February 02, 2008
After my fun day yesterday I am so motivated to save money! If you don’t know what I am talking about check yesterday’s post. Now is the time….I am going to build that savings and get cash in to my 72 hour kits! A few weeks ago I heard the price of stamps is going up again! Seems like we can now count on that every year. Food costs have really gone up and the price of propane is through the roof. But I am going to beat the increases by being smart. Here are some ideas to help you do the same.
1. Buy forever stamps. I know saving two cents on a stamp may not seem like a lot but if you send out holiday cards, birthday cards and bill payments you may be surprised just how many stamps you do use. I stocked up this week and decided if they last a year they will probably get me through the next increase. I think of it the same way I do food storage. Once you have a good food storage supply established you are only buying foods on sale so you are always feeding your family at last years prices….nice.
2. Make a friend at the places you shop. If you live in a smaller community this is easy. If not, you may think about who you know in your church or social group who have a family member who works at a store. These insiders can keep you informed when there is a great sale, or a one day sale at their store. They can tell you when a store is about to mark down their clearance to 90% off. I’m still feeling excited about my finds yesterday!
3. Avoid checkout purchases. These are placed near the register because they are lower priced and thus become impulse items. The kids want candy. That magazine article looks interesting. We have all had those feelings. Don’t do it. Borrow that magazine from a friend and the kids don’t need the candy.
4. Sign up for mailing lists. This makes me cringe because I hate all the junk mail I get. But…I love it when the fliers come with a 40% off coupon at the fabric store. This Christmas we started our grand daughter on the sewing bug. I purchased all the items for her gift 40% off. Every time a coupon came I added another items until I had what I wanted for her gift. I also love the 20% off coupon I get once a month from a store where all the couples here register for their wedding gifts. The months there are no weddings or showers the coupons hit the trash can. When there is an occasion I save 20%.
All of these things may seem like small savings but combined they will save thousands a year. So check in each week and incorporate at least one idea in to your routine. I promise it works.
