5 Simple and Practical Ways to Save More Money

I'm sure many of you have heard the old adage, "Necessity is the mother of invention." When I was on my journey to debt freedom, necessity became the mother of my frugality. I really had no choice; it was sink or swim, and I've never been one to choose to sink. In my previous posts, I've discussed how I became a master at cutting back/sacrificing, prioritizing, budgeting and saving. In this post, I would like to share how I became great at finding a deal to save money when shopping.

1. Don't be a retailer snob/brand snob: 

I am not the least bit ashamed to admit that Wal-Mart and Aldi are my favorite stores. Why? Because the shopping experience is superior? NO. The prices are the lowest around and that is all I care about! Growing up in Johnson County, I have heard every excuse imaginable as to why Wal-Mart and Aldi are not acceptable places to shop. Some of the most popular excuses are that the customer service is terrible, they see themselves as above the typical clientele that shops there, they don't like the look of the store, and they don't like the company (particularly the “big evil corporate Wal-Mart”). I don't necessarily completely agree or disagree with each of these excuses, but my current purpose is not to evaluate their accuracy. However, as I have heard these excuses, you know what comes to my mind? You need to read my post called GET OVER YOURSELF! Also, whether or not any of those claims are true, I don't really care. I know for a fact that shopping at Wal-Mart and Aldi saves you money, and again, that is all I care about! Buying the “off brand” products will save you even more money. There is no difference in quality (most of the time); the only thing convincing you otherwise is the pretty and very calculated packaging on the brand name as well as your own mental block about the “cheap” stuff that you have harbored for whatever reason. Also, Wal-Mart price matches on everything. Here's what I think is crazy: Why would you spend $6 on a stick of deodorant at a grocery store when you can buy a pack of 2 for under $3 at Wal-Mart? Or a tube of Crest toothpaste for $3 when a tube of Aim toothpaste is only $.85 (at Wal-Mart)?! I asked a former coworker that exact question and his response was excuse #1: Wal-Mart has horrible customer service. While this is an excuse I happen to completely agree with (sorry Wally World, you could do better in this area), my response is always: HOW GOOD DOES THE CUSTOMER SERVICE NEED TO BE TO GO GRAB SOME DEODORANT AND SAVE YOUR MONEY?! GET OVER YOURSELF! I don't need the red carpet rolled out for me to walk into a store and gather the items I need. I rarely interact with the employees when I'm there anyways. I have another friend and former coworker that used to always complain about never having any money. My response? You never have any money because you shop at expensive grocery stores and you buy all your clothes from expensive stores at the mall. You also need to write a budget. GET OVER YOURSELF! 

2. Don't buy things just because they are on sale:

I have seen it all too often. Someone is all proud and thinking they are so smart and thrifty because they found a pair of pants for $6. Listen, if all of your other pairs of pants are worn out, then congratulations! You truly met your need and got a great deal! But for the rest of you that already have a plethora of perfectly good pants, you just wasted $6. Now that may seem like an insignificant amount, and it may be if it happened only once, but if you multiply that by the number of times you do that in the course of a month...monumental! You are killing your wealth!

3. Use coupons:

I have also heard many excuses about coupons as well: It's too much of a hassle to keep track of them, they don't save that much money, etc. Here's the thing about coupons: they aren't all created equal. Most coupons are for name brands and the product still ends up being more expensive with the coupon than the bargain brand is without one. So yes, in that case it's not a good deal. With coupons it's generally about timing. If you wait until the name brand goes on sale and then combine that with the coupon, that's when you save big. I have gotten many things practically for free by doing that! So if it's too much of a hassle to keep a small piece of paper in your wallet to save money...Uhhhh...Ok? 

Ahem. Anyways, moving on.

4. Keep the change:

It honestly baffles me how many people leave change laying around, throw it away or tell their cashier to "keep the change." Piggy bank anybody? Does that ring a bell? Yes, it takes a little time for it to add up, but something tells me that when you take it to the bank to exchange it for a $100 bill (or more), you won't regret it! 

5. Go shopping in your own home:

Most of us have stuff laying around the house that we probably have forgotten about, so if a genuine need arises for me to potentially go shopping and spend money, I thoroughly check my home first to make sure I don't already have what I need. Quite often, I find what I need! In the process, I usually get some much needed organizing and consolidating done. So it's a win-win! In my determination to save money, I have also gotten creative with finding alternative/multiple uses for things I already own, even if it's at the expense of convenience (I got over myself)!

Truly, everything I have discussed here is common sense, but if you are looking for ideas on how to save money, I hope these simple ideas come as the perfect reminder at the perfect time! Remember, anything and everything you do to help out your finances adds up! Happy saving!