4 Ways to Save Money on Everyday Expenses
Free Up Cash—So You Can Give It Away
1. Clip those coupons. I love coupons. I try to never buy anything without a coupon or a serious sale. Challenge yourself to clip enough coupons to save a target amount—say, $50—at the grocery store. That’s $50 in “free” money you can give away.
2. Have a garage sale. Better yet, have the Mother of all Garage Sales. Advertise it on Craigslist and post signs at the sale saying, “All proceeds will benefit Grace Community Church” or your favorite charity, missionary or cause. People will be much less likely to try to talk your prices down if they know the money is going to a good cause. Side benefit: cleaner closets.
3. Check your tax withholdings. If you get a big tax refund every year, ask your accountant if you should change your withholdings to get more money in your paychecks. That’s money that is yours anyway that your church could be using to help others in need.
4. Give up something. An average manicure runs about $30. A pedicure costs about $45 in my neighborhood. A latte and a muffin? Well, that’s about $8 a pop. I’ll give you credit that you’re probably not hitting the coffee shop five days a week, but even at twice a week, that’s about $64 a month. Knowing how far that cash can go to help others in need can make for a pretty sweet sacrifice when you think about it.
5. Donate your perks. Your frequent-flyer miles could pay for someone’s ticket for an overseas missions trip. Debit card and credit card reward points can be used to buy gift certificates for office supply and hardware stores that can be used to purchase much-needed supplies for the church.
Once when I was on a volunteer team, a pastor took us all out to lunch at a restaurant for which I just happened to have a buy-one-get-one-free coupon with no limit on the number of users. There were 20 of us, so I figure that coupon saved the church at least $60 that day, but it didn’t cost me a dime.
