If you’re like most Charlotte home buyers out there today, you’ll need some cash to close on your new home. Few people qualify and even fewer programs are available these days where folks can move into a home with nothing but their signature. If you have a family, you know how hard it can be to save extra cash. But you want a bigger or better home! What to do?

Try some of these ideas to help you save a little cash. Just be sure to put it in your Dream Home Jar. You’ll be surprised how quickly it adds up and how soon you’ll be showing up to the closing attorney’s office with a chunk of change in your pocket!


-Think it Through at the Grocery
Instead of stopping by the store every day for that day’s dinner (like I have a habit of doing) or running in and picking up something “quick” for me and something different for Ellie, I pre-plan what I will make for the whole week and make sure that I can use that food or recipe for both adults and child. For example, instead of making steak and frites for us and peas for Ellie, I’ll get a meal for us that she can enjoy at her age, too. I puree it, of course, but at least I can use a small amount from our portions and only have to cook dinner once. I also like to make as many things as I can on Sunday. This prohibits me from stopping at the drive thru, picking up frivolous things at the store, and eating late. With a little planning, you can make food preparation a lot simpler and less expensive!

-Solo Shopping
It’s probably also not a bad idea to leave the kids at home when you go shopping. Whether it’s food shopping or shopping at the mall, kids seem to have a way of sneaking things in the cart (ask my mother-in-law about my husband’s habits as a kid!). Thomas and I were babysitting our nieces before we had one of our own and we were derailed at the store for about 15 minutes because she wanted a Spongebob toothbrush that we walked by. It would have saved us a lot of time and $3.50 if we had been able to leave her at home. But it sure was a learning experience!

-Re-Use, Recycle
Invest in sturdy, BPA-free storage for leftovers or lunchboxes. This $20 investment has totally eliminated my need for foil and plastic wrap. Hooray! My mom even goes one step further and re-uses her Chinese take-out or used plastic cottage cheese containers, for example, for lunches. She just washes and stacks them in her tupperware cabinet. I like this idea as long as you don’t reheat in these containers. Sprout Baby offers tons of toxin-free and reusable choices on their website.

-Give up Starbucks? No way!
As far as my beloved coffee goes, I’ve found a way to save without having to give it up. At Starbucks, I order a Short Regular Coffee. I spice it up myself with Half & Half, Raw Sugar, and sometimes even cinnamon or vanilla. All of these condiments are at the self-serve bar. They don’t advertise that they offer “short”, so be sure to ask for it. This costs me about $1.50 and I still get to “indulge” in an old habit. At home, I use milk, which we always have on hand anyway, instead of buying the specialty creamers.

-Start a garden
Since my husband is a chef, he loves using fresh herbs in his cooking. It’s hard to keep fresh on hand and can get expensive. Even the little plastic bottles from the grocery store can add up when you have to restock the whole pantry! We’ve started planting and re-rooting herbs and keeping a low-maintenance herb garden in a corner of our backyard. It’s a fun activity for us, too! I suppose we could go a step further and start a bigger and better garden with veggies, too, but not now. Maybe when Ellie starts school!

-Buy for next season
Ellie can wear the cutest things stores have to offer at a fraction of the price. The deals are AMAZING! She can wear adorable and well-made clothes from even “upscale” stores for dirt cheap when I think ahead to next season. I bought her a Christmas dress for Christmas 2010 during the after-Christmas sale in 2009. She has an $80.00 dress that I got for $14.99 from Janie & Jack. I just added 12 months to her current size and got a deal. The best part comes next Holiday Season when I can already check “Ellie’s Midnight Mass” outfit off my list! It works for Halloween, Easter + bathing suits, too.


These ideas are simple and I’m sure you can think of a ton others, too. Get saving and don’t forget to put the savings-even if it’s just $5 here and there-in your “future home” account. Keep the prize in mind when the going gets tough!

Happy Down-Payment Saving!