Well, I don't have the pictures I was hoping for, but I'll go ahead and post anyway. :)
So, this past month, I've gotten hooked on coupons and sale items. It all started with a blog called "Money Saving Mom" and a friend. Within that month, I have been able to cut our grochery bill in half! (I realized I would be saving some, but not HALF!)Sometimes on the radio, I hear the ad with the chipper lady saying, "..You get such a good feeling from saving money at the grochery store...." and I must admit, I didn't really believe her. "Sure, it would be nice," I thought, "but it wouldn't make much difference to me." BUT.....I found out it's true! It really is fun to search for the right deal, and keep my eyes open for sales and coupons. It's so fun to come home from shopping and tell Mathew, "Look, look! We saved $40 today" and to see him smile. (I think sometimes he's not smiling for the same reasons I am! lol)
Anyway....here are some tips I've learned so far about deal hunting and money saving....
- Look for coupons. I started out with no coupons, and now have a nice stack. I find coupons online (Coupon.com and Target.com), in the newspaper (sometimes they are rather inconspicuous), and in our advertiser (Walmart, Pamida, Pizza Hut), at work (co-workers have an envelope downstairs of coupons they don't use).
- Watch the ads. I've noticed, that if I watch the ads every week, I can see what grocheries are on sale, as well as other things (like batteries or clothes etc). If I see a brand name item (like Duracell or something), I go online and Google search for "*brand name item* coupon." For instance....I found a coupon for Nature Made Vitamins ($3.00 off) and I used two of those coupons while there was a sale at Walgreens for Buy One Get One Free. So the vitamins, normally $10 each, ended up being about $3.oo each)
- Use your head. Just because something is on sale, or even a bargin deal, think about if you really need it or not. I've made the mistake a couple times of getting a "good deal", when actually, I wouldn't bought the item ever if it hadn't been on sale, and I still haven't used it. Also, you can often double up coupons at stores like Target, Walgreens, and Walmart. So, use a coupon + a sale price and get a good deal.
- Don't waste your time. Coupon hunting can be time consuming. I realize that, although I like to surf the internet and spend my time store hopping, it's really not the best use of my time. Sure, God wants me to be wise, but He doesn't want me to be stingy with money or flustered with people and family or rushing past what's important to Him just because I'm in search of a good deal! I've found a small folder to keep my coupons in, I've bookmarked my favorite and easiest coupon web pages, I've limited myself to shopping twice a week (one main trip, one quick run) and to searching the internet once or twice a week.
One last thing. Here is a list of my favorite web sites to check on deals:
4 comments:
Good job on cutting your food budget in half. That is exciting!
Your comment about Mathew smiling made me laugh. When I tell Ken that I have saved money and he smiles, I pretty much know that he is not smiling because I have saved money but because he thinks I have a silly grin on my face and he finds me "cute".
you are both so right about husbands smiles! it made me laugh out loud too. :)
I see I wasn't the only one to get a big grin on my face with your Mathew comment. I'm so glad I finally found your blog, now I'm going to have to find everyone else's in my spare time that I don't have. I sat down at the computer to work and it's been almost an hour and I haven't started that work yet. Oops. I love your blogs!! Keep 'em coming!
Love ya!
One more thing... thanks for the coupon links! Those will help a lot... whenever I get my printer hooked up anyway.
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