Welcome to the last week of my Money Saving series! I hope
you learned a lot in the past month on ways I as well as some of my fellow
bloggers save money in our lives! This week Amanda from We & Serendipity is
featured! I love learning about her daily adventures on her blog and all of the
fun things she and her husband participate in! She has a great heart and is one
of the sweetest girls I know! I hope you enjoy her money saving tips!
Hello! My name is Amanda. I blog over at We&Serendipity. Alia asked me to guest post about saving money, and I couldn’t help but to instantly write down a few small things I do that end up saving me money in the long run.
Hello! My name is Amanda. I blog over at We&Serendipity. Alia asked me to guest post about saving money, and I couldn’t help but to instantly write down a few small things I do that end up saving me money in the long run.
I compiled a list. I get asked a lot about our budget, and
how we stay in the budget. The thing is…we don’t really have a set budget. Our
lives are extremely busy and there isn’t really a “schedule.” My husband is
also self-employed, so the paychecks are always different. We could have a
$2,000 week or we could have a $400 week. It always depends.
First, I thought about the little things I do to save money
on groceries and other purchases.
1.
Do it yourself.
Do you know how many things are cheaper if you just do it yourself? For an example: I am currently signed up for a gym membership paying $22/month. Though I don’t have every machine at the gym, I have a lot of it. If I dropped $200 dollars, I could have enough to work out every muscle in my body. I could run outside and be set. In my opinion, you can teach yourself more than what personal trainers can. Another example? Car washes. If I didn’t have an obsession with the car wash and get intrigued by those awesome little scrub brushes here and there, I would wash my car myself. You must also consider convenience. With some things, it might be A LOT easier on our schedules to just purchase it. But may we not get lazy, people!
Do you know how many things are cheaper if you just do it yourself? For an example: I am currently signed up for a gym membership paying $22/month. Though I don’t have every machine at the gym, I have a lot of it. If I dropped $200 dollars, I could have enough to work out every muscle in my body. I could run outside and be set. In my opinion, you can teach yourself more than what personal trainers can. Another example? Car washes. If I didn’t have an obsession with the car wash and get intrigued by those awesome little scrub brushes here and there, I would wash my car myself. You must also consider convenience. With some things, it might be A LOT easier on our schedules to just purchase it. But may we not get lazy, people!
2.
Couponing & Price Matching.
I will be the first to say that I hate couponing. It takes way too much time, people get WAY crazy (especially in the state of Utah), and sometimes, the product you’re wanting to purchase with a coupon won’t even be there. However, there are some fabulous apps out there that are extremely convenient and great for people with time-crunch schedules. The two below are particularly apps I adore.
I will be the first to say that I hate couponing. It takes way too much time, people get WAY crazy (especially in the state of Utah), and sometimes, the product you’re wanting to purchase with a coupon won’t even be there. However, there are some fabulous apps out there that are extremely convenient and great for people with time-crunch schedules. The two below are particularly apps I adore.
• Checkout 51 (app): This is my fave. It is fairly new; therefore, there aren’t
a TON of products on it. But I find myself buying at least one item on the list
every time I am at the grocery store. It’s easy peasy! Download the app. Sign
up. Take a photo of your receipt. Add the products you purchased. Get cash
back! It’s so easy and great! I’ve even got my sister hooked on it.
• RetailMeNot (app): This app is a great
one. One tip is to be sure to check the success rate. That will save you a lot
of time. When you’re shopping online, most websites will have a place for a
‘promo code.’ If you search RetailmeNot for that particular stores promo codes,
there will usually be one pop up. I
don’t think I’ve ever purchased anything online without using at least one
promo code. Whether it be free shipping, or 15% off, you will save some moolah.
3.
Remember my philosophy.
“If you’re wanting to purchase something you want and not need, don’t buy it unless it’s on sale.”
“If you’re wanting to purchase something you want and not need, don’t buy it unless it’s on sale.”
Next, I thought about where I put the money I receive.
Mr. Schroeder’s (that’s my husband in case you didn’t know
that) business gest paid on a weekly basis. At first, paying the business, then
paying us, and everything in between was SUCH a thinking process. But once you
get a process down that works for you, it is so convenient.
1.
Count up all of your bills for the month and
then divide it by how many times you get your paycheck.
As far as bills go, this is what we have been doing throughout our marriage. It has worked pretty well. Like I mentioned before, we get paid once a week. Let’s say that we get paid weekly. Then, we add up all of our bills. From our mortgage payment, to the average amount of utilities, to car payments, life insurance, everything! Then…divide that by 4. If you get paid twice a month, you would divide all of your bills by 2. Catching my drift? If our bills equaled to be $2,500, we would divide $2,500 by 4. That equals $625. Therefore, $625 out of every pay check should come out. This has worked WONDERS for us! Some weeks, we don’t really have much money left. Other weeks, we have a lot of money left and we can save more!
As far as bills go, this is what we have been doing throughout our marriage. It has worked pretty well. Like I mentioned before, we get paid once a week. Let’s say that we get paid weekly. Then, we add up all of our bills. From our mortgage payment, to the average amount of utilities, to car payments, life insurance, everything! Then…divide that by 4. If you get paid twice a month, you would divide all of your bills by 2. Catching my drift? If our bills equaled to be $2,500, we would divide $2,500 by 4. That equals $625. Therefore, $625 out of every pay check should come out. This has worked WONDERS for us! Some weeks, we don’t really have much money left. Other weeks, we have a lot of money left and we can save more!
2.
Put the important things first.
Some people say this is common sense, but I would disagree I have a friend who will shop shop shop. Then, the first thing she’ll do when she gets her paycheck is pay her credit card off. Mr. Schroeder and I will put the important things first. For an example, since we are self-employed, we have to set a certain amount of taxes aside. We also pay 10% of our earnings to our church. That being said, if we pay ourselves $1,000 on Week 1, we will set aside 25% of that to put in taxes, and 10% of it in tithing. This is the BEST way to save money, too! If you’re wanting to begin saving more money, set aside a certain percentage every time WITHOUT fail.
Some people say this is common sense, but I would disagree I have a friend who will shop shop shop. Then, the first thing she’ll do when she gets her paycheck is pay her credit card off. Mr. Schroeder and I will put the important things first. For an example, since we are self-employed, we have to set a certain amount of taxes aside. We also pay 10% of our earnings to our church. That being said, if we pay ourselves $1,000 on Week 1, we will set aside 25% of that to put in taxes, and 10% of it in tithing. This is the BEST way to save money, too! If you’re wanting to begin saving more money, set aside a certain percentage every time WITHOUT fail.
3.
Have more than 1 Savings Account.
This was a really great decision that Trevor and I recently made to have together. There are so many things we are saving for. Whether it be a vacation, a baby, a vehicle, or our future home, there is always something to save for. We opened 3 savings accounts. If something is a little lower on the priority list, and money is tight for the month, we might skip putting money in that particular account once or twice. The best thing you can do is set goals, set aside a percentage, and follow through.
This was a really great decision that Trevor and I recently made to have together. There are so many things we are saving for. Whether it be a vacation, a baby, a vehicle, or our future home, there is always something to save for. We opened 3 savings accounts. If something is a little lower on the priority list, and money is tight for the month, we might skip putting money in that particular account once or twice. The best thing you can do is set goals, set aside a percentage, and follow through.
I’m sorry for the novel; however, I hope that at least one
of you can benefit from one of my techniques! Be sure to stop by
We&Serendipity sometime! I always love new readers.
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