The Normal Girl's Guide to Saving Money

 

If you read my last post, you know that we are trying to buy a house this year. Eek! After searching under couch cushions and checking all my old purses for spare pennies, I decided it was time to get serious.  I've budgeted before and was able to save $10,000 in very little time. Yo girl is back at it again. Here are the things that work for me - a normal girl who drinks too much coffee and spends all her money at Target.

• open up a separate savings account - (if this makes sense for you) We are doing this to keep our house money separate from our individual savings accounts.

• cut the Starbs - Make this a once a week treat and set aside the money you would be spending!

• don't open the emails - Giiiiirl, I know that 60% off is tempting, but don't do it. Just delete it!

• avoid Target at all costs - You can't black out and spend $200 if you don't enter those doors!

• cook at home - This is our biggest struggle. We commute a total of 5 hours a day to work and the last thing we want to do is cook. Our wallets + waistlines will thank us though.

• use cash - Go to the bank and withdraw a set amount of cash. I can swipe that card all day, but watching money physically disappear in front of me stops me in my tracks. 

•  start a change jar - I have a jar that counts the change as I drop it in. Once you hit $100, roll it and take it to the bank!  

•  recycle - We drink a lot of water, Vitamin Water, and Coke Zero in our house. I save all the bottles and take them to a recycling center for some extra cash. 

• hoard gift cards - I don't know about you guys, but I hoard my gift cards like it's the last gift card I will ever receive. This works to my advantage because when I HAVE TO HAVE something, I can use a gift card instead of swiping my card or taking it out of my cash stash. 

What are some of your money saving tips? I would love to hear them!