Small Changes, Big Savings

It was still the beginning of December when my January issue of Woman’s Day arrived. Our family was almost finished with Christmas shopping (note we don’t buy gifts for our siblings, parents, close friends, close friend’s children, etc.) but somehow the budget was still tight. One look at the budget/bills—or even a thought about it and I knew why! We’re living on one salary (minus my teacher salary for the past 5 years) with many of our “comforts” of everyday living still in place while we decided I’d (Litsa) be a stay-at-home-mom (Direct TV, Internet, Home Phone, Extracurricular activities for our daughter, etc.)—-and not to mention thousands of dollars of medical expenses due for unexpected health concerns. Too make a long story short——-I had already decided to REFOCUS my attention on small changes in our lives to eliminate major bills from our list before mid-2013 when I read, Trick yourself into Saving by Donna Freedman. From this article, I loved these three tips:

Groupon the necessities (or Blog Deal the necessities). Whenever you see something you truly need (such as new glasses or teeth cleaning) on Groupon, Living Social, or this blog, grab the deal. Then figure out what you would have spent full price—and bank the difference.

Play the Numbers Game. Pick a number that represents an event, such as 10 for your 10-year class reunion next fall. Bank $10 a week until then, and apply the cash toward reunion expenses. This works for any event–$50 for your parents’ 50^th anniversary, for example.

Picture your future. Want to go to the Bahamas next year? Cut the palm-tree photo out of the brochure and rubber-band it to your credit card. If you’re tempted to spend, you’ll see the tree and think, “Spouse. Me. Sun. Drinks with parasols.” No shoes are that cute!

Pick up a copy of Woman’s Day January 2013 for the rest of the tips given! I’m eager to see how many of them I can put into place for this new year and our family!

What small changes will you make this year to see BIG savings?

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Litsa @How to Have it All

Litsa is a stay at home mom to a beautiful little girl. She is a native of Greece and now resides in Tennessee. As a former teacher, Litsa wears many hats that it takes to make a home a functioning home!