Don’t Be Stupid, Don’t Waste Money

Anyone who knows me personally, and who has went shopping with me before knows that I am very picky on what I spend my money on. I am honestly not sure exactly why…I guess maybe I just want to make sure I get the value out of whatever I buy. I remember as a kid if I wanted something, I would go grab cash from my bedroom. My mother would always ask me where I was getting all this money from, let’s just say sometimes what I wanted was not cheap. In reality I just literally saved every single penny I had. I did not go and splurge my money on everything little thing that I “wanted”. Instead it sat in my toy box, or under my bed for a long time…like years. This money came from doing yard work, *some* specific chores around the house, birthdays, holidays, and even swimming laps (there is another story behind that I will share another day).

Soon I started working three jobs and just putting that money straight into the bank to save and I still do that. However, when I shop, I do try to get the best deals. Then whatever money I saved from the original cost I put into another savings account that I do not touch.

How I Save:

HONEY – By far my favorite desktop app. I downloaded the extension on chrome and I shop from my laptop. Any site I got to it runs through and finds the very best coupons to use. Even on Amazon you can create an alert with honey where when something drops in __% it will send you an email letting you know. I use this all the time, especially for amazon.

On amazon I set it for 90 days at 15% cheaper alert. Some others are set at 45%-55%. As for other sites I just run the coupons and use what is available online. Not all sites have access to honey though. But the basics do like Target, Amazon, Wayfair etc.

COUPONS – I normally only use online coupon codes but every now and then I will use an actual paper coupon if it is a good one. I do however always use coupons at PetSmart + Petco. I usually can get 50 Ibs. dog food and a few boxes of Greenies and a toy or 2 from anywhere e$5-$20 depending on what coupons I use. I know a ton of people that rank up a lot of stuff for only a few dollars. Maybe one day I will get more into it.

FB Groups – Normally there are Facebook groups named “Petco Coupons” or “Lowes Coupons” etc. In these groups you can almost always find a coupon you can save to your phone and scan at check out.

PETCO APP – Going back to getting dog items so cheap. I use the Petco App monthly. Dillon actually uses it too. If you upload a photo to the app and it gets over 100 likes then the next month around the 5th they will email you a $10 gift card. So, two people doing it every month = $20.

PET SMART APP – The PetSmart App is not as good as the Petco App but it can come in handy depending on what other coupons they are running at that time. The app allows you to play games every month and every time you level up (3 levels) you get a coupon. It is usually a 5%, 10%, and 20%. Other tomes they do$5 off $30 or $20 off $60. Then add any other coupons to these coupons and it can be a heck of a cheap shopping trip. I normally use these coupons around the holidays, Halloween and Christmas.

HOME GOODS, MARSHALLS, TJ MAXX – All of these stores are normally cheaper than the actual retail brand store. If I am looking for a specific item from a specific brand, I always check these stores first. It is usually cheaper than using a coupon at another store. They also always have a change in their inventory, and usually a good selection of unique items you cannot find in other stores around.

MILITARY DISCOUNT – Call me cheap, maybe I am, but I will use military discount anywhere I can. It can save a ton of money sometimes. And then I put the savings into the bank account. I use it everywhere, whether it is from eating out, furniture shopping, electronic shopping, excursions. EVERYWHERE. You can check out this blog to see a list of places tat offer military discount!

SHOP THE SALE – I always look in the sale sections in store and online just to see what there is. It can be a hit or miss though. But also, coupons can sometimes be added to the sale prices as well.

Ex. Forever XXI has a 50% off sale going on right now + an additional 20%. This totals 70% off, and if you go and look at their items almost every item then is between $2-$9.

BLACK FRIDAY – Any big purchases I get on Black Friday. Last year we had just bought the house so I bought all new mattresses, bed frames, and a ton of other furniture. This year I decided to get Spirit Hood Coasts, and a lot of other house items.

You can also use Black Friday deals for tickets, events, or even packages.

Ex. When a studio offers a membership for 70% off on Black Friday if you sign up that day.

Groupon – Sometimes you can find some great deals on Groupon. Whether you are looking for dinner date package, vacation package, spa package, and others you can usually find a good package on Groupon. They have just about everything on there.