I don't buy gifts the kids don't need. They get one need and one want that's it. I just don't understand how so many people can take that time of year and lose their minds on their budgets.
Saving money really needs to be the mantra for so many of us this year. I know for me that I really need to find ways to save money. I mean here is the truth I am single mom with four children and even though I have businesses and make a bit of money having four children and no child support I have to find ways to cut costs.
So here is what I did.
At home I cut bills all the way across. We are never there anyway so why have cable, phone and internet? Unnecessary. So I cut them out. Literally cut them off. That saved me two hundred bucks right there. Then I looked at my cell phone bill. I had both Imani and myself on a plan with ATT
which was running me about two hundred fifty per month. Talk about insane. We had plans where I had unlimited minutes and text I didn't even have the internet and Imani had unlimited text along with so many minutes per month. Sheesh. I was walking through Walmart and saw Straighttalk something that Tracfone
offers. What's cool about that is I checked on line for like a month and saw that Straighttalk is on the Verizon network so I would get good coverage for less money. For only $45 a month I could get my phone number switched over along with a nice phone. Now mind you it would be better if I could keep my cute phone I had with ATT but saving close to two hundred a month is right up my alley. Now get this here is what is real cool $45 a month get me you ready? Unlimited talk, text AND web how bout that? I just found 400 hundred dollars to put back into something else that my family needs. Whoo hooo!Groceries that is easy cause we eat a pesco vegetarian diet nothing really changed I just go around the perimeter of the grocery store and steer away from boxed items and all the lovely manufactured foods. Save for my big brother friend's Little Debbie Oatmeal Creme Pies I keep away from the sweets.
Now at my business we keep the internet and since we are here all the time I split the groceries up from the house and here. I know it sounds crazy but sometimes we don't leave my office until I am finished so I just bring the slow cooker and we have dinner in between work. We keep basic cable here as well just for local news so cheap. I am also learning by complete accident that I love Netflix! For just $8.99 a month I can watch movies in any computer here. I love it! I literally love the fact that I can watch movies and my favorite television shows for way more than half of what I was paying for cable service. SMART!
Where am going with this?
When this all hit me at once I thought making these decisions was going to kill me. NOT. I am actually smarter and wiser and know that there is a deal somewhere or something that I really don't need.
Take a look at what you are spending this week and see what can go and what can stay you might end up enjoying this. Keeping more of what you earn?
Who wouldn't?
Til Next Time,
Mamma (Y've)
2 comments:
Y've,
Those tips are so onpoint. I didn't go all out on spending either for xmas 2009 either. I'm going to definitely check into the Tracfone plan for my mom and aunt, and I like the tip on shopping the perimeter of the store. 'Cuz I'm a processed food junkie!!!
Thanks 4 sharing your active solutions!
Nikki
No problem I know how it is we are all trying to save a bit of money in these lean times and what better way to do that than to get creative!
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