Fried. My brain is fried. It’s been a long week here! This Mama is fully embracing the TGIF attitude today.
I try to stay ahead of the schedule of my blog, but I’m not too proud to admit that I’m sitting here on a Thursday night contemplating skipping this week’s episode of the 5 Ways We’ve Saved Money This Week. But I’m powering through!
Grab a cup of coffee and let’s talk about some frugal ways to save money. Go here to read older editions of this series.
Here are the 5 Ways We’ve Saved Money This Week.
DIY Bee Traps. I know, I’m all for saving the bees, too. But when you’re camping with 17 kids and the food table is absolutely swarmed with bees, you have to take drastic measures. We looked up bee traps from the hardware store, and they had some for $5. But then we realized that the bees were already super interested in the juice some kids had left behind. Why not use that to our advantage?
We took a sandwich bag and rubber banded it around the cup. Then we poked a hole in the top. The bees got in for the tasty treat, but they weren’t able to find the exit quite as easily.
It wasn’t foolproof, but it worked surprisingly well. We didn’t have any little fingers stung, and that was the goal!
Asked for a discount. Hubby needed tires in the worst way. He shopped around and found the best price. Unfortunately, the store he chose didn’t have the tires in stock. So he waited a day to save $100.
That was pretty great, but he also asked about any discounts at the checkout. His final bill ended up being much lower than we’d anticipated because of some patience and unadvertised deals.
#yearofno. Despite my desire to keep up with shopping and run a well stocked pantry (read why I don’t participate in pantry challenges here), I am skipping my grocery trip this pay period. We have had a very expensive month that requires some replenishing of our savings.
We also have more than enough food on hand that skipping a big trip won’t empty any cupboards.
We did make a quick run, but I made sure to keep myself in check. No matter how great the deal was, it was a bigger savings this time to say no. No to sales, no to clearance, no to the yummy extras the family wanted this time. (Yes to money in the bank.)
Scoured Pinterest. Yes, I have a love/hate relationship with Pinterest. Sometimes it makes me green eyed and creates a longing to upgrade my home. Other times, it’s the perfect place to find ways to get a great look without spending a lot of cash.
This time I was looking for ways to get some new Halloween decor around here without spending money. (Our #yearofno motto means that we are trying to spend $0 whenever possible.) I was able to find 13 different frugal ways to decorate! Check them all out here.
Camping. Our family actually enjoys camping, and it’s a great low-cost way to enjoy time together. My entire family likes to go on a multi-family camp out each year. We send around a list of all of the food we’ll need to feed the whole crew all weekend. No sense in everyone bringing duplicates of things.
I chose to sign up for the items that I always have around anyway. That meant fewer things to buy at the grocery store. The weather was perfect, and it was fun to get everyone together for a couple of days.
Those are the 5 Ways We’ve Saved Money This Week!
Be sure to tune in next week for the big one! Week number 52 means that I’ve accumulated a full year’s worth of 5 Ways posts on this blog. That’s a milestone I’ve been aiming for since the beginning! Don’t miss it.
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I'm Jamie, and I want to help you afford a beautiful life with your family. 
The bee traps are genius!!
Love the bee trap. My kid is terrified of bugs, so I’ll need to remember that.
Also, we skimped on the grocery store trips a bit lately because we’ve realized that we had accumulated a bit too much in the freezer and pantry. We could use a clean out, so I’m hoping October will be a low grocery month.
You’re still saving the bees – those aren’t honeybees, they are yellow jackets. 🙂 Mean, nasty things this time of year where we live. The queens swarm and the ones left in the nest get no food brought back to them, and they get hangry. Very, very hangry. (Per the pest control guy who had to come take care of a nest in a pipe in our front porch, after my dog was stung multiple times just for laying on the porch near their flight path.) Quite the ingenious trap, too! I may try this next year during BBQs!
If you try it, apple juice trapped more than orange juice or Dr. Pepper. We had some scientists at the campout. 😉
I totally understand the love/ hate relationship with Pinterest. I’ve finally started to care less about home decor though. As much as I want to decorate, I want financial fitness even more! I know you get it!
I love to read your tips each week. As I’m currently in between jobs I need to cut down on my expenses. Finding awesome tips is helping me out a lot.
awesome ways to save money. I have heard of the bee traps never made one though may next year. I have made fly traps though and they work great. I love the tire deal any time save money on something needed is awesome
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Love reading these posts, glad you powered through! = )
Jamie, These are all great! I know the asking if there are any specials when purchasing certain things pays off. There usually are. Glad you were able to save so much when having to spend on such things.