A Dozen Of My Favorite & Simple Ways To Save Money!
Source: https://goo.gl/1ScJAg
Like most moms, I want to be home as much as possible. Thanks to some money saving habits that we’ve adopted, my husband and I have been able to bless our family with a full time mom that only has to work part time! With the current state of the economy and money becoming a hot commodity, I’d like to share our biggest, easiest money savers!
1. Homemade Laundry Detergent
I have been making my own detergent for years now. According to my calculations, I am able to make 10 gallons of detergent for under $2! Yep, that’s less than 20 cents per GALLON! There are numerous DIY recipes, but the video below is closest to the one I use. It only takes 3 simple ingredients that can be found at most grocery stores. We have a high efficiency (HE) washer and dryer. This detergent is perfectly safe for your machines.
I prefer to use 1 cup of the washing soda instead of 1/2 as seen in the video. Also, I do not let my detergent sit for 24 hours before transferring half to the 2nd 5 gallon bucket. With space in the garage, I store the 5 gallon buckets with a funnel, an old whisk, and a cup used to pour. I fill by detergent bottle as needed instead of filling bottles when I make the batch. Because the solution does thicken, I use the whisk to stir it up.
2. Meat Is Expensive. Buy It On Clearance.
Most grocery stores have a set day/time that they reduce the price on their meats. Go to the butcher section and ask! When possible, shop right after they reduce the meat. Our preferred grocery store marks the reduced meats with a noticeable sticker, so the deals are easy to spot.
Worried about germs and bacteria? Freeze it. Bacteria that could survive cooking are not likely to survive freezing. Freezing the meat before cooking it gives you double protection against any possible microorganisms lingering around!
3. Coupons. Extreme or Not.
Coupons have gained in popularity with “extreme couponing;” however, I fear some avoid coupons because it looks like so much work when one is looking at what’s involved in the extreme version of coupon use. If extreme is your thing, great, go for it! I have a sister-in-law that can fill a car with goodies for a few bucks. She’s amazing, but I just can’t get that into it. When I’ve tried, I found myself often confused, frustrated, and felt like a dog chasing my tail. That’s okay. One can coupon without being extreme and still save a few bucks.
If someone handed you a dollar, would you throw it away? No way, right!? Treat coupons like money. You are often handed coupons for things that you already buy. Check packaging on the products you are purchasing! Things like pet supplies, feminine hygiene products, razors, etc often have coupons in or on the packaging. That’s like being handed money! How about your grocery store? Do they give you coupons with your receipt? If so, these are likely generated from your purchases, so make sure you check them out!
Keep the coupons handy, especially for things you know you will buy. Mine go in my wallet where I keep my cash and bank card! It’s a great reminder to hand them to the cashier before I pay.
4. Valued Customer. Take Advantage Of It.
Most stores have some type of preferred, return, or valued customer program. Use it! Let’s face it, we are creatures of habit and tend to shop at the same places. Don’t like all the key fobs on your key chain? There’s an app for that! I use Key Ring for android. Check your app store to see what is available to you.
Added bonus – this becomes a little game of achievement. I thoroughly enjoy giving my discount card at the end so I can compare what I would have paid to what I actually pay.
If you have storage space, take this one step further – only buy what’s on sale. When it’s on sale, stock up! (This works with buying clearance meat too!)
5. Gas Prices Are High. Kill Two Birds With One Stone!
I live in a rural area. Typically, when I need to run errands, it is in a town 20 miles away. When the occasion arises that I need to make a drive, I do as much in that trip as I can. For example, when taking the car for an oil change, I considered what else was close by. I did not need pet supplies for another week, but since I would be a couple miles from the pet store, I used my trip to tackle two tasks instead of one. Another example, I have a friend I love to visit that lives about 25 miles away. When I go to visit her, I pass a discount grocery store that sells milk for almost $2 less a gallon that my usual grocer. I always pick up a gallon or two of milk on my way home from her house. Obviously, it doesn’t pay to drive 25 miles to save $2 on milk, but if I’m already in the area, I should take advantage of the opportunity!
Before heading out, always ask yourself, what will I pass on the way and what can I accomplish in this trip to avoid an additional trip later?