Simple Ways to Save Money

Last Updated on February 7, 2023 by TheFarmChicken

     We are going to spend time looking at ways to save money for your family. First, let’s get caught up with what is happen around the farm. It’s a busy time of year with garden produce, harvest, and getting ready for winter to set in. We just picked all our pumpkins and squash. Next to work on is tomatoes and potatoes. Our little girl loved helping put the squash and pumpkins in the wagon. Our little boy- he was moral support from the stroller. Now to cut into them and see how good they are. We will use the pumpkin for pie, bars and decorating. The squash makes a delicious vegetable option for the fall/winter months. I suggest planting squash to if you are stubborn with turning your heat on in your house for the fall. Cooking up a squash is a good excuse to start the oven and warm the house a little without using the furnace. I also love bread baking for that…. have I mentioned that baking is one of my absolute favorite fall activities? That and harvest! We have finished wheat harvest and hopefully will be starting on the canola and soybeans soon. It has been a beautiful fall.

     Okay, so let’s start talking about the topic now that you are somewhat caught up with things that are happening on the farm.

     I have always loved a good bargain. When we decided to have me stay home with the kids, I decided I would try to find ways to make our money go further. I am going to share with you a few of the ways I have been able to do this. Hopefully you find it helpful and save some money for your family as well.

Rakuten

This is an app that gives you a certain percentage back on popular stores when you purchase through the app. For example, Target you can get 1% back on your whole purchase. This doesn’t seem like much at first, but it all adds up. Sometimes the percentage back will be higher like during black Friday one year I got a pair of Madewell Jeans on sale and got 16% back. You get your money back through a check or PayPal (you choose) they send it every 3 months.

I started using this app March of 2020 and since then have made $237.41. I will usually shop in my own browser and then when I am ready to check out, I will pull up the Rakuten app and check out. Here’s a link if you’d like to join. It’s a free app and you will get $30 if you spend $30 through the app in the first 30 days of downloading it. If you go through the link, I will receive $30 too. This is one of my favorite apps for saving.

Target Card/Target Circle

Another way that I save is by using my Target card to get 5% back on Target purchases…diapers, toiletries, clothes for the kids. IF you are not good at paying you credit card off every month do not do this! There is no sense in trying to save money just to get caught with a balance on a credit card paying high interest.

Target circle I believe is something you can be a part of without having the credit card. It’s like a store rewards program. I have been able to save $386.29 (this is between both the 5% with the credit card and Target Circle). Plus, I will a lot of times get another 1% back through Rakuten and that is not included in that figure.

Percentage Money Back from Credit Card

We put a lot of our other monthly expenses and any bills we can on the credit card…. once again not recommended if you don’t pay your credit card off every month. This gives us 1.5% back on money that we would have spent anyways. Once we get to $100 cash back, we will take that money and apply it towards the principal on our mortgage. You could do a lot of different things with the money back you get. Vacation fund, Remodel fund, etc. We just like the idea of getting our mortgage paid off sooner if we can.

Fetch Rewards

This is another app. You scan in your receipts, and you get a certain number of points for certain things you buy or 25 points for scanning any receipt. It’s a slow process but once you build up enough points you can use them towards gift cards to common places. I usually get a Target gift card and use it toward something we need-more money saved! If you want, you can use my referral code 4FARW to get 2,000 points just for scanning your first receipt.

Sam’s Club Plus Membership

This is something that I feel doesn’t pay off as easily, so you need to do the math to see if it makes sense for you. The perks:

                              -Sam’s Cash-2% back on in-store purchases

                              -Free shipping

                              -Free curbside pickup ($4 an order otherwise)

One thing you can look at to see if it would be worth your time to pay the extra for the Plus membership is to look at how much you spend at a Sam’s Club in a years’ time. Take 2% of that and does it equal more than the extra you have to pay towards the Plus membership?

Pampers Rewards: If you are at the buying diapers/easy up stage

I didn’t start using this app till just a while ago and wish I would have started sooner. We buy both Pampers and Members Mark diapers. We use Members Mark during the day at home and Pampers when we go somewhere or through the night. So this is how it works:

You open the app, scan in the code on the diapers, easy ups or wipes and you get money for each scan. Once you have built up enough you can use the money towards gift cards and other perks. I have made $15 with this and just started using it April of 2022.

Sales

This seems like an obvious one, but it really does make a difference if you want/need something put it in your cart and leave the browser open, watch it till it goes on sale and then buy it. It also gives you the chance to decide if you really want/need it or not.

Let me know in the comments below if you have any questions, have used any of these methods or have a money saving tip to share!

2 Corinthians 9:7

Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.