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January is a great month for a budget reset.  Starting over in a fresh new year is nice, but there’s more to it than that.  After the spending binge in December, we need a month of rest.  And because January often finds us snowbound, it’s the perfect time to take things slow!

So we have been on a mini spending freeze this month.  We’re (mostly) back to our #yearofno ways.  (Not that we ever truly leave them!)

Get motivated for your own spending freeze by reading your copy of 500 Ways to Save Money: Build a Cash Jackpot for the Best Things In Life.

Every Friday, we renew our dedication to saving money so we can get out of debt.  Reflecting on five of the ways we saved money each week has helped us keep going, even in the tough months.  After 25 months of debt payments, we are so close to the end that we can practically taste it!

If you love money saving tips, you can read through the entire series here.  And I know you’ll want to like Medium Sized Family on Facebook, too.  I share daily money saving tips there, too!  (Don’t worry, I know you’ve already cut out cable and don’t buy a daily latte.  This is new advice!)

The 5 Ways We’ve Saved Money This Week

Skipped Grocery Shopping

Once I developed my system for grocery shopping, I realized that it was important for me to shop every two weeks.  No matter what.  This system keeps us in affordable groceries rather than taking breaks from shopping to save money, only to turn around and spend a fortune restocking our shelves.

Read all about that system here.

But we faced a few unusual bills this month, so I decided to skip our major grocery shopping trip this pay period.  It saved us money and helped us use up some of the things that were deep in the freezer and pantry.  I’m not a huge fan of the fact that we are super low on groceries right now, so pray with me that we aren’t hit with a snow storm or illness!

Free Deodorant

I’m guilty of not paying enough attention to coupons.  But skipping the grocery store this pay period forced me to give them attention again.

At the coupon kiosk in CVS, I got a coupon for $2 off of any deodorant.  A quick trip down the aisle, and I found a stick on clearance for just $1.92.  Score!  There aren’t many deals better than free.

Started the day with homemade cranberry orange bread. I’m on a cook from scratch kick from the 30 day #moneychallenge! . . . #cookingfromscratch #homemadebread #savingmoney #moneysavingchallenge

A post shared by Jamie Jeffers (@mediumsizedfamily) on Jan 20, 2018 at 1:10pm PST

Want the recipe for this Amazing Cranberry Orange Bread?  Get it here.

Baked and Baked and Baked

Again, not shopping for groceries forced me back into the kitchen.  That’s ok, because I love to bake and cook!  I spent a lot of time making foods from scratch so we’d have breakfast on the go, snacks, and things to pack into lunches.

Check out this resource that will show you how even just 5 minutes in the kitchen can help you save money!

Got Pizza

I know… getting pizza isn’t exactly #yearofno friendly!  But our boys were chosen to join an honor band (it spanned 4 counties, and we are so proud of them!).  Some of the other families were going out to eat at a local restaurant afterwards.

That was tempting.  We were super proud of them, and it would have been fun to hang out with friends and talk about the concert.  But dropping $100 on one meal wasn’t in the cards.

So we had a mini splurge on pizza and celebrated at home instead!

Beer Kit

Hubby celebrated a birthday this week.  One of his gifts was a beer making kit.  He has always enjoyed that hobby, but it’s been a while.  Now he can have the good craft beer he likes and we save money!

Those are the 5 ways we saved money this week!

If you need a little more motivation getting out of debt (or just saving more money!) be sure to read about the 11 habits you can adopt to make life easier while you follow your frugal journey.

How did you save this week?