Tuesday, May 30, 2017

Surprising Ways to Save Money

I'm excited to share some new ideas with you this month on saving money.  They're super easy and you'll notice the savings IMMEDIATELY.



// 1 //
Cook for your friends
Invite them over to your house for breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner and it'll be TONS cheaper than going out to eat.  It'll also be nicer because you won't have to rush or worry about your kids being too loud.  I love cooking so it's fun for me to fix meals for friends.  We still go out to eat with friends, but I usually end up enjoying the meals at someone's home more.  Here's a picture from a little brunch with friends from this month.  You don't even have to make everything from scratch - pick up some delicious things at your grocery store, put them in pretty dishes and you're set.


// 2 //
Check your bills for any reoccurring payments
Look over your monthly statements to ensure that they are correct.  Make sure you aren't unknowingly paying a monthly fee from subscription services.  This one is super important!!  I would have guaranteed that we were not being charged monthly fees from any subscriptions a few weeks ago, but to my dismay, we found TWO things that we were being charged monthly for that we didn't realize.  One for each of us.  We quickly cancelled the services and contacted customer service.  Apparently, you rarely can get any compensation even though they do not email you statements or let you know they are billing each month.  Shady!!


// 3 //
Look for markdowns
My favorite markdowns are always in the meat and produce sections.  I LOVED this power greens lettuce mix and loved getting it for 40% off.


// 4 //
Use the samples
I realized that I had almost an entire drawer full of make up samples!  So I've made an effort to add them into my regular make up routine.  It's fun to try new products, I take a picture of the packaging if I like it and then I can purchase it at a later date.  If I don't like it, then I've just made some progress in clearing out that drawer.


// 5 //
BOGO
Stock up during BOGO sales at your local stores.  Meijer and Kroger have a great BOGO options and these were my recent finds.  I used to say that I'd never freeze bread, but that was only because I hadn't tried doing it.  Lately I've bought cinnamon bread for the kids and then Kevin's favorite Healthfull bread.  I've frozen both and it's been great.  I let it thaw and get back to room temp before serving.



// 6 //
Talk about where your money is going
We've started having regular conversations about money, bills and paying things off.  We also have started challenging each other to look for new ways to save money.  At dinner we will often ask the other if they found a way to save some money that day.  It's a stress free way to keep the conversation going and we are enjoying finding new ways to save.  Some fun ways we've found to save money: ordering a free cup of water vs buying a water bottle, digging through my craft closet instead of just going out to buy new supplies, limiting Amazon orders and asking neighbors to borrow a tool instead of buying our own.  All those little things add up!


How do you get creative with your money saving??



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7 comments:

  1. My husband is our money manager and so we're always talking about money and any upcoming bills. I think talking about it constantly keeps you both on the same page....which is so important!
    Sarah at MeetTheShaneyfelts

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  2. Such great tips! Love the bogo tip a lot. I love how you are always challenging each other to save in new ways.

    I think what was really a turning point for us was when we went to all cash. If it's not in my cash envelope we don't buy it. Before we did that 7-8 years ago I was consistently over spending even though I've always considered myself a "careful" spender, ha ha.

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  3. Kroger often has veggies in plastic containers marked down and I always grab those. I either freeze them or fit them into our meals for the upcoming days. It saves a ton and there is nothing wrong with the produce.

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  4. So many great tips! I love your idea of having friends over - not only does it save you money, it saves them money too! What a great way to enjoy fellowship and serve your friends. Thanks for the idea! :)

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  5. So many great ideas friend. I think knowing where your money is going is HUGE! We keep a written budget for that reason alone. It can be so informative... and depressing.

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  6. All fantastic ideas! Jim keeps an excel spreadsheet going of our day to day expenses and monthly budget goals. Some months we are rock stars and some months....not so much lol

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  7. Great ideas! I always enjoy having friends over more than trying to go out to eat, especially when the kids are involved. It's so much fun watching them run around and playing than trying to get them to sit still. And I just started freezing bread too! It's been handy!!

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