Some Money-saving Tips!

In this economic time, we are all looking for ways to cut back and since my husband is a youth pastor, we are already on a strict budget! Here are some things we have cut back on....

1)Instead of normal date night (out to dinner and a movie) we get a sitter (a free one like my Mom:) and I cook at home just for us! Then we go to Redbox ($1/night) and after the kids are in bed-early- we snuggle up on the couch!

2)Instead of three course dinners, we are more aware for what we pay for each meal, for ex: a Bertolli frozen meal is around $6 and it feeds the four of us (granted, Will-our eater- is only 14 mos and Lily is only 4), toss a salad and a piece of toast makes it a meal! I will also add some frozen chicken at times...

3)DO NOT waste your money on "already made" salad... to me, that's crazy! Buy a head of Romaine lettuce ($1) and chop it up yourself! You'll save at least $2 per bag and it lasts a LOT longer if you keep it in a freezer bag in the fridge!

4)Watch your gas usage... when Honey has to go on a trip that's longer than an hour, we switch cars to conserve gas and carpool as much as possible!

5)Keep an eye on your grocery stores! They will run local specials that your local Walmart won't... for instance, a local Walgreens had a gallon of milk for $3.19! At Walmart, it's $3.80! And when you have little ones that live off milk, that's a significant difference! Also, Winn Dixie had a special last week -part of their "meal deal"- buy three boxes of cereal, get one gallon of milk, one pkg coffee, one pkg sugar donuts, and one pkg bacon FREE! I love their 'meal deals'!! Check 'em out!

6)Check out local "discount bakeries", we have one in town and I bought a loaf for $.50! That's much better than $3 at local grocers/Walmart!

7)Check out coupons online! Just google coupons for your favorite brands/stores and you'll be sure to find some great printable deals!

8)Get yourself an email address that you can "use at a moments notice" For ex: when you're out and a store offers deals if you'll sign up to be on their mailing list, have one ready to give! But personally, I don't like to get all that on my email and only want to check that stuff ever so often, so have a "junk" email address and check it once a week instead of once a day for specials from your fav store!

9)(You're totally going to think I'm totally CHEAP for this!) I will buy as many toiletries as possible from the DOLLAR TREE! I know you say, 'I could never do that!' but honestly, it has saved us a lot of money! Shower gel, shampoo, toothpaste, you name it! Next time you're next to one and have some time, stop in and see what all you can get for a dollar! Note: I do have my expensive shampoo and conditioner that I will use on Sundays etc.. (I'm a stay at home Mom, so most of the time, my hair gets pulled up at some point in the day- due to pulling from my little boy or spit up from my niece!)

10)Shop used! My fav new thing is consignment sales! When you have kids, this is the thing that will keep you on budget! Now, you have to be smart about it, you don't want to spend more on something than what you could get it on clearance at the store... but most of the time you can find good bargains! Especially when most of the sales will feature a "half price" day! Also, it's a great place for you to make some money by consigning your kids last years clothes... (My motto: don't spend more than what you make at the sale and you have basically traded your "too small" for "look, honey! new clothes"!)

11)Always check clearance when you're shopping! It takes time sometimes to shift through that disorganized rack, but I have a great ex: Once I was looking for two dresses, one for a wedding and one for a rehearsal dinner... I walked out of Ross with TWO dresses from the clearance rack and spent only $15 for both!

Hopefully these have helped you or maybe they showed just how cheap I can be... what can I say? I learned from the best... My Dad!

Stay tuned for some more money-saving tips!!