50% Savings

Today's deals from Randall's - spent $27.97 and saved $28.31.

How To Save $1362 This Year

Besides obvious things like not eating out as much, cleaning your own house and mowing your own yard, here are some simple things you can do to save money this year without changing your lifestyle:

1. Sign up for your bank's debit card that earns points to redeem online for gift cards for pretty much anything you can think of - gas, Target, Starbucks, etc. My bank charges a $25 annual fee for this card, but we quickly make that money back by using the debit card for nearly every purchase we make. In addition to the things where you pay with a credit/debit card like groceries, gas, doctor visits, etc., I set up automatic payments for cable, car insurance, cell phone, utility bill, gym membership and pest control. Estimated savings this year: $400
2. I went to add a line for Husband to the cell phone account and the rep asked me where I work. Thinking that he was just making conversation, I told him. Apparently, I get an 11% discount for that. Estimated savings this year: $112
3. I calculated how  much we've been spending on groceries and, I feel pretty confident that I can easily cut the budget by 10% simply by paying attention and making a meal plan. In fact, I want to try to save 20% (I'll have to let you know how that goes) by adding in coupons, some stockpiling, etc. as outline in articles like these: http://moneysavingmom.com/31-days-to-a-better-budget-series. Estimated savings this year if cut by 10%: $850

How do you save money without compromising your lifestyle?