3 Simple Strategies for Saving Money on Everyday Expenses

With trying to save up money for some luxuries like taking a trip to Disneyland and getting some new flooring on our main floor, we have had to try to find ways to cut back on other things. Being that we have been living on only one income for the past year until recently, we haven't had been spending on anything other than the necessities so there is nowhere to cut back on other than the everyday necessities. Below are ways I save money on everyday expenses.

Prep for Grocery Shopping

Coming up with what meals we plan to make within the week and what ingredients we would need helps us save money. Why? Because if we don't go in with a list, we wander around trying to decide what meals we might want to eat and just grabbing random items off the shelf that might come together to make a meal of some sort. This usually results buying too many perishable items that go bad to quickly or missing necessary ingredients and having to return to the store too soon, leading us to buy more items. Besides, when we come up with a list at home, we seem to come up with a list of items that we are more likely to eat. If we come up with what we want at the store, we tend to buy foods that we would like to picture ourselves eating.

Choose Quality Over Quantity

This rule applies to all kinds of things. Quality is almost always better than quantity, depending on what it is. For example, Buying quality food over the cheaper Great Value brand food. If we buy Great Value brand frozen vegetables because you get more for your money than another brand, then we tend to waste it because the taste and quality is just not great. However, if we spend a little more money and get a higher quality brand of frozen vegetables, even though there is less quantity for the price, we end up eating it all and don't have to throw it out. This applies to paint, socks, underwear, and pretty much anything else where quality matters. However, exceptions can be made when the quality really isn't a huge factor. For example, I always buy the Great Value brand over Ritz brand crackers because I really don't notice a difference enough to care. I'd rather put my money into something else.

Shop With a Cash-Back Credit Card

This is so helpful. While it does not give immediate financial relief, it is really nice when that reward cashes in. I use the Costco Citi card which gives a small percentage back on every purchase it is used for. With paying bills, buying groceries, filling up the cars with gas, and paying for a master's degree out of pocket, it really comes in handy to be able to use the credit card and get a big chunk of money back once a year. We also pay off our credit card bill in full each month so that it does not accumulate interest.