So yeah, like every other person you know, Money seems to cross my mind at Least once a day. By that I mean once an hour, if I am being honest with you here. And if my money Blog isn’t honest then What the Heck am I doing writing? Right?
Money, Love it, Hate it; Whatever your relationship is with it. The bottom line here is that it is Very Difficult to Survive in the Real World without Money. Don’t let Anyone try and convince you otherwise. If they say “Oh we are self-sufficient and live off the grid”. Who’s land do they live on? Who’s home do they live in? How did they get the house & land if it is their own? Money….yep, Money or Bartering. Which is the same as Money.
So, you want to Hit the road, Live the Free Life, Have No man (or woman) as your Boss. Go for it Baby!! I LOVE LIFE ON THE ROAD! Oh but wait…I was paid for it. Yeah, I was an OTR Trucker. I “got to see the Country on the Man’s dime” as they say. Real life tho? I worked my hind end off 14+ hours a day, 70+ hours a week. I ran multiple log books (shhh, don’t tell); Man, I was The Queen of that shit. It took Talent! I made a lot of money $$$ paid off the debt my ex husband left me (and that I was still digging my way out of 3 years post-divorce). But true story? I loved life on the road. You either love it or hate it, there seems to be no in-between.
So here I am just a short 13 years from when that picture was taken with my Dad and our Rigs. Feels like yesterday, feels like a lifetime. I quit driving due to being hit by another driver in January of ’09. My Dad retired in his mid 80’s from driving, they said he couldn’t anymore.
So, here we are back to talking (writing a money blog post) about that necessary thing, Money.
*How do we Earn it? I earn it by All the links you see on my website here and more to come!
*How do we Spend it? Like it was a rocket on fire in our living room if you are like most people! People spend money before they even have it!
*How do we Save it? I am So Glad that you asked!
So, first off, check out the code in the picture here. If you have never shopped at Wayfair, there ya go and You’re Welcome. A great place to shop. This code is for new shoppers and expires on 10/31/19.
I use coupons for a lot of things. But you have to pay attention also! Just because something is on sale or you have a coupon, doesn’t mean that it is the best deal. For instance, I went shopping this past weekend and had a coupon for toilet paper that was for a brand that we use. And it was on sale! Great deal, right? Best deal right? wrong! Since it was one of those “big rolls” compare to “x number of smaller rolls”, I did the cost per smaller roll. Basic math, then I did the same for another package that they had that wasn’t on sale. And the one without the coupon and not on sale, was the better deal. Yes, it takes me a hour or more to prepare to shop. Yes it takes me a while to price comparison while I shop with my phone set to calculator to find the best deal. But when all is said and done, I average saving our family 40-60% on groceries, pet food and sundries on a monthly basis. It depends on the month and if I save less than 40% I feel as if I failed!
So, I also use coupon codes, pop-up apps that save on shopping and apps that open my shopping in a new window when I shop on line. Some of my personal favorites are Honey, Wikibuy & Rakuten.
Did you know that if you have a Wikibuy account, you can go to wikibuy.com and shop from there and it will offer you the best price on whatever it is you are looking for? You can do a search by the product or by the store. Their website is actually pretty neat. I Recommend this website as a Great way to Save Money! Just click the link!!
Well, here we are rounding the corner of this money blog talked a bit about couponing and saving money. So I never go to the store without a grocery list. Well, unless I leave it on the table at home… I also never go to the store without eating something first. Do not shop for groceries hungry. That is one of the worst things that you can do if you are trying to save money.
I also used to go out for coffee about every other day or every third day. And I bought a coffee when I went shopping or to get my nails done. (yes, I still pay to get my nails done). Now, since I am being very budget conscious, I have duplicated my favorite coffee drinks at home and use the refillable pods in my coffee maker. I bought the syrup flavors that I like while they were on sale, I add espresso powder to my drink and then cinnamon to finish it off. I don’t add milk or protein drinks (another blog) to my coffee anymore. I drink it black with my other things in it. I save over $25 a week making my coffee at home and only having a take out coffee-house drink once every other week or so.
Well here we are back to money again and how to save it. Want to know a few more of my secrets? Oh Good! I am so Happy that you said Yes! Do you follow anyone else who writes a money blog?
- Let’s talk electricity! First off, if you raise your thermostat 1 degree in the summer (and lower it by 1 in the winter) it actually makes a difference. Then if you have windows that the sun shines directly into, invest in thermal curtains. They will help in the summer and the winter. Keep them closed in the summer when the sun is shining directly in.
- Next, go buy some child plugs. You know, the things that keep kids from sticking things into outlets? yeah, go get some of those. Put them in every outlet that is on an outside wall. An open outlet that is on an outside wall draws heat into your home (or apartment) in the summer and the cold in during the winter.
- Ok, next up let’s talk about things that heat your house up. Depending on where you live, (check with your local utility company about when rate times are cheapest). Where I am, it is best to run my dishwasher, washer and dryer from 6pm until about 8am. So, I do my laundry at night and load and run my dishwasher at night also.
All of those things that I just mentioned saved on our monthly utilities. We saved 123 kwh for the same month over last year, with a temperature that averaged 2 degrees higher. Our bill was $20 less and the price per kwh went up vs. last year. It all adds up. I write a money blog for a reason.
- Want a few more simple tips on energy?
- If you just sleep with your tv on, it costs you about $55 a year. Set the timer on your tv when you think you might fall asleep. If you are still awake, you will see it start to go into sleep mode and you can elongate it and it will stay on longer.
- LED bulbs, in the long run will save you money. If you own your home, invest in them. If you rent, many landlords or management companies will replace bulbs for free in fixtures. Request LED bulbs, if they won’t do it, email them and let them know that you are putting LED bulbs in the fixtures but upon termination of your lease, you will be removing them, then do and put regular bulbs back in (don’t be a jerk and leave no bulbs).
- Don’t stand there with your fridge door open, the contents aren’t changing. Your Mom said it, admit it, she did… Your average person spends 10 hours a year staring at an open fridge. How many people are in your house? Do the math…
- Quit leaving your cell phone plugged in once it is fully charged. It doesn’t go over 100%. It does become an Energy Vampire.
So tell me, do you rent? Did you know that most places allow you to deduct the cost of your pet (1 pet) if it is a service pet? Or and emotional support pet? I didn’t know this either, I recently found out this fact out and that it can be done on line for free. Yeah, go figure, tons of people paying pet deposits and pet rent and doing it the way we were all taught it had to be done. And then along came this new way of doing things and a way of saving money and yes, getting around the system. Legally, go figure. Email me and I will send you the link to sign up and get it done for free. Are you loving my Money blog yet?
Well, there is so much more that I could say in the subject of a money blog, MONEY! However, I will save that for another day. I am so passionate about not paying full price. About saving money, making money, we all want it, need it like it, cannot live without it, admit it, I am right about this. I think I will end this Blogpost here and continue another day, soon. I will continue with a discussion about apps, apps to coupon, digital coupons, digital shopping, etc. Boy won’t that be fun? It is all good tho, Lord knows there is any app for damn near everything. And my friends call me the coupon queen for a reason, I guess.
I was not put here on God’s Green Earth to Pay Full Price…Momma Janet
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