Wednesday, November 12, 2014

HOW I SAVE MONEY !

Hello everyone and thanks for visiting my blog.
I wanted to chat about a few ways my boyfriend and I save money!
We have moved a few times within the last year, so for us... saving is everything because moving is expensive.
SO! Here's a few tips from me to you on how to save a few dollars here and there.
Like I said above, my boyfriend and I have moved a few times within the last year. We moved from Jasper, AB to Vancouver, BC to North Bay, ON. Moving is exspesnive so once we settle down its important for us save money anyway possible.

1. Manage your bills - What I mean by this is make sure you know where your money is going. Make lists of what you owe for the month. This will allow you to see what money you have left over to spend on groceries, gas, etc! Another tip for managing your bills is taking all your bills off pre-authorized payments. I have had my information frauded numerous times. I had companies like Telus take out more than what my bill was almost every other month. To avoid being frauded and avoid extra charges, pay your bill like normal at the end of the month. You can use your credit card, just don't accept pre-authorized payments. This will also help you keep track of what you owe, when you continuously pay it each month at the same time it allows you to have a better control of your own money.

2. Save on groceries - You're probably wondering how to even save on groceries. WELL! This is where we save the most of our money. We shop with President's Choice at No Frills and use the PC Points system. I cannon rave about how awesome this program is! You save money each time you shop with them and collect points you can later use to redeem on your bill. PC also tracks what you buy and sends you a personalized email with your picks for the week. You also collect points if you use your PC Mastercard anywhere else! Any $ you spend they match with points. How awesome is that! We save roughly $30.00 each shopping trip. We also save money grocery shopping by using a great app called REEBEE. This app is amazing! It sends you all your local weekly flyer's and sometimes will send coupons you can redeem in stores with a bar code it sends you. This app allows me to see where things are cheaper. Now, like I said we usually shop at No Frills. The great thing about No Frills is they match the price of anything you find cheaper. That's where the REEBEE apps comes in handy. I go into No Frills and when checking out I will show the cashier my reebee app and she matches all the prices I show that are cheaper. This saves us a TON! I totally recommend downloading the REEBEE app that's FREE! & get yourself a PC points card! 2 great options that save you a ton when grocery shopping.



3. Shop Smart - This point is pretty obvious to me. If your looking to save money, shop smart! Don't go out and buy a ton of things you don't need. This comes into play when your anywhere! I always ask myself "Do I really need this" Think of the debt you would rather pay off than the new pair of shoes you don't really need. Pay off your debt and then shop till you drop! This also comes in when your grocery shopping too. Think when your cashing out if you really need those 2 bags of potato chips & those bottles of pop. Those items add up over time and you usually eat through that junk super quick.

4. Hydro Water ETC - For us, this saves us tons of money! Our hydro bill is $30.00 a month! Now, keep in mind our hydro is strickly just hydro. Our heat & water is paid by our landlord in a fixed rate per month. A way we save on our hydro is by keeping the lights off until we absolutely need them. We love using candles! We also keep our microwave and toaster un plugged and when we need them, plug them in! We also keep everything in power bars so that at the end of the night, you turn the power bar off and your saving all that extra hydro during the night. Things like computers, phone chargers, xbox's etc even when not used, use your hydro! So be sure to keep things unplugged until you actually need them. Another good option is pre cooking all your meals and un plug your stove! Your stove costs a nice penny for your hydro bill so keeping big items like these unplugged until you need them will save you a ton! Also, check your bill and see when hydro is cheapest. It's usually cheap when its off peak hours from 7pm-7am. If your going to do laundry etc make sure you do it when your hydro is off peak hours. This will also save you tons of money!

5. TFSA - I LOVE my tax free savings account. This is a great way for me to save money and not even realize that I'm doing it. My TFSA comes in handy when I'm in a pinch and need some extra money. You can take out however much you need whenever you need it! You can set up the option that you have $25.00 taken out every pay and put into your tax free savings account. You'll notice after having it for a while how fast the money adds up and how much you have saved from just a little off each paycheck. You can also add money into this account at anytime and after its there for a while, you'll see your money grow. Every bank insitition has there own TFSA. I HIGHLY reccomend having one of these account. I opened mine in high school and love it! Its a great way to start learning to save.

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