Advice on saving money.

vintagegirlgame · 2014-12-12T10:44:04+00:00

I follow r/frugal. Be careful to know the difference between frugal and cheap, but I think frugality is an important part of girl game. Any woman can spend a man's money, but when a woman actually looks for ways to help him (and/or the family) save money, then she is showing her commitment to the long term "us" vs. seeing what she can get out of him in the form of presents, dinners, experiences, vacations, etc.

A major turning point for my SO and I was reading Secrets of the Millionaire Mind by T. Harv Eker and attending his free 3 day Millionaire Mind Intensive course. These help one recognize internalized money patterns you've picked up subconsciously and from family, and helps you replace these patterns with successful ones. We both learned to recognize our spending behaviors and we learned to introduce new saving behaviors. Especially exciting to see my SO's net worth increasing dramatically due to these lessons!

[deleted] · 2014-12-12T17:45:12+00:00

[permanently deleted]

Miso_Cray · 2014-12-12T04:56:14+00:00

I've spent a lot of time reading this blog, when i first left work and started a family. i've linked to one of her articles. I personally really enjoy the "finding value at home" and the "Homemaking" posts - you can search along the sidebar. She talks about Cooking from scratch, making your own cleaning products, crafting, gardening (grow your own food) and saving money. It was the first blog I found (about 10 or so years ago) that encouraged Homemaking. It is Australia - so there may be some language/slang that you may not follow.

http://down---to---earth.blogspot.com.au/2012/04/finding-your-value-at-home-part-1.html

TempestTcup · 2014-12-12T14:30:59+00:00

The best way I have found to save money is to keep monthly bills as low as possible. Pay off any credit cards in full each month and don't go into debt. No cable, phone as low as possible, etc. I will go to great lengths to avoid increasing my cost of living.

muliebritee · 2014-12-12T18:00:36+00:00

I like this: 30 Ways to Save Money

I notice I will throw away $5 here and there on coffee/tea at a café, some little thing from a street vendor, or any little impulse buy. They add up like no one's business.

I've heard of this tip elsewhere: if you're big on online shopping, divide an item's price by ten (ex. $50 item -> 5) and wait that many days before deciding. If you forget about it or figure you don't need it, you just saved yourself that much.

With cleaning and body care, I like to make use of "multi-use" products. Things like vinegar, baking soda, coconut oil, and plain castile soap. If you use expensive makeup, you may find a drugstore equivalent or even DIY (seriously!).

For groceries: some of the cheapest stuff is beans and rice in bulk. And instant ramen, but that stuff's terrible. I live near a lot of ethnic markets (which helps!) but it's the same in regular U.S. chains like Kroger and Safeway. Rethink your "staples" (the stuff you have to have in the fridge at all times); can any of it be changed? Do you regularly buy things that you never finish and/or let expire?

Slow cookers are great for making large amounts w/ not a lot of time. The great thing is you can buy tougher (cheaper) foods and make them tender in the slow cooker. Freeze leftovers for a rainy day.

WhimsicalWonderland · 2014-12-12T14:18:37+00:00

Budget! Take the time to create your own excel spreadsheet of all your finances. Make a goal of how much you want to save so you know how much you have to cut from other parts of your life (perhaps you're shopping too much, eating out too much, etc).

Buying your things in bulk will save you a lot of money as long as you stick to a list. Things like toilet paper or water bottles you can get at a wholesale store like Costco or Sam's Club (just make sure you don't get tempted to buy the other things).

Notice how some life enjoyments can add up. Going to Starbucks or even Dunkin Donuts every morning causes you to easily spend $3.00-7.00. Take the time to make your own coffee at home - or switch to tea (healthier too!).

Using natural household cleaners such as vinegar and lemon can be a waayyy cheaper alternative than buying Tilex or Lysol. Actually those products contain harsh chemicals that's not healthy to breathe in (you can google natural cleaning remedies and create your own).

There's this new app called Acorn which takes all your transactions and creates "change" for you where they save that money for you in your bank account.

Hope this helps! Best of luck.

Bakerofpie · 2014-12-13T03:10:00+00:00

I would suggest saving all of your receipts and keeping a very detailed log of your expenditures for a month and see where you can cut corners. Making a budget isn't too hard, but I was shocked when I saw the numbers of what we had normally been spending. What feels like the occasional special treat you may discover actually adds up to $50 a month or more in Starbucks or whatever your guilty pleasures may be. I feel that it's easier to stick to a budget and be disciplined about holding on to those extra dollars when I've seen the hard numbers on exactly how much those little things add up. I think everyone else has given good practical advice, but I thought I would put in my two cents on handling the mental and emotional aspects of budgeting, because that's important as well.

ladymodernlove · 2014-12-15T00:58:46+00:00

This is definitely not for everybody but I found two ways of managing my spending on small things.

1 is to carry around a notebook and write down all your purchases. I find keeping track of it all helps me look at where I'm being wasteful but also if I'm debating buying that lipgloss or latte I'll go, "Ugh, I don't want to bother writing this down," so I don't buy it.

2 is a bit easier- it's simply deciding how much spending money you'll have this week, withdrawing that much cash on a Monday morning, and not using your cards throughout the week. You can keep an eye on how much money you have left and know that when it's gone, it's gone, no more than 1 ATM trip per week. Good luck!

little_ga_peach · 2014-12-12T18:17:01+00:00

Someone else already said this but budget! Budget! Budget! Budget right on down to the cent.

Track all of the money you're spending for a month. Seriously, you will be astounded at what your spending actually looks like compared to what you think it looks like.

Now that you've seen your spending think about where you can cut some corners. Grocery bill? Buy some generic items and only splurge on a few items. Eating out? Cut it back to once or twice a month at most. Or even better, create a monthly fun fund and take all your entertainment expenses from there.

Have part of your pay check go directly to your savings. You can set up a weekly/biweekly automatic deposit for payday. You won't miss money in your checking account you don't have!

Plan food ahead. Write out a weekly menu that will doctate your shopping list, and dont deviate from that list at the store. Cook large batches and freeze. Always pack a lunch for work.

To curb spontaneous spending, sleep on any purchase. You will realize 90% of the time that you don't need or even really want something the next day when you've had time to think about it.

Do your friends like going out? Tell them you're in the process of saving money and instead host potlucks and get togethers at your place.

SuperSlavisWife · 2014-12-12T08:57:06+00:00

I'm writing an entire book on my money-saving experiences, so there's far too much to go through in a comment. Just pick something you want to save on (bills, food, car, etc) and I'll give you your options. :)

Title	Advice on saving money.
Author	LittleMsRed
Upvotes	9
Comments	29
Date	December 12, 2014 4:13 AM UTC (11 years ago)
Subreddit	Posted in /r/RedPillWomen
Original Link	https://old.reddit.com/r/RedPillWomen/comments/2p1prp/advice_on_saving_money/
Archive Link	https://theredarchive.com/r/RedPillWomen/advice-on-saving-money.85086 https://theredarchive.com/post/85086

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