I know this doesn't work for everyone, but it does for me. I use my credit card to pay for everything I can. I earn points for every dollar I spend, and once I get to 5000 points, I get $50 put in my account. It adds up fast when I use it to pay bills, groceries, gas, etc. I also use an excel spreadsheet to track all of my spending.
I do this too. I pay it off every two weeks. I have a travel one, though. It already has almost $600 on it to use on travel expenses!
I know this doesn't work for everyone, but it does for me. I use my credit card to pay for everything I can. I earn points for every dollar I spend, and once I get to 5000 points, I get $50 put in my account. It adds up fast when I use it to pay bills, groceries, gas, etc. I also use an excel spreadsheet to track all of my spending.
I do this too. I pay it off every two weeks. I have a travel one, though. It already has almost $600 on it to use on travel expenses!
It is great. And it makes me sad when people are afraid of credit cards because when you use them properly you get great rewards. And with the amount I rack up and pay off each month, I don't pay interest
I do this too. I pay it off every two weeks. I have a travel one, though. It already has almost $600 on it to use on travel expenses!
It is great. And it makes me sad when people are afraid of credit cards because when you use them properly you get great rewards. And with the amount I rack up and pay off each month, I don't pay interest
Agreed. It doesn't work for everyone though. I had to train myself to be very mindful of what I'm spending. Every 3-4 days I log on to my credit card and my bank, compare balances and see where I am at.
* Unplug things you aren't using - some electronics suck up a lot of energy * Declutter your home - I feel like getting rid of things and freeing up space makes me realize how much I buy and naturally reduces the urge. * Eat down the pantry/fridge. I waste too much food and try each week to meal plan around some items I already have on hand. * Trade babysitting time with a friend vs. paying someone. * Schedule play dates at the park or your house. I am trying to stop meeting at the movies or icecream shop when I do playdates with my son. All those little $5 outings add up fast. * Try not to drive as much to save gas. * Find a cheap way to pamper yourself. Friday night facial at home. Pancakes on the griddle at home on Sunday. Etc.
Oh and I use ebates for everything. I buy my drugstore stuff online through drugstore dot com and use ebates, anything else I need I try to buy online and use it too. I just bought all new bedding from the ceiling disaster and will be getting $30 cash back because I used ebates and bought through the retailer with the highest % cash back. It adds up for necessitates
Oh and I use ebates for everything. I buy my drugstore stuff online through drugstore dot com and use ebates, anything else I need I try to buy online and use it too. I just bought all new bedding from the ceiling disaster and will be getting $30 cash back because I used ebates and bought through the retailer with the highest % cash back. It adds up for necessitates
I totally agree with ebates. I also use Discover Deals and Bank of America cashback when available.
I also never buy anything online without checking retailmenot . com to see if there are any promo codes.
tiffany81 - you are totally right when you mentioned decluttering. It's always so shocking to see how much stuff I get rid of that has either never been used or barely used.
Also, in terms of grocery shopping, I stock up on pantry and frozen items when they are BOGO at my grocery store. Even if I'm not planning on having spaghetti or macaroni and cheese that week if it is BOGO I will buy it because I know at some point in the future I will want it, especially spaghetti because I can make a batch of sauce and that will feed me 2 meals a day for 4 days.
Oh and I use ebates for everything. I buy my drugstore stuff online through drugstore dot com and use ebates, anything else I need I try to buy online and use it too. I just bought all new bedding from the ceiling disaster and will be getting $30 cash back because I used ebates and bought through the retailer with the highest % cash back. It adds up for necessitates
Yes ebates is amazing! I do the majority of my shopping online and get a good chunk of money back too. I have also got a couple hundred in referals as well for friends that didn't know about it.
Like pantsoffdanceoff said always check for coupon or promo codes online before buying too. I can't tell you the last time I bought anything from a retailer outside of amazon without a promo code of some sort. I also keep coupons for stores I know I go to randomly (Victoria secret, Bath and Body works, Ulta) in my purse at all times, so that I am never there without them.
Post by pinkdutchtulips on Mar 31, 2015 11:49:01 GMT -5
has more to due w/ the grocery budget than anything else but I'm not loyal to any particular brand. I usually shop generic but in the off chance that a name brand is cheaper, i'll buy it.
also I've got the app for my local supermarket on my phone and before I go shopping I take my list and run it again whatever coupons/special sales they've got going to save a few more bucks. i just download it to my savings card and I don't have to worry about clipping coupons or losing coupons. doing this usually saves me anywhere from $10-40/per trip depending on what I'm buying.
where I buy groceries also has a gas station and I earn points for gas rewards points while I shop. there have been times where I've been able to save 90cents/gal on gas based on food purchases (sometimes if you buy over x amount of groceries you get 4x the points or if you buy x amount of produce you get 2-3x the points) and it adds up. in CA w/ their crazy high gas prices, anything helps !
I don't go to Target. I'll go to a local drug store. It's not always cheaper for that one item but I never walk out with more than what I intended to purchase. If I *have* to go to Target or IKEA I don't get a cart and sometimes not a basket if I only need a couple of items. If I can't toss something in a basket or cart, I'm less likely to impulse purchase it.