Saving Change Makes Sense

guest post by Judi @ Momma Muse

coinsOh how cliché, I know.. but really, there is so much truth in this simple statement.We have always kept jars around the house to toss change into. I’ve not got one of those really neat old glass water bottles, the 5 gallon kind – a flea market find, of course. Bob and I, and the boys always put our loose change in this. I even put in bills periodically – but usually it’s only when I have a lot of them at one time.

We use to keep our change in smaller jars or containers – the most common around our house were empty Pringles cans (the tall ones). I like these because you can leave the lid on, but cut a nice slot for change (and bills) to drop in easily. In my car, I keep an old Wet Ones container. I had to cut the slit in the top a little bit so quarters would fit through it more easily. I like that big old glass jar… but it will never get filled up in our house, we “break” into it too often, ha! [Read more...]

Adjust your Frugal Mindset

Probably the most difficult thing about learning to save money when you shop is adjusting your mindset.  I struggled with this for a very long time and when I finally accepted some basic principles it all fell into place and I began to start saving money. Here are 7 basic steps that will help you shop effectively and save you money.

brand loyaltyLose Brand Loyalty

Before I started shopping this way I was very particular about the brands that I used.  The same products were in my shopping cart every week.  This is still the case to some extent…there are certain brands that I just feel are better than others…so when I DO find a good deal on them I buy, buy, buy.  I had to learn to let go of some of that loyalty in order to get better deals.  This does not necessarily mean buy plain label…it just means try new things out. [Read more...]