Money Matters
Dear Community,
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Saving money with only one income
I am wondering how we can ever save money when we can barely even pay our bills. I am currently out of work, and my soon to be husband is employed. We have past debt to pay, I am in school, and he has a 3 year old daughter. I am finding myself getting more and more stressed. and me stressing about money only makes my fiance more stressed.
Re: Saving money with only one income
Post your budget here.
Include all take home pay (after taxes, health insurance, and retirement contributions are taken out).
Then include all expenses including loans, credit cards, utilities, food, gas, entertainment, and other expenses.
Use the library: Free books, free, downloads of books, Free DVDs including TV series that you probably wanted to watch and just didn't take the time, free audio books and etc.
Find your supermarket website and sign up for their VIP coupons. Places like Kroger/Frys have their coupons on-line. No clipping, printing and forgetting in your purse. Instead, click on the coupons you want and once you use your VIP card at the register they automatcially come off. Last shopping trip including the coupons they sent me in the mail based upon my purchases and computer coupons I saved $30 and my bill was only $96. Frys often does free products and last shopping trip I picked up one free jar of Tostitos Salsa and a box of Betty Crocker mac and cheese. No cost. This summer they are offering a coupon for doubling your gas points which helps at the tank. Fry's Gas Stations are often 5 to 10 cents cheaper than Shell and Texico and with your gas points on top, even better!
Sign up for Freebie sites. Walmart has their own freebies they offer. FreebieShark is a common one along with a ton of others you can find on Facebook. I have received so many different things for free I would rather not pay for... Shampoo and conditioner samples, perfume (small bottle, not the paper magazine kind), toothpaste, hand lotion, face moisturizer, K-Cups, granola bars, E-mergency drink, coupons for free product redeemable in stores such as I got 7 Voskos yogurt coupons, etc, etc, etc.
Check with your supermarket and see if they double coupons. Some do and some don't. Only shop on double days when using coupons. Often times you can get up to a dollars worth of value doubled... big savings there!
Check out the freecycle.org site for your area. This site is for people who want to give away things that are still in good enough conditon to use, but they don't want anymore. I've received tons of clothing this way, citrus fruit off people's trees that I picked off, greeting cards, blankets, shoes, moving boxes and more. I've seen things like computer parts, furniture, exersize equipment, food and more.
Do a clothing swap with your friends. I didn't go, but some friends had one and the girl who was telling me about it was loving it because she walked away with a whole new wardrobe because our mutal friend was giving away her fat clothes. You can do this with make-up, coupons and other things like that, too.
Sign up for emails from your favorite restaurants and the like. I love Pei Wei and they often send out buy one get one free e-mails. Michael's craft store always sends out stuff every week and their current one is 15% off along with an up to 80% off sale. Ra Sushi sent me a $20 mailer on my "half" birthday. The local animal park gives you a free pass for one day in the month of your birthday.
my read shelf: