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101 Ways to Cut Your Daily Costs – From Debt Consolidation News

budget moneyThe internet is a wonderful tool. Over the past few years I have found valuable information that has helped me change the way I handle my money, increase my income from home and better educate myself about the world in general. I love the internet and I love finding information that will help our family reach the goal of gaining financial freedom.

101 Ways to Cut Your Daily Costs is an excellent article found on the Debt Consolidation News site on ways to cut spending. I have found from this large list that we have already implemented most of these tips. I also found some other tips that I would like to start implementing.
At the time of our financial low I had to use just about everyone of the ‘Honey I shrunk the grocery bill.’ tips. I the list of tips for saving on your grocery bill from the Debt Consolidation News site and added a few of my thoughts in bold letters.

Planning your grocery shopping carefully may help you save up to 20% or more.

1. Don’t shop from only one store. Pricing and sales vary widely on any given day from one store to the next. Of course, balance the savings from shopping around against the price of gas to get there. I don’t normally shop around unless I happen to see a great sale on meat or produce. Otherwise I usually end up spending more money than I intended.

2. Plan your weekly menu and shop accordingly. Avoid ‘crisis shopping’ for food items after work; you are likely to spend much more. Very, very good tip. Planning ahead can make a world of difference.

3. Be aware of the grocery store product placement strategy. Items that have highest markup are generally placed at chest level where they stand a better chance of being picked up. Stand to your toes or kneel down to have access to cheaper house or generic brands. I usually look for the sale tags first whether up high, down low or in between. Then I look for what prices are lower than the sale tags, if there is anything lower. Be sure you compare prices with the weight or count. Stores will often make one item look better with price when it fact is costing you more because your paying more per amount. Also if you are buying a generic brand for the first time be sure not to go overboard because it’s cheap. Sometimes the generic brands aren’t as good as name brands because of taste or usability. You will end up wasting instead of saving. Try buying one item the first time and then if the family likes it you can go back and buy more.

4. Try to follow your shopping list strictly and avoid stopping by attractive impulse purchase items on your way to the destination shelf. Agreed. Saving money often requires focus and sacrifice. Remember also that making things from scratch is not always cheapest. Example would be making a homemade apple pie might be more expensive than buying one. Things like produce and baked goods are often high prices especially “off season” (meaning not during holiday season). Plan your grocery list around what’s on sale instead of what you want you are craving.

5. Try shopping without your kids in tow. They help you buy those things that you never wanted to buy in the first place. Great tip. I can’t tell you how many times my kids say “Can I have?” while shopping. Though I do think you need to bring them along some of the time so they can learn about shopping and spending. It might be a good idea to give your child (if old enough of course) his own list so that he/she can stay occupied. I would also add that you need to include “treats” on your grocery trip. The treats don’t have to be candy or sweets. It could be the families favorite drink, fruit, meal or even a movie rental. I think it’s important to include these “treats” because being on a tight budget can be difficult at times especially for the kids. Plan your “treats” based on what you can afford but be sure the family recognizes that it is a treat.

6. Try not to be picky about brands. Try out new brands and you may get a fabulous ‘introductory’ discount. Flexibility is essential to sticking to a budget (yes I know that may sound odd). You can have a few of your favorite brands but overall you need to be flexible by using brands that are cheapest. I have found some great introductory discounted items and I have found some awful ones. Like I said before don’t go overboard because it’s a great price. Buy one or two items and if you like it then go back and buy more before the sale is over.

7. Don’t shop when you are hungry. Research says that you are likely to buy more when your stomach is growling. True. You will end up buying things that look good instead of staying focused on your list.

8. Scan your local newspaper daily for the best grocery sales. I usually use the grocery store flyer to make my grocery list. I start buy looking at what’s on sale and then I look in my recipe book for things I can make with the sale items.

9. Don’t be embarrassed to clip coupons from news papers and other periodicals and use them while paying your grocery bills. You could even visit your super-mall’s website and see if they provide online coupons. Oh! Let me tell you about coupons! At a time I was the self appointed Coupon Queen. Coupons are wonderful things if you use them right. It is important to stay focused on saving money though. Another important time to plan ahead is when using coupons. If you have a number of coupons it’s very important to categorize them. Otherwise you will be spending way to much time in the store trying to find that coupon “you know you have somewhere”. Eventually you will just get so frustrated you will just stop using them. Also don’t forget to shop for the best price. Don’t become obsessed with using the coupon just because you have one. Buy the way, the only thing you should be embarrassed about is not controlling your spending. If you are saving money clipping coupons then be proud that you are doing something to change your financial future.

10. Pay for coupons if you have to; it helps you trim your monthly grocery bill. There are a lot of national-brands coupon-offering services on the Web. Make use of them and order coupons for products that are relevant to you and see your grocery bill shrink. I have never heard of buying coupons from nation brands services on the Web but I have bought coupons from eBay (not sure if they still allow this). You can usually buy lots of 10-20 of the same coupon. If there is a great sale going on that won’t expire for at least the amount of time it takes to have them mailed to you.

11. Items such as painkillers and contact lens solutions cost more when you buy it from your grocer. Therefore avoid purchasing non-grocery items from these places. Most discount stores like Kmart and Walmart have much better prices on drug store items. Though sometimes grocery stores have some really good sales so be sure to check all the grocery store isles.

12. Look out for opportunities when the grocery shop lowers the price of items simply because they are approaching their expiration date. Buy and use them quickly. If you don’t know what to make for dinner tonight check out the “for quick sale” items.

13. Keep a calculator handy while shopping. This way you will be able to know if buying a case is significantly cheaper than buying stand alone items. Great tip! Be an active consumer. Don’t just believe it’s cheaper because it says it’s cheaper.

14. Check and total the items on the receipts before leaving the store. Sometimes you may be able to catch that error and save your self a lot of dollars and not to forget loads of hassle. I usually try and watch the items as they go through the scanner.

The other 87 tips are just as good as these fourteen. Some of the other tip topics include Trim your utility bill, Pay less at the hospital, Clothe yourself without killing your wallet, Limit phone expenses, Cut down while dinning out and more. Saving money is actually like making money. If you are saving the money you would have normally spent without planning then that is money that has stayed in your pocket. As a stay-at-home mom I have given myself the responsibility of ‘earning an income’ through savings. Keeping a budget requires being actively involved in where your money goes. By planning ahead and cutting costs you are doing more for your family than you may think.

Find more debt relief tips at Debt Consolidation News.

March 11, 2007 | Filed Under Financial Advice, Money Management Tips, Paying The Bills- Sponsored Ads, Saving Money with Coupons | 2 Comments 

Save Money with Coupons

I used to be considered the “Queen of Coupon Clipping”.  I was saving so much money on food and household items. It was my part time job really. My local grocery store offered double coupons at the time which made it possible for me to get things for free with my coupons. I would get free food, free tooth brushes and toothpaste.

I also bought coupons on ebay so I would have 10-20 of the same coupon. This meant I was getting 10-20 free toothbrushes. The store would only allow me to use 3 coupons at a time so I would go in often. It was great but like I said before it was like a part time job.  I had to look over the weekly and monthly sales booklet the stores offered and find out which sales went with which coupons. I didn’t have to do much coupon clipping because I bought many of my coupons on ebay already clipped.

It may be that over used my “coupon-savings power” because my store stopped offering double coupons. I was very irritated when this happend and almost stopped shopping there but then I realized that was silly. I was the one taking advantage of the system.

So my point here is that coupons can really save you money. If your store offeres double coupons and you are abe to really get incredible deals then USE THOSE COUPONS.

Here are some coupon usage tips from the “Queen”.

1. Don’t buy things you won’t eat or use even if it’s a killer deal.

2. Use your grocery story sales flyer or booklet and coupons to make your shopping list. You will save more money if you plan your meals around the sales.

3. Don’t buy too much junk food even if you are getting them almost free. You may end up with a pantry full of junk food but forget to get meals you can eat. I know this from experience. Plus junk food is bad for you.

4. Check out coupons on Ebay. You can find some great coupons that can save you tons of money. Just besure the expiration date is far enough in the future so that you have enough time to use 10-20 coupons. And don’t get bid happy and pay to much for the coupons either.

When I had my part-time coupon-savings job I would say I I was buying $30-$50 in groceries that should have cost over $100. At that time our family of four was living on about $200 a month in groceries. Coupons can save you lots of money if you have a plan.

January 3, 2007 | Filed Under Recipes on a Budget, Saving Money with Coupons | 1 Comment 

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