| |
| |
|
|
Personal Finance |
|
Money Saving Tips. Maximize Savings on Everyday Items!
Frugal living is more than a lifestyle. It's a passion. Call Me Crazy! I love It! Why, who wouldn't love getting paid to buy products that they use everyday? Here's how I do it. I purchase an item that has a rebate offer (either a store or manufacturer rebate) while it is on sale and use a coupon during purchase. That's it! Using this formula I almost always come out ahead. When all is done, I've gotten back more than I actually paid for the item. Even when I do have to pay for the items like deodorant, shampoo, soap, toothpaste, and toothbrushes it's about 50 cents for a item that would cost up to $2 -$4 originally. Am I the only one out there that gets excited about this? I doubt it! At least I hope not. That would make me "Crazy", wouldn't it? But a lot of folks just don't know how to combine money saving measures to maximize savings. My local drugstore (which by the way is a national chain) often advertises items free after rebate. Hey, that cuts down on a lot of work for me. Easy Money! I e an also lucky enough to have a grocery store in my area that offers rebates and offers double coupons (sometimes even doubling $1 coupons as a special promotion). Needless to say, with six mouths to feed (myself, my husband, and four kids) I'm lovin' that idea! As the editor of www.simpledebtfreeliving.com, I'm always looking for new ways to save money. Visit us and follow one of the e-mail links to share your ideas or just let us know how excited you get about frugal living! Let me know I'm not the only one. Then we can put my family's worries to rest. They think I'm really crazy. Here are a couple other ways that I save on items we use everyday: 1. Always use items that are reusable rather than throw away For example: Reusable coffee filters, cups and plates, and my favorite pet peeve - The great sandwich bag conspiracy The major manufacturers of sandwich bags would lead us to believe that it takes rocket science to keep a sandwich fresh. Ask yourself this, How long do you need to keep that sandwich fresh anyway? It's not like it's going to the moon. It's just going to the office or school for a few hours. The most practical way to approach this is to purchase reusable sandwich size containers. This is also very environmentally friendly reducing a great deal of waste. If however, these have trouble finding there way back home ( which is likely if you have children), you can save substantially if you purchase the plain old pleated sandwich bag that cost a mere fraction of the razzle dazzle zipper kind. Your mother used these for years and years with great success. I have used both methods for years and have never received a complaint of a stale sandwich! You'll find that doing these little things like, using real cups and plates instead of paper or plastic throw away, and recycling containers for storage or even to use in craft projects, can save a lot of money. Each by itself may seem minor, but when put together amount to tremendous savings over time. 2. Don't buy it if you won't use it. Things like small kitchen appliances, repair tools, and gardening tools are good examples. We know they'll make our life easier if we just had the opportunity to use them. There are 101+ small countertop kitchen appliances available to chop it, grind it, mix it, open it, bake it, grill it..well you get the message. Simplify your life and narrow it down to a couple you just can't live without. For me it's my blender and my food processor. Although, I'm seriously considering a bread maker. Not quite sure if it's worth the money yet. Especially when I'm so close to a bread outlet. But, you can't beat the taste of fresh baked bread. I'm not counting the coffer maker it's kind of standard equipment these days. I wouldn?t dare ask you to give that up! What am I crazy? Well , maybe.. It's little things like the example above that identify frugal living. 3. Always get the best value for your money. Shop around. If this is a major purchase you will want to know what to look for. Research and compare products on the internet or in sale flyers. There's nothing more challenging to the retailer than an informed consumer. That's what you want to be. An informed consumer knows when it's a good value! Informed Consumer - More Savings Cheryl Johnson mother of four helping myself and others become and stay debt free. Publisher of Simple Debt Free Living at http://www.simpledebtfreeliving.com - a self-help plan, ideas, and resources for personal budgeting, debt management, frugal living, and extra income opportunities. Money saving tips help balance your budget and maximize everyday savings.
MORE RESOURCES:
Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
How to Choose Wisely a Credit Card So, you've made the decision to apply for a credit card. It's an important step for any consumer. Dramatically Improve Your Stock Trading Success Get Access to Realistic profitable strategies & discover the mindset to dramatically improve trading success.* Avoid those confusing "cookie cutter" technical analysis tips and tricks that you can read anywhere else for free. Whats The Truth Behind Your Finances? Between 15 - 20% of people in our country (UK) own there own businesses. This statistic is on the rise thanks to the incredible invention of the Internet. Safely Save for Your Childs University Studies Using An Education IRA! This investment retirement account (IRA) is useful to you as an investor to understand because it may be a good way for you to save for your kid's education AND save on taxes. These plans are now called Coverdell Education Savings Accounts in honor of the late U. Five Secrets for Long-term Financial Success Future financial success is not a guarantee that any one of us can rely upon, no matter how wealthy we are now or intend to become.There are however five future proofing financial steps that we can take to protect our current financial status, improve our future financial prospects and secure our long-term financial success. Personal Finance - Have Consumers Had a Belly Full of Personal Debt? For months, we were trigger-swipe happy, putting our groceries, clothes, holidays and service charges on our credit cards. We wanted mortgages, we took out loans, we watched Property Ladder and What Not To Wear. Identity Theft is a Major Problem: Whose Responsibility is It to Protect the Consumer? We have heard a lot about consumers' personal information getting into the hands of identity thieves. More and more people are taking steps to minimize their exposure to such theft by reducing information on personal checks, refusing to share social security numbers with just anyone who asks, being prudent in their use of credit cards, and shredding "junk" mail that might allow another person to pose as them. UK Parents Inactivity Harming Their Children's Future University and Mortgage Savings The British government at the beginning of this year officially launched its Child Trust Fund (CTF) initiative in an effort to encourage parents and children to develop the savings habit and to teach children the value of saving their own money.Chancellor, Gordon Brown said, "The Child Trust Fund is designed to ensure that every child in our country has assets and wealth and that no child is left out and all children in Britain have a stake in the wealth of the nation". A Quck Lesson in Saving Money Did you have a piggy bank when you were a child? I did. Mine sat empty for a long time until my mother convinced me that I should really start putting my pennies and nickels into it in order to save my money for when I was older and wanted to buy something. If All Things Are Possible, Why Cant I Balance My Checkbook? For me, the most terrible time of each month is the day our bank statement comes. We commonly call it BSS (Bank Statement Syndrome). Do You Know What Tomorrow Will Bring? I've been sharing the following idea with people for a few years now, and realized recently that I had never written specifically about it. So here it is:"I cannot predict the future. Improve Your Professional Image Using Address Labels One of the simplest ways to improve your professional image is by using address labels. Self-adhesive business labels are THE way to go when it comes to a professional image. Learning the Basics of Handling Money With prices increasing all the time, saving money can be harder and harder to do. Here are some solutions for saving a little so that you can still meet your needs and still find ways to trim off a little for the future. The Magic Of Compound Interest Christians are called to be good stewards of God's resources. A steward can be described as someone who manages the resources of another. Is There A Retirement Crisis? When people speak about the increasing age expectancies, they generally do so with positive connotation. This author agrees-there's nothing wrong with living longer, especially if we can sustain our quality of life at each period throughout our lifespan. 10 Steps To Improve Your Financial Situation Here are ten steps you can follow to help improve your personal financial situation and inevitably save more money:1. Pay Yourself WeeklyThis may seem a bit odd, but this is an excellent way to start building a substantial savings. Succession Planning Have you ever thought about what you are going to leave your children when you pass from this earth? Wouldn't it be a great feeling to be able to give them a really good head start in life - without actually spoiling them?It really doesn't matter how old you are, it's something that you need to be thinking about and planning for now. In the process of planning your inheritance and blessing your children, you are really making YOUR life better and more financially secure because you'll enjoy these benefits before you pass them on. Vacations Made Easy: Buying a Florida Investment Property Vacations Made Easy: Buying a Florida Investment PropertyA relaxing beach vacation means different things to different families. However, imagine returning from a long day in the sand and waves, hair dripping and tan glowing to a place where you and your family have settled over the years. Budgets And Eating - Can They Co-Exist? Whatever your reason for having a tight budget, the truth is that going to the grocery store without a plan is a BIG budget breaker. And sadly all that cash ends up vanishing into our stomachs and then. Are You Sick of the Financial Insecurity of Fluctuating Seasons and Income? Finding a stable and secure income that will come year in, year out, no matter what happens on the farm, will give you real peace of mind. By investing off farm, you are not only providing a secure income now, but also preparing for retirement.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
