working on saving...

     Since we have been focusing on buying a house we have also been trying to focus on saving money. This doesn't always come naturally to me since I love shopping, but I have come up with a few tips to help out with saving. I figured I would post them on here in case they are useful to anyone else. These are ones that are focused on my habits and I am hoping to work hard at it for our family!

• The whole coupon thing really intrigues me. I love the idea of saving so much money, but I do find that I end up spending more when I just clip coupons and go shopping. I end up buying a bunch of things that I don't really need just because I have coupons for them. However, I think coupons can work wonders. So I plan to cut coupons for only things that are on my grocery list. They can help big time towards things like k-cups, dog and cat food, laundry or dish detergent, and diapers. Cutting coupons for things I will definitely be buying may not look as amazing as the totals that the extreme couponers get, but it will cut down on the total for things that we really need.

• I plan to have a list of everything I need before I go out shopping. I know that once in a while I will see something that I forgot to put on the list, but planning for the trip ahead of time should help cut down costs. This also might prevent against having four bottles of ranch dressing in the refrigerator.

• I am going to try to bring a calculator when I go shopping at grocery stores or walmart (or just use the one on my phone). I am thinking it might help to have the total before I get up to the register. By the time I have the total it is a little too late to put things that we might not really need back. I think that it will help me keep costs down to see the total each time I add something to the cart.

• I plan to eat something quick and bring a drink with me before I go shopping. It is a lot more tempting to eat out, add extra things to the cart, or stop and get a drink if you leave hungry or thirsty.

• When I shop for clothes I am going to go with what I really want to get in mind and only try those things on. If I go for pants I am going to only look at the pants. Once in a while I am sure I will go just to look at anything, but I find that I buy things that I don't really need when I go looking for something else.

• I find that when I am looking for an outfit for a specific event I am always out shopping last minute. The same goes for most gifts that I buy. For some reason I don't think to look until right before the event which doesn't help with stress at all. It also means that I might not get a very good deal on things. I find that when I wait till the last minute I end up buying clothes that I don't really like and may never wear again.

These are just a few things I plan to change but I think it might help big time with the savings.