When you can barely stretch your paycheck from one week to the next, it may be time to tweak your shopping habits. Stretching your dollars doesn’t mean you have to cut corners or do without. You can actually buy more for less by following a few simple guidelines.
1) Shop at your local $1 dollar store.
You don’t need to stock your shelves with brand name stuff when the cheaper version will do just fine. Dollar stores can be a goldmine of bargains for everyday items. Sandwich bags, paper towels, trash bags, toiletries, and even groceries can be purchased for only $1 a piece. Many of your cleaning products as well as hundreds of other everyday items can be purchased at dollar stores for a fraction of what you’d pay in a grocery or drug store.
2) Take advantage of coupons and specials.
Cut all the coupons you can use and organize them so they’re easy to find. You can find great coupons on product packages and you can search online and find additional coupons. When purchasing more expensive items such as cosmetics and brand name goods, visit the manufacturer’s website for unadvertised specials. Here are some other ways to save:
· Watch store flyers for weekly specials and deals. It may be worth it to stock up on essentials that are on sale even if you don’t need them at the moment.
· Look for double and triple coupon offers in your weekly flyers…most coupons up to .99 can be doubled at some grocery stores, so if you present a .75 coupon, you’ll end up getting $1.50 off an item. Search online for coupon codes for your favorite products to save even more!
· Watch for buy one get one free sales. When stores need to clear out certain items, you can find great bargains.
· ‘Specific quantity’ specials such as 5 for $5 or 10 for $10 are designed to get you to spend more…but what they don’t tell you is that you don’t always have to purchase all 5 or 10 items. Unless it specifically says “you must buy “x” amount”, the discount will be given even if you buy less than the advertized quantity.
3) Brown bag your lunch.
You’ll save a ton of money by not ordering out. Start cooking your meals at home and freeze individual portions so you can take a lunch with you to heat up at work. Plus, the meals you make at home are usually healthier then take-out. Also, invest in a travel mug and start bringing your morning coffee from home. If you are in the habit of buying a coffee on your way to work every day, you can save $20 to $30 a week by skipping the coffee shop and making your own coffee instead.
4) Shop online.
Let’s face it, shopping for bargains can be a hassle when you lead a busy lifestyle. Most of us miss out on great discounts because we don’t have the time to be driving from store to store looking for the best deal. Many stores allow you to shop entirely online, or order online and pick up in the store.
Shopping online offers hundreds of items not available in-store and usually at a discount. The items get delivered right to your door and you can often get free shipping with a minimum purchase.
For everyday essentials, go directly to the clearance or sale section and start there!
5) Shop more often.
It may be wiser to start making smaller shopping trips weekly in order to take advantage of the weekly sales. When you make one huge shopping trip a month you can miss out on many of the bargains because not everything is on sale at that time. As an added bonus, some grocery stores now will offer points for every dollar spent to be used towards discounts on gas. These points can add up quickly and you can easily get over a dollar off per gallon!
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