How to Get More for Your Money

Millions of families today are living paycheck to paycheck and struggling to make ends meet. In order to make your dollars stretch further, it takes planning and comparison shopping. If you get into the habit of shopping smart, you can save hundreds of dollars per year on many of your needs.

Groceries

One of the highest living expenses for families is their grocery bill. To cut costs at the grocery store, use the manufacturer’s coupons that are offered in your local newspapers. Clip only those you know you will use. If you look carefully through your local grocery store’s weekly circulars, you may find the coupon item on sale. When coupons are used in conjunction with in-house sales, you can maximize your savings.

This works particularly well if you use several coupons in one trip. You can reduce your grocery bill by a third, a half, or even beyond 75% if you can do this diligently. I once watched a woman walk out of a grocery store with two full carts of groceries, but she paid less than $12.00 for all of it. She had a coupon for nearly every item she purchased, and took advantage of sale items at the same time. That is smart shopping.

Another way to reduce your grocery bill is to use discount food stores. These stores offer many of the same products as regular grocery stores, but at slashed prices. Keep an eye on the prices, however, because some items, such as baking goods, may cost about the same as they do at major grocery stores. Many discount food stores also do not accept coupons.

Check out your local churches and other organizations for food pantries and food giveaways, particularly around the holidays. If you’re in a tight spot, these organizations can help a great deal, and usually offer 3-5 days worth of food.

Clothing

If you prefer new clothing as opposed to swapping or second-hand clothing, keep an eye on your local retailers year-round to find out when they offer the biggest discounts. In central New York, the best time of year to purchase clothing is from February through April (which nicely coincides with tax refund time). During these months, retailers drastically reduce their prices. I’ve purchased up to $300 worth of clothing for $100 during this time of year. This year I purchased a $30 shirt for $3.99, two $200 jackets for $40.00 each, and a $50 suit for $4.99. You can also search for factory outlet stores in your area. They offer all manner of clothing at wholesale prices.

Another way to save money on clothing is to look in your local second-hand stores. These stores often offer more variety and more durability in their clothing than you might find at a major retail store, for only a few dollars per item. In many cases, you can find brand-new clothing with tags still attached. Please note, however, that you should try the clothing on if there is an available dressing room, because fit varies with the age and brand of the clothing. Be particularly cautious with “dry clean only” items, as they may have been machine-washed and may have shrunk.

Electronics

Unless you are willing to shell out tons of cash for that brand-new television set or stereo, refurbished is the way to go when purchasing electronics. Refurbished stereos, desktop and laptop computers, telephones and other electronic equipment can be found for hundreds of dollars less than brand-new items. Another advantage to purchasing refurbished equipment is that these devices have been gone through with a fine-tooth comb to make them brand-new again. This means that bugs and glitches have been removed. Refurbished equipment may also last longer than brand-new.

Use the Internet

The Internet is an extremely useful tool in searching for coupons, used and discounted items, and refurbished electronics. Mail order is an excellent way to save on many household goods. The price of shipping is small when compared with the benefits of spending less of your hard-earned money for the things you need, and sometimes even shipping is free. Also look for local community sites where people offer all manner of items from furniture to laptops for free or next to nothing.

Garage Sales

Sometimes it takes a lot of looking, but you can find many things you need at garage and rummage sales. You can often find normally expensive items for minimal cost. This summer, I bought a sturdy and attractive wooden youth bed that is in mint condition from a garage sale for $15.00. Its value is most likely upward of $200, and its craftsmanship is much better and more durable than anything I would have found in a retail store.

The Change Jar

Penny-pinching? You bet. When you have a little extra change in your pocket, put every penny in your change jar or piggy bank. The bigger your change jar and the longer you save those pennies, the better. A full change jar can yield $20.00 or more – enough to slowly build your savings account or to change in for a small emergency.

If you don’t have a lot of money, you need to get as much as you can while spending very little. These are just some of the ways that you and your family can save money on daily needs. They are practical and they really work. Shopping smart can save money, help decrease financial stress, and hopefully open up more of your paycheck for things that you want, in addition to acquiring the things you need.