5 Ways to Save Some Green in 2014

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Who enjoys paying bills?  Anyone?  Who enjoys parting with that hard-earned money?  No takers?  OK, let’s talk about ways to save a little green in the New Year.  Whethermoney it’s cutting debt or maybe, like my family, you’re saving for something special like a new home or car, we could all use some practical, easy to follow suggestions as to how to save more and spend less without feeling like we’re missing out.  Here are 5 ways my family and I are going to try to save to a little green this year:

1.  Add dollar each week: This might be the easiest way I plan to save money this year.  The idea is to save a dollar for each week that passes, each week adding one more.  The first week of the year, you put away one dollar.  In the second week of the year, you put away two dollars, and three dollars for the third week of the year and so on.  After fifty-two weeks, you’ll have saved almost $1400!!!

breakfastdate2.  Be a cheap date:  One of my family’s favorite things to do is go out to eat for meals but it can get very pricey, especially now that my son eats off the menu, too.  The cost of dinner entrees in a sit-down restaurant can tally up quite a bill.  Our solution?  Family breakfast dates!  Now, I may be a little biased as breakfast is by far my most favorite meal of the day, but eggs and pancakes will not run you as much as prime rib or even pizza.   So, the next time you plan on going on a date {whether it be with your spouse or significant other or as a family}, try a daytime breakfast date.  Think about heading to a local diner or coffee shop.  Our favorite places for breakfast are Penny’s on East Ave in Norwalk, the hot food bar at Whole Foods Market Westport, and Orem’s Diner in Wilton.  If breakfast isn’t your thing, check out your favorite dinner restaurant to see if they offer lunch specials and plan a lunch date instead.  Our fam favorite hands down is Bertucci’s {both the Darien and Westport locations are super family friendly}.

3.  If I can’t Netflix it, I guess I’m not watching it: Sorry, Lena Dunham and the cast of HBO’s Girls, I won’t be watching your season premiere this Sunday.  I’ll be the first to admit that I love TV and up until recently, our TV had access to every single movie channel known to man.  Then, we cut back our cable subscription to just the basics {the basics that include Bravo TV, of course!}. Now, when I feel like I’d like to watch a movie or catch up on a TV series {I had to get caught up for the return of Parenthood last week!}, I use my Netflix subscription or stream something through our Apple TV.  I know there are many other options out there such as Hulu Plus and Vudu as well as Redbox machines in every grocery store, but I stick to Netflix and Apple TV.

4. Local libraries:  Another area where my family and I are looking to save a little money is in entertainment.  I believe that libraries are a great resource to help me stay entertained AND save money.  There are a ton of activities hosted by our local libraries and for the most part, the events are FREE.  Public libraries all over Fairfield County have programs ranging from money management and yoga for adults to Lego classes and story times for the kiddos.  My friend and I brought our kids to a special New Year’s Eve Countdown to Noon with a man who does tricks with bubbles – so cute!  All you need to do search the calendar at your local library or our Things to Do calendar.  Of course, as an avid reader I love borrowing books from the library as well.  I have my favorites – we can be spotted at the Norwalk Public Library and the Westport Public Library.library

5.  Buy big or go home: A final way I plan to save some money this year is through buying in bulk at Costco {Costco, I heart you…}.  Although I have never been a member of BJs, I’m sure I could get the same savings as I do through my membership to Costco.  I buy many basic household items in bulk like paper towel, toilet paper, Cheerios, shampoo, and bottled water.  Costco also has great deals on kid’s clothing, books, and toys.  Their flowers are also always beautiful and much less expensive than comparable bouquets I find at the grocery store. While it true that these retail clubs charge a membership fee, my Costco membership has more than paid for itself!  At the end of last year, I got a percentage of the total I’d spent over the course of the year back to treat as cash at the store.  The value was more than double the cost of my membership.

Do you have any other money saving tips to share?

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Amy
Meet Amy, our founder, and co-owner of Fairfield County Moms Blog and co-owner of Westchester County Moms Blog. In addition to Fairfield County and Westchester County Moms Blog, Amy teaches 7th and 8th Social Studies grade at a local middle school. She married her husband Brien in June of 2009 and is mommy to 3 boys - Dean {May 2012}, Tyler {October 2014}, and Finn {February 2018}. The family lives cozily in their Westport, CT home with two small dogs and one large cat. Besides spending time at home with her family and spending her school days with teens, Amy loves to daydream about traveling across the globe, she’ll read pretty much anything that comes recommended, and is probably the world’s messiest cook. Connect with Amy on Instagram {@amyjones112}.

6 COMMENTS

    • Great post! I LOVE the library and our meals out are often brunch too ( cheaper and often more family friendly). I also love the Facebook tag sale idea that was mentioned in a previous post for saving money.

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