Here are just a few links I've found in the last few days which are worth reading:
::Can buying store brands save you money? JD over at Get Rich Slowly says it can in his well-written post here. I'd argue that by combining coupons with sales, you can often buy name brand for less than the store brand price. However, there are certain things which rarely have coupons available so I then choose to buy the store brand (or the cheapest brand). And if you don't have the time to use coupons, then it definitely would be cheaper to consider switching to buying mostly generic brands.
::If you're working on building a good stockpile of food, make sure you read The Prudent Homemaker's post on possible gaps in your stockpile here. She has many helpful ideas and reminders that she's learned from personal experience.
::Speaking of having a stockpile of food, Tiffany shares here how their stockpile allowed them to be prepared and bless others during Hurricane Ike.
::One simple way to save money on clothing and be more organized is to create a clothing inventory. Check out Tiffany's post on the subject here. I have found a very helpful thing to do is to match up my children's clothing by outfits and we keep it simple by having 6-8 outfits per person per season. Not only is this less expensive because we purchase fewer clothes, but it also makes it much less work for me in keeping their clothes organized.
::Mummy Deals has some frugal suggestions for your excess hot dog buns here.
Have you found an insightful article or blog post recently which you think I'd be interested in sharing? Be sure to email me with the link and I'll gladly consider it!
Since I started couponing, I’ve been able to save about $60-$70 a week! It’s amazing how a little planning before you go to the store really pays off! My stockpile is growing and allowing us to save even more because we don’t really need that much, mainly just perishables! This system works!
I definately save more combining coupons with sales on name brands, BUT I am lucky to have a Kroger in my area the doubles dollars all the time. So, I guess it would depend on your situation. Thanks for these links to great tips!
Heather and Leslie,
I don’t know what Crystal does, but I do a lot of laundry 🙂 Yes, I will wash the same outfits 3 times a week if need be. I only wash full loads (I have an extra-large capacity front-loader and an extra-large dryer, so they are big loads) and I wash 3-4 loads a day.
I have 5 small children. For mealtimes, I use VERY large cloth bibs that I made that cover their entire outfit. They drink water throughout the day, so staining outfits isn’t a big problem should they spill a little (and it’s above 90º here for 6 months, so it dries quickly!) I wash bibs every other day along with cloth napkins and other clothes.
I haven’t had babies that spit up much, so that hasn’t been a problem for me, but I do keep bibs on my new babies for most of the day in case of a little spit up. I may go through several bibs a day (depending on the baby), but I don’t go through that many outfits for a new baby.
I start a load of laundry first thing in the morning, and before breakfast I can put in the second load.
I used to do all of my laundry in one day, but as my family has grown, I have found it neccessary to do laundry every day. I have several upright baskets in my closest and when I change into pajamas at night, I sort my clothes right then. The children sort their clothes into these baskets every day. When a basket is full, I wash that color.
Even if you only washed one load a day, it can help your clothes go for a few more days.
Leslie & Heather, we had a lot more outfits than 6-8 when my son was an infant. We lived in NYC and did laundry once a week at a laundromat (three floors down, around the corner and half way down the block). It helped to resist the temptation to change his clothes all the time just because of some spit up, but really we needed about a dozen outfits at least, probably more.
I think it’s easier if you use cloth diapers, because there are fewer diapers that leak onto clothing (but then you’re washing diapers), but the biggest thing is doing laundry more often. If you can manage a low-water washer and line dry, the cost per load is very reasonable. (Once you have two or three kids, the laundry piles up very quickly anyway. I often find I have to wash at least one load of colored clothes every day with my three.)
Something that helps is to focus on just a few necessities. My third is now 14 months, but when she was an infant, I pretty much dressed her in a onesie (if it was warm) or a sleeper (if it was cold). All those other outfits are cute, but if we weren’t going to church I kept it as simple as possible.
Crystal, I was wondering the same thing as a previous reader. How do you make it through a whole week on 6-8 outfits? Are you washing the same outfits a couple of times a week? I am challenged in this area by both children. They tend to spill, get muddy, etc. in the morning and seriously need a new outfit because I wouldn’t let them lay down for a nap or sit on the furniture as dirty as they are. Please let us know your secret:)
I have been inventoring my kid’s clothes since my son was born since i’m a hard core rummgae sale-er. I got sick of not knowing what he needed for size, so now I do it for both children.
The clothing inventory is a great idea for growing kids. DS#1 is several years older than DS#2, so it’s a while before those hand-me-downs get used again. I try to write down what’s in the box as I put it in, so I’ll know what gaps there are as I go to yard sales. I also put similar-sized shoes in the same box, so I don’t have to look all over the place to find the next size.
I started an inventory of my kids’ clothes this past year and am LOVING it! My 4-year old son needs 3 pairs of pants (he has 1 now) for winter and shoes (he has double-wide feet so hand me downs are impossible to find) and all but one need winter boots. Other than that it’s 2 winter coats, and we’re set until next spring! Many of the clothes and shoes are free (gifts from grandmas – one sews constantly and one works at a department store – or hand me downs) or purchased on $1 sale at the local second hand store. Total spent until spring: under $50 + the double wide shoes (which I’m hoping to get a deal on with a 50% off coupon!).
If I didn’t have the inventory, I’d have spent WAY more than that – buying shirts, snow pants, etc. But, no need! Whoo hoo!!!
🙂 Lea
Hi, Crystal, I have an infant as well as you do and I’m wondering how you dress him with only 6-8 outfits. My Silas can go through about that many outfits in a day! Between spitting up and messing through, I’m just curious to see how you do it!
Rarely are generic cheaper in NC because we have so many great couponing stores and thrift bakeries. Periodically though, they will do stockpile sales on canned goods. Love that! 🙂
Oh goodness…I wish I had the wilpower to only buy a outfits for my daugther but I dont. I just spent 75.00 on Fall wardrobe and another 75.00 on Winter. I use that as my one major splurge because I love dressing her
Our stores don’t double coupons here, so I often find that generic brands are better for our money. I have gone to the store with coupons before after reading great couponing posts, and found that the generic brand was still cheaper than the name-brand with a coupon (and on sale) . Also, Smith’s has Kroger brands on case-lot sale here, and those are a great buy as well.
I’m heading over to read the organizing of children’s clothes. I purchase WAY TOO MUCH for my daughter. Even though I get it from rummage sales or thrift stores, for example, she is in size 4t currently and somehow I have a dozen sweaters for her for this fall/winter! and nearly two dozen pairs of pants, shorts, three dozen tee’s, a dozen or more of pjs for each type of weather… I pay like 25 cents to a couple of bucks for each item but still, I could be saving money if I had an accurate inventory. Thanks for the idea!