Best Money Saving Tips Contest

[#1]

I do several basic things to save money that anyone can do.

First, we have a wonderful children's resale shop in our area.  I take items there that we are no longer using.  Once those items sell (all of mine have), then I have a credit to use in the store.  That is where I purchased all but one of my son's birthday and Christmas presents.  So, I will only end up spending $30 for gifts for him this year.

For groceries, I try to only buy items on sale with a coupon.  Then I follow up in the "dented can aisle" where I can also use coupons and walk away with almost or actually free items.  Other that that I try to buy meat, dairy and produce at the best price possible.  A great tip is powdered milk.  I buy the wal-mart brand and I save almost three dollars when its all said and done.

For meals, I try to stretch a meal as far as it will possibly go.  For instance, Pan seared pork chops and rice with a green salad for dinner turn into pork fried rice the next night.  The left overs then go into my husband's  and son's lunches the next day.

None of this is hard or mind boggling, but all very doable!

thanks!

[#2]

Lesson 1:  Label everything that your kids take or wear to school!

Lesson 2:  Check the lost and found before you re-purchase missing items!

Here in the Northeast it is already cold enough for the kids to wear hats and mittens to school everyday.  My kids had already lost a mitten each and a scarf!  I stopped at the school to hunt through the lost and found box - behold the treasures!  I not only found our missing mittens and scarf, but I was able to reunite many items with their owners.  I pulled out my cellphone and called all the moms who had labelled their kids clothing with names and numbers.  They were so grateful to know where the missing items were!  The school custodians and staff are too busy to call parents about every missing item, so be vigilant about checking if you are missing things.  Do not go out and re-purchase these cold weather necessities when they are just waiting to be claimed.  I did feel badly about seeing an expensive calculator and some books in the lost and found, as well as many baseball caps, loose keys, and T shirts - none had names or numbers anywhere!

[#3]

Money Saving Tips (with the holidays in mind!)

1. Use old maps as wrapping paper.  Check you closet and car and see if they are expired or check with your local auto club to see if they have expired ones on hand (if you catch them at the right time they have oodles they are ready to throw away!)  Also, you can change the look of the maps by wiping them with strong tea or coffee and letting them dry.
2. Candles are expensive!  Put candles that are two low to burn in the freezer to free the wax from the jar.  Once loose I put the wax chunks into an old crock pot (the mini crock pots work best and are very inexpensive).  They melt and release their wonderful fragrance – you can even mix scents together!
3. Look for gift certificate bonuses.  Many stores offer bonus gift certificates when you buy a certain amount (ex. For every $100 you buy – get another $25.00 FREE).  Even if you are not going to give these as gifts make sure to stock up if it is a place you frequent!  If you eat at a restaurant every week for $25.00, on the fifth week your meal would be free! TIP: Fancy salons and spas often offer deals like this too!
4. Use coupons to make themed baskets.  Coupons are a great way to get things cheap (or FREE).  Coupons are most often for food, household, and personal items.  Be creative and put items purchased with coupons together into themed baskets.  Especially great for someone with a new house, new sponges and cleaning products can make cleaning exciting ( at least a little).
5. Buy memberships.  It’s a great time of year to look for specials on memberships to museums, zoos, and aquariums.   Last year I got two memberships to our local aquarium for $50.00.  The normal entrance fee is $18.95 per person, so for less than the cost of two visits we had a year long membership.  That isn’t the only way it’s helped us save money- now on boring weekend mornings we just go to the aquarium to pass the time (and learn) instead of seeing a movie or going to the mall.
6. Get together with friends AFTER the holidays.  Planning a get together with old friends can be hard because everyone is busy with other holiday engagements.  Get together with them between Christmas and new years when the holiday spirit is still strong but gifts are half price!
7. This tip won’t save you money this year, but will next year.  When taking down decorations toss anything that needs replacing and head to your local discount store after Christmas to stock up on decorations. 
8. This goes along with the tip above.  After Christmas is a great time to buy wrapping paper for next year.  I also shop for solid colors and non holiday prints like stripes and dots that can be used for birthday wrapping throughout the year.  No more paying $3.99 a roll for something that’s going to get torn up and tossed away.
9. Ok – One last after Christmas tip.  Some discount stores discount products they normally carry if they have a Christmas design on the packaging.  This goes for things like soda, candy and snacks.  I’ve seen people buy brand name soda for $.25!
10. Good Luck and Save lots!

Message Edited by Wizzie on 12-02-2008 05:51 PM

[#4]

1)    Join or start a local coupon/savings group online.  You can share information on sales in the area,  swap coupons and share your success stories.
2)    Price shop and know what the prices are for items your family uses on a daily basis. This will help you know a good deal when you see one.  Know the coupon/return/price adjustment policies of the stores you frequent.  Stock pile items when they are on sale AND you have coupons. 
3)    Always take your coupons into the store with you.  Check clearance racks and match coupons to them.
4)    If you need to buy something that wasn’t planned, look online for a coupon for that item or the store.  Remember a lot of stores will accept competitor coupons. Just ask.
5)    Buy and stock free or cheap items all year and have a gift closet.  This saves time and money when you need to get a gift.
6)    Read blogs from other people who are trying to save just like you.  Learning and sharing together we can all succeed. 

7) Register all your CC and store cards with Upromise and have your family do the same.  It adds up quickly!  We have been a Upromise member forover 7 years now and it's helped us save where we otherwise would not have.

Can't wait to read everyone else's tips!

Merry Christmas

[#5]

Merry Christmas everyone!!  There are lots of great tips already listed that I use.  I would like to add a few easy ones of my own. 

Reuse/recycle your water bottles!  This will save the landfills and put lots of $$ back into your pocket.  My husband washes his out every night & refills from the filtered water in our frig to take back to work w/him.  We also do this for road trips.  My daughter does this for her gymnastic practice.  I know it doesn't seem like much, but you'll have a healthier drink, save your money & help the planet...all make you feel great

The internet is a great source for saving money.  Upromise helps to save your $$ for your kids education while you shop (and saving back money isn't always the easiest thing to prioritize).  Lots of great sites give strategies for using manufacturer's coupons on top of store savings to stretch your dollar. For example save your coupons to use when an item goes on sale, this will further your savings. This is also a great way to help w/charitable giving! I will share the sites I've used if you'd like to reply. Let's face it, whether you're struggling financially or have enough cash to pay, who doesn't like to have extra money they've saved to do something wonderful!  Happy saving!!

[#6]

Good morning everyone!

Yesterday's excursion was a trip to the dentist - which prompted me to think about ways to save money on health and dental bills!  Here are my thoughts:

Encourage your kids to brush, floss and use a dental rinse at least twice each day.  Not all fillings, e-rays, etc are completely covered by all insurance, so prevention is the name of the game!

Ask your dentist for a family discount!  I will save two co-pays on our next visit by bringing in all four family members at once.  One adult and child can have their teeth cleaned together while the others play in the waiting room - then switch!

Be sure your child wears a mouth guard while playing contact sports...'nuf said!

To save on prescription costs, make sure that you and perhaps your childrens' grandparents are taking generic drugs whenever possible. 

Shop around for the best prescription prices, even on generics they can vary widely!  Be sure your pharmacists know about all the medications the patient takes so they can be alerted to possible drug interactions.

Wishing you a happy and healthy - hopefully wealthy - New Year!

[#7]

I play “the Drugstore Game,” which I learned by reading a blog called MommySnacks. Basically, by planning your shopping at CVS, clipping coupons and taking FULL advantage of their ECB “Extra Care Bucks” program, I never have to pay for toothpaste, razors or other key toiletries. 

Here’s a sample of how it works:  you buy a certain toothpaste for $3, and you get $3 back in CVS bucks, that you can spend like cash in the store.  And you also use a $1 coupon, so you are getting basically free toothpaste plus a dollar in profit. 

Each week, MommySnacks publishes the CVS sales and tells you how to stack coupons to get the best details.  Actually, numerous blogs do this but I want to honor Andrea at MommySnacks for two reasons:  1.  Hers is the first I read, and 2.  She encourages all her readers to bless others with the free/discounted items.  Because of her encouragement, I found a local shelter who gratefully accepts my toiletry donations (I have eight tubes of toothpaste and two jars of peanut butter in a bag by the door to take to them this week). 

I encourage all of you to visit her site and learn from her great advice.  (It's much more than just the CVS tips!)   Happy Holidays to all!

[#8]

As a one income military family, the one thing I do that saves us the most $$$ on a daily basis is pack a lunch for my husband to take to work. The cost of eating out really adds up and not only that but it is unhealthy too. Another advantage of this is that my husband gets to come home earlier because he doesn't to take time out of his day to go get food anywhere. More time with the family = priceless!

[#9]

Hello everyone! Happy Holidays to all. I would like to share some tips on saving money during these tough financial times.

• If you are employed, wake up a little earlier and make your own breakfast. It doesn't have to be a full course breakfast like IHOP. It could simply be something like oatmeal, cereal, toast, bagels, eggs... Think about this... If you spend a minimum of $3 every morning for breakfast, that is $15 a week (considering you work 5 days a week). That equals to $60 per month for breakfast only. I don't know about anyone else, but I could put that $60 towards a bill for that month or even savings.
• Make your own coffee in the morning before leaving to work. The minimum amount for a cup of coffee is more than likely $1, but if you go to Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts, forget about it. You will be paying $3 or more depending on the kind of coffee you get. Purchase a $20 coffee pot, buy your own coffee, and you will save plenty of money. Trust me I was one of those coffee purchasers every morning. Now I save tons by making it myself.
• Pack your own lunch to work every single day. The average lunch per day cost any where from $5-$8 per day. Calculate: If you spend $5 per day for lunch, that equals to $25 per week, $100 per month. If you spend $8 for lunch per week, that equals to $40 per week and $160 per month. If you are buying breakfast and lunch every day, you are spending even more.
• Go food shopping when you are full. We tend to shop more when we are hungry. Also clip coupons from the newspaper on Sundays or go online to get coupons. Use the store savings card as well when you go food shopping. Don't bring your children because they will make you spend more. Try to purchase only the basic needs and very little snacks. They are fattening anyway.
• Do not use your credit cards all the time. If you don't "really" need it, dont buy it. Call credit card companies, and try to lower your interest rate. They wont always do it, but it is worth a try.
• Set up a direct debit from an online savings acct like ING Direct. You can set up a debit for any amount on any day, to go from your checking or savings to an online bank acct like ING. This can be done automatically or you can transfer the funds yourself. This is great bcz if the savings is done automatically, it begins to accumulate, and before you know it, you have a little stash. Yay!!! You can also stop the debit at any time and there is no minimum amount to keep in the acct. Try it!
• If you absolutely do not need to purchase something, do not go to the stores. This is temptation. Stay away!
• Limit the amount of times you go out to eat. Try staying in and cooking. It will save you money.
• If you need to buy clothing, go to the sales racks. You can also purchase clothes at thrift shops or yard sales.

I have many more savings tips, but I have to go now. I will try to post some more tips this weekend. Enjoy.

[#10]

Being on a very fixed income, I have to cut corners wherever possible. This is a constant vigilance every month since my income is one check a month.

The first thing I do is log on my Kroger (grocer) account and look at the current ads, then print coupons through Kroger. Secondly, I go to Procter and Gamble website I have registered at through Kroger to download coupons onto my Kroger Plus Card so as to save money and save paper at the same time. Third, I check with my registered coupon.com account and see if they have anything I can use that month.  Because I am a Kroger shopper and usually spend over $200/month, Kroger has sent me valuable coupons for free items for stuff I already buy. This month I saved over $50 just in my coupons, Kroger Plus Card, and free stuff.  Since I already spend at least $50 a month on gas for my car (1 tankful a month), I save $0.10 per gallon for every $100 I spend on grocercies. I will be receiving a Kroger 1-2-3 Rewards Mastercard soon. This will allow me to save an additional $0.05 per gallon for every $100 spent on grocercies from Kroger and their partners. Since my budget consists of an alottment of at least $50 a month for fuel, I will charge my gas and pay my card off in full every month, therefore saving money and not paying interest and finance charges.

 For online shopping, I always go through Upromise.com and once I found what I am looking for, I open another tab (Firefox) in my browser and checkout www.retailmenot.com for coupon savings and/or free shipping codes.  I have noticed lately that Upromise has started that on their site, so I compare savings between Upromise coupon codes and retailmenot.com codes to see which is the better savings. I also sign up for email newsletters for extra savings

When your budget only consists of less than $1200 a month, you have to squeeze the penny until it screams!

Happy Holidays Everyone!