Here are some Money Saving Tips for you part-time/full-time SAHM's & working mom's!Using coupons are a huge part of my life when it comes to saving money. I have a husband who is in school full-time getting his Master's Degree. I work 3 days a week and stay home with my 20 month old. I know how important it is to save money where you can.
Here are a few tips that may be helpful in living more frugal in today's economy.
1. Watch the weekly & Sunday ads.
2. Match up coupons to the sale item.
3. Write a "list" and stick to it. That way you know what your OOP will be when you pay for your groceries.
4. Stick with a monthly budget if you can. Currently, I do the cash envelope method, about $250 a month on groceries & household items.
5. Stockpile when items are on sale at rockbottom prices.
6. Hold unto coupons with "High Dollar Values".
Example: Electrasol $2.50 mfr coupon
Walgreens had them on sale last week for: $3.49 each
$3.49
-$2.50 mfr
-$1.50 ESC Rebate
=Profit $.51 (even though you pay $.99 OOP!)
7. Watch for store promo’s like Albertsons Spend $30, Get $15 back!
Most of the time this is before coupons, so you make money on these promo’s.
Example: Buy 3 Pampers Jumbo pack for $30
$30
-(3) $1 mfr coupon
-(3) $1 DBL (if available)
=$24 OOP & you get $15 back + $5 towards another baby purchase.
So really it’s $4 for 3 Jumbo packs.
8. Buy meat in the Clearance section at that the meat market. Call your local store to see when the meat/chicken shipment comes in. The previous meat from that week will be put in the Clearance Section & you will save between 20-50% off the price (usually, there is a sticker on the meat that is taken off & scanned by the cashier).
9. Try to shop once a week or once a month depending on what works best for you. I choose to shop on my days off, either Thursday or Friday. If my husband is home (when my baby is napping), then I will shop for about 2 hours and try to hit my favorite stores, Albertsons, Safeway, and Walgreens. That way I get to know the cashiers and enjoy my shopping experience without being in a hurry.
10. Make couponing fun. Watch blogs for weekly deals and work with friends to write up list & scenarios for the best grocery saving trips.
Christina
4 comments:
Thanks Christina,
Congratulations on your pregnancy (btw), that's really exciting! You're almost to the 12 wk point, which is always encouraging.
How do you get multiple coupons? Do you buy more than one paper a week or do you buy the coupons you know you will want online?
Thanks,
Debra
Also, do you clip every coupon and organize? If so, how? I know you said you have an accordian file that you take with you, but how to you organize the 'stash' before you decide what you're taking to the store?
Hi Debra!! Erika (my sister-in-law) is the one who is prego's.
We typical buy 2 newspapers each and then get multiple inserts from friends at work/family. For example, I bought one paper last sunday and got 4 inserts from co-workers & 1 inserts from my family.
I don't clip every coupon, just the ones I know I will use, & the ones that have a "High Dollar Value Amt". The rest I file by Sunday date.
Then I write up my list after I get the weekly ad,match up my coupons, & put them in my according file & take to the store.
I just got a new binder and will post about it tomorrow. I'm very excited about my spurlge. It's similar to Erika's.
Have a great weekend!
Christina
Thanks, that's a helpful tip. Looking forward to you binder post.
Thanks!
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