Here are some of the ways I have saved money this past week:
1.Got a Christmas gift for $2
I mentioned last week that I am making a “my favorite things box” as one of the gifts for my children this year, so when I saw a great deal on Nutella (which my daughter absolutely loves) I stocked up. This past week, Nutella was a part of Kroger’s Buy 4, Save $4 promotion, so it was only $2.49 for each jar(which is by itself a great price for Nutella). To make the deal even better, I had four coupons for $2 off of each jar, so I ended up buying each jar for just $0.49!
2.Made my own Rotel
Surely I am not the only one who goes to make dinner and realizes I am missing a crucial ingredient?? Well this week, I forgot to pick up a can of Rotel at the store and since I was in the middle of making dinner already, I decided to improvise. I mixed a couple of tablespoons of diced jalapenos(with juice) and about one cup of crushed tomatoes together and it worked out beautifully. So if you ever need Rotel in a pinch, this is a really convenient substitute.
3.Saved money on auto insurance
Do you ever continue to do something simply because you are just used to doing it and never stop to question if its a good or a bad thing? Well I am coming to realize, that if you want to save money in the long run, you really have to watch the little amounts because they do add up.
A few years ago, I had just opened my car insurance renewal letter and noticed underneath the balance due, there was a lot of hard-to-read fine print. Apparently, my car insurance company had been charging me a $3.50 per month installment fee that “allowed” me to pay for my insurance on a monthly basis. **I guess I had noticed it before, but it really sunk in that day that I was being charged over $40 a year just to pay in smaller amounts. Well I quickly changed my ways, now I pay my auto insurance premiums twice a year and save myself $20 each time I do. Quick and easy savings!
4.Suggested useful gifts
Every year around this time, my family members start to ask me what my children would like for Christmas and every year it stumps me. My kids (like many American children) have way too much stuff as it is. So this year, I am encouraging my extended family to give things my children both need and want.
I decided to include this as one of my frugal things because while my kids are getting a present that they would both want and need, it also saves me from buying it for them myself. For instance, we have one footstool in our house and everyday my daughter tries to steal it from me (not happening Emma!) when I leave the room. So when my sister asked what Emma would like for Christmas, I told her that she would love to have her own footstool. **Yes my sister probably looked at me strange:) But she will really and truly love to have her own footstool and it saves me from having to buy her one also. So that is definitely frugal in my book!
5.Bartered with my mom
Moms are great and my mom is the best! Throughout the year, my mom allows me to barter with her for random things I run out and do not feel like running to the store to buy. Of course my mom would give me whatever I need if I asked her for it, but it is way more fun to trade for things. It kind of makes me feel like I am a pioneer or something:)
This week, I traded some babysitting time for frozen broccoli and farm fresh eggs, both of which I happened to need for dinner that night. (**True story, one time I traded her a loaf of pumpkin bread for a package of toilet paper, I don’t know who got the better end out of that bargain!!)
So what did you do to save money this week? If you do like to barter, what is the strangest thing you have traded for?
The Thrifty Educator 