Saving Money

Ways to Save Money with Smart Shopping Tricks

December 1, 2015 by editor

Everyone is always looking to save money on things that they use every day. For many people, a budget is the only way in which they can be financially responsible for what they deal with on a weekly basis. For those who are looking for ways to save money with smart shopping tricks, they need to look no further. There are tons of tips that can help you to stretch your dollar even further, yet not feel as though you are missing out on anything in life.

[Read: Saving Money When You Have No Time]

Tips to Help with Savings Money while Shopping

When most people think of how to save money with smart shopping tricks, they automatically think of those people who are coupons and shop online only in order to get the best deals. However, that is not all that there is. If you were to take all of these tips, you will find that these will help to make your budget go even further.

Look around for the deal. Look at all the stores that you have in your shopping range and look at the deals that they are having. You will find that drugstores in your area may offer products for much cheaper than a national store. They often run buy one, get one sales that are going to help you to save money on products that you will always be using.
Always use the rewards programs that your stores may be offering. This is a great way to save money with smart shopping tricks, as these reward programs are often going to offer even more savings to you. In fact, many of these reward programs are going to cater their deals to what you purchase.
Do coupon with manufacturer coupons. These are going to be available online, as well as through circulars that are in your local paper. You will find that these coupons are going to take only a few minutes to clip, yet they can save a huge percentage at the checkout.
Look at coupons offered by the store as many stores offer coupons to their customers who use their loyalty or rewards card. These coupons can often be doubled with a manufacturer coupon for even more savings, if you start to save your coupons and match these with the deals you find around your shopping range. However, be careful since Coupons Trick You into Spending More Money.
Low prices of items can be found online, especially when dealing with personal care products. For those who do not mind to wait a few days for their products, ordering online can save you a great percentage.
Be sure that you are following blogs out there who discusses couponing and other save money with smart shopping tricks. There are several out there who may be devoted to your area, so be sure to follow them when they post new items
Never pay full price for any item, including clothing. There are deals to be found every day. If you end up paying full price then you have made an error that has cost you money.
Consider an Amazon Prime membership as this can help you to save money on things that you use every day. The membership includes free shipping on many products, as well as access to the Amazon Pantry that many people have utilized as a way to keep their pantry fully stocked.
You can try to get discounts on what you spend via writing a review. Many companies are eager to hear about their products from real customers. And in the process they may ask people to write a review and in return give them a discount for their item. Other times, the company may target you to write the review and they simply give you the product to write.
Reuse bottles. This is one of the biggest ways to save money. Instead of buying bottled water, purchase a reusable water bottle rather than spending the money every few days for bottles. Plus, this can also help the Earth. It is one of those save money with smart shopping tricks that helps everyone.
Utilize the apps that stores have, as well as third party apps that are telling you of savings that are in the area. There are apps that are meant to tell you the lower price per gallon on gas in your area, along with deals on purchases you may be interested in.
Always plan your meals ahead of time as this can help you to not buy those items that you really do not need. This can help you to narrow down your purchases to those items that are on sale as well, and plan your meals around what you can get for a discounted price.

[Read: Tips to Save Money and Maximize Your Income]

Start Spending Smart

It is hard to break years of spending habits that is why many people struggle with the many save money with smart shopping tricks that have been presented. For those who feel that they are struggling, there are a few tips to help you get through this:

Start slowly as you will find that it will take time to get used to this new way of shopping
Do not start to see savings immediately, it is really the numerous shopping trips that utilize these tips that help the person to see the savings
Keep working at saving as you will find that you can come up with spins on these save money with smart shopping tricks that are going to work better for you.

Saving Money When You Have No Time

May 11, 2015 by editor

Not too long ago, an expert mom was asked to field questions from readers on a popular “mom” website focusing on saving money, from your budget to seeing how frugal we could really be. She thought this was right in her wheelhouse, something she had been advising women on for years. And then the questions came. Questions that she soon realized she could no longer answer. The questions from this generation of moms seemed an entirely different world apart from the generation of money-saving moms that she was accustomed to. They asked questions about making your own laundry detergent, how to best keep track of your coupons digitally, or what’s the best app for coupons?

Even though she didn’t have all the answers, she was able to field enough of them that she felt comfortable with. However, this did make her realize that saving money over the years had taken on a completely different identity, as her own family identity changed. This was for the simple reason that she didn’t have the time she used to.

How Your Techniques For Saving Money Can Change

Perhaps when you were just starting out as a mom, you spent more weekend mornings than you can remember pouring over the newspaper ads, clipping coupon after coupon, organizing them by sale and store, and then shopping all over town to get the best deal. And when you found that great deal, you stocked up! Shelf upon closet shelf, filled with more of those everyday necessities (toothpaste, diapers, body wash, hair products) than you (or your husband) ever thought you could use!

Now everyone is a little older, perhaps you’re stretched in more directions, and you say a prayer before you open the closet door that perhaps there’s just one more toothpaste tube or bar of soap left in there somewhere. Who has time to clip and remember coupons? Oh, and those precious little toddlers that are so content to quietly sit in the cart and stare at everything have now evolved into noisy ping pong balls, bouncing all over the store and incessantly pelleting you with questions about what they can buy and what they can eat. Who has the time or sanity for more than one store?

Then those weekend mornings roll around. You are no longer comparing ads and cutting out various coupons. Maybe you work and these are the mornings your children just want you all to themselves! And so you pick and choose. Do you want to make sure you’re saving money? Yes. Do you want to clip coupons instead of kicking a ball around with your son or snuggling on the couch, reading a book? Of course not.

How To Make Sure You’re Still Saving Money When You Don’t Have Time

If this kind of busy and ever-changing life sounds just like you, then keep reading! There is still hope. But once you’re in this kind of situation, you need to help your techniques for saving money change right along with you! You made need to give your time and attention to strategies that give you more bang for your buck or take up less of your time. Maybe your focus needs to be finding ways to earn money instead of the nickel and dime approach to saving. Everyone is different, as we well know, but what remains the same is that our money-saving techniques need to change as our lives do.

Here are some techniques that may help if you find your time for focusing on coupons is past:

Shoot for the big savings. Look for ways in your life to make choices that will save your family money in one big way, instead of lots of little couponing ways. For instance, one mom found that changing her family’s insurance plan to a healthcare-sharing ministry would save her $6,000 a year.
Keep your lifestyle constant. And simple. Keep driving those reliable (and paid off!) vehicles. Stay in the house that you’ve always been able to afford. Who cares, in the end, what the neighbours have! But this can get you only so far.
Aim for ways to earn more. You can do both: focus on saving big as well as increasing your income. If you find ways to bring in that extra money, it may soon exceed what you could’ve saved on shampoo and conditioner over the years.
Use your local sales wisely and embrace used items. This is more of the little things that can add up. Plan your weekly menu around what’s on sale. Go to those warehouse stores and buy your usuals in bulk if you compare it to local sale prices and it still makes sense. Eat those leftovers in the fridge for extra meals without the extra groceries. Control your impulse buying, even (or especially) at the grocery store. Maybe avoid the snack aisle altogether!

Maybe your heart still is in clipping those coupons and you miss the days of getting conditioner and toothpaste for a few pennies, if not free. Missing the thrill of finding the best deal on, well let’s face it; anything makes you a bit sad. But your family is young and they need you. You need to let go of certain things and look to embrace techniques now that are still saving money for you and allowing you to focus more on your family time. And fear not! Maybe someday you can go back to those tried-and-true techniques that you’ve always loved. Adjusting your time and strategies now doesn’t mean it will always be like this.

But what’s most important, saving big or small is what you do with that money you save. As your life continues to change, embrace new strategies to help you continue to save while still focusing on what most important.

How Simple Financial Decisions Can Impact Your Life

January 29, 2014 by editor

Money is a sensitive subject but it something we all need, when it comes to even the most simple financial decisions we make the wrong choice. The reason we make the wrong decision is due to a lack of education and financial awareness. We are going to take the complexity out of finances so you can make a truly informed decision. By learning the fundamentals of finance and money you can realize your goal of financial independence.

Without financial education you will never be able to make an informed decision on what to do with your money and how to avoid the various financial traps that exist. The most important thing you need to keep in mind is you are ultimately responsible for your own decisions. This is very important since there are some people who rely on financial experts for advice and while the advice may be helpful there is no one more focused on protecting your money like you are so always keep that in mind.

Understanding the Difference between Living in and Below Your Means

The first thing we need to review is the difference between at and below your means. We all love shopping, eating out and spending money but if you are living above or right at your means if something were to happen to your income then your entire world could be turned upside down. When a person is carrying a large amount of debt this stress will have an effect on their emotional well-being and relationships. One of the primary reasons that relationships fall apart in this country is due to financial strains which are a direct results of living above or at your means.

While living at your means is better than going into debt you should aim to live below your means whenever possible. By bringing in more money than what you spend you are reducing the risk of suffering the following.

Taking on debts for emergency expenses you didn’t save for.
Making rash spending decisions because you do not have any financial alternatives i.e. payday loan.
Take time to spend with your family instead of working overtime to pay off debts.

Living below your means might sound hard but it is quite simple you just need to learn how to budget. In the past people consider “budget” a dirty word but when done properly it can be quite liberating. It is very simple to start, what you need to do is write down the names of all the different expenditures you have and how much you have spent on them over the last 30 days, This has to include everything. Now that you know how much money is going out you need to look at how much is coming in from your employment.

After you have crunched the numbers you should look for savings in your budget by making simple substitutions. A great example of this is switching that premium coffee from the coffee shop down the corner to instant coffee you can prepare at home. You would be amazed by how much money you can save. All of these savings can be used to finance activities you really enjoy and since it is within your budget you don’t have to feel guilty about it.

Reviewing the Benefits of Regular Savings

There is an old expression “A penny saved is a penny earned” which is very true when investing but also applies for savings. By putting a little money aside each and every pay period you will be able to handle unexpected financial challenges that come up from time to time. This is one of the most important simple financial decisions a person can make which is whether they should save or not. Unless you come from a very wealthy family you should save money. The following are a few benefits associated with saving.

By having money saved up you will never have to borrow and be forced to pay interest.
Gives you a considerable amount of personal satisfaction to know there is cash available if an emergency pops up.
Peace of mind. By having money available for emergencies you don’t have to worry about losing your job or some other financial hardship because you are a prepared.

You need to develop a budget and start saving money now. There are helpful tips available online that will provide you with easy to follow strategies so you can start saving money. By saving money and avoiding debt you are going to achieve fiscal success and be able to make simple financial decisions based on personal experience. Make it a priority to teach your children these good money habits as well so they can benefit from it. By learning how to make the most of your money you can make the most of your life.