Money Saving Tips - Scottsdale,AZ

I read something recently that I found very helpful. Sometimes you don't realize how fast money adds up. Hope this article helps, good luck!!

http://www.makinglifebetter.com/home-family/article/how-t...

I dumped television. Saves at least $40 a month, and I am not tempted to shop by hearing about sales for all kinds of stuff!

For food check out www.sistersavings.net. It lists all the weekly sales from the local grocery stores and then has a menu planned out based on what's on sale. I usually take a list to Walmart and price match everything.

If your looking for an awesome way to budget check out www.daveramsey.com He's got an awesome system of setting up your budget before the month begins and paying for most things with cash. It has really helped us. He is also on the radio 1310 AM from 1-4 pm on weekdays. (No I don't get paid for referring you) :) This system has really just helped us work the kinks out of our budget and be able to save and prepare for emergencies better. You feel like you have gotten a raise....

Good luck!

I just checked out that site the other person referred to (sister something.com)...the one that has all of the grocery ads, it is great!! I can't wait to start using it! One thing that I do is check my bank account regularly...that way, I know if I can get that container of ice cream I'm craving or if I should just wait. I also make sure that I always pay with my debit card and select credit, that way, if I make a return it goes back on my card...if they give me cash, it's lost before I leave the store! I also try to cook things that can be used for leftovers the next day or I try to cook things that the leftovers can be converted into a new dish. A friend of mine schedules her oven meals so she bakes a whole bunch in one day and then freezes them....saves on electricity and it also helps keep your house from getting super hot during the summer :) Oh, and when I make something with a sauce, I make a double batch of sauce (like spaghetti sauce, or peach sauce for porkchops, or my meatloaf sauce) then I freeze the leftover sauce. This way I can buy stuff in bulk, and later down the road I have a dish that's half made! For toys for my son, I use empty water bottles and boxes (he does have REAL toys, too!). I leave plain water in some of the bottles, but only half full. Or I empty and wash them and put things in them like rice, dry cereal, dry fruits, etc so he can shake them. You can mix the water with oil and put food coloring in the water to create a lava lamp effect...or just use colored water. My son loves to shake things like that and is totally obsessed with water bottles so this was a great solution. He also loves empty Oatmeal containers. He sits and bangs on them like they're drums. Pretty much anything that makes noise is great. This has helped save money on toys and such. The biggest thing for us is no eating out. We live far away so we sometimes get stuck away from home during meal times...we've started packing PB&J sandwiches or if we do go somewhere we try to split a large dish.

I'm a big fan of www.thesimpledollar.com

Hey J.,
I am a working mother of two and am always looking for ways to save money. You did say that you worked at home and I don't know if your work is caring for your home and family combined with another source of income or if you your time is taken up with all the duties of caring for your home and family. I ask because after years of struggling with trying to save, I found that adding an additional source of income to our family was the best way to do it. I am a wellness provider and am part of an environmentally friedly company that I can work with in the home and share with family and friends. It is really great for moms because it is all about keeping ourselves and our families healthy. If you are interested, please email me at ____@____.com to hear from you J..
J.

Here is a website that has many tips and resources:

www.yoursensiblespending.com

My family and I did a totally lifestyle change, FOR THE BETTER!! We don't eat out as often. I cook at home. I pack lunches for daughter and husband. I also joined coupon sense. I've been on it for about a month. I have saved so much money. The thing to keep in mind is: Its a new way of shopping. The trick is to purchase items that are on sale with a coupon and stock up. I get 3 newspapers which my counselor recommends. I'm glad she did because a couple of weeks ago, I received 3 coupons for chiptole and saved so much money! My entire family had chiptole for $6(drinks)! The counselor I have goes above and beyond. Before being on Coupon sense I couldn't afford to purchase boxed cereal. I would buy the generic bags(which was okay) Now, I buy name brand cereal. In my pantry (about 6 boxes). I'm also stocked up on toothpaste, razors, body wash, shampoo. My freezer was stocked with pizza, corn dogs, french fries(which is not healthy) but the kids are in heaven and it is a little healthier than getting the deep fried stuff. I can stick it in the oven and its quick. I also took another Direct selling job, to bring a little extra. We started hitting up yard sales. My kids love yard sales. Good Luck.

My husband has been out of work for almost a year so we have had to cut back drastically. In addition to the obvious of not eating out, packing lunches, and not buying prepared foods, we have found ways to save even more.

Use your gas wisely. Take your foot off the gas as soon as you see that you will have to slow down (traffic, signal, etc.). Start slowly instead of gunning it. Drive the speed limit (yes, you might have to drive in the slow lane) and you will save a ton of money over time. It is also less stressful to leave extra time and not be in such a hurry. Put the car on cruise control to keep a steady speed when traffic is flowing. Do not leave a car idling more than two minutes if you are waiting for someone. It is cheaper to turn the car off and then on again.

Buy your gas at Costco and use Costco to buy cars (fleet pricing and NO HAGGLING!). We even have our car and homeowners insurance through them. We have shopped around and nobody seems to come close. (And after being in an accident, I found out that their service is wonderful.)

Rent movies from the Redbox or other box sites for $1.00 per night. You just won't get the fancy DVD cover. We make popcorn and enjoy the show at home.

Use the discounted electricity through APS. We use the 9pm - 9am rates (all day Sat and Sun) that are 2/3 cheaper. Check with APS - they will be happy to figure out your best rate. We just got used to using our appliances at night or on weekends. We hang dry a lot of clothes instead of putting them in the dryer. (We just hang them in the doorways on hangers.)

Take the grocery ads to Walmart. They will honor everything as long as it is not a buy one get one free type of ad. You just have to point out the price to them. You will also find that Walmart's prices are usually lower than the other stores' sale prices...

We don't use our heat unless we have company. Now with the weather warming up, we will only use our A/C during the cheaper hours and only for a couple hours (and of course, if we company over).

If we do eat out (with coupons), we only order water to drink and then we drink whatever we would have had at home.
We have appetizers before we go and dessert after we get home if we want a full course meal.

Make double meals and freeze the extras. It is so tempting to eat out when you are tired and you don't feel like making dinner.

Crock pots are also very useful. There are thousands of recipes online - just google the recipe you want.

Compare your savings often so it becomes a successful venture instead of a chore.

I started using a food co-op. I loved it so much I became a site pick up (which just means instead of just getting my basket I get all the baskets for people in my area and they pick it up at my house.) Anyway, we offer $35 worth of fruit and veggies for only $15. It tends to last my family of four for a week in a half to 2 weeks. We do the co-op every other saturday. If you would like more information just private message me. It has saved my family a ton!!

Also, clipping coupons and using the coupon to buy the item on sale. Stocking up on things when they are on sale.

Actually eating out leftovers! LOL

One way I saved was by shopping insurance companies, I was unable to get lower rates on both my house and car. Check your cable/satilite bill, and cancell channels you don't watch. Advoid using your ATM card in the other bank machines, those fees really add up. Shoping second hand stores always saves money and I love the hunt, you never know what you will find. Check out craiglist, I was able to get free clothes for my baby there.

I do a fruit and vegi co opt http://www.bountifulbaskets.org/
You order on line mid week then pick up on the weekend every other weekend. They have traditional baskets for $15 and organic for $25. They also have bread. You get 2 small laundry baskets of fruits and vegis. You don't know ahead of time what you will be getting. Generally I try to make meals for the week based on what I get in the basket. I also shop sales adds and use coupons, stock up on items when a good deal is going on. If you shop at Frys you can load your Frys card on site for automatic coupons for P&G products. As far as kids clothing I try to buy at the end of the season for the next year. This can be a little time consuming but I feel it does pay off in the long run.

Hi J.,
We go to the Superstition Ranch Market at approx Main and Higley in Mesa to shop for produce. Prices are great. They even beat Walmart. We also go to Goodwill every other Saturday when everything is half off. Hope this helps and good luck. If you find new places to shop for less, please let us know. We are on an extremely tight budget also.

I highly recommend Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey. My husband and I have found more ways to cut back than we had thought possible! One thing that really helps us is using cash for everything besides our regular bills and gas. In other words - we pull out a conservative amount every week to cover groceries/household expenses and any dining, clothing, etc., and we just don't allow ourselves to go over this. It's amazing how much more careful we are with our money since we started using cash only for these purchases. Since every month is different (with certain bills etc only coming every 6 or 12 months), we plan for the month in advance and adjust our cash allotment based on other needs. I hope this helps! You can also check out Dave Ramsey's website at: www.daveramsey.com (although I'm sure there are several other similar philosophies out there - we just really connected with his).

Hi,
I check www.gasbuddy.com for the closest gas station with the best prices if I need gas that day.

Also, I just joined www.couponsense.com - it is a way to save money grocery shopping. It costs a little every month for the membership and you should buy the paper, so that costs money. They match up the Sunday paper coupons with deals in the stores and you save a lot of money. Some people are saving up to 50% on their bills. I just started, so I haven't been able to save as much, but I have been able to get my grocery bill down and get free things! Please tell them my name if you join because I do get credit. Also if you order items on the internet, www.naughtycodes.com can help you get discounts on many sites.
K. Hendricks

I have to second the recommendation for www.couponsense.com! I have been doing it since the first week of January, and I've saved over $880 on groceries, and spent less than that.

It has completely changed our eating habits. We eat out way less now because we actually have food in the house.

Email me if you want more info, and I can put you in contact with my "coupon instructor".

Hi J., If you have your home/auto insurance thru a captive agent like Allstate, State Farm, Farmers, etc, find an independent agent that can shop the rates for you. I just saved a client $1400 year on their home/auto and that was even with higher coverage than what they had. And today I just quoted a man that has a custom home and is paying $1900 annual for his home insurance and I quoted the same coverage for $900. You don't have to wait until renewal to switch either your home or auto. Like I tell everyone, you never know until you check it out! If you need any help, just let me know!

Good luck, F.
____@____.com
www.agentlady.com

I would go check out tipnut.com
I found the site by accident a while back and it has tons of excellent crafts, and other things on how to manage a household on the cheap. Sometimes it just comes down to a willingness to make things yourself rather that buy it at the store.