Saving on Everyday Purchases

One of the most profound and basic lessons that I have learned from teaching Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University is that money is finite. This concept sounds simple  to understand but is a difficult lifestyle to live. To reach our financial goals we’ve found that we must follow two steps: spend less and earn more. Here are a few ways to save money on everyday items.

Cash is King. When hiring services, negotiate a price and then always ask if there is a cash discount. We regularly save 3%  ON projects done around our house. We’ve found that most companies are happy to give us a discount, and if they are not, we can look at another bid or rest in the comfort that at least we checked before making the purchase. We have saved money on house painting, a stove from Lowe’s, window installation, landscaping, vehicle repair, and even our new mattress and box spring.

Work to purchase everything used. It is amazing what you can pick up at a thrift shop that will stretch your dollar further and further. Last week I made the following purchases (pictured above):

• Double Bottle of Contact Solution - $3 (Neighbor’s Inc.)
• Two Pairs of Children’s Shorts - $2 (Neighbor’s Inc.)
• Old Navy Women’s Jeans - $2
• Women’s American Eagle Jeans - $2 (DD’s Place - Thrift Shop)
• Lighting for our Porch - $10 (DD’s Thrift Shop)
• Two Pairs of Men’s Shoes for our growing son - $15 (Goodwill with 25% off coupon for donating)

We also try to look at Craigslist and online garage sales before making household purchases. Our money stretches so much further by taking a little more time and being mindful that second hand items can often be just as good as new purchases. With garage sale season coming up, there are plenty of deals to be had!

Shop with a list. Always. For every store. Impulse buying adds up quickly, and taking the time to write what we plan to purchase allows us to stay on track and not make frivolous purchases that detract from our financial goals. It is also helpful to be able to show our kids, if it’s not on the list, we’re not buying it.

Take advantage of lifetime warranties. This fall I went to zip up my Cabela’s Winter Jacket, and the zipper just fell off. I did a quick search and found, that without a receipt, Cabela’s will issue a gift card at the lowest price of the warranted item. For me, this was a $60 gift card for a jacket I wore for four years. I was then able to use that money towards a replacement. Jansport also offers a lifetime warranty on their products, and I’ll be looking into this at the end of the school year for two backpacks that have zippers that aren’t working properly.  Discount Tires has replaced tires that couldn’t be repaired but still had plenty of wear left. When something has broken, or you have been disappointed as a consumer, it doesn’t hurt to look into the company warranties.

Fix rather than replace. A few years back Ryan replaced the motor on our aging dryer, and it worked great. A couple months ago, he replaced the belt. Last summer we paved a beautiful patio with some DIY ingenuity at a fraction of the cost of hiring professionals. Between Google and Youtube,  you can learn an awful lot about fixing yourself  to save a few bucks.  

Find ways to discount the cost of items that are seemingly fixed. Sometimes we get into a rut of believing  that monthly bills are fixed prices. Negotiating on insurance rates, phone and internet service and even preschool is a legitimate way to save money. We receive a monthly discount on preschool because I pickup an extra couple kids. Opt for a more simplified cable option, or cancel it all together. Purchase modems, antennas or other supplies to bypass the monthly rental fee. There was a time when we even skipped our garbage pick up every other week because we weren’t filling our can. 

Take advantage of Ebates for online purchases. It’s a site that links to 100s of online stores (Target, Kohl’s, Amazon, Orbitz, Living Social), and offers a quarterly cash back rebate when you start your shopping experience with ebates.com and then make a purchase at an affiliated store. You can use coupons, discounts, in-store rewards and gift cards when making a purchase. After a few years of doing this, I’ve received about $175 cash back. There’s also a referral program, so if you decide to give this a shot, could you please use my referral link in the side bar?

For our family, we save the most money on all goods and services when we are intentional about looking for a deal and steering clear of impulse purchases. What are some of your money saving ideas?