What did you do to save $ today?

[Veggie PAK]

I went looking for the best apples to make canned applesauce with. Everywhere they were $1.89 to $1.99 a pound. I went to another Farmer's Market farther away (15 miles) and asked if there would be a difference in price between the shelf and the bushel box since they were just unloading them from a trailer. They said, Yeah! I ended up getting 50 pounds of apples for $34. I saved $1.05 a pound over their shelf price and got them for $0.84 per pound! That saved me $52.50!

 

[Britesea]

 

[MrBubblingbrooks]

We did several things this weekend. I visited an auction Saturday, though Bubblingbrooks, my dw, rathered I stay home and finish up a goat fence. We also had very little money to spend, so she was very concerned I'd spend too much (I tend to do that at auctions.) Well, I was good, and only bought a few items. A set of tire chains, electric heater, and miscellaneous nuts and bolts for $25. Retail on the heater and chains is about $90, and I needed both. The other things in the box add a little more value to it. I spent $10 on a tool belt full of tools, and some more miscellaneous nuts and bolts. I was pleasantly surprised to find 3 finger planers in the box, too. The tool belt would have cost me nearly $100 at Lowe's. The best buy, though, cost a bit more. I will need a new set of summer tires for the truck next year, and my studded tires will be worn out by the end of winter. There were 3 full sets of tires at the auction in the correct size for my truck; one was brand new, tires only. The other two were used, on chrome alloy rims; one set studded M/S all terrain, and the other a Costco set of summer tires. The new set sold first, and went for $350; I thought this was high for auction prices, and was very concerned about whether I could get either of the other sets. That was still a great price, as in the store that set runs about $600.

The auctioneer looked at the remaining stack of tires, and said, "I hate selling tires. Its such a pain! Put them all together, we'll sell as one lot." Inwardly I groaned, because there were 10 tires total and 2 extra aircraft or trailer rims. Uggh! What would this do to the price? Even if they sold at $150 a set, that would be $300, and I wanted to stay below $200. Bidding was brisk, starting low at $50, with what looked like a pretty serious re-saler bidding to $175 against me. I bid $200, and he and the other 3 guys bidding dropped out! So I paid $200 for 2 complete sets of tires and rims for my truck, with only 2 extra tires and 2 extra rims that I need to find homes for. The Studded Tires would cost about $175 per tire new, plus $40 to mount the set. The summer set is about $125 per tire, plus $40 to mount. I will call the rims $200, as I was planning to buy steel rims at a junkyard for $25 apiece. This comes out to $1200 for tires, $280 for rims and mounting= $1480. So I saved $1280 on tires, $160 on the tool belt and tire chains, and spent a total of $255. I may be able to sell some of the miscellaneous and the extra tires and rims and recoup most of that, too!

Today was my wife's day. She found an exer saucer on FreeCycle, and a billy goat on Craigslist! Both were free, and we picked them both up, along with hay, on our drive back from church. We saved $20 on gas, $200 to buy a goat or $150 for stud fees, and about $25 on the exer-saucer. She did very well!

Maybe best of all, the goat fence got finished tonight, in about 15 minutes, so my little joyride to the auction didn't cost too much, and I was able to finish the honey-do!

 

[snapshot]

Wow! That sounds like a really profitable day! And, most importantly, you got your fence done! I love auctions!!!!!! And estate sales and yard sales and thrift shops...

 

[hillfarm]

Spent the weekend selling our junk at the flea market. Sold throw out stuff for 150 dollars. Cost 24 dollars for an indoor booth, but well worth it since it rained. Bought super cheap vegies for the hens from another vendor and another vendor embrodered two waist aprons with our business logo for 6 dollars a peice. Huge savings. I would of paid tons more for custom work like she did. But she charged me just for the apron because i was wearing her work at the flea market and bragging about her work. She said I was good for business. She made 493.00 and said it was her best day ever. Made lots of friends and met a man who is very self sufficient and wanted to share recipes for soap with me.

Fun weekend.

 

[Nichole]

I love estate auctions too! DH and I went to one a couple weeks back I brought home 3 oil lamps for $15. We would've had to pay $10 a piece at the store.

 

[Blue Egg Jo]

I made homemade peanut butter for less than $1.50 and it is some of the best peanut butter I've ever had! I'm never going back to that commercial stuff!

 

[savingdogs]

How do you make your cheap peanut butter?

 

[Blue Egg Jo]

I bought some roasted Virginia peanuts and they were $2.49 a pound. But I only used a half pound and it filled up a pint size jar. I know that the jars you buy in the store are bigger, but I didn't need to add many ingredients, just a T. of honey and oil. I put the peanuts in the food processor and processed until they started sticking into clumps, then I added the honey and oil while the processor was going. Blend until smooth if you like smooth.

 

[savingdogs]

Thanks! I gotta try that!