Every time I use my debit card at the store, I'm taunted with this question: "Would you like cash back?" My rhetorical response with much eagerness is always, "Of course I would! Who wouldn't?" But then I chuckle at the fact that answering the question 'yes' only gets me my money back. I'd rather have someone else's cash back, whether that's Wal-mart, the bank, or whomever!
In these trying times of climbing gas prices and groceries on the rise, it pays to live on the "frugal" edge, and getting creative to save a few bucks can really go a long way! From meals to household cleaners to clothing, our family takes advantage of some ways to stretch our dollar. Buying meat on sale, freezing it, and pulling it out when needed is a great way to take advantage of store sales. Eating leftovers once or twice a week, and making meals that are meatless, can also help to cut back on costs. Get creative with the leftover food you have to create a new meal from it. Another idea is to look at the mountatin of food in your pantry, and figure out how you can eat from it. What do you have in your pantry that you could use to create a meal for your family?
There are many ways you can create homemade cleaners from common items you have lying around the house, such as baking soda, vinegar, and water. Check websites for a variety of items that can be mixed together to make disinfectants, all-purpose cleaner, detergent, floor-cleaner, laundry products, and so on.
Aside from some of the above mentioned ideas, cutting back on our general consumption will save you money. A weekly run to Starbucks for that coffee you crave really does add up. Dinner and a move? Try Red Box and Papa Murphy's instead. You'll save yourself a chunk of change and still have an enjoyable evening. If you do go out for dinner, find a meal that can be split. Most portion sizes are enormous and it would actually be a healthier alternative for you to split the meal rather than to consume most of it alone.
Kansas City is also a wonderful place that offers many free (or next to free) exhibits, concerts, and events. Check KCParent.com for the latest events happening around the city, take a trip to the city market, visit local farms, head out to a Free Friday night flick that will be starting up shortly around KC, and enjoy the extra money you'll be saving.
What do you do to save money and get some "cash back" in your wallet?