What frugal thing did you do today?

[valleyrock]

I continued to add features and software to the Linux Mint operating system I put on an old laptop. Very user friendly. Good forum for Linux Mint users to search up things, how to's, etc
Bye bye Windows 10.

[TheRoundHeadedKid]

Just in case my primary cell phone gets stolen, lost or bricks, I bought a backup phone for cheap, $55. Also, an important factor is that it will get security updates for 6 years. I mainly need it to duplicate various authenticator apps so that I can still access my accounts if something happens to my primary phone. I've also installed all other apps that I use on my primary phone including Google Voice with the same phone number. The screen looks pretty much identical. It will be a Wi-Fi-only phone (so no cell phone plan) and will be kept in a safe place.

[prioritarian]

Deleted my amazon account and negotiated $25/month internet with Xfinity.

[prioritarian]

"LibreOffice is good and free."

Depends upon how complex or simple your existing Excel work.

It's got the same stuff. Just some different buttons in different places. Learning curve is all.

LibreOffice is minimally compatible with M$ Office open XML formats and fails to render complex docx/pptx files correctly. As a result, I have been using miscrosoft office in linux via crossover/wine since 2001. I have recently found that OnlyOffice appears to be seamlessly compatible with M$ office files and have been considering a switch. OnlyOffice is opensource and is built around open XML.

https://www.onlyoffice.com/

[littlerfish]

Downloaded half-a-dozen books from Faded Page using their send-to-Kindle feature instead of buying them from Amazon. They seem to have all the Raymond Chandler novels.

[michaeljc70]

I haven't really been impressed with Amazon Fresh but sometimes they have good sales and also send me coupons. Using a 20% off purchases over $50 I got some great deals. Italian sausage came to $1.50/lb. Blocks of cheese were $1.20 (8 ounce). I will say I much prefer the Dash carts to the old just walk out and get your receipt many hours later method of not using a cashier.

For those that don't know, the Dash cart has a screen, scanner and scale (for security reasons). You scan a code from the Amazon app on your phone to start and then scan each item as you put it in the cart. You can also easily remove an item if you change your mind. Then you just walk out of the store (through a designated lane) and your card is charged. The screen makes it very clear what you are paying for each item. It had even taken the extra 20% off each item from the coupon.

In general, I don't find their prices that great compared to the weekly sales at other chains like Albertson's and Kroger.

[jaqenhghar]

I spent $450 at Costco and am sitting there now finishing off one of their hotdogs.

[ResearchMed]

I spent $450 at Costco and am sitting there now finishing off one of their hotdogs.

Must be quite a hot dog!


RM

[valleyrock]

Must be quite a hot dog!


RM

Ha! It's pavlovian. I can't shop at Costco without getting a hotdog and a drink and sitting down to wolf it down before leaving. The trick, of course, is finding a good place to put my cart to keep it out of the way, while being able to keep an eye on the cargo.

The pizza I can't really get excited about. And I'm afraid to read the ingredients of the hot dogs, so I don't.

[ETK517]

Giving up coffee completely. I was making coffee at home, but between high-quality beans and half-and-half, it was probably still costing me $100/mo. Didn't quit for financial reasons - just felt like I didn't really need the caffeine so why keep up the habit, it's just empty calories and another appliance to clean. But $1200/year savings is a nice bonus. I'll keep my pricey coffee maker and some beans in the freezer for emergencies.

[Padlin]

Doing my own truck repair today, I hope. Bad antifreeze reservoir connector design, doing a mod, or I’m making it worse.

I may or may not save $.

[yankees60]

I spent a total of $14.99 to do my federal and states taxes this year on FreeTaxUsa. I spent nearly 10 times that much on TurboTax last year.

Did you miss any features from TurboTax that FreeTaxUsa did not have?

[yankees60]

I spent a total of $14.99 to do my federal and states taxes this year on FreeTaxUsa. I spent nearly 10 times that much on TurboTax last year.

Did you miss any features from TurboTax that FreeTaxUsa did not have?

[yankees60]

Just in case my primary cell phone gets stolen, lost or bricks, I bought a backup phone for cheap, $55. Also, an important factor is that it will get security updates for 6 years. I mainly need it to duplicate various authenticator apps so that I can still access my accounts if something happens to my primary phone. I've also installed all other apps that I use on my primary phone including Google Voice with the same phone number. The screen looks pretty much identical. It will be a Wi-Fi-only phone (so no cell phone plan) and will be kept in a safe place.

"It will be a Wi-Fi-only phone "

Until now I did not know that such a thing existed. How common are these phones?

That would be great to have when I am trying to juggle two phone calls simultaneously and need to be able to hear both at the same time.

[yankees60]

Deleted my amazon account and negotiated $25/month internet with Xfinity.

Is that all you are doing with Xfinity? If so, what is your internet speed?

[yankees60]

I have a limited diet and try to load up on the items that are on sale. Not unusual to have months on end, even years, for some and in my inventory.

At a certain point last year I hardly even went to Stop & Shop, instead eating from both my garden and my inventory.

Unfortunately, that led to me depleting my peanut butter supply, forcing me to have to pay full price for it. A sin that bothered me a lot.

So when it went on sale a few week ago for $3.49 (regular $4.49) I bought 40 jars, buying every one available. Followed up with last week buying another 26 (all available). Sale ends this Thursday so will be also clearing the shelves that day.

[Random Poster]

Just in case my primary cell phone gets stolen, lost or bricks, I bought a backup phone for cheap, $55. Also, an important factor is that it will get security updates for 6 years. I mainly need it to duplicate various authenticator apps so that I can still access my accounts if something happens to my primary phone. I've also installed all other apps that I use on my primary phone including Google Voice with the same phone number. The screen looks pretty much identical. It will be a Wi-Fi-only phone (so no cell phone plan) and will be kept in a safe place.

"It will be a Wi-Fi-only phone "

Until now I did not know that such a thing existed. How common are these phones?

That would be great to have when I am trying to juggle two phone calls simultaneously and need to be able to hear both at the same time.

I think that any iPhone can be a wi-fi only phone, especially if you just put it into airplane mode and turn on the Wi-Fi. I know that one of my older phones, that I no longer had cell service on, worked that way.

[enad]

LibreOffice is minimally compatible with M$ Office open XML formats and fails to render complex docx/pptx files correctly. As a result, I have been using miscrosoft office in linux via crossover/wine since 2001. I have recently found that OnlyOffice appears to be seamlessly compatible with M$ office files and have been considering a switch. OnlyOffice is opensource and is built around open XML.

I run Office in a Windows Virtual Machine under Linux with Internet disabled. Drag & Drop is enabled and all my Windows data resides on a USB drive mounted over /shared). In Windows the drive is mounted at D:\.

[enad]

"It will be a Wi-Fi-only phone "

Until now I did not know that such a thing existed. How common are these phones?

That would be great to have when I am trying to juggle two phone calls simultaneously and need to be able to hear both at the same time.

If you have an old smartphone you can still use it with WI-FI and even get a phone number for it to use through WI-FI. I got a new smartphone that I take with me when I leave the house but I don't like the gesture to do a screenshot. The old smartphone was a matter of pressing a button on the side and bottom at the same time. I have an even older flip phone that only had a VGA camera but it fits nicely in the pocket so when traveling and shooting with a DSLR sometimes the little flip phone comes in handy for a special shot especially if I have a very long lens on the camera.

[gunny]

It may seem odd, but I bought some takeout Chinese for lunch.

Why frugal? I can get three meals out of this for about $10; the food is enough for two meals in itself and the soup (I always go for won ton) a third, although as the weather warms, this is less appealing. Three meals for $10 aint bad and it satisfies my need to "go out" for a meal and have something different...

[gunny]

On another front, for entertainment, I often go to youtube. It's amazing how much is out there and I can always find something of of interest...interviews, documentaries, concerts, etc etc. All for free.

[prioritarian]

Deleted my amazon account and negotiated $25/month internet with Xfinity.

Is that all you are doing with Xfinity? If so, what is your internet speed?

We have xfinity mobile as well as part of the retention bonus ($20 total for two lines). Our internet speed is "200 Mb/s" on paper but for some reason we often see higher speeds (e.g. >300 Mb/s).

[Godot]

Deleted my amazon account and negotiated $25/month internet with Xfinity.

I'll bite, what was your bargaining strategy? I have been with Comcast/Xfinity for 25 yrs (Pacific NW) and wholly loathe the company for its opaque and sneaky pricing, deceptive sales tactics, lousy service, and outright lying. What level of service did you negotiate for, and how much are you getting up and down? I usually call every few yrs to their call center in Cebu, Philippines and it usually takes me 45 mins to an hour simply to argue with the robotic customer service rep simply to keep the price where it is.

[michaeljc70]

Deleted my amazon account and negotiated $25/month internet with Xfinity.

I'll bite, what was your bargaining strategy? I have been with Comcast/Xfinity for 25 yrs (Pacific NW) and wholly loathe the company for its opaque and sneaky pricing, deceptive sales tactics, lousy service, and outright lying. What level of service did you negotiate for, and how much are you getting up and down? I usually call every few yrs to their call center in Cebu, Philippines and it usually takes me 45 mins to an hour simply to argue with the robotic customer service rep simply to keep the price where it is.

I have 2 strategies that have worked with Comcast internet after a pricing change:

1) Call and say you want to cancel service . See what they offer. If you just call and ask if they have any deals you probably won't get anything or very little. If you're still going to be a customer regardless they don't want to offer up much. If you have another offer from a competitor, tell them the offer. They have a database of offers and will likely do something with that.

2) Change and get new service. This requires switching every 2 years (or whatever the promo period was) from my name to my spouse's name. Basically establishing new service. No one needs to come out...it is just creating a new account and cancelling the old service. It is a bit of a hassle but I found it worth the $300+. You may need 2 modems to do this but they can be had cheap on FB marketplace. I think everyone knows that Comcast is not easy to deal with so if something goes wrong in this process.....

I'm on a $35/mo 150 Mbps plan now.

[prioritarian]

Deleted my amazon account and negotiated $25/month internet with Xfinity.

I'll bite, what was your bargaining strategy? I have been with Comcast/Xfinity for 25 yrs (Pacific NW) and wholly loathe the company for its opaque and sneaky pricing, deceptive sales tactics, lousy service, and outright lying. What level of service did you negotiate for, and how much are you getting up and down? I usually call every few yrs to their call center in Cebu, Philippines and it usually takes me 45 mins to an hour simply to argue with the robotic customer service rep simply to keep the price where it is.

I negotiate in person at an Xfinity store that is on my bike ride to/from work.

[WoostaGal]

I have some relatively minor changes that are needed for my will and other end of life documents. Rather than paying thousands of dollars for an attorney to make these changes to documents that were created less than 5 years ago, I scanned the pdf documents into a LibreOffice Writer document using Convertio:

https://convertio.co/

The scanning quality was not perfect, but pretty dang good. I've made the necessary modifications, and after a final review, I will be bringing them to my local bank to be notarized.

I now have modifiable documents if I need to make additional changes in the future.

[jayjayc]

I happened to be nearby a great coffeeshop and wanted to pick up a bag of beans and a cup of nitro cold brew. I ordered the smallest cup on the menu which was still too big and intended to dump some out since the caffeine hit would be too much. Then the cashier said I can get a smaller, off-the-menu cup for free with my bean purchase.

[FeralCat]

Cafes always give a free cup of coffee when I have bought fresh beans. It makes me so sad when people buy coffee from the supermarket. Today I fermented two quarts of organic yogurt, one quart of buttermilk and a cup or so of creme fraiche from the buttermilk culture and some leftover half-and-half. I am trying to completely eliminate food waste.

[AllMostThere]

Cafes always give a free cup of coffee when I have bought fresh beans. It makes me so sad when people buy coffee from the supermarket. Today I fermented two quarts of organic yogurt, one quart of buttermilk and a cup or so of creme fraiche from the buttermilk culture and some leftover half-and-half. I am trying to completely eliminate food waste.

I love homemade yogurt as it is so much better than the stuff from the grocery store with all the thickeners, etc. I make my own in an InstantPot, then strain off some whey to increase thickness to a thick Greek style. The strained off whey is then used in my homemade no-knead bread. So yummy when warm with a slap of butter. I'm transitioning to a lower carb lifestyle so my bread consumption will need to decrease forcing me to find another use for the yogurt whey. IMHO, homemade is a better alternative to mass produced.

[littlerfish]

Found that the city hall one town over has friendly staff who will notarize documents without a fee!

[yankees60]

Thursday the last day sale of peanut at Stop & Shop.

Bought 24 jars at $1 savings each ... so $24 saved in total!

[FeralCat]

Cafes always give a free cup of coffee when I have bought fresh beans. It makes me so sad when people buy coffee from the supermarket. Today I fermented two quarts of organic yogurt, one quart of buttermilk and a cup or so of creme fraiche from the buttermilk culture and some leftover half-and-half. I am trying to completely eliminate food waste.

I love homemade yogurt as it is so much better than the stuff from the grocery store with all the thickeners, etc. I make my own in an InstantPot, then strain off some whey to increase thickness to a thick Greek style. The strained off whey is then used in my homemade no-knead bread. So yummy when warm with a slap of butter. I'm transitioning to a lower carb lifestyle so my bread consumption will need to decrease forcing me to find another use for the yogurt whey. IMHO, homemade is a better alternative to mass produced.

Perhaps you can put the whey in smoothies (with lots of healthy greens). I am sure you will figure out a way to use it.

[secondopinion]

Charged my portable battery during non-peak hours; saves me a fraction of a cent. I guess I can spend it on something fun, right?

[yankees60]

Charged my portable battery during non-peak hours; saves me a fraction of a cent. I guess I can spend it on something fun, right?

Of course you could donate here! What BETTER value could you get from it??!!

[HoosierJim]

I only buy frozen store cheese pizza (unless making from scratch) and transformed it into a "supreme" with the topping that happen to be in the fridge (onions, green onions, green peppers, mushrooms)


DOES ANYBODY ELSE DO THIS?

[jaqenhghar]

I only buy frozen store cheese pizza (unless making from scratch) and transformed it into a "supreme" with the topping that happen to be in the fridge (onions, green onions, green peppers, mushrooms)


DOES ANYBODY ELSE DO THIS?

Love this!

[littlerfish]

I only buy frozen store cheese pizza (unless making from scratch) and transformed it into a "supreme" with the topping that happen to be in the fridge (onions, green onions, green peppers, mushrooms)


DOES ANYBODY ELSE DO THIS?

Sure, I always "augment" take-and-bake pizza. But a Supreme has to have sausage, doesn't it?

[littlerfish]

On another front, for entertainment, I often go to youtube. It's amazing how much is out there and I can always find something of of interest...interviews, documentaries, concerts, etc etc. All for free.

Lots of stuff there! And I also like the Internet Archive. Full of books, movies, and music. The pulp magazine archive is pretty nifty!

[dratkinson]

I only buy frozen store cheese pizza (unless making from scratch) and transformed it into a "supreme" with the topping that happen to be in the fridge (onions, green onions, green peppers, mushrooms)


DOES ANYBODY ELSE DO THIS?

Gonna use this idea. I start with thin crust supreme pizzas (less dough/calories, ~$4 digital coupon), but have wished they had more toppings.

[delbcavista]

On another front, for entertainment, I often go to youtube. It's amazing how much is out there and I can always find something of of interest...interviews, documentaries, concerts, etc etc. All for free.

Agreed - there are so many educational and fun videos on youtube. I've enjoyed learning about places I would never travel to or even know of, occupations I know nothing about, different religions, cooking and frugality, minimalism (Minimal Mom, Bayley Made it), how to be more productive and tidy (Diane in Denmark). Really an endless option of free, enjoyable and educational info. I feel like I've become a better parent and person from what I've watched for free.

We also donate to our local PBS station and so we get their online passport with all of their programming - highly recommend

[cheesepep]

I bought 2 new brand new glass baby bottles with some extras, but didn't buy the caps. Saved about $3.

[yankees60]

On another front, for entertainment, I often go to youtube. It's amazing how much is out there and I can always find something of of interest...interviews, documentaries, concerts, etc etc. All for free.

Yes. However, a few months ago I finally opted to go paid as the ads were becoming relentless and too time consuming to have to watch so much of them before leaving them and then the time to click to leave them. Plus, if I was outside listening on wireless headphones I had no way to avoid them without coming back inside to this computer.

Have enjoyed the experience way more with the paid version. NO ads!

[bikefish]

I went to a fast-food burger joint yesterday. Ordered a combo (cheeseburger, fries and drink). I reached for my wallet to pay for it, but the cashier told me not to worry about it. I asked what that was all about and the fella said we need to stick together. "Stick together?"..I asked what he meant by that. His reply was, "we are old guys". Haha....senior discount...I will take it.

[yankees60]

I went to a fast-food burger joint yesterday. Ordered a combo (cheeseburger, fries and drink). I reached for my wallet to pay for it, but the cashier told me not to worry about it. I asked what that was all about and the fella said we need to stick together. "Stick together?"..I asked what he meant by that. His reply was, "we are old guys". Haha....senior discount...I will take it.

!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ultimate frugality!

[LilyFleur]

I listened to a free Libby audio book around the house using wireless ear buds, and in my car on the car's stereo system while driving to visit a friend.

[neilpilot]

I went to a fast-food burger joint yesterday. Ordered a combo (cheeseburger, fries and drink). I reached for my wallet to pay for it, but the cashier told me not to worry about it. I asked what that was all about and the fella said we need to stick together. "Stick together?"..I asked what he meant by that. His reply was, "we are old guys". Haha....senior discount...I will take it.

!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ultimate frugality!

As I read the post, Bikefish went to the burger joint with the INTENSION of buying a combo. I see this not as frugality, but pure luck.

[yankees60]

!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ultimate frugality!

As I read the post, Bikefish went to the burger joint with the INTENSION of buying a combo. I see this not as frugality, but pure luck.

The court may have to rule in YOUR favor!

[Lalamimi]

Spent Friday and part of Saturday painting my kitchen island - inside the 5 drawers, 2 doors and the exterior. Only cost was $30 for the quart of paint, and $60 plus tip for a massage. Saved over $500 (the cost to have only the outside painted 6 years ago.

[LaurenRose]

Several things.

I'm here in Cancun, MX this week. My dentist in the US quoted $12K for some dental work. I just had the same work done here by a highly reputable dentist for $3.5K - huge savings.... airline cost in first class was free due to points, staying at a lovely rental home, rental fees lower than the US, excellent deal all around.

Heading to Florida tomorrow to pack up minimal contents of former winter home and ship them out. Florida hotel stay covered by points. Will be doing some very minor side work online while in FLA, that will offset general gasoline and restaurant expenses.

[LaurenRose]

Yes. However, a few months ago I finally opted to go paid as the ads were becoming relentless and too time consuming to have to watch so much of them before leaving them and then the time to click to leave them. Plus, if I was outside listening on wireless headphones I had no way to avoid them without coming back inside to this computer.

Have enjoyed the experience way more with the paid version. NO ads!

I recently upgraded to YouTube Premium as well. It's an excellent No-Ad experience on my iPhone, but it's a miserable experience still when listening or watching on my Google TV.
I have to address this when I find a spare minute.