Secrets of Success

Buy Novelty size yogurt and measure smaller servings!

Determine which yogurt suits you best and buy the bulk (large 32oz./2lb. Novelty) container! In order to reduce calories as well as save money, scoop out smaller serving than the standard serving size. Then add your own flavorings to allow for as many variations as you'd like! The larger sizes cost less, being able to define your own serving size allows you to spend even less. A bonus is you get to control your calorie intake as well! A 180 calorie 8oz. yogurt becomes a 90 calorie 4oz. treat!

Exercise for free

Imagine my surprise when at age 60 I had to switch health insurance when they sent me a brochure that explained what Silver Sneakers was and that they would pay for it. I now belong to 2 neighborhood gyms for free. If you are over 60 check with you insurance to see if they offer this preventative
perk!

Christmas savings

For the last 4 years the adults in our family pool 1/2 the money we would have spent on each other for Christmas and purchase an animal or 2 through World Vision for the less fortunate in another country. We save 1/2 the money and help some people who have far less than we do.

shop on line

Use ebates.com to do on line shopping. You can get a percentage back on what you purchase. Most of the stores you shop at are probably there. A lot of stores have free shipping and prices are lower than store prices. My favorite stores are Vitacost.com and Drugstore.com. Go to ebates.com first and click on the store you want. I have been doing this for about 9 months and have saved over $100.00.

Kroger Brand

I find that buying Kroger brand on most of the healthy items that i buy saves a lot of money. Compare the nutrition label's of your favorite brand to the Kroger brand and see what I mean. Give it a try. I think you will be just as happy with Kroger brand at a much lower cost.

50-20-30 DEBT RULE- Rule of power pay

I have a rule called 50-20-30 Debt savings and power pay down...
I re budgeted everything and found out I was way over debt.. after working hard on power paying bills I was able to fit into this percentage rules..
50% Must haves- rent, insurance, gas, food, your things on what you need to live off of
20% savings- Paying down debt
30% wants- cell phone, cable bills, subscriptions ect. Things you want but can live without

Coupons

I get the ads in the paper each weekend and the coupons. I cut out what I need ,check the store ads and compare where is cheaper. I right a list of each store I'm going to ,what I'm getting and what it will cost. I don't buy if it's not on my list

$5 and $1

I save every $5 and $1 I bring into the house. I try to pay only in cash because cash is so much harder to spend than using a debit card or credit card. I have a savings account that I put a certain amount of money into every month and treat it like it was credit card/bill. I purchase use whenever possible. For three months I have beeing doing really well.

have a rule!

I have a rule for saving money and that is I save all my five dollar bills. If a cashier gives me my change back and it is a five dollar bill, I will save it in my jar. It takes some time but it works and you easily add to your saving! Think of the times when you were given a five dollar bill add those lets say and you could have saved over hundreds of dollars! Try it you won't lose anything but will save a bunch!

Round up purchases

Rather than entering the exact purchase amount into your check register, round that amount up.
Example: I purchased something for $34.46; I'd round that up to $35.00 in my register.
The change adds up after a while! Do that for a couple of months to add a cushion to your account, or take that extra and put it into your savings. You're not missing pennies, anyway!