how to save money ... part 1

Gosh, don't we all need to be given advice on how to save money? I know I do. I have been so blessed to be able to stay at home with Walker during his first year. Andrew and I found it important to us both to make it work and we've done okay financially. I couldn't have asked for a more loving, hardworking husband and father. He has made this past year so special for me being able to teach and raise Walker full time.

But we could do so much better (saving money that is). And now we are on the track of making it work a little bit longer.

I also have to be honest with myself. I have to go back to work. Okay, I don't have to but I should. We could definitely make things work and be comfortable without me working. However, we wouldn't be able to take summer vacations, a spur of the moment weekend getaway or make an impulse buy on something fun. And we want to be able to do those things. As selfish as I want to be when it comes to staying home with my sweet boy, I also want to be able to afford fun family activities and vacations. Andrew and I dream of taking Walker all over the country and the world ... and we are determined to do so.

So, this is how we are saving money and cutting back. We've just added a few to the list and it has all helped us tremendously!

1. Eat at Home.
This is major. Eating out is expensive and when you think about it, what is the long term benefit from eating out? Nothing. Sure, it's nice to go out to breakfast or dinner and we most certainly do. But only once a week. We eat every meal at home and Andrew packs his lunch for work. We have declared Friday nights as date night so we'll order some takeout and rent a movie. We also decide early on if we would rather go out that weekend for a meal instead. That way I can prepare something for dinner on Friday night instead of being in a bind at the last minute.

2. Coupon!
I have just started couponing and I love it! I have a binder, dividers, coupon sleeves ... the whole nine yards to make couponing as easy as possible. You have to make sure not to get too wrapped up into it though. Don't just buy something because you can get it cheap ... that's still wasting precious money. Make sure you only buy what you usually eat/use. I only clip the coupons that are truly beneficial for my family.

3. Buy generic.
Example - grocery store 2 liter soda .87 ... a 2 liter Diet Coke 1.97. Enough said.

4. Say goodbye to cable, netflix and dvr.
We did and we are now saving around $80 a month by eliminating those services. You can watch most shows online for free. And if you are movie lover like myself, find a Redbox and rent them for $1 per night. You can also find several promo codes for free Redbox movie rentals. DVDONME is one. You're welcome.

5. Use cash.
Quit swiping a credit or debit card. It's to easy to get caught up in just swiping your card. This is a new technique we are starting to do here to save money. Our debit card is only allowed for gas. That's it. We pull out $100 each week and divide it out. $60 for groceries (remember, I coupon now so this is doable), $20 for Andrew and $20 for me. The $20 for each of us is 'allowance'. We can do whatever we wish for it. But at the end of the week whatever is leftover goes right to the piggy bank. Sounds like a pretty good plan, huh?

6. Online reward programs.
I am a Pampers snob when it comes to diapers and wipe for Walker. But I do buy them through Amazon Mom and save over 30% on the retail price and I get free shipping. Each Pampers product comes with a Gifts to Grow code that you enter on their website to redeem for prizes. I am letting my points accumulate for the Radio Flyer Bit Flyer for Walker. Pretty sweet deal.
Swagbucks is a search engine similar to Google. Simply use their search engine to earn points towards products and giftcards. I am saving mine up for a Starbucks giftcard. Yummy.
Recyclebank. Save the Earth and get rewarded! There are so many ways to earn points here. Enter UPC codes, take a pledge to cut back on power usage, watch an informative video, etc. I've already redeemed several of my points for Harris Teeter vouchers. I have four $10 vouchers being mailed to me as I type just by using this reward program.

7. Find free activities in your area.
I am currently taking Walker to the library every Tuesday for story time. He loves it and so do I!! Free. Free. Free.
Pack a picnic and go to the park. Free.
Find a family website for your city and check out their calendar of events. There are usually tons of free activities to go to. I use Charlotte Parent on a weekly basis to find some fun things to do as a family.

8. Save your change. It adds up!
I am pretty sure we all do this but make sure to put it in one central location. We saved tons of change a few years ago and cashed it in before our roadtrip to Maine (yes, we drove over 16 hours for vacation ... and oh, so worth it). It was very surprising how much change we had saved. It helped with gas, meals and snacks there and back. Score! We have been saving our change since then. I have no idea what it will be cashed in on ... probably our next family trip.

I am all about saving a dollar as you can tell! So, tell me your secrets ... I want to add to my list!