Our family celebrates St. Nick day on December 6th each year. The kids wake up to find a small stocking full of candy. This year I was able to find some old fashioned candies at the local Five and Dime store. It was no more expensive than most candy at the store, so I grabbed some. It made the day more special!
We don’t go all out to celebrate the day. But any day that begins with chocolate is awesome in my book.
Every Friday we celebrate by looking back at the ways we saved money this week. You can read through all the older posts in this series by clicking here.
Time for a brand new…
5 Ways We’ve Saved Money This Week
I Brake for Loss Leaders
On my way to an appointment, I passed a grocery store I don’t typically shop. They had a big flashing sign advertising ground beef for just $1.69. I haven’t seen it that cheap in ages! The catch was that you had to buy 10 pounds at a time. For a family of 7, that isn’t too much.
On the way home, I decided the deal was too good to pass up. We stopped in and grabbed a roll. It will last us a while. And my son got a big kick out of carrying a huge roll of burger through the store.
Comparison Shop
It’s easy to just want to be done with shopping. But hunting for the best deal can be a good use of time. This week I used Ebates to help me comparison shop. I found a decent deal on clothes for my preteen boys. But with a little more shopping, I saved $20 on those gifts by looking at a lesser known site. Plus I’ll get my cash back!
Basketball
We have two kids playing on basketball teams and one cheerleader. Basketball in our area is expensive. We’re charged a ticket fee to go in and see our kids play. Supporting our kids is important, but it’s a steep cost to pay when you’re involved in 4 games per weekend with a large family.
We decided to split up for at least one basketball game. We’ll take turns going to see some of the kids play. Other games, we’ll accept the price and go as a family.
The benefit is that the kids are getting exercise in the cold and dark of the wintertime. I’m not sure how much longer we’ll continue to play this sport due to the expense.
Christmas Mantel
I enjoy writing for A Budget Friendly Life. This time she challenged me to put together a Christmas mantel for under $20. Now, I’m no designer. I grab some things from craft shows and display them for years without changing. So this pushed me out of my comfort zone.
I’m so glad I did it! The mantel looks festive, and we’re all enjoying the new look. Check out the post here, where you can also see how the kids crafted the sparkling snowflakes.
Redeemed Points
This one is my favorite because the Hubby came up with it! He collects points from Speedway, which is a gas station. Then he swipes his card when he buys gas, plus he uses the card in the convenience store (although we’ve cut back on buying convenience foods and drinks quite a bit!)
He was able to turn in his points and redeemed them for a $25 Amazon gift card. We’ll be using that to buy Christmas gifts and avoid more credit card debt. I love how many ways we’ve added to our Christmas fund this year. I love staying out of debt even more!
Those are the 5 Ways We’ve Saved Money This Week.
Staying out of debt while giving Christmas gifts is tough, but I’m finding it very rewarding! How are you saving money this week?
Geez, I wonder if there are other, less expensive basketball options you can explore. I played tons of basketball at the Y as a kid, and other kids did city parks rec leagues, Boys and Girls club and church league ball.
We enjoyed the Y, but our bigger boys have outgrown their teams. 🙁
I also have points built up at Speedway from gas purchases. I love that reward he got!
I was thinking to myself, did we have spend that much money on basketball when my oldest was playing? I then realized it was just her. One expense at the time. I couldn’t imagine four. I’m glad you found somewhat of a solution. I hope that they can continue to play if possible. It’s so good for kids to be involved in something they love.
These are all great ways to save! I love comparing prices at different stores. It definitely takes more time, but the savings make it worth it.
Your mantel looks terrific!
🙂 Thanks so much.
I think it’s crazy that you have to pay to watch your own kids play a sport! That’s just wrong! At least you’ve figured out a way to make it work for your family 🙂
Thanks so much for sharing with us at Share The Wealth Sunday!
I usually mutter something like that under my breath as I pull out my wallet. 😉
Jamie, if anyone can figure out how to make an account that you can devote just to the kids basketball costs it’s you! You have figured out some brilliant ways to save and make money, I am always astounded at the different ways you save. Thanks for sharing them all with us. The holiday mantle looks beautiful. You sure made $20 go a long way!