Living a frugal lifestyle can become a bit discouraging after awhile. It can seem like all work and no fun–often for little progress. So, each month I take a look at 5 ways our family saved. I hope to encourage others to find small ways that they saved. Remember, frugal living is a marathon not a spring. Every little bit adds up!
5 Ways We Saved in November
1. Used Ebates When Shopping
I received my “Big Fat Check” from Ebates this month. If you are like me and love the convenience of purchasing items online, to make things even better, use Ebates! Ebates is a website that will give you cash back for any online purchase made–you just have to go through their website first. So, go to Ebates, type the name of the store into their search bar (like Amazon, Expedia, Target, etc.), and then click on the link. You will receive cash back for the purchase you were going to make anyway. So easy!
(And, right now if you sign up for Ebates HERE, you’ll receive $10 cash back just for creating an account and making your first purchase. If you do any online shopping at all, Ebates is the way to go. I’ve earned over $250 in the past year.)
Amount Saved: $71
2. Earned Cash Back with Ibotta
Each week I use the free Ibotta app to save some money at the grocery store. It’s really simple! You just:
-Download the free app
-Link up your store’s reward card
-Click on rebates that you would like to use (my favorites are ones like $.25 on milk, $.25 on carrots, etc.)
-The app will know when you’ve purchased those items (thanks to your store’s reward card,) and they will credit your account
-Once you have reached the payout threshold ($20), you can cash out
-That’s it! Ibotta is definitely the simplest way to save money at the grocery store. No coupon cutting required!
Plus, right now if you sign up through this link, you’ll get $10 automatically credited to your account!
Amount Saved: $27.55 (Just for buying groceries I was going to buy anyway!)
3. Mended My Son’s Comforter
My son’s comforter was getting quite frayed. We love it, but it has seen better days! Instead of buying a new one, though, I spent one night mending the comforter while I watched a Christmas movie. (The classic Miracle on 34th Street, in case you were curious!) What could have been a chore–or an easy $50 spent–turned into a relaxing, enjoyable evening.
Amount Saved: $50 (for a comparable comforter at Target)
4. Used Store Rewards to Buy Our Turkey
I do all of my grocery shopping at the Food Lion near my house. One of my favorite programs that they run is their $20 Holiday Coupons. It works like this: For each week (over an 8 week period) that you spend $40 in a shopping trip, you get one ticket. Collect six tickets and turn them in for a $20 coupon right around Thanksgiving. Since our grocery budget is $100 a week, I easily earn my ticket in six weeks! So, this year our turkey, potatoes, and some baking supplies were courtesy of Food Lion store rewards.
Amount Saved: $20
5. Took Advantage of Free Entertainment
Finally, we have been loving the fall weather lately. September and October were unseasonably warm here in Virginia, but November was beautiful. So, our family took advantage of the free entertainment we have in our area. We hiked the grounds at Montpelier (James Madison’s house), hiked in other local parks and wilderness areas, played at the park, raked leaves, watched movies from the library, and had picnic lunches. Lots of fun, and totally free!
Amount Saved: $40 (Estimating $10 per week in family entertainment)
Total Savings: $208.55
What did you do this month to save money?
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