Live Like No Other…
Every Tuesday night at 8 EST, my friends @blessingandsass and @rememberwynn18, host an Instagram live discussion. This past week our topic was budgets. I wanted to carry some of that information, along with some more, over to the blog for your future reference.
1) Make a list of wants/needs. Budget for your “needs” (utilities, groceries, gas) and save for your “wants” (vacations, hair color, eating out).
2) Meal planning is my biggest money saver. I plan our meals for two weeks, including nights for leftovers. I shop the local discount grocery every other Friday. ONLY buy what’s on your list and never go to the grocery hungry!
3) I regularly buy generic or “off brand”. I have learned that most things like that are exactly the same as the name brand. The higher priced items are usually because of the packaging. I buy off brand paper towels, cleaners, condiments. My very favorite bacon is actually Great Value brand!
4) I calculated what I was spending each month on my coffee habit. I decided to quit creamer and sugar. Think about what your habits cost you and what you can quit or cut back on. Maybe it’s smoking, eating out every day for lunch, a daily coffee from the coffee shop…one of my favorite quotes is “Live like no other, so that you can live like no other”. Sacrifices today will hopefully pay off for you in the future.
5) Reevaluate your monthly subscriptions. Do you get several magazines, a clothing subscription, maybe a meal prep one? They’re all fun to receive but I would definitely file them under “wants”, not “needs”.
6) Some bills will give you discounts if you do paperless billing or a monthly budget.
7) Save your change. Pennies really do make dollars!
8) What do you drive? Could you find something with a cheaper monthly payment; something cheaper on gas or upkeep? I traded leather seats for cloth and and pay $50 less a month on my payment! Oh how I miss my leather, but it goes back to the quote in #4. I will live like no other, so that I can LIVE like no other!
9) At the most stretched financial time in my life, I chose to go to Walmart one time a month. I thought ahead of any holidays, birthdays, or special occasions that may require a Walmart run and did it all in that one trip. I’m guilty of going in for a case of water and then seeing an extra lint roller that I could stick in my car or the detergent that is on sale, even though I already have an extra. One items can quickly turn into ten at Walmart and multiple trips can really add up. My one trip a month really saved me money!
10) Get rid of what you don’t need. By selling things that we no longer used on Facebook, I was able to pay off a credit card.
Saving money is something I could talk about all day. I share lots of ideas on my Instagram, @maradachaffins. If you aren’t following me, head over there and check it out. As always, feel free to comment below any additional helpful tips or email me at maradachaffins@gmail.com.
Marada