Today is Sunday! That means we get the Washington Post delivered right to our front door (well, really it's delivered to the door that we have blocked by a book case, but that's another story) and I get to go straight to the coupon section. Normally I don't get around to reading through the paper until about Tuesday, but clipping coupons take priority. I've gotten a bit obsessed with coupons and sale papers, but that goes with the spirit of us saving money!
We decided to seriously save for a house in January, just after we got married. (Had we not financed a wedding all by ourselves, after only being out of college and gainfully employed a matter of months, we would have definitely started sooner!) We are very close to the goal that we wanted to reach, and we have still managed to overpay on our student loans (of which there are many!) and eat pretty well. We don't generally buy anything else now, but we're getting close to a house!
Here are some of the things we do to save money:
--Clip coupons! from the Sunday paper, online, and anywhere else I can get a hold of them. I was very proud of myself for getting 12 hotdogs, 12 buns, and a new bottle of ketchup for under $6 thanks to doubling coupons and comparing sale papers.
--Shop at the most inexpensive grocery store, and shop as rarely as possible. We try to avoid preferences in brands, unless they are on sale (or I have a coupon!). There are, of course, a few exceptions. Our top non-negotiables are toilet paper (Charmin extra soft with aloe!) and toothpaste (cinnamon Crest). Otherwise, we will buy the store brand for just about anything.
--Never, ever go out to eat. Okay, except for the rare lunch with friends. You have to be social a little bit, but we almost never go out to dinner (which is pretty sad, considering how many great restaurants there are around here).
--Netflix! We have been to a grand total of 3 movies together since we met almost four years ago. Netflix serves as our near-nightly entertainment, and it is so much cheaper than the real thing. Not to mention that we have a pretty awesome TV to watch movies on! (Even that we got for 1/2 price, thanks to a sale and a lot of gift cards from our wedding.)
--Work. A lot. I don't think Suze Orman could criticize me at all in this respect. I could only land a .5 teaching job this year (and was incredibly lucky to get even that with this economy), but I picked up an extra 10-15 hours a week as a nanny, and a few more hours on top of that coaching sectionals and a clarinet choir. Pat works extra in educational outreach programs and recording sessions. With so much time spent working, there's honestly no time to spend money!
--Make things last a little longer. I cut dryer sheets in half, add water to dish detergent, eat leftovers, and wear clothes until there are *large holes in them. We've also gotten good at repurposing things throughout the house...almost to the point that I don't want to throw out things that have clearly broken, in case there's an "alternative use" for it. It does make organizing and decorating fun!
--Enjoy the cheap thrills. We are lucky enough to live in an area with amazing (and mostly free) musuems, beautiful parks, and wonderful friends. We also enjoy free activities - listening to and playing music, going on walks and tossing frisbees, and baking and cooking together. Our entertainment is 95% free, and 100% priceless!
Hopefully our hard work in the financial department will pay off by the end of this year. We're hoping to take advantage of Obama's first-time buyer stimulus plan, so until then we'll keep penny-pinching and super-saving!
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