Win one of 10 copies of All You mag!
Have you bought the latest issue of All You magazine, available at Walmart? If not, win one of 10 copies donated by All You that I’m giving away TODAY on BargainBabe.com.
The current special edition issue (cover at right) is devoted to smart shopping. It is 116 pages, sells for $4.97, and has one coupon for $1 off Southern Living mag. (Earlier, I mistakenly said that it included many coupons). Inside you’ll find and you’ve been stocking up on, like fennel-apple salad and creamy ginger-parsnip soup.
To win, comment with your best shopping secret to save money. Comment by 11:59 p.m. EST today, Sept. 30, 2011 to be eligible to win. Winners will be announced Monday.
If you don’t win, print this to get All You for $1 off. You can also subscribe to All You for $20 a year through Amazon.
I love to stack deals by using coupons on clearance items in nice department stores.
Its also great to scour thrift stores in nice neighborhoods. You can get great designer clothes for a fraction of the cost.
My best saving idea is stop getting the paper and reading the sale flyers. There is so much there that calls out to you that you really don’t need.
Make a set of menus for 30 meals and a prepared grocery list of all items I use. Then when I go to the store for my weekly shopping trip – STICK TO THE LIST.
Best shopping tip go to store with coupons in hand and look for those unadvertised deals!
My tip is to shop grocery stores that double or triple coupons if you have them near you.
Stockpile (with using coupons). I use credit cards for everything and then get cash back.
My best strategy is really just to compare prices everywhere. As a student, I especially love to google ISBNs when its time to buy textbooks. Search results show the best comparison websites with the cheapest prices. I always click on at least 3 comparison websites because one always has a different bookseller that the other one doesn’t.
Make a list and plan your route before leaving home. Saves gas, money and time.
One of my best grocery shopping tips is when whole chickens go on sale for cheap, grab a whole bunch and have the butcher cut them into 8ths for you. That way, you have cut up chicken and you don’t have to do it yourself!
I buy a lot of stuff, even food, at dollar stores. I’m not sure if I trust some of the dairy products there but $1 for a loaf of bread or a box of crackers sure beats grocery store prices.
Find out when the store does markdowns and go shopping on, or around that day.
I shop using a combination of coupons and gift cards. I usually don’t spend a dime of my own money.
Take advantage of late sale 2-for-1 books, still usually with two to three months worth of offers. I wait for double or triple coupon days @ my grocery stores, combining with valued customer cards. Resale stores and Internet sales help me with bigger ticket purchases. Don’t discount recycling for cash, especially of large appliances, cash for pounds.
My best shopping “secret” now that I am an “empty nester” is to use up my ‘stash’ that I have been accumulating using store coupon, manufactures coupon on a clearanor sale item. Use it up and give my grocery budget a rest and save up for the next ’round’ of super saving when my stash is almost used up.
The easiest way for me to save is simply don’t go to the store until I have a list of things that I really need.Stick to your shopping list while there and use coupons on things you were going to buy anyway.
I collect & use coupons-specially on Sale events, try to stockpile, compare prices, go around, and digging through, on trash days to see what is usable. Meaning; for my family, for sale or donate to charity. NO, not ashamed for doing this!
I spend more when I use a credit card. I am trying to use cash only when I buy something.
Dollar earring stores! We have them here, necklaces, bracelets, earrings for $1, You can fix any of your own jewelry, update it, or buy and swap pieces together. Great if you want one-of-a-kind look and on the cheap.
I bought a pendant at a bead shop; but used a necklace from $1 Earring store to put it together.
My best shopping secret to save money is to wait for things to go on sale (if I really need it, a get a coupon and buy it) but otherwise I don’t buy things that are not on sale.
I go to the store and I see what is on sale and I buy with manufacturer’s coupons, in-store coupons, and a if there’s any a mail-rebate. That’s how I get the most out of a deal and the cheaper way!!!!
When I buy books, I take of the dust jacket until I’m finished reading the book. Then I re-sell the book on Ebay as “good” condition. I always get great feedback because the books ends up being almost like new; and I can read best sellers for little or no money.
I rarely, if ever, shop without coupons or things being on sale. Watch the ads diligently. In doing so you can start to see price trends and know when it’s time to buy.
Use coupons, sale papers, and discount stores!
To save money, I buy discounted gift cards at plasticjungle.com and save before I even walk in the door!
Use social deal aggregator sites like YipIt, Dealery and Deal Surf. Set your filters up so they only show you the kinds of deals you want and in the geographic areas you want. Saves you time sorting through the hundreds of deal sites out there and makes everything relevant for YOU.
Find what you love in a store, and google to find it cheaper. I can almost always find cheaper prices for the same products online, then I google for promocodes to that website and almost always find a way to sweeten the already sweeter deal!
I always ask for coupons at Walgreens. My Walgreens keeps a stock of coupons in the HBA section. Also Walgreens coupons may have an expire date, but often they work till the end of the month they expired in.
I try to buy say from CVS on sale, while on sale get a extra bucks deal from CVS and then add a manufacturers coupon too. Very good savings!
I make a list before I go and make sure I have coupons with me. I often do research online before bigger purchases to see where I can get it the cheapest. Like someone else said, I also sign up for many mailing lists, e-clubs, etc. of shops and restaurants that I frequent so I get coupons sent to me often. I also use either my rewards credit card or debit card so I’m earning cash back while spending.
I am careful to “know” what is a good deal or only a so-so deal. So important, whether you are at a warehouse store, staring at a clearance shelf at a discount store, or cruising the grocery store ads for the week. I track the sales cycles on items, so I’m not tempted to stock up when I’m not getting a truly great deal.
My best shopping secret to save money is to stay home!! YIKES!!!
i pair coupons with sales to max savings as much as possible. also, i try to teach my husband that just because something is “on sale” doesn’t mean that it is the best deal possible.
I always review all of the flyers for the week to check out the best deals. I also match up my list w/ the coupons/ matching coupons & extra bucks to save time in store. I love deals, so I’m never tempted by “quantity” offers that are frequently advertised, they rarely if ever are the best value. Also, know what you want and need, I only buy extras if in fact they are a deal and I can contribute to the local food pantry..
I DON’T look at the fliers because then I’m tempted to buy things I don’t really need. And I stick to my list. Most money is wasted not in paying regular price, but by impulse purchases.
I look at all the blogs that found the deals. Stacking coupons when the item is on sale.
Wherever we go, we bring a bag of all kinds of coupons (groceries, restaurants, bookstores, entertainment, etc) and membership cards with us. So whenever my family wanats to go shopping, watch movies, buy books, eat outside we have it all. We make sure that we search for coupons first before any penny comes out of our wallet.
I stock up on the “on sale” staple products when I go to the store and usually the next week everything else I need is then on sale. Treats are only if I can get a two-fer. The only weekly items are produce, which I buy from a farmer’s market at a discount. My grocery bill is then cut in half.
My shopping secret are not really secrets, because I’d happily share with anyone! Plan simple meals, that don’t require fancy ingredients, and cook bigger than you need for one meal, so you can freeze it for later, use the main dish again in another recipe, or give some away to a friend who trades you her meal as well. I have a friend who is a wonderful cook, and we trade half of our dinner for half of hers, a couple nights a month, and it saves an evening of cooking, and we each get a different meal.
My shopping secret is never leave home without your coupons. I even have a holder for restuarant, and store coupons that I keep in my purse. Anytime I have a last minute errand, or a quick stop I always check my coupon holder. Last week, I saved $5 at Ace hardware, and for lunch B1g1 free lunch coupon… Always be prepared to save!!! Sometimes I even ive out coupons while Im shopping. Coupons are like children.. NEVER LEAVE HOME WITHOUT THEM!!!!
One of my best shopping secrets is to not “go shopping” just to look around. If I don’t know it exists I can’t want to buy it. Saves a lot of money.
I use coupons when the item is on sale, and I bring a calculator and figure out the price per oz in items and go with the cheapest.
If I’m shopping online, I always search for coupon codes ahead of time, and look for free shipping offers (like on freeshipping.org). I also use comparison shopping websites if I know exactly what item I’m looking for, to get the best price.
Never buy retail! It’s a sin! No kidding, if you knew how much markup goes on in grocery stores and department stores you would choke. I know that they still make money even when things go on sale. I buy on sale, and use coupons whenever possible. It’s a wonderful feeling!
I always go thru the “repackaged” items in Target…usually socks, boxers and girls underwear….the package has been opened and oftentimes 1 item will be missing (like a pair of socks), but the other items in the multipack have been untouched–sometimes, people open packages to check for size. The price of these “repackaged” new items is really marked down, making them quite a bargain!!
To save the very most money – window shop?
My best bargain shopping tip is even if it’s a bargain, if you don’t need it don’t buy it!!!
I use coupons all the time, stock up on the things we use that are on sale, and if I dont need it I dont buy it.
I shop for meat at my local grocery stores early in the morning because I find a lot of the meat has been marked down. I freeze it to use at a later time.
While I do most of the suggestions, my best strategy is to share with 2 other friends for bulk items. Recent example, I use maybe 20 packets of Equal a year. My 2 friends use waaay more. We buy 1 bulk box & split. Another benefit of this, we get together about once a month, catch up, share idea from recipes to cleaning. It is a fun and savings day.
Shop the sales racks and plan ahead. Shop for summer clothes in the fall and winter clothes in the spring when they are on clearance. Take note of items you need to replace so you don’t purchase something you already have hanging in your closet.
Use coupons on sales items to get great prices on nonperishables. Check out clearance items at the drug stores.
I bring my coupon binder EVERYWHERE. I love to shop the reduced bins that are in the far corners of the stores and pull out my coupon matchups for rock bottom prices.
One step further than comparing prices is to compare Unit Prices, when they’re shown. Sometimes the smaller box or can is cheaper!
I keep coupons and organize them in a binder. But I carry it with me and only use the coupns that make an item almost free. If a generic item is less than a namebrand with one, buy the cheapest. I also hold onto my coupons until close yo expiration because kroger usually has their big sales then.
I keep all of my Buy One Get one Free coupons separate, and look for the sales in the stores that are BOGO, and then get BOTH Items free!! The Store gives you one, and the manufacturer does as well.
I save the most by making a grocery list and not deviating from it.
Best shopping tip is to take all my coupons to the store and look for deals on unadvertised deals and then use them with doubles or items that are clearanced!
I usually only stock up on stuff when its on sale and I have a coupon both (double the savings). Instead of just using a coupon w/o a sale or buying something on sale w/o a coupon.
my best tip is to check online and compare store ads with the coupons you have, THEN make out your list. Sometimes you can save more than you think and get more items for the monthly menu plan!
Of course number one is shop around. I shop at the military commissary and find a lot of good deals but sales at places like Walmart, Walgreens, or CVS really give me great savings. Sometimes it’s hard to hang onto a coupon in hopes of finding a better deal but it can be worth it.
Barnes & Noble only accepts buy one get one free coupon if you are a B&N member.
It’s a toss up between stacking coupons with a sale OR really reducing my time “window shopping” on line which results in far fewer purchases!!