As many of you know, I started working part time back in January and in July I quit my job to stay home with my precious little one. Now transitioning from 2 incomes to 1 has been tricky but I wanted to share with you a few of the things that we did to trim costs last month:
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1.) Stop going to Starbucks (or your local coffee shop) and eating out: This one is the easiest and the hardest š. Make your coffee at home instead. My husband is notorious for eating out at lunch. Just take a little time each week to plan out a few meals so that you won’t be tempted.
2.) Make double portions at mealtimes: this tip is one of my favorites to not only save money but save time and that dreaded, “It’s 5:00 and I don’t know what to cook for dinner” panic that we all run into a few (or every š) days a week. You can either refrigerate the leftovers for lunches or freeze the remainder for another meal later in the month.
3.) We started cutting dryer sheets in half and then graduated to using dryer balls instead: They really get your clothes dry and fluffy and you don’t have to worry about any chemicals that can be in dryer sheets.
4.) Shop at Resale shops and Goodwill: This one is especially handy for baby/kid clothes. They grow so fast!!!!! Kids clothes are so expensive and they usually only get worn a handful of times.
5.) Cut back on gifts for people: I am so bad about buying someone 3 gifts instead of 1 for Birthdays and Christmas. I love giving gifts!People don’t care about gifts, they just want to see you on holidays and spend time with you. Have a $10, $15, or $20 limit for gifts, or better yet, make them something. On that note, I almost NEVER buy cards for people, I make them instead. See my post here on how to make homemade thank you cards.
6.) Stop buying bottled water: Buy a tumbler that you can refill. You can buy large quantities of water (big jugs) or use a water filter from home! We keep gallon jugs of water in the fridge and refill our water bottles that way.
7.) Don’t go shopping hungry! Or emotional! Or tired! So easy to avoid, yet I fall into this trap myself. Hey, sometimes you gotta go when you gotta go. You will always buy more items, buy more junk, and then regret it later. Bring a list and stick to it. Even better, bring your spouse to help keep you in line!
8.) Take care of your air conditioner; especially in the Summer when it is going nonstop! Make sure you are replacing your air filters regularly and having your A/C serviced annually to ensure that everything is running at optimal condition. Small upkeep now will save you BIG repair bills in the future.
9.) Stop using disposable items: After Baby L was born, we got into the bad habit of using disposable plates, bowls, you name it! Hey, I was in survival mode and couldn’t deal with dishes on top of everything else. Now that he’s older and I have my wits about me again š, we have transitioned back to using regular plates, cups, etc.
10.) Line dry your clothes instead of using a dryer: This last one we JUST started doing. It is so hot in Texas right now that your clothes will dry in no time! The sun also helps to “bleach” your clothes and reduce the appearance of stains. Bonus: Baby L runs around and plays in the yard while I hang up the clothes, only to tire himself out before nap time! š
What did you do to save money last month? I would love to hear from you!
