It’s a funny thing, but the more you collect money saving tips, the more you’ll find. It’s another one of those creative muscles that can be flexed into something beautiful!
So aside from the money saving tips you find in this weekly series, you can find daily (weekdays, anyway) money saving tips on my Facebook page. Like Medium Sized Family on Facebook to keep collecting tips!
But those tips I’m sharing on Facebook do not (usually) come from my book. So if you really love to save money, you’ll find over 500 money saving tips in the book. Go here to learn more about that!
How’s that for starting your new year with a bang?
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The 5 Ways We’ve Saved Money This Week
Even before we launched our #yearofno, I’ve spent each Friday talking about the ways we’ve saved money for a couple of years. It’s a great collection of ideas you can use in real life. Go here to click through all 105 weeks’ worth of tips.
Republic Wireless
I know, I already talked about switching to Republic Wireless. But there’s another bonus to this cell phone provider that we are taking advantage of.
Our 14 year old now has a phone so he can call us from band events. But we’re fuddy duddies who don’t love the idea of paying for data for a teenager. Unfortunately, it’s pretty hard to find cheap talk and text that accept more than an old flip phone.
So we love that Republic Wireless has unlimited talk and text each month for just $15! He can use wifi to play his games (no social media until high school in our home!).
I’m so excited that we cut our phone bill in half with Republic Wireless. I just wish we’d been able to try them sooner!
Beer Bread
One of my favorite things to take to a potluck meal is beer bread. It’s easy to keep the ingredients on hand. (I’ll save my comments about the beer part. Wink, wink.)
And using this recipe means I don’t have to run out to buy ingredients or something “ready made” to bring along.
Get the super easy beer bread recipe here.
Prayerful Shopping
A long time ago, I read a blog post from The Peaceful Mom and she talked about how she would pray before shopping. It struck a chord with me, and I often pray that God will help me make smart decisions with our family’s money as I go out to run errands.
So when I was shopping for our son’s birthday last week, I said a quick prayer before I walked into Goodwill. A few minutes later, I found myself standing over a piece of exercise equipment.
He’d been asking for a pull up bar for months, but I honestly wasn’t even sure what one looked like. So I did a quick Google search. Low and behold, this random thing was a pull up bar! And it was half off! I got a super bargain, and I was even more excited about surprising him with this gift.
If you’re a Christian, I encourage you to take a moment to pray before you shop. Ask God for self discipline and help with things that are close to your heart.
Instant Pot
Am I the last person on Earth to get an Instant Pot?? I received it as a Christmas gift, and I admit that I already love it. It’s perfect for days when time slips away from you and you have nothing thawed out as dinnertime approaches. I love that you can cook frozen chicken breasts in no time using this thing!
I can see how it will help us avoid the expense of convenience foods for sure. It might help you kick that pizza ordering habit!
If you’ve got a favorite recipe, be sure to leave it in the comments! I’d love to try some new foods.
K Cup
We’re really moving up in the world, because Hubby got a Keurig for Christmas, too. 😉 So I immediately bought refillable K-cups. I thought about getting just one, but getting four only cost a little more. And it sure is handy to have another cup already filled and ready to go!
Those are the 5 ways we saved money this week!
Be sure to check out the best financial moves we made in 2017. These things gave us the biggest buck for our efforts!
How did you do this week?
I'm Jamie, and I want to help you afford a beautiful life with your family. 
If you ever decide to publish this weekly series as a book, I would happily buy it. Many of the past posts are thankfully showing up on Pinterest so I can read a few at a time. These weekly tips really make me stop and think before purchasing or tossing anything. Thank you!
These are great tips. I also need to stretch every penny. So thanks for these advice. 🙂 Happy 2018!
Great tips. I also need to stretch every penny. Thanks for these tips. Happy 2018!