8 Creative Ways to Save Money

It seems like everything has gotten more expensive the past couple of years so I'm trying hard to get creative to save my family money.  Let me show you some simple ways - they really add up!

1 // Free Bouquet

I needed something pretty for my table over the weekend so the kids and I headed outside to make our own bouquet.  The kids helped me and easily saved me $10-15 on a fresh bouquet.  I trimmed everything down and it looked nice in a ball jar vase on my counter.  They were very proud of their cuttings.  All of our landscaping is very new so I'm eager for things to grow up more to give us more to cut for bouquets.  I'm also hoping to plant a cutting garden full of flowers next year.  Stay tuned!

2 // Stay In for Dessert

While we were on vacation, we opted to stay in for dessert.  Kevin grabbed these pint size Blue Bell ice creams in new flavors for us to try.  The kids loved getting a scoop of each one to sample.    They were under $5 each and fed us all easily a couple of nights.  Eating dessert at the condo saved us lots of money!

3. Free Fun at the Library

Are you visiting your local library??  We are getting into a good routine with ours.  The kids love to see their grab bag craft activities each time we visit.  They're totally free and fun to do at home.  The first kit we got was a fish craft and then they built these neat robots with their last kits.  Every library is different, but I bet your library would have free options for your family!

4 // Don't Waste Food

I have been working on this for the past couple of years.  I try very hard to save, freeze and eat up every bit of food we buy.  I found myself saving the very end of the tortilla chip bag to add to my taco bowl leftover lunch.  I also plan to finish up the random chip bags in the pantry on a charcuterie board or pair them with sandwich night to ensure they get eaten up.

5 // Leftover Shelf

I know I talk about this one often - but you really need a leftover zone in your fridge!  It will save you lots of money by keeping all the leftovers in one spot.  Then you can use them when you pack lunches or make more food throughout the week.  I chopped these veggies for a dinner side salad then saved all the leftovers for a yummy big salad lunch for me.

6 // Return Your Things

Whether it be Amazon returns or clothing returns or bad produce returns - RETURN IT!!  Don't let your money go to waste by missing your return window.  I keep my returns on my passenger front seat so that when I'm near the UPS store or when I'm out and about I can get my money back.  If you buy something online and don't love it, take the time to take it back.  Amazon usually gives you several weeks so put that on your weekly to do list.

I recently did a Sams Pick Up order and one bag of nectarines had gone bad.  It was drippy and totally gross.  I called Sams right away with my order number handy and asked for a refund.  They would like for you to bring items into the store for returns (which is fine for home or clothing or boxed items), but this was rotten produce that I did not select for myself.  I told them it was too much trouble to go into the store for a return and they refunded my card over the phone.  It took me 5 or so minutes to take care of it and saved me about $7 from going to waste.

7 // Freeze It

When you end up with the last bit of fruit salad that isn't getting eaten or you're heading out of town and have some fruit that will be have gone bad when you get back, chop it all up and freeze it!!  We try hard not to waste fruit - pop it in a freezer bag for smoothies.  I have a bag for ripe bananas and a bag for all the other fruit.  My kids pretty much love any smoothie as long as it's pinkish.  It's a great way to get in a healthy after school snack.

8 // Stay Home

Let me explain - I know myself and I know that if I stroll through HomeGoods or Target I will always find things that I want to buy.  So I'm trying hard to stay focused with my errands and stay home to tackle projects here instead of shopping.  Work on all those things you already have the supplies for or organize the things you already own before buying more.  Of course I still run errands.  I'm just working hard to stay focused with my spending so that we can save for some really fun projects!

Which of these could help you save the most money??

Happy Saving!