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Mar

Savvy Shopping Moms was asked to write an article for the launch of a web site called Simple Saving Savvy. I only know Amanda from emails we have exchanged, but she is doing a great job on her site. Make sure you check it out.

Needs vs. Wants

Keeping up with the Joneses

Several years ago my husband and I wanted to start our family. We sat down and looked at our finances knowing that I would be staying home with a little one and our income would be cut in half. We started to look at where we could cut our expenses. Little did we know that your expensive actually go up when you have a child!

We soon noticed that we accumulated several “things” that were now gathering dust in our garage or basement. We had spent our hard earned money on frivolous stuff just to “keep up with the Joneses”. We had also spent huge amounts of money on eating out and convenience foods because I couldn’t keep track of what we had at home. We knew this had to change. We were wasting too much of our income on things we didn’t need.

One night we sat down and made a list of bills we had to pay, like the mortgage and car payments and utilities. Next, we wrote a list of things we would like to have but didn’t need, like a newer car and furniture. Along side of that, we also wrote our financial goals and the date by which that goal would be accomplished. We posted these on our fridge knowing that we would look at them several, if not hundreds of times, every day since the kitchen was the hub of our house. As the year went by we started to accomplish our goals and realize that this was something we could do.

We started to give more of our money to God and He blessed us beyond measure. I realized that I had been so selfish thinking that I had to have it all and that I had to “keep up with others” when they were just trying to keep me up with me. What a sad thought!

In June of 2008, my husband was given a wonderful opportunity to move to Kansas and work with an amazing church. This move was hard on us in more ways than one. We had to completely trust God during this move that He would supply us with a home we could afford and schools that would enrich our children’s lives. The hardest part of this move would be the cut in pay he would take. I knew we would have cut corners again, but where? That’s where the trust in God part kicked in. My husband and I talked and we decide that we would go back to our “lists” and retrain ourselves to be better stewards of the blessings God had given us.

Today, we are still on a budget so we can put more money into our savings. I don’t worry about how much someone else has. I praise God that He has blessed them. We love our church family and the ability that God has given me to share savings secrets with others.

Do you find yourself in the same situation? Here are some of the steps that we took to help us with our Needs VS. Wants

Ask yourself, Can I function without this? Do you really have to have the newest and biggest HDTV? Be Honest!
Wait – Wait for 3 days before you make any new purchase. Think about when you shop, do you buy the first thing you see? Are you an emotional shopper? Do you have the kids with you making it hard to make the right decision? Have you heard of people who freeze their credit cards in a bowl of water so they can’t make impulse purchases?
Make your lists! Make a list of your NEEDS and WANTS. Look at them and see what will benefit your family the most. Is it worth Dad or Mom spending extra hours at the office so you can afford the newest gaming system? OR Would a family fun night with homemade pizza and a Redbox movie bring you closer together?

Today, I still want to buy new clothes every season and new dishes every month, but I don’t. I am learning to be happy and content with what I have been given. I am a work in progress and I still have a ways to go, but I know that the “wants “ I give up today will mean better things for my children in the years to come.

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Mar

Stockpiling / Part 1-Meat

Ginger

Stockpiling – Meat

Do you wish you had meat on hand, so you could make a quick and easy meal without having to run to the grocery store?

In our 7 Secrets Class we spend time on teaching you how, when and why you need to stockpile.

One of the best things to stockpile is meat.

You can save tons of money by just by planning ahead.

Choose. When you stockpile meat you need to choose meat that your family will eat. I don’t buy bologna. My family won’t eat it. Even though there have been some great deals this past month, I would just be throwing my money away if I bought it. Does your family eat more hamburger? Chicken? Boneless, skinless white meat? Think about the meals and cuts of meat you enjoy and watch for sales during the next 3 months.

Set the price. What is your rock bottom price you want to pay for your meat? Make a goal price of you want to pay PER POUND. When looking for meat, learn how to read those labels. How many pounds are in the package? How much is it per pound? Is there a discount for using your loyalty card? Once you know your price per pound, you can start looking for deals that fit in your budget.

Network! I buy 75% of my meat from a friend. She works at a large food corporation that has Friends and Family sale every three months. I pay around $1.85 per lb for 85/15 ground round hamburger meat. This past month I was also about to pick up 10 lbs of pork chops for $1.09 per lb. If you don’t know of anyone who has access to a sale like this try and find someone who can keep an eye out for deals when they are shopping. Many times I will call my networking buddies to let them know of a deal I have found and I will ask if they want me to pick up an extra item for them.

Use sales and coupons. Companies and even local grocery stores are sending out more and more coupons for meat. I can get sausage for free and a 3 lb roast for $.33, just by using a few coupons that are floating around out there. Make sure you keep an eye out for these.

How do you stockpile meat? Think about using one tip to help you this next month.

Happy Savvy Saving!

Category: 7 secrets class, Coupons, E-Coupons, Freebies, Grocery Stores Leave a Comment

Mar

Where are the Diapers?

Ginger

I am surprise no one has asked, Where are the Diapers? Yes, diapers are included in my household budget, but I have not had to buy diapers since January.

How did I do this?

First, I am not brand picky. I will buy any brand that is on sale and I have coupons for. I do prefer Pampers, but Huggies Supreme run a close second.

Second, I stockpile as much as my budget will allow. This past January I ran by our local Walgreen’s to grab something quick and right by the registers they had two carts full of diapers marked down to $5.00 a pkg. On the bottom of these carts they had twin packs of Huggies Supreme. I took them over to the cashier for them to price check expecting them to be $10.00. Nope! They also were $5.00! A pkg of 62 (size 3) for $5.00 is really good, but on top of that I had $1.00 coupons with me. Yes, I take my coupon notebook with me everywhere. So, I picked up 310 diapers for $20.00 plus tax. This equals out to about $.06 per diaper. This week we ate very simple meals to allow for my diaper stockpile.

Lastly, I use my Register Rewards and any rebates that I get to buy diapers. This way I am not spending any “new” money and I can just roll it over into the next great deal.

Do you have any great ideas for stockpiling diapers?

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Jan

Saving Money Part 1

Ginger

With the new year here we are all making resolutions. Losing weight and saving money are two of the top resolutions that people will make this year. Many people make these resolution with no idea where to even begin. In the next few weeks we will begin a new series of posts that will help you begin saving money. Not only will these post be for the beginners but also a great reminder for those of us who have been at this a while. If you enjoy these posts or if you have any questions, please contact us.

Saving Money Part 1

Where do I begin?

This Morning on the Today show Matt Lauer interviewed the Coupon Mom. (Go here to see the interview) She took the reporter on a little shopping trip and bought $100 worth of groceries for $.25. That’s right a QUARTER!

This is where Savvy Shopping Moms comes in. Not only do we have a great site to connect you with the best deals out there, but we also have a 7 Secrets for Savvy Shopping class to TEACH and SHOW you how to save money. We see a lot of shows starting to pop up about saving money but they don’t take you step by step and give you tools to use.

We have developed the 7 Secrets to take the everyday shopper and show them how to save money. Learning how to save money is not easy. It takes time and some effort, but if you are really serious you can start to reduce your household budget this very month. We will give everyone the tools they need to make their New Year Resolutions come true.

This is what some of our class attendees have said…

” I can’t wait to go home and trying to save money and plan my menus!” (Child Care Provider – McPherson)

“I am embarrassed to say that I was spending over $1000 month on groceries. The first month after my first Savvy class, I did not see much change, because I was stocking up on items that were on sale, as well as buying things at full price because I hadn’t begun to stock pile them yet. However, within a few months, my grocery bill was actually cut in half!! I am spending about $600 for a family of 5, and that includes diapers for the baby. To be honest, the bill goes down every month, and I’m hoping to get it down to $500 a month soon.

The night I came home from that first class, I told my husband that I would have spent $100 for the information I had just received. I have hosted a class since then, and will be attending another soon. Every time I ”catch” something else and save my family even more money. Thanks for the wonderful opportunity to save!! ~ Julie S. (KS)

Are you or someone you know interested in learning how to save money? We will be hosting a 7 Secrets class on January 16th 9am-11am and January 26th 6:30pm-8:30pm in Hutchinson, KS. If you want to attend, please contact the Hutchinson Recreation Commission @ (620) 663-6179 or hutchrec@hutchrec.com.

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