While March is a great time for so many wonderful things (St. Patrick’s Day, the first official day of Spring and a multitude of fabulous moments), it’s also another chance to start your new shopping lifestyle! Here are a couple of tips to really make a difference this month:
1. Create a budget: if you know where all of your money is going, you’ll be less likely to spend beyond your means. There are great sites that offer budgeting tools… one of my favorites is Dave Ramsey’s Gazelle Budget, but Mint.com offers a fabulous one, too. Lay everything out on paper and stick to it. You may have to tweak a couple of things in April, but you’ll have a good starting point!
2. Start clipping coupons: By preparing your budget beforehand, you’ll know how much money you can spend on groceries. My tip? Challenge yourself! Set your grocery spending to less than you normally pay, and head over to ShopAtHome.com’s Printable Grocery Coupons page. There you’ll find a large collection (usually over 800) unique grocery coupons! You can print two of each per computer, so if there’s a must-have item available, grab two and stock up at a great price.
3. Don’t be too hard on yourself! If you’ve never done a budget before, it’s not an easy thing to jump into. Take your time and wean yourself into it. It’s better to have a slow start and stick with it than jump in headfirst and get overwhelmed!
4. Get the family involved: Have kids? Let them know what you’re trying to do and get them to participate, whether you have them help you clip coupons or set up a chore chart with financial goals. Married? Sit down with your spouse and create your budget together; if you’re on the same page financially, you’ll be more likely to hold each other accountable.
5. Ask for help if you need it: Whether you need an accountability partner, or just want some extra tips on how to increase your saving momentum, there are so many places that you can find a helpful hand! Whether it’s your spouse or roommate, a coworker or close friend, having someone to lean on when you want to buy something silly will help you out immensely.
Have any other great tips for sticking to a savings plan? Share them in the comments, especially if you’ve written a post about the same topic!
Tags: advice, budget, coupons, groceries, printable grocery coupons, shopathome, shopping, tips
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