Tips + Tricks | The Easy Way to Save Money

It's no secret that I love a good deal - I love saving money! It's kinda like a fine tuned sport .. it doesn't happen overnight, it takes research and practice ..

Want to know something that hardly anyone knows about me? When we lived in Knoxville (the first time, right after we got married) I had just finished graduate school, was looking for a job and was looking to keep busy .. so I got into couponing .. like extreme couponing. No, I didn't have an entire basement full of toothpaste, but I did have a small closet devoted to my finds (like cereal for .20 a box, David LOVES cereal!) I loved the rush of finding deals and paying next to nothing .. much like thrifting today!



With my current schedule, I don't have as much time to clip inserts, but I still LOVE saving money.

Here's my tips to save money without devoting half of your week to organizing, researching and clipping inserts. You probably won't find cereal for .20 a box with these tips, but you will save money while not spending tons of time and energy!

1. When shopping online, prior to checking out, search coupon sites, like coupons.com, for codes to save money at checkout. Typically a quick search will save you at least $5.

2. Take advantage of holiday and seasonal promotions. I know it's early to think about back to school sales, but they are already in full swing! Check out Back to School sweepstakes at Coupons.com. 

Here's just an example, visit link above to access the sale. 

3. Download money saving apps - if you have a smart phone, look for apps where you shop most. I love the Joanns app - you can almost always save at least 40% one regular price item, plus than I don't have to remember to grab my printed coupons before leaving home! Also, most craft/fabric stores will take competitor coupons, so it never hurts to ask!

 

4. Know when stores mark down clearance. If you catch Target's clearance on the right day, you can get some amazing deals! These x-leg ottomans were originally $60, on clearance they were marked down to $42, then in about a week or two they were marked down to $18, SOLD. I bought two of each, I'll probably return one set, but I couldn't decide .. I got there Thursday morning, just as they were marking them down. This site says that Target marks down home decor clearance on Tuesday though ..  so it probably just varies from store to store.

5. Finally, load grocery coupons on your store card from the specific grocery store or coupons.com. This is SUPER easy, you just connect your store card and click to load coupons online, scan your card at check out and it automatically links the coupons!

With smart phones and the internet, saving money is super easy, you just have to know where to look! Did I miss any tips? What are your favorite ways to save money?

Don't forget to look at Coupons.com back to school sales prior to checking out online!   

This is a sponsored post for coupons.com, all tips + tricks are ones that I use on a weekly basis!