Savings Tips

For those of you who know us well, we try to be good stewards of what we have been blessed with and creatively manage it in the meantime. Matt is always thinking of the next best invention or idea that is sure to be a success. He frequently quotes the book Millionaire by Thirty, and he keeps me on my toes with his different investment/entrepreneurial ideas. We wanted to pass along a few tips that have been beneficial for us in hopes that they will be helpful to you.

1. Budget, Budget, Budget! – Matt and I love budgeting. Matt is an Excel whiz, and we have quite the spreadsheet to manage our finances. He calls it Budget Software 1.2 (because there have been several editions). Call us frugal, but this actually works! Every month, we see where we went over or under in every category, and it reflects every single transaction (both purchases and deposits) because we record everything. It’s helpful to see what we are spending our money on too.

2. Give! – One of our investments is sponsoring a Haitian child through Compassion International for only $32/month. We received one of her letters this week, and it is always rewarding to know we are blessing others with all that we have been given. We have much to be thankful for!

3. Sales Ads – I rush to the mailbox on Saturday afternoons to see what the latest and greatest grocery deals are for the coming week to help plan our weekly menu. When grocery shopping, make a list and exercise self control to prevent unnecessary purchases. Also, there are special day sales around random holidays like Columbus Day or President’s Day. Who knew? Thank you Columbus! I bet he had no idea he would save us money when he discovered the New World.

4. Coupons – It is amazing how much you can save by clipping grocery store or manufacturer coupons. For those of us who don’t get the Sunday paper, manufacturer coupons can be found online too. Pair a manufacturer coupon with an already in-store sale, and you get a steal of a deal! There are coupons for EVERYTHING, literally!

5. Check your receipt – I am now in the habit of checking my receipt before I leave the store (thanks to my mother and husband). Honestly, there has been a mistake every time; either the quantity and/or sale prices are wrong on my purchases, or the coupons didn’t ring up correctly. A few days ago, I received $5.40 back on a $32 Target grocery trip, and it took 5 minutes of my time. Savings because I checked the receipt?! Yes, I think it’s worth it!

6. Reusable Bags – Matt doesn’t like this idea, but it is totally up my alley. Save 5 cents/bag, and it’s good for the environment. Sign me up! Helpful hint – leave the bags in your trunk so they are always there, and you can’t use the excuse, “I left them at home.”

7. Gas Card – We have a Roundy’s Card because we shop at Rainbow. Benefits: It’s free, and by purchasing food, it saves you cents/gallon gas. We rarely gas up for the advertised price. Our local BP has special deals too. Matt likes visiting on Monday mornings because he gets a free cup of coffee with gas purchase.

8. Twin Cities Gas Prices – Sign up online to get free texts to warn you when the gas prices are going to jump. When you are close to empty and learn that prices will be up 20 cents in a few hours because of wholesale prices rising, this is a fairly convenient text to receive. This website is also helpful in telling you which suburbs/stations have the cheapest gas each day.

9. Carpooling – Saves on gas, allows us to spend more time together each day, good for the environment, and better for our cars. I like to bike home from work too which is good exercise.

10. Random Sign-ups – Sign up for Redbox online to recieve a free promo code text on the first Monday of every month. The first Mondays of every month are now movie night in the comfort of our home… and for free! Hey, it saves us $1. One of my favorite places, Punch Pizza has some awesome marketing tactics too. They send free pizza deals out on random occasions (bring in an food donation, get a free pizza, or the Vikings lose to the Saints, but get your free pizza to keep your hopes up that they will someday win a Super Bowl – not that Matt and I needed our spirits boosted anymore than they already were at that point).  Did I forget to mention Birthday Clubs?  Everything from Noodles & Company, Caribou, Coldstone, and everything in between means free things on your birthday, but you need to sign-up in order to be eligible.

12. Craigslist – It’s amazing the deals to be found on Craigslist. If you come into our home, we have a lot of Craigslist purchases, but you would never know it unless we told you. One of our favorite finds is our Super Love Sac which was almost new and cost $150 (retail price is around $600).  Seriously - start searching!

13. Libraries – Not just books anymore, but loan DVDs and seasons of your favorite shows by just having a library card.  It's how we made it through the first five seasons of The Office in a short amount of time.  Helpful hint - reserve items online to save time and to be on the waiting list for certain items.

14. Participate in Market Research – A good way to earn a few extra bucks and have fun at the same time. I’ve been paid to see Transformers/take a survey and to discuss branding for Hard Ciders ($75 for an hour of my time). It’s totally the PR part of me that loves this stuff. Check out Fieldwork Minneapolis on Facebook for different opportunities.

Yes, I think my husband’s frugality has won me over, but I love it and love Him. Have fun saving and being creative all at the same time!