No one really talks about how much moving actually costs. Luckily a few months ago I started to cut back my spending to have more of a cushion in my checking account and thank goodness I did! There are costs of having to pay for two places, the usual moving fees like security deposit and such and then the actual moving costs. Once we found our dream home, I quickly noticed that more money was going out of my account than going to my savings account so I had to be really careful where I spent my money. Some things I have been doing recently to save money are…..

Try a “No Shop Month”

This normally would terrify me because I like to shop and I’m guilty of buying coffee instead of making my own for those mornings I am running late. But for July, I really did stick to it because I created a financial goal of being able to get our dream house. I knew that if I went to Target, I would buy things I wouldn’t need. I went to the food store with a list and only bought the essentials. There is always going to be something to eat in your kitchen so look again before you order food and there will always be something to wear in our closets.

Create a Coffee Station to Cut Back on Buying Coffee

I love my Starbucks but I can easily make a cup of Starbucks coffee for like 50 cents at home and bring it to work. To make my mornings easier, I have everything I need, coffee thermos, K Cups, Keurig machine filled with water and ready to go in the morning.

Review Monthly Spending

Take a look at where you shopped a lot the previous month and see what expenses you can cut. Spotify with ads is not the end of the world for a few months or check to see if your food apps automatically reload when they run low on funds. Try a month or two without a few things and see if you really miss them.

Create a List Before You Go To The Grocery Store

This is where I saw the most savings in July. Normally, I would stock up on the basics and food for dinners and lunch once a week. Instead of buying more food than I could eat in a week, I cut back and stocked up on pastas, tuna and frozen veggies since they don’t go bad. It’s not great long term but I was able to save money fast! It also helped knowing I was moving soon and didn’t want to waste food.

Meal Prep

I’m sure you are sick of everyone talking about meal prep but there is a reason why everyone does it. Because it works! Going to work with food helps prevent me from buying lunch at work and then buying dinner on nights when I’m too busy to spend time in the kitchen.