It’s the giving time of year!!!
ESI Money readers are simply THE BEST and I want to say THANK YOU for a great year!!
What better way to do that than by giving something away? đ
Today I am giving away five gift cards worth a combined $110 as follows:
- Three $25 Amazon gift cards
- One $25 Starbucks gift card
- One $10 iTunes gift card
Here are the details of the giveaway:
- I’ll be giving away the cards to five different winners (one per winner).
- Winners will get a specific card (drawn by me). In other words, winners will be assigned the card they win, they won’t be able to choose it.
- To enter, all you need to do is leave a comment on my Save Overview post with your best tip for saving money (no length or topic required other than that).
- Be sure to include your email address when you leave the comment so I will know how to reach you if you win (the email address will not be visible to anyone other than me).
- The winners will be drawn at random from the commenters.
- The drawing of winners will be held on Friday, November 17, 2017.
- Once I hear from all winners I’ll mail out the cards (you’ll want to get them soon, right?)
- As with most giveaways, there are rules. Here they are.
Good luck!!!!
Update: I was not very clear in my initial post where you should leave your comment, so some people are leaving them here and some are leaving them as noted above. I’ll include both for the giveaway drawing up to this point, but from here on out, please leave your comment on my Save Overview post. Thanks and GOOD LUCK!!!!
Pay yourself first
Eat at home! Better for your health and your wallet.
I hope I am the first commenter!! My tip for saving money is to prepare all your meals at home and only eat out on infrequent special occasions.
When paying your life insurance policy premiums pay the yearly premium in one lump sum instead of having them taken from your checking account monthly you can save an average of 30 -40 dollars per year
My tip… Put savings on auto pilot.
Work within a budget that you constantly review and update. Save with a goal in mind and adjust upwards as situations dictate.
The best way to save money is to read your blog and live the principles!
Also for online shopping I like to buy discounted e gift cards art card cash out something similar to get an additional discounts
My best tip is just to stay out of stores–don’t shop for entertainment!
Bring your lunch to work, carry a refillable water bottle and tea/coffee thermos.
Buy one gift card a month starting January and buy Christmas time I don’t have to spend any money.
Donât borrow money other than to buy a house. Even for a house, pay 20% down. Pay credit card bills fully, every month.
Fully fund your 401(k) and take advantage of any employer matching contributions.
Create automatic payments to increase your investment savings so you never see the money in your checking account.
If your workplace has a dependent care option, sign up for it! My company allows me to pull $4,000 a year PRE-TAX, and at the end of the year they match my contribution 25% ($1,000), for free! At the end of the year (or during the year), I send a simple receipt in to my company from the day care . My company deposits the check to my account in a few days.
So a few things happen.
1. You lower your taxable income by $4,000.
2. You are given FREE MONEY, 25% of your contribution.
3. You now have a nice chunk of change you receive at the end of the year that you put down on the principle of your house (or car or whatever) to pay it off earlier an become debt free!
YAY!
When shopping use double coupons as well as using the store’s circular. Then take the money saved and add that to your investment account.
Have a finanancil or life goal that is bigger than your daily wants/needs.
Invest in a stand alone chest type deep freezer. You can buy meats in bulk and freeze, make meals ahead and buy things on sale. We did this when we first got married and have saved hundreds to thousands of dollars on everything from bagels to 1/3 of a butchered cow at $2.78 a pound.
Grill chicken breast on the BBQ and enjoy grilled chicken for lunches, Pop out of the freezer and defrost.
Make a big pot of spaghetti and freeze into meals. Enjoy during the week.
We all know home made is healthier than prepossessed food meals and a deep freezer makes this so much better.
Live on a budgetâthis requires you to put you money to use and tell it where to go vs wondering where it went!! Be intentional!
I almost always buy things online nowadays, usually through Amazon. Not only is it going to be cheaper 90% of the time, I save on time and gas going to the store.
Make saving automatic by having money taken right out your paycheck or checking account and put into a savings account.
Automatically deduct a portion of your paycheck for deposit into a savings or brokerage account. You’ll never miss the money because you’ll never see it in your check.
Shop at bulk store like costco and split up meats for storage in deep freezer, so we always have food on hand and less tempted to eat out.
Buy your car out-right – no debt.
Take your time to maintain all your gadgets well including car, house, computer etc. in long run, small maintenance will serve you well.
Anything extra at home – sell it, share it, swap it, rent it out or just give it away to people who use it more. giving away? yes it save space and your time maintaining it.
Need some home-ware, baby stuff? Try pick-up weeks, gumtree, facebook market – it’s amazing how many free things you can get online and they all still have a good life in it.
p/s I furnish my house $300 with all pre-loved items:)
Stay close to work or find work close to stay – just if you can. It saves me so much time and travelling $$:)
The once off stuff you need – ask around and borrow them. when you borrow them more often, then its justify to own one.
We hate wasting food, so cooking bulk means packing leftover for tomorrows lunch.
ALWAYS compare and ask question on all the bank fees and insurance and energy company especially those that come in quarterly or annually. you be surprise there might be a better deal out there that save you enough. Internet is a bitch. lol.
Not everyone sees what they save. I like to manually transfer the money I save (say a deal or I got this in stead of that or put a value on the things I got free) into my saving account, feels so accomplished. I do for the big stuff sometimes:)
And when you have a goal of how much you want to save and what are the savings used for…saving becomes easier and happier:)
Start early, save as much as you can, live below your means, and dollar cost average.
When ever you get a raise save increase your savings. This way you avoid lifestyle inflation.
Get your spouse on the same page. Once mine started to see how much we spend without thinking, he stopped wanting the latest gadget and now has spreadsheets to track how much we’ve saved each month.
Automate your money. Make the savings automatic so that you don’t have to remember to make a transfer and you are not tempted to spend that money elsewhere!
Track your net worth over time. It can be simply done in excel or using one of the online wealth/budget trackers (Mint, YNAB, Personal Capitol).
Learn to cook. Cook at home most of the time. It will save you thousands per year, you will be healthier, and have a fun hobby.
Bring lunch to work and make coffee at home. At sometimes $10 a day for lunch and $5 a day for coffee just on work days alone thatâs around $300 a month or $3600 a year. Think of how much food you could buy and how much better health wise what you bring would be for you.
Be your own financial advisor. Educate yourself about asset allocation, diversification and fund costs early in life and keep learning as your portfolio grows and you move towards retirement.
Invest the time to teach your children to live below their means, save and spend wisely. In the end it will save you money.
Focus on growing your income as much as possible and keeping your lifestyle static and save the difference. This will pay off exponentially over time.
Always wait before you purchase a non-essential item. The wait time will allow you to reconsider the purchase- find a better deal, decide on a different item, or do without altogether. (The exception to this is finding something at a super bargain price that’s unlikely to last- then buy and return if you change your mind.)
Carefully consider all of your purchases. I like shopping online, so I will put an item in my cart and leave it there for several days. Often I end up not buying it.
Learn how the things you own work and then you can maintain them better. For example, if you understand your vehicle then you can talk to the repair technician and know if what theyâre suggesting is reasonable.
There are too many people that are totally clueless about how their âstuffâ works.
Teach yourself to be content with what you have more than what you think you want.
When you feel like you really have to buy something that isnât a necessity, just wait. Wait a couple days â many times the impulse will go away. If it does, youâll know that it really was just an impulsive decision in the moment.
Save going out to eat for special occasions and fully fund retirement accounts early in life.
Track your spending. No really, track every penny you spend everyday. They have apps that make it super easy and eventually it becomes habit.
When you see where your money goes, you are more deliberate about your choices. And that likely means youâll spend less and save more.
Use a tool for budgeting.
I have two tips for saving more money:
1. Set up a separate account and deposit money into it every pay check. Then, never use that money. Having the money go in there right away and then having it in an account you don’t often look at will allow you to grow your savings and not spend it.
2. Grow your wealth. It is easy to think that if you spend less you will save more. However, if you spend less, that is not increasing the actual amount that you are making. Find little ways to make money outside of your main source of income and save 100% of that money.
Hope this helps someone!
Tell your money what to do! Since using Dave Ramseyâs EveryDollar app we have been able to save about 50% of our income and still have some fun money for ourselves each month. Plus, committing to doing our best to not exceed our budget has made us happier and on the same page with a shared vision. The power we have as a couple makes us more effective than going it alone. Weâre on FIRE!
Spend time with your family. It’s the greatest investment and pays the highest dividends.
use ebates.com to shop!
Delay making purchases. See if you still want that item after you wait. This helps cut down on impulse purchases.
Pay in cash and do not use credit cards.
Make saving automatic. I have a transfer from main account leave every Friday to save up for big expenses like taxes and insurance. Add to retirement accounts in small increments and live on the rest. Spouse and I have regular talks and reviews to stay on the same page since things change.
Wish I had saved more early even if it was just small amounts.
Buy what you need, not you want, even when that thing is cheap.
Set up automatic savings
Avoid paying interest. Collect as much interest as possible.
My best tip for saving money is to remove the temptation to spend it unnecessarily. Avoid looking at ads, sales, window-shopping at the mall, etc. For me, it’s so easy to get caught up in the hype and excitement of feeling like I saved 50% (or whatever,) but the reality is that if I hadn’t been browsing in the first place, I would never miss the item and would have saved 100%.
Use your credit cards wisely. Pay them off each month in full. Maximize your purchases using them unless there the transaction results in additional fees. Investigate the cash back and rewards programs and pick the ones that best suit your needs.
Cut housing expense from 40% to 0% via multifamily, roommates, or living in a cheaper place.
Buy a dependable vehicle and drive it as long as possible.
Have a budget each month. Pull out cash from the bank and put it in envelopes. Once the money in the envelope is gone (i.e. entertainment), you have to wait till the next month. The envelope system SIGNIFICANTLY keeps us from overspending, and thereby allows us to put more money aside.
To all the commenters- re-read the instructions- you are commenting on the wrong post.
I’m sure others have said this, but I’ll add another endorsement for it…
Bring your lunch to work everyday and only go out for lunch occasionally. Not only will you be healthier for it, you will save a ton of money.
Have a discussion with your banker, and make sure all the money is tucked away, and protect it from any issues. I hope I win. Thank you. đ
Look at savings as “spending in reverse.” When you buy anything, large or small, double the cost and ask is this worth it? Because if you are really saving/investing, paying taxes and tithe, you are really spending about half of your salary. Is that $5 drink and snack really worth $10 everyday…probably not.
Live below your means
This giveaway has ended.
Winners were selected from the Save Overview post as noted above.
The winners are as follows:
$25 Amazon gift card #1 — George
$25 Amazon gift card #2 — Lisa Mease
$25 Amazon gift card #3 — Jessica H
$25 Starbucks gift card — Lawrence Church
$10 iTunes gift card — Bernie Doss
There may be more than one of these names who commented, so youâll know youâre the right one if you get an email from me. Be looking for it.
Congrats to the winners and stay tuned for more giveaways!
I use coupons every week at the grocery store. I take all the money I saved from coupons and I put it in a coffee can. I use that money to take the family out to dinner on special occasions, family vacations, and even bought a snowblower.
Didn’t win this time. But congrats to all the winners.
The giveaway is over … but its hard to resist adding to these great ideas … don’t pay full price unless absolutely necessary