How quickly can money add up?

 

    I have been finding many ways of saving money through the years. At one point a few years ago I started to do some calculations and determined how quickly money add up. Whether finding ways of earning money, saving money or cutting out expenses. No matter what way you look at it you will see that money adds up very quickly. I want to share a few examples from my everyday life. If you would like to learn more about how I have taken this all into play in my life take a look at my post  Where I come from financially and where I am going financially

Saving money

• Saving aluminum cans average out to be about .02 a day
• Not purchasing Starbucks is about 4.00 a day
• Finding free ways to get rid of my trash, I get to use the place I work at, saves .85 a day
• Switching to energy efficient bulbs saves about .10 a day
• Using the gas buddy card saves about .06 a day
• Using my receipt apps saves about .30 a day See my Free Money Post 
• Canceling cable to only use streaming saves $4 a day

    That gives me an average daily savings of $9.33, monthly savings of $280 and a grand total of yearly savings of over $3400! I have to say that type of money is nothing to frown at in my world. $280 has been the difference of eating for my family in the past. Now this does not include what I do to cut my grocery budget. I clip coupons, use sites like Ibotta, and compare prices online and in stores. I usually save a couple hundred dollars a month on groceries by using those methods, but I do not have a concrete average to share. Now lets discuss making money.

 

Making Money

     I am not sharing what I do to make money at my place of employment, but other simple things that I do to earn a few cents here and there. Some of these ways of making money has taken time to build on but it can give you an idea on how quickly money adds up.

• Bonds I have purchased pays 5% interest and it adds up daily I am now making .48 a day
• Selling scrap does not add up to much, but I still do it when i have stuff to sell. I figured out that I can average out what I make to be about .05 a day
• Selling online as a way to get rid of things in my house, not things I buy to sell, makes about .90 a day
• Using sites such as Inbox Dollars and MyPoints gives me an extra .25 a day. Some of this is gift cards, but it works just like cash.
  

    I do a lot of other things online and at home to make money, but these are the simplest things that everyone can do. So how quickly does this money add up? With these few simple things I would have $1.68 a day, about $50 a month and over $600 a year. I get astonished by looking at these numbers still. 

   In addition to the saving money and making money tips above to see how quickly money adds up, I also do things like pick up change off of the ground, make sure every last drop of gas comes out of the hose, use a few drops less of detergent, and many other things like that to save money. In short, I pinch my pennies tight, and I learned that from living a very poor life and struggling to buy things as simple as bread and milk in the past. 

    So just from the above things I give you a small example of how quickly money can add up. With these few things you are looking at an additional $4000 a year in savings or small ways of making. Even if you cannot do all of this look at the big picture every day. If you can find a way to save or make the small amount of $5 a day you will have an extra $150 a month or over $1800 a year. So how quickly can money add up? As you see it can be very quickly. 

Where I come from financially and where I am going financially

 If you have read any of my other posts you would know that i have been through a lot financially. I want to share some of my story in the hopes that I can help someone else on their financial journey. In the past 10 years I have went through ups and downs financially and in other aspects of my life. It has been a learning journey for my family and I. If my experiences can help just one person, it will be worth it.

To begin I have never had a lot in my life. I was that person that would eat tomato sandwiches as a child because we did not have food to eat. My mom was a single mom, and she did everything she could to give us what we needed. There were many times that we would have tuna helper or beans for many meals. There were even some neighbors in Louisiana that would bring meals over from time to time. What was crazy is that I never really realized we struggled so much. I would be picked on in school because I did not have the new things, or would wear the same close more than once a week. 

As I got older it did not get a lot better. I held jobs from the time I was 12 years old. Whether helping my mom and grandma in their gas station, helping family friends, or picking pecans to make money. Once I turned 15 I was working seven days a week in the evenings and going to school during the day. At 18 I screwed up and got married and bought a house. Within a year I was going through a divorce and moving to Texas. 

Up till 10 years ago I stayed in Texas working different management jobs or independent contractor jobs. All where great jobs but I still did not have a lot of extra money. I did always have my own place and a nice car. I was that person that was broke, but all of my bills were paid. Of course during my 20s I spent way too much on going out and doing things I should not do, but never went without paying bills. I learned at an early age to hustle. By hustle I do not mean doing illegal stuff, but did that on occasion when I was younger to make ends meet. By hustle I mean to look at every way you can to earn money. By doing sales like AVON and other independent contract work, or recycling to make a few cents. Everything that you can earn money on, you should learn how to.

 

In 2011 I had my son with a man I was with for eight years, and he left me pregnant.He left me without a place to live, without insurance, and without a car. That was a hard pill to swallow, but I had to support my son. I worked two jobs up until I had my son, and went back to work about three weeks after having a c-setion. During that time I learned everything I could about saving money and making money. My favorite thing was writing. I wrote a lot of articles online, and that helped me move to Colorado.

 

In August of 2011 We moved to Colorado. When I say we I mean my two month old son, my disabled sister and her three young kids, and my disabled mom. My sister was very ill, so I was they only one working in the house. I landed a job at a convenience store making about 8.25 an hour. It was not much, but it was the beginning of me changing my life financially. With my job and my side hustles I was making OK money. It was not a lot, and at that point I was having to pay for a large house for everyone to live in, and my money was the only thing coming in.

 

After a few months my mom and sister were finally able to get disability, and my sister was finally able to get child support. This is not saying it was easy by far, but it was getting a little better. I started a small account for my son and opened a couple of CD's. Nothing much, but it was a start. After only a year or so we hit a hard spot and had to find another place to live. We had to move into a small manufactured home because the rent was really low. It needed a lot of work, and we traded cleaning and repairs for rent for a few months. In addition to this I was also going to school full time, and working full time. But getting the reduction in rent was a life saver.

In 2014 we hit a hard year, probably the hardest year I have ever had in my life. In April, my boyfriend passed away. In October, my sister passed away. Also during that time we lost an aunt, two cousins, and my sons grandfather. It was a hard blow to everyone. In addition to the losses I gained three kids. Unfortunately in January of 2015 my nephew chose to go to his dad, but I kept my two nieces. So now I was a single mom to my son and two nieces. Thank God for my mom. She was my saving grace helping with them so I could get my business degree and worked full time. 

Going through all of this I had a place to turn, it was my job. I still worked at the convenience store and had worked my way up to assistant manager. Now, just because I was an assistant manager did not mean that I made a lot of money, but I made it work. I found ways to clip coupons for everything, found money saving apps, and continued to do some writing to earn a little more. I also recycled, found rewards programs, and other ways to hustle and save money.

The end of 2014 I started the process of buying a house through the USDA. Because of my low income and some blimps on my credit, it was a process. Unfortunately around May of 2015 we lost the place we were living and moved into a tent on a friends property. A few weeks after, we moved into their basement because of  them being concerned for my kids and mom. They ended up moving In October, so we actually moved in with my boss for a month. November 1st 2015 I signed the papers on our house. 

The house I purchased is very small. Total square feet of less than 500 square feet, but it is ours. We still live in the house, but working on options to add on to it, or purchase another one at some point. 

In 2017 my sons dad and I tried to work things out. I helped him move from Texas to Colorado and we got back together.  I should have known better, but I like to believe in the best of people. I did get an amazing blessing though. I had a baby girl August of 2018. Unfortunately, the father was not around for that one either. He did come around for about a year of her life, after she was born, but left us in the middle of the night without a word. He now manages a fast food place just 15 miles from us, in a very small town, and has not even asked how the kids are in over a year.

So now I have a 9 year old and a 2 year old plus my oldest niece who is 22 and my disabled mom. My youngest niece is going to Baylor University to become a nurse. My oldest niece does work in the same place that I do, but I am hoping she can find her own path in life when she decides what that is. 

With all of this it has been a struggle financially, but we have learned to survive. We have went through more ups and downs that most people could imagine, but did our best. Now, even with the crazy stuff that has happened, I am better financially. Actually quite a bit better. We have a 2015 GMC Sierra, a decent house and working on a bigger one, a truck camper, have food in the house without struggling for it, and all of the bills are paid. Also, I have close to $15000 dollars put up for the kids and our future. So how have I done that?

It has not been easy, and even when my finances did get better, I did not change much of my spending habits. An example I have use is I am the poor that shakes the handle at the gas pump so I do not lose a penny. I have always lived by that and still do. I still use everything I can to save money, like this post.  I use sites like Ibotta to save money like coupons. I also continue to recycle for money, and pick up change off of the ground when I see it. One of the biggest pieces of advice I can give anyone, even if finances gets better, never change your spending and saving habits. Even if your finances gets better, plan for the worse. Even now I plan for the instance something happens to my mom, then I would have to quit working. 

I do not think the kids have had a horrible life, they have gotten most things they have needed and even wanted. They usually have the most advanced technology, but I find it at a discount. They have decent clothes, but I refuse to spend a hundred dollars on shoes or a pair of jeans. We do travel a lot, and even started a blog about our travels (The Traveling Family Adventures). None of the things I do such as blogging or writing online will make us rich, but it keeps us at the comfortable stage, and helps me set all of my kids up for a better financial future.

2020 Updates on Ways I am Saving Money

 

As a single mom of two I have to work hard to save money in every aspect of my life. I do everything to either earn extra money or save money when I can. I even pick up change off of the street when I find it. In 2020 I have had a couple of different avenues of saving money. I have not been able to do the typical avenue of clipping coupons when grocery shopping, due to COVID, so I have educated myself on financial sites for saving money. I want to share how you can invest money, buy bonds, or use a couple of apps that I recommend to help you save hundreds a year. Possibly even more once you learn different sites that work with your finances.

Stash is not necessarily a way of saving money on purchase but it is a great way to start investing. In 2020 I have made great strides to financial freedom using the Stash app for stock trading. I have made approximately $500 this year on stocks I have sold, that is not including money that I have gained that is still invested. 

Worthy Bonds is another way to invest in Bonds with a small $5 investment. I tested the site out and have learned that is is a very trustworthy site, and I am making interest daily. The interest on the Bonds is 5% and you do not lose money when the stocks plummet like they have this year. I am currently making about .45 a day in interest. No do not get me wrong, I have worked up to that over the last few months, and invested a couple of grand. But I am happy with a return on a daily basis and I can remove the money at any point. If I stuck with just what I currently have in Worthy Bonds I would make about $165 a year without doing anything. I would not stop investing on the site, I put in a steady $10 a week and even more when I can. As a single mom, those small amounts of savings makes a world of difference. 

Ibotta is a great money saving app for grocery purchase, traveling, online shopping and more.  For my Walmart pickups I have the apps connected to each other so all I have to do is pick offers from Ibotta then purchase them for my Walmart pickups. My cash back is simply added to my account. In 2020 I have saved more than $100 on my everyday purchases. 

Receiptpal is a slow earner for me but the process of earning points is very simple. You take a picture of any paper receipt you have or connect your email to the app so that any receipt you receive through your email will help you collect points. In 2020 I have earned about $50 in Amazon gift cards by simply submitting receipts. 

Inboxdollars has been a go to money saving and earning site for me since 2008. I love the site and stand by it 100%. I have heard from people that it seems like it would take forever to reach the $30 payout, but it doesn't. I have actually reached the payout three times in 2020. With a total savings/earnings of about $100. That is quite a bit of money for doing simple things like reading emails and taking surveys. I do not do a lot of the offers that pay higher, but there is a very huge opportunity to earn quite a bit more on Inboxdollars that I do.

By using these several methods I have made or saved about $1000 in 2020. Even though I have only been using Worthy Bonds for a few months. The key to success when saving money is to diversify the ways you save. Use sites to your benefit. Read into different methods of saving money or making money by using simple methods. I work 60 hours a week, and use all of these sites to help maximize my earnings. Please share genuine ways that you have to save money or ask any questions that you would like. I believe that we should all help each other, especially the way the world currently is. In 2020 there has been so much hatred towards everyone. Take simple things like this and lets help brighten each others days. Stay Blessed and Keep Saving!

Love Nona

Saving money by knowing what you have in your pantry

Well up until I had surgery a few weeks ago I am usually not home until late, so I have not looked through my pantry or refrigerator for a while. Usually my mom, who stays home with the kids, tells me what we need or goes grocery shopping with me. Well since I was wanting to be productive, and can only use one hand, I decided to go through everything and I was surprised.

I went through the pantry, which I through a lot of stuff away. We also had multiples of items that there is no way we will use before it expires. Some of the items that I purchased on my last shopping trip was not really needed. The refrigerator was the same way. So this is how I can save more money by knowing what I have.

Save Money by knowing what you have in your pantry!

 The pantry is somewhere you keep most of your food, and food is something that a lot of people waste the most money on because of not using it. If you are stocking the pantry improperly you may be losing money. Stocking your pantry properly and knowing what you have can save you a lot of food, and money.

You should begin by cleaning out your pantry completely. Take everything out, clean your shelves, and throw anything that has expired away. This will give you a good idea of what you have, and what you waste.

Now you can put everything back into the pantry. Group items together so you can keep track of what you have. You should always put items in order of expiration date. The items that will expire soon should be used first.

Take regular inventory of what you have in your pantry before you go grocery shopping. You do not want to purchase items that you have a large quantity of that you will not make use of.

Stock up on items that are on sale but be sure you will use them before they expire. You can also use coupons and other money saving tips that can help you purchase in bulk and save money.

Put newly purchased items behind other like items. This will help you use items before they expire. You can use the same process that grocers should use FIFO (First in First Out).

Mark the food items that will expire in the next month, so you will make sure to put them in your monthly meals. There are quite a few people in that throw money away each month by not stocking there pantry properly. Using this method will help you make use of every food item that you have and save money.

 

Stash Investing

Stash Investing has become one of my biggest investment platforms. I signed up for the app a little over a year ago, and I am very pleased with the direction my investments have gone. Then recently there has been a few changes to the site, that I absolutely love. In my opinion the site is gearing for the direction for the users, and that is what I want in a app or site that I choose to put my money into.

When I began investing with Stash Investing it was very easy to set up. They asked me some simple financial questions and set up a portfolio mix of sorts. I did change some of the investments that it recommended, but in all I stuck with what was given to me. I do know a little about stocks and investing, but not enough to go it alone when it comes to investing.

A couple of months ago I noticed that Stash Investing was offering a retirement account on the app. I was a little unsure about this product, but I put a little money in, and have it set up to auto invest $5 a month out f my checking account. I have actually made a few dollars in the retirement account and it has made a great addition to my investing. I am not 100% clear on how this will affect my taxes at the first of the year, but I will be doing more research into that as well.

Last week I received a message introducing a new plan they have. It is $9 a month and it has a few perks, but my biggest excitement came when reading about the custodial accounts. I have two kids and this account includes two kids with the monthly charge. So now I am going to set up accounts for my kids.

 In all I have been doing fairly well using this app. I take about $100 out of my account each month to go into my Stash Investing account. Now for those of you who do not know, I have been a single mom on a shoestring budget for a while. Just recently have I gotten into a relationship and started getting a little help. I wanted to share that so you know that anyone can start investing with Stash. Even $5 a week invested in a good stock, can start adding up before you know it. $5 a week adds up to $260 without any form of return. So If I just put $5 in investing, $5 in retirement, and $5 in each kids investment account, that would be  over $1000 a year that I am putting away to watch grow.

Now do not get me wrong, there is a chance of losing money when investing in anything. I do have one investment that has lost a little bit of money over the last few months, but with everything I am still quite a bit in the positive, and I see my financial portfolio growing more than I ever have before.

Disclaimer:

Before investing in any site or stock be sure to read all of the information provided to you. I do have a business degree and research finances a lot, but I am not a financial advisor. I am sharing my positive experiences with everyone so that hopefully I can help at least one person start advancing in their financial future.

Financial Ebooks

I have been writing small articles and financial tips for about 10 years now. I also went to school for business and received my degree in 2015. As a single mom I have found numerous ways of saving and making money in about every aspect of my life. I have decided to share my experiences in more detail through books. So far I only have 4 simple Ebooks about finances, but I do plan on having many more in the near future. If you would like to take a look, please do. These are just the beginning, and I am learning more about writing Ebooks with every one I publish. I have set the prices below $3 on the first few books until I can write the finance books in more elaboration.

Couponing for the Busy Mom

A Collection of Finance and Home Business "How to " Articles

420 to 700 Credit Score: A Personal Credit Score Journey

Single Moms Guide to Financially Preparing for Maternity Leave

Upromise

Upromise is a site that can help you save for your child's future. You can get a small amount put into your account by purchasing certain items, shopping online, using your credit card, going out to eat, using coupons, getting gas, and much more. I have been using Upromise for a while now, and have money in my account for my nieces, nephew, and just started saving for my sons future. It is a great site that allows you to save money without doing anything more than what you already do on a day to day basis. You can do more if you choose.

If you are not a member yet, check it out.

UPROMISE

Saving Money in Different Ways

I have been writing articles about saving money for a while now. I enjoy writing these articles because I can share my experiences with other people, and I earn a little extra doing it. I found a site that I can put a lot of my articles together to share more money saving tips with readers. I have only made two Squidoo lenses so far, but they have quite a bit of information in each. If you get time, and want some new tips, please take a look. If you have any great money saving ideas, or articles, please let me know. I would be happy to make a lens to share those as well.

Saving Money in Your Home 

Budget Maternity Clothes 

Planning Your Shopping

One reason that I do save a lot of money when I shop is because I plan my shopping. This is true for groceries as well as other items. Planning your shopping is very crucial. This will help prevent you from purchasing items that you do not need, and finding the impulse purchases.

I start by looking at all of the sales papers to find items that I need, and which stores have the best offer on the majority of the items I will be purchasing. I do not go all over town to save money. If stores are close together I will go to each, but if not I choose the one that I will save more at. If you spend the money you would save on gas, what would be the point?

Make a complete list of all of the items that you will need to purchase. This list could consist of groceries, clothing, cleanings supplies, or any other items you need. Try to keep the list as close as possible to the things you will purchase. I know there will be times when you have a general idea of items, but not know exactly what you will be getting.

Make a budget for your shopping trip. This should be a very close approximation to what you will spend. When you make your budget, take only that amount with you. This will prevent you from purchasing more than budgeted.

Plan out your complete shopping trip. You want to know exactly what stores you will be going to, and what you will be purchasing from each store.

Planning your shopping can make a big difference in the amount of money you can save when shopping. It may seem like a little extra work to do in the beginning, but you will be very happy with the money you will save.

Widgets

I have added a few widgets to the blog. These widgets are helpful with saving money, and other financial help. I just have a few at the moment, but I am looking for more. If you know of any helpful money saving or financial widgets that would work, please let me know. Every bit of financial help that we all can find is very helpful.