You guys are in for a treat today! Jen is a long time "friend" of mine. Remember when I talked about my message board that I got kicked out of? Well Jen & I met there. So...yeah. She's crafty beyond believe and has two totally adorable boys and her husband is hott {with two T's}, I'm allowed to say that because she knows this already. So, without further ado, here are some of her SAHM money saving tips! Enjoy!
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Hi! I'm Jen and I blog over at Ramblings of a Suburban Mom. I've known Shannon for years. And years. Like I've "known" her longer than she's even had a blog. We met basically a lifetime ago on a "fashion" message board. And that's all I am going to say about that ;).
Like Shannon, I am a SAHM (although I prefer to call myself retired). And like Shannon, one of my "jobs" to is try and save money for our family. Because let's be honest, one less income calls for lifestyle changes. Although I will never be called frugal (I buy $86 lululemon pants), I do know how to save a buck when it counts. So today, I thought I'd share some of my favorite money saving tips.
~Use coupons. Don't just clip them. Use them. I cannot tell you the last time I paid for a tube of toothpaste, a toothbrush, razors, etc. With all the deals out there, you just don't have to. And diapers? I never ever ever pay full price. Ever. Usually I get them for 50% off. Or less. Seriously. One of my favorite money saving blogs is Hip2Save. She does weekly coupon match-ups for CVS, Target, Rite-Aid, Walgreens, etc. Basically she does all of the work for you. In addition to the coupon match-ups, she tells you what the "hot" deals are on a daily basis. Oh and she posts about free samples, coupons, etc. Follow her. You'll save a fortune and end up with tons of free stuff.
~Enter contests. I've been entering contests / sweepstakes for years. Pretty much ever since B and I got married. My SIL did / does it and would always win awesome stuff and, well, I was jealous. And I've won some pretty amazing stuff over the years, including a trip to St. Lucia, a Jimmy Choo bag, an iMac, a trip to Disney World (for EIGHT people), a backyard prize package (basketball net, trampoline, lawn mower, fire pit, etc.), an iPad, a trip to Miami, etc. And yeah, yeah, I've heard the "but I never win anything" story a million times. Umm, probably because you don't enter? Contest wins have allowed us to do so many amazing things we'd never have been able to do otherwise. Because come on, we can't afford private escorts around the Magic Kingdom.
~Seek out free community events. My city is super kid friendly and always has a ton of great things going on. Next week for example, we have a Park & Movie Night going on. There's a concert, games and inflatables for the kids and when it gets dark, they show a movie (The Smurfs). We plan to pack a picnic dinner, so the the net cost of our fun night with be NOTHING. There are things like this going on daily here. Check out your city's website. Check out Patch.
~Sell your old stuff (so you can buy new stuff). If you are like me, you likely have tons of goodies sitting around your house that you never use. Have a blog sale. Or a garage sale. I'm not not a huge Craigslist fan because I get creeped our meeting strangers in random parking lots to exchange money.
~Exchange services. Maybe a local photographer would want to trade a free / discounted session in exchange for some advertising on your blog? Or think about trading babysitting services with your friends / neighbors? My neighbor and I don't have a formal agreement, but I'm more than happy to entertain (well have my son entertain) and feed her six year old so she can get some stuff done around the house. In exchange, she'll have my son over for a few hours so I can get some me time.
Hopefully you'll be able to put at least some of these tips to use. Did I miss anything? I'd love to hear your money saving tips! And I know Shannon would too!
Holy crap! You have seriously won all that stuff? That's awesome!
ReplyDeleteLOL! I sure did. I swear if you enter a ton, you will win too. I promise!!
ReplyDeleteI LOVE Hip2Save - I've been following Colin for years now! Thanks for the other suggestions :)
ReplyDeleteHey...good info as always!! Someday I will have to enter those contests!! Oh...and I've known you even longer than Shannon so there! Lol!
ReplyDeleteCindy that is not fair since we are related! And you NEED to enter!
ReplyDeleteWhoa, great info, thanks!
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