Tips for saving money
A reporter asked me the other day if I had any suggestions for saving money in light of the rising gas and food prices. As I was on my way to take my son to the Catawba Science Center for a free Friday, all I could come up with at the time was to try to find free stuff to do with the kids. You see, I’m so tight with my money anyway, I have always looked for ways to save a buck and it’s just ingrained behavior for me, so it was kind of hard to come up with good tips right on the spot like that. But since then I’ve given it some thought and here are a few tips I’ve come up with:
Plan your routes and save up errands that are in the same area-instead of running out to the bank on Monday, the grocery store on Tuesday, PetSmart on Wednesday, etc., try to group your errands on one day or two, so you’re not making extra trips.
Drive slower…the old 55 speed limit was not just for safety reasons, driving slower saves on gas, too!
Eat out less often-take your lunch to work at least 3 days per week.
Something as simple as carrying a bottle of water with you in the car, and maybe a few snacks for yourself or the kids, to keep from having to stop at the convenience store and spending way more than you would have if you’d bought in larger quantities at the grocery store or BJs…
And while we’re talking about grocery stores…coupons are great, but only if you were already going to buy the item anyway
Same thing goes for sales at department stores and stuff-if you wanted something and it went on sale, that would be a great time to buy it, and you’ve saved money on something you had already planned to buy. If you go to a sale and buy stuff you weren’t planning to buy, just because it’s on sale, have you really saved money? No, you’ve just spent money probably not in your budget.
Take advantage of FREE stuff to do-hike, bike or swim at the State Park, check out your local library for programs-or check out some books you haven’t read yet! As I mentioned above, the Science Center in Hickory has free admission on Fridays.
Family/friends night in-board games, cards, star gazing, watching rented movies
Join your local YMCA-yes, I realize that costs money, but if you use it regularly, you’ll find that they offer many free or low-cost activities for you and your family. And here’s a tip: there will be NO joiner’s fee if you sign up for membership October 27-November 2 (Barium Springs Y and Statesville Y)!
Still not finding enough to do?– Become a volunteer! Here are just a few ideas to get you started– Cooperative Extension Service, hospice, Special Olympics, Barium Springs Home for Children, -it doesn’t cost $, you’ll feel good about yourself, set a good example for others, and be giving back to your community!
This entry was posted on August 25, 2008 at 1:36 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can subscribe via RSS 2.0 feed to this post's comments.
Tags: Barium Springs Home for Children, Barium Springs YMCA, Catawba Science Center, free activities, hospice, Lake Norman State Park, library, money saving tips, NC Cooperative Extension Service, save money, special olympics, Statesville YMCA, volunteer, YMCA
You can comment below, or link to this permanent URL from your own site.
August 25, 2008 at 2:27 pm
Great ideas Sara! I have found that we all spend more money than we really need to be happy. Debit cards and credit cards have made it so easy to spend now and pay later so to speak. It’s interesting to take a week and put away all electronic money and pay cash for everything. Really eye opening.