With having so many financial goals for 2020, I know this needs to be the year where every dime screams for mercy. Not to say that we were slackers since starting our debt-free journey a little over three years ago, I just feel that there is always room for improvement! For 2020 I am ramping up looking for ways to save, which includes spending as little as possible.
I am pleased to say that so far, it has been a frugal month. I did go to Kohls to use a $5 coupon but spent zero OOP. I bought a six-pack of cheap washcloths that were 1/2 off the inflated price. Not the best quality, but at least they didn’t cost me anything. Surprisingly, not even sales tax.
My groceries for the month are at $26.54. I am focusing on need versus want, which I know will help save in this area. I combined my trip to Kohls and the grocery store with an appointment I had in town. If I could have done all this in conjunction with going to work, that would have been even better. Sometimes schedules just don’t always mesh.
I also unintentionally managed to save a little extra on two prescriptions I picked up. I forgot to put my new FSA debit card in my wallet, and with the old one being expired, I ended up using my Discover card to cover the $75 copay. Grocery stores are on Discover’s 5% cash back for the first quarter of the year. Even though this was for the pharmacy, the statement showed it as being a grocery purchase. Likely because of the pharmacy is located within the grocery store. Paying this way earned me $3.75 back. I already paid the bill in full and did an online submission for my FSA. I also receive what amounts to $1/prescription back from this pharmacy. For groceries, though, I still prefer to pay with cash.
Later this week, I plan on doing a prepay on our Discover card to cover the charge for our auto insurance that I’ll be paying. That only earns 1% back, but it is still a savings of a smidge over $5. I always redeem for discounted Lowes cards since. $45 gets you $50. I think I’ll have enough saved to cash out for another one next month.
Amazon Prime is getting axed this year. I’ll have it until August, which is when it would automatically renew. I’m not buying enough to justify the $119/year expense. For TV, I mostly watch You-Tube or the news, which is free. Hubs says I’m bordering on being cheap. I disagree. I see canceling Amazon Prime as saving since I’ll be spending even less! I read somewhere that free shipping entices a person to buy more. I tend to agree.
I’m continuing my quest to lower our electric bill, which we should be getting this coming week. If it isn’t lower, all I can say is that it certainly isn’t for lack of trying. Weird, but this is one bill I looking forward to getting. I’m eager to see if my efforts pay off.
Nothing to do with frugality, but later today I’m working a few extra hours. I seldom turn down hours. The kiddo is back to his old self, which makes caring for him much easier. As a bonus, the hours I’m working today won’t require him to have any tube-feedings, so no battling him with that!
Hi Lucy, we don’t have Amazon Prime and never have. We don’t buy enough from Amazon to make it worth the cost, and wouldn’t buy for the other things like the Kindle books, Amazon tv and music, etc.
I’m sure you’ve saved a lot of money by not having it…and I mean more than just the cost of the membership.
With the hectic schedule, and kids in two geographic areas, and sharing the Prime account, I think it works for us, but we are on the fence about cancelling our Direct TV because we have so many streaming options. I like your expression to make every dime scream for mercy. With 3.5 years left of an expensive college bill, I hear you.
That’s good that you can share an account and save on the cost. I’d suggest keeping track of what you are watching on Direct TV. It may very well be that one of the other streaming options could give you the same content, just a whole cheaper. What a blessing you are giving your kids by paying for their college.
My DD and I share the cost of a Prime account so I have that to watch. I mooch off her YouTubeTV and my mom’s Xfinity Stream accounts, both of which will probably end for me in the next couple of months so we will have to see if we still want “live” tv and pay for it. Does your DH watch much when he is home?
Great way to do it. I figure if there is anything I absolutely need, I could always have my daughter order and send it to me from her account and I’d simply pay her back. Hubs isn’t much of a television watcher, so that helps.