Sunday, March 24, 2013
Ways we save money
Hello all,
I thought I would first begin by sharing some ways we save money. Many of these are things that you are probably already doing, but these are some things that are helping us make ends meet!
For online purchases shop through ebates, topcash back, or swagbucks. Each of these sites gives me a percentage of my spending back. I decide which one to use based on how much they will give me back at a particular store. For example, ebates doesn't give me much for amazon.com but swagbucks gives me some.
We love food and like to eat good food. I love to cook. So this all should work out well, but I HATE deciding what we are going to eat. If I don't have a plan, we end up running out to Subway for dinner or eating something not particularly good. So I PLAN. I will share some of the ways I plan (including my brains a four week menu plan with weekly shopping lists that I use during the school year so I don't have to think).
I shop craigslist. Our baby was a surprise and when I found out I was pregnant, I wasn't sure how we were going to afford all the things we needed (maternity wardrobe, baby clothes, baby equipment etc.). On a whim I began looking on Craigslist. For about $100, I had more maternity clothes than I needed. My maternity wardrobe may just be better than my regular wardrobe :). For a little over $100 more I had clothes for baby for the first two years of his life.
I shop garage sales. Now I rarely have time to go to garage sales, but when there is something specific we need, I find neighborhood garage sales and go. When I was looking for baby equipment, the items I found on craigslist were a little more than I wanted to spend, so off to garage sales I went. I scored big time on my first time out. There had been a garage sale with baby items advertised and I was able to buy a swing, bouncer, activity table, baby monitor, and a few smaller toys for around $25.
Buy clearance. For big ticket items like coats and shoes I tend to buy towards the end of the season for the next year.
I thought I would first begin by sharing some ways we save money. Many of these are things that you are probably already doing, but these are some things that are helping us make ends meet!
For online purchases shop through ebates, topcash back, or swagbucks. Each of these sites gives me a percentage of my spending back. I decide which one to use based on how much they will give me back at a particular store. For example, ebates doesn't give me much for amazon.com but swagbucks gives me some.
We love food and like to eat good food. I love to cook. So this all should work out well, but I HATE deciding what we are going to eat. If I don't have a plan, we end up running out to Subway for dinner or eating something not particularly good. So I PLAN. I will share some of the ways I plan (including my brains a four week menu plan with weekly shopping lists that I use during the school year so I don't have to think).
I shop craigslist. Our baby was a surprise and when I found out I was pregnant, I wasn't sure how we were going to afford all the things we needed (maternity wardrobe, baby clothes, baby equipment etc.). On a whim I began looking on Craigslist. For about $100, I had more maternity clothes than I needed. My maternity wardrobe may just be better than my regular wardrobe :). For a little over $100 more I had clothes for baby for the first two years of his life.
I shop garage sales. Now I rarely have time to go to garage sales, but when there is something specific we need, I find neighborhood garage sales and go. When I was looking for baby equipment, the items I found on craigslist were a little more than I wanted to spend, so off to garage sales I went. I scored big time on my first time out. There had been a garage sale with baby items advertised and I was able to buy a swing, bouncer, activity table, baby monitor, and a few smaller toys for around $25.
Buy clearance. For big ticket items like coats and shoes I tend to buy towards the end of the season for the next year.
Saturday, March 16, 2013
Saving money without losing my mind
I always am trying to find ways to save money, but lose my mind trying to coupon constantly! I do use coupons, but rarely. I never seem to get the great deals that the women on Extreme Couponing find. But I love finding great deals, cooking and baking our favorite meals, and planning to make sure our ends meet each month.
I also LOVE to cook, read, and do crafts.
Join me and let's share money saving tips, recipes, and craft ideas.
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