Saving money

[Yvonne Belisle]

I jus did great at the grocery store. After bonus buys and coupons I saved over $109. Watching those numbers drop sure felt good. It takes me 15 mins on Sunday to clip and sort my coupons and I spend a little time each day checking for deals on the net. That is a lot of money to make for such a small investment in time. I think it is made money when you consider these were things I had to buy anyway. How do you save money?

[IsisErin]

Although I don't have a family I am a student and money is tight. I buy from the 'Economy' ranges in supermarkets a lot. Most of the things in those ranges are okay but you need to watch when buying things like sausages, you're better just buying the slightly more expensive ones as you end up eating double the amount of economy ones.

I also collect coupons, look for the Buy One Get One Free offers, and I have loyalty cards for the places I buy things at frequently. Those schemes frequently give you 'free money', well, not free, but as I'm spending anyway it does add up. This Christmas my flatmates and I used our Tesco Clubcard points so we could have a really nice Christmas dinner. I often buy in bulk, but as I have no storage space in my kitchen and very little in my room I have to keep bulk-buying to a minimum.

[Yvonne Belisle]

You may be surprised where you can find storage space for nonperishables. If your couch is high enough you may be able to put cans in on soda trays so they slide out or under your bed. You can also take a box and toss a sheet over it for an instant table filled with surplus. If you can find a second hand trunk cheap they can be recovered and used for storage too they make great coffee tables. Cube shaped ones make great end tables.

[IsisErin]

Those are some good ideas! I will definitely keep those in mind!

I already have a small trolley/shelf unit where I keep most of my non-perishables. I honestly don't have any more space, as my room is tiny and I already have under-bed drawers full of books etc. Maybe when I move house, which will happen in about fourteen weeks, I will be able to use some of your suggestions.

[Flar's Freyja]

I used to do the coupon thing but just couldn't keep them organized, and when I did, I'd manage to lose them. Now if I know what I'm buying, I'll toss those coupons in my purse. I think I ended up clipping way too many, as I will buy a generic if the product price is cheaper than the name brand after the coupon.

I look for clearance and bargain items all the time, such as day old baked goods. Our Wal-Mart SuperCenter is one of the few that actually has a clearance area for grocery items. Family packages of meat are usually a lot cheaper, so when I have enough money to buy them I divide them up in freezer bags when I get home.

I buy almost all of my clothes on clearance racks and in thrift shops. I buy most of my cleaning supplies at dollar stores and household items at thrift shops - the Goodwill store here has an area with kitchen utensils, etc. that are still in packages.

This is one struggle that Flar and I are having. He sticks to name brands on everything. I generally buy name brand items only if they are on sale, I have a great coupon or they have proven to be better than the generic - such as with trash bags and ketchup.

[Yvonne Belisle]

They have great little file organizers now that work great for coupons. You can also get a binder and put in baseball card sheets. Organize the coupons by isle for the stores you use. You can see them at a glance that way. It is inexpensive and a binder fits well on a book shelf so it is out of the way yet it is large enough not to missplace. I spend about 15 mins a day online looking for coupons and deals and an exra 15 on Sundays. Over a typical month that time saves me about 4-5 hundred dollars. One hour and forty five minutes and I make over $100 for it, that is weekly. When you break it down to time is money and look at it that way then you are doing really well. There aren't a whole lot of jobs that pay that much.

[Faery-Wings]

Wow Eve, that is great! I typically save between $30 and $40 a week and spend about $70-$80 a week for my groceries. I ibought a little binder with clear pocket and keep that all organized and updated. I trade coupons with my mom for the things I use a lot. I also look a bit odd at the grocery store as I mumble to myself on costs as I do math in my head. :lol:

But it helps!

[Yvonne Belisle]

add a small calculator to your binder it will keep you sane :)

[Knight]

Thanks for the ideas! My girlfriend and I are on a very tight budget, and every opportunity to save is appreciated.

One resource, if you can find it (we have copies at our library) is the "Tightwad Gazzette". There are a couple of compilation books out, full of ideas for cutting costs. Some are a little wacky, but most are things anyone can do.

I love thrift stores. I discovered them when I started doing theatre, and needed affordable costumes. Then I realized, "Hey! There's a lot of great stuff here!" Also, check out flea markets. We have a couple of semi-permanent ones that set up in vacant shopping centers every weekend. You have to be picky (some of what they sell is crap!), but you can find some amazing deals, even on frivilous things. My girlfriend got me a 5 foot long two-handed sword at a little booth full of martial arts gear. The price? Thirty five dollars. try finding a deal like that at a Renaissance fair!

[Faery-Wings]

Originally posted by Yvonne Thomas

add a small calculator to your binder it will keep you sane :)
Too late!

:rotfl:

[Yvonne Belisle]

The people that do the tightwas gazette also do the website www.stretcher.com which I have sent people to several times :)

[Flutterby_whispers]

What an excellent thread! I'm an avid coupon user & am always amazed at how much I save, when I keep a tally of it. And thanks for the website suggestion, I'll have to go check it out :)

[Flar's Freyja]

This article regarding saving money on vehicle maintenance busts a few myths and also reminded me that I'd better plan to get my timing belt done soon :eek:

http://moneycentral.msn.com/content/Savinganddebt/Saveonacar/P37269.asp

[Faery-Wings]

Good link, Freyja, thanks!

Here are some online coupon links:
http://nesteggz.nesteggz.com/
http://www108.coolsavings.com
http://www.valupage.com/Entry.pst
http://www.smartsource.com

[Flutterby_whispers]

Originally posted by Freyja

This article regarding saving money on vehicle maintenance busts a few myths and also reminded me that I'd better plan to get my timing belt done soon :eek:

OH MAN timming belts are a sore subject in our home LOL Ours went a few weeks ago & cost us our entire tax return which we were hoping to use to pay off debts. Stupid cars lol I'm ready to go back to horse n' buggy lol

And great links you guys!!!!


Another thing you can do, that may seems small but imo isn't. Is buying those "earth bags" for grocery shopping. Their cloth & reusable & *most* grocery stores, at least in my area gives a discount to ppl who use them. :) AND their great for soo many other reasons too.

[cydira]

I'm just starting to get into the saving as much $ as I can. Of course, I've only recently moved out of my parents house. (I know, I know, 24 is a bit late, but I spent the last 4 years between their house and Baltimore, so I guess it can't be excused... sort of.) :)

One thing that I've found helps me *alot* is to go to the economy grocery stores. I've cut my weekly shopping bill by two thirds and I only go grocery shopping now every two weeks on that amount of money. Another thing that helps with thrift shops and second hand shops is to get to know the people who work there and who own the shop. If they know you, you're more likely to get a better deal and possibly even able to talk the price down some. Some times, they'll even give you stuff for free!

Garage sales and flea markets are somewhat chancy. You can get some good stuff (that sword bit is how I got my fiancee his claymore for $15) at a great price, but you can also get ripped off. The trick is being able to haggle with them. If you're in a rural area, go to the farmer's markets when they're up. You'll pay well below the cost at any grocery store.

Aside from that, baking your own bread is another possibility. By doing things like baking your own bread and making your own tomato sauce, you can save some money. It's something that has to be done on the basis of quantity though. If you can just one jar of tomatoes, you're not going to save much money. If you can one or two bushels of tomatoes, you'll have tomatoes into next season. That'll save you alot of money. The Cornell cooperative extension has information and classes on that up here. I hear that most other states have programs simmilar to that.

Gardening is educational for the kids, a stress reliever, and a way to save money too. If you're canning your own stuff like my mother did when I was a girl, you can grow your own bushel of tomatoes as well as some for the neighbors. If you live in a city, it may be harder to do your own private garden but I've heard of several areas that have set up a communal garden for the block in abandoned lots. There are some cities where people have taken the rooftop area of their apartment buildings and converted them into a group of raised bed gardens, allowing for the residents to have their own garden.

I could keep going. It's stuff like this that I'm starting to get into. Hopefully, I'll get to a point where I'm half as good as my Mom is at this stuff. :)

[Chibi-Fallon]

My father (like his father before him) is a saving money guru. He actually follows through on the rebates and documents the whole process. :rolleyes: But it's been helpful because sometimes the companies will try to rip you off and he can just pull out his little file (he has a file on *everything*) and prove what happened.
Most of my styles come from the goodwill and thrift stores (just because that's what I like). I can fit into the little kids stuff (which is always the coolest) which is like $1 a shirt, which is just awesome.
I find that now when I go to normal stores I go “I’m not paying $15 for a T-shirt!” You can find such cool stuff at some of those stores. Electronics are the only thing I don’t recommend buying there. Most of them tend to not work, but they let you test them (for the most part) in the store. It's just been my experience that you'll be hard-pressed to find something that works.

[Yvonne Belisle]

I just sent in three rebates last night. There have been some great ones in the paper lately. I am also happy because my favorite grocery store is doing tripple coupons on anything fifty cents or less this week.

[BethieRose]

I've stopped using coupons...sounds weird I guess. Instead I started buying mostly whole foods (which don't normally have coupons). By buying less processed foods, I save money and give my family healthier foods to eat.

I should do coupons for my other shopping items, but not getting the newspaper hampers that a bit. Plus I try to buy these items at dollar stores and such, depending on the quality I can find there.

I love thrift stores and Salvation Army for clothes! Best deals, ever! "Junk" shops are pretty fun too, especially for the miscellaneous frills. :)

Buying bulk is a must for cat food and several other things. We go to Sam's club for this. But we also watch for sales in the local grocery stores to see if they can compete with the big warehouse store for price.

blahblahblah...I'm babbling. :)

[Amethyst Rose]

Originally posted by BethieRose

I've stopped using coupons...sounds weird I guess. Instead I started buying mostly whole foods (which don't normally have coupons). By buying less processed foods, I save money and give my family healthier foods to eat.


Really?? When I did that my food budget went UP!
I don't really have a lot of money saving tips, which I should seeing as how I'm so short on money.... I do have my loyalty card for Safeway, and I usually save at least 10% when I use that. I shop for price, not for brand. I've never used coupons, although I'm not entirely sure why. I do like buying bulk when I can...I think I'm just too impatient to sit down and clip them. I had a membership at Costco (do they have that in the States? It's a bulk/warehouse store that sells everything from food to car tires) for a while and shopping there was a huge help.

[Raydreamer]

i save money by not having any to begin with!
:rolleyes: :p :cool:

[Flar's Freyja]

This is a new one that I haven't seen before, and I'll be trying next time there's a cat-astrophe around here. I read on IWon Today that plain, inexpensive foam shaving cream can get stains out of carpet.

Anyone ever tried it?

[ckynes1968]

I stay away from convenience foods. We buy meat on sale and then freeze it for later. We use those cheap little sandwich bags and put a chicken leg in each one, flip them close and then place the bags into a large freezer bag. We buy pork loins on sale and slice for our own pork chops. I also have a large garden and can and freeze our produce. Unfortunately, because I avoid the convenience foods, I don't use many coupons. They just don't seem to print coupons for staples like flour and sugar. We also shop at a store that only sells their own brand name.

[Flar's Freyja]

Little things that can help save up to $2,000 per year:

http://moneycentral.msn.com/content/Savinganddebt/Savemoney/P61288.asp?special=0401debt

[Semele]

Hey those are some cool tips. Thanks!

[Calyx]

I am a decent coupon clipper but tend to stuff them in drawers and forget about them. :rolleyes:
We buy bulk at Sam's Club whenever possible and stash things all over the house. Loyalty cards are also used frequently at the grocery stores and I have to admit I am a big fan of the dollar stores. They have really expanded their selections in the past coupe years and you can buy some good stuff!
Clearance racks, irregulars and so on are always ways to buy on the cheap. And don't forget eBay too!

Yvonne, I really need a coupon binder badly! Where can I get one?

[Flar's Freyja]

I am a decent coupon clipper but tend to stuff them in drawers and forget about them. :rolleyes:
We buy bulk at Sam's Club whenever possible and stash things all over the house. Loyalty cards are also used frequently at the grocery stores and I have to admit I am a big fan of the dollar stores. They have really expanded their selections in the past coupe years and you can buy some good stuff!
Clearance racks, irregulars and so on are always ways to buy on the cheap. And don't forget eBay too!

Yvonne, I really need a coupon binder badly! Where can I get one?

We haven't seen Yvonne in a while and miss her! I have seen them at dollar stores, and you can also use the ones that stationery and drug stores sell to file checks. They're a good size. Another option, although bulky, are those little boxes that you can use to file index cards. The box and dividers don't usually cost more than $2 or $3.

[Calyx]

We haven't seen Yvonne in a while and miss her! I have seen them at dollar stores, and you can also use the ones that stationery and drug stores sell to file checks. They're a good size. Another option, although bulky, are those little boxes that you can use to file index cards. The box and dividers don't usually cost more than $2 or $3.


I need one of the smaller sizes! I tried the index card box and it was just too big. I have to go to Target in the morning so I will check there to see if they have any of the small ones there. If not, there is always my beloved dollar store!
Thanks for the tips. :)

[fahawk]

Coupons, keeping items in the house to make meals from scratch with..alot cheaper to bake cookies, then buy already made etc..
Plus, the rule, wait io luxery items..if you still want it after a period of time, then consider buying it..lots of time the "whim" will pass, and you find you really dont need it, and can live without it..
dont charge, if you cant pay now, then wait...(hard one)
consumerism really is the pits, the way it sucks one in...just staying out of the stores..what you dont see, you dont want, wont miss... :)

[amberwolf]

most of the shops here do BOGOF buy one get one free so i tend to buy those and save alot every week i also shop alot in Iceland (the shop not place lol) where they do meal deals what i would spend on two meals i can get a whole weeks for the same price..the coupons here in the UK tend to be for the more expensive items I normally buy tescos stripey value stuff ie 9p for a tin of baked beans opposed to 54p for heinz at the end of the day its all the same food just packaged differently!