There’s a new (to us) vehicle sitting in our driveway right now, which means I’ve official started baby shopping. 😉
With baby number 6 on the way, we’ve been on the hunt for an affordable 8 passenger car. It’s almost like seeing a unicorn to find something that seats 8 on a used car lot!
That means I’m feeling a bit of sweet relief over having this chore behind us.
Although…now we have to sell one of our other cars. So there’s that.
The 5 Ways We’ve Saved Money This Week
Used Car
I’d like to write about this a bit more, because I had trouble getting information about used cars that seat 8. So now that we’ve gone through it, I hope our experience can help out another family that finds themselves in that “boat”!
We considered the few mini vans that seat 8 (some Odysseys and Siennas meet that criteria). But we were afraid ti wouldn’t be enough room for our teenage sons.
We thought about getting a large sized van. But the price of even used versions was north of where we wanted to be.
So we finally settled on a used Tahoe. It has a reputation for holding up for hundreds of thousands of miles, which is just what we’re hoping for!
No Extra Data
We use Republic Wireless for our cell phone needs. We save $90 every month by using this service for 3 cell phones!
One of my favorite parts about this service is that I can easily pay for the lowest amount of data every month. Most months that’s enough for me.
On busy months, when I need more data, I can add another gig for just $5 at the push of a button!
This month I was really close to running out of data. I was worried that I would have to buy more just to get me through one trip. But I managed to be frugal with that data and made it the extra 11 hours before my month started again!
Blooms and Berries
One of my favorite perks of being a blogger is getting the chance to try things out for free! We visited our favorite pumpkin patch this week, and the farm let us visit for free.
If you live in the Greater Cincinnati area, be sure to check out my Blooms and Berries review! It’s hands down our favorite pumpkin patch in the area.
Coupons at JC Penney
Our oldest is a Freshman this year, which means we’re entering the world of high school. You might know that it’s kind of an expensive world!
This week was Homecoming, which meant buying a suit for our son.
I found a coupon for JC Penney that they’d mailed me to get $10 off a $25 purchase. So we headed to the mall.
Once we got there, I learned that they were handing out $10 off $10 coupons, too! So I gave my son some cash and had him buy his tie himself.
The suit still cost a ton of money, but he’ll wear it a few more times this year. Then he can pass it down to his three younger brothers!
Patience
Our van desperately needed new brakes. We saved on this job in a few ways. Hubby decided to tackle it himself (saving hundreds on the cost of a mechanic!). He found an awesome sale paired with a coupon at Advanced Auto Parts.
Then he left the brakes sitting in his online “shopping cart” for a few days while he was making sure it would be the best deal. As it turns out, they offered him yet another discount to give him a nudge to finish his shopping!
I love a deal like that!
Those are the 5 ways we saved money this week!
This week I also shared a post you are going to find super helpful the next time you’re putting together a meal plan! It’s a whole list of Large Family Dinner Ideas that your family is going to love!
How did you save money this week?
1. Weddings- we have 2 this month. I am using a dress amd shoes I have owned forever for tonight’s, and painted my toes myself to save on going to the nail place. For the one in 2 weeks I am in, I was able to borrow a pair of the correct colored shoes from someone so I didn’t have to shell out more $$$ on an already expensive day.
2. Food- I meal planned for the week, and avoided impulse stops (a real accomplishment with it being the first week of full crazy activity and running!). Additionally, we were treated to a last minute dinner out by an old family friend on Wednesday night, which was an awesome treat.
3. Kid activities- my son is in a free- even equipment provided- hockey skills program, and my youngest won a 6 month membership to a kids’ gym. I also signed the youngest up for free storytime at the library, and took my oldest today to another free program at the library. Saves a TON on activity fees!
4. Gas- I actually remembered to grab our membership card for BJ’s (my MIL adds us to hers for free) to get gas yesterday. Only saved 1 cent per gallon, but it was something!
5. Rewards programs- I’ve been staying on top of these- scanning receipts into Receipt Hog, doing Shopkicks, taking surveys, scanning gas receipts, etc. Nothing adds up fast, but it all helps a bit…and I put all that $ into my Disney fund 😉
Congratulations on the new vehicle!
Having a used car is by and large one of the best ways to save money (after housing costs). There are too many people in Western society that feel the need to have the latest car purchased on credit or leasing. What a horrific loss of savings!
I agree. Living in the country means a vehicle is necessary for us, but I certainly don’t want to spend any more than I have to for transportation.