Thank you to Cumberland Farms for sponsoring this post and for inspiring me to find ways to save some money.
In 12 weeks I will become a mom for the fourth time. I’m not panicking, you are. 😱 I might be freaking just a little bit.
When I think of things I’m worried about, they are not huge concerns. They’re actually a bit ridiculous when I write them down.
I worry I can’t manage all four of my kids together in Target, I worry my older three will be mad at me if I’m feeding the baby and can’t play board games or Play Doh and I worry bed time will be a struggle because right now we’ve got a good routine happening.
My husband, the practical one, has none of those concerns, but is focusing his attention on making sure every one has a college fund.
In an effort to find more ways to save money, we are doing a few things before the new baby arrives.
Cloth diapers = saving money
We are going to cloth diaper for our new addition. I can’t believe how much we’ve contributed to the landfill with all of the disposable diapers over the years. And it’s just so costly.
A few weeks ago, I started buying one or two cloth diapers to build up my stash.
These all-in-one diapers will grow with the baby until he potty trains. So, we’re only spending money once and it’s much greener and better for the baby’s bum. 😉
Stock the freezer with ready-to-eat meals
While I have the time now (it’s not a lot, but Sundays are best for this), I’m making some meals in advance and freezing them for when the baby is here. I’m going to be over-tired, unshowered and just a mess for a little bit and having a hot meal on hand will be a lifesaver. It’s easy to reach for take-out menus, but that’ll have you spending more money than you intended.
Some of my personal favorites to freeze in advance are soups, pasta sauce and meatballs, macaroni and cheese, calzones or muffins. Those are great for when you are having breakfast for dinner! I also always keep frozen pizzas or fun side dishes like frozen egg rolls in the freezer. The egg rolls pair wonderfully with my Easy Homemade Lo Mein.
Use SmartPay to save .10 cents a gallon for gas
I should consider painting my car yellow because I am feeling like a taxi driver these days. 🚕 Even though my oldest child is 6 years old, the kids are involved in enough stuff where I’m in my car more than I’d like to be.
From soccer, to dance, to Daisies, to speech therapy, miscellaneous appointments and school pickup and drop-off, I’m at the gas station often.
I’ve recently enrolled in SmartPay at Cumberland Farms to help save me some money when filling up my gas tank. It’s easy to sign up online, free and secure to use.
Sign up online at www.cumberlandfarms.com/smartpay, then download the app or pick up a card at your local Cumberland Farms.
SmartPay is a gas rewards program that allows you to save $10c on every gallon when using your SmartPay card or the Cumberland Farms SmartPay mobile app.
With the SmartPay app, there’s no need to get out your wallet to swipe your card or pay cash inside. You pay for gas at the pump with a touch of your phone and the 10c discount is automatically deducted from every gallon.
Besides being super easy, SmartPay is safe to use, too. All you need to do is log in with your secure PIN ID and select your pump number. At the end of the transaction, you’ll see how much money you saved and a receipt is automatically emailed to you.
Comment below with your favorite ways to save money to enter to win a $100 gift card to Cumberland Farms. Giveaway is open to U.S. residents only.
Terms & Conditions: One (1) Prizes: One winner will receive a $100 gift card to Cumberland Farms. If you choose to sign up for SmartPay that does not count as entry to this sweepstakes nor will it increase your odds of winning. No transfer, assignment, cash redemption or substitution of prize is permitted. Prize Winner is responsible for all taxes on prize, if applicable. The odds of winning will be based on the total number of entries at the end of the contest period. Non-winning entries from one Sweepstakes may not be carried forward to future Sweepstakes. Sweepstakes open to U.S. residents only. Giveaway begins Wednesday, February 15, 2017 and ends Friday, February 24, 2017.Â
What are some ways you like to save money?
I love using RetailMeNot when I’m shopping in stores. But I also buy store brand for certain items. Just signed up with SmartPay!!! I dong know why I hadn’t before. Any little bit of money one can save is worth it 😊
A few ways I try to save money are to use Ebates for the cash back, use subscribe and save on Amazon for things I purchase often, follow coupon blogs/pages for the latest deals, utilize rewards programs at stores, utilize the credit cards with the best points programs, gladly accept gently used hand me down clothes from friends for my kids, breastfeeding (saves over $5k a year for each child)., and sell things I don’t need anymore on Craigslist.
I try to buy items when they are on sale and I have a coupon for them and/or I can save with Saving Star.
We have started using apps where you scan in the recpt and it gives you cash back!
We cut A LOT of coupons and stock up on sales stuff. But we also use apps like Ibotta’ that give you cash back or gift cards once you reach a set limit!
I’ve heard good things about Ibotta, I need to try that!
My favorite way to save money is to cook from scratch. We aren’t health nuts, but we try to control carbs and fats. I also like vet getting deals like price matching at Walmart and saving money by buying coffee at Cumberland Farms instead of three times the price at competitors!😉
Agreed! Cooking homemade meals is the best way to save money! 🙂
Courtney recently posted…How Our Family Saves Money on Electricity