Tuesday Tips: Stress Free Holidays

I decided to make Tuesday Tips a series for the month of December. I know you don't have time to read long blogs. Well, I don't have time write long blogs, either. So, every Tuesday will be just a few tips to help make the holidays less stressful.
Today’s Tips are about Shopping:
1. Try to go on weekdays when there are less crowds. Parking will be easier to find. Salespeople will be friendlier. New inventory usually comes in during the week, not on the weekends.
2. Look for coupons or discounts. Especially if you have a list, you can search for coupons or online discounts for products you want to buy.
3. Stick to your budget. It may seem easy to pull out your credit card to pay for gifts, but this will only create a very stressful January and maybe even February. It’s just not worth it.
4. If shopping online, look for free shipping or shop on websites where you can buy several gifts for one shipping cost.
Have a safe and stress-free shopping experience.

Blog: Meme Monday Shop til You Drop

The Meme prompt for today is to go shopping for 5 wearable items with a virtual credit card. I had so much fun shopping with imaginary money! Here’s what I picked.

1. Diane von Furstenberg Cashmere Turtleneck $345.00
2. Jimmy Choo Bag $995
3. Jimmy Choo Flats $425
4. Betsey Johnson black dress $428
5. Manolo Blahnik black pumps $575


1.
2. 3.
4. 5.

Tuesday Tips: Grocery Shopping

I’m not an expert on saving money at all. I go through stages where I’m somewhat frugal with grocery shopping and then I go through stages where I just buy whatever without trying to save money. So, here are some ideas that I need to take with me when I go shopping.

-Don’t go grocery shopping when you’re hungry. Everything looks delicious on an empty stomach.
-Don’t buy more than you can eat before it goes bad. I have this problem when it comes to fruit. I’ll buy 6 plums and only eat 2 before the rest go bad. That’s a waste of money.
-Use coupons. Cut coupons out of the paper, print e-coupons, check product websites for printable coupons.
-Read your coupon. Don’t just look at the picture. Many times, a manufacturer’s higher priced item will be pictured on the coupon when the coupon can really be used for any product. I’ve noticed this a lot with diapers.
-Check the “per ounce” price. Our grocery store (HEB) shows the per ounce price. Bigger isn’t always better, so this helps me figure out if the bigger package is a better deal. Of course, don’t use this as a reason to buy more than you need!
-Watch out for “2 for” deals. Even if the price reads “2/$3” you don’t always have to buy 2 items. Many times, you’ll get the special price ($1.50) even just for 1 item.
-Don’t be a sucker for sales. Just because it’s on sale doesn’t mean you need to buy it. If it wasn’t something you planned on buying before you saw the sale sign, you don’t need it.
-Plan ahead. I’ve been telling myself I’m gonna meal plan for the longest time. I still haven’t started. This is why I don’t cook much. I buy random things that don’t make a complete meal or forget to thaw out chicken…I just don’t prepare. So this is one of my new goals!

I hope this helps you save a little bit the next time you go grocery shopping!

If you're viewing this on facebook, visit my blog "2 Girls & 2 Guys" by clicking on View Original Post.