Hooked on Saving Money

I am officially hooked on saving money, on everything! This includes using online coupon codes, online printable coupons, Groupon, Swagbucks, and everything else I can find to slash our grocery and clothing budgets. Now I need to work on saving money on haircuts! With four girls and I, the salon expenses are growing. I used Great Clips and Supercuts when they were little, but after some bad experiences, I decided to pay a little more and get better cuts. I do ask for Level 1 or 2 stylists who are cheaper than the Level 3 and 4s. Also, my salon has a family rewards program where each service gains points you can use toward future services.

When I think of our utility and cable bills, and cell phones too, I have a harder time cutting back on those costs. We get the minimum cable package, and our gas bill is pretty steady, as is our water bill. Our cell phone bill has grown quite a bit since we added three girls to the mix, and added unlimited texting to avoid a huge surprise. I can get rid of my extra $30 a month for my blackberry if I just got a regular phone. Just might do that! Verizon's packages are kind of limited as far as the price levels go, in that we only use so many minutes, far under our allowance, but if we drop down to the next level, our minutes are more than that maximum. Ugh! The phone companies know how to play the customer!

Our electricity use seems to keep growing as well, we think because of our large TV, our many recessed lights, and other electronics like computers. We use the energy saving bulbs in all of our lamps and bathroom fixtures, but it seems to make a small difference compared with simply turning things off.

I am reading Isaiah and Hosea a lot these days. So many good reminders of God's faithful love for his wayward children! He rewards repentance with restoration, not because we have earned it, but because, though we don't deserve it, He showers us with his grace through His son Jesus, who obeyed perfectly and purchased our redemption!