MISSION: Making the Bank
Everybody is out to save money these days. Gas prices are roaring to almost $4 per gallon, manufacturers are reducing quantity of products so things don't last as long, and grocery stores are raising prices. Everywhere you look it seems someone has their hand out for money. It's no wonder people struggle. Even though my husband has a good job, that doesn't mean we want to surrender all our money to other people. It's becoming more challenging to save these days as everything costs more.A few weeks ago, I took my children shopping for school clothes and about fell over at the prices. Shoes for men range between $70 to $100. For shoes? Little girl shoes are anywhere from $40 to $60. For little kids? EEK! Clothes for a 7 year old to grow out of in probably a matter of months that cost $20 to $50 per piece is just insane. Clothing that is more economically priced doesn't seem age appropriate.
I just can't stand to throw our money away anymore. It's time to start making the bank - not breaking it! So my instincts have been to go into "Penny Pincher" mode. I refuse to pay full price anymore. I watch the television and see people who can "extreme coupon" and I have a desire to learn how to do this.
So far I have three steps to help us make the bank. Step One - Change our shopping habits. Step Two - Change our spending habits. Step Three - Use resources wisely. These may sound like they same thing, but they're not.
I just can't stand to throw our money away anymore. It's time to start making the bank - not breaking it! So my instincts have been to go into "Penny Pincher" mode. I refuse to pay full price anymore. I watch the television and see people who can "extreme coupon" and I have a desire to learn how to do this.
So far I have three steps to help us make the bank. Step One - Change our shopping habits. Step Two - Change our spending habits. Step Three - Use resources wisely. These may sound like they same thing, but they're not.
- Changing our shopping habits - I'm looking at the price of everything and comparing it to other retailers prices to determine who has the best price. I'm utilizing our club membership to buy items we use all the time (i.e. laundry detergent, fabric softener, dishwasher detergent, etc) in bulk because I've found that even in-store sale prices cannot compare to the club membership prices. I'm seeking out coupons before I go shopping for everything - groceries, shoes, clothes, everything.
- Changing our spending habits - The biggest thing we've changed is we've stopped dining out (even on those crazy hectic nights when it seems impossible to prepare a meal at home) and we've started cutting back on how much we're paying for services we use.
- Using resources wisely - We're no longer just buying things because something is getting old. If it breaks, can it be fixed? I've become the resource patrol. One of our bathroom sinks has had a drip longer than I'd like to admit. After many months of telling everyone in the family to make sure the faucet was turned to cold so it won't drip(and that NOT happening 90% of the time), we finally broke down and bought a new faucet. Instead of running the A/C all summer long like we have done in the past, on nights that it is reasonable cool outside we open the windows. Our wallets thank us and I'm sure the Earth is a better place because we're reducing impact on the earth.
MISSION: Mom (C) 2012. All rights reserved.