2009 October

Back to the Basics – 12 Tips for Consignment Sale Shopping

Here are some budget saving tips when buying clothes. My method may not work for everyone, but for my family it works great! As you all know, I love hunting for bargains! It is one of my favorite things to do. I never pay full price for anything if I can help it.

For my baby and 2 year old, I try to limit the price that I will pay for clothing to $.50

For my 11 year old, I try to limit the price to $2

How do I do this? Consignment sale. . . I love them! Here are some tips!

1. If your consignment sale has a work exchange program where you can shop first, take advantage of it! You will be able to get in first and get the best deals! Some people mark their clothes to make money, while others mark their clothes to move. I am able to get barely worn clothes that are not stained for $.50 at these sales. Some people will even sale clothes with tags on them for $.50!

2. If you are a worker, try to sign up for the shift right before people shop. This will let you check out the deals before hand and you will know where you want to head first.

3. Bring a big bag, wagon or something to put your items in. You want to be able to look for deals quickly and will need both of your hands.

4. Have someone else watch the kids.

5. If you can’t get in early, show up before it starts so that you are still first in line to get those deals. I have stood outside in the freezing cold at 6am on Saturday mornings waiting for the deals. I LOVE finding bargains!

6. Make sure that you double check the sizes. You don’t want to get home and realize that you bought the wrong size.

7. Always check to make sure the clothing has no stains, no tears, buttons and snaps correctly.

8. Go with a firend to help you carry items and get items.

9. 2T clothes go first typically, so if you have a child in 2T, head there first.

10. Don’t leave your items, someone might take them. I learned this lesson the hard way. ):

11. Know what you NEED before you go. I always bring a list. I don’t want to get too caught up in cute outfits and forget that I really needed to buy a couple of pairs of jean shorts.

12. Don’t just buy an item because it is cheap. Make sure it is something that your child will wear.

Hope that you are able to snag some great budget saving deals at consignment sales!

Back to the Basics – How to Eat Healthy with Coupons Part 1

Basics for Beginners: Typical Argument AGAINST couponing: “I like to feed my family healthy meals, and you just can’t get coupons for those things.”

While it is true that you can get coupons for quite a few junk food items, there are also plenty of healthy things that you can get with coupons. There are always coupons for frozen vegetables, canned vegetables, brown rice, and of course always health and beauty products. During Harris Teeter’s triple coupons I was able to stock up on whole wheat pasta, brown rice, canned green chilis. At a mix and match sale, I was able to stock up on dried beans, whole wheat pasta and organic canned veggies. I’m also able to stock up on cheese, yogurts (I’ve found that you can freeze some yogurts, and then thaw them out and they taste the same OR use them in smoothies, YUMMY), organic milk and eggs just to name a few.

We try and eat as organically as possible in my family. My parents have an organic farm. So, yes, you cannot regularly get fresh produce with a coupon, but you can get other things with your coupons, and if you are developing a frugal lifestyle and want to stay healthy at the same time, I would suggest planting a garden. We have and are looking forward to fresh salads and produce soon. For tips on how to grow gardens in small spaces see http://www.squarefootgardening.com/.