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Did you know that only 8% of the world’s currency is actual physical bills and coins?  We definitely live in a digital age.  The fact that we are less and less likely to actually touch our money makes us detached from it.

Does that make you want to use the envelope system more?

I think it’s a good idea to get more intimate with your cash.  But I also think that if we have a habit of using debit cards, that can create more problems.  If your sub conscience is convinced that you have backup cash in the account, you might blow through your cash too quickly.

So what method works best for you?  I think the best practice when it comes to money is following the rule “Know thyself.”

The 5 Ways We’ve Saved Money This Week 106

Ideas for saving money every week

Our family is on a mission to change our money habits.  So each week on Friday we check in and remember the ways we saved money that week.

It’s a bit of encouragement for us, and we hope you’ll find it motivating, too.  If you love money saving tips, check out the entire series of ideas here. 

Or, get your copy of the 500 Ways To Save Money: Build A Cash Jackpot for the Best Things In Life book.

 

Free Printable for Valentine’s Day

I looooove a free printable. It’s a quick (cheap…you do have to pay for the ink and paper) way to spice up the house for the season.

I found this beautiful printable here.  Don’t you love it?  You can find tons of cheap ways to decorate for Valentine’s Day on Pinterest.  (Follow me for new ideas!)

Old Socks

With 14 feet in this house, we go through a ton of socks.  I’d guess that every time I do a load of laundry, I pull at least one sock out that has fulfilled its life and needs to move on to its next purpose.

I keep a big bag in our pantry filled with rags.  I love old socks, because they’re the right size for many jobs.  (Especially for little hands!)  And if a job is especially gross, I don’t feel guilty about throwing the sock away.  There’s always more.

Training my family to grab a rag to clean up a mess rather than a paper towel has saved us hundreds over the course of our marriage.

Toys, Money, and Lessons

Despite the fact that we just celebrated Christmas, all of the kids have an itch to buy themselves that toy they really wanted, but didn’t get.  Most of them have gift cards or cash they’ve been sitting on for a while.  And this is actually a great way to let them learn about money.

When it’s gone, it’s gone.  If you don’t do your research, you could waste money on an inferior product.  And sometimes, you lose a brand new expensive toy.

Well, I would have sworn to you that we were learning that last lesson earlier this week.  But it ended differently than I expected.

Still, all of these are good lessons to learn at a young age when you’re dealing with fun money.  Much better than losing an entire paycheck your family was counting on for food and shelter.

Cook from Scratch

Have you joined the 30 Day Money Challenge?  It’s not too late!

This week, we’re working on cooking from scratch.  It doesn’t have to mean plotting an elaborate cooking session.  For instance, I boiled a pot of eggs for easy grab and go food.  We made cookies, and I’ve got a couple of recipes to use this weekend to stock our shelves.  (Hopefully we aren’t caught in a monster snow storm!)

Set SMART Goals

You might know that we are HUGE fans of SMART goals in our home.  This week, we had our yearly goals meeting.  It was the most exciting one we’ve had in years!  2018 is the year we leave credit cards in the dust.  Learn about some of our new goals here.  (Oh, and find out the new hashtag we’ll be using in a couple of months!!)

A Fresh New Year With New Goals...And A New Hashtag in 2018!

Those are the 5 ways we saved money this week!

Don’t forget, I’m sharing daily money saving tips on Facebook.  Be sure to like Medium Sized Family to keep up with them!

What goals do you have for 2018?