Living better, spending less.
I am still trying to figure out how I want to track my savings/earnings. The shopping thing seems to be beyond my ability to track well, but I have a spreadsheet with rebates and with what I affectionately call “Weird Income”. The weird income is stuff like bank bonuses, company sign-up bonuses, credit card dividend checks, Swag bucks gift codes, stuff like that. I started writing these things down in October, and honestly, I know that I’ve missed some smaller things along the way–originally, it was just to keep track of these things so I could make sure they actually arrive when they’re supposed to, but I’ve expanded it for statistical purposes. :)
I added a “total” section to the spreadsheet tonight and was completely shocked to find that those bonuses add up to $1,297 since October! Some of them have yet to hit my account, but still! That’s a lot of money. There are a couple of $100 entries but most of them are $25 or $10 or $50… which is why I was so surprised to see how quickly it all added up.
Now if you will excuse me, I need to go find a new bank to sign up for or something. I’m feeling a bit inspired… :)
When I became a stay-at-home-mom, I promised I could save our family money by shopping sales and maybe even using a few coupons. I had no idea what I was getting into. These days, I am on a first-name basis with the cashiers at the local drugstores, I haven't paid for toothpaste or shampoo in over a year and I spend my free time here, helping others do the same. So please, make yourself at home while you learn how to save, and when to spend!
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