P&G Family Financial Challenge

So earlier this month I told you all that I was jumping in on a P&G Family Financial Challenge featuring tips from Gail Vaz-Oxlade. The month is half over now and things are going pretty well! Truth be told, we are pretty good with saving money around here. Both my husband and I are naturals at watching what we spend and are really good at tucking any extras away. So I picked up Gail’s book Money Rules: Rule your money or your money will rule you, thinking that I would dance my through it, patting myself on the back. Holy overconfident right? lol Truth is, I didn’t get to the third chapter without hanging my head in shame!

Sure, sure, I sailed through Rule 2. Don’t Marry a Money Moron, but got halted in my tracks at Rule 3. You Must Have a Will and Rule 4. You Must Have POAS. Yeah, turns out we suck. While life with three babies in three years, really sent us for a whirlwind with a lack of time and energy, it’s really no excuse not to have our affairs in order. So taking Gail’s advice, we have set a goal with a deadline and we are getting everything all settled legally. It will be a great peace of mind when we do. (RESP’s are next on the list)

#SavingMadeSimple

P&G moms have been tweeting and instagraming all month with their favourite ways to save money! These are some savvy ladies, who know how to cut costs! Be sure to follow along with the Hashtag #SavingMadeSimple

Here are a few of my favourite ways to save

Kitchen

Try eating from your fridge, freezer and pantry and skip the weekly grocery store trip. Do you think you can do it? We actually accidently gave this a try a couple weeks ago when the whole family was sick. Turns out we survived just fine and had plenty of food in the house afterwards. We buy multiples when items we use frequently go on sale and keep them stocked up. Use coupons on top of sale items for maximum savings! 

Make your own baked goods, my family has quite the sweet tooth, and I cut costs by baking my own muffins, breads, cookies and cakes. 

What for cheaper cuts of meat, buy in bulk and freeze the what you don’t need right away, and go meatless one night a week. 

Plan before you go, check the flyers and make a list before you go and stick to the list. 

Household items

Join couponing sites like Brandsaver.ca, you can score some great coupons on products you already love. Search for other like minded people who love to save money online, there are all kinds of websites and forums dedicated to sharing the latest deals and you can even jump in on a coupon train! A coupon train is a package of coupons that gets mailed to each person one at a time, you take what you need and put in what you don’t. When my oldest was little, I saved hundreds of dollars on formula this way. 

Know your prices and stock up when you see a good deal, shampoo and dish soap will not go bad in your pantry.

Don’t cheap out. Say what??? but Jen, you just told me to cut costs, and be frugal! Being frugal doesn’t mean cheap, and sometimes can benefit you in the long run. My favourite brand of paper towel is Bounty and I always spend the money for it. Mind you, I still watch for sales and try to use a coupon as well, but spending less and getting crappy paper towel just means I use more in the long run and I’m frustrated all the time. I have  a pretty gross story about the time I bought the cheap stuff, and that happened to be during the time my poor doggies was sick, sick, sick all over the house. It was a nightmare! I’ll spare you all the disgusting details, but rest assured, I never went without Bounty again!

Get creative

Saving money doesn’t have to be boring, you just need to be creative. Throw a milkshake and a movie night at home instead of going out to the theatre, make your own holiday decorations and gifts, take the kids out for a hike through the forest instead of to the theme park. Believe it or not, kids can have fun doing almost anything! We spend our whole summer exploring beaches and trails with the boys and it doesn’t cost a thing! Be sure to pack your own snacks and water before you head out! 

Share with your friends, chances are if you mention you really want to cut back with a close friend, they will say they want to get on board with that too. Start swapping, books, magazines, movies and clothes if they fit! We had a great friend who used to drop off clothes her son no longer wore, and we put them to good use here! 

By tweaking little things about your habits and routines, you can end up saving a lot of money without even working very hard for it! It’s not to late to jump in with us and share your money saving tips and tricks using the hashtag #SavingMadeSimple on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook! Shop the consignment stores? eating up your leftovers? walking instead of driving to the store? We want to hear all about it! 

#SavingMadeSimple

Join In!!

Disclosure: I am a P&Gmom/mamanP&G. As part of my affiliation with this group I receive products and special access to P&G events and opportunities. The opinions on this blog are my own.