I’ve got Kyle from Rather Be Shopping back today. His site features online coupons and discounts. If you enjoy this post I hope you’ll consider subscribing to his RSS Feed. ~Nicki
With 3 small kids and living off one salary, my wife and I have had to find some creative ways to make our paycheck go as far as possible every month. Some required some sacrifice and some required a little bit of time, but they all save us money. Here are a few tips we use to lower our expenses through frugal living.
Learn To Downsize
Part of living frugally is getting by with less. Especially stuff that really does not add to our happiness. For my wife and I, that included lowering our cable subscription to local channels only, lowering our cell phone package to just the basic service, and using the local library so we can get rid of magazine subscriptions. Plus, we stopped eating out as much, I starting making my own lunch, I do all the yard work myself and as much do-it yourself stuff around the house as possible. These things alone save us a couple hundred dollars a month.
Get Good at eBay
By using eBay to sell a lot of the stuff you have no use for, you can create a nice amount of extra income. I did this a lot when my wife and I were focusing on getting out of credit card debt. People will buy darn near anything on eBay. If it is still in pretty good shape, take a nice picture of it, write a very good, detailed description and put it up for auction. Things that I have found sell really well on eBay include: brand name baby and kids clothing, baby bedding, maternity clothes, and toys that are in decent condition.
Become a Bargain Shopper
We shop exclusively at discount stores/thrift stores and use a lot of coupons when shopping for groceries. Also, we do quite a bit of our shopping online because of the convenience factor and with the rising gas prices it just makes sense. When making a large purchase, always do a price comparison at sites like Pricegrabber.com or Bizrate.com. They will pull the best price from dozens of retailers that they can find in a matter of seconds. No sense ever paying full price.
Please feel free to add your “money finding” tip as well, I look forward to your comments. Now on to my best online coupons from my website. Thanks again Nicki for letting me contribute to your terrific blog!
American Eagle Outfitters.com
Coupon Code: 91037988
Expiration: 4/27/10
See All: American Eagle Coupons
Ann Taylor.com
Celebrate Express.com
Coupon Code: Spring65
Expiration: 6/30/10
See All: Celebrate Express Coupons
Children’s Place.com
Coupon Code: C4A4A
Expiration: 5/12/10
See All: Children’s Place Coupons
Home Depot.com
Lands End.com
Coupon Code: TIERS & PIN 8659
Expiration: 4/23/10
See All: Lands End Coupons
Old Navy.com
Smith + Noble.com
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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Making my own cleaning products is a big money saver! I used to spend $3 for a bottle of Clorox Anywhere spray, until I discovered I can EASILY make this at home. Once my swiffer cloths are all gone, I plan to use old rags and a vinegar and water solution to clean my floors, better for the environment too!
lisa´s last blog ..Hearty Tomato Soup
The three things Kyle mentioned are exactly what we’ve been doing since we moved to a more expensive (but lovely!) city.
I would add that I used to sell everything on eBay, but I’ve decided there are some things it’s more convenient or I might get a better price from by selling it on the free online local classifieds (here’s it’s Gumtree, in the US I think it’s Craigslist). I’ve also gotten some excellent bargains on both types of sites.
Often when I’m shopping for an item I will try the online local classifieds and see if I can get something used that will serve my needs rather than buying something new. Recently purchased a $300+ scanner for $80 – even got to load the software and check it was working perfectly – not something you can do with an online purchase or even in an electronics store.
Elisa | blissfulE´s last blog ..ode to eatmeal