Now that I get to stay at home with Paisley, Brad and I have been working hard to save money and make our income last longer. Here are a few ways we are saving money.
1. We don't have smart phones.
A lot of people think we are "lame" for not having them, but we calculated it and we are saving about $50 a month. It doesn't sound like much but that is the equivalent of 2 dates a month, not to mention $600.00 a year.
2.We made a budget.
We have never done this before, but so far it's going well. I made some tracking sheets and found some really simple tracking sheets here.
3. 4 days a week we commit to being a one car family.
I am a stay at home mom 6 days a week, and one of the biggest ways to save money is actually staying at home. Except for the day I go to work and an extra day to run errands, I pretend we only have one car and that Brad has it at work. Luckily we have 2 cars, so if I need to go somewhere I still can, but I'm trying to think like we only have 1. (This is new for me, I'll update next month about how I'm doing)
4. Pack lunches.
This is really so simple, but I think the fact that it takes time is why people (including me) don't always do it. Packing lunches not only saves you money, but it is much healthier too.
5. Check price labels and don't buy name brand groceries
6. Only eat out once a week
7. Be creative.
For the last 2 years, every January Brad and I do the $7 challenge. We each only get $7 a week to spend however we would like. (This excludes our regular expenses like gas, groceries etc.) You can combine it and spend it on one thing or buy little thinks like treats or eating out if you want, each week. We found it's nice to do in January because the holidays just got over so we don't really need anything. You should try it!
How are you saving money this year?
Great ideas. And cute pictures!
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