What Small Things Did You Do Today to Save Money?

[Iggy aka IG]

Blonde Granny, count me in as someone who saves money by utilizing the pickup feature.  I've picked up orders about 4 times thus far at our local grocery store, and really do appreciate the convenience of it.

If anyone knows if a store uses canvas bags, or will offer to pack your items into them upon arrival, please let me know.  I'm finding carrying paper bags which tear and have no handles to be a chore.  #firstworldproblems

[catsareme]

I use on-line ordering for some of my HBA and other non-grocery items but can't quite get used to the idea of having someone pick out my groceries.  Too set in my old-school ways I guess.  I do see a lot of Wal-Mart and Fred Meyer associates putting grocery orders together so apparently on-line grocery shopping is popular with many of their customers.

[Deleted]

I recycled a frame with great results.  I had an old print that my grandmother loved.  It isn't in the best of condition . . . a few water spots, no glass in the cheap frame, paper on back tearing.  I had a print that I was going to give to the thrift store that actually had a beautiful frame.  Know how people trying to sell you pictures are always saying that the frame alone is worth it?  They would have been right in this case.  I switched prints, and now my grandmother's favorite looks just right for my mantel.  

I got to return the frame I was going to spray paint, the spray paint, and a basket I didn't end up using.  I really and truly saved about $25 today. 

[Deleted]

I saved $$ once again by not leaving the house. However...it isn't easy to quit cigs when the TV is full of programs showing people smoking or loaded up with commercials for stop-smoking products. 

[Blonde Granny]

I had leftover pizza from dinner Wednesday night for lunch today. Then drove to the car dealer and had my filthy car washed and detailed at no cost. Tonight for dinner will be something from the freezer or pantry. My car will stay in the garage from now until Monday morning IF I'm able to stay home.

[Deleted]

Blonde Granny What color did your car turn out to be?

[Blonde Granny]

It's a beautiful dark grey with little sparkles in the paint. Interior is off white leather and dark charcoal grey.

[Deleted]

Jan 31, 2020 15:12:37 GMT -5 Blonde Granny said:

It's a beautiful dark grey with little sparkles in the paint. Interior is off white leather and dark charcoal grey.

Ahhhh...but is that the color it was when you bought it? I like the paint colors with the sparkly bits.

[Blonde Granny]

Yes, it was that color when it was sitting on the showroom floor and I bought it. It looks so nice now in the garage.

[Deleted]

You know how ads pop into your FB feed or whatever when you have been browsing?  I bought two valances for the living room from Joss & Main for $31 each and free shipping.  Afterwards, an ad popped up with an identical valance with a different name for $20 each and ship to store at Home Depot.  I thoroughly compared the two pictures.  I checked the materials the they were both made of, the dimensions, the washing instructions, etc.  They are identical.  So I cancelled and ordered from HD. 

I saved $24.

[Deleted]

I used a Kohl's gift card plus $7.28 and bought myself a sweater and two 3/4 sleeve t-shirt knit tops. Never mind that I spent $7.28 of real money. I saved $25. Did I need those things? Nope. But I wanted them and am glad I bought them. So there.

[ners]

Ate the lunch I brought from home instead of buying lunch.

[Blonde Granny]

I called ATT this morning to try to get them to lower my total Uverse bill. Didn't get too far and then was transferred to a different department. Aft 2-3 minutes of listening to elevator music I hung up.

About 5 PM today ATT called. Yea me, they gave me $50/mo off my total bill for the next 12 months.. Last month I got to Verizon to lower my cell phone bill by $46/mo.

The worst they can ever do is say no, but ATT really wants to keep their customers.

[Deleted]

Feb 4, 2020 19:55:22 GMT -5 Blonde Granny said:

I called ATT this morning to try to get them to lower my total Uverse bill. Didn't get too far and then was transferred to a different department. Aft 2-3 minutes of listening to elevator music I hung up.

About 5 PM today ATT called. Yea me, they gave me $50/mo off my total bill for the next 12 months.. Last month I got to Verizon to lower my cell phone bill by $46/mo.

The worst they can ever do is say no, but ATT really wants to keep their customers.

I really want them to keep their customers, too, so that my pension check keeps getting deposited on the first of every month!

You gotta wonder if they'd have agreed to that $50/month if you'd stayed on the line...

[CCL]

Feb 4, 2020 19:55:22 GMT -5 Blonde Granny said:

I called ATT this morning to try to get them to lower my total Uverse bill. Didn't get too far and then was transferred to a different department. Aft 2-3 minutes of listening to elevator music I hung up.

About 5 PM today ATT called. Yea me, they gave me $50/mo off my total bill for the next 12 months.. Last month I got to Verizon to lower my cell phone bill by $46/mo.

The worst they can ever do is say no, but ATT really wants to keep their customers.

You must have had a big cell phone bill for them to lower it $46 a month.

[Blonde Granny]

This is not cell phone.  It's landline due you my heart issues, and Uverse which is internet, And Tv. My cell is Verizon.

CCL: if you are talking about my Verizon savings, I canceled my insurance on Apple watch, iPhone and iPad.  The watch is 6 mo. old and my iPhone is an 8.  My iPad is 3 years old.  

[azucena]

For those with amazon prime, make sure you also take advantage of streaming music. Use your smartphone while at home on wifi, chromecast to your tv, phone to Bluetooth speaker, or just thru computer. You should be able to find just about any song and create playlists of favorites.

[Iggy aka IG]

Didn't buy take out or cook something new last night.  Ate leftovers instead.

Despite the fact the boiler was on most of the night, the house was 66 degrees this morning.  -2 in our neighborhood when I woke up.

[Chocolate Lover]

Jan 30, 2020 18:24:38 GMT -5 Blonde Granny said:

I stayed home today, so it was my standard non-spending day. Tomorrow is supposed to be a lot warmer so likely will drive my car to dealer to get washed. Will text the sales manager first to see if they are washing then. No sense driving 10-12 mi each way if I don't have too. Saturday and Sunday are also down days, so my check book will appreciate getting a rest.

The Walmart store (largest they ever built at 188K sf) has switched all but 2 lanes to self serve.  I don't do well with unloading then scanning & repacking, so think I will finally take advantage of online order and pickup.  Everyone tells me they save money by not walking through the store putting unnecessary things into the cart that way, so next week I'll give it a try.

If you haven't tried it already, my tip is to let them do substitutions, unless it's a thing you must particularly have just as it is. The substitution is either bigger or a more expensive brand at the same price as what wasn't available. You can refuse any of them you don't want and they will be listed in the email they send you when your order is ready. 

[Deleted]

I have one of those mugs with a lid to keep the beverage hot but don't use it for that purpose. Instead it gets the pennies, nickels and dimes that I get in change. When it gets full, I take it to the credit union to put in the coin counter. It was full and getting too heavy to lift off the shelf over the sink so today was the day. It's not a big mug, intended for tea, I think, but it still held $14.73, which got deposited to my checking account. (There's a separate mug for quarters. It's not full yet, and it's bigger. Those quarters get used for the car wash and for the carts at Aldi.)

That probably doesn't count as "saving," but it wasn't spending. Right?

And there were 400 fuel points from last month at Kroger so I almost got gas for $1.82/gal. Almost because the pump decided to have a spell or something and quit on me. I had to move to another pump to finish filling up; the cashier gave me the cash for the balance of the 40 cents/gallon that would have been used on the first pump. That came to $1.37 cents.

Put the change in the mug so now there's "seed" money, and put the $1 bill in the envelope I use to collect dollar bills that I get in change. The dollar-bill envelope has about $30 in it since the first of the year. 

Pocket change, I know, but it adds up.

[Deleted]

I had bought new bath accessories for the hall bath update, but BBB were out of the soap dish.  It is now in, but by itself it didn't qualify for free shipping.

I asked nicely and got a "coupon" for free shipping.  And I got to use a 20% coupon.

[Artemis Windsong]

I spent nothing.  I did put two skirts in a cart online.  I'd need $25 more to get free shipping.  NO, don't need them.

[weltschmerz]

 Baby Did a Bad, Bad Thing 

I went out for a long walk, and a black leather jacket caught my eye. Gorgeous, with butter-soft leather. In my defense, it was on sale and made in Canada.

[Deleted]

Feb 5, 2020 18:13:46 GMT -5 weltschmerz said:

 Baby Did a Bad, Bad Thing 

I went out for a long walk, and a black leather jacket caught my eye. Gorgeous, with butter-soft leather. In my defense, it was on sale and made in Canada.

"on sale" means you saved money

[catsareme]

Did our meat shopping in Safeway's Meat Manager Clearance bin.  Found 2-one pound packages of grass fed Angus ground beef at 50% off as well as a package of pork chops at 30% off. 

Safeway's Monopoly game is back and I "won" a $1 off our next grocery purchase.  Every little bit helps.

[TheOtherMe]

Placed an order at Kohl's for some much needed underwear.  In addition to 30% off, I had an $11 off coupon for my anniversary of getting their credit card.

Made for some reasonably priced underwear.

[Blonde Granny]

I cashed in my credit card rewards points. The $253.79 was in my account this morning. Still debating what to do with it. Pay the accountant? into savings? if so which account.?

[Deleted]

Used gift card to buy an axtchet (not big enough to be an axe, not small enough to be a hatchet so I had to invent a name for it). That's not spending "real" money. And while I was there, only visited the garden department long enough to snatch up some new gardening gloves, also paid for with gift card.

I am, however, thinking about p*ssing away a couple of dollars on a MegaMillions ticket because my fortune cookie says "You will receive an unexpected windfall," and since I don't have any rich relatives, the lottery is the only way that will happen. Since I save ones when I get them in change, the money would come out of that envelope so it's not really spending, right?

[Blonde Granny]

Ms Rigby......I think I just got your windfall.

Oh wait, mine is a 15 page legal document that goes along with my lawsuit.  Sheesh, can't even pronounce the name of the law firm.

[Iggy aka IG]

Snowed in = not going anywhere to spend.