First, I’d like to say hello to you all! Many thanks to Sharon for this opportunity. Brief background on me – I’m a wife and mommy. I work full-time outside of the home and I’m, also, an aspiring entrepreneur. My goal is to work for myself within the next 5 years. Over the past 10 years or so, I’ve learned quite a bit about budgeting and savings. Mainly by trial and error…okay, more error than trial!
I’ve been on and off the extreme couponing train. Read books and tried the budgeting systems of everyone from Dave Ramsey to Suze Orman. What do I do now? A huge combination of all of the above plus some. I’ve learned over the years that simple savings is the key. By finding small, realistic ways to consistently save money – it adds up over the weeks, months and years.
I do coupon – but I only buy what my family needs and have set limits on how much of different products are in our cabinets (the word stockpile just conjures such scary pictures for me!).
I participate in my company’s 401(k) program and they match my contributions. That’s definitely free money I couldn’t let sit there. And it’s much harder to get to that money!
I’m not brand specific on most items. That way I can buy what I need when it’s on sale and not worry about overspending on the product name. Now, I will admit there are some items that I just can’t bend on – those items I wait until a really good sale or I try to save on other items I’m purchasing to balance out the costs.
I budget and keep a bill calendar. Knowing what’s due, when and for how much helps me plan out accordingly and I don’t have to worry about overdraft or late fees.
Those are just a few simple things I do to consistently save money without going over the top. I hope to share with you all in more detail and more specific real life savings that we can all use and apply in our every day lives without having to give too much thought or effort.
Look forward to sharing and learning from you all in the very near future!
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