Money Saving Tip
I have been wanting to share this with you for months but I wanted to try it out for a long period of time so I could really see if month by month I continued to save money, and now that I have been at it for a whole year I can honestly say it has saved me so much money. I have stuck to it and it is my very most helpful money saving tip right now.
Only go to the store once a week. (run all your errands on one day and don’t go back until the next week even if you forget something)
I know it seems so silly right? But it works I am telling you, you have to try it. (once every two weeks would probably even be better but once a week is what I do for now).
I used to go to the store, a store at least 3 times a week, I know that’s a lot but I would do one big grocery trip and then we would need more milk or eggs etc. so I would go again or I would remember I forgot something so I would go again, or I would remember I needed something after I had gone shopping that week so I would go again, really it seems like there was always an excuse to run to the store, and every time I did I would end up buying more than I had planned on (it’s so easy to spend $50 at Target when I only needed one thing). When we moved out of town I decided It took too much time to drive to the store a few times a week plus I was thinking of ways to save money so I decided I would be more organized and come up with a weekly schedule and then stick by it (i’ll do a post here soon on my weekly schedule) within that weekly schedule I would only go to the store once a week. I started doing this around January of last year (2015) and it has made a huge difference in my budget, I am not kidding when I say I have shaved at least $500 (and sometimes more) off what I was spending each month by only going to the stores that I need to go to 1 time a week. Just give this a try and see if it saves you money, the trick is you really have to do it, if you forget something make sure it’s on your list so you don’t forget it the next week and then just skip it for that week until you can get to the store again to get it. Be diligent for one whole month and see if you see any difference. I’d love to hear feedback. Send me all your money saving tips too.
Here are a couple other money saving tips that I like to do.
Stick to your list, I try to have a list for grocery’s (you can see my post about where I store my lists here) and then anything else I may need when I head to the store, like if my kids come home and say they need poster board or their shoes are falling apart ore they need socks or undies etc. or if I have a birthday coming up and I need to get things for that. I make a plan at home (my list) and then I don’t deviate from that, that way when I get to the store and there are so many things I want, I tell myself I don’t need it, it’s not on the list. I am not perfect at this but I am getting better and it has helped so much in the money saving department and also in the forgetting department (if it’s written down I don’t often forget it).
Limit the amount of times you get on the internet, I know this is hard and there are lots of reasons to be connected but there are also lots of reasons to not be connected too, for starters your kids, or wife, or husband will love it if you are online less, also it will limit the amount of times you’re exposed to ads or emails that encourage you to spend money.
Don’t buy things just because they are on sale, If you need it buy it when it is on sale but if you don’t need it don’t buy it just because it is on sale. I used to be terrible at this, I thought “it’s such a good deal so I have to get it” and then I wouldn’t use it for 6 months or a year and then often it would get tossed, such a waste of money. So just make sure you buy stuff because you need it not just because it’s a good deal.
Buy store brands, especially when its a store like Costco or Target, they carry good quality things and their store brands are often just as good as name brand for a fraction of the cost.
Plan a menu, so you know what you need to buy. I kind of just make up my menu as I go but I have my usual’s and if I come across a new recipe I want to try I make sure I write down the ingredients on my list so I can add that dish to my meal plan for the week.
That’s all for now, see if you can save a little money in the next few months, lets be honest, everyone LOVES saved money.
Happy February!