Wow! Ten whole weeks of money saving tips. That’s 50 ways we’ve saved money since I started this series. That’s pretty exciting! If you want to see all 50 tips, check them out here.
All of that said…it’s not been the most frugal week around here. A last minute zoo trip cost us some extras since I didn’t have a packed lunch prepared. (That’s ok, my kids had a blast with their buddies. Worth it.) We also ordered pizza and generally had a too busy week. It happens.
We still managed to find our 5 ways to save money, so here they are.
Got a free energy saving kit from our electric retailer.
Duke Energy sent us a couple of light bulbs, a lower flow shower head and sink faucet heads, and more.
I love seeing my utility bills go down whenever I can lower them! Not to mention the savings on not having to buy these items in order to lower that bill.
It’s worth a check with your electric company to see if they offer anything like this. Many companies have a whole list of free offerings, including audits where they will come to your home and give you suggestions on ways to lower your bills.
Had our picture taken for the church directory.
They will give us a free 8×10 of our family portrait, which is great since we haven’t had one in a couple of years.
Used ice cream in my coffee.
If you follow me on Facebook…I told you I was going to use this one!
I really try not to make extra trips to the store for items if I can help it. Sometimes that means trying something out of the ordinary for a short time until I can get to the store with a regular list of items.
And sometimes that means making “sacrifices” like putting ice cream in your coffee when you run out of creamer. 😉
(In case you were wondering, drinking the coffee black isn’t an option.) (Ok, ok… if I were desperate I probably would do it.)
Bought candy.
Candy is obviously a necessity, right? Ok, maybe not.
But my kids will bring home a note in a few weeks asking for candy donations for their Christmas party at school. And I managed to find “fun sized” (total misnomer, by the way) M&M packs that were not in any sort of Halloween wrapping at all on the clearance rack. Score!
So I grabbed one for each child.
Returned an item immediately.
I have a terrible habit of setting an item to the side and planning to return it “some day”.
I have lost out on a lot of money due to finding items that I had meant to return months later. (Well beyond any hope of finding a receipt even if the store did still let me return it at such a late date).
Disorganization is expensive!
So I made it a point to immediately go back to the store and return an item that I realized wouldn’t work for me as soon as I got home.
Those are our ways that we saved money this week.
It was kind of an expensive week, so I’m glad to find these silver linings.
How have you saved money lately?
I'm Jamie, and I want to help you afford a beautiful life with your family. 
Sounds great Ice cream in your coffee! That’s a good one. Now that it’s gotten colder I’m not so sure we would have ice cream in the freezer to try that. Have a great week.
We seem to have ice cream in the house year round here. Thanks for visiting!
I always enjoy seeing what you did to save! I’m guilty of forgetting to return items for a LONG time as well. 🙂
I’m really trying to get better at it. I think I need to get a basket for the area by the front door so I will see it and remember on my way out.
Excuse me as head to the kitchen and put ice cream on my coffee.
This is brilliant!
What a good idea – to figure out how we saved each week. So many times I focus on how much we spent and it gets discouraging. Positivity is always better. Thanks for sharing this!
Ooh, I’ve definitely forgotten to return items until WAY past any redeemable date! It’s awesome that your electric gave you an energy saving kit, I didn’t know anyone did that! Oh, and ice cream in coffee is definitely going to have to happen one of these days. Thanks for the tips!
You might want to check with your electric company. Many of them offer free items and rebates on things that save electricity. Thanks for reading!
I’m finally consistent in writing down everything single expense I have. Looking at those numbers reminds me that I need to keep my financials tight until I get an income again.
Thank you for adding this post to Tip Tuesday.
Love this post! I love the idea of taking your picture from the church bulletin— genius! Thanks for sharing at the Our Simple Homestead Blog Hop!
http://oneashhomestead.com/2015/11/homestead-blog-hop-25/
Great thoughts. It makes me ponder ways I can cut back. Thanks so much for sharing on the Homestead Blog Hop. I hope we see you again today. Pinning! 🙂
Yep, I’m there! Thanks so much.