Make your trips to the market more purposeful and less likely to be swayed by enticing advertisements. One way to do this is to make a list of all the items you are going to need prior to making the trip. This way you can focus on nothing but gathering the items on the list and getting them to the cart. No need to “wander” down the aisle hoping to find what you are looking for while looking at all the specials. No. Start to prepare your list at home (make sure you have included grocery coupons too) and be very intent on getting only what is on that list (unless you forgot something important).
This not only will save you time, but it also greatly reduces impulse buying.
Suzie Howard is an editor at DealTattle.com , a leading coupon code, discount and thrifty community. Her blog posts can frequently be found on the DealTattle.com Blog.
Have a Grocery List BEFORE You Go
March 10th, 2010Video: Todays Best Coupon Codes
March 9th, 2010
Coupon codes, free coupons and discounts for: CheapOStay.com, Junonia, Colonial Candle, Shoe Steal, Clarins, Timberland, Hair Care Discounters and Bellacor. Grocery coupons for Yoplait, Betty Crocker, Land O Lakes, Twentieth Century Fox, Pillsbury and more..
Drink Water: Both Cheap and Healthy
March 9th, 2010
Do you drink soda each day? Do you drink soda for all of your thirst needs each day? Think about transitioning to water. Most folks in the USA get clean drinking water. If you require filtration, the cost of a good filter is more than paid for in soda savings. But, water is more than reducing your soda bill. It is a very healthy decision. Drinking adequate amounts of water each day improves your mental and physical performances; removes toxins from the body; reduces the chances of a heart attack and helps you lose weight. This is all from drinking water each day!
How much water should you drink each day? Well, it is really hard to go wrong with too much water. Most dietitians will suggest eight, eight ounce glasses of water per day. But, you can start with a glass of water each day before a meal (it will also make you feel a little fuller and you will eat less, which helps to lose weight). You can always increase your water consumption from those three glasses per day.
When it comes to water there really is no better way to be both thrifty and healthy. If there is one thing you can start to do today, it is to put down the soda for water. And, it is so easy you don’t even need a coupon code or a free sample!
Suzie Howard is an editor at DealTattle.com , a leading coupon code, discount and thrifty community. Her blog posts can frequently be found on the DealTattle.com Blog.
Estimate Your Spending
March 8th, 2010
The other day we spoke about “So, What’s That Budget Going to Look Like?”. Now, it is time to “Estimate Your Spending”.
By now you should have a pretty good idea of how much you need each month. Today, you can start to estimate how much you spend each month. The answers may surprise you. Go through your checkbook, receipts or records that you have kept over the last few months so that you can begin to track how much you actually spend on essentials. Now, for the next month you should keep a detailed diary of all your extra purchases. Do not leave anything out. Even for cheap things like newspapers or coffee (not always so cheap these days!) from the local “fancy” cafe, you should write down these expenditures. The truth is that little expenditures add up quickly. You will really be surprised how $0.50 here and $1.00; multiplied times five times per week; by 50 weeks per year adds up to big spending.
These purchases do not normally show up in your check register, so write them all down. It helps to make you aware of where you are “leaking cash” and how it is dribbling out of your life.
In our next post, I will talk about how to calculate and adjust your spending so you start to save more.
Suzie Howard is an editor at DealTattle.com , a leading coupon code, discount and thrifty community. Her blog posts can frequently be found on the DealTattle.com Blog.
How to Save? Try Automation!
March 7th, 2010
Ok. You have decided to start to save and you don’t know where to start. We all go through this. Don’t worry. An easy way to start to save is to set up an automatic deposit to another account. For example, banks want you to park cash with them. They will often extend free savings accounts to entice consumers to save at their institutions. Set up a savings account (make sure it is free). It can be at your existing bank or a new one. Then set up an automatic deposit each month. Start small. Say $25. Once that is working either raise the amount per month or set up a weekly automatic deposit. If you are finding ways on DealTattle.com to economize (through the use of coupon codes, promotional codes or discounts), and, looking to eliminate frivolous purchases, you will have plenty for this automatic savings plan.
Suzie Howard is an editor at DealTattle.com , a leading coupon code, discount and thrifty community. Her blog posts can frequently be found on the DealTattle.com Blog.
Today’s Best DealTattle Coupon Codes
March 7th, 2010
Coupons from Everywhere Chair, Sears, Target, Kmart, Shoes.com, Clarins, Timberland, Hair Care Discounters and Bellacor. Grocery coupons for Yoplait, Betty Crocker, Land O Lakes, Twentieth Century Fox, Pillsbury and more..
Record EVERYTHING You Spend for 1 Month
March 6th, 2010
All of us leak money. Money tends to slip through our fingers in simple and subtle ways. We spend a little bit at the vending machine. We spend a little on a cup of coffee. It happens. But, the question is how conscious are you about these purchases? Often we forget what we have spent our hard earned money on and that is not good. It is dangerous because we may not really want to spend on the things we do. We may really want to save more of it. So, becoming conscious about what we spend our money on is very important.
So, this tip is about recording everything you spend in a month. You need to write everything down, noting how much you spent and what you spent it on. At the end of the month, go through it and note which expenses were actually essential and which ones were frivolous. You will find two things. Just the very act of writing everything down will make you more vigilant in how you spend. You will start to spend less. Second, as you start to see what you are spending your money on you will start to ask yourself, “Did I really spend that much on that?”
In all probability, writing down everything you spend will help you make more informed decisions about how you spend your money. You work hard for it. Spend it wisely.
Suzie Howard is an editor at DealTattle.com , a leading coupon code, discount and thrifty community. Her blog posts can frequently be found on the DealTattle.com Blog.
Today’s Best DealTattle Coupon Codes
March 6th, 2010
Coupons from Sears, Target, Kmart, Shoes.com, Clarins, Timberland, Hair Care Discounters and Bellacor. Grocery coupons for Yoplait, Betty Crocker, Land O Lakes, Twentieth Century Fox, Pillsbury and more..
3.05.10 DealTattle Video of Best Coupons
March 5th, 2010
Coupons from Shoes.com, Clarins, Timberland, Hair Care Discounters and Bellacor. Grocery coupons for Yoplait, Betty Crocker, Land O Lakes, Twentieth Century Fox, Pillsbury and more..
So, What’s That Budget Going to Look Like?
March 5th, 2010
Does the word “budget” sound like scratching your nails across a blackboard? Does it send chills up your spine? If so, you are not alone. But, if you can just take a breath you will realize that budgets actually allow you to be organized and have more control over your expenditures. A budget allows you to plan for the future, pay off existing debts, and save a few dollars each and every month by reducing wasteful and impulsive purchases.
So, what are the budget considerations?
- Housing: Your living costs (rent or mortgage) are a key component.
- Food: Groceries, meals out, snacks and beverages both at work and home.
- Transportation: Do you take the bus or drive a car? What does it cost to gas up your car?
- Medical: What are the insurance costs you pay each month? Out of pocket expenses?
- Clothing: What do you spend per month on clothes? Dry cleaning?
- Personal: How much is your haircut each month? Cosmetics?
- Gifts: holidays, birthdays, weddings
- Education: Tuition, dues/fees, books
- Insurance: life insurance, home insurance, renter’s insurance
- Credit Accounts: credit card costs, department stores, gas cards, and any other credit costs
- Recreation: Vacations, movies, books, cable TV, newspapers, sports, concerts, etc
- Savings: Long term and short term goals, retirement goals and rainy day fund.
- Donations: Charities, religious organizations, etc
Now, write down your expenditures and start to think about what is essential and what is not. There are certain items that are going to leap out at you that they are essential (such as rent and groceries!). However, there are other areas that will also start to appear as more “arbitrary.” For example, perhaps you don’t need cable TV anymore? Or, perhaps, you can reduce how often you eat out each month?
These extras are going to be the place where you focus your thrifty efforts.
Suzie Howard is an editor at DealTattle.com , a leading coupon code, discount and thrifty community. Her blog posts can frequently be found on the DealTattle.com Blog.
