Happy Tuesday!! I hope you had a wonderful day. I sure did. Great day at work, followed by some library/magazine time!!! And tomorrow is Wednesday!! Woop!
This week is the first Show and Tell Tuesday of 2017! I am linking up with
Andrea to tell about how on how I Save, and where I Splurge. Or is is where I Splurge and how I Save??
To be honest, I am horrible at saving money! I have tried to save money in the past, only to spend it on something that we need. Since we are only a one income couple, with Anker getting PWD about 10 months out of the year. On paper, we should be doing ok, but sadly, we are always behind....buuuut this is not about saving money...it is about where we save vs where we splurge. I/we like to spend money. I am not gonna lie. It is the "little things"...coffee, snacks, the odd small thing for our house..the really seem to eat up the money by the end of the month. To be fair, though...we don't spend a TON of money. I always see/hear/read people spending money, travelling here and there. Well, we don't do that.
So.....
Where/How We Save/Find a Good Deal:
Local Library: Books, magazines (i get most of my magazines from the library), movies, and even some CD's I get from the library. And, when we do buy these things, we get them for cheap, or for a good deal.
Dollar Store: Gals, I am NOT ashamed to use the dollar store for a fair amount of our purchases. Food, house items, accessories, gifts. Even books can be found there. I buy a fair amount of our snacks at the dollar store. #noshameinmygame
WalMart: I love Wal-Mart. If I do buy magazines, I will go there and get 3 for $10. I will also get our food, clothes, shoes, etc there.
No Credit Cards: We have done away with them. We are still making payments on them, but we don't use them anymore.
Bundle our TV/Internet/LL Phone: This is also a splurge (see below), but it is about $150 for all three, and I think it does bring the cost down in the end.
Thrift Stores: I have no problem (most of the time) with buying things at Thrift Stores. 'Nuff said.
Store Brand/On Sale Items: Whether it's food, clothes, or household items, I have no problem with buying the store brands...and if I can buy things when they are on sale, all the better. I also get mutton/beef from my family when I can.
Fast-Food: This can also be a splurge (see below), but when we do eat out, we will eat out at McD's. Wendy's etc. We go to a "nice" restaurant a few times a year, and that is mostly when other people are paying, OR when I am going out with/for a girls evening.
Shop/Drive Local: Since we now live in another area of town, we have to go "up the hill" for all church-related events, Wal-Mart/Costco (when I go), seeing my brother and his wife, the movie theatre, or any other major shopping trip that can't happen on this side of town. But guess what? I cannot go here and there...so I try to save on gas whenever possible. Even if it means me missing church, or saying no to things when I feel that I can't afford the drive up there. Yes, I am *that* person who is weird about gas. But, that is one of things that I don't mind scrimping on, so if I have to, I will say no, or if I have to go up town, I will (as any normal person does) do a bunch of things at once. It's not just he gas, either...it's hard on the breaks to go up and down all the time. Trust me, I lived up the hill, and I went up and down the hill ALL the time!
Buy Used: Whether it's from one of the local bidding/buy-sell groups, thrift stores, or from friends, I try to buy used whenever possible.
Free is For Me: As above...if I see things for free, or if I can get things from friends/family for free...I am not too proud to take it (so long as it goes with my decor, etc). My SIL will give me magazines sometimes.
Grow our Food: We grow a lot of our own veggies in the summer. We also get veggies from Mom or my brother when we can.
Cheap/Store Brand Make up/Toiletries: As stated above, I will buy cheap make up, hair products, toiletries. I am thankful that I don't have to spend big bucks to buy the good stuff, due to allergies or health issues.
Cheap Haircuts/Low Maintainence: Both of us are pretty low maintenance, and I am very thankful. I get my hair cuts at a local cheap hair salon, and I NEVER get my nails done. Anker rarely buys clothes (he could use a few more clothes!), and he recently cut his own hair!
Don't Drink: We rarely buy alcohol (when out, or otherwise). It is just too expensive for us to buy a bottle of (even cheap!) wine every week. Plus, I am the only one that will drink it. I will, however, buy them on occasion.
Handy Hubby: Yah, he can fix pretty much anything!!!
Our car, our laptops...he keeps things going long after they should be disposed of!
Cheap Dates/Date Nights In: We rarely go out on dates...part of this is the fact that we have no money, and part of this is the fact Anker doesn't want to go out. At any rate...we have cheap dates....either I go out and grab something, and we stay home, and watch a movie, or IF we do go out, it is for a walk, to the ice cream shop, a coffee, or somewhere free. We/I rarely go to movies (date night or not).
Free Apps: I refuse pay for an App. True story. All the apps I have on my phone are free.
Where I Splurge:
Coffee: When I go out for coffee, I like to go for Starbucks. (However, surprisingly, I don't buy Starbucks pkgd coffee in the stores...I will sometimes buy some in the Starbucks store). Yes, it is expensive, but I don't get my hair at expensive places, nor do I get my nails done, or get expensive clothes...this is my "thing". I love my Starbucks...or when I am in a pinch, I will go to Tim Horton's. I try not to go out too much, though, as this can add up.
Magazines: Yes, I borrow most of my magazines, but this also my downfall. I used to get WAY more magazines, but I have been trying really hard to not buy them much in the last few months. But, when I do buy them, I will go to Wal-Mart and get 3 for $10.
Fast Food: Again, this is also a save when it comes to going out to dinner in general, but it is also a splurge (well, it more like a "trap"!), as it seems that I do go out a fair amount (I don't go out a ton, but it does add up).
TV: We don't have Netflix...we have TV. We have our TV/Cable through a local provider, and it can get expensive. I hope to move it to the next tier down in the next couple of months. But, on the upside, we DO PVR A LOT of stuff, so, in a way, this is a save as well.
LL/Cell Phone: We have an LL phone, mainly b/c it comes with our entertainment bundle. I do try to keep our cell phone bills down, but again, it seems to add up.
Heat: We have to have our heat up, due to Anker's Raynaud's Disease, and has to have the heat up higher than most people.
Games: Hubby plays a couple of online games. He likes to spend a few bucks each week on them. It makes me mad, but at least he's not out at the bars.
I am sure there are more things that I could think of, but those are the ones that I can think of that I am willing to share! What do you save and splurge on?
