Every year around early fall and also in mid winter, I get the bug to stop spending money. This is probably because I’m so into my home projects that I go crazy in the warm and sunny months completing as many projects as I can.
This summer was no different. I completely re-decorated my downstairs and also redid all non-carpeted flooring in my house and one bathroom. While I made sure to never go negative on my spending, I’m ready to go positive for a few months and get that savings back up.
Here’s what I’ve done in the past and plan on doing again. Let me know if you have tips as well!
- No large purchases – At this point most of my spending is because of large items, tables, couches, etc. Since there is really no room in my house for any new items, I’m saying no large purchases (which includes outdoor furniture which is my next project area).
- Limit random spending to $25/weekend – I’ve learned that since having my house I’m always ‘needing’ something new. I also know it’s impossible to knock out all of my spending, so I’m giving myself a small limit to get random items that come up. –I finally found placemats and towels that match my kitchen after looking for five months! That’s where my money went this weekend.
- Take advantage of freebies and rewards – With all of my redecorating earlier this year, I racked up some rewards points at Wayfair and was actually notified that my points would be expiring soon. So, I looked around the site and found bought a kitchen knife (we’ve been looking for good knifes). The rewards I had covered the expense and shipping! I also signed up for some of those mail freebies which is something I did last year and got quite a bit of stuff. The main things that stand out are 5 packages of Nesquick mix and 4 tea k-cups.
- Clean out the cupboard and freezer (and use the items) – Like most people, I’ve gotten in the rut of buying groceries without using all of the groceries I have in my house. Many times, the items I’m restocking are processed easy to prepare foods which is not good on so many levels. So part of my savings this month is to use up as much of the food I have on hand without going to the store except for a few perishable items. I’ve done this in the past and it’s very helpful to save from spending and helps me to eat healthier, and helps with refreshing the cabinets and avoiding expiration dates.
- Ditching recurring payments – Some other things I’ve done or plan on doing once contracts are up is unsubscribing from television, Netflix, and security monthly recurring fees. With videos, there are so many ways to watch that there is no need to pay a recurring fee for methods I don’t ever use. And with the security, I feel that managing on my own will be just as safe as if it was managed by a company because I really just need to know if something has gotten into my house before me so I don’t walk in. If I’m already home then either way I’d be out of luck.
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