All of My Money Saving Tips & Tricks!

All of my Money Saving Tips & Tricks!

Ways to Save on Clothing, Grocery, Gasoline and More – 

*Plan your trips – make a list.  If your budget is really tight you need to stick to it!  For myself, I see what is on sale, what I have coupons for that week, and then make a menu.  I make my list from that menu so I know exactly what is needed.

*To go along with the above, before you make your list - shop your own pantry and freezer and what meals you could potentially make from what you already have at home.  This can really add up to big savings - often we buy what we don't need because we don't take inventory or get creative with meal ideas.

*Shop at your local farmers’ markets for produce items. You can get a list of them HERE.

*Grow a garden, it can be as small as spices/herbs you grow in your kitchen or as large as a huge one in your yard with all your favorite vegetables and fruits.  Either way you will save money and have tastier, healthier foods.

*Here is one of my favorite money saving ideas and it is not used by as many people as it should be.  Look around your town! Are there factories that product juice, meats, frozen foods, storage items and other things? Call them and see if they sell direct to the public!  Rubbermaid Factories do this and so does Pilgrim’s Pride.  I save big on chicken products and more at my local Pilgrim’s factory.

*Another often over-looked way to get huge savings it to find a local discount bread store.  These are so awesome!  You can get so much more than just bread too.  I buy snack cakes, crackers, chips, fruit pies, bagels, English muffins, tortillas, gravy mix, and more.  My store also gives me a free loaf of bread for every $5 I spend. You can check your local area for Hostess (also, Wonder),Holsum, and Schwebel stores. My local store is a Flowers Store - they make Nature's Own, Sunbeam, TastyKakes, Cobblestone Mill, Mi Casa and many other of my favorite brands.  I could not find a directory of locations for this company, but I am sure you can do a google search for your area to see if you have one around.  Or you can check out their website and use the contact us form at the top.

*Shop at discount grocery chains, like Jewell Osco, Aldi’s and Super 1 Foods, you may have to bag or box your own groceries at some of these stores, but you can find great deals on many products.

*Price match! This is one of my favorite techniques for saving money.  I live in a small town without many big chain grocers.  I buy a newspaper from a bigger town that has the grocery ads in it from big chains like Kroger and Albertson's, plus my local smaller stores ads.  I pour through these and make a list of what is on sale that my family needs.  Then I check my coupon sites to get the coupons I need – often resulting in double savings on many products. Wal-Mart, Target, Meijer's, and a few other stores will price match.  To make it simple, I mark on my list what store has the item on sale and their price.  When I go to check out I group all of my priced matched items together to keep it simple for both me and the cashier. Then after this is done, I redeem my coupons too.  You can do the same and see a big difference in your shopping bill.

*Buy in bulk! I don’t do this often myself due to limited space, but I have friends and family members who swear by this technique.  Costco and Sam’s club are the best known stores for buying in bulk to save.  So, while I don’t use these stores – I do buy meat in bulk and bring it home to break down into smaller packages.  Meats are much cheaper when you buy the big family packs.  I have a freezer on my side porch to store extra that does not fit in the house fridge.

*Look for unadvertised specials!!!  Sometimes I pop into a local store just to see what their specials are for the week and it can really pay off for me. My local Super 1 has 4 weekly specials that do not show up in their sales ad, and can only be found by entering their store.

*Talk to the store managers and employees! Many can tell you about display products you can buy at a cheaper price, if a sale is coming up soon and you may consider waiting to purchase select items to get that better deal, or even just ask if you can get a better price.  Sometimes that works too.

*Shop clearance racks – buying out of season can save you big money!  I seriously love shopping clearance sections.  Not just at retail stores, although I will say that Kohl's, Sear's, Beall's, and Cato Stores have given me some of the most amazing bargains.  Your grocers and drugstores often have clearance sections too - ask them where to find them.

*Sign up for discount/savings cards and clubs.  Many stores have this and offer discounts on special days and/or have exclusive savings for card holders only.  I'll soon make a list of some of my favorites - but I can already recommend that you sign up for CVS, Walgreen's, and Rite-Aid, plus your local grocers.  And don't forget to add them to your SavingStar account - where you can load coupons direct to your shopping card and skip the coupon printing.

*Promo codes and coupons – Ebates is one of my favorite places to find them, you just type in the store name and boom it gives you a list of all the big sales at that store.  Many don't need promo codes at all, but the ones that do will be listed there for you. AND you earn cash back! If you don't see your store listed, you can do a Google search.

*Get on email lists for your fave stores and restaurants. They will send you sales alerts, promotional codes, coupons and even freebies sometimes. I'll be making a post with a list of these for you soon.

*Join retail sites and use your referral links to get shopping credits.  I'll soon make you a list of some of my favorites to get hook you up!

*If you are a huge lover of beauty products, sign up for clubs that send a monthly box of products.  With most of them, you get way more than you pay for if you had bought the products individually. Most subscriptions to these services run $10 to $20 a month.  I am going to pair up with some of my beauty blogger friends and get you a list of their top picks.

*If you use a credit card to charge items, pay them off before they are due or make larger payments than required so that you pay less or no interest.

*Shop outlet stores – this is one of my favorite ways to save.  My closest outlet stores both have savings cards and rewards.  I get discounts emailed to me and when I shop I earn credit towards a coupon for a future purchase.  You can find many outlet stores HERE.

*Join survey sites, not only do they compensate you with some form of payment but many also offer product testing!  

*Use a credit card to buy gasoline – no I am not crazy! Most gas stations offer big savings on gasoline when you use their credit card – Wal-Mart does this too!  BUT there is a catch – you need to pay off the purchase before it is due otherwise you will pay interest and it is not worth the discount you just got.  I do this at Wal-Mart every week; I fill up at the station using my Wal-Mart credit card, saving 15 cents per gallon. Then, I turn right around, go into my Wal-Mart store with my receipt and my credit card and make the payment for the amount I just spent at the pump. 

Don’t be a snob! Shop at thrift, resale, & consignment stores and yard-sales too!  You will often find hidden treasures! Big, name-brand and designer brand items that have never been used and sometimes they even have the original store tags on them.  I find this all the time at mine.

*Compare prices from online deals to in-store prices! Sometimes you can find a better deal.   And I know, I know already what you are going to say – “I don’t want to pay for shipping because then I haven’t saved any money!!!”  There are ways around this most of the time… First, check for free shipping promo code offers.  Next, check to see if they offer free shipping to your local store where you can pick it up on your next trip.  Finally, it may be worth it to join places like Shop-Runner which give you 2-day shipping.  You can sometimes get this membership for free, just watch for the special promotions.  Amazon Prime is a great investment if you shop on their site often!

*Step outside of your normal shopping habits.  Look for deals at places you wouldn't normally do.  I may not have anything in mind to buy, but I often check sites to see what is on them that day. My favorite online only shopping sites are Ebay, Amazon, Nomorerack, and 1SaleaDay.  I have gotten some of the bargains ever on these sites.  I am talking about getting things like a Wet Seal new Military Jacket for just $2!  Super buys!

*Be sure to join Klout, Vocalpoint, BzzAgent, Smiley360, and SheSpeaks to get some great freebies or product coupons.  I get the most freebies from Klout myself.  Also, follow your favorite brands and stores on Facebook and Twitter.  You can get awesome deals and free stuff from many of them.

*My last tip is to make a day or evening of it - saving can be really fun!  Take a trip to flea market and make a day of searching out unexpected savings and treasures.  If you aren't up for a lot of walking, my other favorite place to save money on all kinds of items is to go to auctions!  I seriously filled my house with furnishings and decor from a local auction house!  I saved so much money, it was unreal and I had a ton of fun.  But remember when you go to these places to have a budget and stick to it.  I recommend taking cash to avoid the urge to super-splurge - which is very easy to do.  You also may want to take a truck or van if you plan major shopping ventures like I did when I furnished my home.  Auction houses require pick up with in a couple of days, and you'll save gas and time if you go prepared to take your haul with you when you leave.

*This list may grow in the future  -  if you have tips and tricks you would like to share, if you learned a new way to save, or see many of your fave strategies here, comment and let me know!  I'd love to hear from you!