Saving money is always a good thing. It is an especially good thing when recovering from a robust holiday season or when you just want to get your year off to a good start.
No matter if it is January and you are working on your New Year’s resolution to save money, or later in the year, and finances dictate that you must cut costs, or a combination of the two.
There are some simple ways you can save on the things you use everyday.
It is easy to save money on big purchases a lot of the time. Using a coupon code, waiting for a sale, or buying second-hand items can save you thousands.
However, those options are not always applicable when the things you need to save on include food, feminine products, clothes, makeup or kids' items.
Never fear though, there are other things you can do to save money on these essentials. Here is a list of four tips women can use to cut costs on things you buy everyday.
1) Cut coupons
It can be annoying, time-consuming and cumbersome, but cutting coupons can save you significant money each month on everything from toilet paper to lip gloss and everything in between.
With today’s technology there is no need to sit with the weekly circulars and all your coupon booklets and piece together the best deals. Just look for a website that focuses on the deals at the store you shop in most. You can most likely find a coupon match-up online for the items on sale that week at your store.
With just one hour of planning per week, you can save about 25-40 percent, according to Cindy Livesey, owner of LivingRichWithCoupons.com.
2) Look for promotional codes for online purchases
For anyone who may feel uncomfortable about using coupons or online promo codes, know that you need not be embarrassed at all. More rich people use coupons than those who make lesser incomes!
A 2014 poll conducted for Tada, a coupon site from Shopzilla.com, found that the wealthy (families making over $150,000) are more likely to coupon than lower or middle class families. Perhaps they are able to stay rich because they know how to keep their money and not spend it frivolously.
Often times buying everyday things online can yield cheaper results and it can save you time, too!
3) Buy in bulk
Buying at bulk-shopping stores can seem overwhelming, but with some proper restraint, it can save significant money. Just know that 10 bottles of pickles, or of anything, is probably too much.
Most bulk-shopping stores require memberships to buy at their low prices but you can sometimes get a limited-time shopping pass to try out the store.
BJ’s Wholesale Club lets non-members purchase items for a 15 percent surcharge which may actually still save the consumer money as they claim their customers can save more than 30 percent off grocery store prices.
4) Shop the sales
It sounds so easy, yet most of us still seem to need a bathing suit at the beginning of the summer or a coat around Labor Day. The time to buy a swimsuit is at the end of summer and you should buy next year’s coat in the spring.
By thinking and planning ahead you can save enormous amounts of money. After-holiday sales (Christmas, Valentine’s Day, Easter, and Halloween to name just a few) can have items for next year for up to 90 percent off!
The common theme in all these tips is that you have to plan ahead to save money. Having a specific goal is a great way to provide incentive for you to use tips like these to cut costs.
Sure, being a saver can be inconvenient at times, but saving money for that dream vacation, retirement, a new baby or anything else of value, is worth it!
Sources:
SheKnows.com. Web. 10 February 2014. “The wealthy are more likely to use coupons ironically.”
http://www.sheknows.com/living/articles/1029861/the-wealthy-are-more-likely-to-use-coupons-ironically
Money.USNews.com. Web. 23 July 2014. “How to coupon in just one hour per week.”
http://money.usnews.com/money/the-frugal-shopper/2014/07/23/how-to-coupon-in-just-one-hour-a-week
BJs.com. Web. 12 January 2015. “One day pass.”
http://www.bjs.com/one-day-pass.content.join_one_day_pass.A.join_consumer
Reviewed January 13, 2015
by Michele Blacksberg RN
Edited by Jody Smith