Frugal Living Tips

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Wednesday, August 27th, 2008 Subscribe To Our Feed

There are plenty of money saving tips out there and given the current financial uncertainty, this is a fairly topical issue. We’ve all done it from time to time. Gone out shopping for a sweater and ended up with a winter collection of items. Or maybe you planned to get a new cell phone but the answer machine and digital camera kept talking to you and hey presto, you ended up with those too. These things happen, it’s called canny marketing and impulse buying. However adopting some simple frugal living tips can make saving easier than you might think.

Here we go.

Don’t shop on payday. You feel flushed with money at this point and your impulsive nature may be at it’s most insistent. However, you haven’t paid the bills or put money away for savings. You haven’t budgeted for the month ahead and at the end of the shopping trip, you are a few hundred dollars in the hole and a bill goes without being paid.

Don’t shop for groceries on an empty stomach. Pretty self explanatory really but it never fails. If you shop for food when you are hungry you can be talked into buying just about anything. The shopping list goes out the window and so does the grocery budget for the month. Shopping when hungry could also cause you to stop for fast food on the way home because you can’t wait to fix something to eat.

Shop at thrift stores and consignment shops for certain items. This is relevant particularly for kids when they are babies or toddlers. Often these stores have lovely stuff, in pretty good condition. Provided you are prepared to rummage around a little you can discover a few hidden gems or even stuff that has hardly been used. And the cost is a snip on the new price. Thrift stores are a good alternative to “hand-me-down” clothing for younger kids. Go to more affluent suburbs or even cities and towns as the quality of hand downs is likely to be better. Name brand clothing and labels can be found in many of these types of stores for you as well as the kids.

Buy in bulk only if it is something that actually need or use regularly. Bulk discounts are another canny marketing technique that suck many people in. The same goes for buy 2 and get one free deals. Only get stuff you actually need. Carrying a calculator to the store with you can aid in figuring up which is the best buy. Consider joining a shopping warehouse if you frequently buy bulk items.

Ask for a rain check. Some stores don’t give them for certain sale items, but it doesn’t hurt to ask. A rain check can save you money. Don’t buy a six dollar case of water if you can get it for two dollars with a rain check. Buy up to the limit you are allowed to purchase and stock up.

Bargain shop when looking for services. There’s no rule that says you have to go with the first plumber that you call. All companies don’t charge the same amount. Checking two or three places will give you a good idea of how the prices stack up. Choose the one with the most services for the lowest price. If you are not sure, ask a friend who may have had the same need that you do now.

Purchase gifts throughout the year. Don’t wait until right before the holidays or someone’s birthday. Finding gifts throughout the year saves money. Sales after Christmas are the perfect time to find all sorts of merchandise that would make good gifts for the following Christmas. Store your gifts in a cabinet for that purpose so that you are never without something to choose from for gift giving.

Once you make these kind of ideas a habit you will find you can save a lot of cash and it becomes second nature.

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