Simple Ways To Save Money {Guest Post by B and V Savings}

Simple Tips To Save Money – A guest post by B and V Savings

So you want to save money, but have no idea where to start? No matter what stage of life you’re at, saving money should be a priority; regardless if you are a college student, unemployed, or a family trying to stretch your budget, it can be a daunting task if you don’t know where to start. So here are the best ways we have found to save money and avoid a headache.

1. Planning: Before you go shopping for anything, make a list & stick to it! Before we started our adventure of couponing and cutting costs, if I sent my fiancé to the store without a list, we would have nothing we needed and everything we could live without. Now before we go shopping at any store (grocery store, clothes store, etc.) we make a list, we budget how much we are willing to spend, and make a list of what we will be purchasing. This really cut out our overspending so we could save money.

2. Budget: Sit down and look at your finances, make a list of your bills and know exactly where your money is going. Chances are you will be able to find something that you can cut out and put into your savings. This is probably the least fun step, but one of the most important. An easy way to do this, is to take envelops and label them, each week or biweekly (however you receive money), take a portion of that money and put it into your labeled envelop. If you don’t spend all of the money in that envelop within the month, you can let it build up for the next month, or add it to your savings, remember a few dollars each month will add up to help you save money.

3. Coupons & Sale Cycles: Get to know your stores sale cycles, and pair that up with your coupons, to maximize your savings. BandVsavings.com spends hours each week getting together a list of items from stores (hopefully in your area!) and pairs them with coupons, you just have to click and print! Savings don’t have to stop at grocery & drug stores though; you can take the tools that you learn here to save money in other aspects of your life. At most stores there are clearance, or sale racks, to help you save money – become best friends with them.

4. Plan Your Meals: If you sit down and plan your meals out for you and/or your family, this will make it easier for you every day, because you are taking out the guess work. Pair it up with your store’s circular, (or one of our matchups) and you’ll spend less than what you would at a fast food chain!

5. Stockpile: Evaluate your space, and work with it. The idea of a stockpile is to last you 3-12 months. This may not be an obtainable goal for everyone, but you should make sure that you’ve got a stockpile of items that your family uses. Someone who doesn’t live in your household (and even some that do) doesn’t know your family’s needs. Evaluate what type of products you use, and decide how big of a stockpile you can handle. I keep a 6 month stockpile, I know how much deodorant, razors, shampoo, paper towels etc we will use within that time frame, and make sure that I get those when they’re on sale. The idea of a stockpile is not hoarding, we aren’t encouraging you to buy 75 bottles of mustard your family won’t use. And remember if you overbuy an item and won’t use it before it expires, you can donate it to local food pantries or charities.

6. Store Cards: Most stores have loyalty programs and store rewards cards, even if you do not shop at that store regularly, it still pays to take advantage of these!

 

B & V Savings strive to bring you the very best (and most reliable) coupons, samples and freebies around. Together we have saved our families over $10,000 in groceries last year. Our goal is to spread our knowledge and tools to help you save.

I am Vera, or the “V” in B and V Savings. I am a mom of 2; a wonderful baby boy and a beautiful little girl. I love helping people save money, hunting for deal, and couponing. I started couponing as a way to stretch my family’s budget to makes ends meet and now I love to teach others how to save and help them.

And that leaves me, Becki, the “B” in B and V Savings. I started couponing after my fiance and I purchased our first house, after seeing our pile of bills grow, I needed a way for our money to as well. Couponing and finding different ways to save money has become a passion of mine, and I love sharing the knowledge.