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Doesn't make any sense? Let me explain...........
Since I started blogging I have linked up with many other mom's who have terrific advice on how to save money, (Nikki's 400things , being the greatest source for tips!) Although all of these tips were great, I found myself enthrawled with not just a few, but with them all! I'll explain why this may not be a good thing.
First of all, let me just say that if you are trying to save money, most likely, you don't have a lot to spare, am I right? Well, this would be me, but yet I was finding ways to spend more money in order to save more money. I know, it still doesn't make any sense. Stay with me.
Money saving tip #1 - Homemade Laundry Soap! It sounded like a great way to save money. So I did it, I made my own laundry soap. But I realized, even though I LOVED the soap, it didn't smell quite as good as my store bought stuff. (most likely this was because of the soap I chose to use) So what did I do? I went out and bought fragrance oil to put in the soap. And , yes, I get a little carried away with things, so I picked out a few more than I should have, just because I liked the smell and couldn't choose between them. All in all, I like that I have the oil and it will last me a while, but spending that much money upfront on fragrance, defeated the whole purpose of saving money to begin with. So in the end I will be saving money, but for now, I've spent way too much to get started.
Now on to another great tip - Blackout Curtains! What a great way to save money on your utilitiy bills. These curtains help to block out light and therefore, let in less heat into the home. I'm sold. I bought the curtains. When I decided to get them, I had no idea how much these would cost, but good 'ol me was sold on them (as it was) and so I gave in to the expense anyway, well, because it was going to save me money, right? :) Not when you have as many windows as I do AND (to make it worse) we didn't even get enough curtains for ALL of the windows and it was still expensive. Cost of Blackout Curtains, $ x 13 windows = , you get the picture. It's expensive!
Another great money saving tip - Cloth Diapers! Oh, I was SO excited about this one and to be honest, I still am, I love them! The only drawback is that if you want, you can spend tons of money upfront for the diapers themselves. Yes, in the long run (especially if you plan on having many children, like we do) they WILL save you money. The upfront cost, though,...Sheesh, it's a lot! (you can still cloth-diaper the old fashioned way with less cost, but that doesn't make much sense!) :)
I won't bore you with any more, but these are just a few examples of what we've done lately to 'save money'.
My tip for you...if you decide to go on a Money Saving Shopping Spree like i did, do it wisely. Try not to get too excited and put yourself in dept trying to save money. These money saving tips do actually work as long as you don't go overboard and do it all at once. Lesson learned.
What can I say, I love to shop AND I love to save money...not the best combination!
Amy regularly blogs at Chapters of Me. She has an adorable family, and also happens to be my niece! Thanks, Amy!
