Saving a Dollar Here and There!

There is no doubt that when the economy started going downhill a few years ago everyone assumed it was temporary and would bounce back. At least I did. Well, here we are three years later and things aren't looking up a whole lot. How are you dealing with it? I think that we've all been impacted in some way. Even if we haven't had to deal with losing a job we are now realizing just how important it is for us to save a few dollars here and there when possible. And saving has become so very important because you never know when you might find yourself out of a job.

My mom was a single mother and she had no help. She was very frugal and budgeted her money well. I am thankful that I learned a lot from her in this respect. She never bought anything that wasn't on sale. I remember that growing up and it has stuck with me for almost 34 years. I hardly ever buy things that aren't on sale. I guess I'm just cheap like that, but I don't see the point. I mean everything goes on sale eventually, right?

We are now in a time where the cost of living continues to increase and yet people aren't getting raises at work and that puts us in a bit of a crunch. So here we are trying to save money when we have the chance. I've always sort of used coupons, but they have become my new best friend. I am very diligent about cutting them out and using them whenever I can. It is amazing how much you can save with something that is so simple. If you can pair a coupon with a sale going on you can get items for next to nothing. Anytime we are low on something I will now browse my coupons to see if I have one for that item and if I don't' I check to see if I can find it on sale. If not, I will try to substitute or hold out as long as I can. Now this doesn't always work obviously. My children have certain things that they need and I am not going to not get them milk or bread because I don't have a coupon.

Another thing I've found that I started doing is trying to cook more items from scratch. I'll admit, I'm not a great cook. However, I will try anything once. Just this morning I made breakfast burritos for my family. I can buy a box at the store and they aren't necessarily cheap. But I was able to feed my family and freeze some for later for less than $4. I made a big enough batch that they will last for a few days at least. I find myself making muffins and cookies from scratch rather than buying them at the store. They are no only cheaper this way, but better for you. You know exactly what you are putting in them. I'm not big on leftovers so anytime the fridge starts to fill up I start freezing things. I used to just let things sit in there and then I'd end up dumping several bowls of leftovers away because they went bad. Then I realized how easy it was to stick it in the freezer and we could just have it at a later time and not waste it.

A little later I'll write more on how to save money online! This is one of my favorite things to do! I also have many other things that I've been trying that seem to be working out okay that I'd like to share. But start with your coupons and start taking some risks in the kitchen. You never know what you might find out about yourself. I learned that I could make and can apple butter in my crockpot. I'd never made it before, but I tried it and it was great! Cheap, easy and delicious! Try your hand at something fun that is good for your family. It's very rewarding!