Hi, I’m Amanda, a mindset coach and blogger who helps moms Crush it! in Life, Business and Travel.
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For much of our adult lives, we had lived on a tight budget.
I’m not a fan of debt and so try to avoid it like the plague, but debt happens sometimes. Life gets hard, jobs change and we need to use our credit cards more than we would like to. It’s especially difficult going from having a disposable income to having a tight budget. Our savings habits aren’t formed and our minds aren’t geared toward thinking about coupons and counting nickels.
For those of you trying to shift your minds to be more mindful of savings, then we’ve put together a list of ways to save over $10K per year while on a tight budget.
Start by working on one thing a day. Follow this weekly plan to see some big savings!
Make sure to check out the helpful lists below this table for more help!
| Day | Plan | Savings |
| Meatless Monday | Cut out meat once a week and additionally cut it out once a day. Replace meat with: Beans, lentils, tofu, eggs, quinoa | $20/week x 52 weeks = $1040 yearly |
| Grocery List Tuesday | Make your grocery list for the following 2 weeks. Do this to save on spending where you don’t need it. Stick to your list and you will seriously save money. This can be made simpler by creating a list of go-to meals that you love. Everyone is different in this regard, but I’ve put together a list below this table | $100/month: $1200/year |
| Coffee Out Wednesdays | By scheduling your coffee out day, you are more likely to be able to wait and know you will have your coffee day out soon. Otherwise make your coffee at home | $730 yearly |
| No spend Thursdays days | Unless it’s an emergency, no spending money…not a dime. Not on snacks, coffee, that thing you forgot at the grocery store, nothing | $15/week x 52 weeks: $780 yearly |
| 1 Drink Friday | Many of us would like to have a drink at the end of the week. It seems like a start-of-the-weekend ritual in society. This may be a drink out with others and it might be a drink you bring home (this is cheaper if possible). Either way, stick to savouring one drink and switch to water on the rocks or if budget allows, perhaps a soft drink | $500/year |
| $20/person Saturday | Make a list of fun things you can do for under $20 as a way to have fun, but not spend too much. By pre planning and sticking to a budget you can save a ton of money (Example list below) | $4000 |
| Free Activity Sunday | Use this day to enjoy with family or friends for free. There are lots of things you can do for free that can be enjoyable (Example list below) | $5000 |
List of Inexpensive Meals That We Love:
Breakfast is easy. Most of us eat the same meals, but let’s make a list anyways:
- Smoothies (Check out Pinterest for some amazing recipes or go to this website)
- Toast with (cream cheese, peanut butter, jam, etc)
- Cereal
- Eggs and toast
- Cinnamon raisin bread
Many grocery stores will have a 50% rack for their bread. This is where I’ve been known to shop when needed and I can say that the bread is perfectly fine, not dry, not moldy. It takes like buying it fresh. I usually buy a couple and put one in the freezer for later.
Make sure that you keep an eye on specials and pick the best deals of the week to keep your costs low.
Lunch has some great inexpensive options:
- #1 Money Saver: Leftovers
- Prepare a little extra the night before to make a quick and easy lunch. It will help you stay on away from eating out because you know there’s already something prepared at home
- #2 Money Saver: Soup
- Like leftovers, make sure you prepare enough for a few meals. The fewer meals you need to make, the more often you will eat at home and the more money you will save.
- Pinterest it! But for now, here’s a list of my favourites (all soups start with broth):
- Yams, carrots or butternut squash, onion, coconut milk and curry (Blended)
- Chicken, carrot, celery, onion
- Lentils, can of tomatoes, spinach, carrots, onion, garlic, zucchini
- Tortellini, can of tomatoes, spinach, onion, tomato paste
- #3 Money Saver: Sandwiches
- There are a number of inexpensive sandwiches you can make. The only problem is that you need to prepare each lunch, not that they take a long time.
- Like everything, check out Pinterest for great suggestions, but for now go with these really cheap options:
- Grilled Cheese
- Peanut Butter
- Toasted Tomato with Mayo
- Cream Cheese and Veggies (tomato, cucumber, lettuce, avocado)
- Ham and Grilled Cheese
- Wraps with cream cheese, meat of your choice, lettuce and tomato
Supper is the meal that eats a lot of the budget (Bad joke!). You’re tired and often feel lazy after work (I know, this is me). It took some dedication to my budget to convince myself that making meals at home most nights is worth it:
-
- Super Cheap:
- Crustless Quiche (basically baked omlettes): Blend 6 eggs with a splash of milk and your favourite vegetables, put in a greased pie pan and put in the oven @350°F (180°C) for approx. 30-40min
- Pasta (tomato, oil-based, cheese, cream)
- Egg fried rice
- Chili
- Nachos
- Stir-fry
- Cheap:
- Homemade Hamburgers & salad
- Curried rice with chick peas or chicken
- Homemade pizza
- Chicken burgers and fries
- Tacos/tortillas
- Sloppy Joes
- Shepherd’s pie
- Baked 1-pan sausage and vegetables
- Make sure to add in 1 ‘restaurant style’ meal per week as well as a treat or two. If you don’t then you’re more likely to spend more at the corner store or by going back to the grocery store and picking up things you didn’t need
- I usually pick one pasta dish, one rice dish, one restaurant-style dish, one supercheap dish, 2 more from a mix of the above categories
- You can save additionally by using a grocery points card and picking meals that will earn you more points to redeem later or by using weekly deals and coupons
- Make your meal plan and stick to it at the grocery store and at home
- Super Cheap:
$29 Saturday Examples:
-
- Board game night (add potluck snacks if you have friends over)
- Have a Movie night with popcorn and a nice drink (even cheaper if you get it from the library or find something on Netflix)
- Thrift Store shopping (it’s like an addiction for me to see what I can find for a deal)…remember, no taxes! Do it as a group and compete to see who can get the best discount.
- I’ve found some amazing deals that I’ve used around the house, as gifts, clothes and to flip on our local classifieds to make some extra income
- Go out for a drink or coffee with a friend
- Swimming at a local pool
- Eat out (have water, this will save you $3-4 a meal and you really don’t need an appetizer. Even if you’re super hungry you will be full after your main meal)
- Bowling
- Girl/Guys night in: Have some great snacks ready with a bottle or wine or some craft beer and play some games, watch a movie or just hang out
- Share a dessert with your partner
- Dimes Game Night: Get yourself a small container of dimes (no more than $15 worth) to use as your chips for your card games (only do this if you are able to limit yourself)
- Live music at a local restaurant/bar with a drink or two
- Visit museums
- Check out your local event and travel guide to see what’s on in your area to join in the fun
- Grab some ice cream and go for a walk (or a hot drink if it’s cold weather)
Free Activity Sunday Examples:
-
- Get Active:
- Hiking (make it a goal to explore a new area once a month)
- Outdoor skating (limited to winter)
- Take a swim at the nearest beach (limited to summer/location)
- Walk with a friend
- Go Geocaching
- Do you have public/outdoor workout equipment in your area (we have some by our beach, others have some near parks)
- Visit the library (borrow a book for later, borrow a movie or a video game or tv series, ask about special borrowing items…i.e. At our library we can borrow a museum pass)
- Take part in local free happenings (Check out your local events listings)
- Leisure: Read, journal, draw, paint, craft
- Be productive: Get something done at home that you have been neglecting
- Go on a picnic
- Check out the local art galleries
- Play board or card games
- Photo walk: Go out for a walk and find unique or beautiful things to take photos of. Additional benefit: You’ll come to appreciate the little things.
- Get Active:
If some of these things are too much and you just need to do something that spends more money (because we need to splurge every once in awhile), then consider some of these ways that you can make a few extra $$ to offset the cost. You can find our blog How to Save/Earn $20K in One Year for Your Next Adventure.
