Let's Talk: Being Thrifty

My mother instilled a sense of being thrifty deep within me as I grew up.  My dad had cancer in my early school years, and life was pretty hard for us when he was unable to work.  Fortunately, we were blessed with wonderful friends that made sure we never went without food during those dark times.  Later in years, we went through the typical family problems of getting laid off or companies closing.  Having extra money for school clothes and things of that nature was petty hard, but we always managed to get by in lean times...and you know what?  Some of those are my fondest memories of my childhood.

I know that sounds crazy.
No one enjoys not having enough money.  You're right.

The thing is, hard times are what brought us all closer together as a family.  Or maybe I was just really young and immature.  Either way, I get all warm and fuzzy when I remember my mom's and my shopping trips where we did some big time bargain shopping.  This wonderful woman introduced me to bargain outlets, dollar stores, yard sales and flea markets.  My entire family still turns to look at the expression on her face whenever we pass a yard sale to this very day.  Because of this, I just don't pay full price for anything that I don't have to.  I will always try and find the best deal for everything I buy.

Let's face it:  things aren't getting any easier for the average family financially.  Jobs are harder to find, and more difficult to keep.  People have to find innovative ways to save money, and coupons are just the tip of the iceberg of how you can do it.

Many guys out there aren't going to clip coupons (but if you do...kudos!), and possibly a lot of women won't do it, either.  Thankfully, that is not the only way to save money.  There are a lot of other things you can do:

• I have mentioned it before, but sign up for those frequent shopper cards for grocery stores, drug stores, and other kinds of stores as well.  Not only do you get items at a discount, some of them give you rewards such as coupons for percentages off your next bill.
• Do you drink soda?  Sign up for My Coke Rewards or Pepsi Rewards +Plus.  You can turn in your points for any number of things, but my favorite is magazine subscriptions and coupons for MORE free soda!  (FYI:  gamer = massive soda consumption)
• Get to know your area discount and dollar stores.  No reason to spend $3-4 on Ziploc bags for your sandwiches if all you do is toss them.  They are also a great place to stock up on spices, snacks, cleaning supplies, and lots of other things.  Plus side?  Dollar Tree takes coupons!
• Get on the email lists for stores.  Don't want to feel spammed?  Make an email specifically for these communications. Weekly sales ads from grocery stores will help you when shopping.  Also look into being on email lists for restaurants.  Not only do a lot of them give you a free meal on your birthday, they also send coupons for BOGO meals and specials.  (Noodles & Company is great for this, and so is Logan's Roadhouse)
• Speaking of birthday freebies...you might want to check out this website for a lot of cool things.  February in this household is free meal month for me!
• If you have not used Freecycle, check to see if you have one in your area.  It's a group of local people in your town that have things they no longer want or use and list them to give away free of charge to keep them out of landfills.  An added plus:  if there is something you are looking for, you can make a "Wanted" post to see if anyone has an item they are willing to part with.

I hope some of these give you ideas on how to save money in your household!