SAVINGS!

Today's post is all about savings. One thing I've learned over my past few years of marriage is that saving money is hard, unless you equip yourself with the right tools. There is so much great information today on how to save money, but you won't do yourself any favors if you aren't ready to make changes. Something I took the time to do the other day was write down every single bill that I have, write down the due date next to it and compile a list of what needs to be paid each day and within the week. One thing that has helped with that is that I went and got a day planner that is crazy OCD with planning your life down to bathroom breaks, (not really, but you could) and it has done wonders. Even though I've only had it for about a month. Not to mention how adorable it is! Seriously, what does Target sell that doesn't immediately scream "Buy me, Holly! Buy me!!" So, don't go to Target if you're wanting to save money. You won't be able to stop yourself. Seriously, just don't risk it.

This Day Planner was worth every cent though. It is amazing how just physically writing things down on paper have helped me map out my weeks. Another useful tool is this book. I honestly haven't read all of it but the things that I have read that pertain to my life have really made me think about my finances and how I can better my family. Even if you don't have kids, are recently married and both spouse's are working, are single, you can benefit from reading this book and learning how to save yourself money.  

Another useful thing you can do to save yourself some extra cash is to write down your list of expenses that aren't bills, so to speak. Do you go out to dinner each weekend? Do you spend money on clothes every month? The list can go on and on. And on. And on some more. Until you realize, my money has disappeared... What you can do is take away those things that you don't NEED every month. Now don't get me wrong, it is important to have date nights with your spouse, but find ways that cost less money. Take out that monthly shopping trip and put a smaller amount of money aside so that you can go on a quarterly shopping spree. There are seriously endless possibilities to save yourself just the smallest amount of money each month. But it all adds up in the end. Who wouldn't want to save an extra $500 every year. Or even every 6 months. 

Couponing and looking for deals at your local grocery stores is great as well. Coupons.com is a great resource. You can also get the Sunday paper and clip coupons from them as well. Walmart is really good at price checking items from different grocery stores. Dealstomeals.com is also an excellent website. They compile a list of items that are marked down from every grocery store in your area. Something that I have been doing is getting freezer meals put together about every 8 weeks. THAT helps like crazy. I've also been using my crock pot a lot, which cuts costs on my gas bill every month :) A great website for healthy crock pot freezer meals is https://newleafwellness.biz  She has some excellent ebooks that I am super excited to use this next week! This really helps too if you are having a new baby, like me, in a couple months! 

You've got to have the right attitude about it though. Slugging through it isn't going to do you or anyone any good. You have to have the right mindset about things and stick to it. Seriously, if I can do it, you can. I am by no means an expert at savings, but just these small ways have helped enormously! I can't even begin to describe my sense of relief by just planning my life out each week and month. Just remember to be have a good attitude and to stick it to the man. 

Holly