Want to save money for your first house, but don’t know where to start? You clicked the right link! In this post you will find 4 tips for how my husband and I saved to buy our first house!
I think both Justin and I are in disbelief that in the midst of a global pandemic we were able to buy our first home! The idea of buying a house was so daunting to us. We had no idea how to even start saving for one of the biggest purchases we have ever made! Of course, we started small by creating a joint bank account where we both put money aside monthly. However, after we got married we wanted to kick it into high gear. We knew we had to be more serious about saving money. We started by sitting down and making a plan. Here are few things that worked for us!
Pinpoint where you spend the most money!
Start by keeping a log of all your purchases and reviewing them at the end of the month. I kept a piece of paper wrapped around my debit card and each time I pulled out my card to buy something I wrote it down. You can review this weekly or monthly. Pinpoint purchases during the month that might not have been so necessary. For Justin and I it was going out to eat, buying lunch, and buying coffee.
In March when most restaurants and coffee shops closed, we started to break the habit of eating out and formed a new habit of making our meals. This was a huge money saver for us! I used to have a bad Starbucks habit… and those $5 coffees add up! Remember no savings is too small! You may think “Oh, it is just $5… no big deal.”. Do the math! You will be amazed at how much money you could keep in your pocket by making your own coffee at home!
Make a budget!
Again, refer to your spend list! Something Justin and I found out about ourselves is that we weren’t really sticking to a budget… For example: If we went grocery shopping we would put together a rough list of items that we needed, but would also just throw anything else into the cart… which again can really add up! Of course it is ok to get fun snack items or splurge on a treat here and there, but we found that by not sticking to a grocery list we were spending a little too much on groceries for just the two of us.
I also made a thrift budget for myself! Back in February I wrote about my thrift list. This was another way to help keep me accountable and only buying the things I needed. I could spend hours shopping secondhand… and at times things can seem so cheap! But again… it adds up!! By setting a money limit for my weekly thrifting as well as creating a thrift list of items Justin and I needed, I was able to cut back on my spending.
Sell unwanted items!
Anyone else clean out their closets/garage/house during the pandemic lockdown? It was such a great opportunity to take time to purge unwanted items from our home. Selling these items is a great way to start putting money into your savings account. There are lots of different options when looking to sell your unwanted items. You can utilize an online platform or if looking to sell something more expensive and in person retailer might be better.
If you are looking for a place to start, I would recommend Chapes – JPL. Whether you are looking to sell old unwanted jewelry or are in need of a business loan in Atlanta, Chapes-JPL has your back. With over 40 years of experience and interest rates as low as 3% they may be just what you are looking for! Take any money from items you have sold and put it right into your savings account! You may be surprised at how much “money” is laying around your house.
Get a side hustle!
There is no shame in the side hustle game!! If you have been a reader for a while you know I have worked with VIPKID for a little over 2 years and am Beautycounter consultant. Oh… and I blog… hello! A side hustle is a great way to help put some extra money into your savings account! There are so many different jobs that can be done from the comfort of your home!
So there you go… YOU CAN DO IT! I’m sure there are a lot more ways to save for a house (please share in the comments), but these are the 4 core things that Justin and I did! I hope this helps!
Leave a Reply