Mr. Budget Savvy Diva: Top 5 things I’ve Learned about Saving Money As A Guy
The Hubby!
The Hubby is bring you this money saving article 🙂
CAUTION: Man Shopping
Before I met BSD I was crazy into saving money, but didn’t really know how to be smart about it. I shopped at Vons because I could walk to it and alway’s looked for the red tag items. I bout the cheapest bread I could find. A loaf was 89 cents and it was the kind the would tear if you tried to spread anything on it without toasting it first. I ate spaghetti and marinara every night and PB and J for lunch.
One habit I liked was to buy breakfast for a week fix it all up at once and keep it in the fridge for a quick easy fulfilling meal. It was by far my best meal of the day– convenient, better for me than fast food and certainly less expensive. I also frequented the 99 cent store, usually for cleaning items and toiletries. I rarely used coupons and thought a good deal was five chili dogs for five dollars at Weinerschnitzel.
Now, I have learned so much about frugality. I understand that a 99 cents for an item is not always a bargain and you can get great grocery items for clearance prices. Here is a list of the top 5 things I’ve learned about saving money as a guy.
Clearance section at the grocery store:
They have these? Holy crap! I can’t believe how often great items get put on the clearance rack in the back of the store (or wherever) Seeking out the location of the clearance section of your stores is a must. Go there first whenever you are there. I usually find something I want and sometimes it’s almost too good to be true, like a twelve pack of Red Stripe Beer for five bucks. No joke!
there’s always another deal:
I used to get scared or pressured into purchasing to much of something because of a deal. It’s like I thought this was the only time I could ever get two for one on lunch meat. Deals are much more reliable than I ever gave them credit for. When one expired another one is just around the corner. Understanding this helped me not to spend too much at once, for fear of spending too much later.
brand loyalty is a deal breaker:
Playing the field is important when living a thrifty lifestyle. If you get attached to a brand, you run the risk of missing out on great deals from there competitors. Checking ingredients on the label is a better indicator of the product than the brand. Unless the logo matches the one on your coupon. Usually, store brands are essentially the same as a big name brand and cheaper… but not always.
You better shop around:
Convenience kills deals. You pay a premium for one stop shopping, the more you want to buy. Try shopping in an area where several of your stores are close by and get a sense of which ones are better for which types of products and coupons.
Promo codes:
If you need to order something online you should almost never have to pay shipping and you should always search for a promo code to enter at check out. I never have to buy something online that I can’t get a deal on with a quick search.
