My Top Ten Money Saving Tips

1. First (and most importantly) you NEED to create a household budget. I can't tell you how many times I have scribbled expenses and incomes on sheets of paper. I've crunched numbers. Added and subtracted. This is SO important. You need to be able to SEE how much money is coming in and where it is going. The only way to do this is to write it out. From there, you'll be able to see where you can make cuts.

2. Set an amount and STICK with it! If you are only budgeting $300 for groceries that month. Make sure you keep your receipts. Keep track and try your best not to go over that amount. What happens if you do? Find another category where you might be able to make cuts that month and "borrow" from there.

3. Pre-paid vs. cell phone plan. I switched to Verizon pre-paid and cut my bill almost in half! You're thinking, "There must be a difference!" NOPE.  I have the EXACT same service and plan, but I'm paying half the price. Winning!

4. Don't buy name-brand. Better yet? If you have an Aldi, shop there! We save LOADS of money shopping at Aldi!

5. Check out those sale ads! They come every week in the mail, and we each go through them. Jewel can have some AWESOME sales on fruit and meat. (Yes, surprisingly even less expensive than Aldi! Gasp!) It isn't every week that we find something great, but when we do, it is definitely worth it!

6. Instead of buying movies and books on Amazon, head to the library! We find many great books and movies, and better yet? They're free! If we really enjoyed what we read or watched, we'll buy it!

7. Unplug. That cell phone charger that is constantly plugged in? It is eating up electricity, even when it doesn't have a phone attached to it. We try to make sure we unplug and turn off things when we aren't using them. It saves us quite a bit on our electricity bill.

8. Cheaper is not always better. Buying something because it's cheaper and then having to replace it often is not saving you money at all. Do your research!

9. Cut the cable. Netflix and Hulu are awesome and much cheaper!

10. When you see something you really LOVE, and you just HAVE to have it, jot it down and tell your significant other. It's a great gift idea! Anniversary... Valentines Day... Birthday... Christmas... It'll save you money and give your sweetie the satisfaction of getting you something you love.