Five Easy Ways To Start Saving Money Today

by Hannah Walton aka The Cheapskate Mom

So, I sure don't have all the answers to financial conundrums – I'm just trying to find my way out of ours! That being said, I've learned an awful lot in the last year or so about how to save money so you have more in the bank for the things that matter – oh you know….things like rent and copays (if you're lucky enough to have health insurance!)

Here is a quickie-style list of five ways I've learned to save money on a semi-daily basis.

1. Save Money by Buying Reduced/ Cheap Gift Cards for Stores You Already Shop At
This is an incredible little secret I discovered this year – there are credible websites that allow you to buy store gift cards for a reduced price. For example, today I bought a Babies R Us gift card worth $25.00 for just $23.00 – not bad, eh?
Here are a few sites I know of for reduced priced gift cards:

• Gift Card Granny
• Raise.Com
• ABC GIft Cards

2. Save Money by Buying Generic
Once we made the leap into buying the store/generic brand of products, we never looked back. We regularly pay half or even less than what consumers who buy brand names spend. Listen, I'm not saying it's the most magical feeling in the world to buy all generic – but I am saying your wallet will thank you. Also, Consumer Reports says generic foods taste the same - and I personally believe they are the same, lol

3. If You Think You Can Live Without It, Live Without It
That pair of jeans is marked down by half…seems like a good deal…..seems like you should buy it…but wait!! Buying it will mean bringing it home and adding it to a closet already full of items that were good deals that you don't wear because you're not exactly in love with 'em. Stop being promiscuouis with your wallet. Only buy the things you are in love with. I'd rather save my money for Calvin Klein, personally (oh, some day, Calvin…someday).

4. Make Your Own Darn Coffee
I know, not all of you drink coffee. But, I sure do and many of my friends do too. Taking the leap into the at-home coffee world is a surprisingly big, depressing step for many many people. I'm not sure why. Having worked at donut shops over the years, most of the quick-serve coffee you buy is literally shwill – made by machines. Us coffee workers just press buttons. The coffee you make at home, no matter how cheap the beans, is gonna be a lot better than the coffee you buy out. Just sayin'….

5. If You Think You Can Make It, Make It
I am so, so not that crafty. I'm impatient. I can't follow directions too well. The moment anything gets technical, I jump ship like a rat. No joke. That being said, I make a whole heck of a lot of the things we need on a daily basis. I make baby wipes, bread, foaming hand soap and I even made an emergency washing machine, ahem, out of a brand new plunger and a bucket. What I'm saying is, put on your think-out-side-the-expensive-box hat and think about what you can make to save your family some $$$. Read this about how I turned my home into a mini-factory – lolz

What about you? What ways have you found to save a few bucks? I'd love to hear about them and so would other readers! Thanks