Rachel Singer Gordon ~
We all need to tighten our belts lately — but the savviest shoppers know this:
- 1. Being frugal doesn’t mean being cheap: We can save without feeling deprived.
- 2. Mashing up, or mixing money-saving with money-making strategies lets our dollars go even further!
A little shopping savvy saves us from extreme frugal measures like making our own laundry detergent or timing our showers. Instead, savvy shoppers shop strategically to maximize savings: Buying detergent at rock-bottom prices and slashing grocery and drugstore bills to save money for long hot showers (and other simple pleasures!). And, we bring in money on the side to stretch those dollars even further. Here are five quick strategies for mashing up your own savings.
Savvy strategy one: Stock up when things are on sale
Most of us shop around what we’re out of or whatever we feel like eating this week, so end up paying whatever the store happens to be charging. Instead, stock up when things are on sale. Grocery stores all run “loss leaders,” or rock-bottom items to get you in the store — so you’ll do the rest of your shopping at their normal high prices. Smart shoppers just grab super-saver items — your $.99 box of cereal or your $.10 apples — and get on out. “Cherry pick” the best deals to do better, and match coupons with loss leaders to get things for super cheap or free. Most grocery store items hit their lowest price every 2-3 months, so grab enough to last you until they hit that rock-bottom price again.
Savvy strategy two: Play the “drugstore game”
Everyday prices at drugstores are high, but did you know they offer loss leaders just like grocery stores? Not only that, the big chains run money-back offers every week, such as: Buy this toothpaste for $3.00, get $2.00 off your next shopping trip. Well, why not use a $1.00 coupon on that toothpaste and get it for free? Play this game every week and roll your money back coupons into new money-back offers to minimize what you have to spend out of your own pocket. Free toothpaste, shampoo, and razors turn into money saved that you can spend on food, gas, and those long hot showers.
Savvy strategy 3: Look for coupons online
Visit big coupon sites like Coupons.com and SmartSource.com to print out hundreds of coupons right from your computer. And, companies from Betty Crocker to Stonyfield Farm put coupons on their own websites for their customers to print, letting you save at the store on everything from fruit snacks to organic yogurt.
Load electronic coupons from Shortcuts.com and Cellfire.com right onto your grocery store loyalty card. These come off right at the register — and, check it out: most of these let you use a paper coupon on the items, too, letting you save twice on one item! Save even more by looking for store coupons to stack up with manufacturer coupons and e-coupons to triple-dip your savings. Why? Store coupon savings come from the store, manufacturer coupon savings from the company, and different pots equal different ways to save on a single item.
Savvy strategy 4: Find a local “deals” blogger to follow
Look for coupon bloggers who cover your local area. Over at MashupMom.com, I write up Chicagoland grocery and national drugstore deals, telling you the best things to buy and where to find coupons that match up. Do a quick Google search for deals at your local store (search Safeway deals, Kroger deals, Acme deals) or check out the BeCentsAble Grocery Gathering for bloggers in your state (http://becentsable.blogspot.com/2008/08/becentsables-original-grocery-gathering.html). Deal bloggers do the work for you, for free, so all you need to do is follow their advice.
Savvy strategy 5: Mash it up! Make some money on the side
Savvy shoppers save even more by bringing in extra income on the side. While online, check out survey sites like SurveyHead.com and MySurvey.com that pay out in gift cards, cash, or prizes. Run some searches at Swagbucks.com to earn random points towards PayPal payments or Amazon gift cards. List your kids’ outgrown clothes on eBay, turn your handiwork into sales at Etsy.com, or sell some of those free-after-coupon loss leaders at a neighborhood garage sale. Mash up the money-saving and money-making balance that’s right for you and your family.
Rachel Singer Gordon is the author of Point, Click, and Save: Mashup Mom’s Guide to Saving and Making Money Online. She blogs money-saving tips at MashupMom.com.