Since being a stay at home mom doesn't pay well these days, I'm able to tap into my nerd-bombing ways and find ideas on trying to trim our budget. Don't tell Chaz but it's kinda fun! (Just a second while I adjust my pocket protector and shift my glasses to the top of my nose...)
I'm ALWAYS open to the ways you guys save a buck so please, if you have any, let me know! Here's a few that I've found:
1) Shopping for car/home insurance. (we actually just did this last week and I can't believe we didn't do it sooner!) By making one phone call and switching our insurance, we saved $834 a year! That's almost $70 a month!
2) Use those coupons for eating out! 90% of the time, Chaz and I will only go out to eat if we have a coupon. Pay attention because they are everywhere! Mail flyers, newspapers, and even the bottom of your receipts. Chickfila gives away free sandwiches and Sonic free Route 44's. Always say "yes" when the cashier says, "would you like your receipt?"
3) Brown bag it. Honestly, this is easier said than done because getting up early to make a lunch for Chaz while I could be tucked snuggly in bed is hard. BUT, when Chaz told me he was probably spending around $7 a day for lunch at his office, the guilt of $35/week being thrown out the window greatly outweighed the few extra minutes of sleep.
4) I've already said this but it's worth repeating: make your own baby food. Of course, that is if you have a baby. Otherwise, why would you make baby food? Weirdo. :)
5) Mystery Shop. I got this awesome idea from Chaz's sister who mystery shops and is nothing short of brilliant. There's all sorts of things you can shop and get paid for. Mind you, it's not a ton of dough, but you can get free meals, clothes, and in my case, a $30 spray tan!
6) Write or email companies to tell them what a great experience you had at their business. One, this is soooooooooo much better than complaining and two, you are very likely to receive coupons for your kind words. How can you beat that!?
7) Buy generic. Ok, ok, I feel really, really guilty about this one but I can't help it! Most of the time, the food actually tastes the exact same as the brand name and is a fraction of the cost. (One HUGE exception: Great Value Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Beware. This is in no way anything like the original.) My shopping cart looks like one great big Great Value advertisement when I go to check out. I do, however, buy Kraft products. That's for you, dad. :)
Man, we must eat a lot. Most of these revolve around food, ha!
8) Cut back on gift spending. I must admit, this one has been my hardest to tighten my belt on. I love giving gifts! Who doesn't? BUT, have you ever really noticed how much you spend on gifts? Birthdays? Showers? Mother's/Father's Day? Arbor Day? It adds up QUICK. (One exception: my birthday is in a few weeks and you can totally splurge on that holiday. It's perfectly acceptable.)
Add all of these together and you can really save! It's one of the reasons I get to stay home with my little ankle biter.
How can you beat that??!!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
3 comments:
Loved all your tips! I'm also a big fan of Great Value. Our pantry looks like one big Walmart!
all very good tips!! I clip coupons and print them off websites too before I ever step foot in the grocery store. brown baggin' also helps that waistline! little dean is getting so big! can't believe she is almost a year old!
For gifts I always look to living social, groupon, or other similar sites. I started getting coupons this way from a student and thought that is genius! I could care less how much someone spends on me and I get to benefit from their thriftiness so why not pass that on to someone else!
Post a Comment