Hi again everyone! If this is the first time you’re ever visiting my blog, my name is Brianna! About a year and a half ago my now husband and I bought our first home. Since then, we’ve experienced so much life has to offer to two young twenty-something year olds.
With all those experiences comes financial — awareness? I don’t want to say problems, because problems can be avoided if you know how to handle your finances correctly.
This all leads me to today’s post, which is to share 10 money saving tips with you! Specifically tips to keep in mind after recently buying a house.
Buying a house is a BIG investment, and if it’s your first house it’s probably the biggest investment you’ve made in your life thus far.
With that being said, there are a lot of things that you can do to help make owning a house and paying bills and being financially stable a lot easier.
Going Out vs. Staying In
Depending on the type of person you are, you may either find this hard to do or you may be doing this already. But one way to save money once you move out is to have your friends and family over your house, rather than go out every weekend. There is no problem with going out every once in a while, but there is also no problem with inviting friends over, turning on a movie and playing some games.
Don’t Buy Unnecessary Things
If you’re anything like me, owning a new home gives you the excuse to go on a home shopping spree. Believe me, the temptation to buy nice, expensive things for your home is KILLER — but are they necessary? Probably not. You’d be surprised at how many things (big and small) you need when moving out, especially for the first time. Rather than spending $30 on a spatula, head to a store with cheaper kitchen utensils or bathroom necessities, etc. As time goes on you’ll be able to upgrade your things one by one, but doing it all at once and right away is almost impossible to do, and you’ll regret it later.
Unsubscribe To Things You Don’t Need
You’d be surprised at the amount of expenses that add up from small subscriptions and purchases. It doesn’t hurt to sign on to your online banking app and sifting through your spending report to see what you could do without. Is that magazine subscription necessary? How about that subscription box you pay for that you end up getting rid of half of the things that come inside? If you don’t need it or use it, eliminate the cost!
Establish A Budget
One way to make sure you’re not spending more than you should is to establish a budget. It may take a few months to get adjusted to your spending amount when it comes to bills and other household necessities, but once you do it is a good idea to establish a budget of how much money you can allow yourself to spend every week or two weeks or even each month, depending on how often you are paid. With that being said, just because you have the money to establish a budget, doesn’t mean you have to or even should spend it all. Any money that is left over at the end of your budget period should be added to savings or an emergency fund. It’s always good to put your money away for a rainy day.
Start Eating At Home
One thing that many people, including us, are guilty of is eating out way too often. It is far too easy to fall into the routine of being too lazy or tired to cook and ordering take out instead. Not only is this bad for our health, but it’s bad for our wallets too. Over the past year, we’ve both learned from different recipes on Pinterest, and most recently we’ve subscribed to Hello Fresh, which has helped us to cook up recipes we likely would have never tried otherwise. In addition to preventing us from eating out, it also saves us money on grocery shopping. After doing the math, we’ve realized that we’re spending less money on Hello Fresh than on grocery shopping. For $40 off your first box, you can use my referral link HERE.
Money Back Apps
Another very easy way to save money is to take advantage of money back apps. If you open up the app store on your phone you will see a large number of apps that do just that. The one I am currently using is Ibotta. These apps allow you to either upload a photo of your receipt or shop right through the app, and you will receive money back on your purchases. It definitely helps you feel less guilty for buying something when you know you’re getting some of that money back!
Take Advantage Of Coupons
I know we’re all guilty of throwing away so many coupons we may receive in the mail, but we really should be taking advantage of them. Coupons can help you save SO much money. So next time you receive a catalog in the mail, or see a pop up online to subscribe to a store’s newsletter, just do it!
Join Rewards Programs
So many shops have rewards programs that you most definitely should join and take advantage of. If you know you’re going to shop somewhere, you might as well receive reward points for doing so. Those reward points will definitely add up, and you can use them towards any purchases you may make in the future. Plus — they often send out birthday rewards, and give you access to sales early, and who doesn’t love that!
Do Your Shopping During Sales
Who doesn’t love a good sale? Sale is one of my favorite four letter words. There are few better feelings than knowing I got a great deal on something. Aside from the typical sales that stores have, there are also certain times of the year that are best to buy certain products. For example, after holidays. Last year, I was able to buy some Halloween decorations for just a few bucks a few days after Halloween. A lot of people say the same about Christmas wrapping paper, and that it is best to buy it a few days after Christmas. If you’re in the market for a particular item, it doesn’t hurt to Google when and where you will get the best deal.
Clean Out Your Closet
Last tip is to clean out your closet! Cleaning out your closet can actually help you to make a few extra bucks. Every few months I try to clean out my closet and get rid of anything that I may not want or know that I will never wear or use. Once I have a pile of things to get rid of, I split them up into things that I will either donate or list on my Poshmark. There are a number of apps that you can sell your unwanted things on, depending on what it is that you are selling and the audience you are looking to sell to. And anything that you do not plan on selling, you should definitely donate!
There are so many different ways to save some money. Even if it is just a tiny bit of money that you are saving, it all adds up in the long run! If you have any other money saving tips I would love to hear them!