How to Save Money in These Hard Times

Today's economy is making it very hard for a lot of us to have anything more than the bare minimum of what we need to survive.  With this in mind, I am going to discuss four easy ways to save money when shopping.  Please read even if you think it is mostly common sense, because there might just be some information in here that could be helpful to you.

Method 1:  Coupons

This may seem an obvious solution, but there is slightly more to it than simply clipping coupons from the Sunday paper.  

For instance, there are other places to find coupons.  These include magazines, store advertisements, restaurant menus and the internet.  Most store have some available in their aisles.  In NJ, or at least in my part, we are mailed something called Valu-packs, with many deals inside.  Phonebooks also have some valuable coupons and deals.

To save even more, look for or ask your local grocery store about Double Coupon Day.  If you're lucky, you may learn about a Triple Coupon Day.

Method 2:  Sales

All stores have them, but some are bigger than others.  Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, is the beginning of the Christmas shopping season, and almost every store participates in the frenzy, offering deals sometimes too good to believe.  The best ones are first thing in the morning, when "door-busters" are added to the regular sales.  Some stores will even provide free coffee or free gifts to celebrate.  

After each holiday, the related items go on clearance, usually for 50% off.  In a few weeks, that goes to 75% and then to 90%.  By the end, there is not much left, but there's always a few items you could probably use.  

Stores such as Sears Essentials and Fashion Bug often have an additional sale on clearance items, so you end up saving quite a bit.  

Grocery stores have to sell things cheaply when they are close to an expiration date.  Pathmark does this with "Manager's Specials", brightly colored stickers on items that must be sold asap.  They are 25% - 75% off, or $1-2 off, and bring the price of canned vegetables to less than 50 cents at times, and breads to less than $1.  Buy them and use them right away.  Take advantage, too, of 10 for $10 sales that are common among grocery stores.

Method 3:  Cheap Stores and Webites

Probably the easiest way to save money is to simply shop at inexpensive places.  There are plenty of stores and websites with items at lower than normal prices.  

In NJ, there is Forman Mills, where T-shirts are often 5 or 6 for $10.  That's $2 or less each!  For food shopping, there is Sav-A-Lot and Aldi's.  As long as you are not looking for only brand names, those are great places to go.

Flea markets and thrift stores are great if you do not mind used items.  Remember though, that you can find new stuff there sometimes, as well.  Look for church thrift stores, which tend to be really cheap, and ask about their bag sales.  $5 or $10 for a bag of clothes is a great deal.  

Online, there are many places to comparison shop, and there are many discount stores.  It is a great place to research deals and to buy.  

Method 4:  Free Stuff

Free stuff is as cheap as you are going to get.  

There are websites where you can order free stuff, and websites where you can give away, receive, or barter free stuff.  I recommend TotallyFreeStuff.com, FreakyFreddies.com, Craigslist.com, and Freecycle.com.

There are community events giving away free stuff.  Colleges are great for this (I saw a lot of free movies, won some free raffles, and ate a lot of free food at Rutgers University when I was a student).  A lot of South Jersey townships, and probably others (I only know my area), have a "Township Day" where they pass out free items (even if it is just pens and pencils, it is free, and those are useful) and provide free fun for children and adults.  Churches do a lot of this too.  All you need to do to take advantage of this is read fliers, classified ads, and event calendars or websites to know when and where  to go.

Look up Philabundance.  See if it or anything like it is in your area.  They give out free produce to those in need.  Who couldn't use fresh fruits and vegetables?

Remember, the more you save when shopping, the more you can put toward other expenses like rent, household bills, car insurance and gas.