Hey Friends! I have some great money saving tips for you today!! I promise that all of these little savings will really add up over time.
1. Compare prices
I have purchased things recently that are much cheaper in store than online and vise versa.
If you are buying a gift or a home item in store, quickly look up the item online to compare prices. I wanted to buy a toy for Leo's bday. It was $14.99 in store but the one they had was missing a piece. When I compared to Amazon it was $24.99. I'll check back in store to see if they restock since his birthday isn't until April.
2. Check Clearance End Caps or Sections
I wanted to get Leo a helmet for his birthday. I noticed that Target was clearancing out bike helmets. I tried some on him and found a perfect fit. It was a nice $34 helmet marked down to $7!! You can check prices in the toy section with the scanners. Hooray! It might require a little digging or searching for the orange tags, but if you can stroll through the clearance section at TJ Maxx or Target or Meijer, you can usually find some good stuff.
3. Buy Holiday Items in store
I have found some really cute holiday items for really inexpensive prices in store. Cute napkins at Homegoods for $3. Holiday toddler shirts at Meijer for $6. I just cannot justify spending $25+ on those cute boutique holiday shirts I see online. My kids only wear them for a few times and they're still hard on things. Target's Cat & Jack line always has cute options for big and little kids. I got the kids St Patrick's Day shirts there this year.
4. Use Amazon to Save you Money
I know this sounds odd, but hear me out. Postage and shipping costs have gotten so expensive.
Save yourself some major money by using Amazon to ship gifts directly to your family and friends. If you are a Prime Member or spend over $35 without being a Prime member. I buy birthday gifts for out of town friends, include a free birthday gift message with my purchase and then let Amazon take care of the shipping. I do miss putting together cute packages with fun gift wrap, but this is a really easy way that I can save money each year.
5. Ignore the sales
I get so so many big sale emails every week. If I click on every ad or coupon code email, I know I'll be tempted to shop. I don't need to buy clothes right now so I am deleting all emails from Old Navy. The same goes for social media - just because a company or influencers are promoting big sales doesn't mean you need to shop them. If you don't need something, you are not saving yourself any money by buying it on sale.
6. Add Leftovers to Your Menu
Every week I plan for one night of leftovers. That way we make sure not to waste food. I often will eat leftovers for lunch since I am home, but by adding a leftover night to the menu, it allows you to plan to eat the leftovers you have from other dinners or take out dinner the week.
This is my favorite way to meal plan. Meal planning in general will save you lots of money. I love to make a list of al the dinner options and then we decide what sounds good for dinner each day. I don't have to stick to any strict schedule. Just make a bank of dinner options and then pick them out each day.
Which of these would be helpful to save you some money!?
I do many of these. I have found that Amazon isn't always the cheapest but as you said, if you need to send a gift, it could be the cheapest option. I love the Target endcaps! I also love eBay and look there first because I have found great deals on new and used items.
ReplyDeleteGreat tips! We save a lot of money by sharing kids items among my moms group. There are 90+ women in my local Catholic moms group...not everyone comes to activities and events but the email group has been amazing for "networking" with needs and resources. Many of us post there whenever we have cleaned out gently used things like kids clothes or baby items...it's also just nice knowing someone can use what you are giving away instead of wondering if it will sit at Goodwill. I just got some winter coats for my kids and gave away their old ones through the group. Yay!
ReplyDeleteThat is exactly how I meal plan - always a night for leftovers and I can change the order as needed. I have unsubscribed from almost all store emails and it really decreases the temptation. I was sad to see that Amazon recently increased the price for Prime membership, but I use it so much so I think it is worth it. Have a wonderful week!
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