6 creative tips to start saving for your first home today

Saving money for a home can seem like an impossible task when you first think about it. To make saving money easier you must treat yourself as a business and really dedicate yourself to knowing exactly what your expenses and revenues are exactly each week and month. Some banks will track what you spend automatically but if not you will have to do this yourself. If you haven’t already open a separate saving account at a bank not in your city or an online bank.Do not open a debt card because this easy access to your hard earned saved money. Our goal is to make access to your money as hard as possible or at least give you the time to think about a purchase before you transfer the funds to complete the purchase. Without further delay here are the “6 creative tips to start saving for your first home today”

1.Dollar Stores and Generic Brands - I know most of us don't want to give up the luxury of our brand names. Shopping at stores like Dollar Tree can save you tons of money in the end. I have found deodorant, body wash,toothpaste etc for a $1 each which is a lot better than the $4 avg you usually see. .That’s ¼ of the price, amazing when you do the numbers over a long period of time. This applies to many items in the store by store comparison. Stock up and this will help in the long run.

1. 2. Soda vs water comparison - A bottle of soda On average cost around a $1.75 each. If you drink 1 bottle of soda every day for 365 days a year, it would cost you $638.75 a year. Now when you think about it spending $638.75 a year on soda sounds crazy. What I like to do is stock up on 24 packs of water while they're on sale. I have found Deer Park water for $2.77 at its lowest. So a few cases of these will save you tons of cash in the long run.This comparison can be done with other items just be creative .Im lucky enough to live near a freshwater spring where I can fill up jugs of water year long for free and the water taste better than bottled.
2. 3. 2 weeks groceries limit - Buy only the groceries you need for a week or two at most except household items that don't perish like in step #1. First most people and families buy more food than they need and will probably throw it out or let it expire . Second it's better to have your money in a savings account accruing interest rather than spent on frozen food you won't eat for weeks or months.
3. 4. Yard Sale/Flea Market sale -Spring is almost here so sell your used clothing,kitchen, furniture, electronics, toys,baby clothes, misc items and anything you think could bring in a little cash at a local flea market or yard sale. You would be surprised how much you could make selling second hand items. You can also save buying 2nd hand items yourself instead of new.
4. 5. Stop buying new clothes - As you get older you worry less and less about impressing people with the clothes you wear. Or at least you should. Why not start early and stop buying brand new clothes every year or season and start saving that money now for your future.
5. 6. Put your TV/Internet on Vacation - With spring approaching and kids getting out of school a lot of families spend a lot more time outside than inside. TV and internet providers allow you to put your accounts on a vacation or a hold period from 6-8 months maybe more depending I haven’t done this in a while. This is when the services are put on hold and you do not pay a monthly bill. You can do this for a portion of the year on multiple accounts and save some decent money that can be put away in your savings. Also canceling your TV plan and getting hulu $12 monthly or Netflix $8 monthly is becoming the norm for many millennial households.

There you have it 6 creative tips to help you start saving for your first home. I'm glad to  share these tips with you. We could have put more items but I thought these were the most actionable and could be used by anyone at anytime to start saving NOW.I hope this blog has been helpful and informative to all. Thank you believe in yourself and never stop dreaming...