Well, I am learning more every day about how to maximize the buying power of each dollar. I have to share what I am learning so that everyone has the opportunity to stretch their dollars as far as they can. I still have a way to go however. I am at the point where I can walk out of the grocery store with the receipt showing that I saved as much as I spent. My new goal is to break the 50/50 mark and save more than I spend.
With the dollars I have saved so far this year I have been able to lavish my family with extras we wouldn't normally have, especially in today's economy. I purchased an Acer netbook for my youngest son. I also bought round-trip plan tickets for them to travel over the Fourth of July holiday weekend. I have also made some great dorm room purchases for another son who's headed off to university next month. My favorite site for the dorm room deals has been www.fatwallet.com in the Best Deals category. I have found dorm refrigerators for less than $60, bed sheet sets for under $10, and many other great deals!
By purchasing three or four Sunday newspapers each week, I am able to stock up on coupons for the products we regularly use. Lots of buy-one, get-one-free coupons have been included in these weekly inserts. I try to pair those BOGO coupons with the buy-one, get-one-free sales at the grocery and drug stores to maximize my purchasing power. Most stores will take store coupons and manufacturer coupons for the same item for the same purchase. I pair the store or retailer coupon with the manufacturer coupon for each item. I also use a coupon for the free item since it is also being purchased, but not paid for. For instance, yesterday my grocery store had a BOGO sale on Glade 4 oz. candles. The price was $3.49 for one and the second one was free. I put eight candles in my cart. I used 8 coupons for $1.00 each. I paid $3.49 for four candles = $13.96. Then I used the 8 one dollar coupons: $13.96 minus 8 dollars = $5.96 for eight Glade candles. That was just one of the types of purchases I made. Overall, my cart value was $225 and I paid $116. It takes a bit of planning to save money and stretch the dollars - but I consider the money I save as a secondary paycheck which I can use to pay for things we'd really like to have but can't otherwise afford.
My best advice is to plan what you need to buy in advance. Then, keeping those items in mind, utilize the Internet and print resources to "layer" your savings. Don't forget to consider eBates as one of those layers:
http://www.ebates.com/rf.do?referrerid=VqCgGICDVntCTPpKqzxpsg%3D%3D
Rebates are another form of "earned money". Coupons codes for online purchases can also be found at:
http://www.retailmenot.com/
Both sites will give you discounts at thousands of stores and Internet retailers.
Clip coupons for products and services that your family uses on a regular basis. You can choose electronic or print coupons. Electronic coupons can be found at www.upromise.com and www.cellfire.com among others. Print coupons can be found online (where you can print them from your own printer) or in magazines, newspaper inserts, and mailbox flyers. Some of the online sites for printable coupons are www.smartsource.com and www.coupons.com along with individual stores such as Target, Publix, Walgreens, CVS, etc. (See below for clickable links for those sites.) Another source for coupons would be the manufacturers' sites themselves. Some of favorites are T.G. Lee at www.tgleedairy.com and Scott
http://www.scottbrand.com/community/landing/
for Scott paper products. If you have a favorite manufacturer, just do a web search (and don't forget to make it a Swagbucks search so you can earn points for your searching) for the products. Then visit the manufacturer's site to find coupons for your favorite products. You may have to download a coupon printer application from their site since companies use various coupon printing applications. Don't worry! They are safe to use.
Keep your coupons in a folder or a shoe box. I have mine in a plastic tote with a lid. They are organized by the order in which I find the products in my favorite store. Most coupons expire at the end of each month, so pull the expired coupons on the first of each month.
Enjoy these tips and ......Happy Saving !
Simply Me (Kathy)
Sites:
Target
http://coupons.target.com/mcp/pd.cfm?encp=q4VshqXkyIrmPbdENvrF9lQFtgX5cIFy1%2FpmO26xWS7uKvUVoNMRI%2BfNId8j6zkYPNH5Tz%2BiaKmu%0D%0AYnpli03rXnwsty%2F3jC8J8Sgrg2j64nny6BmBldngMVHWWgqTVSzj7g1t2GZBodBT%2Fcy7716d350r%0D%0AskF4LRpnvd1lVmrd96BCFgeZBGDfVhLcMAoT5Jj5kDzn8TQqmTw3AyGIgqSjNHOao55qvKYJVbrr%0D%0ARmbODRw3zLX%2FziOdTvQ03OobgVvdTXuYzOECKbDiXSbowGhcWMyhBZ8RtmU7l9R5mydtSX3Q0cd7%0D%0A1mWl8pvs%2BFxR5Y6cTpLV5%2Fabh%2Fnp%2F1RnaWYJkhHPJJEoq5CMI2kT5HgAZZeJv%2FhSMFarstUwKynY%0D%0A%2BjUqsPe7Z%2Fu9eZs55zFcfpcLPo3zSR%2FnEth%2BQka495IwjQotHKHBoXbg4CtU99aXYSE8HNrEH9az%0D%0AApiY%2FHHi29%2FTrchPIs%2Fdfh4HRD%2BSX0Eg8Cg01OZ2%2BDnHlM3aHlHp72ahFiShcC5zO5Op41ZR8j90%0D%0AVGS4iNJW80b22nkUqndLQDM%3D&CFID=60364&CFTOKEN=27020150
Publix
http://print.coupons.com/couponweb/Offers.aspx?pid=14796&zid=tt44&nid=10&bid=alk07240807452387ebe721813
Walgreens - Be sure to enter your local zip code !
http://walgreens.shoplocal.com/walgreens/Default.aspx?action=browsepageflash&storeid=2429370&rapid=942272&pagenumber=1&prvid=Walgreens-100718-IN&promotioncode=Walgreens-100718-IN
CVS
http://print.coupons.com/couponweb/Offers.aspx?pid=14415&zid=oj97&nid=10&bid=alk072408075706a611f661813
No comments:
Post a Comment