Never before has it been easier to save big on anything from food to appliances, and everything in between. What an exciting time!
With the economy in the tank, retailers are fighting for your business with huge discounts and coupons. For the Mommas puts all of this information regarding giveaways, grocery store deals, drug store deals, online shopping deals and even a coupon base together in a very user-friendly way. What more could you ask for?
In the midst of this massive savings fury, it can be easy to get caught up in “deal-chasing” to the detriment of your personal time. However, I am confident that everyone can be effective in their money-saving endeavors when you make it personal.
Sharpen Your Skills
There are a number of ways to sharpen your money-saving skills.
Notice Sales Cycles: A sales cycle is how often stores cycle their sales items. For example, I know that every 8 weeks or so, Kroger has their ground chuck on sale at my price point, I’ll discuss that in a minute. When the sale comes around, I make sure to buy enough to get me until the next sales cycle. If I don’t, I might get caught paying more than I want to for meat.
Establish Personal Price Points: A price point is the most you want to pay for a given item. For example, I will not pay more than $1 for a bottle of shampoo or a tube of toothpaste. I won’t pay more than $1 per pound for produce and I don’t like to pay more than $2 per pound for meat, preferably less.
Do Your Research
Learn the ‘Drugstore Game’: When you learn how the drugstore customer reward programs work, you’ll be surprised at how much you can buy for little or nothing. I’ve written about the CVS game here, here and here.
Check Out Loyalty Programs: There a quite a number of retailers who offer loyalty programs. One of my favorite is CVS drug store for several reasons. First of all, they always have the sale items in stock. Second, they welcome all the coupons I throw at them. Third, they never, ever hassle me about honoring the $25 gift card prescription transfer, no matter how many times I switch back and forth. I love ‘em!
Find the stores in your area of town that not only offer the best programs, but also carry the items you use the most. Eat at restaurants that have “Kids Eat Free” nights. Find out when your grocer marks down bread and meat. Ask good questions and take your time; it will pay off in the long run. Research will also help prevent time wasted on shopping trips that don’t pay off.
Make a Hit List
Once again, making your savings plan personal is the key to being effective and not wasting time. Creating a personal hit list will help you to zero in on the best deals for your family. Making a list of the top 20 or so items that you use every week will keep you focused on purchasing and seeking deals for what you really use, not just what’s on sale.
Make a Price Book
Making a personal price book based on your hit list is a powerful tool in your shopping hands! Never again will you doubt how much an item is in another store, or if your coupon will render a lower price than somewhere else. Awesome!
Teach Others
One of the best gifts you can give is education. Find other moms who could benefit from what you’ve learned! Meet up with a few ladies at a local coffee shop to share and teach. Remember that someone taught you!
Donate
Once you’ve met your own family’s needs, consider donating some of your surplus to a local food bank, church pantry or homeless shelter. Not everyone possesses the skill, time and resources to shop strategically. Always find a way to give back.
Kelly Morris is a wife and mother to 9 children, 6 biological and 3 adopted, living in small town Ohio. Kelly authors “The Morristribe: Creating Balance for Busy Moms” and loves helping other moms find balance in their lives. Her work has been published in a number of newspapers around the country, on several popular blogs as well as “All You” magazine. Her recent eBook “Just Get ‘em Fed” can be downloaded free on the website. She can often be found blogging, writing, reading, cooking, gardening, digital scrapbooking and drinking good coffee.