This back to school shopping on a budget post is sponsored by Ibotta. Thank you for supporting Pennies Into Pearls by using my links at no additional cost to you.
Do you have a list of school supplies sitting on your counter staring you straight in the face? Holy cow! All those little purchases can add up crazy fast! Which is why I am your girl to show you how to do back to school shopping on a budget.
Have you ever been on vacation with your family and realized you went WAY over budget? Did you notice it was probably on a lot of little things adding up, that you hadn’t planned for? The thing is, you CAN save money on vacation before you even leave!
We have done this so many times I’ve lost count. I know the feeling well. Your trip was supposed to be relaxing and fun, but you came home feeling stressed because the finances are still following you.
Today I am sharing my best tips and reminders about the SURPRISING ways that you can save money and stress before you leave for your vacation!
We’ve all been there, Pearl. You set a budget with all the best intentions, then BOOM, budget is blown in an instant. And it happens over and over again. How does someone get started, and actually stick to their budget? Your budget is failing!
It’s definitely not a cake walk, though I wish it were because that would be more enjoyable.
The part that a lot of people miss is that there is a mindset you have to have around money to become successful. You have to change how you think, feel and act around money, to start to see momentum build up behind you, pushing you towards your goals!
Creating a positive money mindset is vital when it comes to staying on budget! The problem is most likely you have some not so obvious hurdles that keep pushing you off track. Resulting in your budget failing over and over again.
Let’s uncover those hurdles so you can start crushing them!
Are you one of our lucky Pearls who is getting a refund from their taxes this year? Lucky! I bet you are so excited! I am excited for you! Do you already have plans on different ways to spend your tax return?
There is so much that you can do with that cash!
Would you mind me offering a few suggestions as to what you should do with that money? To be sure you are intentional with those dolla bills and don’t end up wondering where it all went!
What if you could use that tax return to help your family by actually starting to gain traction on your goals?
Think of all the stress it will lift from your shoulders! Think of the excitement and hope you could provide!
This grocery haul post contains affiliate links at no additional cost to you. Thank you so much for supporting Pennies Into Pearls by using my links!
Welcome to 2019!! Whew, what a whirlwind last year was. We’ve had so much happening with our family, and this Pearl Team keeps growing and growing, which is so exciting! Today, lets talk meal planning and grocery haulin’!
Do you remember last month, when I cooked freezer meals for 2 months?! That was a crazy few days, but now I am so happy I did it, because for January I will not have to cook a thing from scratch! I just need to reheat the meals I have already made. SCORE!
This month, we are going to review how month two of this fun little experiment is going. If you’re interested in snagging a copy of Seriously Good Freezer Meals (the cookbook I used for my freezer meals), click this link!
Don’t know where to start? Pearl! I got you! Make sure you read this article on how to meal plan for beginners. In there you will find all the tips you need to make sure that you plan to the best of your ability and stay on budget!
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I’m also always sharing our daily frugal living tips for summer survival over on my Instagram stories! It’s super fun over there so don’t forget to follow along!
If you are new here, hi! You are probably interested to know what we set for our monthly grocery budget. This is how it’s broken down.
When I first started kicking bootie at the grocery budget game we only spend $300 in our monthly grocery haul. That covers all groceries that can last in the fridge, freezer, or pantry for 30 days or longer. We also budgeted $25 each week for fresh produce and milk. All that takes is a quick 15 minute trip once a week! Lastly, we budgeted $160 for all other household needs that are not food.
Things over the past few months things have changed a bit and we are experimenting with bumping up our budgets and honestly, I think we will lower them back down soon. When you are figuring out your grocery budget, it’s all about trial and error.
The key to sticking to monthly meal plan on a budget is to use cash! Remember that stuff? Seriously, cash is T-H-E single tool we use that has helped our family cut our food budget from $1,000 to only $400 a month!
It is statistically proven that when you use cash you spend less money. It is such a powerful visual reminder that the dollar number you are spending is coming from your pocket and not an imaginary never ending bank account.
Using a cash envelope system is exactly what keeps our family on track with our budget every single day! When using this system every dollar you pull out of your wallet is coming directly from a categorized budget. You visually see money leaving your pocket and that gets you thinking twice about your purchase.
“If I buy this now, I won’t have enough to buy _______ later.” You have to weigh your wants with your priorities.
No mom has the time to spend continuously scanning apps over the holidays looking for the best rebate offers and sales. Which is why I have minimized my rebate strategy to help maximize my savings in the smallest amount of time.
My very favorite app to us is Ibotta! I have done an entire tutorial on how to use the app to maximize your savings. But in a nutshell this is how I do it, I do my normal grocery shopping first.
Then once I get all my groceries home, I will quickly open the app and search the two stores that I just went shopping at to see if there are any rebates that apply to my groceries. There are usually 3-4 that I can claim. This saves me around $5 each time I use the app.
If that doesn’t sound like much, trust me! The three minutes that it takes me to save $5 is 100% worth it! These small savings add up quick and once you hit $20 you can cash out in PayPal or Venmo, or choose from a bunch of really awesome gift cards! I usually choose Target and treat myself to a well deserved “mom’s only” snack!
If you are new to Ibotta, sign up using this link and you will automatically get $10 after you claim your first rebate! So easy!
Made double freezer meals last month so I don’t have to cook at all this month!
Used this cookbook to make this all possible.
You can download this month’s budget friendly meal plan here.
This month’s grocery haul is very different from normal! Because I made and shopped for all meals last month, I don’t have any meal prep groceries to buy this month (other than fresh).
You won’t believe how much money we saved by prepping our freezer meals this way! You have to watch the video to find out! What should we do with the savings? I’m thinking about using it towards stocking up on meats next time I see a good sale!
So really all that is left for this month’s grocery haul is to replenish any needed kitchen staples, snack foods, breakfast, and lunch supplies. That’s about it. Take a look at the video to see what we bought this month plus the number breakdown!
I’d love to hear any questions you have! Leave them down in the comments below!
Every single time I throw a party at our house, I unofficially give myself the challenge of doing DIY party planning on a budget of only $50. That covers it all! Food, decorations, the cake, the party favors, and anything else that might miscellaneously make its way to my party planning list!
It has become an almost monthly occurrence that I find myself doing a little DIY party planning on a budget. We recently just bought our first house and having friends and family over is something hubby and I love doing any chance we can get.
I am confident when I say, no matter what party you are throwing, no matter the size (well, let’s say 50 guests and under), I can teach you how to throw an amazing party for under $50!
This post contains affiliate links at no additional cost to you. Thank you so much for supporting Pennies Into Pearls by using my links! Keep reading to learn more about my back to school shopping list.
When it comes time to start checking off your back to school shopping list, those receipts add up super fast! Be careful!
Don’t get carried away! As you walk into the stores or start searching the internet there is a single important tip that you need to follow to make sure you don’t go over budget!
Just like with your grocery shopping on a budget, you can not start shopping without a back to school shopping list that has an estimated cost for each item!
Imagine yourself at the end of a long day, slipping into a hot bath filled with gentle bubbles softly massaging your skin. Tell me that doesn’t sound like heaven!
Thanks to the brilliant invention of the bath bomb this is now possible at home. The problem with this though, is that bath bombs at the store cash in around $6-$10. EACH!
That is one expensive bath!
BUT GUESS WHAT? How about I show you how to make bath bombs? How about I show you how to make an entire batch of DIY bath bombs for less than $3 total!
Isn’t the New Year so inspiring and motivating? There is something special about the beginning of a New Year and all the possibilities of change and improvement!
Have you set any goals for the New Year? Let me know in the comments bellow! Sharing goals makes them a little more real and keeps you a little more accountable. I personally love hearing other people’s goals because their goals motivate me to do better!
Are you feeling like this is the year you want to live frugal AND fabulous?!
