Saving Money

When we work with our clients one of the largest stressers to planning their event is money.  How much will it cost, Why does that cost so much, How can we save money, Where can we get discounts?  All of these questions are ones we get all the time.  While it is important for us to help our clients save money it is also important to remember that each and every person you are working with is also trying to make a living.  So there is a fine line with asking them to drastically slash their pricing and getting a discount/deal.

Here are a few things to think about.  If you are planning a wedding be honest with the people you are hiring.  Not ever vendor adds extra money just because it is a wedding.  YES, they may charge more than they would for a party but that is because a Wedding usually takes more time and energy.  More time = More costs. Planning a party for 100 take way less time and energy than planning a wedding for 100.  But here are a few things you can do to help save for those costs.

1. Meal Plan - Yes it is true, if you plan out your meals less food will go to waste, you will know what is for lunch/dinner therefore will not have the "I don't know what to make lets just eat out" feeling and you can find ways to incorporate leftovers into your meal prep.  This in the long run can save you lots of money.

2. Eat out less/Eat out Smarter - Try to eat our only 1-2 times a month or less.  And when you do watch what you are eating.  Not only can you save money doing this but you can also save calories.  Instead of ordering a drink, order water.  Instead of paying to add cheese have it without.  Less calories and some places it costs as much as $1.75 to add cheese.  Now you may say that $1.75 isn't much but that can add up over a year to being as much as $26

3. Shop Thrifty - Shopping at Thrift Store and Goodwill can really save you a lot of money if you are willing to shop.  Many times just like you and me, People will donate items that have never been worn or used because they buy them and either get home and don't like it or it doesn't fit or they forget about it.  Then they donate it.  By being patient and shopping around sometimes you can find items brand new.

4. Swap Nights - If you and your girlfriends are all shopping gals have a swap night.  Everyone brings 5-7 items that they no longer wear and you swap with your friends.  :)  Remember that shirt your friend has that you love? Maybe its no longer their favorite and now you have a new to you item in your closet.

5. Coupons - Yes they can be time consuming but hey who doesn't love saving money on your food or day to day items.  Many stores now allow you to register your card on their app and download coupons directly so that you do not even have to "clip" them out of the paper.

6. Saving Jar - Make a saving jar, add a card or tag to the front of it that has your goal and what the money will be used for.  Then any time you have coins put them in there.  It may not add up fast but over time it will be a great addition to your savings.  Other ways to do this.  Each time you turn down something you don't need, lets say an extra coffee or drink at Happy Hour after work, put the amount saved into your jar.  So if your coffee costs you $4.50 and you turn down buying one add $4.50 to your jar.  You will be amazed at how fast cutting simple things out will add up.  Now I don't mean to say give it up completely but find other outlets.  If you are tired or stressed and want a second cup try grabbing a bottle of water or going for a brisk walk instead.

7. SAVE - Yes it is just that simple.  Try a saving experiment.  Start the month of February by going to the bank and getting out $28.  Now put that in a safe place at home and don't touch it.  Then do the same in March, get $31 out and put it with your $28 from February.  Continue this for the rest of the year.  $1 per day for each day of the month.  Do this at the beginning of the month with your FIRST paycheck for that month.  Once you have 3-4 months take it BACK to the bank and put it in a separate savings account that you won't touch.  Continue adding to it each month at the first of the month.  By the end of the year you will be amazed at how much is there. You may not earn much in interest but you will have $1 for every day of the year.  Keep doing this for another year and before long you will have a very nice little savings account that can be used for wedding items, a trip, the honeymoon, something for your house or even an anniversary trip.  Want to take it one step farther? try adding an extra $5 each month to what you are already adding.  So Feb - $28, March $36, April (add $10) $40, May (Add $15) $46 and so on.  By doing this you will find that by the end of the year you can save as much as $600.

Thanks for reading our blog.  We know this was along one but hope you found some useful tips in it.  Feel free to share your money saving tips with us as well.

Lisa Marie

Owner/Senior Wedding-Event Specialist

Events by Lisa Marie

info@EventsByLisaMarie.com

www.EventsByLisaMarie.com

Saving for the Future

OK, lets face it, weddings can be expensive! However, there are lots of ways you can save for the wedding and lots of things you can do to help with the cost.

First step is to remember that it is your wedding and you should pick a theme, style or look that really represents the two of you.  There are a million images of amazing weddings out there and lots of things to fall in love with.  Many of which can make you over spend.  Make sure you take a step back and think if it is really something you WANT or just something you think is pretty.

Below are a few things you can do to save some extra money for your wedding, honeymoon or first house.  (or whatever you want to use it for)

1. When you use cash, drop all your change into a jar. If you spend $7.65 at lunch, leave a $2 tip and pay with a $20 bill you have $10.35 left.  Put the $10 back in your wallet and drop the $.35 in the jar.  Do this for a full month and see how much money you spend.

2. Eat out one less time a week.  Either lunch or dinner.  If it is lunch make a little extra dinner the night before so that you have some leftovers.  This can save you on average $7 a week.  If you typically eat out 3 or 4 times a week for lunch you can save yourself about $20 a month.

3. Drink more water.  It is free.  If you go for an afternoon coffee or pop or even just order a drink like Ice Tea or Lemonade with your meals you can save anywhere from $2-6 per drink.  Imagine if you went for 10 lunches a month and didn't order a drink and instead just ordered water you could save on the low end $20 a month.

4. Evaluate how you spend money at the grocery store. Use coupons! Even if it is just for one or two items.  The money you can save is amazing.  There are a lot of programs you can use to help like coupons.com.  Additionally, check into the stores you shop at the most for their rewards cards.  Safeway has a mobile App and Fred Meyer has a rewards card where you can add manufacture coupons to your card and do not have to clip them.  This saves you extra time in trying to remember to take them with you.

5. Use CASH! I know this may sound funny but set up a budget for all your non essential monthly expenses.  put together 4 envelopes and if your budget is $400 for the month put five (5) $20 bills in each envelope.  At the end of the week whatever is left put in the money jar! Don't roll it to the next month and Don't steal for the next month.  If you run out on Thursday make due.  Eat at home, don't buy that Starbucks, Dutch Brothers or other coffee drink.  Remember the above post about water? :) 

6. Walk!!  It is amazing how much time we spend driving around.  Walk to lunch if there is a place close by, walk to the store or instead of driving somewhere like a movie theater go for a walk with your sweetheart. It will save you some time, money and gives you a workout. :)

7. Errands - Stop on the way home from work to pick up groceries and plan out your day so that you can run all your errands at the same time.  Instead of doing 1 day try to schedule a full day on the weekend and get them all done at once.

Most importantly really look at what you are buying.  Do you NEED that item?  Can you pay for it out of your monthly budget or will it take 2 or 3?  Money doesn't grow on trees so it is good to sleep on bigger purchases.  If a day or two later you still want it and can afford it without hurting your budget then go for it.  :)

Need additional help creating a budget for your wedding?  Schedule a consultation with us and we can go over some tips and tricks.  There are lots of ways out there to save your budget during your wedding planning process as well as ways to save money and get a few more of the items you would like.  So lets chat. :)  

Life is about enjoying but not about going into debt.  So enjoy the beauty in life.

Lisa Marie

Eventsbylisamarie.com

503-830-7779

Find us on Facebook and Twitter 

Portland Oregon Event and Wedding Planner.