yesterday I made a long list of things to do, and actually crossed off most of them. I was so thankful to have a day 'off' to tackle this stuff! the desk is cleared off, bills paid, the car drives much better with new struts and an alignment (she's at 140,000 miles... hang in there, girl! we've got a ways to go!), money was moved around to accomplish today's coup (more on THAT in a moment), afternoon bubble tea splurge, and VHS-tape-living room-YOGA! the husby and I watched the DVR'd 24 2-hr movie last night, and it was almost more fun for me to watch him watch it than enjoy the actual movie - he does love his 24, and the trailer for the next season totally lit him up.
I was supposed to hit the studio early this morning, but our session got pushed back 'til this afternoon so I did a lot of girly things that got pushed out of the way yesterday: the hair is freshly colored! woo-hoo, thank you Loreal Preference!! the toenails were trimmed, buffed, and painted Beautiful Berry while watching '13 Going On 30'... I forgot how fun that movie is. I'm sipping delicious hot green tea while downloading episodes of an anime series I'll be writing. and... drumroll please... I just scheduled our last payment on our second mortgage. TAKE THAT, debt-snowball!! We've been so blessed, and are excited to add this to the list of things we're thankful for this holiday season.
I was thinking this morning of some of the things I've/we've done this year while watching our budget and trying to be intentional with money... here's a sampling:
* I stopped getting my nails done at salons. except before I got married.
* I have a love of lip product. it's true. but I vowed to not buy anything NEW while I still had tubes laying around. and that's how I discovered how much lip balm/lipstick I already own. that goes for lotion, too. *edit* and shampoo. and soap. in short, I've realized that I have a lot of most things if I just look around to see it.
* I started ordering water when eating out. it's become such a habit that now, to order something else, is a treat.
* I make more coffee at home and take it with me, rather than just hit up Starbucks for a grande soy latte. which I love. ;)
* I cut some travel expenses by taking my own food and being a part of a hotel reward system that lets you earn free nights.
* I remain gym membership-less. I miss it... I'll look forward to having one again soon.
* I cut my personal shopping a lot this past year. Not that I didn't go get something when I needed it or anything.
* I married someone who likes to cook, so we eat at home way more than we go out to eat now. that is a total score.
do you guys have ways you like to save money?
I've got to head out. hope everyone is having a good day!
-m.y.
6 comments:
Glad you are having such a good week. I know it felt good to send that last payment off. Here are my saving strategies:
I plan meals for the week by looking at the grocery ad first and combining what's on sale with what I have coupons for.
I set up a separate email address for spam/store solicitations. I give it to all the stores! It might be selling my soul but I get lots of good offers in my inbox (without cluttering my regular account). If there is a big purchase I need to make, I go to that stores website and sign up for their email list because usually they send a "welcome" email with a coupon.
those are great! I love the separate email account idea...
You rock the face off of that snowball! Our last credit card will be PAID OFF in January!!!!!
Some of my money saving strategies:
-Cash was a big one--we use cash for eating out, pocket money, entertainment and groceries. When it's gone, it's gone. We don't touch the debit card for stuff like that. I didn't realize how much we were spending.
-Coupons. They can be a hassle to sort through, but when I'm going for a big shopping trip, I can save 20 or 30 bucks. Plus, I earn 3 cents/gallon off on gas.
-Outlets & Clearance racks. These are the best, especially when feeding my scrapbook supply needs.
-I quit buying shoes. I miss them, I would buy them at every opportunity before, without using up the perfectly good shoes in my closet.
-Brandy is right on about online stuff. You can get tons of coupons and stuff.
LOTGrill, paying w/ cash has changed our world, too. mostly, we're just so much more aware of what's going on, like you said.
I want to be more coupon-oriented-organized. I get coupons from afullcup.com and coupons.com... and we do a lot of shopping on kroger coupons (and the kroger brand of products).
I like to find tricks to stretch one meal into two... take ground turkey. love the stuff. I'll cook up a pound of it and divide it - say, use half in a hamburger helper, half with a bottle of spaghetti sauce. or tacos, or turkey/veg soup, or whatever.
Total stranger here, but take a look at retailmenot.com.
They have coupon codes for online deals at stores. And they're already all organized. :)
If you must shop, you might as well shop smart!
meshealle, thanks for the tip and for stopping by! absolutely, if you're looking to spend your hard earned dinero, why not save some if you can?!
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