It’s official…the lazy days of summer are behind us. The kids are back in school and before long we’ll be watching the leaves change and planning our Thanksgiving menus. I know what you’re saying…Claire, please don’t start talking about the holidays, it’s only August! I hear you, people! But if your life is anything like my own, days flash by like hours, weeks like days, and months like weeks. So it’s no surprise that it’s tough sometimes to plan for big events, like holidays, or even sit down and plan out meals and budgets for the week.

But here are three things you might want to put back on that to do list. They’ll save you money and they’ll force you to slow down. Who knows what you might discover when you take a step back from that hectic schedule?

1. Grocery shopping. Stick with me, people! I know that grocery shopping wasn’t ever OFF your to-do list, but it might be worth it to take a little time and plan it out. Grocery list? Yes! Clipping coupons? Yes! Planning meals? Yes! On average, American throw away as much as 25% of the food they buy at the grocery store because it goes bad before they use it. My family has been eating out WAY too much lately. Fast food or restaurant, it’s not as healthy or as cost effective as what I can make at home. So I am dedicating my energy to eating at home and enjoying the extra savings that comes with it.
2. Paying, but also looking at, your bills. Nobody likes paying bills. I love budgeting, and even I don’t like paying bills. But I do like finding out when I’ve been overpaying for something and adjusting accordingly. Did you know that up to 85% of mobile phone users overpay for data every month, and could save over $20 on average by switching to a lower limit?
3. Time for your check-up! Staying on top of your health is a must and there’s really no reason to avoid those annual visits to the doctor or the dentist…except they’re no fun. And you’re busy! And you feel fine! But ignoring preventative care can result in costly procedures down the road, in terms of your health and your wallet. When it comes to your health, ignorance is NOT bliss. So make an appointment.

We normally make big plans at the beginning of the year and we set our goals pretty high. But by the end of August, a lot of us, myself included, are caught up in the day to day. There’s nothing wrong with that, and I definitely enjoy those daily routines: dinner with my family, bedtime stories with the kids, a walk with Moose. But there’s still time to reach for those goals you set way back at the beginning of the year. If getting your finances in order was part of this year’s plan, make sure you stop into Afena Federal Credit Union. That’s one more way you can save money; sit down with Lisa, Nikita, Steve or Jason. They’ll help you find where you’re overpaying, whether it be on a high interest credit card or overpriced auto loan. And then you can get back to your day. I’m Claire, the Afena blog mom. Thanks for reading.