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I am a hard core “deal hunter”. When I walk into a store I instinctively make my way to the clearance sections and begin to circle, crouch and pounce on all the fabulous finds to be had. When we moved last year and I had to pack up what my family calls my “bag of tricks” aka my gift closet box(es) I knew I needed to reevaluate. The collection had grown much too large and honestly many of the items did not make much sense to become gifts for anyone I knew. A massive purge and a couple garage sales solved the temporary problem and replaced the money I had wastedspent but my mind set also needed the same overhaul. Especially since I start Christmas Shopping in July. Here are the qualifications a new “good gift deal” needs to have to make it into my cart.
The Item Must Have a Purpose- Even if the purpose is as vague as an emergency birthday gift for a child the same age(s) as my kids – it has to have a purpose. In my old box 75% and 90% off sales at Target had encouraged me to by odds and ends like chop stix and hair accessories I would never wear or gift. Just because it is a dime or a quarter does not make it a must have.
Know What You Already Have- If there are already 3 emergency gifts in the closet for a 5-6 yr old boy I do not need to add to the collection. If it is a gift for a specific person and I already have their gift I have to decided if I want to replace said gift with the new one and deal with the return. If the answer is no — then I don’t purchase the new find.
Write it Down- I always used to think I would remember what I had bought threw out the year but a Christmas of never ending wrapping and then never ending opening of said gifts straightened me out quickly. Now I keep an inventory that is started when I first start shopping. No more over buying or over giving.
Don’t Let The Price Influence You- Even if it is just $5.00 it is $5.00 you earned! This is probably the hardest for me because I am not frugal by nature and I love a great deal. Last year I saw a $60.00 Bumble Bee (my favorite Transformer) mp3 speaker for just $8.00. My kids like Transformers almost as much as I do did as a kid but the ones who would appreciate the Transformer do not have an MP3 player. Walk away from the Transformer Tia. Whew!
Re-Evaluate The Cart Before You Pay- I often decide by the time I spend a little time with an item in my cart that is was not as wonderful as I first thought. I always re-eval the cart before I head to the check out and put back any items that are not making the cut. Walking the items back also gives me time to continue rethinking the purchases and I have even left the store with nothing! The employees might think I am a little crazy but that is ok.
I still walk directly to the clearance sections when I enter a store but as I am finishing up most of my holiday shopping for the year I am keeping things real, staying in budget and not experiencing buyers remorse. For a great article on when a deal is NOT a deal check out Corrie’s article and for more Frugal Friday ideas visit Life As Mom.
I think many of you will roll your eyes and skim past this post because the last thing on your mind in this 100 degree + heat is Christmas! You are also dealing with camps, vacations, back to school and the list goes on and on. BUT AS OF TODAY YOU ONLY HAVE 4 MONTHS TO CHRISTMAS! Fish Mama at Life as Mom has a fabulous post about budgeting, making lists and getting things in order and Corrie at “Cents”able Momma shares how she shops year round. I am a lot like Corrie in that I shop all year for gifts — both Christmas and Birthday’s — but the hard core shopping begins in July for me, generally starting with the 75% off Target Toy Clearance that started TODAY in most areas.
Since Corrie and Fish Mama have covered the basics of budgeting I will stick more to strategy.
Keep it Simple - Once you have made your list keep it handy and update it as you go. Shopping and not having a plan is a sure way to over buy.
Know Your Stores- I have always had an odd knack for remembering store clearance cycles in my regular stores, but you don’t have to have that kind of memory. There is a ton of information online! I can tell you that the Target stores in my area reset nearly every department starting in July and going through most of August to have everything ready for the 4th Quarter by the first week in September and that means MANY 75% off clearance opportunities! Want to follow Target clearance sales? Fishing For Deals has a fabulous Target thread. You have to register to see it but the information you can find there is worth it! They have many other store threads in their Surf the Turf threads.
Follow Deal Sites- Slick Deals is a great place to watch for excellent deals. Check out the home page a couple times a week to see if you see anything that would fit your list needs. The Hot and Up & Coming thread are must checks for me in addition to the front page deals. Don’t get sucked into buying things just because they are a good deal however. If it isn’t on the list or won’t fit a gift need – pass it up!
Wrap As You Go- This was such a stress reliever for me when I started doing this a few years ago! No more wrapping until 3am! It also keeps peeking eyes at bay!
I hope you can take something helpful away from this post. Even if it is just one of the steps! I hit the Target sale and now have 90% of my toy shopping completed for Christmas! That feels really good! For more Frugal Friday visit Life As Mom!
Ethnic grocery stores can be amazing money saving opportunities for a few reasons. They offer different types of items allowing you to expand your menu without expanding your budget. They have great produce and butcher prices for the items that are the staples of their store and it has been my experience that they have produce that travels a little less — meaning fresher to you when you pick it up.
I kicked off my Vallarta Sales round up this week and am really excited to share their great prices and fresh produce with everyone in Southern California unfamiliar with their store.
I will be honest…when my husband asked me to pick up some Carne Asada there a few years ago I was hesitant. It was not in the best part of town and I envisioned communication issues. Walking into the store to see Gala apples on sale 5 POUNDS for $1 helped me get over both of those VERY quickly. Do you know those apples lasted almost 3 weeks? I digress…
They are a weekly stop for me these days and I have appreciated boneless skinless chicken breasts for 1.59lb a few times in the past few months. What I have also enjoyed is the opportunity I have had to connect with new people and learn. I have learned how to select a sweet watermelon, pineapple, and coconut when people just offered the information as I knocked and poked on the produce. I was thankful for the assistance and I doubt that people in my other regular stops would have offered to share such information if they even knew it.
I realize that not everyone lives in an area as diverse as Southern California but if you have a local ethic store — be it Latin like mine or any other — I encourage you to stop in and see how they might help you not only stretch your grocery dollar — but also expand your dinner menu and challenge you to try new recipes!
How do you save the most money on produce and meat?
Share with us in the comments. For more Frugal Friday visit Life As Mom. She has a great article today on Seasonal Produce and making the most of it.
One of the ways I keep our costs low when we take trips is to continue with my meal planning. This weekend we are heading to the San Diego area to experience Spirit West Coast! The
tickets were not cheap and the weekend includes a hotel stay (which we scored a great deal on from Priceline — but still). To keep within our budget I did a little meal planning and I know it will save us hundreds of dollars and keep our diets a little healthier!
Breakfast –
Hard Boiled Eggs
String Cheese
Blueberry Muffins
Blackberries, Cherries & Pineapple
Lunch –
Chicken Salad Sandwiches
Turkey Sandwiches
Fruit Salad
Watermelon
Chips
Dinner - We are lucky to have church family camping onsite that have graciously offered to allow us to use their space to handle
dinner even though we are hoteling it! THANKS CLIFF & DEBBIE!!
Taco Salad Recipe (Served Cold)
2 lbs of ground beef cooked ahead last week
(1) Bag of Nacho Cheese Doritos
(1) head of iceberg lettuce chopped
(1) head of romaine lettuce chopped
(2) cups of cheese
(1) 16 oz container of sour cream
(1) 12oz can of Black Olives
1 tomato chopped (optional)
Salsa and hot sauce for optional use
Mix all ingredients together in a bowl leaving the tomato, salsa and hot sauce for optional use.
Bag salad mixture in gallon size bags
Bag tomato in separate bag and bring salsa and hot sauce for use!
This is a super yummy recipe that I was weary of but LOVED when I tried it. I have since served this at a baby shower to rave reviews!! It is great for trips or camping since you don’t have to heat it up!
Pulled Pork Sandwiches
Potato Salad, Macaroni Salad
Chips
Blackberries, Cherries & Pineapple
And what will save us the most money because our whole family drinks a LOT!!
(2) 12pks of diet coke picked up on sale for $1.50 each after sale and coupon!
(2) 12 pks of water bottles picked up FREE after sale and coupon!
(2) 10 packs of juice boxes picked up for .50 each after sale and coupon!
We will eat out on the drive down because of time constraints but the remainder of the trip should be taken care of. I packed extra fruit and baked snacks and now I am off the pack the van! I know this will really save a ton since the food available to buy is similar to fair food — read expensive and super fattening!! I hope this helps you as you plan your summer trips! For more frugal ideas visit Life As Mom! If you have any great recipes for meal planning on the go please share them with us in the comments!! Happy Memorial Weekend!!
