There are so many different ways to save money. I was just thinking about some of them and wanted to share them with the readers.
- I’ve started washing and reusing the quart and gallon sized Ziploc bags. I usually have just a few pots or dishes that I handwash each day and if I have a bag, I just wash that as well, turning it inside out to dry.
- Almost everything I buy at the grocery store is on sale and usually I’ve got a coupon to go with the sale for a great deal.What we eat in our house revolves around the sales cycles. I utilize supercook.com to get ideas for what to fix with things that I’ve bought.
- Lights – we try to get our kids to turn off the lights whenever they leave a room. Along with that, we very rarely turn on our porch light in the evening unless we’re expecting company.
- Drink water, especially at restaurants. If we’re out to eat and decide the budget allows us to get pop for an extra few dollars, it feels like a big splurge. We’ve encouraged our kids to drink water too and they like it. Kids Meals often include a drink, so then they luck out. Not only free, water is very healthy!
- Eating out can be a really big chunk of your budget.We always have a coupon when we go out, usually for a free meal. I have found restaurant coupons to be abundant. They come in local magazines/fliers in the mail, you can sign up for many e-clubs that will e-mail you coupons, often local organizations sell coupon books for a very reasonable price for fundraisers, and the Entertainment book is full of all kinds of coupons.
- Don’t buy clothes for your kids that they won’t wear. My 6 year old daughter is extremely picky already so I won’t buy her anything unless she is with me and she gives it her seal of approval. Thankfully, she doesn’t yet care too much about the labels or if it has already been worn. We will visit thrift shops, the occasional yard sale, or some churches or other groups have huge sales that we love to check out.
- I work a part time job at the YMCA, watching babies and little kids a few hours a week. It earns a paycheck plus we get a regularly $69/month family membership to the Y for just $24. Those that have small children can take them with to work!
- Keeping a budget for family spending is important. Since we’ve written a budget for each month, it has really helped us to reach our goals!
- Tell the kids (and yourself) ‘no’. It can be so tempting to buy things we don’t need when we see the ads that try to convince us we have to have the latest and greatest. As I pumped gas today, I saw the signs placed on the pump for the ice cream inside the gas station. They were giving away the second scoop for free, but I had to tell myself No.
- We wear our clothes and shoes often until they really, truly need to be replaced. Our son is so super good at this one. He absolutely hates to go shopping for clothes or shoes. His toes will have created holes out the front of his shoes and grown another 1/2 inch before I notice and he still doesn’t want new shoes.
- Buy used or scratch ‘n’ dent. We’ve gotten used bikes, toys, books, and framed artwork among other things that work just as well as anything new. I see some used furniture and cars in our future too.
- Freecycle.com is a really interesting online group that exists to keep unwanted items out of the landfills. People want to be rid of their magazines, clothing, mirrors, furniture, toys, appliances, etc. and there are others happy to go pick it up and give these things new life.
- I cut my kids’ and husband’s hair. It is really very simple to do, using the clippers. Contrary to what my husband says, I do not need a degree to do it!
- We trade babysitting with our neighbor who has kids similar to our kids’ ages. The kids love to play with each other and it really cuts down on the cost of date night!
- Sunlight! Our kitchen has a lot of south facing windows which let in the sun and provide a lot of warmth during these cooler months as long as I have the blinds up.
- Don’t read the catalogs that come in your mailbox! That just makes you want to buy things that you probably don’t need! Just pitch it as soon as you see it!
- Don’t buy anything unless you have the cash to pay for it. That is crucial in reaching your goals!
Posted under Spending
Written by Laura on October 22, 2008
Extremely important article. Under tight budget – say no to ‘Credit’ shopping! This simple policy helps me a lot to manage my expenses within the limit of my budget.