These are tried and true ways of how we’ve saved money in the past. I hope you enjoy them and find them useful!
5. Date night in
I know that you may think this seems like the worst way EVER to save money. You are a dime and you need to be taken out
on the town! But when money is tight, dates are usually last on the priority list. This shouldn’t be an issue though. There are
so many Pinterest worthy idea’s for having dates at home. I have friends who have even gotten all dressed up like they were
going on a date, even though they were just having a date at home. Desperate times call for desperate measures and the
outcome is the same in the end. You get alone time together. Or is it together time alone? Ahhh I’m so confused now! I once
heard someone say, “You don’t need money for a date. As long as both of you are there, you don’t need anything but a
glass of water and a straw.” I’m paraphrasing that quote, but you get the picture. Having a free date at home also gives you
an excuse for having dates more often!
4. Cut Your Kid’s Hair
Or better yet, let them cut their own hair. Money AND time saved. That’s what I call multi-tasking!
How hard can it be, right? Just set a bowl on top of their head and start cutting around it. Nah but for real. At least $12 a
haircut plus tip every 4-6 weeks is a pretty easy place to start if you’re trying to save money. A quick video on YouTube can
help you cut your kid’s hair in no time. I do feel like this deserves a disclaimer though… It IS harder than it looks. So don’t go
Edward Scissor-Hands on their head like you know what you’re doing. Just go slow and do a simple cut until you get the
hang of it. This is especially directed at those of you with boys.
3. Say “No” to going out and have people over instead
This one is a hard one, especially if you love going and doing things like me. But there is power in saying, “No”, people! It
doesn’t get much better than going out and having a good time with friends. Especially if you have kids. Nothing ever
sounds more appealing to me than getting to get a break from kids and go out and have fun. BUT it’s also super expensive
to do that. Eating out + alcohol + movie + babysitter = homeless. Maybe that’s not your exact equation, but I’m just saying,
it adds up quick. Hosting a night at your house instead will save so much money, as long as you provide a dish and ask
others to bring some sides and maybe paper products as well. You get all the fun without having to spend a whole lot of
money. Plus it’s the best way to get your husband to help you power clean the house!
2. Wear Glasses Instead of Contacts
This is one of those things that no one is going to WANT to do, but it is a unique way to save some $$$. I promised
unorthodox ways, I never said they would be fun! Another option is to
just not wear anything on your eyes at all and navigate your way through life half blind, like I do. So far it’s working. Also I’m
half deaf but you don’t see me buying a hearing aid! On a more serious note, my husband wore contacts for years and then
we decided to Dave-Ramsey-It-Up and save in any way we could. Glasses were the cheaper option, especially when you buy
them from zennioptical.com. I don’t get any money for that link if you click on it or anything, but it’s there for you. Look how
thoughtful I am!
1. Change your own oil
I like to post from past experiences. My husband is SUPER cheap. Like embarrassingly cheap. Like.. keep the popcorn bin
from the theater and use it for your free refill each time you go back cheap… We had a special popcorn bin cabinet where we
kept that huge thing. It wasn’t necessarily wrong but.. It definitely wasn’t right. I’m happy to report that we have a bit more
integrity these days. I just felt like I needed to explain that for you to understand his cheapness. Sometimes him being cheap
comes in handy. He learned how to change the oil on our vehicles. He has no mechanical experience, but he did a YouTube
search and taught himself how to change the oil. We are heavy drivers and I don’t just mean fat. We put the rubber to the
road, A LOT. Our oil needs changed more often than the average person, so that saved us quite a bit of money. He even
built his own ramps out of spare pallets that he had brought home from work and had taken apart. You can get creative with
your circumstances. You don’t have to be dirt poor to think of small ways that take a little extra work to save a ton of money
in the end.
LOL! You’re dad DOES have experience changing the oil and went to school and graduated as a Diesel Mechanic and even HE doesn’t trust himself to change the oil in our vehicles. Trust me when I say this… We are ALL better off if he keeps his hands OFF of all vehicle maintenance.
Love the Date Night In and is something we do pretty often. Partly due to money and partly due to we’re just tired and don’t want to put more effort into it than needed. LOL! 🙂
You leaned to work through your blindness like your mom because she is still in denial that she can’t see unless… she has to read something. Oy!
For me it might be cheaper to go out to eat than have people over bc I tend to over-spend and over-cook when entertaining and even when I’m not.
Kids hair cut? Go to a cosmetology school and use a student that is about to graduate and just has a gift at cutting hair.
Good read. Thanks!
The cosmetology school is a good idea! I should’ve thought of that. Thanks!
Date night in was one of the best gems we stumbled upon due to my honey needing to research board games for his biz. So, now I actually do get a little dressed up, pop popcorn, and set little sip with games and snacks so dad and I can have a great game night/ date night!
Plus, I’m like Melissa and just too tired to go out.
Hair cuts at home are the best! Thankfully my 4 year old won’t remember when I was first learning to cut bangs…. hahaha
All great methods to being resourceful!
It is crazy how environmental friendly poor folks are necessity. Upcycling, fixing over buying new, recycling, etc all to save money. Side effect equals good stewardship and happier earth!
Thank you for the good ideas and reminders!
you’re right… poor people are quite resourceful! That’s probably how we were meant to be!