Budget is going VERY well.  This week we were able to “find” $471.41 extra that we didn’t have to pay on any monthly bills so that is a HUGE accomplishment.  Last pay period it wasn’t like that, sooooo… this was huge for us!  Keep clipping those coupons and finding those deals because it WORKS.  I think that in the beginning of the “deal hunting” it felt like I was spending more money than I should have been on items like toilet paper, shampoo, etc., but now – about a month into it, I am spending SO much less.  I had found the deals, bought the stuff (to stock up) and now everything is stocked and I don’t have to continually buy things.  You may be asking what… well… 

2 weeks ago (time flies when you’re having fun!) I went to Target and got toilet paper, paper towels, snacks for the boy for school, juices, waffles, breakfast items, apples (which turned out to be free after coupon) peanuts, razors, and a few other things – the total was $68.74 and I ended up spending $32.14 – all from using coupons!!  I didn’t NEED all the stuff right then, but I saved over $30 by getting it while the deals were available and I don’t have to buy most of the items for about a month (or two in some instances)!  So shopping while the deals are hot is a very good idea. 

Remember that Target allows you to stack THEIR coupons with manufacturer coupons.  So if you have a $2 coupon off of razors from Target and a $2 coupon from the manufacturer (ie from newspaper, internet, magazine, etc), you can essentially save $4 on those razors!  Sweet deal.  I absolutely LOVE Target for doing that! 

All the “extra” money is going to go towards saving to refinance our house in 2 months.  I’m going to post about why you should refinance NOW!  We’re going to be saving 1.5% interest just by refinancing which equates to over $100,000 over the life of our house loan!

Stay tuned!!   

You can go to www.afullcup.com and get a full listing of printable Target coupons and you can print as many as you want.

When we bought our house, we got a 6.5% interest rate.  Not too bad when we’re talking interest rates – BAD when you’re talking about it on a large sum of money.  Monthly, we currently pay $196 towards principal (actual house).  You may say “oh well that’s fine” but the problem is this.  We pay over $1500 a month for our mortgage.  NOW it’s a situation where you go “OH WOAH! That’s crazy”.  And it is. 

I started doing some research and it was amazing what I found.

The benefits are overwhelming.  There will be an out of pocket expense for closing costs (it’s just like you’re buying your house again) but you will typically recoup those costs within a few years.  DO NOT refinance your home if you’re not planning on staying there for a length of time.  If you are planning on staying for years to come, then by all means refinance and take advantage of the super low rates offered today.

Benefit #1 – You can save money over the life of your loan.  When you’re paying on your house for many years you’re paying mostly interest.  For example, if you have a mortgage payment of about $1040 (not including taxes, etc) you’re probably going to be paying roughly $200 a month on your house and the remaining amount on interest.  By refinancing, you can lower your interest rate which allows you to pay more towards your principal.  This does not mean that the tables will turn and you will now be paying $800 towards principal, but the amount will be more towards principal.  When buying a house with a home loan, interest is inevitable.

Personally – we’ll save over $100,000 over the life of our loan.  More if we pay it off early. 

Benefit #2 – You can lower your monthly payment.  This is the same concept as benefit #1.  If you refinance you’ll get a lower interest rate which in turn will lower your monthly payment.

Benefit #3 – Lessen the length of your loan. If you have a 30 year loan and you reduce that to a 15 or a 20 year FIXED RATE (that’s key – remember!!), you’ll be saving 10 YEARS of interest payments!  Your monthly payment will go up, but more than likely not by that much (depending on how long you’ve owned your home and what type of loan you have).  I can’t think of a better reason to refinance!!

Benefit #4 – Build equity faster!  This ties into benefit #3.  If you refinance your home for a lesser amount of time, you’re going to build equity faster.  You’ll be paying your home off faster thus, increasing the amount owed vs. amount paid and with appreciation of the property – this is equity!

Benefit #5 – Change your loan program type.  If you’re in an ARM, or Adjustable Rate Mortgage, situation you need to get out of this and FAST.  If your interest rate hasn’t skyrocketed yet – it will – and you’ll more than likely lose your home because you won’t be able to afford it any longer. 

Benefit #6 – Improve your credit score.  When you make your payments on time, your credit score improves over time.  In today’s society, credit is king.  Keep that credit score looking good for future endeavors!

The benefits of refinancing RIGHT NOW are incredible.  There should be no reason NOT to refinance unless you got lucky and got a 4.6% or another insanely low interest rate, there’s no need to refinance.  But, if you can shave 1% – 1.5% off of your rate – it’s well worth your time. 

Steps to eating healthy – Day 2

The second step I took to getting us to eat healthier, is to eliminate High fructose corn syrup (HFCS). This was only daunting because of the sheer amount of stuff HFCS is in.  EVERYTHING.  Look at a box in your house.  Go ahead.  Crackers. Cookies. Cakes. Ketchup. BBQ Sauce. Soup. Soda. Juice.  Everything. 

By doing this, you’ll be reducing your chance of heart disease, kidney issues, diabetes and you’ll be reducing your chance of being overweight.  If you are currently overweight, one of the factors is because of eating foods high in HFCS.  Why is HFCS soooo bad?

HFCS is a manufactured sweetener.  Yes, it’s made from corn, but no – it’s not a veggie. It’s manufactured in a lab.  So when your body processes this scientific sweetener, it does not produce insulin (which tells your brain – HEY, I’M FULL!), instead, it instantly is stored as fat.  This sweetener leads to heart disease – overweight people are prone to this and if the HFCS is being immediately stored as fat – you see the cycle.  This sweetener does not allow for your body to feel full.  So you’re always hungry. Leading to overeating. Leading to obesity. Leading to disease.  It’s a vicious cycle that CAN BE STOPPED!  Even if you’re not overweight, it still wreaks havoc on your body.  It’s not worth it!

Eliminate the following first – you don’t have to do it all at once.  Do it in stages.  DO NOT throw away items in your cupboard containing this silent killer.  Instead, finish them out and just don’t buy them again. That way you’re not starting from scratch.  Because I promise that most of the stuff that you have in your cabinet right now contains HFCS.

Eliminate drinks with HFCS.  This includes those beloved sodas that you so love.  I know. I know.  Trust me.  You’ll thank me in the end. 

Next, eliminate condiments with HFCS. Ketchup. Mustard. Mayo. BBQ Sauce. Etc.

Thirdly, eliminate anything dry or canned in your pantry that you normally buy with it in it. 

Finally, just randomly go through your cabinets and find things with HFCS and don’t buy them again once their gone.

It’s a process.  But well worth it.  Not only for your health, but your family’s health. 

Click on the tab at the top -  HEALTH RELATED for a list of foods free in HFCS that I personally use and feed my family. 

Next, read these articles on HFCS.  You’re going to be surprised at what you see! I know I was!  It’s not good for you in any sense of the word.  Do yourself a favor and just cut it out of your diet.  You’ll FEEL different.  You’ll eat less.  You’ll reduce your risk of disease.  And much more!

http://www.healthmad.com/Nutrition/Dangers-of-High-Fructose-Corn-Syrup.32885

http://www.diabeteshealth.com/read/2008/08/20/4274/the-dangers-of-high-fructose-corn-syrup/

http://www.noweightgaincookbooks.com/worse_than_sugar.htm

http://www.naturalnews.com/024466.html

After writing my splurges on healthy eating on a budget and getting healthy eating into the mix of family life, I realized that this is more complex than just a one or two article shot.  Soooooo, I decided to start a 5 day guide to how to start this healthy eating thing.  Trust me.  You’ll thank me in the long run!!

So many people just don’t know where to start.  “How can I feed my family on our budget, but still eat healthy?”  I hear ya.  I understand.  It can be tough, but I’m here to tell you – it’s totally possible.  We’re living proof.

Meet us (HI!) – we have 3 people in our household (sometimes 5, but soon to be a permanent 4 if all goes well – whole other story!).  2 Adults, 1 Five year old, and 1 Fifteen Year old.  And, every other weekend – a 12 year old girl. Mostly boys.  Yeah.  Boys.   I work full time and am starting a business and I blog.  So I have like… 3 jobs.  PLUS time with my family.  I’m busy. The Hubby works full time and lots of overtime plus does things around the house.  He’s busy.  And yet, we find time. If WE can do it, so can you. I promise!

So let’s get to it.

The first step we took?  We reduced, if not almost totally eliminated, eating out. Eating out, even at “healthy” restaurants, they may not fry their food in trans fats, but it’s still not good for you.  They may put your food on the grill, but I promise that the BBQ sauce you’re using or ketchup you put on your food is NOT free of hydrogenated oils or high fructose corn syrup, much less sugars.  Restaurants are businesses before anything else.  They’re in the business to make money which means getting ingredients as cheaply as possible.  Cheap doesn’t always mean healthy. Just because it’s low in fat doesn’t mean it’s perfect for you.

Not to mention – eating out really eats up a lot of your money!  When we stopped eating out so much, we noticed a few things.

1.       We weren’t as hungry during the day because we weren’t full of processed foods.  This is also coupled with our reduction in sugars, processed grains, etc.  But it was noticeable.

2.       Our bank account looked a little bit better! 

3.       We found that eating at home was not as time consuming as we (I) thought.  You think that the task of cooking and cleaning up afterwards has to be stressful and daunting?  Nope!  20-30 minute meals and clean up as you go – bam. EASY!

4.       We found that having family time together (even with extended “out of the house” family) was possible at home.  We don’t have to meet at a restaurant – come over to our house! 

The best thing was the budget.  Wow.  It really saved us money by not stopping at McDonald’s, Arby’s, the Mexican Restaurant down the street, the Chinese place around the corner – convenience was NOT the best choice for us. Not only was it unhealthy, but it was expensive.

Add up those $3 value meals over the course of a month. Feeding a family of 3 (or 4 or 5) can quickly add up to $20 per visit to the drive thru.  Times that by 3 – 4 days a week and you’re talking $60 – $100 a WEEK on junk food.  When you can take that money, roll it into groceries for an ENTIRE week, and have money left over.  Woah.

Stay tuned for tomorrow’s step!

If you don’t know what Extra Care Bucks are,  you’re missing out.  It’s CVS’ rewards program and it’s absolutely wonderful.  You purchase items from CVS that are advertised that you receive ECB’s for.  You purchase the item.  You earn ECB’s.  At first, you’re going to have to start out with some Out of Pocket Expense, but I am living proof that you’ll more than make up for it if you play the game correctly.

The key to using CVS to your advantage is to use ECB’s that you earn and couple them with coupons and/or manufacturer rebates. 

For example. 

Last week they ran a promotion – Buy $25 in Baby Care items (and they were specified which were eligible) and receive $10 in ECB.  Sweet deal!  So, I purchased the following:

• 2 packages of Huggies Gentle Care Diapers (size 1 for diaper cakes) – $10/each
• 1 Johnson’s Baby Shampoo – $3
• 1 CVS Soft Wipes – $2

This totaled up to $25 even.  I spent -.25 on the transaction and had to buy a piece of candy to equal it out!  So I spent .02 on the ENTIRE transaction!?

How? 

Coupons and ECB’s! 

Coupons I used:

• 2 $5 off Huggies (printable from a few weeks ago)
• $2 off Johnson’s product – Printable Coupon
• ECB’s $13,49 total ($10 from Covergirl Promo, $3.49 from Toothpaste Promo)

My most recent conquer was today.  2 Healthy Dentist Mouthwashes. 

Buy 1 and get $4 ECB.  Retail is $6.99 on each.  I bought 2 and I had 2 $2/1 coupons which brought each item down to $4.99. I had $10 in ECB’s ($6 from this week’s Always Pads and $4 from another transaction this week) so I paid a total of .34 for the 2 bottles of Mouthwash.  Here’s where it gets better… There is a link to get $10 back on 2 Healthy Dentist Mouth Rinse Products, so this is a money maker – big time.  I’ll make $9.66 on the deal when I receive my $10 check from Healthy Dentist.

This is how you have to learn how to work the system.  Buy items for free, or next to free by using coupons and receive the ECB’s associated.  Use those ECB’s on other transactions to buy items that earn more ECB’s.  Once you get the hang of it, it’s really pretty cool.  I LOVE LOVE LOVE to walk out of a store, knowing they “paid” me to take something out of there! And it’s PERFECTLY LEGAL! 

My tip?  Use CVS to the best of your ability.  You’ll have to put a couple of dollars out of pocket to start your stash, but when you do, it will come back to you.  I initially invested about $26 and that was for $74.96 worth of stuff (I did separate transactions so that I could use my ECB’s from a previous transaction to get stuff for super cheap). Once I did that, I had a small start and just kept building my ECB’s with minimal out of pocket (OOP) Expense.  Most of the time I spend about $4 – $5 OOP and get ECB’s to cover what I have spent.  Right now I have about $20 in ECB’s sitting around waiting to be used and I can be picky on what I buy now. 

Don’t get too carried away, or you’ll have enough toothpaste to brush the teeth of everyone in the tri-state area.  Trust me, I know this from personal experience. 

Best of all?  IT’S FUN TO GET STUFF FREE!

Eating healthy is hard.  Really hard.  Especially in today’s society of “Get it Quick, Eat it Quick, we have no time, Mcdonald’s on every corner.” But this is by far NOT the best way to feed yourself, much less your children!  The nutritional value of fast food is horrific.  I can’t even get into it in this post because it will quickly become off topic.  But the main point is, don’t punish your bodies by ingesting this garbage.  Once in a while is fine – we do it. I’ll stop at McDonald’s about 4 times a year and get Lucian a happy meal (he loves the toys and the fries).  Don’t get me wrong, I will eat a fry or too as well, but it’s not our main source of nutrition (and I use that word loosely when it comes to fast food) nor is it a special treat or a reason to eat out.  I decided when I gave birth to Lucian it was going to be healthy eating. No if’s, ands, or buts about it.

But I’m human. And I fell victim to fast food when Lucian was a baby.  It took me 2 years to lose the baby weight.  But now, we’re all about healthy eating. No High Fructose Corn Syrup, limited hydrogenated oils, low sugar, organic whenever we can, and limited (if any) pastas. *gasp*   High Fructose Corn Syrup is  in LITERALLY almost everything we eat!  Check out Isabelle De Los Rios’ site – she is AWESOME.  I highly recommend you sign up for her newsletter.  I purchased her eBook and L O V E it.  I mean love it!  Talk about eye opening.  Of course I modified a lot of it to coincide with our tight grocery budget. 

http://www.thedietsolutionprogram.com/Home.aspx

Her site is called “the Diet Solution” but it’s not necessarily about dieting.  It’s about eating what’s right for your body.

And we spend about $45 – $50 a week on food.  For a family of 4.

How is that possible?!!  Organic food is so expensive!  Searching for foods without High Fructose Corn Syrup is so time-consuming.  I don’t have time for it.  No pasta?!  My kids would NEVER eat that stuff.  It’s not possible to sit everyone down at dinnertime at the same time.  My schedule is way too busy to eat that way.  I don’t have time to cook. 

And the list of excuses goes on and on.  Why don’t we just sit down and make up menus and just do it?  In fact, I’ll even help you out and make you a short starter list of items that are at least High Fructose Corn Syrup free!  Why no HFCS? Read this: http://thedietsolution-program.com/blog/?s=high+fructose

What’s so bad about hydrogenation oils?  Ok, read this: http://www.treelight.com/health/nutrition/PartiallyHydrogenatedOils.html

Scary huh?   Yeah.  That’s what I thought too when I read about the horrible things that food actually does to our bodies in today’s society.  Marketers want us to believe that eating all of these horrible foods is going to help us live better. HA!  What a joke! 

I believe, and LIVE IT, that anyone can feed their family on a budget – healthily.  We used to spend $120 a WEEK on groceries.  A WEEK! Now I’ve gotten it down to $45 – $50. How? Planning!

Tomorrow I’m going to post about how to PLAN healthy meals to feed your family.  Planning is the key to success.  Every time.  It’s amazing how much we can save, and EAT HEALTHY, by planning ahead! I know I was surprised!

Let me be the first to tell you – I fell into that trap but it’s been quite a while ago that I realized that it’s not “saving” money if you’re spending more than you would WITHOUT the coupons.  The main factor for couponing to be a success is to ONLY buy things that you would normally buy OR get things for FREE or next to free. 

For example, I CVS.  And I love it.  I am completely and totally addicted to CVS-ing and I can’t get enough.  Yesterday I went to CVS and purchased $74.22 worth of stuff for $21.13.  The only reason I spent that much is because I didn’t have many Extra Care Bucks to use.  But I got everything that we needed using ECB’s, rolling them over into another transaction, and using tons of coupons.  I now don’t have to buy: Lucian’s shampoo for the next 6 months (1 big bottle lasts that kid 3 months or more I swear), Lucian soap, toothpaste, shaving gel, Snack potato chips, and more… and I won’t have to buy it for a while – more than 5 months.  So $21.13 (which includes makeup) for a 5 month supply of things we NEEDED averages to $4.23/month.  I would complain about that.

But, there are times where I go through my book of coupons (which I still have to take photos of this thing and instructions on how to get your very own!) and think “oh man.  I could absolutely use that!” but in reality - nah.  It’s not in the budget and it’s not what  I need.  Case in point – Sea Breeze Astringent.  It was at CVS for $4.99 in a 60% free bottle.  I had a $1 coupon and Extra Care Bucks. I have to use ProActiv because I break out. So is that a good buy?  Probably not.  Not to mention I didn’t get any ECB’s for buying (yuck).  So, clip all of the coupons that you can find and get a good stash.  But only use those coupons if: 1. you USE the product regularly. 2. You can get the product FREE or NEXT TO FREE (less than $.50). 3. It’s something that you’ve budgeted for and it’s going to be used. 

Couponing is not helpful if you spend more money to coupon.  It’s easy to fall into the mental trap of “but I have a coupon for it!” and end up digging yourself into a hole that you didn’t mean to do. 

Best of luck and HAVE FUN CLIPPING!

Today’s society relies so heavily on credit and debt to function it’s almost comical.  My great-grandparents didn’t have a credit card and neither did my grandparents.  Only when they were forced to get some sort of plastic, did they.  And they did just fine. For decades.  I have personally opted out of receiving credit card offers, but I know plenty of people who haven’t.  And they receive dozens of these offers on a weekly or monthly basis.  It’s almost criminal the tactics these credit card issuers use to get people to sign up and they prey on those with less than perfect credit.  Those are the offers that everyone must be wary of.

To OPT OUT of receiving credit card offers (and I highly recommend this) go to:

www.optoutprescreen.com

or call: 1-888-5-OPTOUT (567-8688)

There are many companies will send a credit card offer of “easy credit” to “pre-qualified” recipients.  They offer to “build or rebuild” What they don’t tell you, unless you read the fine print in the offer is that they’re going to immediately tack on upwards of $179++ worth of fees and charges to your account before you even purchase anything.   They will offer what seems to be a great rate, most often 9.9%, but this is an introductory rate.  After the introductory period, the rates rise to on average 24.9%.  Even the “pre-paid” cards, cards that you put money on and cannot use until there is money on it (think debit card) are taking advantage of people almost as much as those extending credit to those that have less than perfect credit.  Everything that you do whether it is ask about your balance, call into the center for help, get money from the ATM, or make a purchase over the phone – many will charge you for the same things that you can do with your bank debit card for free.

Be careful when applying for these cards.  Before you begin applying for cards to “re-build” your credit after a divorce, accident, disability, or injury, make sure you pay your old bills first.  Getting a new credit card with outrageous fees is not going to help you.  What it’s going to do is get you a little deeper in debt and you’ll be paying a company for the “privilege” of carrying their piece of plastic in your wallet.  Rebuilding credit is a time consuming process.  It will take a while for you to get back to a reasonable credit score if you have slipped and your credit score has dropped.  Do not believe any company that tells you otherwise! 

Here are a few companies to be wary of.  These companies/cards will charge you fees before you even charge anything on the card.  So they’ll really send you a card with a bill already attached before you even activate it!  Your card will come with money already on it for you to pay.  And there are MANY more out there than those I have listed.  I have noticed that there are more today than there were when I was digging myself out of my financial hole and this is sad.

Also, as you’re reading these crazy fees, think about this – most of these cards will only extend you a credit limit of $250 to begin with.  So, most of the time, you’ll be over your limit before you even activate your card. They can, by their standards, charge you an over the limit fee before you even activate the card!

First Premier Bank GOLD card – Offers subprime credit cards

·         Fee Breakdown:

o   Account Set up:  $29

o   Program Fee (one time fee): $95

o   Annual Fee (charged once a year): $48

o   Monthly Servicing Fee (charged once a year): $84

o   Additional Card Fee: $20 per year

§  Total that will come as a bill on your card when you receive it: $256. $276 if you get an additional card for a loved one.

Total Visa Card – Offers subprime credit cards

·         Fee Breakdown:

o   Account Set-up Fee: $56

o   Program Fee (One time fee):  $96

o   Annual Fee: $48

o   Monthly Service Fee: $8

§  Total that will come as a bill on your card when you receive it: $208

Centennial Classic MasterCard – Offers subprime credit cards

·         Fees Breakdown:

o   Account Set-up Fee: $29

o   Program Fee (one time fee): $95

o   Annual Fee (charged once a year): $48

o   Monthly Servicing Fee (charged once a year): $84

o   Additional Card Fee: $20 per year

§  Total that will come as a bill on your card when you receive it: $256. $276 if you get an extra card for a loved one.

All Access PrePaid Master Card – PRE-PAID CARD

·         Fees Breakdown:

o   ATM Fee: $2.00

o   Purchase at a store: $1.00

o   Purchase online: $1.00

o   Telephone Purchase: $1.00

o   ATM Withdrawal: $2.00

o   ATM Balance Check: $.50

o   Paper Statements Request: $5.95

o   Replace Card: $5.95

o   Inactive account: $5.95

·         I wanted to note that this was one of the craziest pre-paid card I have ever seen.  They charge you $1.00 for using the credit card as it’s meant to be used – for purchases!  And if you don’t use your card, they charge you for it!

o   Total fees for everyday transactions: $25.35

Note about the author:

I have personal experiences with these types of credit cards and fell into their traps a couple of times.  I was able to, fortunately, dig my way out and eventually rebuild my credit that was already on shaky ground, but it took me years of negotiating with companies, closing cards that were charging me upwards of $100 a year just to have their card and in the end, what helped me rebuild my credit was hard work, paying off old credit accounts and paying my bills on time.  The credit cards that promised to rebuild my credit did nothing more than hurt me financially even more.  My advice? Don’t fall into their traps!  They aren’t out to help you – they’re out to make more money on those less fortunate.

For more information on opting out of credit card offers and much more, please visit: http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/alerts/alt063.shtm.

*All information on these sub-prime credit card offers provided by www.credit.com, 4-3-09.

Where to “find” money around the house – realistic ways.  PROVEN WAYS!

Installment 4

Lunch Money!

The boys pack a lunch 3 days a week.  He gets a sandwich, a fruit, a juice, and chips or organic fruit snack. And every day he brings nothing back. When he eats lunch at school, he wastes over half of it.  Cost of lunch at school? $1.75.  Packing lunch? $1.07. And he eats it all! I only make him buy lunch 2 times a week because I’m so tired. But if I could cut that out, it would be even cheaper. Note to self – pack more lunches!

Here’s a sample Lucian Lunch… Banana – $.18, PB&J – $.16, Juice – $.43, Fruit Snack – .30.  And it’s more nutritious and I know it’s High Fructose Corn Syrup Free, no aspartame, no sucralose, low in fat and no trans fats! And… He eats it all.  That’s the best part.

I pack a lunch every day.  Leftovers are my best friend! So instead of paying $6 – $7 a day on lunches, I eat at the office!

Sean packs lunch as well.  Now, he doesn’t have an office to go to and a desk to eat at, but he does have a sandwich, fruit, and other snacks from the house. 

Based on the fact that for just Sean and I – we were spending about $12 a day (total) for lunch, we’re saving a BUNCH of money.  You just don’t realize that we spend so much when we’re just paying a few dollars a day.  But, it adds up!

If I had to estimate – I’d say that we save about $3,000 a year on not eating out for lunch.

NOTE – I DO eat out with friends sometimes, but it’s not often! It’s ok to go out with co-workers once in a while.  You can’t completely cut yourself off! J

Where to “find” money around the house – realistic ways.  PROVEN WAYS!

Installment 3

Gas money!

Gas costs are down. *shew* But that doesn’t mean that you’re really saving a bunch of money.  How do you save even more on gas?  Easy! Here are some ways that I have taken my personal gas consumption from $50 – $60 per week (based on $2.09 per gallon – I have to use 93 octane in my car) to $35/week.  NOTE – I work 34 miles from my house, so it wasn’t cutting down on commuting!

What I did was I started getting all my errands done on one day of the week.  I stopped going to the store 3 times during the week to pick up milk, bread, a shirt, or something else I forgot during the week.  If I forgot it on errand day (which mine is Sunday), I didn’t get it until the next errand day.  Sometimes you have to make an exception – if you forgot your son’s allergy medication – go get it.  But otherwise, if you forget something on errand day – don’t make a special trip!  This will save you a bundle on gas.  Just this one simple tip!

Now, I’ll admit – I have forgotten milk and gone to the store to pick it up – but I never made a special trip.  Lucky for me, the grocery store is on my way home. But, if I forget something and it’s not accessible on the way home – too bad.  Next week it is. 

Another tip to save gas is to map out your path of travel. Specifically. If you need to go to the grocery store, CVS, Gas station, and Wal-Mart on Sunday, map it out so that you can hit every one of them on the way to the next destination and then on your way home! 

For example, If I go to those places, I will go to the grocery store first which is in the opposite direction of everything else. I’ll then go to CVS, then Wal-mart and on my way home I’ll stop at the gas station. So every destination has a place in time to be stopped at!  This reduces wasted mileage and time going out of the way!  Amazing.

I save $15 – $25 per WEEK on gas using these simple tips – that’s a savings of $780 – $1300 per year just by doing these simple things!

More ideas would be: Carpooling if possible & Hyper-miling (I do this too and my MPG has increased by at least 1-2 MPG!), trading “errand day” driving with a relative, or getting a “shopping” day together and go with a bunch of friends! Trade driving!

NOTE – MAKE A LIST DURING THE WEEK OF EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO DO ON YOUR ERRAND DAY! IT HELPS!