Sometimes I think back to just a few short years ago and shake my head at all of the money I used to waste before I discovered couponing/savvy shopping! I considered myself to be pretty frugal even back then. I didn't buy a ton of unnecessary junk or feel like I needed to have the latest gadgets or the most expensive brands, but I was still wasting a TON of money! Here are some of the ways I threw money out the window:
- GROCERIES: Oh, the money I could have been saving on groceries! I used to just go to the store, buy what I wanted/needed no matter what it cost. I would decide what to have for dinner that week and go buy it...didn't matter if it was on sale or in season...I just bought it. I considered food to be a "necessity" so I didn't give it a second thought. No wonder I was spending $150/week to feed 2 adults and a baby! I wish I would have known how much I could have saved just by checking out the sale ad when I was planning my meals! Add in coupons to that strategy and I have cut my grocery half!
- CLOTHING: Like most people, I used to shop for clothes when the seasons changed. When it got warm, I'd go buy shorts and swimsuits. In the fall I started stocking up on sweaters and coats. It makes sense...that's what the stores want us to buy! But now instead of going to the STORE when the seasons change, I go to my storage bins full of new clothing for my kids that I bought last year at a fraction of the price! This year's swimsuits cost me $5 last November. I've got a coat waiting for this fall for my daughter that cost me just $3!! If I bought that same coat in October it would have cost me $30! Of course I still have to pick up odds and ends while they are in season, but the bulk of my kids wardrobe is "SO last season" and I couldn't be happier about it!
- TOYS: The same thing applies to toy purchases. I used to buy toys when I needed them...a few weeks before Christmas and birthdays I would go spend way more than I needed to. When we got invited to a birthday party I would go blow $20 on a gift. I didn't know the joys of the toy clearance! Now I buy toys twice a year at Target's toy clearance and save them for the occasions when I need them. Do I still have to buy toys at full price sometimes? Yes...my kids have a "MUST HAVE" gift now and then that isn't in my toy storage closet. But instead of spending too much on everything under the Christmas tree, I only have to pay retail for one or two things and the rest is all 75% off or more!
- HOUSEHOLD ITEMS: Before my savvy shopping days, I would buy toothpaste or toilet cleaner when we ran out. Most of the time when I needed something, I needed it THEN, so I couldn't wait for it to go on sale or until I had a coupon. Now I have learned that having a stockpile of these kinds of things is awesome! When toothpaste goes on sale and I have a coupon that makes it free or really cheap, I get as many as I can and save them for the next time I need toothpaste! Same goes for almost all non-perishable personal and household items. You do have to know when to say when...there IS such thing as having too much toothpaste...but I haven't spent more than $.50 for toothpaste in a year and most of the time it's FREE!
I'm not the perfect bargain hunter...there are still plenty of things that I waste my money on because I'm hooked on a particular brand or product that never goes on sale, or I'm too lazy to drive around searching for the best price. But I'm so happy that all of that money that I used to waste on so many things now stays in my pocket!! How about you? Are there things that you waste your money on that you want to change? Things that you used to spend too much on that you are happy to not have to buy anymore? If you haven't started savvy shopping...it's not too late! Start today and see how much you can save on all of those little things that really add up!