Saving Money?

In today's tough economy a lot of families are thinking about scaling back, pinching those pennies, and cinching the family belt just a little tighter. We are very fortunate because at this time, neither of us are in danger of losing our jobs. Mine has recently been scaled back, but I know that the job itself will remain despite a decrease in hours. But we are luckier than many who face every day wondering if today is the day they will be laid off, or let go permanently.

Brian and I have come a long way in money management since we started. I have no problem in admitting that credit cards were our good friends while we were in college, and that we're still paying off portions of our wedding thanks to that thoughtless mindset. But in the grand scheme, we have very little debt. Our cars are paid for-though older than the vehicles our friends drive, they run. And when they don't? Brian can fix them. So we save in that respect. I do get a pang of jealousy when someone gets a new vehicle. In fact, I have commented to my friends that I'll drive the ol' Intrepid until the wheels fall off, and then Brian will put them back on.

When it comes to grocery shopping, I routinely save us at least $100 or more in sales, stock up sales, and coupons. I've been asked how I do it, but it's so second nature that I've never really thought about it. My mom shops this way-coupons and stock up sales so it's all I've ever known. So I thought I'd compose a little list and if you have anything to add-please share!!

1. When I make my grocery list, I only use the ads. What is on sale is what will get purchased this shopping trip-and then I coupon match. There are exceptions to this-eggs, my coffee creamer, wipes, but for the most part it's only what is on sale. And I never pay full price for milk. Ever. There are too many places to get it cheaper to pay the $3 or whatever it is regular price.
2. I buy things in bulk-for example you can get a set of Tresemme shampoo and conditioner in 32 ounce bottles from Sam's for a mere $9. Deodorant is the same. I LOVE Dove. In fact, it's about the only thing I've used since they launched it. I can get a five pack from Sam's for cheaper than two sticks cost me at my regular store.
3. I also purchase laundry detergent from Menard's. It's almost always on sale and I often have rebate checks to use there anyway.
4. I shop ONCE every two weeks. Nothing in between. NOTHING. No quick runs for milk, an extra ingredient, nothing. Because I found every time I go into the store I drop at least $30 when I only intended to get one thing. That means I get extra creative the last couple of days before shopping and end up using up lots of odds and ends.
5. I cut EVERY coupon I come across. I put the ones I intend to use in a small basket, and the ones I don't in a larger basket. I share the larger basket with my mom, and my MOMS Club friends. It's a way to spread the coupon cheer-and while I don't buy Huggies diapers, I do buy Poptarts, so it's a good trade off too. Plus, something I wouldn't normally buy will sometimes come on a super sale which means I can pull the coupon out and use it!
6. We price compare. I can get a huge bottle of apple juice (Hannah's fave) at WalMart for $2.27. A bottle half that size costs me $2.50 at Meijer. Name off a few items and I'll tell you where to get it cheaper-in fact, I have friends who do just that. I also shop at 2-3 stores a week. It doesn't take me a lot of time, and I'm sure to get the best price.
7. Stock up! When something we like a lot (those aforementioned Poptarts) come on sale, I stock up buying at least 3 or more. It sure beats paying full price later on! I do this a lot of our staples as well, you'll never catch me without a box of pasta and a jar of sauce or frozen veggies in the freezer. Hygiene items never go bad, so when KMart does double coupons, I load up on toothpaste, cleaning supplies, and more.
8. Find out where to sacrifice. This isn't grocery related, but we cut out our expanded cable in favor of basic two years ago for the summer. Our thought was that we are never inside in the summer anyway, so why pay for it? We've never gotten it back saving us a good $30 a month or $360 a year.
9. The library is a good friend. I get a lot of craft books from there that I would otherwise purchase. We also get movies there. Movies for Hannah, and ourselves. If we want a newer release or a specific title I request it and they have it waiting for me when I get there. We never really rented movies, but this saves us that cost and allows for some free entertainment.
10. Leftovers. We eat our big meal at lunch due to Brian's odd shift, but I always make enough for everyone to get at least 1 or 2 more meals from it. This means Brian has a hot meal at work for dinner, and I don't have to cook for just Hannah and I at night.

So there are my top 10 tips. But there are some things that we don't sacrifice. I mentioned my deodorant earlier. I would never go generic, or to a cheaper brand. So here are the things we'd never compromise on:

1. Cable internet. This is more mine than anyone else. I justify it because I need it for work, but we all know I wouldn't get rid of it anyway.
2. Deodorant. I mentioned it before. We both have our brands and that's all we use. I stock up when it's on sale or at Sam's, but in a pinch..I'll just buy it.
3. Cell phones. We don't have a land line, so we'll always have cell phones.

I can't think of anything else that we don't compromise on. I thought I had a whole slew of things, but the grand scheme-it comes down to three. So how about you? How do you save? And what are things you have no matter the cost?