Dollars & Sense

I wish I could claim that I came up with that title all on my own but it's from a great book I highly recommend reading!


David and I are currently working toward a more healthy financial situation and I know we're not alone. Below you'll find some of the ways David and I are trying to make more sense with our dollars (I love bad puns, don't you?).


1. Tithe! The Bible is clear about tithing. "Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, 'In what way have we robbed You?' In tithes and offerings....Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be food in MY house, And try Me now in this," Says the Lord of Hosts "If I will not open for you the window of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it." Malachi 3:8,10


Does this mean we should tithe just because the Lord promises to bless us? Certainly Not! Tithe joyfully because you're being obedient to the Lord.


2. Take leftovers for lunch. This saves so much money on eating out and buying food just for lunches. Rarely will David and I make some especially for lunch.


3. Menu Plan! Organizing Junkie has a great carnival called Menu Plan Monday! I don't menu plan on my blog every Monday but there are a gazillion people who do.


Menu planning has helped me be more intentional with my grocery shopping, control impulse spending, be more organized while I shop and it's also helped me save a TON of money.


4. My family shops at Wal-Mart for all of our groceries. The main reason we shop there is because they will match competitor ads. So not only do we get already low prices and deals from coupons but we also get what ever GREAT deals are going on at other area grocery stores. For example: I making my menu and comparing competitor ads to what I had on my list and stumbled upon a sale on grapefruit, 4 for $1. When I got to Wal-Mart I was stunned to see that WM had them on sale for $.78 each! EACH! I loaded those puppies up and saved bookoo dollars.


5. This is my favorite grocery store tip: write your list on the front of an envelope! In the envelope store all of the coupons you need for the trip, the comptitor ads as well as the cash you need to pay with. This has helped keep my sanity more than a dozen times. When you're shopping with a husband and child who can't WAIT to get out of there, it helps to have all your ducks in a row.

- I try to organize my list by isle.

- I write a 'c' if I have a coupon.

- I write the name of the competitors store and the price if I have an ad to compare it to.

Let me show you what my list usually looks like:


Milk - Tom Thumb 2/$6
Eggs - c
Bread
Bananas - Carnival $.38/lb

...and so on.


6. We make our own laundry soap.

This is everything you need.

Mix 1cup of Borax, 1cup of Arm & Hammer WASHING SODA (not baking soda) and one grated bar of Fels Naptha. When grating the soap, use the grater that's about the size you'd use for Parmesan cheese. Use 1 Tbs for a small load or lightly soiled load. Clumsy people (like me), messy people (my husband) and children (Ethan) should probably use 2 Tbs per load. I always wash mine in hot water to make sure the soap dissolves (which has never been a problem) and to make sure I kill lots and lots of germs.

I cannot find these ingredients at Wal-Mart or Target but my local Kroger carries all three.

Another website that I found estimates that making your own detergent this way costs only $.02 per load. Talk about savings!!!!

7. Use a hand towel, mop and old rags instead of paper towels. Not only does this save you money but it makes the earth a cleaner place.

8. Do you REALLY need all those channels on the tv? We have found that since we've dropped our cable we've started saving $40 a month and we've been spending more time together as a family. There's so much trash on there anyway. Now I know in February they are going to be switching to all digital - if you must get cable try to get only your local channels. David and I did this for a while and it only cost us $15 per month.

9. Replace your air filters! This will increase efficiency.

10. Remember that infants and children have no label sensitivities (unless you instill it). You can save a lot during these years by using hand-me-downs or buying at secondhand stores.

11. All parents need to have a date night. You can dramatically cut the cost of going out by trading babysitting time with another family. Ship the little one off for an evening with your friends, stop by the library and pick up a free movie. Then, go home, pop some popcorn, get cozy throw blanket and have a romantic night in.

12. Christmas and birthdays don't sneak up every year so get ahead of the game by buying throughout the year.

13. Use the same tactic when you find out you're expecting a baby. You have nine months to stock up on diapers, wipes and other necessities, so every time you go grocery shopping get your pocket book used to the expense by buying a pack of diapers and a pack of wipes every time you go. After nine months of doing this, you'll have a pretty good stock pile. Oh, and don't forget to vary the sizes, you little one won't stay a newborn forever!

14. Want to do something with the girls without breaking the bank? My friends and I get up early on a Saturday morning and head out to garage sales. Coffee in hand we bargain shop until we drop then head out to the local antique mall for some giggles (we laugh at the ridiculous things, who really needs a painting of a half naked monkey? Really...). About noon or so, we head out for an inexpensive lunch. Lunch costs waaaay less than dinner. Don't forget to split the cost of gas with whoever drives. Kate, this means I owe you BIG TIME!

Well...I think I've made this long enough!

Happy Savings!!!!