Helpful Hints - Finding New Ways to Save

Many TV shows are including themes of our current troubled economy.  From Ugly Betty to Law and Order, the impact of budget cuts and job loss have been written into the scripts.  I thought it’d be a good time to share some tips that have helped my budget without cramping my lifestyle:

SAVING ON GROCERIES:

- Make a habit of collecting and cutting up the Sunday Newspaper.  warning: this can be time consuming, but it’s worth it!  I was inspired by a woman who was a guest on Oprah that had over a $100 bill of groceries be cut down to under $40 with just coupons.  But she cuts every coupon she finds in the Sunday newspaper, which can take a couple hours every week.  I opted to spend only an hour cutting only coupons for things I was absolutely sure I needed–and ended up spending $8 instead of $16 at walgreens.  It takes some patience and work, but manufacters’ coupons usually last a few months so if done every week, you will have a bunch of coupons to use every time you shop.

-  Buy almost expired produce and meat (but consume before expiration of course).  Meijer is great with setting aside almost-expired foods and marking down the prices to half off–usually with red stickers.  I’ve noticed that Mondays are when they usually have the most of these discounted items

SAVING ON CLOTHING:
- Discount stores like Marshalls and TJ Maxx can save a lot of money, especially with name brands that you’d find at most shopping malls. However, it’s usually a lot more work rummaging through all of their things to find something you like.  One thing you can do to make sure you are looking at their best selection is to contact the store and ask when they are getting in their next shipment / wave of new clothing–and plan on being one of the first shoppers

- Buy clothes at the end of the season to use next year.  For those of us who like to be fashion-forward, this is risky since some trends come and go.  However, there are always those things we know we will need for sure like scarves, gloves, hats, etc.  And there are always classic pieces of clothing that will last any season.  As for things that are more trend-based, you might just have to use your fashion sense and take a risk.  But faux fur-trimmed jackets and UGG boots have been on campus for years now, so I think it’s worth the risk.  Just remember: get what you *need*, not want.  But the more %$ off original price, the more you can tip the scales to the ‘want’ side.

I’ll be spending some time traveling during the U of M Spring Break, so I’ll be updating on travel tips later!