Keep Your Money Friday!

Building Your Savings in the Eyes of a 19 Year Old.

At this point in ones life saving is the last thing on your mind, but in my case its the first. Having two children and a house full of bills can get hard. I can say my boyfriend has been pulling the weight for the past 2 years with no problems but we were never able to save anything.

One day a light bulb went off and I decided to call my sister and ask her how she gets so much stuff for free and cheap. She said "Type in centsiblesawyer or Publix deals in Google, now I have to go". I've been able to save money ever since.

Evaluate Your Spending

First things first realize what you do and don't need. There are some things you can just live without. I personally didn't need to have cable, I watched it maybe 3 times a week. That saved me $75. Do you go to McDonald's for breakfast or lunch everyday, any thing that you know is a waste of money cut it out of your expenses. $5 a day on take out can be switched to $5 a day invested into your savings.

Set a Budget

I noticed that giving yourself a budget and sticking with it can go a long way. I found it easier to stick to a weekly budget than a monthly budget. This budget can range from bills, groceries, or even that little bit of extra cash you give yourself to spend. Most people tell be that its easy to go over your budget but after a couple of months of trial and error you will get in the swing of things.

Use Coupons

Yes, I said it coupons. I have no clue why people find it embarassing to use coupons. My boyfriend, my brother, and who knows who else thinks I'm nuts. I personally think that this is a great way to get you towards your goal. If you can drop your grocery bill from $150/week to $50-$75 a week just by using coupons, forget the embarassment, you unlike everyone else will have an extra $50 to spend.

Assistance

If budgets, coupons, sales, and shops aren't enough get some form of assistance. I think that some people become so proud that the feel ashamed to get help. Talk to a relative, your local food bank, angel food ministries, WIC, or get a form of government assistance. No one wants to see you struggle , so no matter how hard times might be someone is willing to help.

I'm not the best on this subject because I have less life experience but I'm learning. I would love some extra tips and advice on how to take my savings further. I can only do so much but I can always tweak somethings to help fit my needs.