Today on MoneyLife

I've been talking about some heavy subjects lately because of the difficult economy. Today we want to talk about saving money. It's all part of our effort to give you help, hope, and insight to manage your money wisely in these difficult times.

Today, we're going to give you fun ways to save time and money and be a good steward. These tips coming from a number of resources.

One thing that gets neglected because of the economy or busyness is entertainment/recreation for your family. I don’t advocate spending a lot of money on that but we do need to find ways to relax.

One idea is a discount program from Blockbuster. It costs $10 a year and allows you to rent a second movie for free on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays. Movies that aren’t new releases can be rented for a week. If you go by the store as part of running errands, it’s not a special trip. Don’t forget that you can check out movies for free from your local library.

One of the biggest expenses for young families is clothing for the children. Children grow out of clothes rapidly. Of course, it's good to hand down clothes from an older child to a younger one. It's also great when friends pass you clothes their children have outgrown. You can pass those to another family when your children outgrow them. Try setting up a clothes swap/exchange at your church or in your neighborhood.

Shop for clothes at consignment shops. With a baby, consider using cloth diapers instead of disposables.

Make your own baby food. With a blender, you can puree fruit, vegetables, and meat. Puree not needed at the moment can be put into an ice cube tray and frozen. This makes food last, plus saves time and money.

Birthday parties for children have really gotten expensive. The economy may force parties to be downsized. I believe in celebrations. You want to make them meaningful. We recently did a movie theme for a party for one of my sons. He and his friends made a movie and copies of it were given as party favors. the kids had a great time, learned some things, and it hardly cost anything.

Cars can be expensive part of a family budget. One way to save is on auto insurance. Make sure you have the appropriate coverage and are taking advantage of all possible discounts.

Keep your car in good running condition. Do regular maintenance and save money by doing some if it yourself, like changing oil and air filters.

Keep your car clean. Use microfiber cloths; they last longer than paper towels. You don’t have to use soap, just water, and it's good for the environment. You can even get water for washing your car by putting a bucket in the shower or the sink.

You can save money by reducing energy use at your home. One idea is to put a dry towel in the dryer with a load of wet clothes. The towel will absorb some of the moisture and cut drying time by a third or half. In the winter months, consider routing your dryer exhaust into the house for extra heat and moisture. You can cover the exhaust hose with panty hose to catch lint.

Another idea is to use your fireplace as a heat source. Put a metal plate into the back of your fire place. This is sometimes called a fireplace plate, heat deflector, or fireback. It will absorb heat from the fire and radiate it out into the room. Buy them at home and garden stores or on the Web. You can also make one yourself

You also need a plan for saving money, like the 80/10/10 plan, give 10%, save 10%, live on 80%. Teach that to your kids.

You'll spend less if you use cash instead of credit or debit. Carry a 3x5 card with you everyday and write down what you spend. Total up the cards for each day at the end of the month. Having that information will help you make good decisions about what you need to adjust.

Use the envelope system with cash. Put in cash you’ve budgeted for the month, spend money from that envelope, when it’s gone, wait until the next month to refill it. Another option is an online system called Crown Mvelopes®.

The Need for Emergency Savings

The common biblical attitude is to save on a regular basis, and it is important that Christians develop good habits to replace bad habits.

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Develop a "Saving" Lifestyle

God can change our attitudes towards material things and help us to learn to be contented with what we have.

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Ideas for Funding an Emergency Account

One of the best ways to break out of the debt cycle is to have an emergency savings fund to cover unexpected expenses.

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10 Ways to Save Money

We need to make saving money and debt freedom top priorities in lives.

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Other Resources:

• ABCs of Money Package
• Career Direct
• God's Principles for Operating a Business
• Business By the Book
• Crown Mvelopes