There’s no doubt…saving money takes work!
In fact, the rise of convenience was birthed out of a desire for the quick and easy.
I hear so many people say, “I just don’t have the time to be frugal.” Truth be told, I’ve even said it myself! Prior to making the transition to working in the home, I absolutely understand how hard it is to be frugal when you’re busy, tired, and away from home 40+ hours a week — but I know too that it is not impossible.
Saving Money
The question then becomes…what are some strategies that we can put into practice in order to save money when there’s so little time left in our super busy days? Here are a few that I have learned throughout the years:
1. Get organized. Becoming more organized saves money in so many ways — especially when we’re busy. Understanding the seasonal rhythms, buying gifts ahead when things are on sale, and meal planning from a stocked pantry have all been vital to my success in this area.
2. Stop buying unnecessary things. This can be a bit difficult, but if we are serious about saving, we must at least give it a go. Creating a budget, and then tracking my spending for a month, really helped me to redefine my needs vs. my wants. By eliminating spending on items such as electronics, gear, magazines, cups of coffee, clothes, etc. I was able to build a pretty sizable savings account. Not to mention, all the time I saved from shopping less 🙂
3. Cut out all subscriptions. Think about all of your subscriptions — whether it be magazines, online services, cable/satellite, phone, etc. — each one you have comes at a cost. Granted they may only add up to a few bucks a month, but a few buck a month times 4-5 subscriptions times 12 months could easily equal $1,000+ a year. Not a huge money saver, it doesn’t require any extra time, but it’s still worth looking into.
4. Downsize. Moving into a smaller home, selling a car, eating out less, and attempting to live below our means have all been great ways for my family to save. Each one of these things not only has proven to save money, but time as well!
5. Living in community. Having a close group of supportive family and friends almost seems foreign for a lot of us. But those who experience the benefits of living in community with others understand the support that comes from having each other. We were never intended to live this life alone. In fact, fierce independence often comes with a pretty high price tag and requires all of our time.
6. Decrease travel. If you travel — and by that I mean you are taking 1, 2, or 3+ trips a year — you could literally save thousands of dollars by decrease the amount of travel you participate in. Just think of the benefits of relaxing and taking a break from work without having to leave home! This may even give you the ability to get better organized and enjoy thrifty projects. It all comes down to learning how to live in contentment wherever you are. Note: In no way am I suggesting that you never travel again…but if it’s money and time that you need to save, decreasing your travel could be huge.
7. Identify time-wasters. What do you spend a lot of your free time on? Are these things necessary and/or essential? Is there a way to reduce, minimize or eliminate them from the life of your family? There are times we do things simply because we assume they’re necessary, but if we sit down and give it a bit of consideration, we’re often able to find ways in which to drop them from our lives without even noticing. Ask yourself, and your family, if there are things you do simply to waste time — this could come in the form of time spent online, TV, useless shopping, etc. Identifying and eliminating time-wasters will allow you the quality time you need to focus on the important stuff.
Additional Reading
Looking for great books on the topic of saving money in this fast-paced life? Check these out:
- Your Money or Your Life: 9 Steps to Transforming Your Relationship with Money and Achieving Financial Independence
- The Complete Tightwad Gazette
- America’s Cheapest Family Gets You Right on the Money: Your Guide to Living Better, Spending Less, and Cashing in on Your Dreams
Now it’s your turn! How do you work hard to save money in your busy life?
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The subscription thing is SO TRUE!! After evaluating several years ago, we realized the only thing we really use is Netflix – so everything else went out the door. We’ve never looked back. 🙂
Great list!
Such a helpful post! I recently downloaded the EEBA App that puts all your money in envelopes and tracks spending across all of them. It really is eye-opening to see certain areas you overspend in so easily. I totally agree with making a budget and tracking it!
I really agree with your point about community. If you are part of a supportive community & family, you need less. We support each other, share, barter and often just give the other community members whatever it is that they need, all they (or we) need to do is ask.
We don’t buy much of anything new. what we do have we take care of, repair when needed, and buy used as much as possible.
We don’t live with a save money mindset, we just consider low consumerism preferable and normal.
I’m not very good at change and one of the hardest things for me was to reduce our dining out. I had to do it in steps. First was to have some convenience foods on hand so those days I didn’t feel like cooking I had something I could just toss in the oven or heat on the stove with little effort. It took a while but as I got used to eating most of my meals at home I started making my own convenience foods, I can prep fajita meat and veggies, lasagna, and many other favorite meals in contianers that I don’t need to remember to thaw out the day before. I usually make these meals in bulk which takes no extra prep time if I do it when I am cooking them fresh. Community is also great, I have had dinner clubs where a group of friends agreed to each take a week to make dinner on Friday night, which was a usual dine out night for us, which doubled as a good excuse to spend time with friends. I’ve had group freezer prep days where we figured out a menu and each contributed ingredients and assembled entrees for the freezer. I’ve also used those dinner prep businesses, where they have all the ingredients you need at the stations and you go in and prep them in freezer tins yourself. These are things that helped me transition into using my kitchen more, and many aren’t the least expensive option, but they are cheaper than going to a sit down restaurant.
This is something I needed to hear! I am a working mom….after I drive a carpool at the end of a long day I am often wiped out, right when it is time to start dinner. I try hard to cook wholesome meals around our CSA box, but sometimes I just cave. My biggest area of wastefulness is eating out…eating healthy food out, yes, but still it is a huge money waster for us. For some reason, the last thing I feel like doing on weekends is cooking in bulk (husband usually does BBQ or makes a dinner to give me a break!), but I see the wisdom in doing so. Thanks, Steph.
Growing up in the 60’s and 70’s my brothers and I had very little. We didn’t get the corduroys like everyone in school had, mom sewed alot of our clothes, and bought toughskins jeans for my brothers because they lasted. We “shopped” alot of discount stores, thrift shops, and grew/hunted/fished for alot of our own foods. I’m still “cheap” as my daughters call it, I shop with coupons, look for clearance sales, and shop in thrift shops. I am teaching the same things my mother taught to me, to my own daughters.
Would I like a vacation? Yes. Can I realistically afford it? No. I haven’t taken a vacation for 6 years. I haven’t spent full price for new clothing for any of us for years. (Can you say “End of season clearance?”) My mother shared another piece of advice that has proven valuable to me time and again. If I see something I just have to have, want so badly, but don’t need it, pick it up and put it in my cart. Walk around and continue to shop. Think about that item and do I really need it? Can I really afford it? If I answer no to one of both of those questions, go put it back on the shelf. By that time, it isn’t that glamorous anymore, anyway. The impulsive feelings I had, have gone. I am 43 years old, and have never owned a new or newer car. People ask me why I drive a 1993 Toyota. Why not? It runs great, is super reliable, easy on gas, what else do I need?
I find that one thing that hurts us is when we are on the go a lot with activities and they all add up. One day it’s going to the doctor’s office, the next we have to run errands in the city – and if we do that, we try to get it all done at once, travel for volunteer activities, running errands in town, trying to get the children to their activities. There are the “expected” outings and the “unexpected” outings. By the time I get home, it’s later than I expected and dinner does not make itself. Even if it only takes an hour to prep and cook it is still extra.
We are working on trying to figure out how to improve this.
I have discovered how to make my oven turn on and cook all by itself. That is handy.
We are trying to limit our outside activities, but as the children are getting older, that is more difficult. We look to prioritize which activities they can participate in. One of the factors is cost vs benefit. For example, we signed our older daughter up for a new volleyball league in town. It was $50 for two months plus one month of practice and includes the jersey. We bought an activity kit for the house for us to play together ($19) that we can use for ourselves and guests. For dance, the cost is $35 / month (for one $50 for two) not counting practice outfits, recital costumes, and pictures.
We participate in Girl Scouts – one uniform and books lasts 2-3 years (or more when they are older) and dues are $12. The activities may have a nominal cost, but it is something they enjoy that we can do together.
We participate in 4-H. There is a $25 annual fee now, but the activities and opportunities are fabulous. We just have to be careful to choose just the ones that suit her without overwhelming the schedule and the scheduler. 🙂 Fortunately, some of the key activities she wants to participate in start after VB ends, so we are not conflicted. One will just replace the other.
At the moment we just have one car. This is doable for us because my husband works at home and we do not have any children. We also don’t have a tv or cable. This wasn’t planned, but one afternoon we had a lightening storm and lost our television set. We just never replaced it. With the exception of a Friday night pizza for our date night, we don’t really eat out that often. We’ve never joined a gym. It costs nothing to walk/run through the neighborhood. I don’t use a lot of convenience food, I try to make as many things from scratch as possible and we’re learning to can/freeze and then eat what we store. We’re planning a move to the country as soon as our home is built (we opted for a pole barn instead of a traditional frame house to cut expense) and we’ll have a garden, chickens, goats, etc. Most of our furniture was purchased used or on sale; I made the majority of our curtains or bought ready made inexpensively and “prettied them up” to look more expensive. I still have an “old-fasioned” flip phone – I know we’ll have to upgrade some day but we’re putting that off as long as possible. 🙂
These are great tips. I’ve really found that being mindful of “speaking” with my dollars in the marketplace helps me make better money decisions.
Thanks for sharing those tips. I’d add to the not buying unnecessary things… setting entire days aside where you’re not going to buy anything, like one day a week.
I think I’m going to try meal thing with friends great idea. Best thing in the world is my crock pot there are so many things you can do like in the morning put in the crock pot what you want for diner. I find I usually have more time in the morning then I do at night. So I put like season chicken and/or pork chops (ect), with some seasonings and let it cook on low. Then when i come home I whip up a side like cooked carrots, rice, and it takes less time.
My husband and I are doing just this! The frugal year is upon us! We are saving to buy our first home and we are getting rid of all subscriptions as well except for Netflix. I am looking forward to this.