Money. It’s one thing that makes the world go ‘round, even if no one wants to admit it. Unfortunately, the fast majority of people in the world are terrible at saving money. Have no fear because even if you are terrible at saving money, there are small ways you can get creative in order to save. Maybe you have plenty of money to save, you just don’t know how to get it done. I’m going to show you how!
Are You Terrible at Saving Money? Get Creative!
Put your money in separate savings account.
Basically, I’m telling you to trick yourself. Whether you have direct deposit or a check, you can easily trick yourself into saving. Have part of your check direct deposited into a specific account OR take $20 each week and put it into the “secret” account (it’s not really secret, but you’re terrible at saving money, so you have to tell yourself that :)).
Save that spare change.
No one likes change (coins), but there is one truth behind all those nickels and dimes, they really do add up. If you can save your change, you are saving money. Just the other day, I took a handful of change rolls into the bank and I exchanged it for a $20 bill! It actually paid for our lunch. So, even if you think you’re not saving money when you save that change, you are!
Sell old items and put back the money.
If we can all agree with something, no one is leaving earth with their possessions in hand. In the meantime, put a hold on buying things and sell the extra items that you do have. When you sell an item, don’t put the cash in your pocket, put it in your savings account. This is great for many people because they don’t have to try and save money out of their paycheck (yes, this is a struggle for many people).
Use what you have around the house.
So many people are terrible at saving money. They just do not have a money saving bone in their body. With that being said, you don’t have to go to great lengths to save money all of the time. Something simple that you can do around your house is to use what you have. I bet if you were to look in your cabinets, you’d be surprised as to what you may find. You may find things that you currently need and because of that, you won’t need to go to the store to buy that item. While this may be a small way to save money, it really does help.
Have someone else control your savings.
If you are that person that can’t save a nickel to save their life, you need help. This is the route to go only if you have tried saving money in every other way. It may be time to put your spouse in charge of saving money. If your spouse isn’t great at it, you may need to seek help from a financial advisor or a trusted friend. There are people out there who can help you save money; you just have to give it a chance.
Ask for a raise.
If all else fails and you can’t possibly save any money, it may be time to ask for a raise from work. Only do this is you’re serious about saving this money. Most workplaces are more than happy to accommodate their hardworking employees.
What are some creative ways in which you have been able to save money? Sometimes increasing your income is the only way to start saving. Put it away, so you have the cash you need for the things you want later in life.
Well, it’s getting harder to avoid the truth. Back to school time is right around the corner. 🙁 While this might be a happy time for you, it can also be an expensive time of year. School supplies and new clothes can really add up!
So for today’s question, I’d love to know:
I’m Wondering: What Are your Best Back To School Savings Tips?
Have you got something you’ve been wondering about that I could feature in a future I’m Wondering post? Submit your question to us here!
Staying home is one of the simplest ways to have more time, spend less money, accumulate less clutter, and to simply live a less busy lifestyle!
Staying home used to be so hard for me. I’d go out to the mall or even drive over to the next city over for some ‘better shopping’, way more than I needed to. These trips would always result in money spent on lunch out, deals I may have thought I needed, and probably takeout for dinner because I was too tired to cook! Totally not worth it.
However, I don’t cut out every activity because I do value time spent with our family and friends. But even these times can be held at home if necessary.
I’m amazed at how much I can get done at home when I limit my time out on the town. I actually enjoy my once a week grocery shopping trip because I have had time to plan ahead and look forward to the meals I picked to prepare. Some days, I seem to be out more than I am at home. That’s okay because then I plan a day to stay home to catch up!
Staying home more really works for me!
Here are some ideas to be happier at home:
Invite friends or family over for a movie/dinner night
Buy/pick some inexpensive flowers such as daffodils
Read a good book
Take a nice bath
Enjoy a dinner by candlelight
Clear out as much clutter as possible, clean off the kitchen counter tops, get rid of at least one pile of papers
Listen to your favorite music
Listen to your favorite music LOUD when you’re cleaning
Surround yourself with the things you love, allow no room for things that don’t make you feel happy
Take time to enjoy your favorite hot or cold beverage in the mornings (or evenings)
Keep your favorite candle burning
Bake: it tastes great and smells wonderful
Work at wanting what you have rather than having what you want
Play board games with family or friends
Stop resenting what your house isn’t and start appreciating what it is.
Display family photos
What would you add to this list? I’d love to hear your ideas!
Here at Simply Frugal, I post a lot of deals. (Shocking, I know! ;)) But all these deals can be dangerous in a way. They can entice you to spend money, just because it’s a good deal. Many of the deals I share, I share because they could be a good deal for someone, just maybe not for you or myself!
Just because something is on sale, or I posted a coupon for a product that you like, does not necessarily make it a good deal. My number one goal through Simply Frugal, is to show you how to live a life with less excess. Less debt, less stuff, how to enjoy what you have and teach you how to get the stuff you need at a great price. This makes me really quite picky about what I do end up posting.
Here are four questions I ask myself to help me decide whether or not something is a good deal:
Do I have the Money to Buy it?
Probably the most important thing to take into consideration. If buying something will push you into the red or push you further from your goal of becoming debt free, then it’s probably not worth buying. No matter how happy it will make you, the happy feeling will most likely be temporary anyways. Especially once you get the bill! I’ve been there, done that!
Do I Actually Need it or Will I Use it?
Something that you use goes on sale, a pretty decent sale ta-boot. Perfect! You’ll grab as many as you can afford since the price is so great. But you failed to remind yourself that you already have about 7 bottles of unopened body wash, for example. Don’t forget your drawer full of toothpaste too! It would probably be smarter to put that money towards something you really need a the moment.
Or maybe not, if it’s a rock bottom price on the item, you may want to go ahead and stockpile more knowing that the price might not be that low for a while and your budget can allow it.
It’s completely up to you to decide if you need it or have the money to make it worthwhile!
Will it Make My Life Easier?
In my pursuit to simplify my life, this is an important question. If something needs to be dusted 8 times a day, then it’s not making my life easier. If it will take up more room then we have in our closets, then it’s not worth it. But if buying it means I don’t have to wipe the snow off the car with my arm, then the snow brush is a great investment! 🙂
Is it Really a Good Price?
There are just some things you come across and you instantly know they are a good price. But sometimes you’re really not sure if it’s a good price, especially if you’re comparing bulk prices with a smaller package price. This is where a price list can come in handy. A price list allows you to track prices on items you need at the stores you shop at each week. Over time, you’ll start noticing when particular items will go on sale and if they’re really a good price when they do go on sale.
I’m encouraging you to learn how to be a savvy deal shopper. Learn when to pass something by and when to grab it up! I try to post a wide range of deals (and many!) so that each day, some of them will work for you!
How do you decide to buy or not buy something? Let us know your tactics in the comments!
I’m sure that those of you that have smartphones know just how useful they can be. They help keep you in touch with friends and family, help you find a destination and even tell you the weather. Now, I’m also sure that those of you with a smartphone know that they can save you money! Yep! I’ve got a few favourite apps that I’d like to tell you about that save me money regularly.
The best part is that they only require about 15 minutes or less of my time each time I use them. Almost anyone can find that amount of time, I think!
Find 15 minutes in your day to focus on one of the apps featured in this post and I can guarantee you’ll find some extra cash in your pocket over time! Let’s get started…
Cash-Back Apps
Canada has several great cash-back apps that offer you an alternative to physical coupons that help you save on groceries. (Or you could combine your coupons with the rebates from the cash-back apps to save even more!)
These apps are a great way to save money on groceries and more — without clipping coupons! You can download these apps to your smartphone or use most of them straight from your home computer.
These Cash-Back apps help you save money on the brands you love or things you’re already going to buy, like bread, eggs, milk, or produce. There are usually at least a few offers each week that are not brand dependent at all. Such as, get $0.25 back when you buy any vegetables. Talk about a great offer!
While gas stations in our city, don’t really have gas wars, I can tell with the Gas Buddy app whether or not gas prices will be dropping or going up by taking a look at the app! If there’s one or two gas stations with a different price on gas I can almost be sure that the rest of the gas stations will be following suit shortly. I’ll aim to hit a gas station that still has the “low” price if I’m in need of a fill.
Gas Buddy is also a fantastic money saving resource for road trips. Last year we did a two day trek to Winnipeg and the Gas Buddy app proved to be very useful! It helped us to time our fill ups as best as we could.
The GasBuddy.com web site and app was developed as an initiative to provide all residents and visitors to the area access to local current gas prices. This is an entirely free service that depends on users to input gas prices on a daily basis to keep the database of prices up to date. Since the price of gas is often extremely volatile, posted gas prices may vary as much as 20% within only a few blocks of each other. By having access to the most recent prices at GasBuddy.com consumers now are able to locate the most inexpensive fuel price in the city and fill up on a budget.
Flipp
The Flipp app allows you to look at all your local store flyers so you can see the best deals of the week, saving you money on each shopping trip!
While I’m mostly a pen and paper kind of girl when it comes to creating my shopping list, I’ve been trying out the shopping list feature in the Flipp app. It’s pretty neat because I can add something like cheese to the list and the app will pull up all the sales on cheese that week. Neat! That allows me to pick one or two stores with the most sales that I can hit up for our groceries.
Another feature that I use often is the coupon matchups. While browsing through a flyer, at the bottom, you’ll see if there are any coupons available for any items that are in that week’s flyer. While I don’t think the coupon matchups are a comprehensive list, I still find some coupons and sales that I may have missed otherwise!
Something I haven’t used, but the Flipp app allows you to save your loyalty cards so you have them all in one place. (and maybe not taking up room in your wallet!)
So there you have it, my three favourite money saving apps for smartphones!
Are there any apps that you use to save money that I missed? Let us know in the comments!
Grocery shopping on a budget doesn’t have to mean you only eat rice and beans each day. You can have a wonderful well rounded diet of fruits, vegetables, meats and great sides when you plan accordingly. While I always recommend you menu plan to help stay on top of your pantry and freezer supplies as well as your shopping list, these tips are really where the savings come into play.
1. Make a list before you shop.
Going into a grocery store without a list is setting yourself up for failure in the biggest way. A list is vital to making sure you are grocery shopping within your budget. Divide your list by aisles and categories. If you know approximate or sale prices on items, list those to the side so you can easily track your expenses while you shop and verify prices are as stated in sale advertisements.
2. Use Cash
It’s so incredibly easy to go over budget at the grocery store when you’re paying with a debit or credit card! When you are forced to use cash, it’s harder to justify buying items that aren’t on your grocery list. You know, that last second bag of chips or the candle that’s on sale. Having your grocery money in a cash envelope is a fantastic way to stay on budget.
3. Keep a calculator on hand while you shop.
As mentioned before, sale prices are important when grocery shopping on a budget. Make note of what is suppose to be on sale and watch not only for that price to be reflected on store shelves, but also at the checkout counter. For all other items on your list, use the calculator you have on hand to make sure you aren’t going over budget. Make notes as you add things to your cart and add up your purchases as you go so you know when you may need to choose a different size or brand because you are nearing your budget limits.
4. Utilize coupons as much as possible.
Using coupons is a pretty obvious suggestion coming from Simply Frugal. But while using coupons is a great way to save money, it can also cause you to spend more when you are buying things you don’t need or won’t use. Use coupons only on items you would normally buy, and always verify pricing on generic equivalents to make sure you are getting the ultimate best deal possible.
Sales are a great way to save money on big purchases like meats and of course, produce. There are things called loss leaders often in these sales. These items are usually far below regular price and are designed to entice you to come into the store and make a purchase. They believe if they entice you with a low price on one item you are more likely to purchase additional items. These can often be great prices to stock up your pantry for things like pasta, sauces, soups and other pantry staples. Also consider stocking up on seasonal sale prices of meat and produce to freeze or can for off seasons.
6. Sign up for reward clubs and programs.
Many grocery stores offer reward programs. These can give you high value coupons specifically for their store, points that you can redeem for free products, great VIP day discounts and insight on upcoming sales. They are a great way to be in the know and get rewarded for shopping at a favorite store.
7. Buy in bulk when possible.
Bulk purchases are often a great way to manage grocery shopping on a budget. Just make sure to check the unit prices to make sure they really are cheaper to buy in large quantities versus individual packages. Read here to learn how to buy in bulk toactually save money.
These tips for grocery shopping on a budget are great reminders for how to make the most of your money in the grocery store.
I’d love to hear your biggest tip for saving money at the grocery store. Let us know in the comments below!
