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This week we had a family emergency that made it necessary for my Hubby and one of our sons to make a sudden trip a couple of states away.  If you need a compelling reason to get out of debt, this is the one.  Who wants to worry about covering expenses at a time like that?

Getting out of debt has been a real struggle, because so many emergencies and repair bills seem to crop up when you have the best intentions.  But even more important than seeing our debt number shrink to $0 has been getting out of the habit of using credit cards.  So at least we have that going for us.

Since it’s Friday, it’s time for a review of the 5 Ways We’ve Saved Money This Week.  This series has been running for months.  So if you’d like to read previous issues, check them out here.

Meanwhile, here’s the brand new…

5 Ways We’ve Saved Money This Week

5 Ways We've Saved Money This Week 58 - An entire series of money saving tips.

Hotel

The emergency meant that Hubby would have to find a place to stay the night.  Thankfully, he found a good deal on hotels.com.  He was able to find a good rate on a place that served a free breakfast in the morning.

Donations

Our church hosts a craft show each November.  I love to go and support our local crafters, plus it helps bring in some needed funds for our church.  With our #yearofno firmly in place, shopping wasn’t an option this year.  But I still found a way to help.  I baked an apple pie and our son made a pan of brownies that they were able to sell on a baked goods sale.  So we did our part!

Canned Goods

Our schools do a food drive, and I knew it was coming up.  So a few weeks ago, I began searching for bargain sales on non-perishable products.  I found plenty of good deals and stocked up so my kids could fill their classroom boxes.

Giveaway

You know I’m a fan of giveaways!  I don’t know if this one saved me money yet, or not.  But I often tell you about giveaways I’ve already won.  This time, I want you to have a chance to get in on it.

I’ve taken some amazing classes and read some awesome books and resources on blogging that have made all the difference in my success (small though it may be right now!).  I’ve had my eye on the Write Your Way to Your First $1K course.  It’s designed for bloggers and people who’d like to become freelance writers.  If you’d like to bring in some extra income, this might be perfect for you!

The course is normally $97, so I’d really like to win it.  If you use my link here, I’ll get an extra 5 entries.  So no, it’s not totally selfless of me to share this giveaway!  But in the future I plan to share other big giveaways as I enter them so you can have a chance to share your success stories in the comments.

Saving money on clothes

Goodwill Dress

I walked into our Goodwill on half price day, and there hung a pretty little dress like it was waiting for me.  I checked it out, and it was just the right size for our little girl!  This girl loves to wear dresses.  (I do, too.  On my wedding day…)

Her birthday is within a couple of days of Christmas, so this will become a gift for one occasion or the other.  She’ll love it, and there’s no way she cares what store her dress came from.  Wish me luck that that’s still the case when she’s a teenager.

Those are the 5 Ways We’ve Saved Money This Week.

We’d love some prayers for my Hubby’s family if you’re the praying type.

Be sure to check out my list of Cheap Gift Ideas.  People get tired of the candle, body wash, and blanket routine.  I’ve got 14 different ideas that won’t bust your budget.

14 Cheap Gift Ideas Guaranteed to Be Winners. Need cheap gift ideas for your Yankee Swap, Dirty Santa, White Elephant, or whatever you call it? These gifts also work for teachers, coworkers, or anyone you want to show some appreciation to (without going into debt). Some different ideas here.

I also pulled together a resource page for getting debt free.  I’ll be sharing all of the tips and tricks our family has used to finally make headway in our fight against debt this year.  I plan to keep this updated, so pin it so you can check back often.

Money Problems? Get the Insider Scoop on Paying Off Debt. This blogger is laying it all out while her family digs their way out of debt. They've made big strides in debt payoff in 2016, and next year looks even more promising! Get advice from someone who is in the trenches with you.

How did you save money this week?