Saving Money is S.I.M.P.L.E.

One thing I get asked again and again are some easy money saving tips.  I always have told people “Saving money is simple!”  In fact, if you can SPELL simple, you can sav It really is S.I.M.P.L.E. to save money if you follow these steps:

Start small.  Try to avoid heading to more than one or two stores to shop.  If you are driving around the city chasing deals, you are not only wasting fuel, you are also wasting your time and it can end up costing you more in the long run.  Also, don’t try to get every deal in the store where you shop as it can be overwhelming at first and you can quickly get “coupon burnout.”

Invest in a good coupon organizing system.  When your coupons and loyalty cards are easy to find then they are easier to use and end up saving you more money. 

Marketing Schemes can cost you more.  Just because you see something marked down to 2/$3, it may not be a good deal.  Lift the tag and check the original price – if it is normally $1.54, then this is really not a sale.  Another one to avoid is deals that are limits.  This is another ploy to get you to think that it is such a good deal that they have had to limit the quantities purchased.   

Plan Ahead.  Before you think about shopping, plan your meals for the week.  Then, make a shopping list to take with you to the store.  Pull out the coupons you will want to  use and place them with your shopping list and loyalty card so you are ready before you head out to shop.

Look at your per unit prices.   When you see a 32 oz bottle of ketchup on sale for $2.50 you may think that is a great deal.  However, if the 16 oz bottles are regularly priced at $1.20, you would be better off purchasing 2 smaller products rather than one larger one.

Eat before you shop.  When you shop on an empty stomach, you end up with more impulse purchases.

Just remember this key word and you’ll easily be on the path to saving money.