Ways to Save

Prices are definitely going up and this time of year is expensive as it is. Sometimes we have to be resourceful when we want to save on goods and services. In this post, I’ll share five creative and easy ways to save money without cramping your lifestyle.

Saving Money on Food- Buffet in the Fridge

Do you ever have those weekends where you are dreading the next week because you know it will be jam-packed full of obligations or long work hours?

Or maybe you just want to have stuff in the fridge, ready to go, so you don’t end up ordering take-out. If so, this tip is for you.

Some weeks I create a buffet in my fridge for the reasons mentioned above. I take two (lidded) party platters and fill one with cut-up vegetables and one with chopped meats and snack meats. Each item has its own section of the platter.

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I buy bagged lettuce, tortillas, taco shells, pasta, and spaghetti sauce. During the week I can throw together quick and easy meals.

I can throw together chicken or beef tacos, taco salad, grilled chicken salad, or chef salad. I can also quickly make several pasta dishes with these ingredients.

Having things like veggies or pepperoni on the platters also make it easy to grab quick snacks. This helps my family get through a few busy days until we can get a little more time for making meals.

Having all this prepared in advance will get you through a stressful time. But it will also save you from going to restaurants and spending much more money. You can tailor the items stored in your party platters to your family’s tastes.

You could also add a third platter if space allows. Fill it with shredded and cubed cheeses to add to your meals and for snacks.

Don’t let your party platters get dust on them waiting for the next party. Instead, create a buffet in the fridge and save some dinero on dinner at the same time.

More Savings on Food- Same is the Name of the Game

While we are on the subject of saving money and time on food, here’s another creative tip. You’ve probably heard that you should meal plan, cut coupons, and shop the sales.

I’m going to take that a step further. When meal planning for the week, plan meals that use the same ingredients.

In the winter I make a lot of soups and stews. Many of the recipes call for onion, celery, and carrots.

If you buy these veggies in larger quantities, you can use them in several meals. Besides soups and stews, you can make pizza with veggie toppings and stir fry on another day.

You’ve likely done this before with meat. You bought a large package of chicken and then spread it throughout the week.

Another example could be peppers. Buy a bag of peppers and use them all week on stuffed peppers, homemade pizza, stir fry, and peppered steak.

Look at the recipes you keep on rotation. If any of them use similar ingredients, buy in bulk and cook those meals in the same week to save time and money.

If you don’t want to eat peppers three times in one week, freeze the other pepper meals for a later date.

Save Money on Your Daily Caffeine Fix- Espresso Yourself

Almost every money-saving article you read will suggest making your coffee at home. Well, I have a creative spin on this advice that will save you money but will also save you precious time. And we all have heard the quote “time is money!”

On Sundays, I make several double shots of espresso using my espresso maker. I store them in the refrigerator in little glass jars. When I want my espresso, I pour the shot into a large glass filled with ice. Lastly, I mix in a few drops of vanilla syrup.

The few minutes I spend making these shots save me tons of time waiting in the Starbucks drive-thru. I don’t know about you, but my Starbucks always has a car line around the building and a long line inside. No thanks!

Espresso made at home is definitely less expensive. Also, making my own shots also keeps me from buying pastries I don’t need.

Years ago, I got this idea from my hairdresser. He told me he goes to Starbucks on Sunday and gets all of his espresso shots for the whole week.

If you love Starbucks more than homemade, you could still save time by getting them all at once. You will just be paying a premium for it.

Save Money on High Ticket Items- Sharing is Caring

Have you ever heard anyone tell their kid that sharing is caring? Well, I don’t know about all that, but I do know that sharing is saving.

Whether it’s a vacation house or deer lease, you can save tons of money and still get what you want. The key is to share that financial burden with someone else.

If you can’t afford an item or want to try a new, expensive product without risking too much money on it, then sharing is the way to go. Let’s say you want to try a luxury sunless tanner. I know. Random. But bear with me. That price tag is cringeworthy. Find a friend that is also interested in lathering in luxury. Split the product and split the cost.

My sisters and I love to read magazines. We like to peruse a good variety of publications that cover topics such as food, home decorating, and DIY. But we don’t like the cost of all the subscriptions. So, I subscribe to a few, they subscribe to a few, and we swap when we finish reading them.

Speaking of subscriptions, if you want to order that monthly beauty subscription box but don’t like the price tag, share it with a friend. Get together each month over a glass of wine and haggle over who gets what product.

Better yet, go halfsies on a good bottle of wine you’ve been wanting to try and then go through the box.

Expensive face cream or serum you’ve been dying to test out? Share it with someone else concerned about skincare or wrinkles.

Do you want to power wash your driveway? Ask around your neighborhood. I’m betting one of your neighbors would share the cost of renting a power washer.

Don’t miss out because the price is too high. It’s a win-win situation. You both get what you want and neither of you pays full price.  

Saving Money on Special Occassions- Greetings My Friend!

Whoever invented greeting cards was a genius. I bet they never thought a card would go for as much $7.00 someday.

If you have a large family, it can really add up over the course of a year. That doesn’t count all the other holidays and occasions we buy cards for friends and acquaintances.

I’m not going to suggest you quit buying cards altogether. We don’t want to put Hallmark and American Greetings out of business. We just want to save a little where we can. Below, I’m going to suggest a few ways to do just that.

I have two kids and a lot of nieces and nephews. I spent my fair share of time at kids’ birthday parties over the past few decades. One thing always stood out. Kids don’t give a hoot about cards. They want to get to the good stuff…the gifts!

We buy the cards and their parents make them read them out loud so the gift giver doesn’t feel bad that they spent $5.00 on it. And then it gets tossed aside and then tossed out.

If it was just a few times a year it would be no big deal. But for many people, that is not the case.

Do you know what kids love at birthday parties, aside from the gifts? Balloons. I’ve yet to meet a kid over the age of 3 that doesn’t love a balloon.

The next time you have a birthday party, go to the dollar store and buy a mylar birthday balloon. They are colorful, only cost a buck, and last a few days before deflating.

When I give a kid a gift card, I punch a hole in the corner of it and tie the balloon ribbon to the gift card. If you are giving a gift, put a sticky label on the balloon or on the string telling who the gift is from. Then tape the balloon string to the gift.

Not only do you save money on a card they don’t care about, but you also give them something they love that lasts well past their birthday.

Graduation cards are another waste of money. All kids graduating need the same thing- money! When they get that graduation card, they can’t wait to open it and see how much is inside.

It isn’t because they are ungrateful, it’s because they desperately need it. You could spend $3.00-$4.00 on a money holder card or you could buy some graduation cards in bulk.

When my son was graduating, I knew he would need a ton of cards for all his friends’ graduation parties. I’d rather save the money to put inside the card. So, I bought a bulk quantity of blank graduation cards from Amazon.

I got 60 cards for $16.00. That comes out to about 26 cents per card! I had several cards left over after that year and continue to use them for family and friend graduations.

Save Money on Goods AND Services– Barter like it’s 6000 B.C.

Bartering is definitely NOT a new idea, but it is most assuredly a creative way to save money in these modern times. It was common to trade food and spices back in the old days.

Bartering is basically trading one good or service for another good or service. Today it is not as common, but I bet you’ve done it in one form or another.

Have you ever wanted a date night with your honey but didn’t want to pay a babysitter? Your sister would also enjoy a date night with her husband, so you take turns watching each other’s kids. If you’ve done this, you’ve bartered.

When the pandemic hit, people panicked and hit the grocery stores. If you didn’t have toilet paper, you were out of luck. I bet there were people out there bartering Lysol for a roll of tp.

One time my family was staying in a rental river house with a few other families. We planned out our meals and had tons of snacks, but we misjudged how much toilet paper we’d go through. Far from any kind of store, we got desperate. We bartered some of our snacks for a roll of toilet paper with the renters next door. True Story!

If you’re not too shy to ask, you can get a lot accomplished and save a lot of money by bartering. Maybe you work in IT and your friend is a plumber. Why not have them fix that guest bath toilet in exchange for work on their small business website?

It’s important to be clear on what you need and what you have to offer in return. Get creative but also be safe.

Barter with friends, family, and neighbors (only people you trust) and start reaping the rewards of helping each other out.

What are some of the ways you’ve creatively saved some money? Please share in the comments.

Thanks for reading!