Well, it’s getting harder to avoid the truth. Back to school time is right around the corner. đ While this might be a happy time for you, it can also be an expensive time of year. School supplies and new clothes can really add up!
So for today’s question, I’d love to know:
I’m Wondering: What Are your Best Back To School Savings Tips?
Have you got something you’ve been wondering about that I could feature in a future I’m Wondering post? Submit your question to us here!
Staying home is one of the simplest ways to have more time, spend less money, accumulate less clutter, and to simply live a less busy lifestyle!
Staying home used to be so hard for me. I'd go out to the mall or even drive over to the next city over for some 'better shopping', way more than I needed to. These trips would always result in money spent on lunch out, deals I may have thought I needed, and probably takeout for dinner because I was too tired to cook! Totally not worth it.
However, I don't cut out every activity because I do value time spent with our family and friends. But even these times can be held at home if necessary.
I'm amazed at how much I can get done at home when I limit my time out on the town. I actually enjoy my once a week grocery shopping trip because I have had time to plan ahead and look forward to the meals I picked to prepare. Some days, I seem to be out more than I am at home. That's okay because then I plan a day to stay home to catch up!
Staying home more really works for me!
Here are some ideas to be happier at home:
Invite friends or family over for a movie/dinner night
Buy/pick some inexpensive flowers such as daffodils
Read a good book
Take a nice bath
Enjoy a dinner by candlelight
Clear out as much clutter as possible, clean off the kitchen counter tops, get rid of at least one pile of papers
Listen to your favorite music
Listen to your favorite music LOUD when you're cleaning
Surround yourself with the things you love, allow no room for things that don't make you feel happy
Take time to enjoy your favorite hot or cold beverage in the mornings (or evenings)
Keep your favorite candle burning
Bake: it tastes great and smells wonderful
Work at wanting what you have rather than having what you want
Play board games with family or friends
Stop resenting what your house isnât and start appreciating what it is.
Display family photos
What would you add to this list? Iâd love to hear your ideas!
Here at Simply Frugal, I post a lot of deals. (Shocking, I know! ;)) But all these deals can be dangerous in a way. They can entice you to spend money, just because it's a good deal. Many of the deals I share, I share because they could be a good deal for someone, just maybe not for you or myself!
Just because something is on sale, or I posted a coupon for a product that you like, does not necessarily make it a good deal. My number one goal through Simply Frugal, is to show you how to live a life with less excess. Less debt, less stuff, how to enjoy what you have and teach you how to get the stuff you need at a great price. This makes me really quite picky about what I do end up posting.
Here are four questions I ask myself to help me decide whether or not something is a good deal:
Do IÂ have the Money to Buy it?
Probably the most important thing to take into consideration. If buying something will push you into the red or push you further from your goal of becoming debt free, then it's probably not worth buying. No matter how happy it will make you, the happy feeling will most likely be temporary anyways. Especially once you get the bill! I've been there, done that!
Do I Actually Need it or Will I Use it?
Something that you use goes on sale, a pretty decent sale ta-boot. Perfect! You'll grab as many as you can afford since the price is so great. But you failed to remind yourself that you already have about 7 bottles of unopened body wash, for example. Don't forget your drawer full of toothpaste too! It would probably be smarter to put that money towards something you really need a the moment.
Or maybe not, if it's a rock bottom price on the item, you may want to go ahead and stockpile more knowing that the price might not be that low for a while and your budget can allow it.
It's completely up to you to decide if you need it or have the money to make it worthwhile!
Will it Make My Life Easier?
In my pursuit to simplify my life, this is an important question. If something needs to be dusted 8 times a day, then it's not making my life easier. If it will take up more room then we have in our closets, then it's not worth it. But if buying it means I don't have to wipe the snow off the car with my arm, then the snow brush is a great investment! đ
Is it Really a Good Price?
There are just some things you come across and you instantly know they are a good price. But sometimes you're really not sure if it's a good price, especially if you're comparing bulk prices with a smaller package price. This is where a price list can come in handy. A price list allows you to track prices on items you need at the stores you shop at each week. Over time, you'll start noticing when particular items will go on sale and if they're really a good price when they do go on sale.
I'm encouraging you to learn how to be a savvy deal shopper. Learn when to pass something by and when to grab it up! I try to post a wide range of deals (and many!) so that each day, some of them will work for you!
How do you decide to buy or not buy something? Let us know your tactics in the comments!
Grocery shopping mistakes that are keeping your grocery budget high.
Learning how to reduce your grocery bill is one of the fastest ways to start fixing the entire family budget. Since groceries are not a fixed expense like your mortgage or rent, it’s possible to tweak your shopping habits in order to reduce the amount you’re spending on groceries each week/month.
If lowering your grocery budget is your goal, you’ll want to read on to learn how to fix your unintentional grocery shopping mistakes. Are you committing any of these grocery shopping faux pas?
1. Visit the store several times each week.
I’m guilty of this one more times than I’d like to admit! Going to the grocery store more than once a week can be a real grocery budget killer. After all, going to the store for “just a few things” almost always means you’ll be picking up more than “just a few things” because admittedly, grocery stores have enticing sales and products. So by sticking to shopping once a week you can avoid many impulse purchases, especially if you’re prepared with a list and meal plan.
2. Go to the store around meal times or when you’re hungry.
One of the golden rules of grocery shopping on a budget is to never shop when you’re hungry. Trying to stick to a grocery list when you’re hungry is nearly impossible. Soon you’ll find bags of chips or expensive granola bars hopping into your cart because they’re easy to eat as soon as you get to the car. The best course of action is to shop right after you’ve eaten a good size meal.
3. Don’t plan a menu
I’m a firm believer that planning a menu each week is a big key to sticking to your budget. When you have a plan laid out, you will know exactly what you need to buy at the grocery store in order to execute the meals you have chosen. That way, if something jumps into your cart that isn’t needed, it’s easier to put it back in order to stay within budget because you know that your eating needs are met with your meal plan.
4. Never use a list
Going hand in hand with planning a menu, creating a grocery list is crucial to staying within your budget. I keep a running grocery list on our fridge so I can write down pantry items that I need to replace as soon as the item runs out. As I’m planning our menu for the week, I grab the list from the fridge and jot down everything I need to buy to complete each meal. Sometimes my list is small because I have many items already on hand in the cupboards thanks to some sales in previous weeks on staples.
5. Don’t bother looking at the store flyers for sales.
Reviewing the grocery store flyers and noting what is on sale will save you tons of money. Especially when you buy the sale items and then plan your menu around them. Over time as you regularly buy items that are on sale and stock up on them as much as you can, youâll always be eating “cheap” food, and your grocery budget will be very happy.
6. Take the kids with you.
Kids can be pretty good negotiators (at least mine can!), especially if you want to be as fast as you possibly can in the grocery store. Sometimes it’s really tempting to buy them something (anything!) just so they’ll be quiet. Even if it’s something little, it all adds up and may not be a good healthful choice.
7. Don’t take inventory of what you already have on hand.
Buying unneeded items can be wasteful. Especially if they’re fresh items that can spoil. Take a few minutes to review what you already have in your pantry and fridge and you can save hundreds of dollars each year.
8. Don’t pay attention as the cashier is processing your purchase.
Put down the magazine and pay attention to what is being rung through. I was recently charged for two watermelons when I had only bought one. Thankfully, I noticed and it was fixed right away. But imagine if each week there was an error on your bill, that could add up to hundreds of dollars that were literally spent on nothing. So do yourself a favor and pay attention as the cashier is processing your purchase. Also, if you bought items on sale, watch closely, you may get several items for free if they scanned wrong since many stores have a scanning code of practice.
9. Throw the food into the fridge without any rhyme or reason.
By taking the time to carefully put your perishables away and dividing items you bought in bulk into smaller portions will save you money in the long run. Washing and storing produce properly will make it last longer in your refrigerator. Make sure you have designated spots for each item so you can easily find your purchases, or your grocery budget will be wasted on moldy, forgotten items.
10. Throw away leftovers.
Not a fan of eating leftovers? Well, that will have to stop if you want to lower your budget! If you’re throwing away leftovers, you’re almost literally throwing your money in the garbage too. There are plenty of recipes online that can help you reinvent leftovers into something tasty. Maybe it’s not that you don’t like leftovers, maybe you simply forgot they were there. One solution is to put leftovers in clear containers with a dated label so you can visually see what’s there.
Are you guilty of any of these grocery shopping mistakes? I know that I am. It’s constantly a work in progress for me! But knowing where you’re making mistakes is half the battle to getting your budget on track. Knowing the ways in which we’re ruining our grocery budget allows us to focus on one area to fix at a time. Baby steps đ
10 grocery shopping mistakes you are making that keep your grocery bill high.
I'm sure that those of you that have smartphones know just how useful they can be. They help keep you in touch with friends and family, help you find a destination and even tell you the weather. Now, I'm also sure that those of you with a smartphone know that they can save you money! Yep! I've got a few favourite apps that I'd like to tell you about that save me money regularly.
The best part is that they only require about 15 minutes or less of my time each time I use them. Almost anyone can find that amount of time, I think!
Find 15 minutes in your day to focus on one of the apps featured in this post and I can guarantee youâll find some extra cash in your pocket over time! Letâs get startedâŚ
Cash-Back Apps
Canada has several great cash-back apps that offer you an alternative to physical coupons that help you save on groceries. (Or you could combine your coupons with the rebates from the cash-back apps to save even more!)
These apps are a great way to save money on groceries and more -- without clipping coupons! You can download these apps to your smartphone or use most of them straight from your home computer.
These Cash-Back apps help you save money on the brands you love or things you're already going to buy, like bread, eggs, milk, or produce. There are usually at least a few offers each week that are not brand dependent at all. Such as, get $0.25 back when you buy any vegetables. Talk about a great offer!
While gas stations in our city, don't really have gas wars, I can tell with the Gas Buddy app whether or not gas prices will be dropping or going up by taking a look at the app! If there's one or two gas stations with a different price on gas I can almost be sure that the rest of the gas stations will be following suit shortly. I'll aim to hit a gas station that still has the "low" price if I'm in need of a fill.
Gas Buddy is also a fantastic money saving resource for road trips. Last year we did a two day trek to Winnipeg and the Gas Buddy app proved to be very useful! It helped us to time our fill ups as best as we could.
The GasBuddy.com web site and app was developed as an initiative to provide all residents and visitors to the area access to local current gas prices. This is an entirely free service that depends on users to input gas prices on a daily basis to keep the database of prices up to date. Since the price of gas is often extremely volatile, posted gas prices may vary as much as 20% within only a few blocks of each other. By having access to the most recent prices at GasBuddy.com consumers now are able to locate the most inexpensive fuel price in the city and fill up on a budget.
Flipp
The Flipp app allows you to look at all your local store flyers so you can see the best deals of the week, saving you money on each shopping trip!
While I'm mostly a pen and paper kind of girl when it comes to creating my shopping list, I've been trying out the shopping list feature in the Flipp app. It's pretty neat because I can add something like cheese to the list and the app will pull up all the sales on cheese that week. Neat! That allows me to pick one or two stores with the most sales that I can hit up for our groceries.
Another feature that I use often is the coupon matchups. While browsing through a flyer, at the bottom, you'll see if there are any coupons available for any items that are in that week's flyer. While I don't think the coupon matchups are a comprehensive list, I still find some coupons and sales that I may have missed otherwise!
Something I haven't used, but the Flipp app allows you to save your loyalty cards so you have them all in one place. (and maybe not taking up room in your wallet!)
So there you have it, my three favourite money saving apps for smartphones!
Are there any apps that you use to save money that I missed? Let us know in the comments!
Finding free grocery coupons can be tough in Canada, but not impossible. While pricing and coupon values are all vastly different in Canada versus the US, it isn't impossible to save. In fact, it is easy to find great deals and save money using coupons on a regular basis. You simply have to know where to find the coupons. This list of ways to get free grocery coupons is just the beginning. Think outside the box to find great coupons available for everything from restaurants to your cat food purchases.
5 Easy Ways To Get Free Grocery Coupons
Contact the manufacturer. Most brands are more than happy to send you coupons when you send them a letter or email them about their products. It's never a waste of your time to send a simple note to Canadian companies telling them why you like their product and asking if they distribute coupons to Canadian residents. You can check the back of packages for mailing addresses, or websites for a contact form or email.
Print coupons online. There are many coupons available to print online. As soon as I discover a new coupon of any sort, I post about it here on Simply Frugal. Printing coupons is a great option that can easily give you significant savings on your purchases. Just make sure to know your store coupon policy since many don't accept all printed coupons.
Ask grocery stores and markets. Many chain grocery stores provide you with coupons or digital coupons when you sign up for their reward programs or email programs. You may also ask at their customer service desk to see if they have extra coupons on hand. You would be surprised at how many coupons are left behind by manufacturers for customers to use.
Newspaper coupon inserts. While this isn't totally free if you are paying for the newspaper, it is a great way to get coupons. To get them for free, ask friends, neighbors and family members who already receive the newspaper to save you the Smartsource and Redplum inserts that come out regularly.
Watch on social media. Facebook has become one of the best places to grab coupons from brands. Follow your favorite brands on social media, and double check to see if they have a Canadian specific page. This is often a great way to grab free grocery coupons with little to no effort. A simple like of a page and email address on a form can often leave you with some high value printable coupons from brands you love.
If you're looking for free grocery coupons, this list is a great place to start for Canadian residents. You can also consider asking your friends and family, checking with local store bulletin boards or joining online coupon groups that offer coupon swaps to help increase the number of free grocery coupons you are able to acquire.
