Ways to Save Money on Everyday Purchases

Saving money is at the top of everyone’s mind—and if you’ve been online as long as I have, you probably know the basics of how to save money on just about everything. Still, even I have to remind myself that I could be doing more – and saving more!

Here are 8 ways to save money on everyday purchases:

1. Find Coupon Codes - Even though I hate paying for shipping, I know I can still save a bundle by shopping online. The shipping usually evens out by not having to pay for gas (and time!) driving from place to place. My other big money saving tip is looking for coupon codes. I always check out sites like eBates for money-saving codes that can be used at checkout. Just doing this extra little bit of research can save you a ton of money!

2. Buy from eBay - It seems you can find almost everything on eBay, and I often find the best deals here. I bought my sister a Maclaren stroller on eBay, and even with $20 shipping, it was $25 cheaper than in store! Plus, I can pay with Paypal—which saved me from using money in my checking account.

3. Clip & Print Coupons – I have to remind myself to buy the Sunday paper for the coupons, but when I do, I find I do use them. I’ve been buying more organic and natural products and I’ve been pleased that these coupons are popping up more frequently. I search for specific coupons to print online for brands I always use. There are some great coupon blogs out there—one of my favorites is Hip2Save.com

4. Take advantage of Credit Card Rewards - Assuming you can have a good credit history and can manage credit properly, rewards on credit cards can save you money with cash back on the purchases you make.

5. Shop the Weekly Grocery Sales - Here is Florida we have Publix, and every Thursday a new sale ad comes out. I always look it up online on Thursday morning to see what it on sale. In the case of Publix, they have “buy 1 get 1 free” items every week. I look at the sale items and match them with the coupons I have. The greatest thing about B1G1 free items is you can actually use 2 coupons, even though you are technically only buying one, making these products ridiculously cheap. I shop these sales every week and only buy the sale items in that store.

6. Invest in a Food Saver - I absolutely love my Food Saver and get tons of use out of it. I buy meats when they are on sale and seal them up to freeze and eat at a later time. The Food Saver is also helpful for sealing frozen food items that we open, but don't finish right away. Sealing food saves money and produces less waste.

7. Buy a Wholesale Club Membership - We have Costco and Sam's Club here and I have a membership to both. One membership I use for gas (saves $.20/gallon vs. nearest gas station) and the other I buy bulk items like beef, chicken, toilet paper and laundry detergent. You just have to really know your prices before you buy anything because not everything is cheaper in bulk—but sometimes it saves you from making multiple trips for things you constantly buy, like paper products.

8. Resell - I used to have an obsession with only dressing my daughter in name brand clothes, which isn’t cheap. To save money, I bought the clothes on sale and resold them on eBay once they were outgrown. Believe it or not, I usually got back close to what I spent. A lot had to do with the condition of the items because I was diligent on hand washing and hang drying. I used the money I made to buy new clothes!

9. Meal Plan – If only I could follow my own advice. Meal planning is the one thing I struggle with. I know plenty of moms who meal plan efficiently and they save a ton on grocery when they match their coupons and shop around the sales while planning weekly menus.