The Frugal Free Gal

In this uncertain economy, many stay-at-home moms are saving big by adopting smarter shopping habits, stricter budgets, and eliminating unnecessary luxury items. Like these moms, you can make some small changes in your life in order to save more money. As financial expert, Suze Orman, suggests, “By taking care of yourself financially, you will truly be able to take care of those you love.” You can be a money-saving mama, more financially in control, and with a bigger budget for the things that matter most.

Coupons

You don’t have to become one of those coupon-clipping moms from the television, but you shouldn’t avoid clipping altogether. Some women treat coupons like they’re a full-time job. Others take one afternoon a week to clip the coupons they’re most likely to use.

Coupons are for more than groceries. You can find coupons for everything from brand name electronics to clothing. You may find a valuable drugstore promo code or travel savings. Check in your weekly newspaper and online for coupons. Sign up for email alerts from your favorite brands and you may find money-saving coupons are randomly emailed to you.

Related: Best Places to Find Online Printable Coupons

Kids Eat Free

Many websites offer free meals for kids, when the adults in a family order from the regular menu. Instead of paying full price for everyone, try to only eat at those restaurants that offer free meals for children.

Budget

A strict budget is essential when you’re living on a single income. Create weekly and monthly budgets, with areas for projected and actual spending. This shows you where you’ve saved and how much. If there’s a surplus of money, put it into your savings account for a future vacation or larger home payment.

You can visually see where funds are being allocated and how much spending money you have for the week. You may find that you’re overspending on unnecessary expenses and not enough on your mortgage and car loans. For instance, if your husband travels frequently and is consistently overspending when parking at Newark, it may be a good idea to invest in a monthly parking pass.

Related: How to Create a Budget That Really Works

Prepare Meals at Home

Student lunches typically cost around $3, for an average monthly spending of $60. This $60 could help pay a bill or add to savings, so why not pack your children’s lunch? If you’re already couponing for inexpensive groceries, than you have the low-cost items on hand to prepare meals at home.

If your kids prefer what’s being served at school, try and find out if you can mimic those recipes. Another great way to get kids on board is to allow them to pick out a lunch pail with their favorite characters depicted on it. Your husband should be a little easier to sway. He likely finds your homemade leftovers more appealing that what they’re serving in the office cafeteria.

Related: 5 Reasons You Need to Start Meal Planning Today

Trim the Fat

Easily the best way to add a couple hundred dollars to your monthly savings is getting rid of luxury items you don’t need. If you’re paying for a monthly cable television subscription, complete with subscription channels, you’re costing yourself upwards of $250 a month. You should consider downgrading or cancelling this service altogether.

How I Cut the Cable and Saved Almost $1,000 a Year

It’s important to not overspend on your credit cards either. Avoid luxury items, by keeping credit cards tucked away for emergencies only. Spend only what you can afford and then save the rest of your money. This is one of the best ways to build a savings and save your family some extra dough. Who knows? If you follow these tips, you may just find yourself relaxing on a beach for a quality family vacation soon.

Black Friday. Those two words are enough to strike fear into the hearts of most shoppers, but not for deal divas like us. Nope. We see it as a challenge. Out there, in the cold, on little or no sleep, going toe-to-toe (or pocketbook-to-pocketbook) with thousands of like-minded bargain hunters. This our time to shine.

Okay, so maybe Black Friday can be a little crazy. After all, it only takes one bad apple – and there are many bad apples in the masses on that day – to turn a 4 a.m. shopping trip into a nightmare you can’t wake up from. That’s okay though, because you’ll be prepared – as long as you follow these basic rules.

DO YOUR HOMEWORK – Of course you’ll get the sales fliers in the paper on Thanksgiving Day. That’s a tradition none of us should stop anytime soon, but the fliers are also posted online days (sometimes weeks) before that. Take a few hours to comb through the circulars to determine what you’d like to buy, when the stores open, and in what order you’ll be visiting those stores based on the opening times. And don’t forget to plan you post-shopping lunch. That’s the best part!

RECRUIT SOME FRIENDS – Shopping is always more fun with friends, and Black Friday shopping is not only fun with friends, it’s crucial if you want to score good deals. Friends can pull you away before things get physical with that pushy lady with two carts or give you someone to chat with while you wait for a store to open. Friends can also hold your place in line. Here’s a tip: as soon as you get in the store, have a friend get in the checkout line while you grab the one or two items you’re after. Just be sure to return the favor at the next store.

SKIP THE DOORBUSTERS (OR AT LEAST HAVE A BACKUP PLAN) – Doorbusters are those really great deals splashed across the front page of the sales flier. Walmart’s doorbusters this year are a 32-inch LCD TV for only $188 (normally $378) and a $49 Blu-ray player (normally $100). Those are definitely a good deal, but stores only stock a limited number of those items (sometimes less than 10), so if you aren’t first in line when the doors open, you’re probably not getting one. Have a back-up plan and know what else you’d like to shop for in that store to make all that time you spent waiting in line worthwhile.

Want to become a smart shopper? It’s easy!

It’s Sunday! Go grab your Sunday paper (or head to the store and get one) and start your strategic shopping plan.

The way I shop has changed dramatically ever since I was introduced to coupons. During this process, I have learned how to take shopping circulars and plan what I need based on what is on sale and what I have coupons for.

*First, let’s go ahead and squash the idea that you can’t use coupons on name brand items and bring it below the price of generic items. YOU CAN get name brand items for MUCH cheaper than generic if you follow my smart shopping plan! Also, coupons are available for organic items. You just have to take some time to look for them. Come back here and check my deal watch list. Organic coupons are always listed, AND make sure you buy your healthy produce when its on sale! 🙂

Now, you can read about my smart shopping plan. Read how I shopped in the past and how I shop today!

My old way of shopping:

1. Head to the store (sometimes without a list.)

2. Throw things in my cart that I thought I needed that were NOT on sale and had NO coupons for.

3. Get home only to feel that I spent too much money for nothing.

4. Forget a few items and have to go back again in the next couple of days.

My new way of shopping:

1. Study all circulars from Sunday newspaper. (Wal-mart, Target, CVS, Walgreens, Food Lion)

2. Find what is on sale that I need to stock up on.

3. Search/Print the coupons that I have to match those items. Make sure I check to see if I have coupons to stack (coupon stacking=using a manufacturers coupon AND store coupon)

Best Places to Find Online Printable Coupons (and other coupons!)

4. Check out the buy one get one free items and see if I have two coupons for each item to use (You can use one coupon on the buy one, and one coupon on the free item!)

5. See what coupons I have that will help me score free items (Example: Dawn Dish soap is on sale for .99, I have a coupon for $1.00 off for that dish soap=FREE!)

6. Check to see if I can get any free items with Register Rewards (Walgreens) or with rebates.

7. Make my list of sales and coupon match-ups.

8. Go to the store during the week with my coupon binder and stock up on sale items, using my coupons at the register.

9. Repeat the process next week.

10. Enjoy your savings at the store AND your savings in your bank accounts!

Are you a smart shopper? Do you have a smart shopping plan? 

Fall is right around the corner and it’s time to start thinking about switching out your summer wardrobe for your fall one. Just because the weather is turning cooler doesn’t mean that you need to put all of your summer clothes away and go buy all new ones for fall, however. Not only would this take a huge chunk out of your bank account, but it would leave your closet feeling stuffed as well. Instead, save yourself time, money and hassle with these five tips for transiting your wardrobe from summer to fall.

1. Layer with Cardigans and Blazers

Extend the life of those summer tank tops and sleeveless blouses with cardigans and tank tops. All you need is a few simple cardigans in colors you wear frequently and a blazer or two in a professional navy, gray or black and you’ll be able to wear your favorite summer T’s long after the weather turns cool. Cardigans especially are very affordable and widely available so don’t be afraid to buy several.

2. Add Thick Tights or Leggings

Think fall marks the end of sundresses? Think again. Add thick tights and leggings underneath your favorite sundresses as well as a cardigan or blazer on top and you’ll be cute, fashionable AND warm all fall long. Tights and leggings are a great way to make summer dresses into a whole new look. I recommend buying a few different pairs in grey and black, but don’t be afraid to throw in a brightly colored pair occasionally as well.

3. Roll Up the Hems

The transition from summer to fall can be tricky. There are plenty of days when it isn’t quite warm enough for short sleeves, but it isn’t quite cool enough for long sleeves either. Plus, the temperature can vary widely throughout the day. Stay comfortable by rolling up your long sleeves or pant legs into cute cuffs. The cuffed pants with heels look is very “in” right now, and it’s a great way to stay comfortable all season long.

Scarves are one of my favorite fashion accessories, and one of the best parts about dressing for fall. Something as simple as adding a scarf can really dress up your outfit or make it more playful. You don’t have to wear thick wooly scarves to stay warm either. You may just be surprised how warm a light, airy scarf will keep you when you wrap it just right. Check out Pinterest for unique and creative ways to tie your scarves. There are so many ways to tie them that you can create all sorts of looks no matter where you are going.

Amazon has a great selection of affordable scarves to choose from!

5. Switch Up Your Footwear

Don’t put away the sandals just yet. When it comes to footwear, anything goes! Wear flip flops with jeans and t-shirts or tall boots with sundresses and cardigans. During the short time between summer and fall, anything goes! Don’t be afraid to mix and match and see what types of unique combinations you can come up with.

Do you have summer clothes you aren’t ready to put away just yet? What other tips do you have for making your clothes last?

1. Paper Towels:

Paper towels are EXPENSIVE and they end up in the trash anyways, right? You might as well throw your money in the trash. Unless you are getting paper towels fairly cheap after sales and coupons, you can live without buying paper towels. Instead, buy a few packs of “bar mops.” You can get these from Wal-mart or even Bed Bath and Beyond for about $5.00 for a pack. I have about 20 of these and they last a long time. Just make sure you throw some bleach in every now and then when you are washing them. I keep a set in my kitchen and a set in my bathroom for quick cleaning (to keep them separate, you can use a magic marker to write a B for bathroom or K for kitchen) on them. Worth the investment. I do keep some paper towels in the back of the cabinet for special guests, holidays, etc. but I haven’t bought any in a LONG time.