Learn to Save Money!

I love saving money!  LOVE it.  However, I’m a little overwhelmed by the huge coupon fad going around (thanks to TLC’s Extreme Coupon show).  Every day a new blog is started (on top of the tons and tons of blogs that are already out there) trying to show you all the “deals”.  The problem?  A lot of the deals posted are not very good.  A Facebook update might say something like “RUN!  Hurry up before it’s all gone!”  So you run to your laptop (since your iPhone can be too slow sometimes) and you hurry up and buy the item, because it was such a “great” deal.  Your impulse purchase probably didn’t save you money especially if you didn’t really need the item.  And later you might find out that it was only about $2-5 less than everyday pricing (or single ply toilet paper instead of the nice two ply you typically buy).

Tip #1- Educate yourself!  Learn pricing, at the very least on items you buy often.  As an example, I will not spend more than $1.25 for a box of cereal.  I won’t pay for toothpaste because it is always on sale for free (with coupons). 

Tip #2- Start a budget.  Now, my husband will be the first to tell you that I have trouble with this at times.  BUT, unless you have a gigantic trust fund, your money will eventually run out if you’re not being responsible with your spending. 

Tip #3- Save money all the time, not just on groceries.  Looking to buy a new car right now?  Then shop around (ahead of time) and get pre-approval with a low interest bank.  If you promise to keep this between just you and me, I have a great bank that has very low interest rate loans.  We’ve used PenFed for years now, and it has always been wonderful.  It’s a private credit union that has a “loop hole” on becoming a member.  By joining “Voices for America’s Troops” for a one-time $15 fee, it allows you access to their bank.  Best part?  They are currently offering 1.99% APR for up to 60 months on new and used cars!  That’s pretty hard to beat.

Other ways to save money is by price matching.  When I was in the market to buy a washer/dryer I was able to price match a Sears sale at Lowe’s.  Lowe’s price matches by 110% (10% savings) and then I opened up a credit card to save even more!  On top of that, I did my research and found that the extended warranty at Sears vs. Lowes was more than double the price.  So all of that money saved added up quick.


I could go on and on for hours on the subject, but I won’t torture you like that.  I plan to start posting more of my deals that I find (real deals) and helping anyone out who is looking to save money.  If you have questions on how to save money, please feel free to email me (growingOCoranges@gmail.com) and I will do a Q&A blog post. 

Being a mom (or dad) is exhausting on its own; saving money doesn’t have to be! 

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