Ways we are saving money

Since March, my husband and I have really been trying to spend less/save more money. We have done the usual:

• coupons
• deals
• not eating out
• menu planning
• growing a garden
• and more...

But there are also some more "outside of the box" things we have been working on that have really helped. I know I am not the first to come up with these, but they are simple and small things that can easily be overlooked, but can make a big impact!

• homemade dish detergent
• using the dishwasher less. it has been easy in the past to just throw everything in. and it has been easy in the past to run 2 loads a day. with just 2 of us! that had to stop! we are better about washing bigger things and things that were hardly used, things that are just easier to wipe clean in the same amount of time as rinsing and loading.
  
• using washcloths instead of paper towels to clean messes
• recycling (this saves money because we do not have to take our trash to the curb as often)
• composting (same as above, as well as both being environmentally friendly)
• using a deep freezer to cook in bulk and stockpile foods when they are on special.
  
• reusing paper towels. we do still have them on hand, and I like to wash and dry fresh lettuce before making a salad. then I dry the towels and use them a few days later when I get more lettuce from the garden.
• reusing dryer sheets for dusting
• making my own baby food

Things I have thought about doing to save money, but am not totally convinced yet to do (I do believe that time and effort equal money too):

• cloth diapering
• drying clothes outside on lines
• making all my food from scratch
  

Savings Dilemma

Here is the dilemma: my savings percentage.

I try to keep good track of my receipts so I can look at all that I am spending, and all that I am saving. I know I am saving by spending less, but I know that it helps me to look at the bottom of a receipt (one from a store that keeps track of how much was saved based on sales and coupons, etc) and track how much I saved versus how much I spent.

I am getting ready to finalize all my spending from the month of May and officially write out my goals for June. As I have been looking over my last month of spending, I know I have done a lot better at spending less money (while still getting everything we need) but my savings percentage has gone down a good bit this last month. I know a part of this is that, ultimately, I do a lot of spending at Wal Mart because I feel like I can find the best deals there. And more than that, I often end of buying store brand because it is cheaper than buying a name brand with a coupon. So I didn't really "save" money that would be recorded into my savings, but I did save because I spent less. And I was able to buy more over the course of the month because I spent less on individual items.

But I like to SAVE. I like to see that my savings percentage is more than 50% because then I feel like I have definitely saved more than I have spent...although in the end I am probably able to buy more for my dollar if I am picky about how I spend it instead of just looking to use more coupons.

Oh, the dilemma...I guess it's not really a dilemma, I think I just don't feel as good about May as I should, even though I know I did good, it does not look as good on paper...

Oh, well...

How to Get Started-Part 5- Simple and Practical

I know I took a break from this "series" for a while. I fully enjoyed Memorial Day weekend and I have also been a little busier with work and with making baby food!! Excuses, excuses!

If you need to catch up on this series, you can find the previous posts here:
Start Small
Start Reading
Start Researching
Start Finding Coupons
Let Others Work For You

I think this is a good time in the series, and also in my endeavors of being a good shopper, to talk about how to be simple and how to be practical when learning to save. Fitting, huh?

Simplicity. Finding the most basic and efficient way to do something. If you keep it simple, it will be much easier. We try to teach babies how to crawl before they walk, how to swallow before they chew, how to swim before they jump in. And shouldn't it be the same with saving? If you feel like you need to buy a bigger home because your stockpile has gotten too big, maybe you need to deplete your stockpile. If you are buying lots of food products that are on sale, but can't eat them because none of them can go together in a meal, maybe you need to rethink your purchases. Keep it simple. Buy things your family will use or you can gift. You may save $50, but if you still spend $100 that you wouldn't have spent this month, is it worth it? Is it just going to clutter your home or cause you to go over budget? Is it going to cause stress?
Keep it simple.

Practicality. This goes along with keeping it simple...keep it reasonable, realistic and doable. If you don't own a cat, don't stock up on cat food just because it is such a good deal. I talk a little bit in this post about why I chose to buy the things I did on a recent trip to CVS. It was cheap, and I had a coupon, and I knew I would use it! That's it. Be practical with your purchases.
Keep it practical.

That's what I'm all about here. Trying to keep things simple and practical.