After talking to my friend who is getting married this Spring about what Will and I do to save money I decided I might as well write them all up! I would love to hear what you guys do to save here & there as well.
1. USE MINT
Will and I set up Mint a couple months before we got married and it’s been great for us. We are able to set up goals of how much we want to save and set limits on how much we can spend. It’s great to see visually where all of your money is going and how much those little soda stops add up! We also love having a travel section where we put a little money here & there so we can save up for what we really love to do.. travel!
2. ONE WORD; UNSUBSCRIBE
A lot of the time, clothes will not be on my mind whatsoever. And then I will receive an e-mail in my inbox that “shipping is free”, or “all sweaters are 40% off“, and then all the sudden I feel like I need that sweater or need that free shipping. When in reality, I really don’t. A couple months ago I went through and unsubscribed from EVERY SINGLE E-MAIL I received from clothing stores or even restaurants! If you don’t know about the deals, you don’t justify going to buy something just because it’s a deal.
3. BUY DECORATIONS AFTER HOLIDAYS
Honestly I hardly ever buy decorations before the actual Holiday. For example, with Easter right now, all of my home decorations were not bought this year. I am pretty set with my decor HOWEVER I did have my eye on an Easter wreath at Target but $20 was too expensive for me. However, I went back on Monday at 8 a.m. the day after Easter and BAM! It was not only 30% off.. but 50% off at the register! I always go the day after a Holiday and stock up any decor I want for next year.
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| Everything was 50% off the day after Easter. |
4. FIND A GREAT CREDIT CARD
My entire life I have been a Debit Card girl. I never liked the idea of having “debts” to pay off or not visually being able to see how much money we actually have at all times. However, once I realized how many “points” we could get to go towards food/travel I realized it was time I get one. After a lot of research we decided to go with the Capital One Venture Card. (p.s. Jet Blue & Costco will no longer be with American Express starting 2016). With the Venture card we can use it and actually get rewards which is always a bonus! However, I pay it off weekly to ensure I can always see how much we have/don’t 🙂
(Do you guys have a credit card you absolutely LOVE?)
(Do you guys have a credit card you absolutely LOVE?)
5. WHEN IN DOUBT, AMAZON IT
Promise Amazon is one of the best things to happen to us. We hardly ever settle for buying anything full price. For example, my hair dresser really recommends this oil for my hair but I could never justify paying $25 for a hair oil so I when home and found it on Amazon for $9. There are numerous occasions when this is the case. Always look at Amazon and see if you can find it for cheaper from a different retailer.
6. GROCERY SHOP WHEN FULL
In one of my college classes I learned this tip and thought it was only for nutrition reasons. When I go grocery shopping while hungry I come home with a half eaten bag of chips, candy from the check out counter, and generic oreos that don’t even taste good. However when I am full and have more time I make more thoughtful and reasonable decisions. I am able to compare prices better, make sure I find the best deal, and do research on my phone to see if somewhere else has a better deal. Walmart always matches my price if I tell them another store has a deal that they don’t!
7. GO TO DIFFERENT STORES
This to me is a huge pain but SO worth it. For example, on Monday after work I had to go to Costco to get certain things, Walmart AND Trader Joe’s. Costco has incredible deals on bulk frozen fruit/meats, chips for Will’s sack lunches everyday, water bottles, and paper products. But then all of our grocery foods for breakfast/lunches go take to work are from Walmart. And then Trader Joe’s is most reasonable for produce. Seriously it takes me 2 hours to go all of these places while I really could just go to one but I save around $50 so in the end that is definitely worth it to me.
8. MAKE DAVE RAMSEY YOUR BEST FRIEND
For our wedding, we received a Dave Ramsey book from someone in Will’s ward. At the beginning I found this an odd wedding present because it wasn’t the original set of measuring cups or strainers that you would usually get but we have really loved learning from him! Or even listening to him on the radio. He has great advice, tips, and help encourage us to save where we can.9. COUPON CODES
Before we purchase anything online we type in Google and put “_________coupon code” i.e. ASOS coupon code or Stance socks coupon code etc. You would be surprised how many coupons come up! We get free shipping on nearly everything. Honestly! We find a way. I refuse to pay full price for anything anymore. There’s always a way to get at LEAST 5% off. Put in the codes and voila! See the discount appear before your eyes.
Before we purchase anything online we type in Google and put “_________coupon code” i.e. ASOS coupon code or Stance socks coupon code etc. You would be surprised how many coupons come up! We get free shipping on nearly everything. Honestly! We find a way. I refuse to pay full price for anything anymore. There’s always a way to get at LEAST 5% off. Put in the codes and voila! See the discount appear before your eyes.
10. WANT? OR NEED?
I love playing this game.. ESPECIALLY in Target. Every time I see something at the mall or shopping I look at the item and think
“Is this a want? Or a need?”.
There is a HUGE difference. I mean of course I want a cute laptop sleeve since I have used mine for 2 years now but do I need it? Nope. My laptop is protected just fine with the one I have right now. Easy! Promise I have passed up SO many purchases while using this method.
We would love to hear what other people do! I mean you can never save too much money right? 😉
