Easiest Ways to save money
On everyday stuff

Hopefully, you will pick up some tips from how we do things.

This "lifestyle" has been employed in our house for the last 35 years...that's how many years we have been married.

We have watched our spending all that time. Through times of plenty and lean times the constant is watching our pennies. It is a way of life...you can do it too.

When I knew my spending habits were going to change

While dating we had our first argument...and we do not have many. We were in Macy's in San Francisco in the kitchen gadget section. I reached down for an item, I have forgotten what it was, it cost a dollar as I recall.

My soon to be bride took it from me, put it back, and said "I can get it cheaper at...".I informed her that it was my money and I planned on spending my money the way I wanted to...mistake, big mistake...tears ensued, I didn't buy the gadget and don't purchase anything impulsively since that huge error on my part.

I learned my first lesson in frugal living.

Plan your purchases first.

One of the easiest ways to save money is plan first, buy second

When you identify any need for any purchase, do your homework first. Do not give into the impulse of instant gratification. Buying something and knowing you have knowledge that you paid the least amount of money is a big part of living cheaply.

First you write it down, then check for coupons or sales in the paper, go online...like you are now...check Ebay for the exact item you need...you will find the best price fairly soon.

It becomes a game to plan and research first, the actual purchase is done later.

Keep a list and then plan where you are going to go to purchase each item.

Do all of your shopping on one day

Among the easiest ways to save money is to do all your shopping in one trip. It would make a West Point graduate wonder if he or she knew anything about logistics. I am referring to my wife's shopping trips, always multiple stops, in a very orderly fashion. No backtracking, using as little gas as possible.

One of the most wasteful habits you can have is shopping every day. It is very inefficient in terms of car expenses and indicates no planning. Just stop and think before your next urge to start the car, can't this wait until Thursday or whatever day you plan your shopping.

Buying in bulk is one of the easiest ways to save money

These are items which you are going to need on an ongoing basis. Things like toilet paper, shaving cream, deodorant, paper plates...When you find a staple on sale buy as much as you can store. It won't go bad and when you use such an item you can be assured that you saved money when you bought it. Buying in bulk is a result of proper planning and is a big part of our frugal living lifestyle.

Here is the key...Never have to buy anything because you are out...Buy in bulk and when it is on sale

Consume items from your inventory, you will have the satisfaction that you paid half or less that you would have paid because you ran out of something and had to get a replacement right then...plan, then plan some more, its one of the very easiest ways to save money.

Frequent shopping cards

If you don't have a slew of these, you are overlooking another of the easiest ways to save money. They are free and available at the customer service desk. If you don't carry the card, tell the cashier, some stores will let you enter your phone number and get the savings. Some won't. You will most likely find the biggest discounts on sale items.

It is a source of amazement that everyone does not have these cards, but I see it almost every time at the checkout stand. Don't leave your hard earned dollars on the table.

Using coupons is at the top of the easiest ways to save money

I knew my bride was a big coupon clipper and saver, but since she does 95% of the shopping, I was not quite sure how much you could save until last Sunday.After church we stopped at Safeway to get some eggs for brunch.The fellow in front of us was also getting eggs. He was buying 24 we were buying 18.We both had Safeway cards. He was charged $4.24 for 24 eggs $0.18 apiece. We paid $0.99 for 18 or $0.05 apiece.

You guessed it...we had a coupon he didn't. This is an everyday way of life at our house and hopefully at yours.

This is one of the most obvious ways to save and should be a part of your life. There are literally hundreds of dollars to be saved in every Sunday and Wednesday paper.

Recycle greeting cards

There are 42 Valentines day cards on the table, we have equal stacks of birthday cards. Think of the hundreds of dollars we have saved by recycling...truly one of the easiest ways to save money

Cards is a huge business...have you ever been to a mall and not seen a Hallmark shop? They are everywhere it seems.

Frugal living is a mindset and one thing we have done...thanks to my wife's brilliance...is to save the cards we have given each other from Valentines Day and our birthdays.

On the holiday or occasion, we put the cards all over the house, in the refrig, cabinets, books we are reading, by the computer, by the coffee mugs. It's a great way to think back to when we bought the cards. We also get more than one card. And we save about $20 per year by not buying new cards. You can start this frugal habit right now.

Goodwill and garage sales

Goodwill has regular half off days so you can save even more by shopping on those days only...planning again.

Conclusion...Our Story

As you can tell from the top, it is my wife that has come up with these ideas. I hope you have picked up a tip you can use.

When we were first married, 1975, she asked to take care of the checkbook. I said sure...she said she would open up a savings account...I said sure, never having saved a dime in my life...11 months later I asked how much money we had in the savings account, expecting there not to be much. She floored me when she informed me we had $3,200...more money than I had ever had at once in my entire life.

Later that year we purchased our first home, the down payment courtesy of my bride's frugal habits. There is no doubt she is the reason We were able to retire early and the reason we will stay retired.

The easiest way to save money...have a frugal spouse...and listen to her.Thanks Angel.

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