Resolutions: Saving Money

I know money may be a hard subject to talk about right now, especially as you watch it quickly slip away with every person you cross off your Christmas gift list. Because of this,  it is often a resolution to budget better, or save more, so I thought I would share some things that perhaps can help you achieve that goal! I am not boasting to be an expert on the subject at all, just someone sharing tips from personal experience that will hopefully be applicable to your situation as well!

Eating Out:

Do you find yourself just picking up fast food on the way home from work because, well, it's just easier? Not only is this bad on the wallet, but on the waistline as well. If you missed my last blog on being healthy you can find it here (http://ayouthpastorswife.blogspot.com/2013/12/resolutions-being-healthy.html), and in this post I mentioned slow cooker meals, which can be a great help especially if you are a working wife/mom (or even husband/dad) and need something simple and easy. Instead of paying $5-$10 a meal you can spend just a couple of dollars (once the meat/veggies have been divided per person) on a homemade meal that's much healthier.

Even though I stay home, this lesson is still being learned, but for the most part my husband and I have 2 times per week we go out: Friday and Sunday. Even though we go twice, we still try to cut costs by looking for coupons, ordering water, and splitting the meal. Normally we can get out of Chili's for $15!

Grocery shopping:

'You can't just go to Walmart to pick up one thing', I have often heard, and believe it with all my heart. To be honest, I try to avoid the place when possible, but it seems that it has the best prices most of the time, so I am forced to go. To cut down on time and money I only go once week and my husband goes with me. Why is that important? He hates it worse than me! He has one thing on his mind: Go in, get the groceries, get out... He is so focused on the task at hand, that it caused me to start doing something that has really helped our finances.

I make a list based on what I plan to make (I am horrible at meal planning, so I just think of a couple of meals then make sure I have the basics to make other meals as well). If you frequent the store enough times to have its aisles memorized, then you can list your groceries based on where they are in the store (e.g. our store has dairy in the back, then paper goods, then baking supplies, so you would write your list like: milk, paper towels, sugar). This way you only have to walk down the aisles where you need things, and you don't pick up unnecessary things. I also put an estimated price by each item so I can see about how much everything will cost. This helps me determine what is necessary and what is not.

It may take a few minutes more, but you will be surprised at how much it saves. We spend at least $10 less than we did at first, and although that may seem like a little, it adds up fast! However, these are just suggestions, and if you are unable to put as much time and effort in it, don't worry. The main thing is to find what way works best for you. For me, I hate to coupon and have never been great at catching sales, so this method works best.

Saving money is all about thinking ahead, and figuring out what your 'needs' are and what 'wants' you can do without. Because this post has gotten so long, I'll stop here for now, and may do another money saving post at a later time. I'll leave you with this verse, which reminds us that money shouldn't be such a big thing in our lives, and that we have a wonderful Savior who takes care of our needs!

"Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5