I have been pounding my head on the desk trying to come up with fun things to do with the family during the summer. I need some great family “adventures” we can do as a family on the days my husband has off from work. I also need fun things to do with the kids during the week so that I don’t go bonkers listening to them tell me they are bored and have nothing to do. Sigh…
Our budget is something we have to take into consideration. We can only afford so much. To make up the difference (and to give us a little more spending money) I am always on the look out for ways to cut corners and save money. I am always looking for great opportunities to save. Every little bit helps.
Coupons are one way to save money. I know that .25 cents here and .50 cents there doesn’t sound like much but it really does add up to a lot of money in the long run. You don’t have to be a fanatical coupon person either (no extreme couponing necessarily).
What we usually do is figure out what we need for the week and make a list. Then we visit the manufacturers websites to see if they have any coupons we can download and print out. Most companies offer coupons on their official websites. You should make it a habit to frequent your favorite brand websites often to take advantage of their money saving offers. Take for example Arm & Hammer. When you visit the Arm & Hammer Savings Center (http://www.armandhammer.com/Resources/SavingsCenter.aspx) you can save up to $14.00 with their available coupons including $1.00 off Arm & Hammer Clumping Cat Litter, $4.00 off the Arm & Hammer Spinbrush toothbrush and $1.00 off Arm & Hammer toothpaste, just to name a few.
After you have checked out the online coupons you should look at your local newspaper for not only additional coupons but also for sales. To be honest we try not to go to more then one store but we will make a special trip for a sale that can’t be missed. When you factor in gasoline to drive to/from the stores and all over town it makes better sense to try and get most of your shopping done at one store.
Sometimes I will hold off buying something I have a coupon for until I know it goes on sale.
Buying products in bulk can also be a money saver. We always buy cat food and kitty litter in bulk whenever possible. The larger sizes are also less per pound then the smaller sizes. The Arm & Hammer Double Duty Clumping Litter costs around .65 a pound when you purchase a 20 pound box. A 40 pound box is .55 a pound, a savings of .10 cents per pound of litter. That might not sound like much but it is. For every 100 pounds of litter you purchase you save roughly $10.00 if you purchase the larger sizes compared to the smaller sizes.
The next time you are considering buying a product that is available in difference sizes calculate the cost per pound or item of the smaller size and the largest size and see if there are any noticeable savings.
I’m not saying that ALL bulk items will save you money in the long run. From my personal experience a lot of the products we need or use on a regular basis often are cheaper if you buy in bulk.
Other ways to have pinch a few pennies is to look for buy one get one free offers. That is always a great way to stock up on things you use often. ONLY do that with products you will actually use. If not then please consider donating the “free” item to a food bank or animal shelter (if you get a great deal on a pet product).
These are ways in which I save money grocery shopping. There are more ways to save money too but I’ll have to save that for another post.
How do YOU save money? Do you have a system in place to help save money here and there? I am always looking for great tips. Please feel free to comment and share your best money saving tips.
Kimberly
*This is a sponsored post for Church & Dwight Co., Inc, the maker of ARM & HAMMER branded products, who is compensating me to try different products. Save $1.00 on any ARM & HAMMER Clumping Cat Litter and be sure to enter to win $25,000 at The Switch & Save Challenge.
Melissa says
One thing I have to add to the couponing bit, is that there are some great blogs that have already mapped the deals out for you. I just do a search on google for “coupon blogs” and there are tons that will come up. I have my favorites, but you can make your own decisions on which you like best. Also if there is something I need I’ll do a search to see what kind of deals are lurking out there. A while back I searched “free catfood” and found that Walgreens had 6 oz bags of cat food free when I used $2 off any Purina One cat food coupons. I had 4 of them, so was able to get 4 bags free, small, but 2 weeks worth free anyway. I would have got some dog food too if someone didn’t already snatch them all up for free!
Nancy says
Shopping at the farmer’s market and bakery/bread outlet stores can save you a lot of money too. If a bulk purchase is too large for you, split it – and share the cost – with a friend, neighbor or family member.
Remember the public library. They have summer reading programs, family nights, guest speakers, movie rentals, all the books you can read etc and – all for free. Check your local Parks and Recreation program for more free things to do!