I’m a bargain shopper. This habit developed when I was a poor college student, a working mother, and well, pretty much broke. I didn’t grow up learing this lesson. In fact, my parents didn’t teach me much about handling money, and I learned my lesson the hard way. But, now at the age of 30, I am debt-free, excepting the one school loan that, in terms of school loans, is relatively small.
I love to shop and save money while doing so. I comb sales racks, clearance shelves and I cut coupons. Smart Source in the Sunday paper is what I go for first! OK, second after the comics. A perfect example is my shopping trip to Kroger last night. I shop at Kroger for my groceries as they have good prices, a member discount card, and they triple coupons up to 39 cents, and double them up to 50 cents. So, after comparison shopping the items with/without discount card promo, coupon, or regular price, I proceeded to checkout, and gleefully reviewed my checkout ticket. Kroger prints a neat little summary of savings at the bottom of their tickets. As of last night, I saved $10.65 with coupons, $1.90 in bonus coupons (double/triple), and $14.78 in Kroger Plus savings (their member discount card). In total, I saved $27.33, which was 25% of my total bill. The highest percentage I think I’ve ever saved was 27%. My goal is to one day achieve a 30% savings. Stating this, I realize it’s sad, but it’s the little things in life that keep you going!
I also love to shop at Target. Target has a plethora of products. They sell clothes, toys, home products, toiletries, sporting goods, electronics, DVDs, video games and more. I buy all my non-grocery products here. These items are less expensive here than at the grocery, and Target sells the “bulk” sizes that the grocery stores don’t carry. You can also get a great deal on classic movies on DVD. Over the holidays some DVDs were $5! Granted they were 80’s/90’s movies that no one has watched for years, but $5!!! I also use coupons here. Did I mention I love coupons? Our Target also has a Starbucks which is nice. And, best of all…it’s not Wal-Mart! I don’t like Wal-Mart. To me Wal-Mart is dirty, poorly lighted, and everything there has a strange odor. The only time I go to Wal-Mart is when it’s an emergency and Target is closed. Or to buy paint.
World Market is another favorite place. I believe they are also known as Costco, or are owned by Costco. They have “imported” products, mostly of a decorative nature, as well as imported European cookies/snacks and an extensive selection of wines. I bought a pretty rice-paper window shade and drapes from there for my dining room. It’s not an everyday kind of store, but if you need a gift without spending a lot of money, this is one place to look and you’ll usually find something.
Tuesday Morning is also a good place to find a gift that’s a bit out of the ordinary. They get leftover and out-of-season stock from department stores. You can get some nice crystal serving pieces and decorative art pieces for up to 75% retail!
Happy Shopping!
