I think a lot of people like coupons. That's, uh, why you can find them for so many darned things.
And, I do the grocery shopping.
Because we enjoy having things to eat.
The combination of coupons and grocery shopping is something you'll find everywhere on the Internet - there are whole blogs dedicated to just finding great sales on products and sharing how to get rock-bottom prices on things.
However, there's something related I found a while back that was a "duh" moment and after putting it into practice in the time since, it's time to share.
Thanks to the Get Rich Slowly blog, I've managed to stash away 75$ dollars since the middle of January.
"Ha," you say, "that's a horribly low amount, why would you share this?"
The answer, cheeky reader, is simple - it wasn't intended to be a giant amount, and so, realistically, I'm doing awesome.
You see, I use coupons when I go grocery shopping. The receipt tells me how much I saved using said coupons.
Then, when I get home, I add that total to a list, and when I am able to do so, I take that amount out of the bank and stash it away.
The post this magical information came in was just a list of things people do to save money, and somehow this little tidbit stuck out to me like a giant "WHY AREN'T YOU DOING THIS?!"
The amounts each week can vary wildly - this week, I saved all of 1.42$ (thanks, Fred Meyer, for having a coupon for ground turkey but then setting the actual price of it to the coupon price), but the week before I saved 12.65$ from coupons (which is the most it's been since I've been tracking it).
Right now, I'm waiting for a few bills to be paid, and I've another withdrawal to make to add to this balance. Which will be another 20$.
This isn't a lot of money. It's not going to add up to anything fast.
And that's okay. It was intended to be an extra, not a whole money-saving strategy. Something to be used in tandem with other things. But for me, it's serving a single, important purpose.
You see, I'm going to need a new phone in September. And new phones cost money. Money that I will have, thanks to this.
You see, my cell phone contract with Verizon is up in September (yay) and I'll be switching over to Google Fi (even more yay) and I will have to buy my phone outright (boo - somehow, my credit score is more than decent enough, but Google thinks I have insufficient credit history and will not let me pay off the phone over time, so I have to buy it upfront).
The phone, if you buy it through Google for their Fi plan, is 200$. 200$ that would be hard to spare in any one month, without any prior planning.
So, if I have 75$ right now, and will have 95$ in a week (after the bills are paid, anyway), that leaves 105$ to save by September. Without really doing a whole lot of anything.
Nexus 5, you will be mine. And it will be a painless process.
Oh, and the price for the Google plan? Half the price of my Verizon plan (which is one you can't even get any more - and is slightly cheaper than their current lowest rung plan). And then that's even more savings.
Which is kinda cool all in its own.
~Havok
A quote for you, and wishes for a good weekend: "A friend of mine once commented that humans are the only species to go out of our way to obtain milk after we've been weaned, I replied that we were the only species with cookies" - Reynard
P.S. What's also cool? I'm keeping said funds in a Little Mermaid wallet I got at Goodwill a few years ago. Because I'm an adult and that's an acceptable thing for an adult to do ;)
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I actually am really impressed with your savings amount, that's a good amount for only 3 months and using coupons! and when you have saved up for the nexus 3, it's going to feel so amazing to have bought it outright with the money you saved. Years ago, My husband and I saved up the money to buy our car (secondhand) in one shot, no payment plan, and it felt SO amazing. Every time I think about how I own this car, and there are no payments or credit card debt for it, I smile. It's a damn good feeling.
ReplyDeleteI'm actually quite grateful to Fred Meyer overall, because of their rewards/loyalty program they send me coupons on the mail on top of the normal coupons you get based on the points you earn with them (because I spend all my money there, ha), and so that's a big reason how I've managed to save so much. Workin' the system, at it's most laziest ;D
DeleteIt will, though, still feel fantastic to just be able to say here, gimme phone instead of having to pay for it along with the actual bill (which would actually about double the bill, and I'd be paying 60$ I believe versus 35$ or so a month!).
I can't imagine the feeling of buying a whole car with cash, though! That would be an amazing thing! I've always liked the idea of buying a car with cash, though, simply because buying a car isn't an investment, you get no return of value on the interest you pay on a loan for it, since when you go to sell it later you'll get maybe 1/5 of what you paid! Boggles my mind ;)
Thank you so much for stopping by! :D
Yay! You're saving which is the goal, right? Great work! I want to tuck money away for a vacation but the $ slips right through my fingertips! There's real power in being able to commit to saving!
ReplyDeleteDefinitely the goal, whether it takes a while or not - though, preferably getting to the goal amount by September, of course ;)
DeleteI'm rather good at letting money slip through my fingertips, though. This week was the perfect example. Got some sock yarn (30% purchase at Michaels, so only about 9$ for two skeins) and then we got some new hard drives and now we're broke xD But, it's not the end of the world, and we'll try again next week and hope for better resolve. :) When there was more money amongst ourselves, it was easier to save, because even if we did spend, there would still be enough left over to save some. Now, things are tighter and it's a much harder thing to do. But we're desperately trying our best, without shunning all of the world, ha!
Thank you so much for stopping by!
An excellent strategy! I like the idea of the mermaid wallet, too. :)
ReplyDeleteThank you! I'm enjoying it!
DeleteAnd the Little Mermaid wallet is a nice addition - the joy of seeing such a bright place to store savings is a great motivator too (because when I'm not adding to it, it's hidden away out of sight ;) ).
Thank you so much for stopping by! :D