This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Capital One 360. #MY360INDEPENDENCE
Being financially independent wasn’t something I always though about. It didn’t really sink in until I got married and since then we’ve paid off all our debt except for 1 car payment and we’ve started saving money. When we had our daughter we decided I would stay home and we dropped to a 1 income household. I’m no longer able to just go out and buy a new expensive purse or new makeup, no more expensive dinners out every weekend followed by a movie, or buying whatever we want when we want. It was an adjustment that took some time to get use to, but being able to stay home with my kids makes it all worth it.
I’m not going to lie and say that losing an income was easy, because it wasn’t, but I found some tricks to help save money and still allow us to have fun along the way.
- Coupons and Sales – I’m not an extreme couponer, but when the kids need clothes, shoes, want a new toy, ect I always make sure to have some kind of coupon and if I can stack it with a sale, even better.
- At Home Dates – before we had our daughter we would go out on the weekends to dinner and a movie. Now we will make something at home or pick up cheaper take out and play games or watch movies at home.
- Sell – I sell all of our extra stuff. Clothes, toys, ect. I mainly use local buy/sell/trade groups on facebook or craiglist and I use that money to buy the kids new items they need.
- Cook at Home – We love to eat out, but it gets expensive so we cut back our eating out a lot and we make meals at home and my husband brings his lunch to work everyday.
- Rewards Points – I love to shop and I try to make sure I am saving money while doing it, but I also love to utilize store rewards cards to rack up points to save money on gas, groceries, or other things we may need. My favorite rewards are Walgreens where you can earn points that turn into cash off your purchase, Shell where you can earn points from your purchases to earn cents off your gas, and Kroger (King Sooper) and Safeway where you can earn gas points off purchases.
Financial Independence means something different to everyone, but for our family it means having all our debts paid off, except for 1 car payment, and having money in savings. Once you find small ways to save money in your budget/life you’ll be surprised at how much you start saving and how much it all adds up. Capital One 360 offers a broad array of financial products and services to consumers and they want to know what Financial Independence means to you. They know how hard it is to gain financial independence and your freedom deserves a celebration. They’re looking for your great ways to gain financial independence and with each entry you’ll be entered to win a daily prize of $1,776.
As we celebrate the independence of our country, Capital One 360 is inviting Americans to declare a different kind of independence: your financial independence. By entering the #my360independence sweepstakes and sharing the ways you are charting a path toward financial freedom, you’ll be entered to win one of sixty-one $1,776 prizes.
Financial independence means something different to everyone. Regardless of what it means to you, Capital One 360 wants to know what you’re doing to get there. From packing a lunch or riding your bike to work, Capital One 360 wants to salute the everyday ways you save.
- Visit http://bank360.com/my360 to participate by submitting a photo or post that showcases what you’re doing, or will do, to be more financially independent.
- By submitting, you’ll be entered to win a daily cash prize of $1,776.
- From now until July 14, Capital One 360 will give away one cash prize daily – except for June 30 – July 3, when ten lucky people will win $1,776 per day.
- Examples of potential submissions include bringing lunch to work instead of eating take out, riding a bike instead of driving, and growing a vegetable garden. (Submissions can be text or photo submission via website.)
What things has your family done to gain financial independence?
Maralea
Friday 11th of July 2014
These are some really great tips! I know when our kids were still at home, we would limit ourselves to eating out just a couple times a month. That made such a huge difference in our savings!!