Saving money is something that seems to be the topic of conversation lately. Changing three daily habits can immediately start to save you money every day. While these three habit changes take some effort, they will drastically and positively affect your daily spending and monthly costs. Deciding to make frugality a lifestyle will get your finances where you need them to be.
Stop the Fast Food Routine
Getting fast food can be quick and convenient. However, it is disastrous to your monthly finances. Think about how much you spend on fast good meals each week for your family. It can add up quickly in a year’s time. If you can cut out most of the fast food stops and cook at home, you will save an astounding amount of money. At the same time, you will be able to control what goes into your food and how it is handled. In addition to saving money, cooking dinners at home will positively reflect on your family unit.
Make You Own Lunches
It seems simple enough to say it, but making your own lunches each day is an easy way to stop those daily costs. With a little preparation, you can have nearly the same diverse lunches that you may be purchasing each day. If you are spending $6 to $10 each day for lunches, beverages, and a pick me up snack for a five-day workweek, those purchases add up to $30 to $50 a week. That is an astonishing $1560 to $2600 a year!
Buy the lunch items at the grocery store and prepare them at home for a fraction of the costs. Don’t forget those bottled waters and other beverages you are buying from vending machines or corner stores either. Those are marked up to a premium, wallet-draining price. Simply buying a case of bottled waters or other beverages will save you huge amounts of money each month. Try this and watch your savings add up each week.
Get it While It’s Hot
Even if you have no desire to become a coupon shopper, you can use some couponing habits to your benefit without any clipping or printing. Coupon shoppers know to stock up when a deal is cheap enough. Grocery stores are constantly having sale promotions, and taking advantage of those promotions will save you money in the end, while stocking your freezer or cabinets.
The first step is to decide what you think is a good price for an item. For example, if your local grocery store has boneless skinless chicken breasts on sale for $1.99 per pound, grab a few pounds at once instead of a single meal. Just toss the extra in your freezer for later. This will give you the chance to maximize your savings on the chicken right now. When you are ready for another chicken dinner, you will not have to buy it at a higher price when the discounts have passed along.
This post marks a new milestone for Family Freelancer! It’s our first guest post! Have a question or comment for me or Anne Marie? Just leave it in the comments below! Have a great weekend!
As much as I know it is bad for me I have a weakness for fast food. Really trying hard to stay away but we still seem to get it once a week.
One thing that can help is learning to re-create some of your favorite fast food splurges at home. If they can cook it in a fast food kitchen, you’ve likely got the equipment to replicate it at home. And if they can do it fast, you probably can too! Thanks for stopping in! Hope to hear more from you!