Little Ways to Save - Every Day

We all get them. The wad of flyers and advertisements in our mailboxes. At least twice a week. Mostly, people shuffle through them to make sure their bank statement is not mixed in and then toss the remainder. What a bunch of junk; a waste of paper; a waste of space in my recycle bin. 

I don't look at it that way. I take, oh, maybe two minutes, shuffle through the stack, pick out the flyers for the grocery stores I frequent, grab one or two "get one free" advertisements from local restaurants, and THEN toss the rest. While my husband watches the Laker game he's DVR'd later that night, I shuffle through the flyers and make my grocery list and keep and eye on the score. The local grocery store has 12 packs of Coke on sale - 4 for $9.00. I almost picked up one 12 pack at Target yesterday, but scoffed when I saw it was $5.99. SO glad I waited. There is ALWAYS a sale on Coke somewhere. My 12 pack is now $2.25, instead of $6.00, so I load up. How hard was that?

I go onto the next flyer. The locally owned and operated market - farmer fresh fruits, veggies, meats - has Fuji apples on sale for .$50 a pound. My family devours these things like they are M&Ms - probably more than 30 apples a week. If I were to pay the grocery store price of $1.99 a pound - yikes - I'd be paying close to $20 for apples. C'mon. Instead, I stop and get better produce (fresher and closer), and my apple cost? $5.00. So just in Coke and apples - weird combo, I know - I've just saved over $30.

Please don't tell me you don't have time. $30 savings for 2 items. How much do you make an hour? Or, if you don't like doing that math, think of it as a mani/pedi you just earned by your clever shopping. And that is just for two things. You shop for hundreds a week.

If that doesn't make you read your junk, then follow this advice: Don't buy everything at the chain stores unless you are partial to opening your wallet and dumping its contents in the toilet. They charge so much more for the same thing. If you shop there, at least read their flyer and try to follow the tip further down the page. The dreaded word - COUPONS.

Otherwise read the flyers for your local marketplace's deals. They want you as a customer - they know you when you come in again. They'll cut your steaks fresh because you come back; they'll bring out the fresher stuff from the back, just for you. All the food is fresher and cheaper (if you watch the sales) and normally supports local growers.

So in groceries alone, I save approximately $250 a week by reading the store flyers.

This same junk stack also normally has great savings on local restaurants. You know those cellophane wrapped index cards you get? You COULD save a lot of money on patio awnings and stamped concrete by saving them, but if you shuffle through the deck, you normally find a couple hidden gems on things you might actually use. My favorite (and not cheap) fine dining restaurant almost always has a "buy one/get one" coupon in there. So we save at least $30 next time we go (and we will). Why not? Have kids? Do they eat pizza? Save the Domino's coupon. Then use it <gasp>. 

Which leads me to my next point. You've heard it before. I referenced it above (see local store soapbox):

Clip coupons. Enough said. While you are reading the Sunday paper, bring a scissors with your coffee cup. Again, a five minute effort. Put the coupons you clip - and only cut the things you BUY - don't cut out the hair color savings if you get a salon color. You are not going to do it at home. Really. But things like Cheerios? If your store offers double coupons, then you will save at least $1.00 a box, a lot more if you combine it with the sale you read about in the flyer. Does your family eat cereal? Exactly. I don't know about you, but funding General Mills' executives wallet doesn't do me any good. Paying $3.00 for a box of Cheerios rather than $6.00+ does. As an aside, is GM on drugs?? $6.00 for wheat shaped like little innertubes? Thanks for the love.

Now, put the coupons in an envelope or small container. Put it in your car. There. Now you won't have the excuse that you don't have your coupons. It is free money. Keep it or don't. Your choice.

More of an online kind of shopper. The chain stores all have a "clip coupon" ad. Use them. Same savings. Just a click away. Other sites - clothes, cosmetics, shoes, gifts, curtains, whatever -  before you check out, go to Google and type in "<store name> promo code". You will almost always find something to save you money, shipping, or a freebie. Last time I ordered a bunch of clothes for my kids from Old Navy, I did this (two minute effort), and I not only saved on the entire shipping, but I got 20% off. I think I saved almost $90. This really comes in handy if you are ordering large or heavy items. Nearly every online store offers free shipping promos, and sometimes that's a killer. You can save time and money using these, as you won't feel inclined to just run to the brick and mortar store to save on shipping.

I could go on and on, but seriously, these kinds of savings are so easy. I honestly figure we save over $300-$400 a month, just in the way I grocery shop. When I hear my friends say, "I don't cut coupons. I don't have TIME!", or my favorite "We don't NEED to cut coupons" (who are you, Bill Gates?) I just mentally shake my head. Who is so rich that they don't like to save hundreds of dollars a month? But if you like throwing your money away, that's fine. Personally? I find it is a gratifying and smart thing to do.

And guess what? Now I have an extra couple hundreds to a) put toward my kids' college savings, b) put in my wallet / bank, c) use for the spa, or d) hide under my mattress. I'm flexible and diverse, what can I say?