My daughter turns 16 in three months. She will have her learners permit at that time. OMG. I am way too young to have a daughter who is about to start driving people! I mean come on now! How and when did this happen???
With that said, my daughter informs me that I need to pony up 1/2 for her car when she gets her actual license next summer. Not in those terms of course, but, you get the drift… Well, ummm, yeah. I’m a single mom who makes next to squat for what is supposed to be a well paid position. Internal transfers. I don’t recommend them!
So, what’s a ma supposed to do? Well, this mom is working on different ways to pull in a few extra bucks here and there. One of them is, I’m cutting out my morning routine of buying Belvita Biscuits from our little store area at my job. I also decided to stop buying lunch out one day a week and buying a drink from same store area three – four times a week. This adds up people!
With the money I’m saving from there, I’ll be putting that money away to put towards her car. Any time I deviate from that, I do not add it to the pot at the end of the two weeks. Say I buy lunch one day. I cannot put that money into the savings amount. This way, I’m still not counting on that money and it’s going to something worthwhile. So, how much will I save just by doing that? Well, lets see:
Belvita Biscuits – $1.50 per day. $7.50 per week. $15 every two weeks. $390 per year. WHAT???
Drink – $1.90 per day. $5.70 per week. $11.40 every two weeks. $296.40 per year. Ummmm.
Lunch – $11 per week. $22 every two weeks. $572. per year. Kill me now..
That right there is $1258.40 into savings for the year! Are you kidding me? This is actually the first time that I’ve calculated that out and I’m slightly sick right now. I’ll have to come back later.
Ok, four hours later and I’m finally back.
Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m not opposed to buying lunch out every once in awhile. And I will still buy myself a drink. Otherwise, as much as I love my daughter? What the heck am I working for? Yes. Momma needs money for herself too! So, I may only buy lunch out once or twice a month. Maybe something that is not as expensive? I know $11 doesn’t seem like a lot, but, ummm, yeah… As for my drinks, I do not count them if they are part of my grocery shopping :).
I am going back to listing items on eBay to sell and may start getting more of an inventory going as well. Gotta do what ya gotta do!
You know… Kids are awfully expensive. I tried putting her up on eBay a few times. But, there’s this pesky thing we call “illegal”. Apparently selling your teenager on eBay is taboo. I mean, she’s a good kid. She does work well. Honor Roll student. She’s got determination and grit. A whole lotta attitude. She gets that from me, so, I can’t complain too much. But, I bet that all sold you guys right? You’d buy her if the government would let me sell her, right? Ahh, well… I guess I’ll keep her. Only have a few more years. Have to cherish them while we can. Horns and all… And I’m not criticizing her! Honest. Heck, I have horns too! I’m sure if they had eBay when I was younger, my mom would have successfully sold me. We didn’t have as many pesky laws back then. Just sayin…
As I was saying, I’ve been looking at a few options. I plan on doing the $5 challenge as well. Every time I come across a $5 bill in my change, it will get put away. That will add up y’all! I’m not sure the car dealership will be happy getting a lot of fives.
Every paycheck, I also get a roll or two of dimes. Sometimes, when I get change I’ll ask for a roll of dimes in place of a $5. I’m doing that one savings of filling up a two liter bottle. By the time you’re done, you should have $500 – $700 saved. Any time I get coin change, I’ll ask for dimes instead of quarters. Although, I do have another jar that I’ve been putting quarters in too.
So, I am obviously open minded in which ways I save my money. What other ways would you suggest saving money? What’s worked for you?
Kids are definitely expensive!! These are some great tips to save. I know it is so convenient to grab “convenient” food! Thanks for the tips 🙂
I usually use a passbook account which is less accessible so I can’t withdraw a lot. I then shift the accumulated funds to a time deposit or investments.
Since I like to travel so much, what I do is put away about 30-40% of my earrings every time I get paid. I cut back on eating/going out and save that money for when I’m traveling. Sure you have to sacrifice some luxuries but it’s worth it in the end.
These are all great ideas to save money for a major purchase. I love that you are sharing these tips with others so they can start learning that they can get more expensive needed or wanted items if they save properly
Cutting down on eating out is one of the best ways to save money. You don’t realize how fast that adds up.
Kids are expensive but they sure are worth it. Aside from these awesome things that you’re already doing, I guess the typical things to do is to use coupons and watch out for deals when you’re shopping. All in all, I think you have everything thought out!
It’s crazy how much you can spend each week without even noticing. I think saving a little at a time is always a good idea.
My husband wants a new stereo. I want a new refrigerator. These are going to be our next big purchases. I am going to implement these ideas to get to our goals.
Another way to say money is have it deducted right out of your paycheck into a separate savings account. You can always add more if you are flush, but at least you know a steady amount will be hitting that account every two weeks
It’s funny you say that. I actually do that for my vacation fund :). But, I’m thinking my vacation is going to be a staycation next year because of all the expenses coming up!
I need to start looking at better ways to save too. My son spends way too much on school lunch and snacks. Love the idea of the coin collection.
You are a good mom! My kids need to get a job and buy their own car when they get their license! Eating out is a big expense. We used to order pizza every Friday, now I pick up a ready-to-bake pizza at Food Lion or Aldi and save over $25. That’s $1,300 a year!
These are great ways to save money. I have a friend who saves all his dimes he gets when he receives change back from any purchase he makes. Recycling can be a great way to save money too. Thanks for sharing the ideas.
Clever tip to get rolls of change to add to savings. No one wants to spend those!
saving money can be so hard! these tips are really great. i really like to save all of my spare change too when trying to save.
These are all great ideas to save money. I need to implement these ideas! Thanks for sharing!
I am trying to cut down my grocery expenses.. i spent most of my money on foods 🙁
I have 1 Kid and she holds the key to my wallet… she isn’t even 4 yet. I just spent $8 on a drink and sandwich. I may need to write down how much I’ve spent to kick myself into reality. Great post.
Your daughter is very lucky! My girls will have to get a job and pay for their own car (just like I did when I turned 16). We used to get delivery pizza every Friday night. Now I pick up a ready-to-bake pizza at Food Lion or Aldi and we save about $20 a week. That is a savings of over a $1,000 a year!