Ways to Save a Buck

Who doesn't like to get a good deal? Whom among us likes to pay too much for something (ok, put your hand down because you're nuts...) We like to save as much as we can here and there. The small things add up. If you don't believe it, do what we do, keep a logbook or a jar and everything you figure as savings during one month just religiously log or put in the bank. $1.50 done several times plus .75 saved here and there plus $5 tossed in makes a pretty little chunk of savings at the end of the month.
So, here is the first of many blogs to sporadically come on little ways to put back a little bit of change that accumulates into fluffy greenbacks...

1. Coupons
We love coupons. We subscribe to the Sunday paper because what we spend on the subscription we save very quickly in coupons but there are many other great ways to accumulate coupon savings. We also get to see the ads and deals to comparison shop.
List your favorite products, the things you buy most frequently. Now go Google "Pop Tart coupon" and you've got a good start...but who makes them? Kellogg's. Go to Kellogg's website and you'll find coupons for many products, more than likely the one you're looking for, too. Next, find their 1-800 number and give them a ring, ask for some coupons. Wishbone Dressing loves to send out FREE promotional coupons, Kraft, Kellogg's, Oil of Olay, you name it and we've had a 95% success rate when calling and asking for coupons and discounts.
There are tons of coupons online but NEVER pay for them. Our favorite website is www.couponmom.com and even though their registration is a pain, we've gotten no spam from them and lots of savings.

2. Ask
It never hurts to ask. Call up the 1-800 number for your grocery, for your home repair center and ask for 10% off coupons. When we know we will be making a purchase from Lowes or Home Depot we give them a jingle and ask. Within a few days we've got a coupon in the mailbox. Along the same lines, we've found a Manager in every store from the aforementioned home repair black-hole-for-my-money-mart's to Wal, K, and department stores and explained to them that we'd like to purchase this item, we usually price check around town, but are you willing to give us a discount for store loyalty? A majority of the time we win...and the 10-25% we've had them knock off has always been greater than any price match or better sale we could have found elsewhere. Now, as for that price match thing...

3. Price Match Whenever Possible
Always look at the sales and prices around town before you buy anything. A computer at Best Buy, Staples, and Office Max may be $50-100+ difference before a sale, depending on the location, store, etc. It always helps to know your prices and when a tremendous sale goes on then use that 10% off coupon you called for earlier, most stores will price match any advertised price and you've just saved the sale price + 10%. The computer I'm writing from was purchased by price matching an incredible sale from Staples at Best Buy, using accumulated Reward Points and a 12% coupon off any electronics purchase. The price, after match and coupons, ended up being almost $115 below the very low sale price offered at Staples. all because of price match, asking for coupons, watching sales, and...participating in those stupid Rewards things...

4. Rewards Crap
They are a pain, those key fobs, discount cards, barcoded things that more resemble a Mark of the Beast than something you want to like...but I have gone to the Darkside. We have a keychain devoted to these plastic nuisances but they save us money. Every grocery store, electronics, etc. that we can, we do. Why? Junk mail is much less than it used to be, for one...but mainly it is because they really do save you money and send you things. We don't rely on them and we certainly don't believe it when it says a "Card Price" is better than anything else, sometimes it is and sometimes it isn't. But, when we make a purchase our barcode is scanned and now and then, because of making purchases we would have anyway, we get discount coupons.

These are in no way fail-safe but they are a few little things we've tried successfully and liked. Now, take that money and save it for one month. What you do with it at the end is up to you...put it towards a debt to lower the burden next month, put it in the bank to draw interest, or go out for a nice dinner...