How I Save on My Monthly Bills

Bills

We all have them.

I don't know about you, but I hate paying bills.  I can think of so many other things that I would like to spend money money on.  

Like camping. Or makeup.  I like shiny things, lol, but I have kids and responsibilities.  UGGG.  So, in order to be able to do fun things like camping with my family I had to find ways to save money on every day expenses.

Here are some great tips that I have found really help and that I use.

1. Realize you don't need to have every channel available out there.  I cancelled our cable about 6 years ago.  Instead we bought a game system and signed up for Netflix.  My cable went from over $100 a month down to $8 a month.  I know I had the initial cost of the game system which was $299, but I recieved a $50 gift card when I bought it, and by cancelling our cable it paid for itself within 2 months.
2. Call your internet company and ask if there is any specials that you are elligible for.  Many times they are authorized to give you special discounts in order to keep your business.
3. Cancel your home phone and stick with your cell phones.  I mean seriously.  Do you actually use your home phone?  Most people have cell phones in this country.  Why double up and have twice the bill?
4. Shop around for your home and auto insurance.  Check around, do the math, and get the best deal.  Plus, make sure you are getting your discounts.  Some companies give discounts for deadbolts, smoke detectors, security systems, multi policy, multi car, being close to a fire hydrent, etc.
5. TURN OFF YOUR LIGHTS AND TURN DOWN THE HEATER!!  If your not in the room do you really need the lights on? NO.  Use a timed thermostat so that you are not heating the whole house when your not home.  This will save you a lot of money and is a really easy way to save money on your electric bill.
6. Get rid of memberships you don't have to have.  If your not actually going to the gym do you really need a membership?  Or, can you babysit in the nursery in trade for a membership instead?  Think about the different things you belong to and decide if you actually use these memberships, or if it's something you can do without or trade for instead.

These are some of the strategies that I use to save money on my monthly bills. I hope this helps!!

Feel free to comment with any questions.

Amanda

11 Ways I Save Money at the Grocery Store

We all have to eat

Most of us have to get at least the majority of it at the grocery store.

This can either be a pleasant experience or a terrible experience.  Unless your one of those blessed people who don't have to worry about money and can buy whatever you want then this post if for you.

Grocery shopping doesn't have to break the bank.  

Even if your like me and you have 4 kids eating you out of house and home.  I think all my 3 year old does is eat.  

I'm going to share with you how I feed all these growing kids and a husband that works hard and myself without having to go totally broke.

1. Most of the time I buy generic. A lot of store brands are just repackaged name brands anyways.


2. Don't shop at eye level. This is where they put the most expensive groceries. Look up and look down.


3. Don't shop with your kids if you can help it. They are going to bug you for stuff and all its going to do is make you angry. Then you will lose your temper with your kids and look like a jerk.


4. Don't shop when your hungry!! This should be self explanatory.


5. Remember that just because you would like to have it doesn't mean you need it.


6. Put the real food in your cart first. Fruit, vegetables, rice, beans, meat, dairy.


7. Then if you have some money left you can get those Oreo's.


8. Buy ingredients, not prepared meals. For that $3 you just spent on a can of soup you can buy a bag of frozen vegetables, a bag of barley, and some bullion. You can make a giant pot of vegetable barley soup and still have ingredients left over. That will definitely feed more than a single can of soup.


9. Don't be afraid to shop the reduced rack. I get great stuff off of our reduced produce rack all the time. It's not always stuff that's going bad. Sometimes they have overstock and they mark it down. And even if there are a couple of bad berries or one soft orange you can pick them out and then wash the fruit in a solution of vinegar and water. Good as new. Plus you can freeze what your not going to get through before it goes bad.


10. I also like to look for markdowns in the meat department. Often times I can find manager specials or 50% of coupons. Then I buy these up and put them in the freezer. The freezer will extend their life and I don't have to pay full price.


11. Buy in bulk. I like to wait for my local grocery stores to have their case sales and then I stock up on my canned goods and snacks. It's really great if you can score some coupons to use at the same time. That makes me really happy!






Amanda