Learn new ways to put money back in your pockets
- Insurance- car, home, etc- negotiate into one policy if it lowers your rates and check to see how competitive your insurance provider is once a year- save $400 annually
- Refinance your car loan (if you have one) to a lower rate
- Check your rates on natural gas- should be between .35 and .55 per therm. If not, renegotiate! The variable rate (un-negotiated) is usually at least double! Go to www.psc.state.ga.us to find out current marketer rates. If you see a better rate, first ask your marketer if they will honor the lower rate and any other incentives to switch (like a bonus). Usually they will- all it takes is a call to ask!
- Dining Out- eat out less! Sometimes you can find coupons for good restaurants on www.restaurant.com, www.groupon.com, www.livingsocial.com, and www.8coupons.com .
- Eating at home- You can save a ton by eating at home instead of eating out! I try not to buy something unless it’s 50% off after coupons at the grocery store. Usually the deals you can get with coupons and advertised specials are better than generics, even Walmart brand, but you always need to comparison shop. You can use redlaser on your iphone to scan the barcode and check prices while you’re in the store. I plan my week’s menu based on the advertisements and what I already have in stock in my pantry. If you don’t do this currently, you should be able to learn and save 50%. Check out my website, www.momspriority.com, www.southernsavers.com, and www.couponmom.com to learn more and stay updated on weekly deals.
- Shop consignment sales for barely used toys, baby equipment, and clothes (especially baby sizes). www.thebargainwatcher.com has all of the major sales listed. This is a lot easier to do if you can make it to the first day of sales (usually Friday mornings)
- For anything else like clothes, books, big items, always check online first for a coupon code. Good sites to check are www.currentcodes.com and www.couponcabin.com. Amazon usually seems to be competitive on those types of things.
- Get cash or points back by paying for all expenses, even monthly utilities, with your credit card and paying the bill off in full each month (it’s not a good deal if you don’t pay it off each month). Collect 1-5% back, and save to go to Disney, get rewards back from retailers, hotels, airlines.
- On top of this, if you buy online, go through www.ebates.com to get 1-6% cash back, www.swagbucks.com to get “swagbucks” to use for other purchases, or www.upromise.com to get an extra percentage back that can be rolled into a 529 account.
- Phone, internet, and TV are often bundled or can be and you need to check and make sure you are getting best deal. You might also decide to get rid of your home phone and there are options if you have an alarm system- check out Time to Negotiate for more information.
- Home refinance- Refinance your home to save money each month.
I first created this site in 2008 to learn web design and other internet stuff to stay marketable when I want to go back to work, but mainly my heart goes out to moms that want to be at home with their babies because I was there, even though I never thought I would be a “stay at home mom.” These baby and preschool days just fly by and I have really loved being at home with them, knowing them better than anyone else. I don’t think there’s one way that’s better than the other though, and it’s a huge decision with so many other factors. But as far as the money goes, if you’re really serious and want to make it work, you can. When we first started going down the one income path, we did have to make a lot of sacrifices at first. But with a lot of hard work by my husband at his job and me saving money at home, we’ve been able to live pretty well. Ultimately, all glory goes to God for providing for us all these years! Hope this helps, and if you have any questions, please feel free to comment.
