Saving Money Tips

Give yourself a cash allowance every week. This is listed as number one because it is extremely important! Take a look at your monthly income and figure out how much you can afford to spend weekly. Give yourself an allowance every week. It is so easy to whip out the credit card but that is when you get yourself into trouble.

Make your own gifts rather than buying gifts from the store. Pick up a hobby and get started making your own personalized gifts. It will save you a lot of money!! My husband and I make homemade wine and root beer. I recently made popcorn baskets for my family and friends for Christmas. I bought popcorn bowls from World Market, filled it with our homemade root beer, a blockbuster gift card, popcorn and candy. It was a big hit! Other ideas are spa baskets with homemade lotions, facial cream and soaps. You can also make personalized homemade chocolates. Just go to your local Bakery supply store and you will find personalized candy molds for just about anyone. My father-n-law is very handy, so once for his birthday I made him chocolates made from tool molds. My favorite gift to give is personalized journals with a photo on the front cover and a quote or message on the inside cover.

Avoid going to movies in the evening. I suggest going to the Dollar Movie Theater or going to see movies during the day. Movie theaters are so expensive, especially at night. The last time our family went to a movie in the evening we spent $30.00 and our boys even got in free! The price of popcorn, candy and pop is extremely expensive.

Make a list when going shopping. The biggest mistake you can make is going into a store not knowing what you need to buy, because more than likely you will end up spending a lot more money than you would if you had a list.

Limit how many times you eat out in a month. Eating out is so expensive. Take a look at your spending and more than likely where you need to cut back is your food expense. Our family eats out twice a month. My husband and I usually share a meal as well as our boys. In the summer time, we have cook outs and invite our friends over instead of eating out. Usually every one brings a dish and the food is usually much better!

Shop at consignment shops or buy clearance items only. Retail is very over priced. I buy my children’s clothes on clearance at the end of the season for the following year. I know this is risky because children grow at different rates, but so far I have been right on it guesstimating their sizes for the following year. You can get clothes, shoes and accessories sometime 90% off if you pay attention to sales.

Adjust the thermostat when you leave or when you sleep. I have gotten in the habit of turning our thermostat down during the winter months when we leave or at night when we are sleeping. Turning it down a couple degrees does make a big difference!

Clean out your closets and sell your items. You can make a lot of money selling on eBay, consignment shops or having a yard sale. You not only pocket some cash but you feel better too knowing you just got organized.

Stop expensive habits. Smoking cigarettes and drinking alcohol are two very expensive habits. You not only will save money but you will be so much more healthier, which is the best investment you’ll ever make.

Install LED bulbs, wherever you can. These bulbs are more expensive, but overall it will lower your electricity bill every month.

Check out books & movies from your local library for free. Every week I take my boys to the library and they pick out new books and movies. We also check out a “letter bag.” All the items in the bag have to do with that specific letter, so it’s a great way for your children to recognize letters.

Check out local free activities. There are many things we do for free. Our library has story time on Tuesdays and Thursdays, as well as Barnes and Noble. Home Depot and Lowe’s have building activities for children on Saturdays. In the summer, there are free concerts every Wednesday and Friday night. We have a splash park at one of our local parks that the kids love. Check into doing activities for free in your local town and you’ll be amazed at what you find.

Don’t buy magazines. Magazines can get very expensive. Check out the magazine’s website and you will find out that most of the articles in the magazine are online for you to read for free.

Cut your own hair. You can save a lot of money by cutting hair at home rather than going to a salon. If you don’t feel comfortable cutting your own hair, then ask a family or friend.

Carpool. Get together with a few moms and take turns throughout the week taking your kids to school. You may also know someone that you work with that lives close by. Carpooling will not only save you money but it will save you time!

Pack your lunch. The average person spends close to $10 eating out for lunch. That is $50 a week, which is a lot of money!

Coupons. Cut grocery coupons and check local ads from your local grocery store. Write your grocery list around what is on sale that week. Also, check into getting a Sam’s club membership. We save so much money shopping in bulk. It lasts longer, so less time at the grocery!!