Who doesn't love to save money? Today I thought I'd share with you some easy tips to save some money (hopefully you don't know all of these already!).
:: Bath and Body Works will replace wall plugins for free ::
You know, these doo-hickies:
Like anything that gets used nonstop, these plugins stop working from time to time. Instead of getting flustered at needing to buy new ones, take the plugins that do not work to the store, and they'll replace them for free.
:: Carry store coupons in your purse or car ::
I know what you're thinking: why, if you want to save money would you put coupons in your purse that will promote you into buying something? I put one of those Bath and Body Works coupons in my purse and when I went to the store to exchange my plugins, I walked out with a free lotion thanks to my coupon. If I hadn't thrown it in my purse just in case, I wouldn't have gotten a free lotion in the deal. The point I'm making is, throw it in your purse or car just in case you happen to be in the area, because if you do end up shopping anyway, wouldn't you rather get the discount than not?
:: Speaking of carrying coupons with you, Bed Bath and Beyond coupons do NOT expire ::
I repeat, BBB coupons do NOT expire. Don't throw them out! I bought new towels recently with coupons that "expired" in 2007. I leave them in my glove box just in case I stop at the store for whatever reason. Also, BBB has a great coupon policy, they are probably the best customer service oriented company when it comes to it. There is no limit on how many coupons you can use in one shot either. After Dave and I got married I had a ton of gift cards so I went on a BBB shopping spree and used a coupon for each item I bought, 8 in total, in one order.
::Never pay for Victoria Secret underwear again::
No, I'm not telling you to steal them. Every couple of months, VS sends out coupons for $10 off a bra and a free panty. I hope that you're established enough in life that you have enough underwear to last you through the week and then some, so it shouldn't be an issue to wait the few months for when a new free coupon comes out. If you are not, then go to Target, Walmart, wherever and buy some Hanes, Fruit of the Loom or whatever that will give you five for the price of one from VS and then wait for your coupon.
:: Sign up for bonus rewards through your local grocery store::
The local chain store around me is Giant Foods. They offer this really great bonus rewards system that gives you 10¢ off each gallon of gas for every $100 you spend every quarter. Now that may not seem like a lot to you, but if you think about it, lets just say you spend $200 every month on groceries, that's $3.20 off a tank of gas each month. Plus, they offer "bonus" buys where you can get money off gas buy just buying a particular item. Again, it's not ground breaking, it's not going to make you a millionaire but it's still saving some money. Dave and I normally wait until the end of the quarter when we have about 60¢ off and then fill up.
::If you haven't discovered ebates, you need to::
Ebates is one of those companies where it seems too good to be true and you wonder how the heck it works...until you get your first check and then you don't really care. Just in case you do, Ebates gets a commission from stores for referring shoppers to their websites, and they share that commission with you. The other nice thing about ebates is that they are always up to date on online codes, so you can save even more money!
Also, retail me not is another great site to check out before you checkout. If you aren't aware of how it works, you enter in the store you are purchasing from and they will offer up codes to try out. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. I've gotten free trial sized philosophy products by entering in a code through this site. It doesn't hurt to take a few minutes to see what you can get for free or knock off the bottom line!
::If you have a smart phone, there is no reason why you should NOT be googling coupons in store::
I was in Joanne Fabrics one day picking up items I needed to make a quilt, and I decided to google "Joann Fabric coupons" on my phone before I checked out, and was able to find two directly on their site for 40% off and 50% off one item each. All I had to do was show the cashier my phone, she scanned the coupons and I got a discount. So please, take a few minutes before you head up to the checkout line to see if you can save some money...cause if I see you doing it while you're up there I might have to praise you for saving money, then hurt you for holding up the line.
::Do your homework::
Let me tell you a story about a little chair I fell in love with at Marshalls that would be ideal for the "library" Dave and I are trying to put together. This beautiful chair reclined and was perfect in every way: it was the right size, color, and comfortable. It would have been a great chair for my quaint little library, and I HAD to have it. Problem was it was $300 and my $25 gift certificate wasn't going to cut it. I tried to reason with Dave, that it really wasn't $300 it was technically only $275 after my gift certificate and that it was a steal at that price. Dave didn't buy my pitch, and I didn't get to buy my chair. He told me to go home and do a little research online and that I'd probably find the same chair for cheaper.
So I went home and went hunting. I'm only saying this here because Dave rarely reads my blog so I know he won't know I said this but... he was right. I found a very similar chair on overstock for $100 less.
Moral of the story?
What are some easy ways you save money?
**Please note, the ebates link is a referral link, if you choose to sign up for ebates through this link, I may receive compensation for that. Please also note, if you choose not to sign up through my link, you should still sign up for ebates, cause it'd be silly for you to shop online and not get some free cash back**