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When money is tight or you are simply just saving for a big purchase you tend to cut back on a lot of things.
When you cut back and you start to live more frugally you really start to see what you truly use and what you need. This past year we have been cutting back on a bunch of stuff, paying down our debt and saving for a few different things. In doing so I have noticed more than a dozen things we use on a consistent bases that really help us save money.
Some of these items are just run of the mill simple things. Others are programs we partake in and others are books that have changed our lives for the better. Each one of these items helps our family save huge amounts of money. Saving money is easier than you think. You can read some of the 101 frugal living choices we make to save money on our home expenses. Like I said saving money is easier than you think. Small changes add up to huge savings.
10 Things That Save Us Huge Amounts of Money:
1. Call me crazy but I love this one because it is so simple. This one item saves me hundreds in a given month. I purchased my husband an oven lunch box over six months ago and I don’t even use it and I love it. OK, so I can send soups, stews and left overs in my husbands lunch. He gets a warm lunch on the road and I am not wasting money on deli meat and sandwiches that never get eaten. The leftovers are getting eaten and no more food waste. This thing is awesome. If you work on the road or away from a kitchen I truly suggest this lunch box to everyone.
2. I love, love, love Amazon. When you home school, work full time and with all of life’s activities having the option of click and buy items and having them delivered saves so much time and money. We use Amazon Prime to save on shipping costs. I save money on school books, clothes, Mommy books and so much more using Amazon.
3. If you have ever had the opportunity to read my blog before you know I am a big fan of meal planning and freezer cooking. Even though life gets busy, you can still have great meals and save money. Our family enjoy the meal plans from MyFreezEasy. Did you know you could fill the freezer in under and hour with yummy family approved meals.
4. When our lives got turned upside down a few years ago learning how to budget saved us a huge amount of money. Dave Ramsey’s Total Money Makeover made a huge difference in our financial life.
5. Learning how to coupon and save money on groceries was also a huge help in saving money. Did you know the average family can spend up to $800 a month on groceries? You can learn tips on how to cut this amount in half and save money. Learn 5 tips to save you money at the grocery store.
6. Learning to give up items that we really don’t need saved us HUGE amounts of money. We gave up 7 items and saved over $750 a month. You can live really well with less.
7. Learning to be less brand specific and more sale specific and frugal has helped us save money. For example you may love the precut baby carrots but the bag of full size rustic style carrots is way cheaper. Growing your own vegetables is even cheaper. What I am saying is be open to trying new things, be open for sales and discounts. Shop your store flyers, sales and use coupons to save money.
8. Bulk buying and glass containers. I am a big fan of jars in every shape and size. I love the fact that jars are eco-friendly and reusable. I have dry goods, beans, rice and chocolate all stored in jars of various sizes. I even have jar soap dispensers – which I love. I buy items like hand soap or dish soap and various dry goods in bulk and divide them up or store them for later. Keeping a stockpile saves us money in the long run.
9. Portable, reusable coffee cups. I love coffee so does my husband. So to keep us away from the early morning drive thru we invested in travel coffee mugs and a good coffee maker. This saves us over $10 a day in coffee. Yes we drink a couple of cups a day:)
10. Communication has been a big help in saving money. Being open with all members of our family and stating what we can afford and what we can’t has helped us in saving money. Changing our mind set has also added to our savings. Once you start thinking more frugally you will never look at a price tag or dollar bill the same.
How do you save money? What do you find are your go to items?
We all have items that help us get through the day. Items that save us time and save us money. Most of the time we over look the simplest of solutions. Think about it the next time you have a minute. What items do you use all the time? What items help you save money? What could you change to help you save money?
Have an amazing day,
Cynthia
Saving & Simplicity