Serving by Saving

One way I serve my husband is by spending the money he earns wisely. I try to make every penny go twice as far. It can be tricky and time consuming, but if he can go to work 40 hours a week, then I can spend a few hours cutting coupons and planning my grocery trips. It is not an easy task to start, but I have a few sites that can help out. There are TONS of blogs out there to help, but I have found that finding 3 or so good blogs is plenty. Here are a few of my recent favorites.

Thrifty and Thriving
Thrifty NW Mom
Fabulously Frugal

They are not just about couponing either. Thrifty NW Mom often has lists of free events and activities going on on the weekends. I have found free Redbox codes as well. And if you are not into clipping coupons they will tell you where to print them off and link it all so it is right at your fingertips. They make saving money easy and I find it very fun. Your husband will be proud and happy that you are making the budget stretch farther.

Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice

My Daughter is 3. When we moved into our new house she wanted a pink room. This is our very first house I will add, and she is 3. It is a color she is going to grow out of! I was not about to spend $25 on a can of pink paint at the store. So I will teach you all a wonderful trick about saving money on your paint.

Every store has a mistinted paint section. It is just a matter of finding it. Lowe's usually has it by the paint counter. Home Depot usually has it right outside of the door of the contractors entrance. It is also sometimes called as-is . Well, Lowe's as-is is where we found her paint. I was not looking for a specific pink. I knew what kinds I did not want, like bright/florescent pink. Just something softer. To paint her room, we spent 10 dollars on paint, one can of as-is pink, and one can of as-is green. It is not my favorite room in the house, but it was for my 3 year old, and she loves it. So if you are not looking for a specific color, check there. Most places will also color match if you need an additional can of the same color. We had to do that with our office paint. It was as-is too, grayish from Fred Meyer. We also used as-is in the kids bathroom. I can of Blue from Walmart. Yeah, our house needed/still needs some painting, and it is painting on the cheep! So go check them out! It can be a gold mine. And check regularly. Some weeks there is nothing and others there is tons! Good luck!

A Weekly Game I Play

No, it is not the Lotto, but it is similar, without as much gambling. I am a weekly ad junky. I love Tuesday's. That is when I get the ad's in the mail, unless there is a holiday like this week, so I got them on Wednesday. I love a good bargain. I love saving money. It allows me to splurge every once in a while on the things I want either for me, the house, the kids, the Hubbie, etc.

Here are a few things I am excited about this week.

Safeway:
80/20 Ground Beef for $0.99/lb
on Saturday and Sunday they have Goldfish Crackers for $0.88 (that is the steal of the week)

Albertsons:
Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts for 1.88/lb
Green Bell Peppers $0.69/each

Rite Aid (not a grocery store I know, but I could not resist)
Mott's Applesauce, 24 oz, $0.99/jar

OK, so I know this is not a huge list, but these are the best deals regardless if you use coupons. Now, I use coupons as well, and there are other deals, but that is a whole different topic and there are blogs devoted to it, so I am not going to even go there right now. If you are terrified of the coupon thing or it is just not for you, and even if you are using coupons, here are some tips on saving money while shopping the ads.

1) Read the front and back first. Those are the loss leaders. The ones that they are using to just get you into the store and there profit is slim to none. Usually the best deals are on the front and back.

2) Circle what you are interested in with a bold pen or marker so you remember what you were going to get when you come back to your ads.

3) If you are just starting, get a notebook. In that notebook write all your staples that you use regularly or even your splurges. Every week write down the cost so you learn what the lowest price is. Like meat for example. I don't buy meat unless it is under $1.88/lb.

4) Don't be afraid to go to multiple stores. Some things are cheaper at others while others are more expensive.

5) Make a list before you go that has the item, item size if listed and the price listed on it so you know you are getting the right product.

6) Enjoy yourself. It is not something to stress about.

I grew up going to the grocery store with my dad. It was something we did together. I did not go on many dates in high school. I can count them on one hand. So as my friends were on dates, I spent Friday evenings on a date with my dad at the grocery store. It started out as a Saturday morning thing as a kid. I loved it. That time spent with him has taught me countless things about saving money, couponing, and budgeting. So enjoy it, and enjoy it with your kids. I know it can be hard. I have 2 of my own and it is not always pleasant. But learn the tricks of the store. For instance Fred Meyers has free kid cookies as well as they have a supervised area for my three year old so I can shop without her for an hour. It is great.

It really can be fun.