Turn 2 hours per week into $5,200 per year

You may be wondering how 2 hours per week can turn into $5,200 per year?  It is actually pretty simple – Spend 2 hours per week planning your grocery shopping and save upwards of $100 per week.  Do this all year long (52 weeks) and you have just earned yourself $5,200 more per year!  That may be a 10% raise for some of you, that may mean you can quit your job and stay at home with your kids, for me it meant that I could pay down debt and start working towards financial freedom.  You can read my story of how my husband and I got out of $40,000 worth of debt in just under 4 years, this will help you gain more information about me and this site.

On iamthatlady.com my goal is to teach you how to enjoy life on a budget, we are all busy so I aim to make things simple and achievable in as little time per week as possible.

My goal when teaching grocery shopping tips is to break it down into a wage – if you spend 2 hours per week to save $100 then that equates to $50 per hour in income.  That is a LOT per hour, so I am sure you can find 2 hours a week to make $5,200 this year, right?  Skip an episode of the Batchelor or American Idol – your family is worth it!

There are some simple ways to help you get started – the first thing that I want you to do is watch my Coupon 101 Video Series – these videos will help you get in the right mindset to get started saving money.

You can find those videos here:

• Coupons 101 Video 1 – Where to find your coupons
• Coupons 101 Video 2-  How to Organize your coupons
• Coupons 101 Video 3- Knowing your Stores coupon policy
• Coupons 101 Video 4 – Setting yourself up for success in couponing – setting a budget.
• Coupons 101 Video 5- How to feed your family using coupons – How does this actually work?

Then I want you to re-group and get to know your weaknesses – you can watch a quick video about that here.

Once you have watched these videos I feel like I can help you get started!

Here are the top 7 tips for you to start earning your $5,200 wage:

1. Start THINKING about your money.  Create a budget by looking at your past months of expenses – then start there and use cash.
2. Sit down 1 night a week and look at your sales flyer and coupon matchups on iamthatlady.com.
3. Plan your meals around the sale items.
4. Then see what coupons you have that will match up with sale items.
5. Make your list and write your meal plan down on your refrigerator
6. Shop as quickly as possible and stick to the list.
7. Create a list of (5) Fast five meal ideas – stick to your meal plan or refer to your Fast Five list in order to save.  These fast five meals are meant to be made in less time that it takes for you to order a pizza.  Some of my meals are eggs and toast, pasta and sauce, and pita pizzas.

Things to avoid to stick to your goal:

1. Avoid Convenience foods – cut up fruits, veggie trays etc.   You will pay sometimes 50% more to purchase these foods.
2. Avoid impulse purchases (this will take time, so practice is the best way to make it stick!) – stick to your list!
3. Stick to your meal plan, and avoid eating out for 30 days.  This will help you see if you can actually stick to the budget you have set.
4. Avoid single trip ingredients – did you know that every extra minute you spend in the grocery store you spend an average of $1.75 extra?

Like anything – practice makes perfect. The first week you plan your meals and shopping you are probably going to forget something, and that is okay. Just remember that this is supposed to take LITTLE time and give you the most hourly wage as possible, so don't freak out when you can't get it right the first time around.  I would love for this to become second nature to you, so it doesn't take that much time at all!