Monday, July 13, 2015

Staycation!

We are doing our fair share of travel this summer.  My husband has out of town conferences for work so I go with him.  After all, the gas mileage and hotels are already paid for.  But mixing play and work is often more stressful than fun and your place of travel is chosen for you.  Not that I complain when it is to where my family lives.

Another way we are trying to save money this year is by staying home.  People come from all over the world to visit my house (okay not my house, but the region) so why shouldn't I visit it as well?

We call it Tourist Tuesday. Every Tuesday we pick a new place to go explore. Whether it's a hike, museum, park, or a walk around the neighborhood, we're enjoying seeing the place we call home. Picking a day in the middle of the week means smaller crowds as well.

What's in your neighborhood?

Wednesday, July 1, 2015

30 Days of Thinking


I don't know about you, but sometimes I get a really big list of wants- expensive wants.  Well, instead of taking out the credit card and running to the store, I take out a 3x5 card and write them. Then I prioritize what I want first, search for good deals, and just plain wait.

I recently learned there is a thing called the 30 day challenge.  When you find something you "just got to have" you write it down and wait 30 days.  If you still want it- and have the money- then buy it.

I had five expensive (more than $50) things I wanted a few months back.  I knew we could not afford them all. So I wrote them down with about how much they would cost depending.

Printer $80 on sale
Carpet cleaner $90 on sale
specific preschool curriculum $190 for 2 yrs)
food dehydrator 60-100+ on sale
freezer 200+

Here is what happen:

 I had already waited a long time for a printer- ours stopped working.  Instead my awesome husband spent some time fixing it.  Instead of $80 we spent $13.

Carpet cleaner- Wait, all I want to do is clean a chair.  I will ask around and find one I can borrow.

Preschool lessons- Um, I graduated in Early Childhood Development. I know how to write my own lesson plans.  Bought a $4 book with activity ideas specific to the curriculum I liked.

Food dehydrator- still want, but it is the beginning of spring. I don't need it yet.  It can wait.

Freezer.  It was a long wait to get a second freezer!  I had a month to look at reviews, prices, space in our apartment, etc.  Yup, it's got ordered as soon as possible!

Giving myself some time to think about my wants saved us hundreds of dollars. Doing it with small items helps too!

What ideas do you have to save money?