Thursday’s Thrifty Thought: August 27, 2009

Use What You’ve Got

I know you can take this to mean a lot of different things, but I have one very specific thing in mind today.

Have you ever received a gift card that you forgot about? Or been given a coupon for a free item that expired before you could use it?

I’m the first one to say that you can’t take advantage of every deal and every coupon, but if you have a true Freebie, make sure you do everything possible to take advantage of it! You wouldn’t just leave a $5 bill on the ground, would you? Then don’t let a $5 gift card swim around in the bottom of your purse or live under your junk mail pile!

Often times, retailers will use coupons like “$5 off a purchase of $5 or more” to lure you into the store, hoping that you’ll spend a lot more than $5. However, when a similar situation happened to me with a World Market coupon last month, I used that coupon to get 2 large bottles of Soy Sauce…and only paid about 30 cents for tax!

So make sure you keep those “FREE” coupons and gift cards in a special place to ensure they’ll be used – or better yet – give them to someone who you know will benefit from it!

 

 

 

Thursday’s Thrifty Tip: August 13, 2009

Stay Healthy

I know…you’re all wondering how I come up with such brilliant and revolutionary concepts 🙂

As we recently returned home from our roadtrip with a shared cold amongst me and our kids, I’ve become accutely aware of how quickly the boxes of Kleenex that have been sitting around our house for months are all of a sudden empty. If you calculate the cost of medicine, doctor’s visits, time off of work and even, yes, boxes of Kleenex, it’s a lost more costly to be sick then to be healthy.

Being frugal doesn’t always mean being cheap. Yes, while FREE is always the price I’d like to pay, sometimes it’s worth it to spend a little more when it comes to these things. For instance, investing in a YMCA membership or good, fresh, local produce may cost more up front, but it can save you a lot of money in the long run. I’d love to say that I feed my family all fresh, organic, whole food, but I don’t have the time or money to do so. However, I do make every effort to find the best possible food at the best possible price.

Whether it’s tweaking your schedule, re-evaluating your eating or getting your family to get more active, do whatever you can to get healthy and stay healthy. Your body (and your budget) will thank you for it!

Thursday’s Thrifty Thought: August 6, 2009

Pair Up!

Everything is easier (and more fun) when you do it with a friend! Whether it’s clipping coupons, sharing a warehouse club membership, or buying bushels of produce from local farms, working with a friend will save you both time AND money. You’ll also gain insights you might not otherwise be aware of when depending solely on your own point of view.

Thursday’s Thrifty Thought: July 30, 2009

Need vs. Want

Kitchens everywhere host conversations every night that go something like this:
“Honey, I need a new_____”

“But honey, you just got a new ______ last year.”

“But this _____ really isn’t doing everything the for me that I need. And besides, the newest version would save me so much time, which really will save us money in the long run.”

“Ok, but if you get a new _____, I get a new _____.”

“Deal!”

Does this sound familiar? We find ourselves coveting a gadget we don’t really need, yet somehow convince ourselves (and our spouse!) otherwise. And in the midst of the rationalizing, you make matters worse by agreeing to buy yet one more thing you don’t need.

Any money-savvy individual recognizes that the only way to get ahead is by living on significantly less than you make; the only way to do that is by making sacrifices along the way…things like driving a used car, talking on an outdated cell phone and cooking in instead of eating out. While gadgets and gizmos may be fun, life is a lot more enjoyable when living debt-free.

Thursday’s Thrifty Thought: July 16, 2009

Start Somewhere

I have so many people come up to me and say, “I don’t have time to go to every store and get every deal,” and I always reply with, “Who does?”.

If you haven’t been couponing long, what you’ll quickly learn is that you’ll become easily frustrated if you try to grab every deal at every grocery and drug store every week. Though it may be possible, I don’t find it necessary.

Start small – focus on one grocery and one drug store in your area where you frequent most often. Once you get into a rhythm, branch out to capture some other great deals elsewhere. Remember, this is supposed to be fun and helpful to your family, not something that leaves you feeling guilty and pulling you away from them.

Happy shopping and saving!

Thursday’s Thrifty Thought: July 9, 2009

Sign up!

Everyone’s always asking me where I find all my deals; to be honest, a lot of them find me! Over the years, I’ve signed up for so many contests, coupons and samples that I receive a lot of emails daily from companies I’ve contacted offering different deals, sales and freebies.

Some people will suggest that you get a separate free email account (like Yahoo, Gmail or Hotmail) so that all this type of email will go into that account instead of clogging up your personal inbox. However, I’ve found that when I have to search through two separate emails to find my deals, it doesn’t happen. If you are careful about what companies you sign up with, you shouldn’t get any true “junk” mail as a result.

Be sure to check back tomorrow to see all the FREEBIES I’ve been collecting in my inbox throughout this week just to share with you in my Freebie Friday post tomorrow!

Thursday’s Thrifty Thought: July 2, 2009

Cut your produce

Literally.
So much money is wasted on fruits and vegetables that never get used and end up in the trash. Instead, but only what you need, even if that means asking a produce manager to cut something in half. This is especially helpful if you want to try something new and don’t want to end up with a lot of something you might not like! I’ve always found everyone in the produce department to be very helpful when it comes to this (especially at Publix).

So whether it’s a half of a cabbage or picking a few bunches of grapes out of their bag, you’ll save money and your food will stay fresh when you only buy what you need!

Thursday’s Thrifty Thought: June 25, 2009

Cut the paper out.

NO, I’m not proposing you start making paper chains to hang all over your home (though those can be festive and fun at the appropriate time – as well as a good method to teach children the concept of time….but that’s another post entirely.) What I am suggesting is that you lay off all those napkins and paper towels you’ve been using and pull out the washcloths and cloth napkins instead.

Sure, they may not be as convenient, but it sure beats paying a lot of money for something that’s just going to end up in the trash. Every meal my 3 year old will ask for a napkin and then use one fraction of it! Everything within me wants to save it to use again at the next meal (and sometimes I would!), but it doesn’t look pretty leaving a bunch of half used napkins, Kleenex’s and paper towels around the house, nor is it very hygienic.

Instead, I’ve been using those old baby washcloths I still have (God knows why, they must never have sold at our garage sales) to use on the kids at mealtime and in between. I have a drawer of dishtowels by the sink, so it’s been just as easy to reach in there for a “napkin” or a towel to clean up little spills and messes. And I’ve found myself saving money in the process.

I always say, where there’s a will there’s a way. Since I haven’t found great deals on paper towel lately, I had to come up with an alternate solution. Don’t worry, I’ll keep using regular toilet paper (luckily Publix has been helping us out by making that their penny item regularly this year). Otherwise, I’ll keep looking for little ways to save so I can pass them along to you.

Now it’s your turn. Do you think I’m crazy? Let me know what you’ve been doing lately that’s been a creative way to save!

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Thursday’s Thrifty Thought

Use Less

Brilliant, I know. In today’s culture where over-consumption has become the norm, go against the trend and use less of whatever it is you’re using: paper towel, shampoo, hand soap, toothpaste…Using a little less every time you go to use a product will help it stretch further.

Better yet, reuse. Stop using paper towel and paper napkins so much and try reaching for a cloth dishtowel to wipe up spills. Not only will this help the earth, but it will add bang to your budget! If you have any tips for how you are saving daily by using less, please post a comment below so the rest of us can learn too!

Thursday’s Thrifty Thought: June 11

Time is Money

Brilliant, I know.
But seriously, have you ever considered how valuable your time is? How much are you paid for what you do? For those of us who don’t work full time, this questions becomes even more important. Our society teaches us that our worth comes from how much we’re paid. I would suggest that you find your value in something else…but that’s another post entirely!

You do need to take stock in what your time is worth. Are you spending an hour in drive time and $10 of gas to get a free bag of chips? Do you try to clip every coupon, but miss out on fun family time? Do you spend more on daycare, wardrobe and travel than you make at your job? These are just a few questions you need to ask yourself.

Believe me, I’m all about saving money, but I’m also all about my family. Every night before I go to bed, I think and pray through the next day. I take out an index card and write all my appointments/tasks along the left side (sometimes without an exact time, but I keep it in the sequence of my day) and then put my to do list on the right. I used to waste so much time! If I ever find myself with down time, now I don’t stand around paralyzed thinking, “I have so much to do, but I don’t know where to start!” I have a quick reference point I can take with me everywhere and ammend as need be. I don’t guilt myself if I don’t get through it all, but just reevaluate at the end of the day before I make my card for the next day.

How much is your time worth? I’d say a lot.