Its cold in the metro-Cleveland area. I saw snow falling as I got my youngest two on the bus. Now that the weather has turned cold, remember to do a thorough winterizing to your home.. Check for drafts, etc all around the house. If you need new windows and doors, make sure to get them now as I'm sure all those tax deductions are going away very, very soon. For us, we checked our insulation in the attic and bought insulated curtains for all our big windows (we have newer windows but the really big ones still are cold in the winter months.) We also changed our thermostat (to lower temps) and put extra blankets on all the beds. Here's a website with some useful information:
http://abcnews.go.com/Business/ways-save-money-energy-winter/story?id=17521249#.UKJRluQ0WSo
Other simple ways to save money are to spend more time at home and cook more at home. I'm sure many of you say "I don't have time", but guess what? Ordering pizza, driving to pick it up and coming back to serve it all takes time. You can easily whip up a quick dish (simple al dente pasta topped with butter, crumbled bacon/ham, chives, garlic, and Parmesan cheese is my go-to for a quick and easy dish everyone loves) can often take less than 20 minutes and is way cheaper. I've stopped our impulsive drive-thru trips and take-out pizza nights and have saved over $100 every month since school has started. Those savings are helping to pay for my family's holiday vacation.
Don't forget the left-overs! I try to take all our left-overs and place them in separate food containers (for my husband to take to lunch the next day) or place them right in the freezer. Then on days when we are in a rush, I can just pull them out and re-heat them.
Another thing I've really gotten into is meal planning. I usually plan a week's worth of the dinners and two or three breakfasts. I downloaded a meal planning template online [for free] and plan away! I make it a point to use some of the main dish as a key ingredient in another dish.
For example, last night we had Angus roast with potatoes. I put aside some of the leftovers for beef stew and some for enchiladas. I set aside the potatoes to slice up and use for morning eggs with hash browns The stew can be made in the crock-pot and the tamales are easy to make (especially when you enlist your kids and follow the assembly line method.. The stew can become lunch for hungry kids and the enchiladas. can be frozen and used for later.
For breakfast, you can mix any egg mixture the night before and it can either be cooked in the microwave or on the stove. We eat a lot of steel cut oatmeal, so I can make 3 days of oatmeal at a time.
Another way to save money is by refinancing your home mortgage
. Yes, you can still refinance your mortgage!! Many places are offering "loan modification" with low fees or even offering to waive some of the fees. This program is not to be confused with another types of programs that are designed to help people who are in financial distress.
One of the best places to apply for a mortgage or refinance an existing mortgage is Navy Federal Credit Union. At Navy Federal Credit union they have great programs for all their Members. If you have 20% equity in your house, have paid on your loan for at least 12 months, then you should call to check on the Loan Modification Program. NFCU "Loan Modification program for people who are paid and are in good standing" has no fees right now!!!
NFCU Mortgage information can be found at
https://www.navyfederal.org/products-services/loans/mortgage/mortgage.php
If you join Navy Federal Credit Union, then all your children can set up accounts , your siblings can set up accounts, and even your parents can set up accounts. To my best of my knowledge, this is the largest credit union in the country. Have you or your parent's served in the military or DOD? Still unsure if you can become a member? Please check out the link
https://www.navyfederal.org/how-to-become-a-member.php to find out if can join NFCU.
