We can all use ways to stretch our paycheck each month, but it’s not always easy to know which expenses to focus on minimizing first. The fact is, some costs are easier to trim down than others. The dozen strategies below will help you always score the lowest price, making it easier for your budget to go farther.
Always look for the deal.
Local drugstores often feature special deals on everything from personal care to grocery items. While the selection is generally smaller than at the grocery store, drugstores can offer even better discounts. Looking for these deals, and applying them to your purchase can generate big savings.
Register for rewards programs.
Many stores feature rewards programs, including drugstores. Walgreens has Balance Rewards, CVS has ExtraCare and RiteAid has Wellness+. If you register for these programs you’ll likely receive frequent emails, but there will be gems among them, and you might even save 20 percent off an order. A smartphone app like Key Ring makes it easy to track account numbers for multiple programs.
Use manufacturers’ coupons.
In addition to browsing through Sunday circulars, you can rely on websites like coupons.com to search and print coupons at no cost to you. Since most manufacturers’ coupons usually have an expiration date that is at least one month into the future, hold on to the coupons until you find a great deal.
Look out for store coupon books.
Many stores offer coupon books, usually at the front of the store near the pile of circulars. They often contain many high-value store coupons that can be combined with sales and manufacturers’ coupons for additional savings.
Shop online.
When it comes to essential drugstore items, you can often find the lowest prices online, especially when coupons are applied. Some coupons offer deeper discounts to online shoppers, and you can find everything from vitamins, cleaning supplies, personal care items and pain relievers for reduced prices.
Use blogs.
Many blogs and websites collect coupons and deals for readers, which makes your job even easier. Retailmenot.com, bargainbriana.com and MoneySavingMom.com are three examples; they research and sort deals for you, and you can often match the deals with sales in circulars.
Don’t pay full price.
Many retailers, including J.Crew, Kohl’s and the Gap, make it easy to find deals online. In fact, you should never pay full price for your purchases, at least before checking for discount codes. Signing up for the stores’ email lists will also help make sure you don’t miss out on discounts.
Get an Amazon Prime membership.
It might sound counterintuitive, but purchasing a $99 Amazon Prime membership can actually end up saving you money. That’s because it comes with two-day shipping on most orders, movie and TV streaming and one free book rental per month. You can try out a 30-day free trial membership to see if it would end up saving you money.
Write a review.
Some companies are willing to pay customers, in the form of discounts, for leaving reviews on their products listed online. HonestFew and SnagShout are a couple companies that make this process easy. Once you receive items at a low price (or sometimes even free), then you simply log in to leave your review, whether it’s good or bad. To comply with Amazon review guidelines just be sure to include the following sentence: “This product was provided at a discounted price in exchange for my honest review.”
Buy a reusable water bottle.
Going through a handful of water bottles a day is expensive, unnecessary and bad for the environment. Instead, pick up a reusable water bottle for yourself. You can even get one that comes with a built-in carbon filter to filter out tap water impurities. Your body, and the Earth, will thank you.
Use apps.
Many stores have made it even easier to save these days by introducing their own apps, such as the Target Cartwheel app and the Sears Shop Your Way App. Both of these apps offer special discounts to shoppers that cannot be found anywhere else, and saving is as easy as opening the app and seeing what deals are available. You can even do this while standing in the checkout line. Other apps, like Shopkick, work at many stores. You can earn points by checking in at stores and making purchases, and then using those points to earn gift cards.
Plan ahead.
Planning out meals in advance is one way to keep grocery store costs down because you can minimize waste or unnecessary purchases. You not only cut out impulse purchases at the grocery store but also eliminate the need to order delivery on those nights you realize you don’t have anything to make. Pinterest can also help with new recipe inspiration if you’re feeling stuck.
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Smart Shopping Tricks to Make Your Budget Last All Month originally appeared on usnews.com
