You may have noticed the title of my blog is
FrugalistaMommie. I am a frugalista momm(ie) at heart. I can’t remember a time
in the past 7 years that I have purchased anything at full price, except groceries.
I don’t coupon much. I never find coupons for things I actually buy. We don’t
buy a lot of processed foods and there just aren’t coupons for produce and
meat. I make a lot of our house hold products such as cleaning supplies and
toiletries. If I found a coupon for tea tree oil and avocados I’d be set! I am
a sale seeking, clearance rummaging, consignment shop stalking, deal days connoisseur.
We are a one income family so we have a pretty strict
budget. I am a shopper though. I love to shop and love to find a deal. I get
great deals on the things we need and even some of what we want. I don’t shop
online much because I like to see (and feel) what I am buying. It seems every time
I order something online it turns out to be very different from what I thought
I was buying. Here are some tips I have for saving money and getting what your
family needs (and wants):
Be green: A great way to save
money is to think “re-usable”. We use washable (cloth) diapers, cloth wipes,
cloth napkins, cloth handkerchiefs. We don’t buy paper plates and use very few
paper towels. We re-use things as often as possible.
Check for a coupon: Before I go shopping, I check
online for coupons. If I am going to Hobby Lobby to get craft supplies, I print
a coupon from their website. They always have 40% off coupons available. You
can also search for coupons on your smartphone if you don’t plan ahead. Believe
it or not, I do not have a smartphone. I have a nifty little Samsung phone that
calls and texts and is made of 80% recycled material. So, if you have a smart
phone you can look up coupons and deals while you are in the store, if not,
print them before you go.
Head to the back: When you walk
in a store, go straight to the back. The clearance section is always hidden in
the back of the store. They want you to walk through all the racks of regular
priced items, but don’t get distracted, the real deals are on the back wall. On
a recent trip to Gap I bought a pair of jeans for myself for under $17, a pair
of shorts for $15, a pair of jeans for my daughter for $4.99 and a button down shirt
for my son for $9.99. You can be frugal and still be fashionable.
Like them on facebook: If you
are on facebook, which I’m sure you are, often if you “like” a company you can
see deals and coupon codes they post on their page.
Sign up for emails or paper mailings:
I receive a booklet from Hancock Fabrics every couple of weeks with deals and
coupons that I can take into the store. I also receive email deal alerts and
coupons from Gap, Target, Children’s Place, and others.
Join local swap or b/s/t groups on
facebook: You can find groups for used furniture, kids items, clothes,
cloth diapers, baby carriers, just about anything you can imagine. I buy the
majority of the cloth diapers we use from a local b/s/t group.
Join a co-op: There are many
co-ops locally, and around the globe, that offer discounted prices when you buy
in bulk with a group. There is even a whole food, natural product co-op here
that I am excited to try out. You can find these co-ops on, you guessed it,
facebook. (I could write a whole blog post on “How to save money using facebook”)
Check the online price:
Sometimes the price online is cheaper than you find in the store. Some stores
have special deals to get free shipping when you spend a certain amount of
money. Also, amazon often has free book downloads! I can’t ever pass up a free
book, even though I have a kindle library full and have only read 3. Some major
retailers have free shipping to the store and you can pick up your item in the
store.
Check out local consignment and resale
shops: If have found so many things we needed at local resale shops for
a fraction of the cost. I buy children’s clothing, new-in-package shoes, name
brand jeans, and lots more. My favorite item from a resale shop is the booster
seat I use for my son every day. It is the perfect portable booster that we use
in restaurants and when we go to friend’s houses. I even had a lady comment on
it while we are at lunch one day, “Where did you get that awesome seat? I have
never seen anything like that? What are you like supermom or something?” The
supermom comment might have been a little extreme but I sure liked it!
Make your own: A very simple way
to save money on items you use every day is to make your own. I make my own
cleaning supplies, hand soap, wipes solution, diapers, cloth napkins, and even
clothes. I plan to replace one store bought item with a home-made version each
week. This saves us tons of money already. I love making clothing for my kids
(and some for myself). I make summer dresses for my princess, pants, babylegs,
and even diapers for baby boy. I usually make outfits for each holiday
throughout the year. (No, not cheesy matching plaid ensembles like our
childhood pictures from the 80s) I made a super cute pair of pants today for my
big girl. I found the fabric in a remnant bin for $2.80 and used other scraps
that I had in my sewing closet from previous projects. That is a major deal! You
can find recipes for all sorts of products and tutorials online (and
pinterest!).
I hope some of this helps you to save money and live like a
frugalista. I could go on and on, but it is late and I should wrap up at some
point. I can always do a part 2. One last tip… bring snacks with you. You can
save lots of money by bringing a bottle of water, a protein bar, and snacks for
the kids when you will be away from the house during snack time.
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