The first month of summer has come and gone. Where it’s the end of the month, I like to share with you five ways I saved money over the month. Sometimes these are very simple, sometimes these are big, and sometimes these ways are a bit out of the box. My hope is that seeing how I save money will help encourage you to find new ways to help you stretch your budget. It can be so hard some times when you are in a frugal rut. Hopefully you’ll find some new ways to save money!
Thrift store shopping
I was able to attend a $5 Fill-a-Bag sale at my local thrift store. I got everything pictured (1 skirt, 2 shirts, 3 pairs of pants/capris, and a shirt for Abby) for $5. I saved over $150! The brown pair of pants are Bass brand. I looked them up. Brand new they are $70. I paid roughly $0.75. And they are in mint condition! I call that a win. 😉
Using coupons and sales
We made a trip to New Hampshire to see some friends. New Hampshire has no sales tax. I made a trip to Payless while I was there as I needed a pair of good, supportive sandals for the summer, not just cheap flip flops. After no tax, a sale, and a 15% off coupon, I paid $16.99 for a pair of sandals that would have normally cost me $31.60. I love this style and get them about every other summer as they never hurt my feet.
Used grocery store rain checks
My local grocery store had Pepsi 12-packs for $2 back in May. They did not have the real sugar ones in stock so I received a rain check to get the item at a later date for the sale price. I cashed in on that. I also stopped at the expensive grocery store on the way home from our New Hampshire trip to get a number of things, including $1.88/lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts. They were completely out of them and it was almost closing time so no one in the meat room. I got another rain check for those (that I still haven’t used as they were out …again…the next time I was in). $1.99/lb is my “stock up” price so $1.88/lb is really good.
Lowered my monthly bills
My internet promotional offer ended, increasing my monthly bill by $47.99. I made a phone call and got it back to $34.99. I also called Dish Network and they were able to lower my bill by $5/month. Not much but even $5 can add up!
Stacked coupons on craft supplies
I was able to purchase a little more than 2 yards of fabric, a skein of yarn, and two pieces of scrapbook paper (for backgrounds) for $13. I had a 15% off your entire purchase coupon for JoAnn Fabric that I was able to stack with 40% off one item and a 60% off one item coupons. Originally my total would have been around $25.
How did you save in June?
Stephanie says
Hi I just came across your blog via Pinterest. Keeping a savings log like this is a great idea. Here are some things I have done:
-Craigslist for toys. I don’t have my own kids but I have 2 nephews. I see that you got a swing set second hand too. I did this a few years ago. We spent maybe $350 total between buying it. renting a van to move it, and replacing some of the wood.
-Drink water! Soda and juice are too sugary anyway. In fact, I drink water for health not money but if you go out to dinner, water is free! Just a bonus!
-Useful hobbies. I love to crochet and sew and I’m learning some basic woodworking. I can make toys for kids and have fun doing it. We never bought dolls clothes when we were kids cos my Nana always made them.
-LIBRARY! Absolute #1. Free books, movies, video games, and (at my library) toys to borrow. (Ok, full disclosure: I am a librarian.)
Julie says
I always drink water at restaurants too unless it is a date night or something and then I’ll have glass of wine or something. Your library sounds pretty awesome! We live in a rural area so only the standard books, movies, etc. However, they are part of a website so I can borrow e-books and mps audiobooks. That’s really handy.
So glad you found me!
Emily says
Wow! $5 fill-a-bag is such a great deal. And the price on chicken was great too. One way I saved last month was on a pair of sandals for my son. I got them at Children’s Place where they were 25% off. While I was there, I downloaded their app and was able to get an additional 20% off. I checked a couple other stores on their websites, and I actually got a better deal than some “cheaper” stores!
Emily recently posted…Moving Towards Simplicity
Julie says
You can often get cheaper items at the more expensive stores than the discount stores by using coupons. It’s so great as you can get high quality items at a low quality price.