“Extreme Couponing” has been a fairly popular craze over the past few years, but I can’t say I’ve ever bought into it. It just seemed so time-consuming and tedious. It made me wonder if it was worth it, if there was some trick to it that I didn’t know about that would magically result in tons of savings on every trip to the store. I’ve given it a shot, and while I may have saved a buck or two, I felt my time was worth more than I was saving. Consider the following before you jump on the coupon-clipping bandwagon:
shopping
Savings Challenge – I’m Giving Up
While not everyone celebrates the Easter holiday, many people are familiar with Lent, the forty-day observance before it (which started yesterday, March 5th). It’s during this time that many people choose to give up certain luxuries as a form of penitence. Even if you’re not a religious person, this can still be a great time for cleansing and renewal (a “Spring Cleaning,” if you will). Why not use it as a time to start fresh with your finances? Here are 4 ideas for things to “sacrifice” for the next month – choose one or choose a few! We’d love to hear any other suggestions you might have, too!
Food for Thought
Many people have a love/hate relationship with grocery shopping – my guess is that most people fall into the latter category, myself included. It can be time-consuming and frustrating, but we all need to do it – food is the most basic necessity of life, and we can’t forget to allocate room for it in our monthly budgets! Check out the following suggestions for some of the easiest and most common ways to cut down on your grocery bill.
The Naked Truth
When planning a budget, most people generally remember their typical monthly expenses – bills, groceries, savings, etc. But there are two commonly forgotten about items that should definitely be on your list: clothing and personal care. This can include seasonal clothing items, haircuts and color, manicures, massages, you name it! These are things we all spend money on, but not necessarily frequently, so we tend to let their cost slip our minds.
