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Here are the money saving techniques you need to save your poor, busted budget in this awful economy.

Well, here we are again. After months of being encouraged to “buy, buy, BUY!”, we are all now in the hangover period that leaves us wondering…

How did this happen AGAIN?!

Saving money is more important than ever.

Unfortunately, we live in bodies that constantly want to do things that our brains know darned well aren’t good for us.

…and surrounded by people that think you’re weird if you celebrate spending less at the grocery store. (Are you doing alright, sweetie? Do you need a little extra cash this month?)

The truth is that saving money is just like dieting. There’s not a secret to it (no matter what people try to tell you).

When you diet, you need to eat less and move more.

When you budget, you need to never allow yourself to spend all of the money you bring in.

Sure, it’s simple. But no one is saying it’s easy!

And maybe what you really need is a few tricks, tools, and ways of looking at things in a new light to help you make it stick THIS time.

The Money Saving Techniques That Will REALLY Build Your Savings This Year

1. Part Time Job? Maybe Not…

Sometimes getting a part time job is a great way to build up your savings account.

But maybe you don’t really need one.

Adding a part time job means more stress, more eating out to compensate, maybe more babysitting costs? It can add to expenses and take away from your health in a number of ways.

But what if I told you there was another way?

(I’m so hip and with it!)

Instead of working for someone else, dedicate a few hours of your weekend to yourself and your family.

With that time you can…

  • meal plan
  • cook in bulk (try these easy make ahead foods)
  • make a couple of loaves of bread
  • hang laundry to dry
  • develop a talent to make homemade gifts for people (knit, bake, woodwork, jewelry, etc.) Combine your hobby and gift budgets!
  • garden
  • organize your home so you can easily find things (so you don’t buy something you already have!)

2. Quit Wasting Food

This became my number one money saving tip last year.

One day, I finally got fed up with throwing away food.

It just eats you up to spend all that money at the grocery store (double what it used to be) only to carry it home, put it away, cook it, and then THROW IT IN THE TRASH??

Why??

For me, I find that there are a few things that are the worst offenders for wasted food:

  • Buying an unusual ingredient with good intentions to use it (never happens).
  • Getting extra perishable foods because they were on a GREAT sale (goes bad too quickly).
  • Making too much for supper, forgetting about it, and finding the science experiment in the back of the fridge a few weeks later. (Which adds a nice “extra gross” layer to the guilt of tossing food.)
  • Having TOO many options for the kids, so they only gravitate towards their favorite snacks/cereal/etc. Several boxes get open all at once and things go stale.

So here are some habits I’ve developed to try to put an end to all of that waste.

  • When deciding on supper, start with what you already have in the fridge. (Serve leftovers or upgrade those leftover noodles into a yummy soup, etc.)
  • Toss that bowl of leftover rice into the freezer to use later. Chop up the leftover chicken and freeze it for White Chicken Chili later.
  • Find other ways to preserve your food. Dehydrate apple rings. Learn how to water bath can your own foods.

Use this free printable food waste chart to track your progress! (Only we’re gonna call it a food SAVER chart because we’re being all positive and stuff.)

Fill it out the way that works for you, but this could be a great way to take notes on both what is getting tossed out (so you don’t buy it that way next time) as well as creative ways you used up something so you remember it next time you have a bowl of refried beans you need to use (or whatever).

3. Plan Your Year

Don’t ask me how this works, but somehow there are things that happen every single year that still manage to catch you off guard.

Like…”what? The government wants me to pay for these car tags again??”

Or “Summer camp costs HOW much this year??”

And maybe even “Christmas already??”

brown Christmas gift

Heck, it’s even weird stuff that’s pretty family specific. My family gets sick WITHOUT FAIL every.single.November. Like clockwork.

Don’t ask me why, and I try pumping them full of vitamins every year but so far it’s not worked.

If I was a truly honest person, I’d add more budget for healthcare in November because I know it’s coming.

So be a truly honest person. It’s good for you.

And it will help your budget.

Now if you’re having trouble thinking of those things that pop up every year, that’s ok. You can start now to have a better next year.

As the year goes, just keep track of those random things that pop up each month. And next year voila…you have a handy chart ready to go so you can plan ahead as much as possible.

For people like me that are sure to lose all of those well intentioned junk mail envelopes that you keep your precious notes on, might I suggest that you try this cheap budget planner instead?

It’s got all the spaces you need to make your notes as the year goes.

And it’s way harder to lose a stapled together planner (or heck, grab a colorful binder so you have more trouble losing it!) than all of those scraps of paper.

4. Stop Consuming

Look, I’m not anti-consumer at all. I’m not even a minimalist.

(One look in my living room would bring that assumption to a screaming halt.)

But I’m definitely the type that doesn’t like cleaning stuff.

Also the type to be tired of hauling out 7 bags of crap “other people’s treasure” to St. Vincent de Paul…only to come home and find ANOTHER 7 bags of crap treasure that needs to go.

It makes me think of the way my great-grandmother must have lived. There’s no way she had all of this stuff!

She didn’t need “stuff” to make her feel fulfilled. She already had a full life, and she knew that hard work and loving your family is the stuff life is really made of.

So here’s a money saving technique that definitely works for me:

I try really hard to follow a few rules when it comes to shopping.

  • Instead of going to Amazon, I open add whatever-it-is to my shopping list app.
  • Then I ponder on it for a little while. Do we actually need this thing?
  • During the pondering period I might find a replacement in my own house. Or someone has one they’ll give me (or swap me). Sometimes after sleeping on it, I decide we don’t even really need the darned thing.
  • IF we actually do need the gadget, next I decide:
    • How quickly do we need it?
    • Does it have to be brand new?
  • Because 9 times out of 10, I can wait to find a deal at the thrift shop. (You wouldn’t believe the nice stuff you can find at a cheap price there! And so much of it can go through the dishwasher or laundry and be good as new.)

This little process has cut down on our shopping by at least half.

I find that going to the thrift shop twice a month costs me around $40. Prior to that, shopping at Walmart (etc) once a month started at $100.

Yikes. That’s a significant savings for not a lot of effort.

5. Carry Cash

I know the D.R. guy talks about cash envelopes all the time. And if you are a super visual type that will see that cash diminish and will DO SOMETHING about it, that’s the plan for you, for sure!

But if you’re like me and rely on your debit card a lot (even though you know you shouldn’t, for a lot of reasons, but cash just spends TOO easily, which might not make sense but that’s the reality you just have to face), you might need a reminder that carrying some cash is still a good idea.

There are places out there that will give you a discount for using cash (like this restaurant we enjoy sometimes on date night!).

Also, when paying for car repairs or shopping at a Mom and Pop shop, you can ask if they have cash discounts.

Those cards come with hefty fees, and we all win when no one has to pay them.

6. Get A Little Obsessive

Smartphones are great, blah, blah, blah, but I just don’t like technology all that much.

You know how opposites attract? Well, my Hubby believes “there’s an app for that” for just about everything. Meanwhile, I believe an app should provide a Powerpoint presentation as to why it’s worth taking up space on my phone.

(Here are some apps that I DO have, because they actually do make me some money.)

Anyway, one app that I did finally load is a budgeting app. (Right now I use Mint, but they are getting ready to switch to new owners…so I’m considering trying out You Need A Budget instead.)

Whatever budget app you choose to use, you really have to LOOK at it.

And I mean, look at it EVERY day!

It will help you track your spending in a whole new way. It’s so good to know that your grocery budget is going over month after month.

(Because then you can pivot…maybe cancel a subscription or two so you can add that money to the grocery budget instead.)

Or you could even put on the brakes ON TIME for once! And know that you better not stop at the golden arches any more this month, because you already tapped out your fast food money.

I saw a movie about an abbey full of cloistered nuns, and one of them said “People look at the bars and think they’re there to keep us in. But, in fact, they are there to keep the world OUT.”

So think of your budget that same way!

It’s not a prison meant to make you miserable about spending money.

Instead, it’s a tool that helps you KEEP more of that hard earned money, so you don’t become a slave to those unforgiving credit card companies.

7. Get Ahead At Work

What can you do to improve your work situation?

Ideally, you are already positioning yourself for a raise, bonus, or promotion.

Hopefully you are already a reliable worker and try your best to make your place of employment a better place for everyone to be.

After all, your boss knows he can train you for the job he wants to give you. So it isn’t always about the skills you have.

But it IS always about how you relate to others.

Maybe grab a copy of the old reliable book, How To Win Friends and Influence People. (Did you know it was written in the 1930s?? I had no idea. But the ideas are as usable today as they were back then.)

And if you aren’t the breadwinner, support the one who is!

These money saving techniques are just what you need to change your finances in the new year!

Grab your copy of the budget planner now to get the year off to the right start.