Over the years, I've gotten my best ideas for saving money from frugal-minded friends.
A kind of keeping-up-with-the-Joneses in reverse.
So in that spirit, I'm asking for your very best tips on saving money.
No ideas are too small. Remember, I get excited about finding a penny on the sidewalk.
But I'm also interested in big-picture ideas that have saved you big bucks.
There's a $10 Target gift card at stake.
Leave your money-saving idea in the comments section at the bottom of this post. One reader will be chosen at random when I return April 2.
(Please make sure your email address registered with The N&O is one that you regularly check so I can easily contact you if you win.)
Good luck, everyone.
Comments
Tip
Sun, 03/25/2012 - 14:28 — lahokeAny time you have too many extras of anything or pick up a freebie, food banks, shelters and other groups are extremely grateful to receive them!!
Giveaway
Sun, 03/25/2012 - 13:34 — willandjaniceDon't forget about price adjustments...most stores also have policies on price adjustments if the item is further marked down within 7-14 days that they will adjust the price. I monitor the stores' websites to check if the price as gown down after I bought it. If it does, I take the reciept back to get a price adjustment.
Be careful of impulse buys on produce
Sun, 03/25/2012 - 13:11 — saserreMy frugal tip is to watch impulse buys on produce and ensure you have a plan/recipe/time to use them before they'll go bad.
I'm big on buying my fruits, vegetables, and meats locally, which has a lot of benefits including good prices, especially on meats. In previous years I always went to the Raleigh Farmers Market for them. All those wonderful samples and friendly farmers made it so I'd get a lot of impulse buys, often which were wasted since I didn't have time/energy/recipe to make them before they went bad. With only two people in the house, I don't need a whole copy paper sized box of potatoes, but the price was so good in comparison...
So this year I've subscribed to Papa Spuds (www.papaspuds.com). They're like a CSA with no up front fee and you get to choose the items you get. They deliver right to my office so it saves me both gas and time. I'm setup with a $15 box bi-weekly (which gets me about 3 pounds of sausage, or 5 different fruits/veggies), and I can skip weeks as much as I want. By shopping online I'm able to stick to my list and only get items I'll eat. And having the set price makes it real easy on my budget to plan out.
Sharon D. from Raleigh