Looking for Ways to Save Money?

The economy has forced a lot of families to change the way they spend their money. Discretionary money is often hard to find. 

I have learned a lot of ways to "stretch" my dollars.  Some of my changes were not easy to make.  I gave up having my nails done.  I went back to my natural hair color to save on salon expenses.  I am now my own "cleaning lady."  I don't go shopping unless there is a specific need or reason. Retirement is not in our vocabulary.  Vacations and weekend trips are rare and paid for in advance.   Below are a few ideas that I use to make our cash go further.

Don't window shop, you will buy something
Wait for sales on items you need
Don't impulse buy
Look online and compare pricing
Use coupons -  my grocery store has a "customer card".  By signing up online, it allows card holders to       download coupons onto the card.  They automatically are deducted at the register.
Barter with friends for babysitting and other services
Go to resale stores for furniture and children's clothing
Sell unwanted things in a garage sale, in a resale shop, or on ebay or Marketplace.
Eat at home* see note below
Carry snacks and bottled water in the car

*If your schedule is busy and it is hard to cook dinner during the week, cook extra meals on weekends to put in the freezer.

Instead of cooking one chicken, cook two; cut them into bite- sized pieces.  Freeze in small baggies in 2 and 3 cups portions. The chicken can quickly be put into casserole, made into a salad or mixed with barbecue sauce for a sandwich. The picture above is one of my favorite casseroles to freeze.  Just assemble it and freeze before baking.  Link:: http://dianestraditions.blogspot.com/2012/02/chicken-recipe-to-make-in-advance.html

Do the same with ground beef or a roast.  Add to marinara sauce and pour over pasta, add to a taco shell with lettuce, cheese and tomatoes, roll in a tortilla with beans and cheese, or make a Shepherd's pie.

Make a big pot of soup or chili and freeze it in family sized portions.

When you do cook, double or triple the recipe and freeze the extras.  I like to do some in disposable containers. That makes it easy to provide a meal for a friend, or save on kitchen clean up.  Dollar stores are a great source for disposable pans.

When baking cookies, double the batch and freeze half of the dough.  It is easy to have fresh baked cookies anytime.

These are just a few of my ideas.  Be inspired and see what you can come up with.