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Experience the Ordinary
Like most families, one of our most significant monthly budget line items is our groceries. Trying to balance necessities and what we want is always a challenge when money is tight. It only makes sense that we try to lower the grocery bill.
If you are like us then talking about budgets and expenses is scary. To try and help make things easier for you we’ve created some FREE resources just for you! We really hope you enjoy our Free Budget and Expense Tracking printables.
A lot of times buying the biggest box of cereal makes sense. (If you eat a lot of cereal). Purchasing those big boxes or largest item is typically the cheapest method to getting the best bang for your buck.
However, if there is a sale on a smaller box, the unit price may be lower for that smaller box. The unit price is the price per serving. Check the unit prices and try to get them lower, sometimes you will fix buying two smaller size items is a better deal than one large box.
Buying large quantities of something you use often is typically the best deal. If you can purchase a case of green beans, you may get a discount. Check those unit prices and try to buy in bulk whenever you can to stack those savings and help you lower your grocery bills.
Let’s face it; most store brands are just as good as name brands. You can typically save yourself some money just by swapping out that name brand for the store brand. Now even I will admit there are some things we don’t buy generic because it isn’t quite the same. However, you need to consider swapping out whenever possible.
Paying for your groceries with cash ensures you stick to your budget. Ideally, you have set aside a specific amount to use and can stay within that budget. Not taking credit cards or paying with other methods makes you less likely to grab those items you think you needed but had not planned on purchasing.
We love fruit because we make a lot of smoothies. Let’s face it though; fruit is expensive. You can help curb these costs by only purchasing in-season fruit. There are different times when berries are on sale vs. melons. Take advantage of those differences to add variety and get a better deal on your grocery bills.
Many local and online stores such as Amazon will allow you to make grocery purchases online. Shopping online is great because you can stack savings, but also because you are then not tempted to make those last minute and not necessary purchases.
Every local store including Walmart, Aldi‘s or Save A Lot has store sales. Strategize before you head out to pick up your weekly groceries where you will go and which store you will purchase from.
Meal planning to help you save money on your grocery bill helps you to know what you need. This will help you maximize your savings as you visit local stores and purchase the in-store sale items.
Taking kids and husbands to the store can be expensive. Leave them home and shop alone. This way you can stick to your strategies and make your purchases without extra pressure from the littles.
There is nothing worse than grocery shopping when you are hungry. Additionally, this is hard on the grocery bill once you get to the register. When we are hungry, we tend to feel as if we need items we had not planned on purchasing. You are way more likely to test your willpower if you enter that store hungry than you are if you just ate a fulfilling meal.
Everyone wants to save money and many of us strive for a frugal living! I don’t know a single person who has so much money they don’t enjoy a good deal. (Now I’m sure these people exist, I just don’t know any.)
Hopefully you have enjoyed our tips on how you can live a more frugal life!
The thought of saving money for Christmas, birthday’s or gift exchanges makes me cringe. Not because I don’t want to do it, but because I know I need to. Planning a holiday budget is an important part of budgeting. I put together a free 5 Easy ways to Save Money Fast guide just for you, make sure you sign up to get your copy!
First things first, let’s talk about budgets. Having a budget is crucial to being successful with your finances. And there are many tools you can use to help you along the way. If you are mobile-driven like I am, check out The 5 Best Budget App (s) to Make Your Life Easier to see which tools are best for you.
Now let’s dig into how we set this up, so we can be successful. Here are some easy tips on how to make a Christmas budget you can stick to.
Planning your Christmas Budget early is probably apparent, but the earlier in the year you start preparing your Christmas Budget, the more time you will have actually to save.
Make a plan and do it early in the year. At the beginning of each year, we sit down and write out every birthday and holiday gift we know we need a gift for.
Then we add in a couple extras for friends or people we might have forgotten about. Birthday gifts get added to this list as well including things like Easter Baskets and Halloween treats for us.
Once you have an idea of what you are going to spend, determining how much you need to save is relatively easy.
Take your total amount, divide by the number of weeks left to that event and divide the numbers.
So if you need to Save $1,000 and you have ten weeks to do it. You will need to save $100 per week to make your budget.
Now that you know the amount you need to save for your Christmas budget, you need to put that into action. Add a line item to your household budget for gifts.
Ensure that you are saving the amount you’ve allocated towards gifts and that you set it aside as you do with groceries, clothing, etc.
If your household budget doesn’t allow for this line item, you will need to make some adjustments to either fit it in or determine gift giving is not something you can do right now.
Having a detailed spending plan for your Christmas Budget is so important.
Having a budget for every dollar you spend is a sure fire way to meet your monthly financial goals. Know where your money is being spent, so you are controlling your finances not allowing your finances to control you.
If you haven’t received your free 5 Easy ways to Save Money Fast guide now is the time to enroll and get your money savings tip guide.
Having a budget is the #1 thing you can do for your financial well being. This simple yet effective plan allows you to manage your money and understand what you are spending. A budget does not have to be super complex nor does it need to be stressful to create. Here are 5 Budget advantages to make you successful! Just keep in mind that setting a budget is only the first step in financial success. You must stick to your budget to be truly successful.
budget advantages
When you have a budget, you end up needing to establish your long-term objectives. In turn, determining what your goals are. Some families have many goals; others have only one or two. It doesn’t matter how many you have, ensure you have defined them. You may not be able to achieve all your goals at first, and that’s ok. Work on the most important ones that will ensure financial stability first. One of your most significant budget advantages is planning. Setting up goals allow you to project your plans to the universe. *** Pro-tip: Vision Board: What is it?
Having a budget makes you sit down and prepare for purchases and future expenses. For example, almost every birthday in our family takes place between July and October. That 4-month stretch has an increased gift budget because we know we will need to spend more on gifts those months. Looking at the big picture of our overall budget allows us to put money aside in off months so that we aren’t struggling to make those purchases later. This applies to every area of your budget. From car repairs, clothing expenses, school fees, etc. Having a plan in place and a way to save for those expenses makes them easier to deal with. *** Pro-tip: 15 Tips on How to Save Money
One of the most significant budget advantages is setting up an emergency fund. Most financial advisors and other business professionals recommend you have three to six months of living expenses. However, when first starting out having this much in an emergency fund may seem unrealistic. If that is you, set aside something between $750-$1,000 to help you in case of an emergency. If your car breaks down, the plumbing goes out, or something else happens you need a quick and easily accessible way to get cash fast. Having a budget allows you to save this emergency fund so that you don’t end up curled in the fetal position crying yourself to sleep not knowing how you are getting to work the next day. And Yeah, we’ve been in that position before.
Budgets force us to pay attention to our statements and their due dates. If you are planning out when you will spend your money, then you need to know when that money is owed. This way if you have a bunch of bills due the first of the month you won’t suddenly be short because you made a big purchase on the 20th and therefore didn’t keep that money allocated as it should have been. ***Pro-tip: 5 useful ways to save money on utilities
The last advantage to having a budget which will most certainly make you more successful in allowing you to be happier and healthier. When you start planning out your money, you will probably start to cut out unhealthy habits. Additionally, not stressing out about your money continually is sure to make you happier in life. Finding financial freedom among the chaos of today’s world is indeed a blessing and a huge stress reliever.
budget advantages
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One of the things we can’t cut out of our budget is utilities. For us we live in Wisconsin, we can’t go without heat in the winter. While we could probably reduce the air conditioning in the summer, I would be miserable. So while we can’t cut out those expenses, there are some useful ways that we can save money on those pesky utility bills. save money on utilities
The easiest thing you can probably do is start using Energy Efficient Lightbulbs. These are available in every store these days and aren’t all that more expensive than regular light bulbs. There are many options for dimmable and LED lights in floodlight bulbs or small mirror bulbs. I even found those pretty round bulbs used on vanities that came in LED options.
Another option is to use Energy efficient appliances. When your washer, dishwasher, or dryer dies, consider replacing it with something that costs less to run on a daily basis.
save money on utilities
One of my favorite things we ever did that ended up helping us save money was to install a programmable thermostat. We LOVE our nest, but there are so many options out there. Nest allows us to set up a schedule; auto detects if we are home based on our phone settings and it “learns” our habits and starts to sneak in energy savings we don’t even notice.
Other great things you can do to help with this is to install thermal blinds or thermal drapes. These help keep cold air out in the winter and warm air in the summer. And these do not have to be the ugly old black and brown ones we probably associate with energy efficiencies. We’ve come a long way with style in these areas!
save money on utilities
Additional tips for appliances include using dryer balls to decrease dry time. Using cold water in your washer and using your appliances during off-peak times. Also, take advantage of things like your overheat in the winter, open that baby up and let it help you heat your home!
Don’t forget to review your setting on less remembered appliances such as your water heater. Make sure you aren’t heating your water above 120 degrees. This will help with Laundry when you do need to use warm water, but will also help with showers and dishwashers too!
save money on utilities
Fans are not just for summer! Get out your fans to help you push air around your house in a way that benefits your natural air flow. Winter Tip: Put your fan in the corner of the room, nearest to the heat source to help you control that air flow.
If you have ceiling fans make sure you have them going in the right direction for the time of year. In the winter months make sure they are going clockwise. This allows the fan to push the warm air back down around the edges of your room. This helps keep the warm air down where you are instead of stuck on the ceiling. Same for summer, but then the fan needs to turn counterclockwise so that it can pull the cold air up off the floor.
save money on utilities
Most Utility websites have lots of tips, and I’m sure yours does too! If you use WPS check out all their great suggestions for energy efficiency as well as any programs they may have for you to save a few bucks on those appliance replacements or larger scale energy projects!
If you want additional tips on how to save money check out 15 Tips on How to Save Money. Let us know what other tips you have and of course SHARE our articles with your family and friends or even on Pinterest so they can get these great tips and more too!