Saving and Earning Money

Ways to Save and Earn Money

My first realization that I was spending too much money was when the car needed to be fixed.  A new alternator costs $500!!! And there was no way I could get a used one without having to pay for towing, which would not make a difference in the price (I had carefully glided into the repair parking lot – literally!).  Coming up with that $500 just 2 weeks after we had gotten married and I had not started my job was difficult, to say the least.

I decided I would start trying to save money.  FAIL.  I needed to write out a PLAN to save money, not just say I would (I’m sure some of you are rolling your eyes, but hey - I’m learning). 

Here is what I did:

1.       Develop an actual budget.

I searched in Google and looked at a lot of other people’s budgets.  I tried a few, but none of them seemed to fit until this spring.  DH and I each have our own “blow” money column, and we also have a column for Miscellaneous (vet, house purchases, picture printing, etc.) 

2.       Use coupons to my advantage.

I discovered moneysavingmom.com and started scouring the ads in the mail for good deals.  Some weeks I do well, other weeks not so much.  I’m still learning.

Thanks http://moneysavingmom.com/ !!

3.       Ask myself ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS before I buy something – DO I REALLY NEED THIS?

I am an impulse buyer.  Always have been and I think that is because I grew up in a small town and to go shopping for clothing you had to drive an hour to another state.  My mom and I would go shopping about every 3 months (once a season) and buy whatever we needed, including clothing and Sam’s club.  I think because of this, I tend to go to the mall or store and buy a lot because I have the mentality that I can’t go back for a while.  This is not true anymore since I now live in a big city.  I must remind myself of this EVERYTIME I shop because I can drive to the store again if I need to.  I also, about every 3 months, still go shopping with my blow money.  I sometimes buy a few too many things for the house, but I'm trying very hard.

What do you do to help yourself save money?  Does having to be accountable to someone else (not your husband – though they might work) help?  Leave a comment below!