Whats your best money saving tip??

[TigersGal]

These are all great.. keep them coming... in addition to the above re: best money saving tip..

More questions.. Has anyone done a grocery / sales book where you keep track of when and where things go on sale..

Whats your best suggestion for loyalty programs.. i.e. i know shoppers used to (not sure if they still do) give points on the shoppers GC. I would buy one and then go and do my shopping and get the points for the GC and the purchase..

Any others??

[Colsgirl]

Another thing I do is: I have maximum prices that I will pay for somethings eg 2l bottle of Pepsi, I will not pay over $1.35 for it. Last week at RCSS 2l of Pepsi was $2.19 (the most expensive I have seen it), this week it is $1.25 for the same 2l bottle. It regularly seems to sit at $1.65, so I don't buy it until the price goes below my upper limit.

I do the same with tins of soup, cookies etc. When the soup we like is reduced to under $1.69 per can then I stock up (we don't use any more of this when I buy more, with Pepsi, cookies etc if I bought more, my family would eat more!!!).

[mumlovesadeal]

Don't take my DH with me!!

[FallenPixels]

Like someone mentioned above, knowing the price you are willing to pay for stuff. We do not drink much pop but when it goes on sale for $3.33/pack we will buy a pack or two just to have. We would never spend the $5.25 on sale I seen it at today, its just not that important to us.

I watch the flyers and then make my list. I do rough meal plans for the week based on what I am going to buy but am flexible in case there is a great deal on clearance or unadvertised sales and try to stick to my list (like someone else mentioned, easier if you shop alone)

I am not brand loyal, if I can get something cheaper (and its decent quality) I will change brands. Start keeping a price book so you can see what goes on sale for what price and then you will know when to buy and stock up

[amandamck]

Another thing I do is: I have maximum prices that I will pay for somethings eg 2l bottle of Pepsi, I will not pay over $1.35 for it. Last week at RCSS 2l of Pepsi was $2.19 (the most expensive I have seen it), this week it is $1.25 for the same 2l bottle. It regularly seems to sit at $1.65, so I don't buy it until the price goes below my upper limit.

I do the same with tins of soup, cookies etc. When the soup we like is reduced to under $1.69 per can then I stock up (we don't use any more of this when I buy more, with Pepsi, cookies etc if I bought more, my family would eat more!!!).

This is so true, my max now for laundry soap is $3, deodorant/shampoo/toothpaste $1. If you had told me this 2 years ago I would of laughed and thought I'd have to buy dollar store shampoo, but I have Tresemme, Nexus, all good stuff. Build a stockpile when things go on sale.

[boldjack]

my best money tip savings beside couponing is pay your credit card in full by your due date so you save the interests! That's what I do for years now and I do have 3 credit cards! all of them for over 2 years now don't have any interests at all on my credit card statement.

When I get paid, I pay all my credit cards! and reuse it again to earn points and redeem for free GC!

[seylz_gurl]

Share kids clothing with friends /family who have older / younger kids. We just make sure that it is something that still has alot of wear in it and still in style. When mine were babies I got boxes of clothes from family. Things freshly laundered and worn only a couple of times. When mine grow out of them, I pass them on to those with younger ones. I also try to buy clothing for myself and the kids out of season. Look for the sales racks at the back of the store. Nice to buy them something new once in awhile.

[ninna]

Totally agree about the price threshold. I always have a number in my head that I'm willing to pay and if the number in my head doesn't match what it's being sold for, I don't buy it--because I know eventually, it will reach my threshold. I've always had a price threshold in my head, it's just since SC, the numbers are A LOT lower than they used to be.

My #1: Buy off season for anything related to the house or clothes etc. Seasonal clearance rocks! I buy winter clothes/toys in late spring/summer and summer clothes/toys in the fall. Get most of my decorations for Halloween in November, Christmas decorations and wrap in January etc.

I had all the new snowsuits, boots and mittens etc for this coming winter for the kids in the closet since last April...and at dirt cheap prices. 5 bucks for boots, 10 bucks for an entire snowsuit. It's awesome. The only trick for kids clothing is being able to accurately guesstimate what size they'll be wearing in 6 months.

[thetonester521]

I never pay full price for books or movies. I always purchase them off of Half.com, eBay or Amazon used

It saves a lot of money!

[thetonester521]

Also, I start my Christmas shopping for the following year - basically the day after Christmas The sales the day after the holiday and in the subsequent weeks are amazing ways to save A LOT and get really good gifts inexpensively. I keep a spread sheet with everyone I buy gifts for on it and a maximum amount I will spend on each person - then as I shop I fill it in with the items I find for that person. It controls my holiday spending in a HUGE way. Before I did this, I was spending WAY too much - and most of that ended up on credit cards. This way I use only cash

So far, I have spent only about $300 total - and have TONS of gifts for my DD and I'm almost finished with just about everyone I buy for except 2 people!

[Coupon_certified]

Whenever I am going to the store to grab one or two specific items that I don't have a coupon for, I always Google it quickly. You can find legitimate printable coupons for just about everything!
Or when I see something I like I write it down and then search for a coupon before I go to the store next time.

[thetonester521]

Just thought of another way we save money here at home Every week, once the sales ads come I type up the best price at the local grocery stores for produce and meat. Then my DH and I develop the meal plan for the week based on the produce and meat that is on sale.

Then, I go through after my DH picks the recipes to look for the deals on the other items he might need such as sour cream, etc. - and match up my coupons as well.

It works out perfectly - my DH loves to cook and I love to grocery shop and coupon/deal hunt. It's the perfect combination!

And if there's a particularly good deal on certain meats - such as boneless, skinless chicken breasts or pork chops - I will buy extra and put straight in the freezer.

[thetonester521]

Another money saving idea - and a fun craft project to do with my daughter is to make our own Christmas gift tags. We use construction paper and cut into various squares and rectangles. Then we draw different Christmas/Winter related pictures - and write To: and From:. We also use stickers, Christmas cards from the year before, glitter, markers, etc. Then they can be taped directly to the packages or we use a hole punch and tie a ribbon through it.

And as for wrapping papper, I put it on clearance after the holidays - I have plenty of rolls for this season I bought last year.

[thetonester521]

Don't take my DH with me!!

I agree 100%!!

[thetonester521]

Be sure to use websites like freecycle.org or craigslist to request items you want/need that other users might be looking to get rid of. But please make sure that you don't use it to just GET stuff - be sure to also post stuff to donate as well. I've given a lot of items away via freecycle (I LOVE IT!)