Ok, so I am a single mom always focusing on the bottom line. I thought it might be helpful, especially during this holiday season, to present some excellent money saving tips. I hope this can help you as it's helped me.
- Creative Clothes Shopping
- Shop at a used clothing store or consignment shop. In Philadelphia, I love going to 2nd Avenue Value Store in Franklin Mills, Goodwill, or other thrift stores. Some of my friends without kids turn up their noses at thrift or consignment shops, but hey I'm on a tight budget with a child who is growing like a weed! Clothes can and should be cleaned before you wear them used or new anyways. This can save you lots of money and force you to be creative. Try it, what's the worst that can happen?!
- Make a shopping budget and stick to it
- As much as possible, guess how much each item you need will cost and calculate the total to ensure that it sticks to your budget. I've done this during some tight times. I hate counting every penny, but ladies, we gotta do what we gotta do! Just to make sure as I pick up each item, I add up each item on a piece of paper to make crazy sure that it doesn't go over my budget. There is nothing worst than going up to the register and having to return items (don't act like you've never been there.)
- Turn your heater/thermometer down
- I loooooove having the heat in my house at 72 degrees, but this is costly. Each degree counts! Turn your heat down, or even better, get an digital/programmable thermometer that regulates the heat according to the time. You can visit your local hardware/home store to find a digital/programmable thermostat. I hate the cold, but several things that help me are a snuggie, several blankets lying around the house, layering my clothes and (best of all) my space heater. I love my space heater because it heats up just my room and save me money. It is probably the love of my life because it brings me soooo much joy. Oh and one other thing, you can always have a couple glasses of wine to warm you up and help you sleep well.
- Cut the Portions
- I am responsible for feeding my hungry 8 year old healthy son, 30 year old brother and sixty something elderly father. These men like to eat! When I'm pinching the pennies, I place the food on their plate and advise them that is all they get and drink plenty of water to fill their tummies. If you establish realistic expectations beforehand, everyone seems to be at peace afterwards. Especially feeding three hungry men, establishing realistic expectations are extremely important as to not disappoint. Sounds harsh? Possibly, but it ends up being healthier for all of us. Although Latinos (cuz that is what I am) love big portions, it's not always healthy. Health is very important.
- Coupons and e-coupons
- Believe it or not ladies, you can save a good amount of money via coupons. Honestly, I don't typically check the paper for coupons. If I have the spare time (which is rare), I will check the papers and clip coupons. I much rather prefer to sign up either with a retailers saving card account, website or check on-line. You can visit the retailers website to see if they provide specials/bonuses on-line which is nice because it comes right into your inbox. You can also sign up for their store cards, for example I have key chain full of mini cards that provide the coupons electronically for example: Acme, Shopright, Bottom Dollar, CVS, GameStop, Anna's Linens, Famous Footwear and etc. I think every store has it's own coupon card. If you don't mind carrying all these cards or strategically bringing them when you purchase an item from their store, it's well worth the discounts. Finally, one of my most recent favorites is googling coupon codes for an on-line or in-person purchase. I can confidently tell you that I've saved over $200 in the last six months googling coupon codes. One of the most up to date an accurate I've seen is www.retailmenot.com. People update it daily and detail wheather a code worked for them or not. Before you make any other on-line or in-person purchase, PLEASE, use www.retailmenot.com. (Sheesh, they should pay me for marketing their website, right? lol)
I hope this saves you a lot of money ladies, please post your success stories and suggestions, I love feedback! Happy saving!
No comments:
Post a Comment