6 Easy Ways To Save More Money

The shopping, the eating, the parties, the stress…you can tell it’s the holiday season without ever looking at your calendar.

But I bet you by January 15th, you’ll have a good idea that the season has passed…and all those choices we made in the last two months begin to catch up, don’t they?

The pants are a little (ok, a lot) snugger.

We realize we need a total house re-org because there’s too much “stuff” to find anything.

And perhaps the most poignant reminder of holiday bliss is the credit card bill…and our bank statement. One is probably up and one is probably down…and probably in that order.

But it doesn’t have to be that way…By using these 6 Easy Ways To Save More Money you will find that saving money is not impossible and it’s certainly worth the extra effort.

And realize you are not alone…One recent Capital One survey showed that finances and family were ranked equally as top priorities when looking ahead to 2016.

That means that figuring out your finances BEAT OUT losing those pesky 10 pounds people!

Finances are important…for you, for your marriage, for your children and for your future.

That’s why I’m excited to be partnering with Capital One to share with my readers about their easy and intuitive&nbsp 360 Savings from Capital One.

Be honest…did you stick to a budget this past year? Do you have a plan in place for saving money on a monthly basis? Are you where you want to be financially?

I know it’s easy to say, “Oh, if I only made more money.” Or to hope for a bonus or tax refund to get you back in the black.

But as someone who grew up with nothing, I will tell you that there is always a way to cut back and save money, but only if you have a plan.

That’s why the 360 Savings from Capital One is such an asset. It actually helps you make the right choice, with minimal effort on your part. As a mom to two little girls, minimal effort is always a win!

And while I’ve never been a big spender, I realized that even I needed to step up my efforts for budgeting and saving money.

The good news is the New Year…isn’t even here yet! So I am 20 days ahead of schedule!

Here’s How To Save Money In The New Year (pssst…you might want to do the same!)

1. Earn Money While You SPEND It – My husband and I already have Capital One credit cards through …our card gives us 1.5% cash back on everything. We save the money we “earn back” through the year and cash in our rewards for Christmas spending! So each December, we don’t have to budget a lot of extra money for gifts…we just cash in our points!

2. Set a Budget (and stick to it!) – A budget doesn’t have to be some big fancy, elaborate document. If you are just starting out, a simple piece of paper with your “expenses” and “income” is a way to start. Don’t get overwhelmed. You have to start somewhere! As you get the hang of it, you can add in the details as you go.

I remember the first time I put pen to paper when creating a budget. I could not believe how much money was going towards some totally non-fixed items…like groceries!!

3. Set Up An Automatic Savings Plan (Like the one from 360 Savings from Capital One ) – The ‘Automatic Savings Plan’ tool lets you transfer a fixed amount of money from your checking account into the savings account…at a higher interest rate! That’s saving in two ways! We have been doing this now for a couple of years and I am always amazed at how I don’t miss money I forget I have!

4. Learn To Say No (and not feel bad!) – Say no to yourself, to your husband and to your kids…Sometimes, I really just don’t need my Lemonade from Chick-fil-A…my hubby doesn’t have to have one more tool..and heaven knows, my girls don’t need one more toy.

No is a perfectly acceptable answer. Not now, maybe later, we will see…these just push our kids off. And worse, give them false hope. Teaching your kids the fact that they won’t die (or suffer irreparable damage) if they don’t get that.new.whatever is a good lesson to learn.

5. Review Your Tax Withholdings – You know, a lot has changed since my hubby and I first got married and we filed Married and 1.

Two kids and one less income later, we are just not in the same financial boat…in fact, some days I think that boat left the harbor and we are on a dingy.

But I digress – Right now, we could use the extra money the government is holding for us until April. And with a budget in place (see #2) we will have the extra income to work on #3!

6. Plan A Vacation – What? Aren’t we talking about saving money? Where is she going with this thing you’re wondering. But stay with me….

There is nothing like having a goal in place to make you want to attain it. Think about that really cute boy that broke up with you…and you had ALLLLL SUMMER to think about getting him back. So you let your hair grow, lost those 5 pounds and let him eat his heart out come August.

Same thing with money. My husband and I plan our vacations at least 6 months in advance. Knowing that we have something fun to look forward to not only helps us NOT lose our minds…it also makes it easy to say no to frivolous purchases and yes to socking away some extra cash.

Whatever your “Motivation” is…a vacation, new car, fancy shoes, etc…the My Savings Goals tool on the 360 Savings from Capital One allows you to set these goals, create customized savings accounts and track your goals…all with no fees and no minimum amounts in the account.

So you see? It really takes very little to get yourself going in the right direction for saving money and spending less.

Follow these 6 simple steps and your “very little” can turn into “quite a lot.” Sounds like a New Years resolution worth keeping.

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.