Saving Money is Easier than Expected with These 5 Tips

Behold July! 

I feel like I should start saving for the holidays now. I'm in full-paying off mode, and S and I have finally done a household budget. It wasn’t as painful as we imagined. 

I have models of my budget set in folders on Learnvest, where I can follow how much I am spending and saving each month.

Here’s a few things to try..

·         Buy a gift card each month to keep for Christmas gifts (I read this somewhere, going to start trying it 5 months before the holidays, this month) If I buy a visa gift card, it’s on my CC statement, plus if I don’t spend them all, I can use them for groceries. I am going to pick one up this week. I like this better than putting money in a Christmas account, in my opinion.

·         Make and take my lunch every day. Lunch out only once a week. This is a huge investment to get lunch at work each day- sometimes around $9. That’s about $80 a month if I get the café even just twice a week, and that could be a nice dinner out with my honeypie.

·         Make my own coffee daily- this is a biggie for several reasons. I work in Philly, miles from my home, I leave very early so stopping to get a leisurely cup of joe isn’t on the schedule. 
I wake up, I go to the kitchen, turn on the Keurig, get dressed, and make coffee- boom, one cup for me.

·         Barter for services. Got a skill- USE IT! Teach yoga for electrical work, make meals for gardening. Local time banks are helpful too.  
Obv, use common sense and be aware of your surroundings and people that you are bartering with.

·         Shopping in house. I want to change up some things, so rearranging the furniture, finding new uses for items and repurposing is a fabulous way to shop without spending any money.

what are your favorite ways to save?

You Need to Try These 5 Ways to Celebrate June, Plus Celebrating Milestones!

Happy June 1! I Cannot believe we are here already! This is already shaping up to be an epic month! 

I have a milestone birthday this month, as well as celebrating a wedding with some family this month.

So many great things coming up, I cannot wait!

May- Came in under budget!

Decluttered!

Mindfully-ate so that I wasn’t blindly going for food if I needed a pick me up.

Hubby and I both got crazy sick with a sinus infection and colds and other yuck, but we pulled thru just in time for June 1!

June Goals:

Spend more time outside

Stay under budget

Celebrate my 40th birthday in the coolest way possible!

Sleep more

Work harder at my day job

Continue to eat more mindfully and eat more organic produce- it really does make a difference!

What have you on the agenda for this month?

5 Ways to Celebrate June

1.          Make a smoothie with in-season ingredients- avocados, strawberries, bananas.
2.          Have a shot of Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) in a glass of water with raw honey.
3.          Take a day trip and try new cuisine.
4.          Have breakfast in bed- enjoy fresh squeezed juice, rustic toast and organic jam, and snuggle in after enjoying breakfast.
5. Give thanks for what you have, take a deep breath in and breathe out, and listen to your body- what do you want to do with June?

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