Ways to save I learned on the budget board

[karice2]

So I a frequent reader and sometimes poster on the budget board and wanted to show my appreciation for all the tips that I have learned. Any dollar saved is money towards the Disney fund is a really good motto and in that vein, I wanted to share some of the most helpful tips that I have learned from the budget board.

Feel Free to join in.

1. CVS Bonus Bucks. Who knew that I could get so many things at CVS, get money back and use it for other stuff that I need anyway. Just the other day, I saved $19.00 using CVS bucks and coupons. Which brings me to

2. Saving the savings from coupons. I used to use coupons pretty sporadically but after seeing how some of the people on the board saved their coupon savings into a separate account, I became a more regular user of them. I even set up a savings account to automatically transfer those savings when I get home from my shopping trips. It really adds up.

3. The coin jar. I don't really carry around a lot of cash or I didn't until I thought about using the coin jar savings as a way to "force" savings. My credit union has a free coin counter so I don't have to pay for that.

4. Swagbucks - I am an avid reader but not willing to pay the full price for books since I am a member of a book borrowing company that is sort of like Netflix. However, when I travel, I want to take my Kindle with me. I use Swagbucks to collect amazon gift cards so that when I travel, I can load my Kindle. Their book trade in has been awesome for helping me get bucks for books I wouldn't be reading again either.

5. Actually, planning a budget for my vacation. I know there are some people who don't go anywhere without planning down to the last penny of what they are going to spend. I am not one of those people. I have a lump sum of cash available and then just use that for my trip. By using the budget board it has made me more conscientious of my trip planning and spending. Just by plannning a little bit, I can save some money and still have an awesome trip.

 

[hanutedmansionmomma]

So I a frequent reader and sometimes poster on the budget board and wanted to show my appreciation for all the tips that I have learned. Any dollar saved is money towards the Disney fund is a really good motto and in that vein, I wanted to share some of the most helpful tips that I have learned from the budget board.

Feel Free to join in.

1. CVS Bonus Bucks. Who knew that I could get so many things at CVS, get money back and use it for other stuff that I need anyway. Just the other day, I saved $19.00 using CVS bucks and coupons. Which brings me to

2. Saving the savings from coupons. I used to use coupons pretty sporadically but after seeing how some of the people on the board saved their coupon savings into a separate account, I became a more regular user of them. I even set up a savings account to automatically transfer those savings when I get home from my shopping trips. It really adds up.

3. The coin jar. I don't really carry around a lot of cash or I didn't until I thought about using the coin jar savings as a way to "force" savings. My credit union has a free coin counter so I don't have to pay for that.

4. Swagbucks - I am an avid reader but not willing to pay the full price for books since I am a member of a book borrowing company that is sort of like Netflix. However, when I travel, I want to take my Kindle with me. I use Swagbucks to collect amazon gift cards so that when I travel, I can load my Kindle. Their book trade in has been awesome for helping me get bucks for books I wouldn't be reading again either.

5. Actually, planning a budget for my vacation. I know there are some people who don't go anywhere without planning down to the last penny of what they are going to spend. I am not one of those people. I have a lump sum of cash available and then just use that for my trip. By using the budget board it has made me more conscientious of my trip planning and spending. Just by plannning a little bit, I can save some money and still have an awesome trip.

Love this idea


1. joining a coupon train - our train saved $3,800 last month alone

2. separate savings account for wdw

3. not being so brand loyal (Tide) anymore

4. spending less on groceries - I saw someone post she only spent $400/mo for the same size family as me, so I started to knock down our monthly amount as a goal; went from $900-1100 to $750 (includes out to eat)

5. excel spreadsheet for wdw vacations

6. mypoints.com

 

[jjsmom]

I've gotten some great at-home meal ideas from this board.

Also, I learned about Gas Buddy!

I learned that instead of Mypoints.com for Rainforest gift cards (NOT our fav restaurant), I can get Walgreens cards instead, and then use those for Disney cards!

I've always had a coin jar, but now I've got a "5's" jar.

Having no credit cards is very liberating.

I learned about the "24 hour rule".

***MOST OF ALL, WHERE THERE'S A WILL THERE'S WAY!***I wanna go to Disney World and it's gonna take a little discipline. Little things add up!

 

[Marionnette]

I learned:

• You shouldn't toss out the GCs you use to pay for your trip until after the trip is over just in case you need a refund.
  
• You can cancel a trip with less than 45 days to go and (usually) not pay a penalty if you reschedule your trip at the time you are cancelling.
  
• The Southwest RR credit card offer for 2 free RT tickets. Too bad they aren't offering anything nearly as good now. We're flying for free on our next trip.
  
• You can get free ice water at any counterservice restaurant instead of lugging bottles of water around the parks.

 

[cam&phoebsmom]

My New Year's Resolution was to get a batter handle on our spending. We are financially comfortable, but I feel like we could be saving a lot more if we tried. So in 2011 I:

1. started really using coupons. NOT just cutting them out and shoving them in an envelope to expire, LOL. I made a binder (which has worked out so well) and match up sales and coupons. I am nowhere near being an extreme couponer, but I have enjoyed getting shopping trips where I can see I save 50% on my total.

2. Signing up for Swagbucks-our WDW vacation is at Thanksgiving, I have 3 family member bdays in November, and my DD in December, and then Christmas. I already know what my son wants for Christmas (he has asked for 2 years but we think he will be ready for it next Chrstmas) and I have already put over $200 in my Amazon account using Swagbucks. That is a big chunk of my holiday budget "paid" for

3. Menu planning-actually going downstairs to our freezer and writing down what meats we have, and then planning a menu that include "FFY" nights (FFY=Fend For Yourself which we like better than just saying leftover night, LOL).

4. Paying for more in cash-my DH and I each egt a set amount of cash for the week and use that for eating out for lunches, etc. It is easier to save when we see the $$$ in our wallets rather than just pulling out the debit cards. We still use our Disney Visa and debit cards, but even cutting some down to cash only has helped.

5. Doing laundry and getting it put away-I know that sounds like a housekeeping tip BUT when our clothes are all put away and our dressers and drawers are filled it makes my desire to shop A LOT LOWER. When I have laundry to do and am in the "I have nothing to wear" mode it is a lot easier to hop to the store and pick up a few shirts or something new to wear.

 

[camikey]

I try to go shopping before I pick my daughter up from school. Less stress and don't have to participate in the "Can I get a toy?" debate. I need to work on getting the laundry put away also. So much easier to shop my own closet. We are having a community yard sale a few weeks before vacation. I've told my DD that she cannot get anything on the trip unles she can pick 10 things to sell. Yet her box is still empty....

 

[karice2]

5. Doing laundry and getting it put away-I know that sounds like a housekeeping tip BUT when our clothes are all put away and our dressers and drawers are filled it makes my desire to shop A LOT LOWER. When I have laundry to do and am in the "I have nothing to wear" mode it is a lot easier to hop to the store and pick up a few shirts or something new to wear.

This.

 

[StitchandPooh'sMom]

Love the Budget Board!

From the Budget Board, I have learned about Sunshine Rewards and have earned over $2000 for Disney. I am also using a change jar (a WDW popcorn bucket) for some extra fun money each time we go to Disney!

The Budget Board has also cost me some money when people post all the great deals I used to have to take advantage of, but I have gotten much better over the years at not taking advantage of those "savings" while still counting on the Budget Board to post Target clearances, where to find the hot toys of the year, and who has the best price on items I am looking for.

 

[Dr.Girlfriend]

I've gotten some great at-home meal ideas from this board.

Also, I learned about Gas Buddy!

I learned that instead of Mypoints.com for Rainforest gift cards (NOT our fav restaurant), I can get Walgreens cards instead, and then use those for Disney cards!

I've always had a coin jar, but now I've got a "5's" jar.

Having no credit cards is very liberating.

I learned about the "24 hour rule".
***MOST OF ALL, WHERE THERE'S A WILL THERE'S WAY!***I wanna go to Disney World and it's gonna take a little discipline. Little things add up!

What is this?

 

[pamrob]

"4. Swagbucks - I am an avid reader but not willing to pay the full price for books since I am a member of a book borrowing company that is sort of like Netflix. However, when I travel, I want to take my Kindle with me. I use Swagbucks to collect amazon gift cards so that when I travel, I can load my Kindle. Their book trade in has been awesome for helping me get bucks for books I wouldn't be reading again either. "


I am curious about the book borrowing company - share please!

 

[jjsmom]

What is this?

The 24 hr rule means that you give a non-planned purchase 24 hours before buying. You're giving yourself time to think about it and determine whether or not you truly NEED that item. I found it especially helpful when clothes shopping because I don't usually NEED more clothes. It has really cut down on my impulse purchases.