So as newlyweds, we have tighter budgets and are constantly looking for ways to make our money last. I've learned a few tips that have helped me a lot.
1. Coupons!!!
There are sooo many coupons out there that can help out with the monthly grocery shopping. I've personally subscribed to Coupons.com, Redplum.com, and Couponmom.com. If you're part of the military, you can sign up for commissary coupons that are sent directly to your mailbox! Just sign up at Commissaryshopper.com under the "Registration" tab. Many coupons also come in the Sunday newspaper and I personally think they are better than online coupons (Also considering the fact that you need paper and ink for online coupons). So maybe subscribing to the local newspaper isn't such a bad idea after all, not only that but you also get to inform yourself!
2. Make a budget and stick by it
Some months may be better than others on a financial note, but by making a budget, you can see huge changes in the way you spend and save money. A trick I always do is PRIORITIZE. What's more important: Having a meal every night for the week or those cute jeans you saw at the mall? On a personal note, I view what our pay will be for that pay period and I budget out everything that we HAVE to pay (Rent, electricity, phones, credit cards, gas for the cars, etc,.) and then I manage out the rest with what I have. A tip I have is to leave your debit, credit, and checks at home and only carry cash. I usually like to manage my cash through through envelopes; say for example I'm at the grocery store and for two weeks we need $200 in groceries. I get my cash and put $200 in an envelope and label it "Groceries" and you DON'T spend more than that. Being able to stick by this envelope technique really does help in the end.
3. Compare prices
Being military means we get the opportunity to shop at the PX which usually have much cheaper prices plus it's tax free. But if you live in a place where things are relatively affordable wherever you go, then it's definitely a good idea to compare prices around the city. Look at circulars every week and choose which location is the best option to shop at. Maybe if the stores aren't too far apart, then you can go to several stores and pick out your favorite buys. Unfortunately, I've yet to find a place in Hawaii with good prizes and awesome sales. The cheapest store I've found outside the PX is a store called Don Quijote. This place offers great sales in comparison to what people are paying at other stores, but it's not good enough for me to drive through so I'll stick to the commissary, thank you!
4. Sales and Clearance!
A lot of people say to shop ONLY sale and clearance, which really helps a lot but we can't always shop sales and clearance if we're busy with other things. There are many grocery stores with manager specials everyday! Meat is usually my faovrite to buy off manager spcials because they're at such great prices. They usually discount the meat a few days before the sellby date which means u have a good week to use it up before its not longer edible. Something I've learned in the past is to setup a "junk email account" and sign up for all your favorite places and they WILL send you sale events and even MORE coupons! With smart phones being so advanced, we can easily receive emails and view them automatically so it would be crazy for you to miss an awesome sale. Sites like Livingsocial.com and Collegebudget.com (college students only) have some really good deals with mostly everything being discounted at 50% off. They even have mani/pedis deals! Yay! Not only are these sites really good, they are completely free to register for.
5. Make a few extra bucks at home
There are several sites out there that will pay you for your feedback and surveys. I currently have an account with Surveysavvy.com and Swagbucks.com and I can personally vouch for these sites to be reliable and legit! I personally like SwagBucks better because you can play games, take surveys, and answer polls for points which lead to prizes and cash. SurveySavvy is just 100% surveys and they choose you to take them so with that it takes a little bit longer to make money. If you're very outgoing and have a good number of friends, coworkers, and acquaintances then its probably a great idea to work off your own terms like working for Mark cosmetics, Avon, or Scentsy. With these business you start off by paying a start up fee and they send u all you need to start making your own money. You can work on your own terms and can quit whenever you'd like! Not only that but you also get pretty good discounts which is a major PLUS!
6. Shop proudly at consignment stores and flea markets
Consignment stores are stores that carry used good such as stores like Goodwill. If you look hard enough you can find some really good stuff, sometimes even things that can be refurbished and look new! Just a little handy work will do the trick Not only this, a lot of places with take your old goods for new goods. Flea markets were one of my families favorite places to go on Sundays to find new treasures. These places can be really fun because you can find some of the most interesting things.
Interesting, Welcome to Hawaii.
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