Since I have started tracking my spending since my last paycheck, I started thinking about ways to cut out some expenses or make more money. Both are great ideas but maybe I need to start on one and then add the other in slowly. I have been wondering where can I cut expenses. What can I cut and what am I not willing to compromise on? I know that I have two areas that I am not going to compromise on - vitamins and my haircare. Now that I have written that down, it almost sounds a little vain. Eeekks!!
My husband and I have tried different vitamins throught our few years of taking vitamins. We started out with ones we could buy at local big box stores, moved up to GNC and now to the Vitamin Shoppe. I found vitamins for both of us that are good and are very well recommended. However, the price for a two-month supply for both of us can be quite a sticker shock. The ones my husband takes are a bit lower than mine and we do not buy them at the same time. It is a bit cheaper to buy the two-month supply than buying them a month at a time. If needs be, we have bought the one-month supply until we can do the two-month supply. The great thing about the Vitamin Shoppe is that they have a rewards card that keeps track of points. Depending on the amount of points you acheive in a year, you will get a coupon for so much off your next purchase. That does not drive which vitamins we pick out so do not think that is why we take ones that cost more. One dollar equals one point. So, vitamins are not getting cut due to my wanting to be more budget friendly and saving more money.
My husband uses the cheaper brand shampoo. He has nice hair and no problems. I have some scalp issues and have tried a lot of different dandruff shampoos. I have found that most of them dry out my hair horribly but really do not help my scalp. That's no fun at all. I thought it was a lost cause!! Oddly enough, I am using the Tea Tree Oil Wen. Yep, I am using Wen. You have probably seen the infomercials on late night or early Saturday mornings. Those infomercials only sell the Sweet Almond Mint. It works good but I still needed a bit more so I switched over to the Tea Tree Oil. It has made a difference!! The price is not budget friendly but I know it helps me so I am not going to change. I will have to find other ways to adjust for the price (plus shipping).
So, back to the where can I adjust my money to save more.......I definitely am starting to look at my purchases differently now. Can I find it at a better price somewhere else? Do I buy a couple of that item while it is on sale to stock up a bit on it? Do I have a coupon for it while it is on sale to maximize my savings? Can I borrow an item without having to buy it? Do I really need it or do I think I just want it to have it? Can I make better use of the public libraries in my area? Do I know someone who can do the same service at a better price? Just some questions I have started asking myself. I know that I will start trying different things in the future to help watch my money. So, just stay tuned and see what happens next I guess.
Jennifer
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