When we went from 2 incomes to 1 in 2001 I thought it would be easy, but it took some adjusting but I've got a good handle on it and it seems like the cheaper I find things the worse I get.

1) I love consignment shops. I use these as often as possible, especially for myself. I found a really nice sweater for $2, today I got a compliment on that exact sweater.

2) $1 stores.

3) Today we went to an Old Navy Outlet and you wouldn't believe it. We got scarves, belts, and a shirt for $.47 a piece regular price they would have been $12.99 and up.

4) I look for bargains all the time for everything my hardest items are food and grocery items and suggestions?

Any suggestions for being more frugal or even more cheaper?

By Kate on Friday, February 2, 2007 - 04:27 pm:

Do you have 'The Grocery Game' where you are? Check it out if you do.

http://www.thegrocerygame.com/

I don't fully understand it, but a frugal friend spends about $25 on $400 worth of groceries each week....She can't stop raving about it.

There's also food warehouses, like BJs and Sam's Club.

Oh, and you'd be proud...I got a pair of Dockers pants for my DH yesterday for $1.00. Regularly $50. And a winter coat for my six year old for $6.60 from $85....

By Cocoabutter on Friday, February 2, 2007 - 06:48 pm:

I go through the weekly grocery ads and cut coupons every week religiously, and use them on food items that go on sale. I have not just one but two coupon organizers (one for food and one for non-food) that I carry with me EVERYTIME I go to the store.

My worst thing is getting organized with my time and getting all my grocery shopping done at once. Since I live around the corner from Meijer, it's hard not to go there every couple of days for stuff I forgot to put on my list.

By Mrsheidi on Friday, February 2, 2007 - 08:37 pm:

I think being frugal means that you buy what you truly need and save for the big things. Connor's babysitter (a licensed daycare worker) is a self proclaimed "bargain hunter" but I think she just likes finding bargains and then she just spends money on things that she hadn't anticipated on buying. To me, that's not really being frugal. She has more junk in her house than she really needs and is addicted to yard sales.

The only place I have to TRULY be frugal is Barnes N Noble...I could buy every Curious George book if it weren't for my "cash only" budget for books.

I used to cut coupons but I'd get to the register and worry about what Connor is doing that I'd forget to use them. However, I do use diaper coupons at BJ's.

By Cocoabutter on Friday, February 2, 2007 - 09:48 pm:

They say you shouldn't go shopping with your children, probably b/c they want stuff and you end up spending more money. But, not everyone has the time to go without them. (I do wonder how some mothers manage shopping with 4 or more kids in tow!) I definitely understand the fear that while you are fiddling around with coupons, your baby could be climbing out of the cart and getting ready to land on his head!

When ds was little, I used to get my coupons ready before I went shopping, trying to anticipate which ones I would be using based on my shopping list. I would scour the ads, write up my list, and pull the coupons and attach them to my list with a paper clip so they would be ready for the checkout.

Now what I do is dig them out as I shop and attach them to my list or stick them in the side pocket of my purse so they are ready to hand to the cashier.

I also used to print coupons form coolsavings.com, but I never used them, and I eventually figured it was a waste of ink to print them and not use them. But, someone might get some use out of them.

I you're interested in printing coupons, there are a ton of websites that let you do that. Just Google "coupons."

By Sandysmom on Saturday, February 3, 2007 - 03:23 am:

I bought little dd's winter coat for next year at a TjMaxx sale. It was marked down to $12.00 from $56.00. I was so tickled by that. Also, we have Amish/Menonite grocery outlets around here, and once in a while, we will go and stock up on frozen foods and household cleaners and laundry detergent and even their produce is a lot cheaper and just as nice if not nicer than the regular stores. I love cherries and the Giant grocery store had them for 4.99 a pound and the grocery outlet had them for 1.99 a pound and they were very fresh.

By Rayelle on Saturday, February 3, 2007 - 10:20 am:

I am right there with you! I bought 56 boxes of gm ceral and paid only .27! They are good through next year and we will use them- big cereal eaters here! Something I've heard really helps but I just can't get my act together is menu planning, cooking 1 day for the whole month,etc. I love yard sales and can't wait for the weather to warm up. This is where alot of my dks clothes and games and toys have come from. Last year my ds kept telling me he wanted moon shoes. They were about $40 and I got 2 pair for $4 at a yard sale the weekend after he brought them up- so 1 for him and 1 for dd. My dh occassionally will laugh when we go out and say that I am amazing because our kids dress like we're millionaires which is hardly the case,lol. Plus I only look at clearance racks at stores and tend to get things 1 season ahead.

Something I want to try at Christmas this year is doing most of my shopping with spare change. Those coin counting machines don't charge a fee if you get a gift certificate and one of the places is amazon. I found soooo many great deals there this past season. I better stop- I could talk deals all day!

By Rayelle on Saturday, February 3, 2007 - 10:24 am:

HOw many coupons you get in the paper depend on where you live, in case you didn't know. I live in a small town, but I buy a big city paper on Sundays to get the better coupons. I also made my own coupon organizer because then it was completed tailored to the way I think and I use my coupons better that way since I don't have soup in with dog food. I recently made my own laundry detergent and it worked pretty good. I figure the standard size bottle cost me about a nickel to make.

By Bellajoe on Saturday, February 3, 2007 - 01:46 pm:

Rayelle, how do you make your own laundry detergent? I've never heard of that before. I bet that saves you a lot of $$$!

I always clip coupons, I just wish i used them all! I just can't see buying 4 boxes of cereal to "save a dollar" i always think "i can save $9 if i just buy one box LOL. Plus i don't really have the room to store all those boxes.

one thing my sister taught me is to make the grocery list on a envelope and stuff the coupons you intend to use in that envelope.
I try to make my grocery list for the week, than go thru the coupons to see if I i will be able to use any of them. Then next to that item on the list i put a little 'C' for coupon. So i know to find that coupon and make sure i am buying the right brand of the product. I just hate the coupons that say 'save 75 cents when you buy 4 boxes' when i only want one box!!

I just love to find a bargain! My dh had been looking and looking for a new winter coat. He found one at an outlet store when he was on a business trip at Myrtle Beach. It's a down, Nautica winter coat. It was only $39.99. I don't know the original price but i'm sure it was way more than that!

By Crystal915 on Saturday, February 3, 2007 - 06:59 pm:

I love bargain hunting!! My friend commented on a shirt Madison has, and I mentioned I either got it on Freecycle or at the thrift store. She was shocked that I would shop at a thrift store, since most of my kids' clothing comes from The Children's Place. Silly girl, I LOVE thrift stores!! WTG on the deals!!!

By Wandilu on Sunday, February 4, 2007 - 11:38 pm:

I love thrift stores and yard sales.My "new" winter coat is a BEAUTIFUL boot length black leather coat,not a scratch on it ,and I gave $15 for it this past summer at a yard sale.

By Bellajoe on Monday, February 5, 2007 - 02:07 pm:

i was so excited yesterday. I went to the grocery store and brought my coupons. I ended up saving $14.40 because of all my coupons. I wanted to jump up and down when i watched the price go down as she scanned them!