I tend to prioritize saving over earning more money. It’s worth noting *why* I do this. Obviously, if you have a big mountain of debt to move, the best way to move the needle is to make more money. However, we don’t have an income problem so much as a spending problem. Or at least, we didn’t and we did.
When this blog was born, we were two teachers at the start of our careers with a $200,000+ mortgage and two car loans. That’s some serious debt, especially when your incomes don’t combine for six figures. And spoiler alert? That debt doesn’t pay itself.
Back in the day, we thought nothing of dropping $100 on sushi dinners or $200 at the bars on weekends. Finally, we realized the simple truth: we needed to stop spending everything we were making. As a result, that’s why I always tend to prioritize savings, no matter how small. It truly was the antidote to excessive spending that I so desperately needed!
But saving isn’t everything. As much as I love to be frugal, I have to be quick to admit that earning more really matters. That’s why I thought it would be worthwhile for us to start keeping tabs on ways that we are saving more and how we are earning extra.
Here’s what a week in February looked like.
5 Ways to Save
It should surprise no one that a lot of our savings are focused on two of our biggest expenses: food…and our kid. Here’s how we saved last week:
Borrow, don’t buy
HP is obsessed with snow. Truthfully, he’s obsessed with the outdoors. All winter, he’s been a dedicated snow shoveler. The catch is that he’s been using the toddler garden spade he got last spring to shovel the driveway the front lawn. We almost bought him a kid snow shovel at Home Depot when my parents offered me theirs. More accurately, it’s my shovel from when I was a kid! I know they let him play with it when they rake and scoop leaves, so I didn’t want to take it. But then my dad suggested we just return it after the last snow of the season. I didn’t even hesitate. $Free.99 AND clutter that won’t stay in my house permanently? Done and done.
Roast your veggies!
Ever since I wrote a post wondering if we should up our grocery budget, I’ve been keeping a careful eye on what’s in our fridge. Specifically, what’s languishing in our fridge. We don’t have a pantry, and we don’t have a gourmet fridge (because your girl is NOT a gourmet anything!). That means that there isn’t a lot of space for food to hide.
But I did notice that we were starting to have some food waste, which is terrible for the planet and is also throwing money away. So I decided to add extra veggies to our sheet pan meals and slow cooker recipes this past week. Doesn’t matter if the zucchini is squishy or the sweet potato is getting soft when you roast them!
Visit the library
We hit the library at least once a week, and it’s especially helpful for me when I start to feel the itch to buy my kid things. The longer I’m a parent, the more I realize that I am probably always going to be at odds with myself over (not) buying HP all the things. We grabbed three new (to us) puzzles and three PAW Patrol DVDs. My library receipt estimates this saved us about $72. I’ll take it!
Bundle up!
Early last week was cold but not sub-zero. Even though I was tempted to get some steps inside Target or another store, we threw on some extra layers and ventured outside instead. We had way more fun, and we weren’t tempted to spend even a dime.
Shop your closet
A wonderful Twitter friend shipped us a box of toddler clothes the other week. Yet when we learned that we had a wake and funeral to go to for an in-law, it was practically instinct to add toddler clothes to my online shopping cart. Thankfully, I realized that in the box of adorable clothes were several sweaters and pants that were formal and totally comfortable. We saved probably $25+, and we were able to give a bigger memorial gift to St. Jude’s as a result!
5 Ways to Earn
My husband and I both side hustle, but we wanted to look at earnings that actually cleared for this count. That’s why you won’t see his coaching or my writing club stipend. We put in the work last week (and so many other weeks!), but that payout comes later. Here’s how we earned last week:
Work that 9-5, baby!
OK. Fine. I don’t have a 9-5, but I pulled my regular income from teaching. Most days I work from 6:45 until 4 and then put in another hour or so from home. My sweet, sweet paycheck might not push me past six figures anytime soon, but it’s double where I started and provides fantastic medical care for me and my family. I’ll take it!
Say yes to extras
I subbed one day during my plan period because our district is having a major substitute teacher shortage, and I couldn’t say no to our amazing office staff who asked for help! I also do lunch supervision 3-4 days a week. It’s only maybe $40 after taxes if I’m lucky, but I’ll take it!
Cashed in with Achievement
This is the most low-maintenance app on my phone. It’s connected to my FitBit (mining data for Big Brother, I am sure), and a few times a year, I cash out for $10 via PayPal. I cashed out and sent the money straight to our Christmas fund.
RELATED POST: Why My Financially Stress Free Christmas Starts Now
Opened a Christmas Savers Account with SoFi
Before the kind folks at SoFi think I’ve found a product they didn’t realize they offer, it’s actually a plain ol’ high-interest savings account. However, I wanted somewhere entirely out of sight and out of mind to stash our cash for Christmas. I opened with a referral link from my dear friend Josh, and the $25 bonus hit my account this week. It might not seem like much, but it’s actually enough to cover a Christmas present! Awesome!
Cashed in with Ibotta, too!
This app is not low maintenance. You can use it in a few different ways:
- Link rewards cards
- Snap photos of your receipts
- Shop via your mobile device
It does require a little bit of clicking and little bit of thought, but I think it’s plenty worth it. I claimed $40 via PayPal and–you guessed it!–sent it over to our Christmas fund, too!
If you want some cash (and you want to send me some, too!), you can get my referral link and all the deets on how I score big with Ibotta at Christmastime here.
Final Thoughts on How I Saved & How I Earned Last Week
I’m most excited about the savings that netted us more time as a family. In the past, winter was always pretty magical at first but come February, I would be dreaming of summertime Chicago. Now? I cross my fingers that the snow lasts a little longer simply because it’s so fun. The fact that it seems to save us money doesn’t hurt either. We’ll see what next week brings!
So Tell Me…How did you save last week? Are you trying anything out to grow your earnings?
Awesome! I love how you described saving as not just good for saving, but also as an antidote for spending. Ugh. My description of what you wrote was so much worse than what you wrote. I love your enthusiasm for saving (every penny *wink*) and family stories.
I also liked your stories about earning this week. I’ve decided to start my own side hustle. It’s definitely challenging me in a lot of ways and like hearing real stories (not “I made 6 figures drop shipping things on Amazon last month”). Thank you!
I can’t wait to hear more about it, GovWorker!
I loved reading your material! I can relate on so many levels and you have me some great motivation! Its easier to work toward goals when you know someone is working toward very similiar goals.
Thanks so much, Jenna! I feel that way about all the content I read, too. The PF community is awesome and so inspiring!
I spent all last week for a whole OTHER giving initiative (a private one I’m managing for a family member) so it’s both ticking my occasional need to “acquire” without actually having to add anything to our home, and counterproductively priming the pump for my wanting things.
So far I’ve done pretty well doing the former and trying to use that to trick myself into feeling like the latter urge has been satisfied too. It won’t always work, so I have to be very cognizant of corralling my spending in the former category and not letting it influence my personal spending. It’s a very strange balance!
I’m also working on boxing up things to move them on to their new homes with other folks and using that to push my mentality of MAKING space instead of FILLING space. Here’s to another week of doing that well.
I love this, Revanche! It really is helpful to frame it that way. I am going to remember that – MAKE space 😀
Great post, as always. I can relate to you in so many ways.
Like you, I struggle with constantly wanting to buy more for my child because he is really starting to enjoy novel items, novel foods, and unique experiences. I take him to the library weekly as well, but it has also sunken in that I want to make more money – for him and for myself:) I have always prioritized saving over spending, but a child has been my first light bulb towards consciously wanting to earn more. Not for petty stuff either, but to buy experiences, vacations, etc.
I’m not sure how to navigate this yet, but I like learning from other bloggers in a similar situation. I might say “yes” to the extra of teaching summer school this year… we’ll see!
Awesome ideas for some extra savings! I, too, love to use roast veggie dishes as a way to avoid food waste. I’ll even toss in the weird vegetable parts that most people like to throw away (if you dice them up small, you can barely notice). One thing I’d like to get better at is checking out books from the library. It would be a massive cost savings for us, but it’s hard to always find the book we’re looking for, especially the newer ones. We saved money this week by opting out of V-day =)
I love that he loves the outdoors 🙂 bless y’all for being outside even when its cold. And taking your savings to give a bigger gift to St Jude… such a Penny thing. I want to be you when I grow up. I did finally sign up for Ibotta through your link, so I have no doubt that bonus will go towards something worthwhile!
We’ve tried really hard to get him outside all the time — basically since birth. But part of it is just his personality.
And thank you!!!