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While, the main purpose of this site is to show you how you can earn money on the side, sometimes the best way to earn money is to save money. There are a lot of great sites out there completely focused on techniques for saving money, so I’m not going to devote too much time to the topic. However I would like to give you a few basic tips that will help you keep more cash in your pocket.
Like our post on buying groceries with your stimulus check, the ability to maximize the dollar you spend is just like getting free money in the bank. So here are a few pointers that will help you to make sure you are spending as little as possible.
Tip #1 – COUPONS
I know…I can actually see you rolling your eyes, but I am 100% serious. I even have my skeptic of a boyfriend hooked. He loves to call me and gloat about how much he saved at the end of his shopping trip. You can save a LOT of money on groceries (and just about anything) by using coupons. Here are a few of my hints:
- Buy or subscribe to the Sunday paper. This is where most of the grocery coupons lie. Some stores even have shorter ‘special’ sales- one or two days of the week (usually Monday or Tuesday) that they run additional specials to coincide with the weekly coupons. These sales can sometimes give you HUGE SAVINGS!
- Only cut coupons for items that you will actually use. If you don’t have a cat, don’t cut out cat food coupons- no matter how great of a deal it is.
- Shop at stores that offer double coupons. This is a must. One large chain has recently done away with double coupons in some markets. I hope they are feeling the heat from consumers to bring them back. Your store might have a double coupon day- USE IT! Double coupons drastically increase your savings and the effort is minimal on your part. Many times you can actually receive items for free when you use double coupons.
- Get a coupon organizer. Keep it in your car or purse and make sure to throw out expired coupons. Guys…you don’t have to break it out on a hot date, but if you have it close by, you’ll use it more often. Having trouble deciding where to have lunch? Flip through your coupons and you’ll probably find something yummy- for a discount! Below you will find some Amazon links to some great coupon organizers. They are cheap and work great, so pick one up.
E-Z Coupon Holder by Jokari
Coupon Organizer
- Look for other types of coupons. Junk mail may be junk mail by definition, but there are also lots of coupons in there that are regularly thrown away. The Pennysaver is great because it is tailored to local markets so that the coupons included will be close to your home. Bed Bath and beyond sends 20% off coupons to me all the time. I even collect the extras that my neighbors throw away in the mail room. Even better is that other chains, like Linens n’ Things, will accept competitors coupons so there is really no reason to pay full price for for home items at either of these two stores.
Tip #2 – Buy an Entertainment Book (or something similar).
The Entertainment book is full of “Buy One – Get One Free” type offers for all kinds of things from fine dining to oil changes. You pay one price (either $10, $20, or $40) depending on the book you choose and you can start saving immediately. There is usually a book specific to your hometown, so you get lots of coupons for local restaurants and national chains.
Even better…
- Local charitable organizations and schools sell these books around the beginning of the school year. By purchasing a book through them, you can save money while doing something good for your community as well.
- Buying the book later (closer to the expiration date) you can possibly get the books at half price. I just got an email offering the $20 book for $9.99 for the summer. The coupons all expire in November, but that is plenty of savings time while the weather is nice and the kids are out of school.
- Buying the book before going on vacation is a great way to discover local businesses and save cash while traveling. I have purchased books for Boston, New York and Hawaii and used them while on vacation.
Tip #3 – Look For Special Discount Sites
One site that I really love is Goldstar where you can sign up for half-price concert and event tickets as well. They send me emails about ½ price or deeply discounted theatre, concert and sporting event tickets. These services make it much more palatable to take the family out for an evening. Signing up for Goldstar is free and it is well worth it.
One other way I have found for discounts is to check your local television and radio station websites (especially if you are in large market areas) for half price discounts on lots of different gift certificates. There are several stations in my area that have online offers for gift certificates at half price about once per week. I got $100 worth of gift certificates for a fine dining beach front restaurant for $50. It is definitely a place I would eat at anyway, so I count it as money in my pocket.
For some more great tips on frugal living and using coupons, check out these great blogs:
Do you have more money saving tips? Let us know! With the price of gas and food and just about everything else on the rise, we need all the help we can get!
Stumble it!
Thanks for the link.. and great post! I’m still buying cat food for my imaginary cat though!
Actually, I feed the strays outside with it..
Kimberlys last blog post..StayFree
Exactly what I do! Great advice! It’s amazing how much we can save. In Orlando, we are lucky because our local newspaper now offers subscriptions at STEEP discounts. What’s more, our leading supermarket chain honors competitor coupons. In our area Albertsons and Winn-Dixie often run $5 coupons in the newspaper on Wednesday or Sunday. With a CHEAP subscription to the newspaper, I clip that coupon and take it to Publix, paying for the whole week of the newspaper and then some. It’s a sweet deal!
Mr. Sustainables last blog post..Top 7 Ways to Tell You’re a Global Warming Loser – Way 5 of 7: Get Out (Natural Deficit Disorder Will Stunt Your Retirement Years)
Hey! Thanks for commenting on my blog and thanks for the heads up on the deals.
–I always clip coupons.. Hubby is amazed on how much money I save each time I go to the market.. I usually buy two newspapers and I get one delivered.
Have a good one!
Lisas last blog post..What is your favorite electronics store?
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Great tips on saving money. Some people have an aversion to flashing their coupons during their purchase, I think that is foolish, why act rich when the few pennies saved could be useful in paying other bills?
Jeff
http://jeflin.net
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I find that a good way to save on groceries is to never shop on an empty stomach. Plus,only shop with a list.
Also, learn to cook. There are numerous sites on the internet with quick and easy recipes to use. When you buy prepared meals or items : they sometimes do not taste as good, and are hugely more expensive compared to if you were to prepare them yourself.
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