Easy Ways to Save Money Every Week

Saving money can be a lot easier than it sounds. In fact, it can actually be enjoyable. Here are some tips on how to save money without sacrificing too much of life's little pleasures.

Create a weekly budget for each major category that you spend money on each week. These should be things that you can control such as food, gas, entertainment, clothing, etc.. Obviously you can not control when life brings you a flat tire or an awful cold that warrants a visit to the doctor's office.

Here are 5 major things I budget in my life:

1. Groceries

2. Entertainment

3. Gas

4. Clothing

5. Coffee and Water

I have found that the "envelope system" works the best.  For a long time I would put everything on my debit card and then wonder why I only had $5 left at the end of the month.  I decided that I was no longer going to use my debit card at all during the week.  Instead, each weekend I would visit the ATM and fill five envelopes with money.  I would write a category on each envelope and that was the amount I was allowed to spend on those items that week. 

More often than not I felt more hesitant to spend my money when it was cash and not a magic plastic card.  In fact, I almost always went under budget.  Instead of pooling my left over money and buying something extravagent I would keep it in the envelope and only replenish the amount that I had spent.  By the end of the month I had much more than $5 left in my account, I had $400.

I am not a coupon clipper and I never will be. It is too involved and even if I do cut out the coupons the chance that I will remember to use them at checkout is slim to none. I save money by buying in bulk, buying generic or store brand names, and buying only as much produce as I know I will eat in a 2-3 day period.

• Even though they cost money to join, places like Sam's Club which sell food in bulk are a great deal. Many people eat habitually and if you can find items which consume on a weekly or daily basis you may as well buy them in bulk since they are cheaper.
• As much as I hate to admit it, often times the name brand items are exactly the same as the store brands and generic brands. They do not have flashy commercials or fancy packaging, but they usually taste exactly the same or maybe even a little better.
• If you live close to a grocery store it is smart to go a few times a week to buy produce instead of buying it all at once. This way the fruit, veggies, etc. are fresher when you go to eat them and there is less risk of them going bad. It is shocking how much money goes directly in the garbage because food goes bad before you have a chance to eat it.

A few simple changes can add up to big savings by the end of the week, month and year!

If I could, I would spend hundreds of dollars a week on books.  Chances are I would never have time to read them all, but I love books.  So what do I do to feed my craving for literature?  I visit the library of course! Most local libraries have vast collections of books (of course), audio books, DVDs, and CDs.  This is a great way to enjoy entertainment without having to pay a penny.  Not all libraries will get DVDs or CDs as soon as they are released, but if you are willing to wait a month or so they will pop up in your library.

Overpriced movie theaters are eventually going to make us all poor, unless you find ways around their high prices.  I am not talking about sneaking in the back door or watching a horribly fuzzy illegal version on the Internet.  I am talking about matinees and cheap theaters.  Most theaters offer discounted rates for matinees.  The prices are usually about 50 % cheaper.  "Cheap theaters"  begin showing movies once the main stream theaters have booted the movie off of their screens.  These theaters are usually smaller and not as comfortable, but you can save up to $10 per ticket.

Entertainment money should come out of your disposable income, so make sure that all of your bills are paid and that you can eat before you start purchasing DVDs, movie tickets, and a library full of books.

Gas is tricky because you need it to get around and sometimes the amount you spend is regulated by the economy, not by your use.  Rather than come up with a weekly amount that I was allowed to spend on gas I tired to stay under $150 a month.  It is easy to think that driving around is free, but it can actually be quite costly.  A local radio host in Buffalo named Sandy Beach, seriously that is his name, said that he has a favorite milk shake parlor outside of the city.  He did the math and even though the shake only cost $3, once he factored in gas and wear and tear on his car, the shake cost about $14.  That is a lot for a milk shake!

Be mindful of where you drive and why you drive there.  Make sure to do as many errands as possible while you are out and try to strategically plan your route.

The only thing larger than my imaginary library of books is my imaginary collection of designer shoes, purses, and clothing. Like entertainment, clothing is more or less an expense that comes out of disposable income. Even though sometimes I think I would rather have a really great pair of boots than buy groceries for the month, in reality food is a necessity whereas $400 boots are not. Instead of putting money in this envelope I usually do one of two things: 1. I use 50% of my excess from the other four envelopes and put it in this one or 2. I look at my checking account at the end of the month and decide if I can take out a couple hundred dollars to feed my shopping craving.

I try not to shop during the week and if I go shopping on the weekend I do not bring my credit card.

These are two things that you should really not spend money on, but they seem unavoidable nonetheless. If uncontrolled I am sure I would spend thousands, seriously, on coffee and water each year. Instead I give myself a $20 limit per week, which still adds up to $1,040.00 per year! This is the envelope that I never have any money left in at the end of the week, or usually by Thursday. As someone who is often out of the house all day, I need an afternoon caffeine boost. The best thing to do is to buy coffee from places like Tim Horton's or Dunkin' Donuts which are generally much cheaper than Starbucks and other designer coffee chains. As unglamorous as it seems, gas stations often have good cheap coffee that costs less than a dollar for a very large cup.In the morning I try to fill up a mug with coffee so that I only need to buy one cup in the afternoon.

I carry a Nalgene bottle with me everywhere I go and this has greatly cut down on my costs.  I can stop at a drinking fountain or tap to refill and I usually only need to buy one bottle of water per week. 

These are just a few suggestions.  I would love to hear if you have any money saving tips that help you each week, month, or year.