Stretching a Dollar

14. May 2008 by Lisa.

Here are some tips on how to stretch a dollar.

1. Use GroceryGame.com. I promise it is worth the money. You can try for only $1. I enjoy letting others find the deals for me. It saves so much time (and money) and makes coupon clipping worth it.

2. When you go out to eat order water at restaurants. It’s healthier. If you don’t like water, ask for hot water and bring your own tea bags. For a family of 5 this can save $6-9.

3. When you coupon shop at grocery stores that double/triple coupons, make multiple transactions so all “like” coupons get doubled/tripled. Multiple transactions are time consuming and can bog the grocery line down. If you know you’re going to use this method, you might want to shop during the day when the store isn’t very busy or go to a self-check lane.

4. Carry water bottles and snacks in the car especially if you have children. This can curb the desire to hit the drive through.

5. Stay at home. Spend less on gas, shopping and eating out. Seriously. If you just stay home, there will be less money out of pocket.

6. Unscrew light bulbs in light fixtures. The fixture that hangs over our kitchen table holds 5 light bulbs. Great for when we’re doing school. Not so great when we’re eating dinner and the windows are open (attracts bugs). We unscrew some bulbs before dinner. One bulb on at night when the kids go to bed serves as a kitchen night light. Use dimmer switches and use CFL bulbs.

7. Cancel cable. That’s right. I said it. Seriously, what good is it? What does it promote? For that matter, cancel unused magazine subscriptions.

8. Use a timer when you shower. Our daughter needs this. Without it she would be in there for 45 minutes drawing pictures on the steamed up shower door.

9. Make use of your library card. Many libraries offer more than books. There are magazines, DVD’s, framed art to check out and passes to museums.

10. Garage sale shop. It’s fun! There are certain items I refuse to buy used, but this really is a fun Saturday morning activity if you feel like getting out.

11. Season passes - only if you’ll get more than your money’s worth.

12. Trade babysitting time with a friend/couple who also needs a sitter. This worked well for us when our kids were little. Twice a month we watched our friend’s children and twice a month we got a date night. Worked out well and we’re all still friends.

13. Recycle and freecycle.

14. Bring your own bags to the grocery store. Many stores offer around 5c for each bag you provide.

15. Stockpile. If you run out of something you can run to your pantry and not spend gas and time running to the grocery store to pay full price because you need it now.

16. Learn how to shop at CVS so you get way too much for free.

Anything you want to add? Please leave a comment or email me at Lisa@homeschoolingandfrugal.com

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