I’ve always been frugal, but losing my job in October and going from a 100k income to barely a 30k income has forced me to be even more budget conscious. I’m grateful that I was debt-free when I lost my job and have some modest savings. But this whole thing has really showed me how little we actually need in order to survive. Priorities shift, that’s for sure.
I keep my credit cards in my file box so they are only used intentionally. It helps slow me down when it comes to instore and online purchases. Another thing I have been doing is trying to recreate my family's favourite restaurant meals to curb the craving to go out for dinner.
Last year, I put $20 (sometimes more if I could) each week in an envelope to save up for our camping trip. By the time we left, I had enough cash saved to help offset the cost of gas, fire wood, extra ice for our coolers & a few other odds & ends. Sure, it rained during that trip, but we made the most of it & had an absolute blast.
Just a note about knowing the account balance...I was checking mine and saw a discrepency. Turns out someone stole my card and charged to a store I never heard of. Bank was great and they are taking care of it. However, the amount wasn't huge so it would of been easily missed had I not been checking my account/balances and bills. Great advice Christine!
They usually start with small amounts to test it out, good on you for catching it early. This happened to me years ago, I was charged for Netflix and Dropbox but didn't even know what they were at the time.
We save $30.00 cash each week. Have used it for many things, new flooring in bedrooms and bathrooms, roof cleaning, septic clean out. Even though we are both retired we still continue with this practice. Has been very helpful when surprises occur.
When I was in my 20’s, I had every credit card of interest to me. All had balances, I owed more in my “minimum payments” than what I comfortably had. I moved back in with my parents, fought for a promotion at work, and paid and cancelled every credit card but one. Since then I’ve been very aware of my finances. I retired a year ago, and because I’ve been living for so long on a budget, retirement has been great. There are always side jobs when needed. Digging out from debt isn’t easy, but it can be done. It’s so freeing!
After spending many years living frugally while paying for our kids' college and paying off our mortgage, I'm at the point where I can splurge. And I'm having a terrible time spending money on myself. Old habits die hard!
For ten years before retiring, I started tracking every penny in a notebook and then later in an excel spreadsheet. Just writing it down and adding it up every month and at the end of the year by month and category was very eyeopening. I was really just trying to figure out how much and where we were spending our money, not trying to cut back particularly as I had always been a saver, and not extravagant. Even we reduced our yearly expenses by 40% by just writing it down and paying more attention.. It also helped me realize that I could retire earlier, and relieved a lot of the stress of thinking about it.
I work at Target and I'm always telling guests that have a full cart that they let Target tell them what they needed 😂 and I have a name for the ones who come in with a list...I call them Target Unicorns because they are very rare lol but they do exist.
How about the ones who come in and leave empty handed? I come in for their unbeatable price on big packs of chicken breast. If they don't have it, I'm out the door over half the time empty handed and leave with less than $10 in misc. items the rest of the time. I can find better quality elsewhere and I don't need all the consumerist things they sell.
Love the "Target tells you what you need." I would go into Target with a list and get those things, plus the things Target told me I needed.😂 Now that I am disabled, getting out is difficult. I have wonderful neighbors who pick up my Sam's Club or Costco items (I belong to SC and she belongs to C). The upside is I give her a text of what I need and no impulse shopping! I do my grocery shopping online and get it delivered every 2 weeks. I have a W+ mbetship. I signed up for a year and got 6onths free. I give myself a set amount to spend and it is easy seeing the cart total so I can edit as I go to stay on track.. If I need milk in between, my neighbor is kind enough to pick some up when she is out. Less frequent shopping trips does equate to less overall spending. My tip is unsubscribe to emails from retailers, especially those that tempt you too much. Thanks Christine!!!
Frugal plans for 2022 -- I have a strong plan for a low-buy year, 12 days in and I haven't bought anything beyond the necessary items like food and rent. Here's to a strong year everyone!
Something I do is every single night I check my account and move x$ to savings. Say my ending balance is 99.99 I will move 4.99 to savings. It’s such a small amount that really adds up. Plus every time I go to the grocery store ( once a week normally) I get 5,10 or 20 cash back ( no ATM FEE) and put in my cash stash. I also pay a little bit extra on my monthly bills. Say my power bill is 95 I will pay 100 which will be a credit on my next bill
I do this with my checking account, too! I like it to be an "even" number and I'll usually break the amount up to different funds, depending on what's a priority at that point. i.e. $2.77 to least-needy fund and the biggest chunk to most-needy fund. Boosts savings, plus it helps me better keep track of what my account should be vs. mystery charge came out.
I love paying a little extra each time for bills as well. Most of the time I'll try and pay a little extra. On those times money is tight I can just pay the remainder 😁
People are frugal in their own ways. My box of dryer sheets is over 10 years old and if I think the sheet needs a bit of a revival, add a couple of drops of water. I put a load of clothes in a dryer for no more than 15 minutes and let them dry on hangers. I never use liquid hand soap---a bar of soap lasts three times longer with less waste. Paper towels last 10 years as well because I use dish towels. I always admired my mother because she was the go-to person who had everything. I buy everything on sale and I buy any size if it is larger than I require and use my sewing alteration skills to fix the "too large articles" with the right price. I have no subscriptions of any kind including movies or music services. If you have the room hold onto anything you might need like shoes too sizes larger that can they can be adjusted with orthotics or insoles. My mother spent 200 bucks several times on "special" shoes when all she needed were larger shoes. What do I spend money on? An expensive car? NO---I bought a whole house generator. Something none of my neighbors have!
For the first time, I’m going to do a no buy year, taking it day by day or week by week, if I have to. So far, I haven’t bought anything, except necessities. Yay! My goal is to get out of medical debt and save $1K for an emergency fund. After that, to save three months of expenses, then six months, etc.
Omg that about autofill is so true. Can't count the times I was browsing stuff online, thought I'll buy some stuff, realized that my card is in the different room and said to myself 'I don't really want it anymore' and just closed the browser haha
at the begining of the pandemic, I owed 9000$ on my line of credit ... little stuff that just pilled up over the years. O.o I tackled it and paid it all in 22 months ! the pandemic kinda helped because stores were closed for a while in Montreal, canada and I dont like online shoping ! Now I'm really cheap and always think twice before a purchase ! When I go to the drift store, I like to buy bigger clothes for my daughter and put it in a bag for later. This way i'm never caught off guard and I am not tempted to buy expensive clothes .
The thing I want to do this year is saving the same amount than the cost of the receipt if we decide to go to restaurant. Before the pandemic, we were very often at the restaurant and then with all the lockdowns, we stopped and we save so much money!!! Now, I we decide to go, I want to save the exact amount, just to remind me how lucky I am being able to afford it.
Love this! This is definitely my goal this year. I want to save more, but put money aside for trips. My girls are 17 yrs apart. I was a single mom for most of my older ones life. I couldn’t take her anywhere. Luckily she had amazing grandparents that took her around the country. My youngest doesn’t have that option with her grandparents. And now that I’m in a better place, I can’t wait to be able to show her the same places and have the same experiences. 😊
Thank you for this! When I was a single Mom while my kids were growing up I went on a money diet the first quarter of every year. After the holiday blow out. We bought what we needed but the bank account really bulked up during that time by just being more purposeful on what I spent. Getting ready to retire so I will probably implement the no spend days again. Won't be too hard because I hate shopping. LOL.
Goals and frugal plans for 2022 - tracking no spend days every month, adding monthly to my teens ABLE acct, adding to sinking funds and implementing a few new ones, decluttering (LOVE Dawn the minimal mom thanks to you mentioning her). Already have vacation saved for since we haven't been able to travel last couple years. Bought my new to me vehicle with cash last summer from selling while decluttering (17K)... cut back on misc. Shopping out of boredom and thx to your videos Christine, I am cooking much more from scratch to save even more. Don't go out to eat except special/rare occasions. Clothes are 98% thrift store/salvation Army except shoes and undergarments.
We spent the last year building our pantry. I have been a canner for years but we have moved into thinking long term for more items to build a net. Now we only shop the items on sale so we don’t need to get things when they ate full price. No we have exceptions like produce or special occasions however because we have the safety net when those times come we are prepared. This year we will work on something new but maintain what is already in place.
Okay, mom, fine! Lol! All great tips. I was watching Minimal Mom’s video the other day and she said if you want to continue with your goal of minimizing, watch content daily that shows that. I think the same applies here. If I watch this video every day, I’m going to be less likely to spend! Or any of your money saving videos!
I love the idea of saving double of what you want to splurge on. We've done our budget for real for real (for the first time honestly after 7 years of marriage) & realized we can save a lot more than we realized- enough that we can save most of our big trip abroad budget for next year and pay off 2 credit cards!
Thank you for your suggestions to: 1. Save for double the cost of an item. Half of what is saved to go towards a saver acct. 2. No spend weekends at least twice a mth. 3. Mthly grocery shop, great idea 4. Be more organised, make and take food to work. Save buying lunch. Thku again for your suggestions.
Haha when you said to set a timer in Target it just made me think of Supermarket Sweep. I am doing a no-buy year and not having much trouble with it so far. One thing I do to encourage me to save money is to pull a couple things from the fridge and pretend I'm on Chopped. What can I make with these four random ingredients?? Usually turns out pretty yummy :) Thanks for all the tips!
I also follow Miko and use her workbook and cash envelopes for years now. I made allot of $ back from previous overspending by selling a bunch of Misc items on mercari which was a challenge of hers. I love no spend challenges as well as savings challenges. ❤
I'm a very out of sight out of mind person. One of my favorite money saving tips is what I call my "Stash Cash". I work in the restaurant industry and after every shift I look at what I made and immediately set some aside in a place where it's out of sight. It helps me accumulate a nice little nest egg each month and because I don't see it I never know what's there until I count it to take it directly to the bank. This year I'm also focusing on doing some long term saving for when we decide to start looking into houses. When the prices drop of course. They're crazy right now. Lol
My resolution for this year is to not use a credit card. Last year I spent so much on my credit card shopping. I have been paying it off the past few months and this will be the first year since having one that it doesn’t get used unless an emergency happens. Otherwise we plan to pay cash for big expenses.
I have zero debt and my son and I had a bet over who would pay their car off first… He did have a less expensive car than I, but he did win a steak dinner!!! and he was super pumped I paid mine off the next day so I paid off my brand new car in 20 months and the last car I drove for 10 years so I expect to drive this car the same amount of time… And any money that is left over in your checking account the day before you get paid transfer it to your savings account
I had to make it a rule that I only purchase from Amazon on Sundays. That way, as the week goes on, I fill up my cart with all of those things I NEEDED. Then, when Sunday comes, I look over the items and I can usually remove the majority of them. For example, a few weeks ago, the Spaetzle maker (could use colander and pot of boiling water), the tiny cookie cutters (cute had to have that I could actually replace with a very sharp knife and a template cut out of cardboard since i only needed 6 of the one shape) and 1" bias tape (which my mother taught me to make when I was about 8, and which I really love making out of all of my scrap fabrics) all could be taken off the list. Felt pretty proud of myself for that. This is a habit I'm going to work to keep.
I am going to implement some no spend weeks this year. I am already writing down everything I spend as I want 2022 to be the year I finally get on top of my finances.
These are all very good suggestions. After many years and by ‘many’ I mean 58 years of being a frugal wife and mother and doing without, I am now at the point in life where I can buy whatever I want, whenever I want, go anywhere I want.🥰 I still pause and ask myself if I really want it and if I will use it. I just had the opportunity to buy a little Shih Tzu puppy. I had cash stashed away from when we would go out of town to casinos. We budgeted how much we thought was a worth while amount for entertainment. If I didn’t spend that in the slot machines without a when I brought the hundred dollar bills home. That is what I was able to use to buy my puppy. I told my husband that was his anniversary gift to me. (58 years on Dec 27)
I was a born grocery shopper! I do show up once a month but I need a couple of filling things for fresh fruits and vegetables milk and bread stuff like that. But because I am on SSDI and you get Medicare when you're on that I now have a $75 thing to use for meat produce anything in the grocery store that's not junk food it's for healthy shopping. So I use that money to pay for what I need throughout the month. I also get $60 a month for OTC products those two things are such a relief in my life I can't even explain it! I wouldn't say I'm in debt but I do need to pay my credit cards down to zero and that is not my fault because I have not received my inheritance money yet and I really believe the guy is skimming. There's an estate attorney as well who has been our family lawyer forever but he's limited with what he can do. We're heading into 3 years and I did get the money to purchase this house but I need the money I am due. :-)
I basically stopped eating lunch out. I have plenty of food at the house, which often tastes better. I just had left over spaghetti with a left over cut up hot dog … lol .. perfectly delish😋
I don’t like to shop! When I was growing up, my Mother didn’t like to shop either. So we only went when we had to for a few clothes and shoes for school and that was only a few times a year. When we had children, we used the envelope system and I had a little bit of my paycheck to go into my savings. We paid off our house before our first child graduated and I was working for a University that had a discount for college fees for employees which was wonderful!! Through the envelope system, we were able to pay in full for both children’s braces which we received a big discount for that. On one of our boys was a huge savings because he was in braces longer than expected but since I had paid in full, I didn’t get charged extra. Yes, we had some lean years but we survived on our budget because we knew what bills had to be paid first before anything else. It was hard but I’m so proud of the work it took between me and my husband.
I started cash envelopes and budgeting last year but it’s tough. I still overspend, but I’m determined to get on track. I’ve done the math and if we are really dedicated we can get all our debts (aside from house) paid off in 5 years. It’s a hefty amount of debt between vehicles, student loans, etc.Love all the ideas! Thanks for your videos.
I will write down everything I spend and what I eat. I spend and eat too much. We're debt free and retired and shopping is my favorite thing to do. Since losing weight I had the thrill of buying all new clothes but the bad thing is, like spending too much, I have eaten too much and my clothes are too tight. Gotta get control.
We really need to have savings because my husband is a contractor and covid has drained all we had. Plus, we are building a new house, second baby is due in may and my dog has liver problems and needs special food and care. This past year has been a struggle since the pandemic directly impacts my husband's paycheck. I work and have a steady salary but my husband makes 5x as much.
All of that was great. setting timers, making a list, taking auto fill off, storing money away from me in some place I never see, uping my apps and coupon game, saving cash to make fun purchases ✔✔✔💲 Very practical, I'm half way doing some of them but I need to be intentional. I love our tribe of many too btw!
I love that idea of matching splurges with savings! Our year is getting off to an expensive start with about $8,000 in home repairs and improvements. … I have been trying to come up with a plan to help me not go overboard with extras.
I have done many of the ideas you have listed, but the one I have never done {and will do} is #13--save up to spend on something just for the heck of it. Thanks for sharing.
To help with the online shopping impulses, don't set up your email on your main computer. Look at it in your browser. Chances are, most of the emails are unnecessary and easily deleted. This doesent apply to business emails. For that, use a separate email and never use that email for retailers.
Re: online shopping. I never -- almost never 😉 -- buy something the same day I put it the cart. I let it sit, at least a day usually longer, and if I go back in a few days and (1) still want/need it and (2) still feel it's a good deal/worth the cost and (3) can pay "in cash" rather than on credit, then I'll put in the banking info and buy it. I hate shopping in crowds and I tend to impulse buy in target or wherever, so online for me is the way to go! I even do this with Walmart grocery pickup-- in the cart and wait a day or two before I put in the order. Maybe I need to add butter but then I'll take out the ice cream. Etc. Thanks for the tips!
I sent through all of our bank statements and debt totals for the whole year of 2021 to hold us responsible for what we spent. It was super telling. So my budget goals are super simple; 1) cut out fast food as much as possible. Admittedly, we haven't been so good about that this month because of how many times we have left the house for baby appointments, but definitely planning on getting back on track since we'll basically be home for a long while after he's born. 2) entirely eliminating microtransactions. That one is a "my bad", because I didn't realize how fast those purchases of a few dollars for the game I play rack up. 3) meal plan based on what's in my house. I'm typically a really good shopper when it comes to sales. During holidays, I stock up on big meats like turkey and ham, which often go down to 30¢/lb for turkey and 87¢/lb for ham, and I buy several of these for the freezer to eat during the year. I also use a minimal waste system, where I use parts of food many times, making broth with scrap veggies, stock with meat carcasses, etc. But I'm also guilty of not having a plan for what I'm actually going to make that week, which leads to a lot of the fast food purchases. So I need a plan for the groceries I buy. 4) plan my husband's work lunches better. This one is a "his bad" because they installed vending machines at work that he can use his debit card for, and that racked up fast, too. So I need to plan better for him. From this video, I also really like the "shop less often" suggestion. Because of the poor meal planning, despite the good grocery shopping, there's been too many times where we hit 2 days later and I think of something good to make for dinner, but I'm missing like, an onion or a pepper. So we have to make another trip to the store, which makes us either see something on clearance that we really like, or we remember something else we should get while we're out. You don't make a trip to the grocery store for just one item, it feels wasteful for the effort, so it's always more than that. But less trips, better planning, I'm hoping to have that covered.
Good info I use free delivery services to save gas, make dinners in the evening/weekend and freeze them for the week to save electric also prevents exposure to COVID
Why am I always amazed by the terrific tips you give in your videos?! I was putting a plan together already for my financial goals for 2022...and then BAM here comes your video to help me! I strongly believe in using cash for a lot of things because it really keeps me accountable! It's definitely visual as well because you literally have $ in your hands showing what you have to spend.
OOH I need to do several of these. I think I will start with setting a shopping timer. I hate shopping. But sometimes I wander down the clearance aisle at Walmart if I'm not in a hurry. Biggest mistake ever. lol. I'm going to attempt some sort of shopping ban (after reading Cait Flanders' "The Year of Less"). I don't think I'll do a whole year, but I want to do at least a 3 month experiment where I only buy necessities (food, replace only clothing/appliances etc that are worn out/broken/need replaced, gifts for others are okay, that sort of thing).
I am debt freedom, after a horrible divorce I was blindsided both by the cost and loss 📉of the process. Rude awaking but changed my financial life around, pretty much did all of the suggested things but added a side HUSTLE and banked it all. Now it's a cash only lifestyle with a good journal of what I spend every time. Thanks for a great video
Thanks for the straight talk! I needed it right now. My good budget & spending habits have bitten the dust recently and its great to hear I need to get back on track! I appreciate your encouragement and positive attitude!
Something I unintentionally did to save money was to get a second job. I’m making more income and have less time to go shopping. My other job is work from home so I felt like I needed an excuse to get out of the house every day which ended up being shopping. Now I get out of the house by going to my second job or the gym! I go to a planet fitness so it’s not very expensive at all.
Thank you for everything you post. I gave found several things very useful. I had a goal last year to be debt free and I am. My goal this year is to put as much as I can into savings. Will put what I paid as a mortgage payment in savings
I was told many years ago that if you make one extra house payment a year, it cuts a 30 year mortgage to 15. I just began putting an extra amount toward principal each month, and really sped up the payoff. Then, when interest rates dropped, I did a rate modification on my loan, which really dropped my payment.
I’m on a fixed income. After I pay all my bills I constantly divide how much I can spend a day for that month. If I skip a day it doubles the next day. I get my money on the 1st so I set up my credit card payments in the first week of the month. I think I’m gonna write a spend journal. I constantly order from doordash. I know it’s costly. And I don’t need it.
I really like all your tips and tricks. My goal this year is to pay of 50% of my debt. I already was able to drop our groceries and gas for cars in 2021 by about half. Used to pay 800 in groceries now we pay 350. Gas got less mostly from not driving to lots of stores and changing how I plan my day like if I have an appointment then I see if I need anything from the store and only get what we need maybe 1 extra (we already have a decent stock) so gas went from 1000 for 2 cars to 500 or less for 2 cars. I also started making more from scratch, and if we don't have it I try to find alternative's to use that we already have. Also trying to use things before they go bad.
Thanks for the tips! The last two years, we had been using side hustle money to pay for Christmas. I'm no longer doing those side hustles so we are automating some savings for a Christmas sinking fund! 🎄
Thank you! I’ve been struggling with saving since I retired and after watching your video I set up an automatic transfer from checking to saving every month! Perfect!
This year my family applied for our first credit card (I’m 32) I started a cash envelope binder system. If the money isn’t there is don’t get spent on the card. We have an emergency fund but building it up. That way even if I need to use the credit card for emergencies we don’t need to worry about not having the money to cover it.
Look before going shopping. I have bought so many things two or three times because I didn’t look and remember that I had bought it already. Great tips Christine!
I feel like one skill I have is to not spend money. Right now I’m in college, and even though I have some money to spend, it feels super irresponsible to spend it when I know I have many more years of tuition left (med school will suck me dry 😂). If anything I feel like I should create a budget to allow myself some money to spend. But I’m also content just saving it.
“let’s not try and be THAT crazy.” 😂 but seriously, best self-improvement advice EVER. 👍🏼 i always appreciate your budget videos because the practical tips really help me stay on track. many thanks! … [edited] … turning off auto fill has pumped my brakes many a time and saved me from unplanned purchases. also, “yoink!” you crack me up! hahaha
I love the idea of shopping once a month for groceries however I would probably need to get produce more often. I already shop twice a month so it’s worth a try. I hate grocery shopping lol thanks for the tips!
Could you buy frozen vegetables/ long life fruit? My apples last week's in the fridge. Or in week two plan more meals that involve cans or frozen stuff?
Great tips! I too love to shop. One thing that has helped me on Amazon is shopping list. I save it for later and I find most things were impulse after a day or two. If they’re not, I add it into my budget. I’m to sure going to download and app or browser extension for discount codes. Thanks!
I’ve always been frugal, but losing my job in October and going from a 100k income to barely a 30k income has forced me to be even more budget conscious. I’m grateful that I was debt-free when I lost my job and have some modest savings. But this whole thing has really showed me how little we actually need in order to survive. Priorities shift, that’s for sure.
you are right, i also been able to save a little for my retiement but i need a smart and geniune platform to invest on, any idea?
@@lezliewhicker8450 i will suggest you look up Vivian Klaine Morgan, she is God sent to us here
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I keep my credit cards in my file box so they are only used intentionally. It helps slow me down when it comes to instore and online purchases. Another thing I have been doing is trying to recreate my family's favourite restaurant meals to curb the craving to go out for dinner.
Smart ideas!
The copycat recipes are great if you haven't run across them yet!
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Last year, I put $20 (sometimes more if I could) each week in an envelope to save up for our camping trip. By the time we left, I had enough cash saved to help offset the cost of gas, fire wood, extra ice for our coolers & a few other odds & ends. Sure, it rained during that trip, but we made the most of it & had an absolute blast.
That's a great idea!
My best tip to add to your wonderful suggestions is: LIVE BELOW YOUR MEANS.
Just a note about knowing the account balance...I was checking mine and saw a discrepency. Turns out someone stole my card and charged to a store I never heard of. Bank was great and they are taking care of it. However, the amount wasn't huge so it would of been easily missed had I not been checking my account/balances and bills. Great advice Christine!
They usually start with small amounts to test it out, good on you for catching it early. This happened to me years ago, I was charged for Netflix and Dropbox but didn't even know what they were at the time.
We save $30.00 cash each week. Have used it for many things, new flooring in bedrooms and bathrooms, roof cleaning, septic clean out. Even though we are both retired we still continue with this practice. Has been very helpful when surprises occur.
When I was in my 20’s, I had every credit card of interest to me. All had balances, I owed more in my “minimum payments” than what I comfortably had. I moved back in with my parents, fought for a promotion at work, and paid and cancelled every credit card but one. Since then I’ve been very aware of my finances. I retired a year ago, and because I’ve been living for so long on a budget, retirement has been great. There are always side jobs when needed. Digging out from debt isn’t easy, but it can be done. It’s so freeing!
After spending many years living frugally while paying for our kids' college and paying off our mortgage, I'm at the point where I can splurge. And I'm having a terrible time spending money on myself. Old habits die hard!
I often fill my Amazon cart and then save them for later to evaluate if I actually need it. I end up deleting most of it.
For ten years before retiring, I started tracking every penny in a notebook and then later in an excel spreadsheet. Just writing it down and adding it up every month and at the end of the year by month and category was very eyeopening. I was really just trying to figure out how much and where we were spending our money, not trying to cut back particularly as I had always been a saver, and not extravagant. Even we reduced our yearly expenses by 40% by just writing it down and paying more attention.. It also helped me realize that I could retire earlier, and relieved a lot of the stress of thinking about it.
Taking inventory before shopping is a good one. We paid off our house right before New Year’s and it feels SO GOOD to be debt free!
I work at Target and I'm always telling guests that have a full cart that they let Target tell them what they needed 😂 and I have a name for the ones who come in with a list...I call them Target Unicorns because they are very rare lol but they do exist.
How about the ones who come in and leave empty handed? I come in for their unbeatable price on big packs of chicken breast. If they don't have it, I'm out the door over half the time empty handed and leave with less than $10 in misc. items the rest of the time. I can find better quality elsewhere and I don't need all the consumerist things they sell.
@@sarahsmith9084 happy shopping elsewhere I guess
Love the "Target tells you what you need." I would go into Target with a list and get those things, plus the things Target told me I needed.😂 Now that I am disabled, getting out is difficult. I have wonderful neighbors who pick up my Sam's Club or Costco items (I belong to SC and she belongs to C). The upside is I give her a text of what I need and no impulse shopping! I do my grocery shopping online and get it delivered every 2 weeks. I have a W+ mbetship. I signed up for a year and got 6onths free. I give myself a set amount to spend and it is easy seeing the cart total so I can edit as I go to stay on track.. If I need milk in between, my neighbor is kind enough to pick some up when she is out. Less frequent shopping trips does equate to less overall spending. My tip is unsubscribe to emails from retailers, especially those that tempt you too much. Thanks Christine!!!
Frugal plans for 2022 -- I have a strong plan for a low-buy year, 12 days in and I haven't bought anything beyond the necessary items like food and rent. Here's to a strong year everyone!
Something I do is every single night I check my account and move x$ to savings. Say my ending balance is 99.99 I will move 4.99 to savings. It’s such a small amount that really adds up. Plus every time I go to the grocery store ( once a week normally) I get 5,10 or 20 cash back ( no ATM FEE) and put in my cash stash. I also pay a little bit extra on my monthly bills. Say my power bill is 95 I will pay 100 which will be a credit on my next bill
I do this with my checking account, too! I like it to be an "even" number and I'll usually break the amount up to different funds, depending on what's a priority at that point. i.e. $2.77 to least-needy fund and the biggest chunk to most-needy fund. Boosts savings, plus it helps me better keep track of what my account should be vs. mystery charge came out.
@@Erin-rg3dw exactly!! Great minds think alike!!
I love paying a little extra each time for bills as well. Most of the time I'll try and pay a little extra. On those times money is tight I can just pay the remainder 😁
People are frugal in their own ways. My box of dryer sheets is over 10 years old and if I think the sheet needs a bit of a revival, add a couple of drops of water. I put a load of clothes in a dryer for no more than 15 minutes and let them dry on hangers. I never use liquid hand soap---a bar of soap lasts three times longer with less waste. Paper towels last 10 years as well because I use dish towels. I always admired my mother because she was the go-to person who had everything. I buy everything on sale and I buy any size if it is larger than I require and use my sewing alteration skills to fix the "too large articles" with the right price. I have no subscriptions of any kind including movies or music services. If you have the room hold onto anything you might need like shoes too sizes larger that can they can be adjusted with orthotics or insoles. My mother spent 200 bucks several times on "special" shoes when all she needed were larger shoes. What do I spend money on? An expensive car? NO---I bought a whole house generator. Something none of my neighbors have!
I never listen to anyone giving advice---
For the first time, I’m going to do a no buy year, taking it day by day or week by week, if I have to. So far, I haven’t bought anything, except necessities. Yay! My goal is to get out of medical debt and save $1K for an emergency fund. After that, to save three months of expenses, then six months, etc.
Omg that about autofill is so true. Can't count the times I was browsing stuff online, thought I'll buy some stuff, realized that my card is in the different room and said to myself 'I don't really want it anymore' and just closed the browser haha
It's SO true! That autofill is a serious problem.
at the begining of the pandemic, I owed 9000$ on my line of credit ... little stuff that just pilled up over the years. O.o I tackled it and paid it all in 22 months ! the pandemic kinda helped because stores were closed for a while in Montreal, canada and I dont like online shoping ! Now I'm really cheap and always think twice before a purchase ! When I go to the drift store, I like to buy bigger clothes for my daughter and put it in a bag for later. This way i'm never caught off guard and I am not tempted to buy expensive clothes .
The thing I want to do this year is saving the same amount than the cost of the receipt if we decide to go to restaurant. Before the pandemic, we were very often at the restaurant and then with all the lockdowns, we stopped and we save so much money!!! Now, I we decide to go, I want to save the exact amount, just to remind me how lucky I am being able to afford it.
Love this! This is definitely my goal this year. I want to save more, but put money aside for trips.
My girls are 17 yrs apart. I was a single mom for most of my older ones life. I couldn’t take her anywhere. Luckily she had amazing grandparents that took her around the country.
My youngest doesn’t have that option with her grandparents. And now that I’m in a better place, I can’t wait to be able to show her the same places and have the same experiences. 😊
Thank you for this! When I was a single Mom while my kids were growing up I went on a money diet the first quarter of every year. After the holiday blow out. We bought what we needed but the bank account really bulked up during that time by just being more purposeful on what I spent. Getting ready to retire so I will probably implement the no spend days again. Won't be too hard because I hate shopping. LOL.
Goals and frugal plans for 2022 - tracking no spend days every month, adding monthly to my teens ABLE acct, adding to sinking funds and implementing a few new ones, decluttering (LOVE Dawn the minimal mom thanks to you mentioning her). Already have vacation saved for since we haven't been able to travel last couple years. Bought my new to me vehicle with cash last summer from selling while decluttering (17K)... cut back on misc. Shopping out of boredom and thx to your videos Christine, I am cooking much more from scratch to save even more. Don't go out to eat except special/rare occasions. Clothes are 98% thrift store/salvation Army except shoes and undergarments.
@C MNB I realize I stopped tracking no spend days. I spend very little so shopping for no reason isn't a concern anymore.
We spent the last year building our pantry. I have been a canner for years but we have moved into thinking long term for more items to build a net. Now we only shop the items on sale so we don’t need to get things when they ate full price. No we have exceptions like produce or special occasions however because we have the safety net when those times come we are prepared. This year we will work on something new but maintain what is already in place.
Okay, mom, fine! Lol! All great tips. I was watching Minimal Mom’s video the other day and she said if you want to continue with your goal of minimizing, watch content daily that shows that. I think the same applies here. If I watch this video every day, I’m going to be less likely to spend! Or any of your money saving videos!
I love the idea of saving double of what you want to splurge on. We've done our budget for real for real (for the first time honestly after 7 years of marriage) & realized we can save a lot more than we realized- enough that we can save most of our big trip abroad budget for next year and pay off 2 credit cards!
Thank you for your suggestions to: 1. Save for double the cost of an item. Half of what is saved to go towards a saver acct.
2. No spend weekends at least twice a mth.
3. Mthly grocery shop, great idea
4. Be more organised, make and take food to work. Save buying lunch.
Thku again for your suggestions.
Haha when you said to set a timer in Target it just made me think of Supermarket Sweep. I am doing a no-buy year and not having much trouble with it so far. One thing I do to encourage me to save money is to pull a couple things from the fridge and pretend I'm on Chopped. What can I make with these four random ingredients?? Usually turns out pretty yummy :) Thanks for all the tips!
You just inspired me to make my lunch for tomorrow! I try and do it several times a week, but I did it. 👍
I love the no spend weekend once a month. I could really see my husband going for that and… taadaa! A non spend month! Genius!
I'm doing a no spend January! Just started The Budget Mom's budget by paycheck! I'm off to a good start this year!
I also follow Miko and use her workbook and cash envelopes for years now. I made allot of $ back from previous overspending by selling a bunch of Misc items on mercari which was a challenge of hers. I love no spend challenges as well as savings challenges. ❤
I'm a very out of sight out of mind person. One of my favorite money saving tips is what I call my "Stash Cash". I work in the restaurant industry and after every shift I look at what I made and immediately set some aside in a place where it's out of sight. It helps me accumulate a nice little nest egg each month and because I don't see it I never know what's there until I count it to take it directly to the bank. This year I'm also focusing on doing some long term saving for when we decide to start looking into houses. When the prices drop of course. They're crazy right now. Lol
One week of no spending is doable whereas a month is kinda scary to begin with. Love all of your videos BUT this tule are helping me tremendously
Loving the mountain art! Look at you decorating and stuff!
Right?!
Yes! Please tell us where you got that.
@@cynthiamyers4265 endlessdaysdesign.com/
I check my bank account every day, as well as weather & company stock.
My resolution for this year is to not use a credit card. Last year I spent so much on my credit card shopping. I have been paying it off the past few months and this will be the first year since having one that it doesn’t get used unless an emergency happens. Otherwise we plan to pay cash for big expenses.
I have zero debt and my son and I had a bet over who would pay their car off first… He did have a less expensive car than I, but he did win a steak dinner!!! and he was super pumped
I paid mine off the next day so I paid off my brand new car in 20 months and the last car I drove for 10 years so I expect to drive this car the same amount of time… And any money that is left over in your checking account the day before you get paid transfer it to your savings account
I had to make it a rule that I only purchase from Amazon on Sundays. That way, as the week goes on, I fill up my cart with all of those things I NEEDED. Then, when Sunday comes, I look over the items and I can usually remove the majority of them. For example, a few weeks ago, the Spaetzle maker (could use colander and pot of boiling water), the tiny cookie cutters (cute had to have that I could actually replace with a very sharp knife and a template cut out of cardboard since i only needed 6 of the one shape) and 1" bias tape (which my mother taught me to make when I was about 8, and which I really love making out of all of my scrap fabrics) all could be taken off the list. Felt pretty proud of myself for that. This is a habit I'm going to work to keep.
I am going to implement some no spend weeks this year. I am already writing down everything I spend as I want 2022 to be the year I finally get on top of my finances.
These are all very good suggestions. After many years and by ‘many’ I mean 58 years of being a frugal wife and mother and doing without, I am now at the point in life where I can buy whatever I want, whenever I want, go anywhere I want.🥰 I still pause and ask myself if I really want it and if I will use it. I just had the opportunity to buy a little Shih Tzu puppy. I had cash stashed away from when we would go out of town to casinos. We budgeted how much we thought was a worth while amount for entertainment. If I didn’t spend that in the slot machines without a when I brought the hundred dollar bills home. That is what I was able to use to buy my puppy. I told my husband that was his anniversary gift to me. (58 years on Dec 27)
I shop my pantry and freezer first for meal planning. The go to the store for items I need
I was a born grocery shopper! I do show up once a month but I need a couple of filling things for fresh fruits and vegetables milk and bread stuff like that. But because I am on SSDI and you get Medicare when you're on that I now have a $75 thing to use for meat produce anything in the grocery store that's not junk food it's for healthy shopping. So I use that money to pay for what I need throughout the month. I also get $60 a month for OTC products those two things are such a relief in my life I can't even explain it! I wouldn't say I'm in debt but I do need to pay my credit cards down to zero and that is not my fault because I have not received my inheritance money yet and I really believe the guy is skimming. There's an estate attorney as well who has been our family lawyer forever but he's limited with what he can do. We're heading into 3 years and I did get the money to purchase this house but I need the money I am due. :-)
I started automating my savings last year, and it’s definitely a game changer! Out of sight, out of mind
We are doing a no spend year. We are ROCKING it. I wasn't sure I could be so disciplined but it's not that hard.
Not having my card info saved has saved me from making so many impulse purchases! Gives me time to think it through
I basically stopped eating lunch out. I have plenty of food at the house, which often tastes better. I just had left over spaghetti with a left over cut up hot dog … lol .. perfectly delish😋
I love all your tips. The one I will implement for sure is to delete my credit card info from online sites. Thank you!
Glad it was helpful!
Lunches out are expensive. I take yogurt, fruit, nuts for breakfast. Soups, salads for lunch.
I don’t like to shop! When I was growing up, my Mother didn’t like to shop either. So we only went when we had to for a few clothes and shoes for school and that was only a few times a year. When we had children, we used the envelope system and I had a little bit of my paycheck to go into my savings. We paid off our house before our first child graduated and I was working for a University that had a discount for college fees for employees which was wonderful!! Through the envelope system, we were able to pay in full for both children’s braces which we received a big discount for that. On one of our boys was a huge savings because he was in braces longer than expected but since I had paid in full, I didn’t get charged extra. Yes, we had some lean years but we survived on our budget because we knew what bills had to be paid first before anything else. It was hard but I’m so proud of the work it took between me and my husband.
I started cash envelopes and budgeting last year but it’s tough. I still overspend, but I’m determined to get on track. I’ve done the math and if we are really dedicated we can get all our debts (aside from house) paid off in 5 years. It’s a hefty amount of debt between vehicles, student loans, etc.Love all the ideas! Thanks for your videos.
I only grocery shop once a month. I grew up so far away from a town or city that it was the necessity in order to save gas money.
These are all SO. GOOD. I’ve already implemented a few and I’m glad to know I’m not crazy or alone in doing so!
I worked 45 years in health care and probably can count on one hand the number of times I actually purchased my lunch at work😄
I will write down everything I spend and what I eat. I spend and eat too much. We're debt free and retired and shopping is my favorite thing to do. Since losing weight I had the thrill of buying all new clothes but the bad thing is, like spending too much, I have eaten too much and my clothes are too tight. Gotta get control.
I love your mountain picture!!!!! And your videos x
We really need to have savings because my husband is a contractor and covid has drained all we had. Plus, we are building a new house, second baby is due in may and my dog has liver problems and needs special food and care. This past year has been a struggle since the pandemic directly impacts my husband's paycheck. I work and have a steady salary but my husband makes 5x as much.
Some great tips. I will now open a savings account at a different bank with a automatic deposit set up each month
Love the top! I don´t do resolutions either, but I do have goals :-D. In 2021 I paid off my last debt (credit card). very pleased.
Love that!
Just paid mine off this week! Feels like a dream! Feels great!
All of that was great. setting timers, making a list, taking auto fill off, storing money away from me in some place I never see, uping my apps and coupon game, saving cash to make fun purchases ✔✔✔💲 Very practical, I'm half way doing some of them but I need to be intentional. I love our tribe of many too btw!
I love that idea of matching splurges with savings! Our year is getting off to an expensive start with about $8,000 in home repairs and improvements. … I have been trying to come up with a plan to help me not go overboard with extras.
I have done many of the ideas you have listed, but the one I have never done {and will do} is #13--save up to spend on something just for the heck of it. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you so much!
My no. 16 would be to cancel unnecessary subscriptions, especially with free trials. Or limit them to 1-2.
LOVE that you emphasize "realistic" goals!!!
Haha 😂 I love that you said target tells you what to buy...so true!!! Target...they get ya every time!!
I love the automated savings idea! If you never see it, you won’t miss it 😊 Thanks for some great ideas! Take care and have a Blessed day.
Thank you! You too!
To help with the online shopping impulses, don't set up your email on your main computer. Look at it in your browser. Chances are, most of the emails are unnecessary and easily deleted. This doesent apply to business emails. For that, use a separate email and never use that email for retailers.
Re: online shopping. I never -- almost never 😉 -- buy something the same day I put it the cart. I let it sit, at least a day usually longer, and if I go back in a few days and (1) still want/need it and (2) still feel it's a good deal/worth the cost and (3) can pay "in cash" rather than on credit, then I'll put in the banking info and buy it. I hate shopping in crowds and I tend to impulse buy in target or wherever, so online for me is the way to go! I even do this with Walmart grocery pickup-- in the cart and wait a day or two before I put in the order. Maybe I need to add butter but then I'll take out the ice cream. Etc.
Thanks for the tips!
I sent through all of our bank statements and debt totals for the whole year of 2021 to hold us responsible for what we spent. It was super telling.
So my budget goals are super simple; 1) cut out fast food as much as possible. Admittedly, we haven't been so good about that this month because of how many times we have left the house for baby appointments, but definitely planning on getting back on track since we'll basically be home for a long while after he's born. 2) entirely eliminating microtransactions. That one is a "my bad", because I didn't realize how fast those purchases of a few dollars for the game I play rack up. 3) meal plan based on what's in my house. I'm typically a really good shopper when it comes to sales. During holidays, I stock up on big meats like turkey and ham, which often go down to 30¢/lb for turkey and 87¢/lb for ham, and I buy several of these for the freezer to eat during the year. I also use a minimal waste system, where I use parts of food many times, making broth with scrap veggies, stock with meat carcasses, etc. But I'm also guilty of not having a plan for what I'm actually going to make that week, which leads to a lot of the fast food purchases. So I need a plan for the groceries I buy. 4) plan my husband's work lunches better. This one is a "his bad" because they installed vending machines at work that he can use his debit card for, and that racked up fast, too. So I need to plan better for him.
From this video, I also really like the "shop less often" suggestion. Because of the poor meal planning, despite the good grocery shopping, there's been too many times where we hit 2 days later and I think of something good to make for dinner, but I'm missing like, an onion or a pepper. So we have to make another trip to the store, which makes us either see something on clearance that we really like, or we remember something else we should get while we're out. You don't make a trip to the grocery store for just one item, it feels wasteful for the effort, so it's always more than that. But less trips, better planning, I'm hoping to have that covered.
Good info I use free delivery services to save gas, make dinners in the evening/weekend and freeze them for the week to save electric also prevents exposure to COVID
Awesome tips!! Love deleting the autofill!!
Glad it was helpful!
Our jobs are shifting around right now so I just sat down and did a new budget during this video. Need to account for every single dollar.
Christine, you are KILLING it in this video!! Thank you!!
Why am I always amazed by the terrific tips you give in your videos?! I was putting a plan together already for my financial goals for 2022...and then BAM here comes your video to help me! I strongly believe in using cash for a lot of things because it really keeps me accountable! It's definitely visual as well because you literally have $ in your hands showing what you have to spend.
OOH I need to do several of these. I think I will start with setting a shopping timer. I hate shopping. But sometimes I wander down the clearance aisle at Walmart if I'm not in a hurry. Biggest mistake ever. lol. I'm going to attempt some sort of shopping ban (after reading Cait Flanders' "The Year of Less"). I don't think I'll do a whole year, but I want to do at least a 3 month experiment where I only buy necessities (food, replace only clothing/appliances etc that are worn out/broken/need replaced, gifts for others are okay, that sort of thing).
I go to target with a list of course I'll go into every aisle to see what's new & get my steps in.
I am debt freedom, after a horrible divorce I was blindsided both by the cost and loss 📉of the process. Rude awaking but changed my financial life around, pretty much did all of the suggested things but added a side HUSTLE and banked it all. Now it's a cash only lifestyle with a good journal of what I spend every time. Thanks for a great video
Yes! Incremental goals! And we try to keep a "rolling list" too so we know what we need. Thanks for the continued inspiration
Thanks for the straight talk! I needed it right now. My good budget & spending habits have bitten the dust recently and its great to hear I need to get back on track! I appreciate your encouragement and positive attitude!
I’m back on the grind this year after like 2 years of neglect.
Time to start paying off my house!! BS6
Something I unintentionally did to save money was to get a second job. I’m making more income and have less time to go shopping. My other job is work from home so I felt like I needed an excuse to get out of the house every day which ended up being shopping. Now I get out of the house by going to my second job or the gym! I go to a planet fitness so it’s not very expensive at all.
Thank you for everything you post. I gave found several things very useful. I had a goal last year to be debt free and I am. My goal this year is to put as much as I can into savings. Will put what I paid as a mortgage payment in savings
I was told many years ago that if you make one extra house payment a year, it cuts a 30 year mortgage to 15. I just began putting an extra amount toward principal each month, and really sped up the payoff. Then, when interest rates dropped, I did a rate modification on my loan, which really dropped my payment.
I’m on a fixed income. After I pay all my bills I constantly divide how much I can spend a day for that month. If I skip a day it doubles the next day. I get my money on the 1st so I set up my credit card payments in the first week of the month.
I think I’m gonna write a spend journal. I constantly order from doordash. I know it’s costly. And I don’t need it.
You're such an inspiration!
I really like all your tips and tricks. My goal this year is to pay of 50% of my debt. I already was able to drop our groceries and gas for cars in 2021 by about half. Used to pay 800 in groceries now we pay 350. Gas got less mostly from not driving to lots of stores and changing how I plan my day like if I have an appointment then I see if I need anything from the store and only get what we need maybe 1 extra (we already have a decent stock) so gas went from 1000 for 2 cars to 500 or less for 2 cars. I also started making more from scratch, and if we don't have it I try to find alternative's to use that we already have. Also trying to use things before they go bad.
You have made HUGE progress! Congrats!
Wow that is a huge food savings!
Thanks for the tips!
The last two years, we had been using side hustle money to pay for Christmas. I'm no longer doing those side hustles so we are automating some savings for a Christmas sinking fund! 🎄
I know its off topic...but I really like the artwork of the mountains behind you.
Good advice in 2023 too!
Ouhhh the idea to put aside the same amount of what you buy is brilliant! I will try to do that!
Thank you so much!
Glad it was helpful!
Thanks for the cash-back tip. I'm going to use the heck out of that one!
Thank you! I’ve been struggling with saving since I retired and after watching your video I set up an automatic transfer from checking to saving every month! Perfect!
Fantastic!
This year my family applied for our first credit card (I’m 32) I started a cash envelope binder system. If the money isn’t there is don’t get spent on the card. We have an emergency fund but building it up. That way even if I need to use the credit card for emergencies we don’t need to worry about not having the money to cover it.
I also love the idea of buying something and putting money away to match it. I am going to implement that into my budget :)
Love watching both you, Sarah and Jen... my kids are even getting into you all - lolz!! Thanks Christine!
Love these tips! This year I am writing down and keeping track of everything I spend!
Look before going shopping. I have bought so many things two or three times because I didn’t look and remember that I had bought it already. Great tips Christine!
I feel like one skill I have is to not spend money. Right now I’m in college, and even though I have some money to spend, it feels super irresponsible to spend it when I know I have many more years of tuition left (med school will suck me dry 😂).
If anything I feel like I should create a budget to allow myself some money to spend. But I’m also content just saving it.
“let’s not try and be THAT crazy.” 😂 but seriously, best self-improvement advice EVER. 👍🏼 i always appreciate your budget videos because the practical tips really help me stay on track. many thanks! … [edited] … turning off auto fill has pumped my brakes many a time and saved me from unplanned purchases. also, “yoink!” you crack me up! hahaha
I love the idea of shopping once a month for groceries however I would probably need to get produce more often. I already shop twice a month so it’s worth a try. I hate grocery shopping lol thanks for the tips!
Could you buy frozen vegetables/ long life fruit? My apples last week's in the fridge. Or in week two plan more meals that involve cans or frozen stuff?
@@affordableliving2756 great ideas thank you!
I do like your idea of putting money in a jar for spending on entertainment or out to eat. If not used then it just accumulates.
Great tips! I too love to shop. One thing that has helped me on Amazon is shopping list. I save it for later and I find most things were impulse after a day or two. If they’re not, I add it into my budget. I’m to sure going to download and app or browser extension for discount codes. Thanks!