My refrigerator door is dotted with colorful magnets holding coupons, business cards, photos, appointment reminders, and my grandson's art work. Prominently displayed in the center of the collection is a quarter-sized chip from a cabinet door in my outdated, 1980's kitchen. 
The beige Formica chip serves as an incentive for a much needed kitchen re-do. It is also a visual reminder that since I have no money for remodeling, the only way to have that new kitchen is to start saving up for it - by cutting expenses.
Inspired by my goal, I launched a savings plan. I started out in small steps, which I call "nickel and dime-ing." That first week, I clipped coupons for a savings of $8.75. Since I live alone and don't cook a lot, I was pleased. My bounty included one coupon for $1.00 off bagged salad, a $1.00 savings on the cat food I buy, two $1.00 coupons for the flavored coffees I prefer, and $1.00 off frozen pizza. The most valuable was a $3.00 coupon for the hair color product I use. Coupons for forty cents and thirty-five cents were applied to packaged deli-meat and sliced cheese. Instead of the expensive cookies I usually purchase, I bought the store brand. The cookies cost ninety-four cents and were as tasty as the pricey ones. Store brand potato chips went into my shopping cart for a hefty savings of over a buck.
During Week two of my nickel and dime savings campaign, I began packing my own lunches. A container of yogurt, a piece of fruit, and cheese and crackers made a tasty, inexpensive meal. Other lunch favorites: salad, or a sandwich of lunch meat and cheese (both purchased with cents-off coupons) and zip-lock bags of my store-brand chips and cookies. At the dollar store, I stocked up on shampoos, conditioners, lotions, and shower gels. Many of these grooming staples were at least half the price of grocery store products, as were cleaning goods and supplies.
That extra money left in my checking account at the end of the month will be transferred into a special savings account earmarked for my new kitchen. I'll count on tax refunds, bonuses, and extra savings to beef up the account, but my small-steps efforts are paying off. A nickel here, a dime there - soon there'll a dollar or two, then five, maybe ten bucks - that's what I call "nickel and dime-ing" my way to a new kitchen!
Joyce from Lakeland, FL
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Another nice way to save money is to never count the change in your checking account. What i do is when i write a check, when i put it in the check register, i round it up to the next dollar. When i deposit a check i round it down to the next dollar. In a few months youll be surprised how much you can save! Also its MUCH easier to balance your checkbook with only dollars to add and subtract! (smiles)
I'm not sure about FL but in AL where my parents live you get a tax break when you remodel and make it more energy effecient. The new windows, doors..etc were all a tax break. I understand your only doing a kitchen but check it out and keep it in mind!
Buy old fashioned popcorn and use it, saves big bucks over microwave kind. Don't waste money on other brands of bread besides Sunbeam. Catch it on sale and try it, Krogers sells it half off for a buck lots of times. After you've had it you won't go back to other brands! I buy it on sale and freeze it, love it.
You are very fortunate to be able to SAVE money from coupons. I MUST use coupons and any other specials just in order to be able to PURCHASE something, much less keep the "savings" somewhere for another use. I barely make it to the
third week of the month, but God is good and makes
certain that I have my needs met, regardless, and
the closer I stay to Him, the more of the "desires of
my heart" He surprises me with, even if curbside or
donated and sitting on my porch in the morning. Like
today I awoke to a huge 1 gallon new flower pot FULL of lovely large ripe cherry tomatoes, stems attached, from some precious neighbor whose heart was moved by God to share with us.
We got a complete new kitchen, mostly by using freecycle. "New" (to us) cabinets in nice condition, complete set. New stainless steel sink with garbage disposal, faucet, soap dispenser, sprayer and built in water filter.
When I was wanting a new kitchen sink I just happened to find a beautiful brand new one at a garage sale for $15! The gal said they pulled it from their brand new house they were moving to because she wanted granite! I was really wanting to go back to stainless after having the cast iron kind for so many years. This came complete with a very good and decorative faucet and sprayer as well...15 bucks and alls I had to do was get my hubby to install which he did the next day. You never know what you might find at garage sales or through the free sources as another posted but I think you gave some very nice tips for saving for something that you really want! We all could learn from that and just learn to be more frugal and less wasteful!
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