Crafting and decor are not really my thing, but I do love a beautiful Christmas display. So I’ve been using Pinterest as my inspiration and fashioning some new ideas using things we have around the house to create a different display this year. I’ve been sharing my ideas on Instagram, so follow along if you like saving money on decor.
We’re also trying not to get carried away by spending on gifts. This time of year, the “might as well buy one more” attitude sneaks up on the best of us! That’s why I try to keep a written plan so we buy only the things we know will be loved.
Every Friday, we celebrate the many small wins that inch us closer to debt freedom. If you like money saving tips, you can read through the entire 5 Ways We’ve Saved Money This Week series here.
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The 5 Ways We’ve Saved Money This Week
Watch the Register
Sometimes it’s hard to watch the register prices while you’re unloading your cart and minding kids. But it’s always good to pay attention, because mismarked prices are everywhere. This week I noticed that the binders I bought were ringing up incorrectly and I got my dollar back.
A couple of weeks ago, they rang up my cat food twice. That was a more expensive mistake! If you can’t watch register prices, at least look over your receipt. It makes you wonder how often you don’t catch the mistakes when you start paying attention.
The Online Price
Our printer has been on the fritz for a long time, but this week it was finally time to get a new one. My choices were to print my book at the library for $25, or buy a new printer for $40. Because I was running to the library to print things for school pretty often, owning a better printer will save us money quickly.
We found a decent printer on the website, and I zipped off to Walmart to pick it up. When I got there, the shelf price was $10 higher than the online price.
Our Walmart won’t price match other stores anymore, but they will price match their own website. So I was able to get $10 off the price.
Free Movie
Our town has a beautiful old movie theater. But, unfortunately, no one seems to be able to make a go of it. It’s almost always closed. But they do open it just a couple of times per year.
This weekend, we celebrated our small town Christmas. The churches and library had activities. We attended the tree lighting with cocoa and cookies. Then we enjoyed a free Christmas movie at the theater. We love our small town!
Made a Request
Have you ever heard of a new book and gone straight to the library to see if they have it? Almost always! But if they don’t have the book you’re looking for, you can make a request that they order it. It won’t always work, but it doesn’t cost anything to try.
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Republic Wireless
The idea of using Republic Wireless for our cell phone service has intrigued me for a while. But you have to use certain phones with this carrier. Many phones work with the service, but the one I owned did not. So we waited.
When I needed a new phone a month or so ago, I made sure to buy one that would work with Republic Wireless. My new SIM card cost $5, and we made the switch when it came in the mail. I’ve been trying this service for a few days, and it’s been great so far. We’re excited to save $60 on our cell phone bill every month!
Those are the 5 ways we saved money this week!
Oh! There’s a new debt check in for December that you’ll want to check out.
How did you save this week?
I'm Jamie, and I want to help you afford a beautiful life with your family. 
Nice move on the cell phone. Saving money on an expense that happens every month makes the biggest difference.
That’s a great idea re: putting in requests for new books at the library. On a somewhat similar note, I used to buy new books as soon as they showed up in the bookstore. I’ve stopped doing that and use the library instead, which saves at least $100 a year. My library usually offers a digital option and a hard copy option, so I’ll place holds on both. Win this week: they finally sent me access to The Girl in Cabin 10!