Free Costco Memership

Yes....you read that right. I was able to get my Costco Membership for FREE!! Better yet, for my first year I was able to get not only my membership for FREE, but Costco actually paid me $10 to do so!

Too good to be true you say? I thought the same thing, until I learned it was just that AMAZING!

COSTCO MEMBERSHIPS  

                                 

Costco has 4 types of memberships.

GOLD STAR                         $60
GOLD STAR EXECUTIVE  $120
BUSINESS                            $60
BUSINESS EXECUTIVE    $120

HOW I SIGNED UP

My sister was already a Costco member so she told me about the Refer a Friend program where if I sign up for a Membership she will get $10 Costco gift card and I also would get a $10 Costco gift card. So we did just that, and before I left that day we each had our gift cards in our hands!

As I talked to the customer service desk employee, he informed me if I signed up for the Costco credit card and also signed up with their Executive Membership I would be able to take advantage of a great deal! Once approved for the credit card, they charged the Gold Star Executive which was $120 to the new credit card. Within 3 weeks I will receive a $60 Costco gift card. Then technically making my Executive membership 1/2 OFF! He also informed me if I decide in the first 6 months that I do not need the Executive Membership, that I can just come into the store, and downgrade my membership to the Gold Star level. By doing so I will get a $60 refund!!

Well, here I am 4 months after I originally signed up and I was able to get the $10 gift card when I signed up, I received my $60 gift card two weeks after signing up like promised, and just a few days ago I went to Costco's customer service desk and requested that I downgrade to the Gold Star level and the gave me $60 CASH! So there you have it. My first year of my Costco Membership is FREE and they gave me a bonus $10 gift card for doing so!

COSTCO FOOD COURT

If you have never checked out a Costco store before, I highly recommend it! If you want to "try it before you buy it" find a friend or a family member who already has a membership and tag along with them! Their food court is great too! You do NOT need a membership to get food there. Their pizza is yummy and cheap! We often get pizza there when we have company. They are 18" for $9.95 plus tax. Well worth your money!

 I am greatly enjoying my free first year of my membership and will most likely continue to be a Costco Member!

I am not in any way affiliated with Costco or getting paid to mention their store in my blog.

Saving Tips on Utilities

We can all relate to those pesky monthly bills that come with renting and owning a home.  Even though there is no way of getting around paying for these necessities you can reduce the amount you pay and save on how you pay for them. 

Let's start with the gas utility bill. 

Our natural gas provider is through DTE energy, but that is not our supplier.  We have had a few suppliers come around our neighborhood and give us cheaper prices than DTE themselves were charging. The bill is still the same other than it shows a different supplier at a lower price. There have been known to be scanners that go door to door,  which is why it's a good idea to check with DTE and verify the supplier before signing up. 

Programmable Thermostat

If you don't have one already,  I highly recommend getting a programmable thermostat.  These are great for the busy person who doesn't want to waste heat or keep changing temperature. You can set it to a temp desired for day time and night time. You can also set it for work schedules so you are not heading your house at full desired temperature.  This will save you lots of money while not heating and cooling your house when no one is home. I work different hours so for us we have our program set to day and night only. It works out great for us!

Insulation

If you do not have an efficient new hot water heater, you can do what we did and insulate your hot water heater. We used batting and wrapped it around securing it with twine and tape. Be sure not to cover any areas for controls and venting. I also recommend buying foam pipe covers and wrap them around your water pipes. This will help water stay warm as it travels through the house. Another tip is to shut off your hot water heater when you are away on vacation. Some hot water heaters have vacation settings as well. 

Another way to save with insulation is adding more to your attic. As this is a big task, my husband did it himself which saved us a lot of money. We added 10 inches to our attic after we moved in. It has saved us a lot of heat loss and we also now have better airflow with our new attic roof vents. Have someone check and see how much you have currently in your attic and determine if you need more depending on your state's recommendations. 

Budget Plans

One thing I recommend for both Gas and Electric is getting on budget plans for both.  If you don't like getting huge bills in the winter or middle of the summer with air conditioners,  get on a budget plan for sure.  What a budget plan means is the utility company will assess your previous year and take that total amount and break it up over a 12 month period.  Andrew and I pay $56 every month for or gas bill. Now this can fluctuate a little bit after they reevaluate your usage. If at the end of the year they renew your plan and if you used more than the previous year they will ask that you pay the remaining balance.  The most I've had to pay was $60 but it could be any amount it just depends on your use. If you have used less than previous year or than expected you will get a credit to your account. 

Changing your furnace filter can add up! 

A couple years ago we found out that you can buy metal furnace filters instead of wasting money on 
buying regular filters. It's also been proven that metal furnace filters work better!  We now just take out our filter and clean it with a hose outside 4 x's a year. There are many companies that sell them so just look for the size that you need for your furnace. This will just be a one time cost, versus money adding up every year and thrown away after use!

Electricity Savings

For electricity savings I've learned over the years that utility companies have "off peak" hours.  You can look online for your company to find out when they might be.  Most of the time it's during the nighttime hours. For us, our dishwasher is far enough away that is not disturbing for us while we sleep. The same is said for our washing machines,  as it is in our basement. Also, this is a good time to charge tablets and phones. The best part about all of this is that in the morning your dishes and your clothes are done! 

Smart Strip Cords

Another simple way we save is getting power strip cords.  We have ones that will only supply power to certain things when needed. These are called Smart Power Cords/Surge protectors.  For instance we have power only going to our Wii and DVD player only when the TV has power.  We also have our computer set to sleep mode when we are not using it. It also helps to have your screen, laptop, or printer also off when not in use. These small tips will help you save money in the long run!

I hope these tips helped you in areas of saving on your utilities! 

Thanks for reading!

~Katie

Meat SAVINGS!

We have come across a new way of buying meat ...in bulk! We buy our meat from  Zaycon Fresh! Zaycon Fresh is a company that started in Spokane, Washington and was founded in 2009. All of their meat is 100% Hormone FREE. Their company is basically removing the middle man, and processing the meat 1-2 days before delivering to you, the buyer.  To buy from Zaycon Fresh you first sign up for free ----->  here, and then you are able to look up your area to see what is currently available for purchase and when event dates are scheduled. 

I buy my meat usually 1-2 months in advance, depending on what I need. You pay at the tone of placing your order and then wait until scheduled pick up. They are very good about sending you reminder emails or texts regarding your upcoming event. Good Morning America did a segment on Zaycon foods. Here is a video explains how Zaycon works. 

We have bought chicken and beef so far from and have been very happy with it! Two weeks ago I picked up a box of 40 lbs of 80/20 beef. If you think that is too much for one family split a box with a friend or family member!  
At this location they had the truck waiting in a church parking lot.

The nice thing about Zaycon Fresh is that you do not need to get out of the car! They load it in your car or trunk for you! As you can see today was a rainy day so that was nice I didn't have to get out of the car and load the meat! 

This beef came in 4, 10 lbs tubes of fresh beef. This time we bought 80/20 beef on sale for $2.50 per lb. They also sell 93/7 beef but went with this since it was on sale. 

It only takes Andrew and I about 30 minutes from start to finish to bag up the 40 lbs of beef. 

We use our food scale and quart size freezer bags for storage.

After we bag up we wash our hands,  seal bags,  and press the air out of them and flatten them for easy storage in the freezer.  Here you have the end result!

Zaycon Fresh is very efficient and honest company as well. As we weighed out the 40 lbs of beef I noticed I was about 1 lb off. I went to the website to send them a message telling them I was short and I already had a message that stated the count was a little off this delivery and have a credit waiting for me for next time!

I totally would recommend Zaycon Fresh to any of my friends and family. I do still buy meat occasionally at the store particularly specialty items. Check them out and let me know if you have any questions. Feel free to leave a comment if you have tried Zaycon and give us your reviews! 

~Katie 

Financial Freedom!

My husband and I were able to experience a great milestone this last week. We are proudly able to say that we are DEBT FREE (except our Mortgage). We have been married almost 10 years and it is so great to finally feel the relief off our shoulders with this accomplishment!

                                   How did we do it you ask? 

Well for years we cut back on many luxuries in our life and still do! We did not have cable, we live on a budget, and we made our debt a priority over everything else.  Did we still have some vacations?  Yes, but we camped a lot and were frugal with our bigger trips (which were rare ) What really finalized our financial freedom was we refinanced our house and consolidated the last of our debt.  Below you will find more ways on how to pay down debt and have financial freedom!

Refinancing

We bought our house in 2010 for a great price. Over the last seven years, we have since remodeled every inch of the home, in paint, new roof, new kitchen and bath which has given us a good amount of equity in this market.

This is what made refinancing the best option for us. We went through Quicken Loans and I would recommend it to anyone! The process was smooth, very fast and efficient! After refinancing we still have a lot of equity which will be great when we sell the house!

Cut back on luxuries

If you want true financial freedom, it will not come without sacrifice and hard work. Plain and simple! We have gone (and still do) without cable TV, the latest greatest phones, toys, and pampering. We watched good old movies, DVD and VHS! We did puzzles, read books, scrapbooked, draw, went to parks! Worked on our house in our spare time. We tried to limit eating out so much. I would do my own manicures, pedicures and facials at home or with sisters! The ways to save are endless and I will be posting more each week about how to save. Just go through every monthly bill you have. Ask yourself....can we live without this? Can we go without just temporarily? Can we lower this bill somehow? Even with your current car insurance you may be able to lower it with another company substantially! Go through and cut back where it's possible. This will give you extra cash where you didn't realize you had to pay off debt!

Snowball

Snowballing is a term used in paying off debt. If you cannot consolidate your debt, I recommend starting with the smallest amount first...pay as much as you can. Once that debt is gone, add that amount you were paying on the next balance you have. Which creates a snowball effect in wiping out debt. This method is from David Ramsey's book and what we used until we consolidated the last of our debt into the house. Getting out of debt should be your main focus. 

Envelope System

I LOVE this system! It may not be for everyone but I love the control it gives you with YOUR money! If you are unfamiliar with the Envelope System, it is a system in which you have personalized envelopes with specific areas of your life and amounts. For instance, I have an envelope for the dreaded car tabs renewals you get for your Birthday every year from the State! Each of our tabs usually cost around $100 each year so I set aside $20 a month for this envelope. When the bill comes, I have the cash to pay it! It's not a big bill that comes out of my monthly bills. Another example I have an envelope for our yard waste bin that is due every April for $99 I save $10 a month. Obviously that gives me $120 a yr and whatever is extra I just rotate either back in the system, or add it to a vacation envelope or something like that. I currently have 10 envelopes and here are their categories.

Envelope                                     Description                                           Amount Monthly

Gifts                                  Birthdays & Anniversary's                                      $25.00

Meat                                  We buy meat in bulk                                               $25.00

Car Tabs                            Car tabs from State                                                 $20.00

Toby(dog)                         Grooming, vet bills, medications                            $40.00

Yard Waste                        Yard waste pick up (in town)                                  $10.00

Vacation                             Camping & Other                                                  $50.00

Car Repair                         Car repair and maintenance                                    $50.00

Utilities                             Trash and water every 3 months                             $40.00

Christmas                          Presents, food, decorations activities                      $40.00

Amazon                             Amazon Prime  Membership                                 $10.00 

You can either decorate paper envelopes like I used to have,

or turn a coupon divider into your envelope system!

Either way, try starting an envelope system to help bring order to your finances!

Financial freedom already has helped us in so many ways. I have felt the weight lifted off my shoulders! It's such a relief and you too can experience this with dedication! Please feel free to share with me any ways you can add to how you or someone you know got out of debt! Also, let me know if you have any questions on anything from our financial journey! 

**I am not affiliated with Dave Ramsey or Quicken Loans and I am not receiving anything by mentioning them in my post.

A little about me

My name is Katie and I love to be frugal, save money and make the most out of what we have. My husband Andrew and I have been married for almost 10 years! We do not have any children,  but pray in the next few years, if God sees fit,  we will have a family of our own.

My husband works at a plastics factory and I work with special needs clients and also schedule from home for a financial wholesaler.

We have always been frugal,  not just because my husband is Dutch =) ...but we have always found ways to save money in almost every area of our lives. I love saving money and do see it as a hobby!  It's a passion of mine which is why I wanted to share what I've learned with all of you!

Please subscribe to my blog and also check out my Facebook page to learn more about my ways of making saving my hobby!

https://m.facebook.com/Savingismyhobby/

~Katie

Welcome!

Thank you for checking out my new blog! I am so excited to share all my secrets of SAVING money with you! I have a passion for saving in every aspect of my life. You can save money in many ways you may not know about. From remodeling your home, to buying great gifts for friends and family at 1/3 of the price. Please subscribe to my blog and/or Facebook to learn all the ways I save BIG and make saving my Hobby!

~Katie