Money Saving Mom®

Guest post from Abby of Humani Tribe

As an entrepreneur, my income is not always predictable. It’s tough for us to know from week to week how much will be incoming, so my husband and I live by our budget.

However, we also love being generous and giving thoughtful gifts. So when this fall wedding season hit and I found myself responsible for a shower gift and two wedding presents, I wanted to give generously — but within our means.

Now, after getting three gifts for $10, I put together this guide so that you can use to hopefully learn from my mistakes:

1. Compile all your gift cards and figure out the balances.

If you use a consumer rewards program such as Bing Rewards or Swagbucks, you may have unused gift certificates you’ve earned in the past lying around.

Likewise, use the website or 800-number listed on the back of store gift cards or same-as-cash cards (ex. Visa gift cards) you find in your wallet or purse to check your remaining balance on each.

Even balances of $3-$4 can come in handy, as you’ll see in the points below. Use a permanent marker to write the balance on each card for your own reference.

2. Determine which stores are offering free shipping.

This is important to know, since you’ll have to figure out a way to cover the cost of shipping using your gift card or pay for it outright.

Use a site like RetailMeNot.com to filter stores offering free shipping.

3. Pick a store to purchase a gift from.

The important thing here is to pick the store ONLY if it meets all of these criteria:

1. You have a gift card for the store or a same-as-cash card
2. The store is offering free shipping.
3. You can earn consumer rewards by shopping there.

This is the Big Kahuna — this is how you’ll get items for free or very cheap!

Once you know where you will purchase your gifts, then you’ll need to decide HOW you will purchase them.

My 3-Part Purchasing Action Plan

This is how to go about purchasing the items with low-balance gift cards. I’m offering three purchases as examples of different ways you can pay.

Gift #1: Purchased with Gift cards.

I started my purchase by going through Swagbucks shopping portal in order to earn SB for my purchase. I had $20 in Target gift cards to spend.

I bought one registry item and two small supplementary gifts for a total of $20. Target was not offering free shipping, but I could get in-store pick-up for free. I applied the two gift cards.

Gift #2: Purchased with a store gift card and a same-as-cash gift card.

Again, I started my purchase by going through Swagbucks shopping portal in order to earn SB for my purchase. I noticed that Swagbucks was offering 4 SB/dollar on outdoor items at Amazon.com, which is right up the alley of one of the couples whose wedding we’re attending soon.

I found a great gift for them at $14, and I had $15 in Amazon gift cards. Amazon was not offering free shipping, so I needed to pay for the shipping with the remaining balance on one of my Visa gift cards (See how I didn’t follow my own advice? There’s a reason I suggest you only shop at stores offering free shipping!).

I applied the Amazon gift cards first, then used the Visa gift card for the balance.

Gift #3: Purchased with several low-balance several same-as-cash gift cards.

This was my last gift to purchase: a small something for my cousin’s bridal shower. The problem was that I had no more store-specific gift cards to use, just several Visa gift cards, all of which had quite low remaining balances.

I found out my cousin is planning to take a dream honeymoon a couple of months after the wedding, so I had my “theme” idea for her shower gift — travel gear!

I used RetailMeNot to figure out which stores were offering free shipping, and what I ended up with was a code for free shipping AND 30% off any item (even clearance!) from J.Crew Factory.

Again this time, I made sure I could earn Swagbucks from J.Crew Factory, and I made my purchases by starting in the Swagbucks shopping portal.

In order to get around the low Visa gift card balances, I bought three travel-themed gifts on three separate transactions. (Since Visa and other same-as-cash gift cards are processed like debit cards, they can’t be combined on purchases. The bank has to process them for the whole total only. This is why I made the three separate transactions.)

I chose an item that was on clearance, then I applied my 30% off + free shipping code, and finally made sure I had a Visa gift card with enough remaining balance to cover the total.

Because none of my Visa gift cards had a balance more than $6, I did pay for the largest item at J.Crew Factory using my personal debit card. However, that still left me with a total of $10.06 out of pocket for a shower gift and two wedding presents.

Since both weddings are out of state, it was really important to keep gift costs low — and now we can give generously without worrying!

Abby Woody is the editor of Humani Tribe, and an avid drinker of single-origin coffee and small-batch gin. She loves hiking muddy trails with her dog Brida and getting her passport tattooed at customs. She enjoys writing about self-acceptance and finding peace within. 

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Guest post from Reelika of Financially Wise On Heels

Having a good relationship and communication with your partner is the key for a good life. Unfortunately, statistics show that many people get divorced due to financial issues. One of the problems may be that one person is a spender and the other is a saver.

If you and your significant other are at odds when it comes to financial issues, these 5 tips can help you better understand each other — and learn to love the spender in your life!

1. Listen, Share, and Communicate

Spenders think differently about money, saving, and spending. They are more impulsive and don’t consider the differences between “wants” and “needs”.

However, before you speak, listen carefully to what the spender has to share. Don’t get emotional, but instead, share your thoughts and find the mutual language. Don’t brag about how much you always save and don’t be judgmental.

2. Understand the Spender’s Background and the “Why”

How did the spender grow up? What were their family’s saving and spending habits? What are the real “whys” he or she wants to spend so much?

Maybe it is a relief of stress, or finally having the opportunity to buy something? Spenders just love spending, no matter what the cost is. It can be frustrating, but always look for the real “why”.

3. Create a Family Budget Plan Together

Having a family budget plan is crucial… and having the main spender involved is even more important. Create a plan together and discuss any splurges with the purpose of finding a solution.

Create a separate section for “free spending,” so it becomes part of your budget plan already… and determine the amount that you are both able to spend without breaking your budget.

This relieves the stress for both of you as the spender can enjoy spending, and it is already part of your family’s expenses.

4. Have Regular Family Meetings

Regular family meetings to discuss family finances can be very helpful. Don’t only discuss spending, but also the possibilities for increasing the number of income streams.

Make sure you don’t have the meeting after stressful day at work. This is never a good idea. Rather pick a weekend when you are not tired or rushing anywhere. It is important to make it a regular habit, otherwise the results are often only short term.

5. Balance Spending with Frugal Hacks

Spending and shopping are not necessarily bad habits. However, spending should be balanced with frugal hacks and/or savings.

One way to do it is to create a separate cash cushion for emergencies that potentially come up due to spending habits. Additionally, you should also consider cutting back on other items so the spender won’t feel stressed about his or her spending.

Being responsible with finances is very important.

Following these five tips should help you find understanding and compromise with the spender in your life. Just remember to make plans and decisions together that are comfortable for BOTH of you.

How do you better understand spenders? Or if you are spender, how can others better understand you?

Reelika is an entrepreneur and the founder of Financially Wise On Heels. She is a happy wife and mom, Christian, financial management lover, and passionate about coaching. She provides inspiration, tools and resources to Moms to better plan, budget and manage their finances without sacrificing the needs and dreams of their families.

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