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Get a $250 Grocery Gift Card

by BlondieWrites on September 2, 2010

Get a $250 Grocery Gift Card



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Top Tactics for *On Sale* Shopping

by BlondieWrites on August 31, 2010

Top Tactics for *On Sale* Shopping

It is always great to take advantage of a sale. Many items can be purchased at a steep discount which, in turn, will save you money. It is always best to shop a sale with a plan; a plan will help you to avoid needless spending. When preparing to shop a sale, take the following tips into consideration.

* Plan ahead. View the fliers for the sale beforehand and make a list of the items you want to purchase. This will help you avoid any needless spending as most stores place sale items strategically next to highly-coveted merchandise hoping for impulse buys.

* Set a budget and stick to it. Take cash only, as this will help you to stay on budget. You cannot spend it if you do not have it to spend.

* Most people like to shop the sales early to get first dibs on the merchandise. The earlier you arrive at the store, the greater your chances are at finding the sale items that you want. You can still visit later in the day but you may find that the items you were coveting have been sold out. This is especially true around the holidays.

* It is easy to get carried away with sale items. You may be tempted to purchase things that are on sale, but which are not necessarily needed in your household. If this is the case, try to hold off on the purchase until it becomes a necessity.

* Use coupons to further your discount. This may not work with every sale, but sometimes credit card holders will get additional discounts on top of the sale prices. Oftentimes coupons, if available, are posted in the sale flier. Clip these when you can and use them to further your savings.

* If your store has an email newsletter, sign up with them to get fliers and exclusive sales emailed to your inbox. Members are typically privy to sales before the general public. This will help you be aware of upcoming sales if you are not especially attentive to newspapers.

Finding a sale can be a real bargain for your budget. If you plan ahead, you will likely find that you can save more on your purchase than just the advertised sales. Set a budget and stick to it by carrying only cash and avoiding needless spending.
Signing up for email notifications is a great way to be aware of sales before the general public, or to be notified if you do not receive the daily newspaper. By utilizing the above tips you will be able to save even more money, and who doesn’t like that?

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Free Coupons on Name Brands

by BlondieWrites on August 27, 2010

Free Coupons on Name Brands

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How to Have a Budget-Friendly Healthy Eating Plan

by BlondieWrites on August 23, 2010

How to Have a Budget-Friendly Healthy Eating Plan

With food prices soaring these days, is there way for you to eat healthy, without poring more holes in your pocket? There’s a actually a way for you to eat healthy and within your budget. Before you head off to the supermarket, sit down and write out a list first, and remember to stick to it. Shop just once a week, cut out the sale coupons from the newspaper, but disregard the coupons for processed foods. Here are other helpful tips for eating healthy on a budget.

Money-Saving Basics For The Healthy Eater

Before you make the dash for the grocery, make sure you don’t go shopping on an empty stomach. Eat a light snack or meal, so that you’ll be able to resist the temptation. Once you’re in the grocery, look for sales or discount promos on fruits and vegetables, as most groceries get a bargain on these items, which they pass-on as savings to their customers. Buy a large bag of fruit instead of single, large fruit items which are priced per pound. Also go for generic brand, which are labeled as the store brands, but are relatively priced less.

Get More Healthy Food Items From The Money You Spend

To make the most out of your budget, remember to get more healthy food items, as well as make significant changes in your food options. Here are some helpful tips for buying healthy food on a budget.

1.  Buy in bulk an din season. Seasonal produce will offer more nutritional value, and are priced less too. Also make a food list that’s based on sale or discounted items.

2.  Eat more beans. Beans are relatively affordable sources of fiber and protein, particularly the dry beans.

3.  Cut down on your purchase of alcohol and other carbonated beverages, because these offer no nutritional benefits, and also cost a lot too.

4.  Use meat alternative such as beans and tofu for your stir-fry, spaghetti and chili recipes, as well as use ground turkey meat in place of ground beef.

With the recession hurting our pockets, more and more people are constantly looking for ways to get more out of their money when they go to the grocery. However, health professionals worry that as the economy gets tighter, more people will be making poor food choices, and will also turn to eating unhealthy fast food fare. But eating unhealthy food should not be the case, since there’s a way for you to eat healthy without busting your budgets. All you need to do is buy smart, make more budget-friendly decisions, and change some of your shopping and food-preparation habits.

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Easy Ways to Save Money on Back-to-School Clothes

by BlondieWrites on August 23, 2010

Easy Ways to Save Money on Back-to-School Clothes

One of the best things about heading back to school is the shopping spree a few weeks before. Unfortunately, with many families struggling to make ends meet, this may be a pleasure for more prosperous times. What can you do to make sure your child is well dressed while not busting your budget this fall? Here are a few tips.

1. Sort through last year’s items – Pull out all of your child’s clothes and go through them. Items that still fit and are free from stains and tears can be repurposed for this year. Basic items are almost always in fashion and go well with newer updated items.

2. Use hand-me-downs – If you have an older child of the same sex, pass their clothing along to the younger sibling instead of tossing them out. Just like last-seasons items, keep only those pieces that are timeless, fit well, and are free from stains and tears. Make sure that the younger child doesn’t feel like they only get their siblings cast-offs, though. Take him or her for a special shopping trip to get a couple of extra-special pieces.

3. Bargain shop – From outlet stores to seasonal sales, there are always bargains to be had. Watch your local ads and sign up online for newsletters from your favorite stores so you will know when the sales are. You might even get some coupons out of it!

4. Plan ahead – Begin planning for your child’s school year clothing the winter before and it will be much less expensive to send them off with a full new wardrobe. Styles really don’t change too much from one season to the next, so if you purchase from end-of-season sales you could get three or four outfits for the price of one.

5. Buy used clothing – While your child might act like they are dying of embarrassment if they knew it, you can usually find some great pieces at second-hand stores and clothing trades. You might have to weed through a number of torn, stained or horribly-out-of-fashion items, but you are sure to find things like basic jeans, tank tops, t-shirts, turtlenecks, belts and possibly even barely-worn shoes.

6. Learn how to sew – Unlike many years ago, it is rarely cost-effective to purchase new fabric and create items from scratch. However, it is useful to have sewing skills for making alterations to good used clothing. It is even possible to convert a larger item into an entirely different garment if the fabric is good. It’s also fun to add whatever embellishment is the latest trend. From patches to sequins, a needle and thread can go a long way.

7. Splurge a little – If you can afford it, allow your child a set dollar amount, even as little as $20, to purchase one or two items that they adore and they consider “must-haves” for this year’s little fashionistas. This small splurge can make the entire back-to-school bargain hunting effort go much smoother and helps your child with their fashion self-esteem.

The bargain-conscious parent can be at peace with fashion-conscious kids with some planning and extra effort. It’s as simple as reusing items, buying bargains, and accessorizing with a few of the latest fashions. Your kids may not be ready for a runway, but they will be ready for the first day of school.

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Aisle-by-Aisle Grocery List Software

by BlondieWrites on August 22, 2010

Aisle-by-Aisle Grocery List Software

Frugal shoppers rave about the amazing aisle-by-aisle grocery list program that helps you zip through the store and out the door.

For more details about Aisle-by-Aisle Grocery List Software, click here now.

AislebyAisle.com
Where to buy: www.aislebyaisle.com/

The average person spends far too much time in the grocery store buying more than they actually need. We backtrack to find products and buy things that are not on our list. In case you are looking for a product that makes shopping quicker and easier: the AislebyAisle software is a great way of organizing your shopping list. It allows you to walk around a virtual shop aisle by aisle and create your shopping list. The program has basic store setups already available, but you can change the aisles to fit your regular grocery store. There is also a great tool to monitor and track coupons available at different stores, so you can take advantage of discounts.

Aisle-by-aisle grocery list saves steps at the store.

✔ Use it online from any computer anywhere. Nothing to download.

✔ Track sales to save money.

✔ Organize coupons to save even more money.

The software is straight-forward to use and comes with detailed explanations and screen shots to make it easy to understand. The Budget section of the software gives you a history of grocery savings day-by-day, compares prices between different stores and looks at how to save money with coupons.

Overall, this software simplifies your shopping and at the same time takes advantage of coupons and sales. It doesn’t need to be downloaded, but is available online immediately after registration.

For more details about Aisle-by-Aisle Grocery List Software, click here now.

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Free Stuff – Samples and Coupons

by BlondieWrites on August 20, 2010

Free Stuff – Samples and Coupons

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