Today's Post is from our deal-finding, coupon-cutting, money-saving friend, Stephanie. Look for her posts each Thursday.
I like a
good deal. I love a great deal. And FREE
is even better. Let me start by
introducing myself. I'm Stephanie, a
stay-at-home mom to two young boys (one is 4, the other, 7 months), and wife to
a wonderful husband. We are a single
income family. With the never ending
purchase of diapers, wipes, formula and a growing wardrobe (how fast does a kid
grow, anyway?), money is tight. I also
have Celiac Disease which necessitates the purchase of gluten free foods. Our already tight budget is now choking and
gasping for air.
So, a deal; a discount; a percentage
off? Sign me up! I know so many are
trying to stretch their dollars. And
everyone loves a good deal. My hope is
that this blog will save you time when you are looking to save money.
So let's start with a couple of basic
rules.
Rule #1: Know when a deal is a
good fit for you. Discovering 75% off of
a new pair of jeans is a great find! But
if your closet already contains every color and style Levi Strauss has made in
the last 10 years, this isn't really a deal for you.
Rule #2: You have to have money to save
money. I've had to pass up a lot of
great finds because I had already spent my budgeted grocery money for the
week. If you find a great bargain but
don't have the money to buy it, what good does it do you? So start small. Maybe set aside $5 from each paycheck and
label them your, “Deal Dollars”. Keep
them with you (or easily accessible) for when you are shopping. For example, just tonight while doing the
grocery shopping, I came across four toys that would be great for my son's
Christmas stocking. Each item was marked
90% off. I was able to take advantage of
that deal. In so doing, I saved money on
items that I would have purchased during my Christmas shopping.
Keeping these things in mind, next
time, I would like to dive into the world of the store loyalty card; the two I
use most frequently – Meijer Mperks and Kroger Plus. I'll break down some of the details of each
so that you can see if they may be a good fit for you. I know many people already use store loyalty
cards, but there are more benefits to using them than you may see on the
surface!
Stephanie
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