper alternative?
For instance,coffee in the morning(we make our own,but cheaper brand,tea better?-I make my own chai latte even which tastes much better than a coffee stores.people tell me-it is the real thing!). Shampoo vs baking soda? Conditioner vs vinegar(my hair is much softer with vinegar!)? Think what else you could use that you already have in the house!
Like my ice chest was leaking at the water spout on the side-I was eyeing what could fit and saw different water bottles and found one that fit perfectly! So saved me from buying a new one which I would not have done anyway,I am a McGyver of fixing things with things we have around the house that you would not think would be for that part even! It becomes a fun game and some of your experiments as you go through the day may work and some may not and you decide it is better to stick to the old way! But that is okay,you know now…til the next time you think hmmm…is there anything I can use that is a cheaper alternative!?
For instance,worn/torn old towels cut up for my steam mop(replacements are expensive) or I saw Target beach towels after summer for .99-1.99 on sale which I used instead of buying regular bath towels which were more expensive! You can make it into two even out of one!
Oops-when I said water bottles-I mean the screw on caps for the water bottles and I screwed the cap onto the spout! I am just visualizing the water bottle stuck in the spout-lol-nope,the screw cap!
Today I was so happy to save by using Swagbucks to pay for a compression shirt my two year old needed to help ease his symptoms of SPD. By simply taking some time while I’m nursing to search and answer polls, I have been able to purchase so many things we need or want from amazon!
Today and every day this school year – pack a lunch for the kids. Last year my daughter bought lunch everyday and I would regularly put money in my son’s account so he could grab breakfast or a drink with his packed lunch. This year, I have put no money in their school accounts so if they want something they need to bring their own money – this is why we give them an allowance!
I saved today by getting a video game from the library for my kids to play instead of buying it. thx
It was a no spend day. For me, this is saving!
Went shopping on the way home from work, saving a trip. Canned tomatoes were on sale plus I had several coupons, making them less than half price. I bought 15 cans – that should last me a while.
Yesterday I made yogurt, pumpkin bread & chicken stock. Filling our house up with the good stuff so I don’t spend so much on store bought items! Plus – it’s healthier 😉
I buy raw milk because it is so much cheaper ($2). I make yogurt with it and I just started skimming some of the cream off the top to make butter!! I made almost a gallon of yogurt, 3/4 cup of butter and 1 1/2 cups of buttermilk for $2!
I can’t believe you can get raw milk for $2/gallon! We pay $8.50!
I never like to go shopping for Halloween costumes. They are over-priced and most of them are cheaply made. My boys are always asking for new ones and often I just say look in the costume basket and you can wear an old one. But my oldest has outgrown all the ones we have on hand. We are invited to visit with friends on Friday night and they always dress up, so my husband and I would like to wear a costume too. We aren’t very creative and the idea we had to do Jimmy Fallon’s “tight pants” will be too expensive to pull off this late in the game. But I went to Goodwill anyway to see what I could find. I was pleasantly surprised to see the HUGE selection of costumes, wigs, tights, hats, etc. My boys were excited too. After an hour or so of going through all the racks, I found something for myself and all three boys for about $30. Mine was a brand new military/airforce dress costume with a $50 tag on it (I got it for $10), my oldest son (determined to be something scary and we said no way) finally settled on a pair of $3 boxing gloves to be a boxer/Rocky (he will use shorts he already has) and he also got a silly mullet headband (don’t ask!), my youngest found a Star Wars costume that we already have the helmet that goes with it at home (it was 10, but had a big hole in it so I got it for $5), and my middle son found a Ninja top for $4 (he can wear his black martial arts pants he already has). So we all found a new-to-us costume, the younger two won’t have to wear a hammy down (they are happy about that), and we didn’t spend a lot of money. Oh, and I sold a Buzz Light year costume for $15 over the weekend on a Facebook consignment site! So now just to figure out something for my husband.
I saved by using up 3 different types of squash in a soup for my packed lunched this week- its a win win!
Money is very tight this year so I’m trying to look for ways to purchase gifts without spending too much money. Yesterday I saw a sale on men’s workout shorts. They were 4.99 marked down from 19.99. There are 3 men in my family so I ordered 3 pair for $15 which is less than the original price of 1. 🙂
Harris Teeter had bagged apples marked down to $1.00 last week. I have never seen such a good deal on produce. So I bought 4 bags knowing our family of seven would be able to eat most of them quickly. Some of the apples were looking a little less fresh so I decided to make crockpot apple sauce with them. Everyone loved it, and it made the house smell so wonderful! We used up every bit of the apples and saved a lot by buying marked down produce.
I quit the gym and decided to work out at home.
My son had Monday and Tuesday off from school and we desperately needed a get-away, so we went camping! The site was less than $30 per night, my in-laws provided most of the food, and my husband and I got a break from work while the kids had a blast with their grandparents. Camping is so much cheaper than a hotel, and we didn’t have to spend any money on things to do, since there was so much to explore.
I saved by scoring a Lightning Deal on Amazon for one of my son’s Christmas presents. Not only was it a great price, but I also used Amazon gift cards (from Swagbucks) to pay for it!
I saved today by collecting the water from the shower, while I was waiting for it to warm up, to water my plants with! Thanks for the chance to win! I LOVE reading everyone’s comments. 🙂
My day started with waking up to a living room carpet full of dog poop. Not the easy to clean kind either. My dog was sick.Knowing I needed to rent a Rug Doctor I just went online and looked for coupons before I go get one. I found a $5 off one for the machine rental and $1 off for the soap.
My girls had to get shots today, so I was of course feeling guilty and was going to take them to get doughnuts after. Instead it was such a lovely day we drove over to the beach and played on the swings and walked. So I saved the money I didn’t have anyway and avoided filling them with sugar!
We got home late and just had a quick smoothie for dinner instead of take out. Saved money and was healthy!
Will be out all day today, but dinner is already made and waiting in the fridge. No take out for us!
I substituted ingredients in a recipe for things I already had–unknown variety of potatoes for russet potatoes, chives for green onions, coconut oil for butter, etc. And I shredded my own cheese instead of paying double for already shredded cheese.
I modified our dinner plan last night to avoid takeout – learned how to make excellent grilled sandwiches in my George Foreman – I now use it as a panini maker.
I used Old Navy cash on a shopping trip!
My husband stopped at the grocery store on the way home from work so that we didn’t have to take an extra trip into town the next day. Saved on gas money and time!
Went through my freezer and pantry today to make note of what I have in there, before I planned meals for next week. Than I looked at Aldi and other grocery store ads to finish meal planning.
I carpooled with my friend to do service to god, I was picking her up todo a nice gesture. but then at the end she insisted on giving me some cash to help pay for some of my gas. The verdict, it saved me some money and I helped her save some as well.
I am continuing to wake up early and pump breastmilk for my little boy! He doesn’t need it now, but it will save us money as soon as my current supply drops or I quit pumping!
I made one extra helping of dinner last night so my husband would not have to eat fast food tonight as he stays late for work on Wednesday nights.
I will confess that I’ve fallen into the trap of buying an almost-daily fancy coffee drink from a well-known coffee chain (ahem). While there’s nothing wrong with those who have the means to do this, we are currently saving for more life-changing goals (plus, I need to save the calories!). I started a count on the dry erase board in my studio (I’m a music teacher) that reads, “___ days without Starbucks”. I’m up to four – which feels like about 50 right now!! 🙂 As an added bonus, my students are loving being able to hold me accountable, as they are all excited to see what the board says during their lessons next week.
I cut my husband’s and three sons’ hair and save a bundle every year! Also, I take my two daughters to a beauty school where their cuts are $5 each. I ask for a Senior vs. a Junior to ensure the best cut!
We saved by making our own yogurt, 12 qts. We use raw milk which was $5.99/gal. One qt of raw yogurt costs $4.79. So 5.99 x 3 = 17.97 ; 12 x 4.79 = 57.48 so, $57.48 – $17.97 = 39.51 saved! 😉
We went on vacation last week and somehow still managed to save money by making our own iced coffee each morning in the condo where we were staying. It tastes so much better than the coffee you buy at a coffee shop anyway in my opinion.
We did haircuts at home this week too! We also made our own baby food from Aldi produce specials.
We saved today by packing food to take on vacation with us! We packed enough for 3 meals (4 mouths), saving easily $60 +
We made pasta for dinner and instead of adding something new to the sauce, we cut up leftover meatloaf and used it like meatballs. The kids loved it!
I had blood work done and because insurance was refusing to cover it I received a bill for $160. A couple of days later I went in for an appointment and asked the office staff if there was anything they could do to help. Just found out from the insurance company that it has been reviewed and my new bill is for $12! Huge savings and all it took was a minute to ask about it.
We are freezing and eating a lot of leftovers this week for dinner
We have multiple activities tonight – musical, hockey, and Scouts, so I’m making chili in the crockpot for a hearty, homemade meal!
I saved by using a space heater instead of turning on our gas heat in the chilly mornings. Trying to hold off on that as long as possible!
Today I packed a lunch and headed out on my bike to do errands around town. I’m going to a friend’s house for lunch since it is easier than meeting at a restaurant with little ones.
I always give my kids haircuts at home – saves a ton!
I picked-up 3 furnace filters for under$5 total at my local hardware store, made two freezer meals from ingredients I had on hand, packed two healthy lunches for my son and me, and we are eating leftovers for dinner!
I prepared three freezer crockpot meals for the upcoming week.
We swap kids clothing with friends and neighborhood. We received 6 pairs of Old Navy jeans for my 10yr old. That saved us at least $72.00!
This week I’ve been attempting to reign in grocery bill by checking out all the blogs from those ladies in the pic! I’ve pulled all sorts of recipes including just middles cinnamon dish, and a homemade bisquick recipe. Mmm yum! I’ve even brewed a homemade cough syrup for some of my sick ones. Those recipes and skills drawn out over years= lots of savings! Thanks for all your hard work ladies!
We took advantage of some of the free Halloween activities that our community has been doing lately. It gets us out of the house and we don’t have to spend any money.
Halloween is coming up in 3 days and I only had half of my daughters outfit. She is going as wonder woman. So I gathered some felt I had around the house and made the tiara and bracelets. In the store and online these items start at $15 and go up to ridiculously high. She loves them and thinks its “awesome” that I made them for her.
I saved by shopping for halloween candy at our local CVS, used coupons, and extracare bucks to save over 90% on the stuff I had to get anyways
My son goes to a school that is outside the bussing system. We’ve setup a carpool with another family. We’re using an on-line calendar to keep track of who is driving each day as work schedules and work travel change for both families. If something comes up, we can send an e-mail and then change the calendar. We’re saving money, saving driving time, keeping organized, and providing my son with the best fit education for him!
We saved by also doing haircuts at home
We have eaten all of our leftovers and stuck with our meal plan this week. This seems small, but for us it is a big deal. No food wasted!
I picked the last of the tomatoes off our tomato plants(I love the fact that its the end of October and we’re still getting tomtoes) and made them into pasta sauce and froze 3 gallon size bags of pasta sauce.
We save by hosting clothing swap parties with friends and family. I just got both kids taken care of for fall/winter clothing.
I made a batch of “Starbucks” pumpkin scones. I’m sure I made enough for our whole family (plus leftovers) for the price of one at Starbucks! Plus they taste better!
This might not be a big deal, but we saved by giving the dog a bath today. It would have cost us around$25 to take her to the groomer for a bath. We bought a great bottle of shampoo for $4 and because she is small, she will get about 10-15 baths. She feels good and it keeps our house smelling nice 🙂
I have been negotiating with my work for the past year to telecommute from my house instead of driving to the office every day. This past week I was officially approved to start working from home! The savings I will receive on clothes, car care, gas, and the tax benefits transitioning to a contract position will benefit my whole family.
I used coupons to save a ton of money on Halloween candy for trick or treaters.
Tried your baked oatmeal for the first time – jumped the gun on holiday treats and bought some eggnog that nobody liked. Used that in place of the milk and it was delicious! And nobody noticed. Win!!!
I filled up a water pitcher with water from the sink while i was waiting for the water to warm up. I used that water to water potted plants. Not a lot of savings but every little bit adds up.
I had wanted Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University kit for awhile, but could not afford one at the time. As a Paperbackswap member I saw that there was an audio version of the kit, but that it was unavailable so I added it onto my account as a wish list item. About a year went by and I completely forgot about it and then I received an email letting me know that it was available for me! It was such a pleasant surprise! I recently received the kit in the mail and was surprised at how the kit was still in good condition with none of the books or envelopes being in.
Sorry, the last sentence was suppose to read, ” I recently received the kit in the mail and was surprised at how the kit was still in good condition with none of the books or envelopes being written in.”
I saved by buying two high quality Halloween costumes from a neighbor…$25 for a knight and a princess that would have cost $80 at the Halloween Spirit store!
To save us hundreds of dollars a year, I also cut all my guys hair as well. They all have distinctive hair styles they like, but it is fun 🙂 I cut my husbands, my 10 years old, my 6 year old and 4 year old. Each of them have different texture of hair. I also trim my own hair, but very carefully. I don’t have a degree or went to school for cutting hair, but we this is one huge way we save money each year!
My husband & I decided two months ago to stop by coffee from SB. We bought cups, make our own coffee and recycle the cups. We have saved over $100 and it’s worth it.
One of the things I found the most frustrating about not having a ton of discretionary income is “never being able to do anything.” WELL….after a little research I found SO many free and afforable things to do in my city. Check out your local state parks website (I personally live in Portland, ME) and enjoy nature for what it is (AND FOR FREE!!!). Also, the art museum in the city has free admission on Friday nights and it is $5 movie night downtown every Tuesday 🙂
Decided to make my own “Anna” costume for my youngest. I have a jumper her size that I used to make a pattern on tissue paper that I already have. Went to the thrift store and found a men’s green shirt for $1.18 that I am using to make the jumper, and a light green shirt for $1 to go underneath. I have almost an entire skein of red yarn that I am using to make a wig. Total cost for costume: $2.18. Not bad!
I volunteered at my children’s school first thing in the morning. My husband drives an electric car, and I drive a gas powered one. Instead of driving my kids and then driving back home when my volunteering was done, my husband dropped us off in his electric car and I walked back. It was a quick and easy way to save on gas and squeeze in some exercise.
I saved $30 at the post office yesterday just by asking the clerk if there was a cheaper option to ship the package! She gladly reviewed all of my options with me and I went with the cheapest option that still offered me the same amount of insurance and delivery time!
My daughter was born 10/21/14 and has been in the NICU ever since. We quickly spent way too much money on cafeteria food that was sub par and unhealthy. I’ve been going home once a day and packing myself meals since day 2; saving at least $25+ dollars a day, allowing me to eat healthy meals to help better nourish myself and my daughter, and to cut costs as we anticipate huge hospital bills coming our way shortly.
Hang in there! My son was born at 29 weeks in 2010 and spent 56 days in the NICU. It’s hard, but he’ll be 4 years old in about 7 weeks and he’s doing great. I’m sending prayers for your daughter and your family.
I was walking with my daughter last night around our backyard and looked over in the garden and we had squash again. What?!?! It’s almost November and we still have squash!! Not just a save but a yummy save since I don’t have to buy veggies from the store this week! 🙂
I planned my meals for the week using meat I already had in the freezer – kept our grocery bill LOW!
I am making a whole chicken in the crockpot today. We will eat some of it with egg noodles for dinner tonight. After dinner, I will take the rest of the meat off the bones. I will leave the rest of the bones in the pot and add water almost to the top along with some spices. I will cook that in the crockpot all night to make homemade stock (the most delicious ever!) Tomorrow, I will add veggies, some of the meat, and the rest of the egg noodles to make chicken soup for dinner. With the rest of the meat, I will make some chicken tacos and we will have those on day 3.
That’s 3 meals out of one chicken that I bought on sale!
I saved by looking up home remedies for a canker sore actually 2 on my tongue from to much salty stuff. Worked like a charm and it was stuff I had at home and didn’t spend $10 on something at the store.
I heard about the Target buy one get one free Halloween costumes so I started scoping out my local store. Couldn’t find any costumes in my boys sizes. I was told that I could order online and use the pick up in store method to receive the coupon. I chose the costumes I wanted a dragon for my 1 year old and a Knight for my 6 year old;). When I realized there was no pick up in store option I called online customer service. They gave me the more expensive costume for free as a one time courtesy. I also used my redcard got an additional 5% off and free shipping. Two Halloween costumes shipped to my house for $20.25. The original cost for just the costumes was over $60:) Best savings so far and the costumes are a great value very well made!! Score for this soon to be mommy of three!
We had a friend of a friend lose their house to a fire. My sister, daughter & I donated belongings. I feel every time I move I just bring everything with me. I feel like we’ve blessed someone else that would get more use out of them.
Last night we got dinner for free! It was the county 4-H awards dinner, and since my son had won some awards he was invited (for free), and I am a volunteer leader, so was also invited and received dinner for free. It was a wonderful evening of seeing all the 4-H members had accomplished over the last year. We stayed a few minutes after and helped clean up. There was left over pizza, and we were offered 2 to take home- dinner tonight!
Take away- we volunteer because we believe in the 4-H program, but it was nice to get dinner for the family.
I’m saving by planning and shopping for a month at a time. And using last months left over groceries to help with this month.
Even though everyone is tired of the garden, we are still getting tomatoes and peppers! I used a whole bunch of them to make spaghetti sauce and it was enough for dinner last night (for 7) and lunch another day. And I still have more tomatoes!
My husband made us pizza at home instead of ordering out. He makes the crust perfect!!
My mom has always cut my dads and brothers hair to save money. I have started cutting my brothers hair. They have been nice to let me practice on them so when I get married next June I will be able to start cutting my husbands hair to save money.
I knew the evening was going to be busy with both boys having karate and we had to get all 3 kids to our doctor’s office for their flu shot clinic in the evening. I managed to wake up a little early and throw all the ingredients for slow cooker cheesy potato soup in the crock pot. When we were ready to eat I threw some garlic bread in the oven and the soup was done! Saved us from the drive thru line!
Someone gave us an extra-large bag of potatoes. We looked online for a potato soup recipe and were surprised to learn that we had all the ingredients needed.
I’m a college student and my school has a free bingo night about once a month. I went last Wednesday and I won twice! I won a healthcare package with toothpaste, floss, a toothbrush, shampoo and conditioner, tampons, and pads. I also won two winter hats and a $10 starbucks gift card. Now I won’t need to buy these things for the next few months. I also had a blast hanging out with my friends.
I made my own butterfly Halloween costume last night out of things we already owned! And 2 out of my 3 kids are sporting homemade this year as well. And the baby is going second-hand chic from the local thrift shop 🙂
I saved by eating all of our meals at home today! Woo-Hoo!
Today I saved by putting an extra sweater on instead of turning the house heat on. I’m still warm and our electricity bill will be lower!
We took out our entertainment center in our living room that is built into our wall while renovating. I was looking online for something to put our tv on when it hit me. We have an old dresser that would be perfect to sand ,paint ,and changed knobs ( which cost about $5.00 total). Now our tv sits on a cute little pinterest project i’m so proud of. 🙂
This is how I’ve saved for the last 12 weeks: cooking on the grill, griddle, crockpot, and in the microwave. We are remodeling our kitchen (ourselves). We haven’t eaten out anymore than normal, despite the fact that I’ve not had a kitchen (at all) for the past 12 weeks!
Today I saved by making homemade granola with ingredients I had on hand and I even made a batch and mixed it in a box of plain cheerios that were sitting in the pantry. Also, this week we are eating out of the freezer and pantry 🙂
I would use the Target gift card for groceries!
I save everyday by making my own coffee at home in the morning and having a drawer full of tea at work for the afternoon. having the supplies on hand means I won’t be tempted to run to a coffee shop.
My daughter needed a pricy medication and even with insurance, the cost was going to be almost $200. I was shocked at the pharmacy and told them to hang on to it while I checked on a better price. I called the doctor’s office and they checked for me and had several coupons for that medication from the pharmaceutical company. Using that coupon, which is good for 12 uses or 12 months of the medication, keeps our out of pocket expense at $25 each time we get her that prescription. Sometimes I have to reach out of my comfort zone and just ask! I kept thinking, what if I hadn’t asked? That medication would have cost about $2000 for an entire year!
I saved by getting every last drop out of the container 🙂
We do our own haircuts too; saves us many $$$$ over the course of the year. We saved by eating mainly from our pantry/freezer this week. Also, I planned soups and other things that don’t use a lot of superfluous ingredients.
This is great! We too cut hair at home to save money. We also rent movies and books from the library since we don’t use cable and want to save a buck at the redbox 🙂 They often have newer releases and it’s always a fun family trip together.
I saved on my weekly lunches by meal planning and taking leftovers for lunch at work. I usually end up buying my lunch at least a couple times but not this week.
Had all meals at home even though it would have been easier to grab something while running errands!
My hubby loves peanut butter cookies with the hershey kisses on top. I have a ton of peanut butter cookie dough in the freezer but didn’t have any kisses at the house and didn’t really want to go out and buy a bag at $2.50+. I found we still had a few full sized Hershey’s candy bars from over the summer that I got with a coupon that was included in a CVS gas card sale for next to nothing. I broke those into the squares and placed them on the cookies like I would a hershey kiss. Not only were my cookies super cheap but I actually liked them better!!!!
Bringing my lunch to work.
Books and movies and magazines from the library again and again! Can’t get enough! Even got a workout dvd so I don’t have to join a gym or buy a treadmill!
I had Parent Teacher Conferences last night during the time I normally cook dinner. I decided to try putting a roasted vegetable and chicken breast meal together and putting it in the oven at a slightly lower temp. So it cooked while my daughter was at home and when everyone else got home at 7:30 it was ready and really yummy — saved by not buying pizza.
By not spending!
I brought my lunch from home to work so I didn’t have to buy a lunch.
I cut my families hair but I leave my own hair for the professionals… but i NEVER pay full price. I always look on living social and groupon first and use one of their deals- I’ll probably make it to every salon in my county! 🙂
I saved today by making a triple batch of homemade lemonade using lemons from my lemon tree. It will save me money so I won’t have to buy juice and the vitamin C will keep my family healthy!!! So less doctors office copays.
I made my kids’ Halloween costumes! For $9 I now have a Hulk and an Elsa ready for trick or treating! And, I also cut everyone’s hair myself, except for my own. It helps a ton when the budget only requires $45 a year for my hair. 🙂
We went on a cruise last week and boarded the dogs. The Vet initially charged us $86 more than what they had quoted us over the phone. We contacted them and they realized that they made a mistake and refunded us the money. We were also charged $11.50 for drinks on the cruise that we had not ordered. I called cruise line and we were reimbursed the money. If I had not been paying attention to our bills, we would not have known about the overcharges.
Hello! My family is currently on a tight budget. Our dishwasher broke down so my husband called the company to inquire about repairs. We found out it would be $75+ to have someone come out. So, my husband asked about the specific part. He was able to order the part alone and repair it himself for a fraction of the cost! We are so thrilled and we saved big time!
I have two girls, 14 and 6, and I learned a long time ago how expensive all our little beauty treatments can be, (for me as well!), so I also learned how to cut and color hair, (my little one LOVES the semi-permanent streaks in candy colors that we can do since she has long blonde hair), as well as do nails and facials…all that stuff. I groom the dogs myself, (we have 3), and even cut my husbands hair. It saves us a lot of money, and it is especially flattering when we get compliments on hair or nails or makeup and I get to say that I did it myself…as a harried mom I can use all the ego boosts I can get! 🙂
I stopped by our local thrift store to purchase church pants for my 5 year old. This particular store offers store credit for donations and I had forgotten that I had left a donation several months ago which left me with a $12 store credit. I managed to pick up church pants as planned, but also “splurged” and got myself a purse AND cute shoes, too! I love those unexpected gifts from God!
My family loves Korean bulgogi, but it can be expensive to make because of the ingredients, one of which is Korean pear, which is about $3 for one pear! Since you only need about 1/4 of the pear, I grated the rest and froze it in ice cube trays so I can defrost and use it next time I make the recipe!
I made my own coffee instead of buying at DD! 🙂
I realized I forgot to pick up a can of refried beans for the dinner I had planned. But I realized we did have a can of pinto beans in the pantry. So I found a recipe online to make my own. This saved us the cost of buying the refried beans and the cost of driving back to the store!
I saved today by making vegetable soup from my summer garden vegetables. It’s all in the crock pot.
I took the bus to work today and packed my own lunch!
My girls always have numerous lidded cups around the house with leftover water in them. After I collected them, I used them to water my potted plants instead of getting water from the tap.
I brought in leftovers to work for my lunch.
Figured out I could use my George Foreman grill as a panini maker – use it all the time now.
I saved by meal planning when I went to the grocery and got easy to fix items so I would save money by not eating out but not to exhausted to cook when I get home from work.
My work offers free zumba classes. I always go to them instead of going to a gym and paying for zumba classes.
We had parent teacher conferences last night and I knew my husband and I would be up at the school for 2-3 hours! Three school age kids in 3 buildings…it takes a while…so I put vegetable stew in the crock pot in the morning so that dinner was taken care of when I got home from work and rushed to conferences! It saved us by not giving in and ordering pizza or something on a busy night!
I said “No” to my kids. I deep clean at our local ChickfilA on Mondays and Wednesdays. My homeschooled kids go with me and complete their school work while I work. Usually, one of my kids asks for some chicken minis while they work. So, today I said “no” and saved my money. Trust me, it is hard to say no to chicken minis! Have you tried them?
We have a 22 month old daughter and we probably go through more diapers than most because she has very sensitive skin and we are always fighting some sort of rash or irritation, so we change her quite frequently. Target had a special where you could purchase 2 jumbo boxes of diapers, which were on sale, and get a $10 gift card. Since we use so many, I purchased 2 boxes, received the $10 gift card, then purchased 2 more, using the first gift card to offset the price. Then, I used the 2nd $10 gift card towards the purchase of a Halloween costume, and still earned a $5 gift card on this. 🙂
Today I used a coupon, I brought my own lunch and I sold an unused item from our basement!
I’ve started to cut my son and husbands hair. I have also started to meal plan again ( I don’t like to plan so I had stopped for a while). I love knowing what I’m making everynight. It sounds silly maybe, but it was always a stress for me (deciding what to cook everynight).
I saved on Halloween costumes this year, big time! First, I had a costume from a couple of years ago that I was able to sell on Ebay. After shipping and fees, I made about $75 on it. Then I took advantage of a BOGO half off sale at target and used a $5 gift card I got from a previous Target promo and I had a $10 ecard from Swagbucks. My total for three costumes for my boys came to $26.67 after gift cards. I also had my daughters costume made and given to me by a friend (awesome right?) So considering the money I made on selling an old costume, I had made $54.90 on costumes this year! More money to spend on candy!
I have started saving buying bread at dollar tree, and shopping at Aldi. It has made a huge difference.
Here’s how I’ve been saving my days:
At this point in my life, I cannot afford to pay for advanced violin lessons (which is hard as I had been preparing to become a violin teacher and orchestra musician and wasn’t quite there yet). For awhile, due to the discouragement, I had just put my violin away, something I hadn’t done since I had started playing. But recently, I decided that I could either not practice and lose my playing skills, or I could become my own teacher. I decided on the latter. I’ve been searching the internet for recorded masterclasses of the pros and any tips that can help me. It’s a slow and often discouraging process, but for as long as I’m unable to pay for lessons, I intend to be my own teacher.
I am loving your “How I Saved Today” spotlights! Even before your giftcard giveaway, I have been trying to find one way to save each day. In the past week, I have saved in the following ways:
Thursday: I researched and made my own ointment for nursing my baby from products I had on hand. The ointment would have cost me $85 to have done at the compound pharmacy for (1 Tablespoon each 1% hydrocortisone cream, Polysporin ointment, and miconazole cream)
Friday: Checked out movies, books, and books on CD from our local library for weekend entertainment
Saturday: Shopped for clothing, Halloween costumes, and baby gear at the thrift store and used a coupon paired with their 50% off sale
Sunday: Hemmed and patched up clothing from thrift store and closets to make ready to wear using my sewing machine
Monday: Walked everywhere I had to go (and didn’t spend as much at the store because I could only buy-with coupons- the things I could carry home)
Tuesday: Made my own foam hand soap (I filled the pump container we already had with about 1/5th regular hand soap “bought” for $0.08 with coupons, then filled it to about an inch from the top with water)
Wednesday: Ate from our pantry and fridge and made “leftover soup” for dinner
Anyway, thanks again for all the great ideas, coupon matchups, and advice that you give that saves my family so much money. We, as are many people these days, are financially stretched to our limits and have a VERY limited budget, and what you do means so much to keep my family eating and living well. A heart-felt thanks to Crystal and team!
I LOVE this! Thanks so much for sharing and for your kind encouragement!
As I was going through my winter clothes, I noticed that some of my long sleeved shirts had a few small holes in them here and there. So instead of tossing them out, and buying new shirts I stitched up the holes and now they are as good as new.
I went thru my closet and found a few items that either didn’t fit or were no longer my style. I also collected a few household items that were cluttering up my cabinets. I took them all to other mothers (local secondhand shop) and got $9 in credit. I then hit the half off rack and picked up 6 great looking tops for “free”!
I walked away from a good deal on a sewing machine. I don’t have the cash to pay for it, even at the lowered price so I didn’t purchase it.
I also didn’t buy school pictures(which is hard for me to do–I love having pictures of them) but it will be a better deal at a local photography store for a higher quality item.
I made a latte at home!
Brought lunch from home today instead of spending $15 – 20 eating out. It not only saved money, but it’s much healthier too!
I’ve been cutting my husband’s hair since we got married. We also cut our children’s hair. It has saved us a lot of money. I just want to say that it is one of my least favorite things to do. I would never want to do that for a living. The other day I received a coupon for an inexpensive hair cut. I told my husband he should go so I can see how they do it and if I can improve. He refused. It’s been 12 years and now he won’t let anyone else cut his hair. I’m stuck with this job forever!
I filled up the car at the gas station with the lowest prices this morning even though we were still at 1/2 a tank. This means we would pay more at an overpriced gas station next time we are out running errands.
I saved money by packing our dinners to eat in the car rather than stopping somewhere along the way home from my Mom’s to eat! (a four hour drive, just long enough to require a food stop!)
I cut my family’s hair (husband and 5 kids). Also, reused things we had to make 2 Halloween costumes. Love to save money. 🙂
This isn’t earth shattering, but I did save today by making my own bread crumbs. I had a loaf of bread that was past the sandwich eating stage, so I put it in the oven with a bit of Italian seasoning to brown and toast. When it was done ran it thru the food processor. Only a couple bucks saved, but still a win in my eyes:)
My daughter loves Starbucks pumpkin spice lattes, so today we made our own. The first time we didn’t have quite the right mix of things, but today’s second batch was great!
We have 3 boys. My husband gave them all buzz cuts on Saturday. It is a style that works for them and we like the savings. Last night I modified a soup recipe for items that I had in my pantry and didn’t make an unplanned trip to the grocery store.
Today I saved by not spending….Sounds logical right? I now use only cash and almost every day I think “Oh I could use (fill in the blank).” I then look at the cash I do not want to spend and most often realize I can do without. It is a want and not a need and I hate parting with cash. I save so much and impulse buying barely happens!
I am saving today and this week by not going to the grocery store and using up our fridge, pantry and freezer foods!
I took newborn photos of my daughter myself today to save money. I felt so guilty when I realized that I wouldn’t be able to afford to spend money on a professional photographer for her newborn photos (like I did for my older two children) without putting it on a credit card. I decided to take my own instead, and got a free ebook on newborn photography for posing ideas. It took many, many shots and a lot more time, but they turned out really nice and saved us $500-$1000 (which is the range we would have had to spend on the photographer we used for our other kids). I just had to get over the guilt of having spent more on the other kids and do the best I could given our current financial situation.
Today we saved by going to the library for books (rather than buying some), returning our library dvds on time (no late fees), and resisted the appeal of having lunch out. Eating up leftovers was just fine!
My 2 kids and I went to the local tech school for haircuts,$15.00 for all 3of us.I would’ve have paid at least 50.00 or more at a salon. The students did a great job.
I re-purposed am oak hook shelf for the bathroom. Painted it teal and spray painted the hooks. It looks awesome. Much less than buying a new one.
i wait to go to the store until i need several items and until someone else needs to go so we can ride together. I also do other things in town while we are there
Today, leftover soup became breakfast (no special breakfast foods needed). Also, I’ve got sauerkraut fermenting away for a good dose of probiotics instead of getting those little capsules from the store!
I just started a 1/2 gallon jar of sauerkraut fermenting yesterday. My husband is trying to get off of Prilosec. By eating a few bites of fermented sauerkraut with every meal and at bed time, he has cut the Prilosec to every other day with no issues! He’s getting ready to cut it to every 3rd day, and if that goes well, after a month he’s going to go completely off. Fingers crossed! We LOVE our sauerkraut!
I saved today by making cookies from ingredients that I already had at home rather than buying a dessert for a party!
Leftovers! We almost always eat them for lunch instead of making something new. Easy for me, and usually my kids are happy about it!
My grandmother In law bought my three year old a pair of play shoes to keep his nice shoes nice. He’s only had them about 8 weeks and they are scuffed but still going strong. The bottom started to peel away from the toe so I just super glued them really well and let them dry over night. Now they will last him through the fall until it gets too cold to play outside.
I drank coffee at home instead of going to Starbucks (like I wanted to do 🙂 ).
We saved today by doing dishes the old fashioned way…by hand! I am out of my usual homemade dishwasher detergent and with a pile high of dirty dishes and payday a few days away I opted to use some liquid soap I already had and a little elbow grease. It’s only a few dollars saved, but we were able to put those extra dollars towards our church’s Food Drive and purchase more mac n’ cheese!
I saved money today by pulling out old clothes/rags etc…that were in such poor condition that they needed to be thrown away and used them to stuff the freshly washed cover of our dogs bed (he ruined the foam insert after having an accident) instead of buying (another) new dog bed.
Saved in several ways…instead of buying triple antibiotic and hydrocortisone ointment at the drug store, I found them at the dollar store, obviously much cheaper than the drugstore. I made my lunches this week instead of buying out, put ads up for several items to sell that I no longer need. Consolidated my trips for errands to save on gas instead of making a trip here and there. Printed some coupons from moneysavingmom.com and used them to get at least one item for free and another for 50 cents!
I saved today by going to Walmart to get my husband his Cokes. Planning to serve leftovers tonight or a quick frozen meal for me instead of going to store for something else for dinner. Used savings catcher too for Walmart-just entered receipt 🙂
A few things I did to save $$ were:
Make my own Earthpaste toothpaste,
Make h.m. liquid hand soap,
Hang laundry outside to dry, (we don’t have a dryer)~
Made h.m. bread & rolls, and
I always pack my hubby’s lunch for work.
🙂
My husband and I both had coffee at home this morning.
I have been meaning to start exercising since I had a baby several months ago. Instead of going to a pricey gym and buying a membership (or even buying an exercise DVD I probably wouldn’t use after the first week) and then having to pay for a babysitter, I walked with my cute kid (in a stroller) to a local park where we used the swings! What a great workout!! Plus, it was not only a great way to bond with and spend quality time with my kid- it was 100% FREE!
I broke my crock pot awhile ago, today I found a used one for $10.
My most money saving thing this week is preparing full salads with protein for my husband’s lunches using Sam’s whole cooked chicken $4.98 & romaine in a bag for around $3. It is paired with marked down produce from a local produce store and he loves it! I have a salad container which is great with it’s own space for dressing so it’s not soggy at all. The chicken lasts ALL WEEK even with a generous amount of chicken daily. Lastly, my husband is surprised daily as I mix up the veggies, and protein occasionally with left overs from dinner so he’s REALLY a happy and HEALTHY husband! I’m happy for the $$ saved too!
wendy’s $1 for 5 frostys is such a sweet treat this time of year. Enjoyed some for lunch.
I made my son’s Halloween costume from a hoodie I had purchased on Craigslist a year ago and $3 worth of felt and jumbo pipe cleaners. It took me less than an hour to cut out spots, ears, and a tail and make him a puppy costume. Since he’s only 1.5, he’s happy enough to dress up in something simple!
We just checked out movies at the library for free and books too!
I saved today by carving jack-o-lanterns for my 2 young sons from pumpkins that their Grandpa grew just for them. They chose Halloween costumes from hand me down costumes my sister gave me. They have 2 slightly older boy cousins, and this has saved us HUGE on clothing, costumes, coats, etc. Finally, my husband and I made the difficult decision to spend $1600 to repair his older paid off truck, instead of taking on a monthly payment to purchase a newer vehicle. Hoping and praying there are no more repair costs for at least a year! 🙂
I saved today by having my dad bring back 11 bags of quinoa from his mission trip. My husband is from Peru, where quinoa in large part is grown, so it’s pretty darn cheap there. When I heard my dad would be making a visit to the mission in Chimbote, again (the city where my husband is from, my dad has been a long-time supporter of this particular mission), I asked him to bring back some commercially-sealed bags of quinoa. (They had to be commercially-sealed to avoid problems with customs.) He was able to bring me back 11 18-oz. bags of quinoa for $30.
I was making a meal for a friend who just had a baby and doubled the recipe so that I could stick one in the freezer for ourselves. I haven’t done much freezer cooking in the past so this was a big step for me. Also, it will come in handy since I’m expecting our 2nd child in just a few short weeks!
I dyed my hair at home rather than the salon.
I cut my little guy’s hair this morning too and plan on cutting my husband’s tonight. That is $30 saved today. Yeah!
I dyed my hair at home; it cost about $8, instead of $65 at a salon.
I realized that we have a bunch of leftovers in the fridge, so nixed the meal plan for tonight and we’ll have a buffet!
I went to the library and checked out some books rather than buy them at the store.
My hubs needs a new Sonicare toothbrush head. I decided that I’ll make it his birthday gift (nov. 20) so I had time to search around for the best deal. Just discovered that BB&B has a good deal + rebate on them, BUT I don’t have the cash to put towards it. We only have $276 to our name and that’s to cover gas & groceries & debt snowball, etc for the next two weeks. Ridiculous. But paycheck to paycheck is our life right now. SO, I got creative!
I discovered on an old CC account that had $30 in rewards. I thought I couldn’t cash out for anything until it hit $50, and because we aren’t using CC anymore I assumed these rewards would just have to go to waste. But, NO! They have their own gift card options for lower denominations! I was able to redeem $20 points for a $25 BB&B gift card!! This will leave me paying ~$5 out of pocket for 3 replacement heads! Woot!
I saved by buying bread, toothbrushes, and bandaids at Dollar Tree. Much cheaper than other stores. Mine also sells frozen food now. I didn’t buy any today, as I wasn’t going straight home, but their frozen blueberries are such a great deal at $1 for 10 oz! They even have a Bible verse on the package, which is awesome!
I brought lunch from home rather than purchasing…that is a savings!
I made crock pot stuffed peppers and the red peppers were a bit overcooked. I scooped out the inside to eat and am saving the red peppers to make Roasted Red Pepper Hummus! Turned out perfect! It’s those little things that add up, as you know!
I took the kids to the park instead of the children’s museum. Free fun!
My friend and I are sharing a babysitter tonight! Spitting the cost between us so we can have a much needed evening out 🙂
I am slowly mastering the art of saving herbs from the garden instead of losing them all to frost – last year I learned to make basil oil and dry some of the herbs. Today I put up some tarragon vinegar. Unlike the oils, the vinegars can be made with past-their-prime plants!
The car was due for an oil change, so I did a 3 minute online survey for them, and got a $10 off coupon.
I have a friend who has quit smoking by using nicotine patches(insurance only covers so many weeks so she has needed to purchase them herself). I found some coupons in the mail and searched the sale ads. I helped her save $45.00. I know this is supposed to be about how we “personally” saved today but I was so happy that I could help someone else I just had to share.
I went to the dollar tree instead of Michaels to get supplies – and found things that would have been $10 for $1!
Right now we have musical practice in between school and bedtimes. I’ve been saving money by packing a dinner for my kids some of the weeks instead of going out to eat in between all our evening activities.
We also do home haircuts for our boys. And my husband cuts his own hair as well! Also I am hoping to save today by making my own chicken broth!
On vacation this week, and I pre-packed daily snacks to save who knows how much to ensure all 4 of us had a quick form of nutrition & allowing us to survive off of two larger meals a day!! This is a big savings for us $$!! 🙂 Thanks for opportunity!! <3
I often bring meals to people that are sick. Instead of buying plastic containers to take food to them, I reuse sour cream or other food containers from the store. This saves me from spending money on items that would be thrown away anyway.
I saved today by getting a free sandwhich from honey baked ham, sometimes I’ll add a drink and chips, but declined this time, making my lunch totally FREE which I love 🙂
I noticed that my 2-year-old had outgrown his shoes so I pulled out my box of shoes my other sons have outgrown and was able to find two pairs that fit him. Saved my time going to the store and money of having to buy new shoes.
I saved by not buying snacks for today’s lunch – instead I made a homemade granola last night with oats, dates, walnuts, etc. I think it even tastes better than the store-bought bars!
Today I decided to not use my car (my 1st saving), so I walked the kids to school in the morning, and I walked to pick them up in the afternoon. Because I was not going to shop (my 2nd saving) I bake a big loaf of bread, and it was my kids snack (few pennies per serving: my 3rd saving) and for diner I will serve all the left over and declutter my fridge (my 4th saving)!!!
I packed my kid’s lunches!!
My kids put together costumes for a trunk-or-treat night using items we already had on hand at home (the only thing we purchased was a $4.00 tail for one child’s cat costume).
I save money on those pricey baby food pouches by buying reusable pouches on Amazon, and making yogurt mixes myself. (Whole milk yogurt + pureed fruits and veggies). We can still have the convenience of food on the go, but MUCH less expensive.
We also save by never buying eggs. Our 8 pretty hens have us covered. 🙂 We have enough for us plus our church’s food pantry.
I and my 4 yr old son hung up laundry to dry on a rack instead of drying them in the dryer.
I made my own taco sauce out of ingredients at home instead of runningout and buying some!
I collected cereal and cracker size boxes from neighbors in order to send the books requested on paperbackswap without buying any mailing envelopes.
I went to Target today and scoref some good deals saving $35. Also my daughter has to dress up for Bible character night and we are using what we have in hand saving us $15-20.
I made my own bread and I am thawing out a bulk made freezer meal for some awesome hoagies. We bought the hamburger when it was on sale so it is a cheaper meal and so fast to make the day we eat it!
I saved today by using my swagbucks to help pay for birthday party supplies! My son’s first birthday is coming up and we really wanted to get bounce house or a ball pit but to rent them costs $100s. So thanks to pinterest, I got the idea to make a ball pit! I used my Swagbucks and some Survey points to get Target and Amazon gift cards, I used the Target one to get an inflatable pool on clearance and then used the Amazon ones to order a couple bags of the balls! So now we have a ball to use that cost us nothing!
Made healthy homemade muffins with ingredients I had on hand for my daughters school party tomorrow instead of buying treats at the store!
Today I went to Wegmans (savings right there as long as you steer clear of their prepared foods) and used their coupons. I also waited until this week to buy our Halloween candy…..because they had a coupon that wasn’t good until now for $2 off exactly the size bag we needed! (I also didn’t over-buy on the candy like I do most other years.)
I packed lunch to take after co op instead of buying lunch out.
I walked as much as possible to save gas money for the car! 🙂