I Love a Bargain

I have always loved a good bargain.

It would be very hard, in today's world, to be a big, one income family without putting a few thrifty ideas into action.

We shop sales and yard sales and even thrift stores. We cook and eat at home most of the time. We rent Redbox DVDs for $1 instead of going to the theatre.

Since the gas and food prices have gone up we have gone into a bigger thrift mode. We try to minimize our errand running and I always plot out the shortest driving route. I have been on a quest to find yummy meals that are less expensive.

A couple of weeks ago I saw the pile of newspapers left over from our early morning paper route. And I said to myself, "I bet there are some coupons in there."

And so the journey began . . .

This is one of my first trips. Everything on the right was free. The cereal on the left was .50 a box.

This is from a late night run to Walgreen's Monday night. All free. Some are rebates. Some are coupons. Some are Register Rewards. Some are a combination of two.

This is from my trip to Walmart yesterday. Each box on the table was only .25. There was no prep for this trip and no coupons involved, just a matter of being in the right place at the right time.

As I went down the isle, the man stocking the shelf said, "We are trying to get these items out of our stock. Everything is .25. They haven't expired yet." So I filled up some shopping carts, 3 to be exact.

So here are my favorite frugal tips:

1. Don't buy anything you wouldn't normally buy or use no matter how good the coupon or sale is, even if it is free.

2. There is usually a free Redbox code every Monday. Let me know if you want me to post them.

3. Walgreen's has an EasySaver booklet every month full of rebates. You don't have to fill out anything by hand, clip UPCs, or send in receipts. You do everything online. Just type in your receipt number. They have 8-10 items each month that are completely free with the rebate. Buy the rebate items later in the month because everything gets kind of picked over when the booklets first come out. If you purchase the item with a coupon, you still get the full rebate back. The booklet are usually right inside the door next to the current week's circular.

4. There are women out there who hunt down bargains all day long. Just read their blogs so you can find the same deals without spending too much time looking. Let me know if you want me to post my favorite thrifty blogs too.

5. Teach your children to be thrifty.