Seriously, have you watched the show Extreme Cheapskates on TLC?
Sorry, but I refuse to reuse my dental floss or pee in a jar just to save a few dollars. Not happenin folks!
However, with becoming a one income family I have been on the lookout for ways (that are not disgusting!) to help us save some money.
I follow many different coupon sites on my Facebook and have gotten some awesome deals on gifts or household necessities from them. Some of my favorites are: Raining Hot Coupons, The Krazy Coupon Lady, and The Frugal Girls.
Groceries
The biggest part of my weekly shopping list is decided based on a blog that an awesome lady in my hometown started! Walmart is the main place to shop at in our little town and Mrs. Emily Graves learned how to take full advantage of their ad match policy. She puts out a comp list weekly (Wednesday nights) with our local competitors prices on everything from shredded cheese to diapers. I have saved so much money using this list and base my meal plan off of what I can get a great deal on that week. You can also combine the comp list with coupons! Score!
Get the comp list here
I don't consider myself a pro at using the comp list by any means but after some trial and error I have found what works for me during trips to Walmart so let me know if you have any questions!
Pinterest was a great resource (Imagine that!) when I started to meal plan. I wanted to know how to save money by planning ahead and let's be real, this momma doesn't always feel like putting a lot of effort into cooking. So if our meal for that night is already planned out or I can just throw something in the crockpot I am much more likely to feel up to the job!
The best tips I got from all of my research was to use your leftovers! Plan a leftovers night where the whole family gets their choice of what they want from that weeks meals or plan your leftovers into meals on another night. Every couple of weeks I will make a huge pot of chili and then dish out some for the fridge, freezing the rest. I will eat the chili in the fridge for lunch occasionally but then the chili in the freezer gets pulled out for other meals. We can make chili dogs or frito chili pie among other things, 3 meals in one!
Another great tip was to shop in your own pantry! I forget what I have in my cabinets half the time and the other half I used to not take the time to look, just put it on the grocery list and go. Now I take the time to check ingredients off my list that I already have. I also go through the fridge and check which items are about to expire and need to be used. I can then plan a meal around those items and save us more money!
The best site I found for meal planning was Blissful and Domestic. She inspired me to be smart when planning ahead and I have tried many of her recipes, all of them are great!
Formula
I had some complications after birth that caused breast feeding not to work out for me. It was tough at first but I've accepted it and am very happy with how formula feeding has turned out! Formula became extremely important for us but it is super expensive! Luckily I had registered on many different websites to receive free samples of Similac, Enfamil, and Gerber formula. We have received many FREE large cans of formula in the mail and I continue to get $5+ coupons from them. I never ever pay full price for formula!
Clothes, accessories, gifts, and more
I spend WAY too much time shopping online for things I don't need but also have been able to find great deals! With Christmas coming up and being on a budget you always want to be able to find good quality gifts but for a low price. I have purchased many items from Pick Your Plum and loved everything I have received! I also have a new diaper bag on its way from Simple Addiction that I paid under $20 for so I'll let you know how that comes out. I have yet to order much off of Zulily but am always seeing great deals and feel tempted to spend almost daily!
Groupon is also another one of my favorites as I have found deals on gift cards (Pay $5 for a $10 gift card) and specials on tickets or activities around KC.
Go there now for $19 Stanford & Sons Comedy Club tickets!
Add myHeartlandLove to Facebook and be informed of great deals as I find them! I don't have much going on with my new page yet but soon it will get kicked into gear! I'm continuing to work on the items for my Etsy store but don't want to jump into this venture without making sure everything is done right! I will be revealing my creations on here and on Facebook when they are up for sale!
In other news, we are ready to Rock Chalk in this house tonight!
Ok well, some of us are... Go KU!
Zulily is great! But very slow shipping. Took 6 weeks for me to get a dress I ordered for Ashlyn. So if you find something keep that in mind:)
ReplyDeleteOh man! Good to know since I haven't ordered anything from them yet!
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