Spring means many things: melting snow, rising temperatures, and Summer just around the corner. Here at Young Adult Money it means time for another $500 cash giveaway!
My best money saving tip for you this Spring is rather simple: Plan Ahead
Planning ahead can result in cash savings in many different ways. Here are a few of them:
- Plan ahead for groceries and other purchases
Make a list before going grocery shopping, and stick to it. I can guarantee you that you will save more money this way than going and buying whatever you think looks good. Also, when you plan on purchasing something online, look for online coupon before making that purchase. Ideally you can wait for a good deal before buying something, but sometimes the best you can do is do a quick search for deals and discounts and go with the best one you find.
- Create a Budget
Budgeting is, at it’s core, about planning ahead. Knowing how much you are allowed to spend for entertainment, clothes, gas, etc. will help prevent you from splurging or spending recklessly. Of course, it all starts with tracking your expenses. If you don’t know what you are spending, you won’t be able to set a realistic budget.
- Plan for unexpected expenses
Life happens. Whether it’s finding out your house needs a $7,000 sewer line repair, or some other unexpected expense, there will always be something that comes up and potentially crushes your finances. The best way to deal with the unexpected is plan for it: put money in your Health Savings Account, set aside a little bit extra each month in a general savings/emergency fund, and live within your means.
How has planning ahead saved you money? What is your best tip for saving money?
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I hate stupid unexpected expenses! I just had to fork out money for unexpected pipe repairs at our house :(
@MonsterPiggyBank Yep I feel your pain….we have to save to pay down a big pipe repair that is inevitable.
Glad to be a co-host with you! Yay savings!
@GregatClubThrifty Happy to be co-hosting with you as well!
Great tips DC! Planning ahead is huge! After all the snow we got dumped on us last night, I am more than ready for it to be Spring time.
@FrugalRules Haha sorry to hear about that. We were in Madison, Wisconsin this weekend for a friend’s wedding and I was happy to see that the snow would miss us here in the Twin Cities.
This is why I do most of the grocery shopping in our family. Cheryl likes to fill the pantry with “just in case” items, while I work from a meal plan. Our grocery bill is about 30% less when I shop…although the kids don’t like the fact that we don’t have snacks laying around for them all the time.
@AverageJoeMoney Sounds like my parents when I was growing up ;)
Somehow spending money on a sewer is never going to seem very fun. Thanks for co-hosting.
@Eyesonthedollar Haha very true, though the alternative (backed up water into the basement) makes it a little easier to stomach the expense.
Great giveaway DC. My best money saving tip is to leave the impulse desires at home. They get you no where and just end up with Buyers remorse.
@DebtRoundUp Good idea! Too bad you can purchase so much from home these days that the impulse spend can hit you quick when you are surfing the internet.
I’m a firm believer in a budget. Without one my life was a mess. Thanks for the giveaway!
@Beachbudget No problem!
Good tips David. Whenever I shop without a list I get into big trouble and either overspend (especially at warehouse clubs like Costco) or come home without stuff that I needed. Thanks again for co-hosting this!
@KyleJames1 No problem!
We don’t really have to worry about spring expenses until around June. This year I would like to get all of our windows professionally cleaned and have the lawn sprayed for weeds, so I better start budgeting for that now.
@TacklingOurDebt Yeah our spring expenses likely won’t start until May. It really doesn’t thaw out until then.
I just remembered I need a lawn mower….shoot!
Planning ahead is very important. I seem to have been focusing so much on planning though that I sometimes forget to implement what I have planned.
Thanks for co-hosting the giveaway.
Planning for emergencies, ie. having our emergency fund really saved our butts after the hurricane when our car flooded. Had we not had that money saved up we would had had to take out a car loan. Instead we just wrote a check and bought our (new to us) car.
I would put the $500 towards my marriage fund (not wedding fund!). Talking about getting married in a year but we want to have our savings built up first for “after the honeymoon” stage in our lives. This would help us get started to that next level!
i’m working at getting my own place again, and this would be a great help for getting some of the things I need
I’m working at getting my own place again, and this could help so much with some of the things I will need
Piggybacking off of creating a budget, using Mint has helped us tremendously in keeping track of expenses.
I would put it towards my “Moving to America” fund. I’m saving up to move this year and having money for setting up in our new home that doesn’t require foreign exchange would be amazing!
How has planning ahead saved you money? What is your best tip for saving money?
Planning my meals has helped me save so much money. I used to waste so much food letting it go bad in my fridge & then I’d eat out for lunch & dinner. Now I can devote that eating out $$$ to other things
I’d use that $500 to put towards my security deposit for my new apartment – I found a cheaper place which is great for my budget.
I’d put it (minus maybe $50 “fun money”) into my credit card. Responsibility!
I would pay off my credit card. Almost there!
With $500 I’d make an extra couple payments to my car loan- I really want to pay that sucker down!
I would use it as bonus money and go on a weekend getaway
How has planning ahead saved you money? What is your best tip for saving money?
Planning ahead saves me money on eating out. I always make all of my lunches and snacks at home, so I don’t have to grab something “convenient” (and expensive) when I’m hungry.
My best tip is to save as the first thing out of your paycheck. Treat your savings as an “expense” that must be paid out before all of your other bills, and you’ll save much more than if you wait to save what ever is “left over” at the end of the month.
Would put it toward my personal loan. That sucker is almost toast!
I would use it to pay off some credit card debt!
I would put it towards wedding expenses!
I would use $500 to replenish my emergency fund after it’s took a hit because of dog emergency.
I’d use the money toward saving for my next apartment!
With an extra $500, I would add it to my savings so I can finally reach my 3 months emergency cash!
Someone gave me advice to start putting money away in an emergency fund a few months ago, and their advice could not have come at a better time! I few weeks later I chipped my tooth pretty badly, requiring an urgent medical procedure to fix the problem. I had insurance, but if I didn’t have the emergency savings to cover the rest, I would have definitely been in trouble.
If I won the $500, it would go a long way toward helping me finish off my emergency fund. Then I would be able to start making accelerated payments toward my $150k in student loans.
With $500, I would use half to buy my first mutual fund share in my newly-opened Roth IRA (S&P 500 Index Fund), put $100 towards my car loan and add $100 to my emergency fund. I’d probably use the rest to take my girlfriend out to dinner!
I’d put it in my IRA before April 15.
pay down my credit card. i just paid tuition so I couldn’t pay down this month as much as I wanted.
We’re saving for a down payment, so I would put it in savings!
I would put it towards our debt payments.
I would use the money to help pay off some loans! Thanks for the giveaway.
I would use the $500 to pay off the last of my credit card debt. Am getting so close.
Probably save it for college
Hannaliisa
I would put it into our wedding savings account.
I would put it into our wedding savings account.
I’d save the money towards a new laptop. My HP from 2006 is running on life support :(
Save towards a car because walkinh and taking the bus isn’t fun.
I would put it towards adoption costs.
I would save it for my next vacation :-)
Put it in our wedding savings account
My husband is in medical school. I would put it towards our student loans.
pay off some bills and spoil my nieces!
Best tip–do automatic drafts from your checking to savings account when you get paid–that way you never see the money in your checking account and get tempted to spend it
Bring silverware for your work lunches. It’s a green solutions in the sense that you’re not throwing anything away, and you’re not spending money on disposable plasticware.
Pay off some bills!
go back to Mexico for vacation
credit card payments!!
I would go to Peru and climb Machu Picchu!
Having an emergency fund saves me money by allowing me to pull cash out at the drop of a hat. Whether it is for a sewer pipe fiasco, or school I don’t have to pay credit card fees when I am prepared.
I would buy the materials to finish our fence so we can get a dog :)
I would use $500 towards our upcoming move.
I would use it to start saving for a vacation! By starting a savings for vacation, I know how much I can enjoy myself without worrying about paying for it later.
I would pay bills with the money
I would put the $500 towards a DSLR camera!
I would put the $500 towards a DSLR camera!
Buy my 3 year old son a new car seat
I would use it for social media technologies to help others with digital world and…change-the-world!!!! :))
I would take some unpaid time off of work to take a trip with friends.
I would pay off some credit card debt with the extra money.
I would get married!
pay some bills!
Put it towards our wedding.