Trying to Save Money….baby steps

by Jennie on April 30, 2013

So I posted that  my New Year’s Resolution was going to be to try to save money on FOOD! I am NOT a couponer, but would love to try it out, although I haven’t made it that far. I haven’t been doing very great at saving money on food, but I have been dabbling in living a little more frugally! I am sure that you are all doing these things already, since I seem to be the last to get on a bandwagon (!), but here are some things I have changed and learned along the way:

  • My sweet frugal friend Sarah has taught me the value of signing up for all the restaurant “clubs” or  mailers. Most restaurants have a membership, club, email list you can get on. Once you do, you get free birthday goodies, coupons for free appetizers or desserts, free meals etc. This really can save you some mula!
  • I am aware of Kids Eat Free days, but have never really been good about using them. Now that we have 2 growing boys to feed, I make sure to try to plan around that. A lot of the places around us are on Tuesdays which is a bummer, but you could make that your day to eat out for the week and save the cash by getting FREE kids meals! When we do eat out and the Kids don’t eat free, I have been buying just one meal for the boys to split which seems to work out most of the time. I always have other snacks and fruit squeezers in my bag so if they are still hungry I can give them that….or you could be really on top of it and pack some fruit or veggies from home to add to the meal!!

Money Saving Monday: Kids Eat Free!

  • Thankfully, I get a lot of hand me downs for the boys so I don’t have to shop a lot for them, but I need clothes and they also do on occasion so I have started signing up for store emailers as well. You can try to plan your shopping trips based off coupons they email you. If you need something NOW, check out Mommy Saves Big. Her website is awesome and I find that rather than searching google endlessly for printable coupons, I can check her site and IF there is something out there, she WILL have it!
  • Buy second-hand. This is not new, but I have bought clothes for Cody at the Thrift Store. Hit them on the $0.99 days and you can get clothes for super cheap! I have been a little concerned going there since all the bed bug stuff hit, but I think the Tri-County one is super clean and well-organized so I wouldn’t be opposed to going back, I just haven’t gotten back there.
  • Fill out the surveys at the bottom of your shopping receipt. You can get FREE money just by taking a survey or at the very least be entered into a drawing to win something. Who knows, you may get lucky!!
  • I do my grocery shopping at Costco, Whole Foods and Krogers. I am sure you all know that you get fuel points just for shopping at Krogers. You can use those fuel points to get money off on your gas! Hello! Even better, if you purchase gift cards from there, you get additional points for fuel! If you can think about what you will buying from and visiting for the month you can buy gift cards for that and load up on points, earning some free gas!
  • I took a trip to Big Lots and Aldi’s because I heard that you can save money on organic items there. Aldi’s didn’t have a ton, but they did say they would be getting more organic in. I would say call your local store and check before making a trip. Big Lots did have  a good amount of organic food items, but it is a one off. Once that item is gone it’s gone so stock up if you see a great price!
  • Also, don’t forget to save with your rewards!

O.k. so I know it is a start and all you frugal minded mamas are saying, “That’s it”??!! But hey, my brain just doesn’t work that way and I AM REALLY TRYING! MAYBE you learned one new trick or maybe not, but thanks for coming along for the ride! :) I would love to hear your time-honored tips and tricks for saving some money! I am up for trying just about anything!

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