shoppingonabudget

If you want to save money on groceries, you will hear many people saying you should cut back on meat consumption. Yes, this does allow you to save money, but it doesn’t work for everyone. If you want your meat, avoid precut meats.

As a kid, my family use to love eating chicken speedies. I always remember my parents buying the tub that came with precut chicken and it was already mixed with marinade. The first time I attempted to buy this, I was shocked at the price. I got a large package of chicken (and used less than half for the chicken speedies) and then went to the marinade section to pickup a jar of marinade. It was much cheaper. Don’t pay someone to cut or marinade your meats for you. It is a lot cheaper to do it yourself.

Also, don’t do the counter shopping at the meat department. At my store, it is called the Butcher Block. It is cheaper to get the prepacked meat.

There are many good tips on how to save money on groceries and other purchases. A lot of these tips are listed right on my blog. The best tip I have to offer is don’t buy it if you don’t need it.

Whether you found a great sale or have a coupon, think about the product you are buying. Do you already have 3 winter jackets? If so, you are wasting your money by buying another even if it is on sale. Do you have a coupon for a new food product? Only buy the item and use the coupon if you truly want to try it or think you will like it. Otherwise, toss the coupon and save your money.

I, like many other shoppers, ventured out today for Black Friday. Boy, that was a weird experience, which I will talk about later. Right now, I want to talk about helping those who are less fortunate.

My daughter started pre-k this year at our local elementary school. I am sure many schools have donation drives like this, but we are new to school so it is new to us. A letter was sent home asking parents to bring an item to the school to help fill up our local food bank. My daughter’s grade was assigned paper products. There is also a Christmas tree in the lobby with information on children who need gifts.

The tag I took from the Christmas tree stated the girl was 6 years old, needed a winter hat and gloves and that she liked Barbie. So, today I stopped at Wal-Mart and the Dollar Tree. I bought a ballerina Barbie for $5.47 (that was the regular price not a sale price) from Wal-Mart. From the Dollar Tree, I got a 2-pack of gloves, a winter hat, and two packages of toilet paper. This cost me $10 and some change.

I will admit that I rarely donate. I honestly don’t know why. But, I am going to start now. It was an unbelievable feeling buying these items. It was more than thinking “I did my good deed for today.” I guess it hard to describe.

Whether you are a parent or not, contact your local school district to see if they run similar donation drives. Even if you are on a budget (like I am too), you can still help those in need. What I like about donating these items through our school district is I know they stay in the community.

Next week, those in the United States will celebrate Thanksgiving. For most, this means quality time with family and great food. If you are hosting a Thanksgiving dinner, you want to cook a good meal, but you may be worried about the costs. If so, continue reading on for a few moneysaving tips.

1 – Keep an Eye on Sales

Around this time of the year, grocery stores start having good sales on holiday foods. For example, I was able to purchase two frozen pies for $5 (it was a buy one, get one free sale). I am saving them for our Thanksgiving dinner.

2 – Shop at Stores with Low Prices

When I shop for food, I target two stores. They are a local grocery store and a Wal-Mart. One of our Wal-Marts is a cross between a traditional store and a Super Wal-Mart. They have a large food section, which includes frozen foods. For me, it is cheaper to buy cranberry sauce, stuffing mix, boxed potatoes, and canned vegetables from Wal-Mart. They also accept coupons too.

3 – Use Coupons

Speaking of coupons, they can help you reduce the cost of your Thanksgiving dinner. Visit online coupon websites, the websites of your favorite product manufacturers, and check your local weekend newspaper coupon inserts. If you find a coupon for a product you need for Thanksgiving dinner, use it!

4 – Ask Family to Help

Many Thanksgiving hosts feel like they need to do it all. I was one of those hosts. Unfortunately, this is not only difficult, but costly. If your dinner guests include close family, don’t be afraid to help. Ask your mother to pickup a package of rolls, your brother to bring a few bottles of soda, and so froth. Chances are your family won’t mind and it reduces the cost of your Thanksgiving dinner.

Oral healthcare is important, but it can get costly. If you are looking to save money on toothpaste and other oral healthcare supplies, I have a few helpful shopping tips.

1 – Buy Items on Sale

All retail stores, including department stores and grocery stores, have weekly sales. You are likely to find a sale on toothpaste, toothbrushes, floss, mouthwash, and so forth. If so, consider stocking up.

2 – Shop at Affordable Retailers

My favorite place to buy toothpaste from is Wal-Mart. They have a large selection of toothpastes and good prices on all brands. Although caution is advised, many dollar stores, like the Dollar Tree, are known for carrying the cheap tubes of Colgate toothpaste on occasion.

3 – Use Coupons

It is easy to find moneysaving toothpaste coupons. Often times, you need to look no farther than your Sunday newspaper. About once a month, you will find a coupon for Colgate toothpaste. Toothpaste coupons for other brands are found on occasion.

You can also use the internet to find coupons too. Aquafresh, Colgate, and Crest are known for posting moneysaving coupons on their websites. You may also get lucky and find a free toothpaste sample.

If you are a parent or in need of a Christmas gift for a child, you will find many options. Unfortunately, toys for kids can be expensive. If you are shopping on a budget, you may wonder how to proceed. Aside from looking for the best deals, I recommend checking out alternatives.

For example, my daughter is 4 ½ and loves playing with Barbie dolls. Unfortunately, they can get pretty costly. So, I started looking for alternatives. You would be surprised how many fashion dolls there are available for sale. I found a collection of Cheetah Girls dolls (from their fashion collection) on sale at KB Toys. The selling price was $7.99, which is much cheaper than $14 and up for a Barbie. Since shipping was free, I thought I was getting a great deal. That was until I made it to the checkout and….

I realized I was getting an AMAZING deal! Apparently, the Cheetah Girls dolls were buy one and get one free. So, I ended up with four great alternatives to Barbie dolls for only $16.

Since there are many children toys available for sale, try looking for an alternative. You may not only find a better price, but an amazing deal.

By the way, this buy one get and one free on select Cheetah Girls dolls sale, as well as other similar offers are still happening on the KB Toys website. Their website says the sales go until October 27, 2008.

Are you pregnant or a new mom? If so, you may be looking for ways to save money. As joyous as motherhood is, it can also be expensive. The good news is that if you are on a budget, you can still provide your baby with the best. As for how you can do so:

Request Free Product Samples

Free samples are easy to find online, but they aren’t your only option. Many hospitals and doctors offices have free samples to hand out to new moms. You may have to ask, but most do have samples available. You can also visit the online websites of your favorite product manufacturers to see if free baby samples are available.

Find Free Baby Coupons

Moneysaving coupons are a great way to save money. They are also easy to find online. Visit online coupon websites or the websites of your favorite product manufacturers, as some may have coupons posted.

On occasion, you may also find baby coupons in weekend newspaper inserts.

Shop at Affordable Stores

Unfortunately, not all retailers charge the same amount of money. This is important to remember when shopping for baby supplies, such as formula and diaper. For example, I have found that could easily pay $3 or more for a can of formula by shopping at a drug store as opposed to Wal-Mart.

Today I am going to take a small break from showing you ways that you can save money and focus on ways that you can save money for your local schools. Did you know that many schools in the United States participate in the Box Tops for Education Program? Many elementary schools do.

A special Box Top label or coupon is found on participating products. These products include some General Mills cereals, Betty Crocker foods, Ziplock, and more. One Box Top is equivalent to .10 cents. While that doesn’t seem like a lot, it easily adds up, especially when many parents save for their school.

I have started saving these coupon tops for my daughter’s school. She just entered pre-k. I never paid attention to the program until I saw a sign at the school. It honestly bothers me a little bit when I think of all the Box Tops I threw in the trash.

Even if you don’t have a child in school, you can still save your Box Tops. If you happen to notice a label or coupon on a product, clip it. It will only take a minute to do. These coupon labels usually expire in 3 or more years. So, you can save them for a while. Once you have accumulated enough, contact your local school or drop them off at the main office.

If you want to learn more about the Box Tops for Education Program, please click here.

When you grocery shop, do you buy items based around your meal plans or do you just buy the best deals? I am thinking I need to change my shopping habits. I have always been a “buy it if I like it and if it is on sale,” shopper. Unfortunately, after examining my cupboards this weekend, am thinking that isn’t the best shopping plan.

I now have about 2 months worth of side dishes. These items include hamburger helper (which isn’t enough for a full meal in our house, so it is a side dish), about 15 cans of soup, about 5 Knorr side dish packets, and much more. So, my goal is to shop buying these side dish items for the next month or two and focus on using what we already have.

Of course, it is always great to stock up when food is one sale, as you can save money. With that said, it is also important to know what you have.

Do you want to save money on groceries? If so, it is important to examine your shopping habits. This allows you to see where you can cut costs. Do you buy meats from your supermarket’s deli? If so, continue reading on for moneysaving tips.

1 – Thin Slices

Ask to have your deli meats sliced thin. This is something that most deli workers will do, but not unless asked. When you have thinner sliced meats, they may last longer.

2 – Avoid Convenience Items

In addition to deli meats, you will find a wide range of convenience items available for sale at the deli. Good examples include macaroni and potato salad. These items are tasty, but they can be expensive. So, save money and make your own at home.

3 – Stock Up When on Sale

You may be surprised to hear that you can freeze meat. Yes, you can. In fact, it will not taste much different. So, if you find a great sale on deli meat, stock up and store in the freezer until you are a ready for use.