A Simple Guide to an Economic Lifestyle: 2010

Intro:
- Don’t be overwhelmed. There is quite a bit of information here and it may be hard to take it all in at once. Read this guide in it’s entirety and pick a few things to work on. Then once you’ve mastered that, re-read and repeat!
- Make it a challenge. Thinking of saving money as a game, or “treasure hunt” so to speak, makes it more enjoyable and less of a task. It may help for the first little bit to keep track of how much you are saving so you can look back over it and pat yourself on the back.
- Remember: You (or your hubby) work hard for your money so you should work equally hard at stretching it to the max! It will NOT be easy but it will DEFINITELY be worth it!
- Keep in mind that a little saving eventually adds up! Just because you don’t see the results right away doesn’t mean you’re not saving. But the reverse is also true- what may seem like an insignificant purchase now will eventually add up! Check out these two examples:
Example one: Small coupons (25 -30 cents here or there) may seem too small to worry about using on products that you buy regularly. However, if you use just 3 of these coupons per week (which is really low balling it) that’s 75- 90 cents. Not worth worrying about right? Wrong!! That spare change translates into $36- 43.20 a year! That’s a months worth of cable! And the potential to save is much much more!
Example two: The same is also true for all our unnecessary spending. The average family eats out at least once a week. For an a family of four that’s $20-45 a week depending on whether you stop for fast food or something nicer. But lets say just for the sake of argument you only stop at McDonald’s. Its cheap so its no biggie right? Well that “value” meal for you and the kids can end up costing you $960 a year! No kidding! And if you’re a single person, that’s $240 a year! And that’s just McDonalds- nothing fancy! Interesting tidbit: going out to eat more than once a month is one of the top 5 causes of debt.
- For that reason it is important to remember to take every opportunity to save EVERY penny and to minimize unnecessary spending. That is not to say you can never go out to eat or buy nice luxury items. Just save more than you spend and those “luxuries” wont hurt so much!

Freebies & Promotions:-
Websites I use:
• www.ilovefreethings.com
• www.dealseekingmom.com (under the“Freebies” header)
• www.thunderfap.com
• www.craigslist.org (“Free” Section)
- Check these sites DAILY! It may sound like a lot of work but it literally takes 5 minutes and the pay off is 100% FREE stuff!
- Avoid ads that ask for certain info. I have yet to run across a scam on these sites. I’ve been using them for months and they are safe! However I have been on sites that ask for TMI! Most product request forms ask for your name, shipping address (so they can send you their product), email (for shipping confirmation or further promotions), your telephone number (incase the products come back to them with incorrect shipping- most do not call for feedback/sales and if they do they will tell you, in which case you opt out), and your birthdate (to make sure they don’t have 4 year olds requesting product)
- Even though they’re just samples, STOCK UP! You may think its not worth it to do all this leg work for sample sized product. But I am here to tell you it is!! If you are diligent you will never have to buy toothpaste, feminine sanitary needs, deodorant, and other needs ever again! And the best part is- it’s name brand product!! Always and Kotex send me enough “samples” that I hardly ever have to buy anything! So stockpile it! Also, a lot of companies send out full product size for your first “sample”. I have received full packs of diapers, full cans of formula, bottles of shampoo and lotion all for filling out a form that took 30 seconds!
- Become a Craigslist regular! I check the Craigslist free section daily! You may not find anything, you may hit a gold mine! I’ve gotten free coupons mailed to me. I’ve gotten produce (apples, tomatoes, apricots) from people’s yards that were just going to throw them out due to excess. I’ve even seen t.v.s and gaming systems (like we need another one of those!) in great working order that people are just giving away!

Gift Giving:
- Homemade gifts are often the way to go, especially for friends, neighbors, bosses and co-workers for the holidays or birthdays. And often these crafty options show others that you put much more time and thought into their gift. Here are just a few ideas:
• Large soup mug (the dollar stores often have very cute ones) and a soup mix or single serve cocoa mix and candy cane
• A small basket with hand cream, nail polish, nail files, cotton balls, nail polish remover
• A honeymoon/wedding basket: sparkling cider, fluted glasses (again, most dollar stores have them), a bottle of chocolate syrup, bubble bath, a clear shower curtain and “energy bars”
• A $5 DVD from Walmart tied up with a package of popcorn and a couple boxed movie candies (also available at Walmart)
- Have a few generics on hand. It’s a good idea to stock up on nonspecific gift items when they go on sale. For example: after Christmas you can get gift baskets at most retailers (Target, Walmart, Kmart) are discounted ridiculously!! Boardgames, movies, and lots infant winter clothing items also go on sale BIG TIME! It’s a good idea to grab a couple things for kid birthday parties, weddings, or baby shower. Not only do you save money by buying these items while they are on sale, but you save yourself a last minute trip to the store for one item! It’s also a good idea to have some of these gifts on hand just in case a neighbor stops by with a gift around the holidays and you forgot about them! (I know its happened to all of us!)
- Don’t do your shopping the day before! This is especially important for the Christmas season. Keep in mind what you would like to get for each person on your list and look for deals on that item year round! Its a lot easier to spend $10+ dollars here or there rather than $500+ the week before Christmas! Plus, if you scout out deals year round you are less rushed and less likely to buy on impulse and end up spending waaaay too much! It makes the holiday season MUCH less stressful and you avoid the after holiday money crunch!
- Good sites to use:
• www.retailmenot.com You can go there to get retail discounts and price comparisons for many of your surround stores. For example: I was Christmas shopping for my 5 month old about a month ago and I knew that Khol’s had everything in their toy department marked down to 40-60% off (t.v. is your friend when it comes to finding these sales). Great deal right? I got an even better deal! I went on the above site. Typed Kohl’s in the search bar and it literally pulled up hundreds of coupons for me to use. After clipping all my coupons and taking advantage of the sale I ended up getting almost $300 worth of toys for $36.78! And that included tax AND shipping! EVERY time you order something online you MUST check this site first. You can get discounts, free shipping, free gift items with a purchase, the possibilities are endless!
• www.groupon.com This site offers discount giftcards, restaurant vouchers, spa deals and other things of that nature for your local retailers. There is a catch to this site though- the only offer a limited quantity of ONE local deal per day so its best to check this site EVERY morning. Example: My husband loves to golf and Boise has a PGA course that he has been dying to go to but it is WAY out of our price range. Last week they offered 18 holes and cart rental for two people for $30.00 (it normally would be 100+)! BUT they were only offering this deal to the first 75 people! That’s why you have to act quickly with this site, but its definitely worth it.
- Shop around! I’m sure this is just common sense for most people but how you do it is key! DO NOT drive from store to store or online! Driving around wastes gas and price checking online is often times inaccurate. Even with retailers like Walmart or Target that you would think would have the same prices online as in the store often times have prices tailored to a particular store. It is always best to call the specific store that you plan on purchasing from. That way you know EXACTLY what you are about to pay!

Couponing/Shopping Frugal:
- Remember, a little savings is a lot of savings. I said it before and I’ll say it again, even if it doesn’t seem like its worth it a “small” coupon over time leads to big savings. Of course this is only true to items you ALREADY plan on buying! If you’re going to buy it anyway, why not save on it?!
- Always shop with a list! Never go grocery shopping without a list. Even if you think you have a pretty good idea of the things you need, shopping without a list leads to throwing extras into the cart that may seem like a necessity at the time.
- Learn to cook. Many people buy items based on convenience. But what you don’t realize is that these “microwave miracles” come in small quantities making them SEEM cheaper. They are not only more expensive but they are so unhealthy (yes, even the ones that claim to be, healthy choise, lean cuisine, etc.) Not to mention they don’t taste nearly as good as home cookin!
- Look for low cost, multi function items. For example: eggs. Eggs are cheap and you can do almost anything with them! (Breakfast burritos, scrambled eggs, egg salad sandwiches) So stock up! Not only does this relieve your pocket book but it adds variety to your diet! Other items that are good to stock up on are instant rice, chicken (most versatile and cheap unprocessed meat), eggs, and potatoes. All are relatively low cost and provide SO many different options.
- Try not to buy in one place. Many grocery stores offer different prices on different types of items. Now this obviously only works if you have multiple options in close proximity to each other but it will save you big time!! For example: contrary to popular belief Walmart is not always the cheapest place to get your groceries. It is a good idea next time you go shopping to take a notebook with you and note the prices of different items so you know which is the cheapest place to purchase. This is usually how I divide up my shopping:
• Walmart: toiletries, cleaning supplies, baby needs, feminine needs, prescriptions
• Winco: groceries- all except unprocessed meats (steak, chicken, pork chops, roast, ect.)
• Albertsons: unproccessed meats- call your local Albertsons to find out when their buy one- get one free meat sale is. Usually there are two every month. This is the best time to stock up on normally pricey meats.
- Take advantage of price and coupon matching. Walmart is great for this! You can take in adds and coupons from ANY store and they will meet that price or give you the exact discount on the coupon for identical product. This saves you a trip to another store for just ONE sale item.
- Compare prices by the ounce. Most grocery stores now have price tags that tell you how much you are paying per ounce for different products. If this is the case it will show you your price per ounce in the bottom right hand corner of the shelf price tag, usually in a little yellow box. For example, a small jar of salsa costs $2.48 and a jar that is only a little bigger for $3.09. Usually, people grab the smaller jar simply because it costs less. However, when you look at the PPO tag you see that the small jar costs 29 cents per ounce whereas the jar that seems only slightly larger comes to 18 cents an ounce. Before you would have debated forever about which one to purchase, now the decision is made for you!
- Warehouse stores are not always cheaper. Again compare by the ounce. Just because its in a big container doesn’t mean you’re getting a deal. Especially if that big container goes bad before you have time to use it all. Do a PPO price check and remember to take the stores joining and annual rates into account.
- Before buying pricey store produce there are two places you should check. Craigslist has a farm and garden section that often times has offers for free or low cost produce and it is most times cheaper than anything you can find in the market. Also, find out where you’re local farmers market is held and familiarize your self with the produce vendors there and their prices. Again, its cheaper and fresher than store fruits and vegetables!
- Remember the freezer is your friend. Many things can be frozen to avoid waste or keep the things you stock up on better longer. For example, in our house we don’t go through bread very fast. So instead of buying a whole loaf and putting it out so that most of it molds before we get to it, I usually take out a third to a half of a loaf for us to use and I freeze the rest. It is also a good idea to stock up on seasonal items and freeze them while they are on sale. This could be turkey around Thanksgiving, hams go for super cheap around Easter and peaches and corn on the cob can be found very cheap in late summer. You can freeze almost anything and this is how long it will last:
Beef – 12 months
Butter/Margarine – 6 months
Bread/Cookies – 3 months
Cheese – 6 months
Coconut – 12 months
Cooked Meat – 3 months
Fruits/ Fruit Juice – 12 months
Ground Meat – 3 months
Ice Cream – 4 months
Nuts – 12 months
Pork – 6 months
Poultry – 6 months
Vegtables – 12 months
Whipping Cream – 3 months
- Couponing Sites: all of the following are my favorite sites for coupons you can clip and print immediately from your computer.
www.coupons.com
www.p&gbrandsaver.com
www.smartsource.com
www.redplum.com
www.retailmenot.com-

Do NOT buy coupons regardless of how great the deal is! There is a new fad hitting coupon-ers and many are purchasing coupons and coupon doublers from ebay, craigslist, etc. THIS IS ILLEGAL!! It is against the law to purchase or sell any coupon of any kind! Product manufacturers are the only ones allowed to distribute brand coupons. Not to mention many of the coupons that are sold online are copies/frauds and there is no way to verify it before you purchase them and if you get caught using fraudulent coupons you could face a hefty fine from the product manufacturer.

General Saving Ideas:
- Inexpensive dishwasher and washing machine cleaner- your dishwasher and washing machine run more efficiently and do a better job if they are cleaned at least once a month. The problem with name brand cleaners for these devises (finish, sparkle, tide, bounce, etc) is they come with a big price tag. Heres a better solution run a regular cycle in either your washer or dishwasher- minus the clothes or dishes) but instead of detergent use 3 to 5 tablespoons of all purpose vinegar depending on how dirty they are. This should get them sparkly bright and running great!
- Cut down on milk/ juice costs – drink more water! 86% of the U.S. population doesn’t get enough water so drink more. Many families drink milk, juice or even soda with their meals. This can be expensive especially since most people have more than one glass with their meal. Limit the quantity of other beverages to one glass per meal. When its gone there is only water available. You’ll be astonished how much you save!
- Ironing- Spray your ironing down with water instead of starch. It makes ironing easier and less expensive with the same results.
- Turn off the television- many families not only spend WAAAY too much time in front of the t.v., but they leave the t.v. running even when they aren’t watching it! Turning the television off and only watching between an hour and a half and two hours of television can save you $15-18 a month on your power bill!! No joke, I tested it several months in a row!
- Take advantage of free customer rewards programs! Many companies offer FREE customer reward programs. All it takes is a few extra minutes of your time! These companies may offer anything from exclusive customer sales, discounts, money back on purchases or a free gift on your birthday. Here are several rewards programs that I am a member of that are definitely worth checking out: Albertson’s (discounts on groceries and gas), Maverick (2 cents off per gallon of gas), Cheveron (discounts on gas and in-store purchases), Van Huessen (exclusive customer sales 60-70% off quarterly), GNC (product discounts and money back on purchases), Deseret Book (points build up for in-store cash)
- 30 day rule: with all big purchases (pretty much anything with a monthly membership or an upfront cost of $50 or more) you should NEVER buy or sign up upon impulse! As the wife of a door to door salesman, I hear about people on a daily basis who make impulse buys and later regret it big time! Sleep on it for a full 30 days! Yep, not 5, not 10, not 20 days- a FULL 30 days. If at the end of the 30 days you still decide that you just cannot live without this particular item or membership then go ahead, you probably wont regret it!
- Take advantage of consignment shops: stores like Plato’s Closet, Nearly Nu, Second Rack are a great way to get a trendy wardrobe with a small price tag. These stores only take VERY gently used and in style clothing unlike a thrift store. Plus they’ll buy your clothes that you no longer like or fit into anymore! Much better than dumping them at the Goodwill right?! Look online to find your local consignment store!!

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