1. Budget Weekly
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| This is the App. Can't let ya see my monies thought. |
If you remember (and I know you probably don't, because you probably didn't read it, because that post had very few views) I did a blog post about how I track my spending in the Google Drive spreadsheet. And while this is helpful for retroactive evaluation, but not that helpful for active saving. My plan to manage this is with an App. I did a little research and I think I'm going to give this Mint.com a try.
2. Stop Wasting
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| This is the craft closet. Full of things I'm not wasting. |
Now that I don't live in a house where seven girls share half of a side-door refrigerator, I've gotten a lot better about keeping and eating leftovers. Aaron and I make dinner most nights and I try to always make enough extra that we can have leftovers for lunch. I'm pretty good about not wasting food. Part of being a good crafter, is being a bit of a hoarder. I lovvvve empty queso, pizza sauce and pickle jars. ("20 Uses for Old Jars" is on my list of post ideas). I keep wine corks, that ribbon you use to help sweater stay on a hanger, extra buttons from cardigans, irreparable clothes with holes, brown paper bags, broken jewelry...like everything. The best crafts are the ones where you refurnished/upcycled something old or broken. But there are areas I can improve my waste. Like utilities for one: keep the AC/Heat off as long as possible (we cut our utilities in half from August to September), take shorter showers, turn the lights off when leaving a room.
3. Utilize Coupons
I'm so so bad at coupons. I have the best intentions and no follow through. So, I'm going to start using some online coupon sites to try and find and print coupons weekly before I go grocery shopping. Hopefully, that will help me plan ahead. I guess the idea is that you print these manufacturer coupons and then you compare with the store's weekly specials to see where you can get the lowest priced item with coupon savings. The real trouble for me is understanding this coupon jargon; LIMIT ONE (1) COUPON PER PURCHASE on product/quantity specified and MAXIMUM OF TWO (2) IDENTICAL COUPONS allowed in same shopping trip. So I can only use one coupon per item, but I can buy two of the items with two coupons? I guess we'll see what happens at the register.
4. Shop Around for Groceries
So, I hear that Aldi is RIDICULOUSLY affordable. Like, savings way beyond Walmart. What I would like to do, when I look up coupons for the weekly groceries, is to check the deals at various stores. I understand that this would make my Grocery-Shopping Sunday's a PAIN in the ass. But I kind of think it would be worth it. Honestly, the hardest part for me will be the people. Ever since I went to Schnuck's...just the one time...I fell in love with how few people there are, compared to Walmart. I am so sure that Aldi will be a cluster****, but maybe if I wake up early I can avoid some of the people.
5. Consider Hyvee Fuel Saver?
I'm not so sure about this one.
PROS:
a) It's basically a rewards program for groceries...and I LOVE rewards programs.
b) Savings on gas!
CONS:
a) The Hyvee gas station is a nightmare.
b) Hyvee groceries are more expensive.
c) Are produce goods ever worth Fuel Saver points?
I think what I'm going to do here, is check the Fuel Saver items online and see which I need and which are worth my time. For example, this week, three 24-packs of water bottles earn 9 cents per gallon. I think that's worth a trip to Hyvee and definitely worth 9 cents per gallon.
6. Know Restaurant Specials
So, I started working on this spreadsheet, on my Google Drive, of course. Again, the intention is to think like this: We should go out for dinner. Where should we go? What gift cards do I have? Do they have any specials or coupons? There are a lot of nights I could really go for a half-priced appetizer and a buy one get one beer. I'd like to know where to go to the most for my dollar...and this should help. The struggle, of course, will be with restaurants that don't list their specials online and with changing specials.
7. Get Gift Cards Under Control
Here's the deal. I'm like so great at collecting gift cards and not losing them...however, I can never remember to use them because I have so stinking many. I tried to do the cool thing where you hole-punch them and keep them on a ring in your purse, but that didn't help me remember to use them, it just kept the in order. To address this issue, I'm going to start strategically planning shopping and dining trips to use the cards. I need to get in the mindset of: We should go out for dinner. Where should we go? What gift cards do I have? (Even better...) Do they have any specials or coupons? It's definitely not a fool-proof plan, but I'm not sure of a more concrete way to tackle this. Any ideas?
8. Create Seasonal Shopping Lists (and stick to them!)
I tend to shop in sprees. Not that I'm always spending mass amounts of money, but that once I'm on a roll...it's difficult for me to stop. The plan is this: at the beginning of each season, create a list of things I think I need...considering my budget. So, for fall, let's say I decide I need/want the following items: 2 new pairs of skinny jeans, 1 pair of wine- OR olive-colored skinny jeans, black ballet flats, 1-2 fall dresses (should be work-appropriate), running leggings (or whatever they're called), Aztec-print cardigan, nice black purse, chestnut belt and 3 guilty-pleasure items. Then, I will prioritize. Again, I'll try to consider the pile of gift cards I have and how to best utilize them.
9. Only Buy Things I Love
I have...so...many...clothes. Too many. It's silly how many things I can wear, and I only cycle through about half of them. I pretty much have the basics and they'll last me a good while, so I need to stop buying all this crap that I *like* and only buy things that I *love* OR for people I *love*. This might actually be the hardest thing on this list. Ever since I have been working at my #grownup job (as an intern and full-time) I've had a pretty solid flow of income. I'm pretty conditioned to being able to buy what I want. And I'm pretty good at justifying things I *want* that I may not *love*. Enough asterisks. You get the point.
10. Plan Quarterly Trips
We had a blast in Hermann a few weeks ago and I love my road trips to see Abbie, but fun getaways--even only for the weekend--add up fast. Gas and hotels are one thing, but eating out for ever meal is a mess of money-spending. I don't think this means trips are out of the question. I love going places and being touristy and trying new restaurants; however, I could probably practice a little self control as far as how often I venture. I think once every three months is reasonable...not including trips home (since food is PAID for at home)!
Interested in some of the links I used for inspiration on this Smart Spending Adventure?
20 Things You Need to Know About Finance in Your Twenties, Girls Guide To...
Becoming Debt Free & 6 Odd Tips That Helped Us, The Nester
4 Tips to Getting Rid of Debt, Snyders Tell All
Couponing for Beginners, The Frugal Girls (This site just has a lot of really helpful resources!)
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