Hey friends! It’s Saturday so that means it’s another week of Ways We Save Saturday – where I share all the small and simple ways we save money throughout the week. Here goes!
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1. I used my calculator at the grocery store
This one is actually from last week, but it is very helpful when trying to stick to a budget. I don’t use a calculator every week , but I did last week since it was the end of the month. I had a certain amount of money in our grocery envelope to last us until payday.
It worked like a charm and I stayed within budget! I had to improvise a little on some of my purchases to make it work – such as not buying a new carton of half & half and buying regular white rice rather than instant – but it was totally fine. It was a reminder that milk & heavy cream (which I had both of at home) could be mixed together and used in my coffee if I ran out of half & half. And I realized that cooking regular rice on the stove only takes 15 minutes. Not a big deal, really!
2. I played the “drug store game”
I’ve been inspired recently to get back into couponing. I couponed a lot when I first became a stay-at-home mom and needed to reduce our grocery expenses. I slowly stopped once Aldi came to town and I had more children to keep me busy. Even though I loved getting good deals, I didn’t have as much time to devote to it and Aldi’s affordable prices eliminated the need.
The biggest area where I’ve missed couponing is with personal hygiene items. For quite some time, I had a nice stockpile of toothpaste, deodorant, shampoos, razors, etc. that I had purchased for greatly reduced prices. That stockpile finally dwindled to nothing since I wasn’t couponing to replenish those items. I can’t stand paying full price for toothpaste, so I decided to get back into couponing, specifically at CVS.
Last week, I got 2 good size tubes of toothpaste for $2 (after Extra Care Bucks). This week I got a stick of deodorant for 50 cents (after a coupon and Extra Care Bucks). I’m looking forward to continuing to build up my stockpile of personal care items!!
3. Shopped some online sales at Crazy 8
I’ve been trying to get a few leftover items that the kids need to round out their summer wardrobes and I snagged some deals at Crazy 8. I was specifically looking for pajamas for my son, which are sometimes hard to find secondhand. I got a couple sets of pjs for him on sale with an additional 20% off and free shipping. As always, I made sure to log into my ebates account first in order to save even more!
4. Got a hair cut at Great Clips
I’ve been meaning to get a haircut for a long, long, long time. My hair is a lot longer than I like for it to be and I had finally had it. I had a coupon for a $7.99 haircut at Great Clips, so I headed right over there after I dropped the boys off at preschool. I was thrilled to find out that they were running a promo for $5.99 haircuts that day! Since I was already going to be far under my budget for the haircut, I decided to double my tip for the stylist. So far, I’m pleased with the length!
The overexposed pic is terrible and my hair was still damp but at least you get an idea of the length!
5. Got razors for free at Walmart
I shared about this in detail over on Facebook Live (there was a little bit of drama involved), but I was able to snag a freebie on razors at Walmart. Long story short, the associate would not let me use the coupon because the coupon was for $3 and my item was only priced at $2.97.
I went home, confirmed Walmart’s coupon policy on their website, and then went back to the store later in the day. The associate who helped me the second time allowed me to use the coupons with no problem. Lesson of the day: know your coupon policies and don’t be afraid to speak to the management if you must.
I was determined to get my free razors, especially since I knew the associate was not correct to prevent me from using the coupons. I am a stubborn woman when I know I’m right! HA!
6. Shopped at a consignment store
My kids and I did some shopping today at the mall and I came close to paying too much for some cute brand new items for them. As I was leaving, I remembered there is a nice children’s consignment store that recently moved close to the mall. I got 5 items for about $20 at the consignment store and one of the items was brand new with tags!
7. Follow a few fashion bloggers
I’ve recently started following a couple of fashion bloggers in order to get outfit inspiration for the spring and summer. Often, the items they wear are out of my price range, but I can often find similar items at more affordable stores or they will also alert me to deals on the items they do love.
If you struggle with overspending on clothes, then this might be too much temptation for you, but it’s been helpful to me! I scored a cute, simple, white t-shirt with flutter sleeves for 40% off because of Cassie at HiSugarPlum!
Well, there you have it! I hope you have a great weekend!
What are some of the ways you saved money this week?
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