3 Money Saving Tips
I run into a ton of people who want to begin saving, but think they have to create this elaborate plan in order to do so. You do not have to get 5-6 jobs to begin saving (although I do believe in having multiple streams of income). Most times, saving starts with taking baby steps and doing the small things right. Here are a few simple money saving tips you can incorporate today to begin saving for a rainy day!
#1 Save the Change
My husband is a pro at doing this. All throughout the year, he collects his change and dumps it in his “change jar.” Not only has this become helpful around the holidays in purchasing gifts, but at one point in our lives, the spare change came at a time when there was “more month than money.” Spare change may not be enough to pay your mortgage or rent, but for us, it was certainly enough to buy pull-ups and put food on the table. Save your change. You never know when you will need it!
#2 Wait for the Sales
Patience is still a virtue that I am slowly learning to develop. I have always been one to want something and want it now (which is one of the reasons we accumulated so much debt, sigh!). But in my quest to change money mindsets, I realize the importance of “waiting.” Waiting to determine if what I want is a need or a want or even waiting to make a purchase because I know if will be on sale “soon and very soon.” This year really tested those skills. Our printer broke, neither one of our vacuums acted like it wanted to pick up anything, my laptop was on its last leg and each one, at least in my mind, was deemed a “need.” However, I knew if I could be uncomfortable for a few more weeks (go somewhere else to print, taking longer than usual to write a report, or even using the broom), I would be able to purchase all of these “needed” items at a heavily discounted price on Black Friday! It was extremely difficult to wait, but I did it and as a result, I saved hundreds of dollars. My patience literally “paid off” all because I was able to be “uncomfortable” for a few weeks and wait for the sales.
#3 Use Deals like Ebates
I absolutely love Ebates. Since I do 99% of my shopping online and I do not coupon (which is something I need to start doing), Ebates is how I save money. When I make an online purchase, I make sure I use the Ebates website (or Google Chrome extension) to earn money. How Ebates work is you can get a certain percentage of your purchases back in a form of a check that they issue to you quarterly. The last check I received was for $144. If you shop online, this is a great tool to use to save (or get back) money. If you want to sign-up, here’s my link (Ebates).
All in all, waiting for the deals and using online shopping tools like Ebates are great ways to begin taking baby steps towards attaining your financial goals. You do not have to start by selling a car or waiting to get a huge raise on your job. Sometimes you can just begin with saving your change! It’s a great start!
If these tips were helpful, share and leave a comment below!
