I’ve gone back to work full time again but that’s no reason for me to go back to spending whatever like we used to. In fact being home for nearly 2 years with the family even while my husband’s work slowed down last year taught us we needed to do the opposite. Now that I’m working, I do have more coming in BUT I’m watching the pennies come and go and saving for another rainy day while trying to pay off some debt. I’m actually amazed we made it on practically 1/3 of what we used to make but not something we wish to do again.
As I go along my journey towards financial freedom, I thought I’d share some tips I’ve learned so far…
- Shop on non-busy days (usually M,T,W and stay away from holidays) during off peak hours
- Buy in bulk when you can (toiletries, paper towels, household goods, toilet paper, meat, etc) – BJs, Costcos, and Sams are great places for bulk buying (you may even want to buy bulk with another person and split the cost to save money)
- Eat before you shop to avoid impulse food buying
- Create a shopping list and STICK to it
- Bring your coupons, pen and calculator while you shop to stick to your planned shopping budget
- Grow your own vegetables and herbs (salad & herb gardens are great to have around and don’t take long to grow)
- Buy local for your produce items
- Shop big once a month as weekly shopping can make your grocery budget higher
- Shop around for your deals, don’t go to just one place
- After shopping peak-hours you can often find deals in the deli section (bread, chicken, side dishes)
- Give yourself time to look for the deals and shop
- Plan to spend 1 day in the month for bulk freezer cooking and plan it into your shopping list (do this with friends and split the meals & cost)
- Start looking towards the bottom of the shelves, you can often find better deals as stores want to sell what’s at eye level
- Match coupons with sales & promos
- For clothes, shop 2nd hand; you might be surprised of all the brand name items and clothing pieces you may find a just a couple of dollars
WHAT’S YOUR FRUGAL BUYING TIP?
