Normal shopping used to consist of spending large amounts of money on things I want because I can---or could. Normal shopping was Pre-Budget Days.
Now we are Post-Budget Days and I am a smarter person. Really, I am. Ask my husband. He doesn't have to witness me coming home with $100 worth of items we wont ever need and watching our bank account depleat.
I use various websites/books to help me become a more savvy shopper/budgeter.
I heart CVS is a good one. I love using Extra Care Bucks and buying items, only to find money returned to me. Sometimes I even make money...seriously. Go check out that website if you have a CVS nearby.
Money Saving Mom is also a favorite. She tells me what good deals are happening and helps me find what coupons I can use to get the best deals.
We occasionally listen to Davey Ramsey and we own his book. If you need help budgeting, it is worth the money and right now it is on sale for $10! Dave Ramsey has some very important key factors, like using cash for most purchases. We do that so that when the money is gone, it's gone. This has been a HUGE help and has made most of the difference in how I shop. I used to check out at a store, not know how much money was going to be put on my card. It just never mattered...because I knew I had enough money. Now, when I go to the store, I have to add up each item to see if I'm spending over the amount of cash we've allowed. This makes me a smarter shopper...because I am constantly picking things up and wondering if we really need it or if I really want it and then deciding whether to buy it. I used to just throw stuff in the cart and not take a second glance. (as you can see by the size of this paragraph, Dave Ramsey has been our biggest help and is the best tip I can give to a person wanting to save money and budget better)
So tonight I went shopping. I spent $22, got $18 worth of items that were necessity and $4 worth of items that I wanted. Another reason I love Dave Ramsey. He is reasonable. In his budget guidelines, he has put places for eating out and date nights. But we changed our eating out money to money we get to spend by ourselves each month. So I can eat out or I can choose to craft or save up my money each month and buy something I want.
So four of my dollars went towards my kids this month---because next week, we will be on a 10 hour plane ride and I needed some dollar bin items (Thank you, Target!) to occupy my little girl. Please pray that it works and that my kids dont have a scream fest during the plan ride. Ten hours long...
I am no expert but if you need any more tips or help with saving money, I am just a comment away. And if I don't know the answer, I have a genius sister who will. And though she lives in China and cant really use any of her expert tips right now, she can always share them with you so that you can use them.
And that's how Suze sees it.
Where are you going that is a 10 hr flight away?
ReplyDeleteI don't know much about Dave Ramsey but sounds like an A-OK guy in my book. Sounds similar to how we budget. Mostly I budget right now by just not buying anything... works pretty well most of the time hahaha :)