Finance and Thrift: Saving Money in a Strained Economy

If you're anything like me, you are probably living paycheck to paycheck and even the jump is gas prices is enough to make you more conscious of your spending. And every pay raise you get makes you think, "How am I ever going to get ahead?" Here are a few ways to stretch your dollar.

REDUCE YOUR TIME BEHIND THE WHEEL

Instead of driving to separate stores for things on your shopping list, drive to a shopping center and walk to the surrounding stores. Even better, make someone else do the driving for free by taking advantage of online free shipping promotions. Why drive around town wasting gas when you can get free shipping? If you have to drive, always keep your car in good shape. Get regular oil changes and tuneups, keep your tires properly inflated, and keep junk out of your trunk. You would be amazed at the difference it makes in your gas mileage!

BE A PROMOTION CODE FIEND

If you haven't used promotion codes before, you need to start now! For those of you who have no idea what a promotion code is, it is a discount code you can find online that you use for online purchases. Just type in a Google search "promotion code for (name of the store)" and look through the results for a coupon code or check out Coupon Cabin. You just copy the code and paste it in the proper box when you are checking out of the online store. You can get codes for free shipping, discounts, free products, and all kinds of unbelievable deals! Sometimes you will even come across printable coupons. I have saved so much money already and only wish I knew about promotion codes sooner.

HIT UP THE CLEARANCE SALES

I bought myself some new shoes this weekend since Payless just happened to be having their buy one get one half off sale. I have a very hard time spending money on myself, but I bought 4 pairs and had anxiety attacks at the cash register as usual but convinced myself that a) I bought them at PAYLESS for heaven's sake b) I got a dang good deal and c) I will probably wear the soles out of these shoes and get more than my money's worth out of them. Overall, I think it was a pretty good purchase. Then when I was shopping my brother's birthday present I came across some nice black board shorts for my husband at Anchor Blue that were originally $34.95 and were marked down to $9.99! That's cheaper than you can get them at Walmart! Make it your policy to never pay full price for anything. If it's not on sale, don't buy it! One time I paid full price for 2 shirts at Kohl's and when I came back a couple weeks later, both shirts were on sale for 60 percent off!

SHOP AT THE THRIFT STORE

I work in a law firm, and office attire is not cheap! I was reluctant to shop at secondhand stores, but knew a few people who did so I decided to give it a try. I was expecting to leave empty handed and walked out of there with BAGS of clothes for under $100. You can even find name brand clothes and clothes with the tags still on! By the way of caution, always inspect the clothes before you buy them for stains, holes, broken zippers, and missing buttons, but don't let a missing button stop you if you're handy with a needle and thread. It's still worth the purchase! Yard sales and classified ads are another great way to save money. Just yesterday I bought a solid wood crib and dresser that I found on the local Craigslist for $200; the cost to buy it new would easily be in the neighborhood of $650. That's a savings of 70 percent!

IN SUMMARY

There are tons of ways to save money when you put your mind to it. It might be difficult at first, but soon it will become lifestyle of thrifty living.