Thanks Karen!

I have become such a deal addict that whenever I need to make a purchase, I go through my mental list and see what will work for this purchase. Once you start saving, it’s hard to stop. Here is a list that may help you.

• Refer a friend program – This usually works for services like pest control or cellphone service. We started using the yard pest control that our neighbors use and by doing so, we both received $25 restaurant gift cards.  Ask your family, co-workers and neighbors for recommendations and make sure to tell the company when you sign up.
• Online coupon search – If you’re headed to a specific store, do a quick search online and see if there is an IPQ (internet printable coupon) you can get. I found many of these during the holidays because everyone wants your business.  Before you head out to the office supply store, check online for a printable coupon, even if it’s from a competitor, print it and take it with you.
• Club rewards - This ties in with the internet printable coupons above. If you don’t have any luck with a search, check the store or restaurant website. If you sign up to receive e-mail notifications, you may get special coupons or rewards. Sometimes you may get a sneak peak of sales before the general public does.
• Competitor coupons – Check to see if stores you frequent take competitor coupons. You may be surprised how many do. Craft stores, hardware stores, office supply and some grocery stores.
• Coupon doubling - There are some grocery stores that will double a manufacturing coupon up to a certain amount.
• Discount shopping day - Some stores offer discounts for shopping on a specific day of the week. Bealls, here in Florida, often offers 15% off if you shop on a Wednesday.
• Kids eat free – If you have kids and love to eat out, you should have a list handy so you know which restaurants to go to on what night. These are typically offered during the week when the restaurants are slower. Kids Meal Deals is a great website to find participating restaurants in your area.
• Senior discount – This may not apply to everyone but you should be aware of days or times when stores offer them. You never know when you will want to go shopping with family and maybe they will benefit from your knowledge.
• Early bird specials - Shop or eat early and you just may save. Kohl’s occasionally offers discounts for shoppers during specific days or times. Some restaurants also offer discounts if you come before their rush hours.
• Secret shopping - You could possibly get paid to eat out or shop at your favorite store. Check back for information on secret shops I’ve done and how you can do them too.
• Shop Online – There are many sites that will give you cash back for shopping at stores through their links.  Upromise and Shopathome to name a couple.  Search for a coupon code for that store and some sites even let you use more than one.  You might be able to find a free shipping coupon code or if you reach the minimum purchase, you might get free shipping as well.
• Company discounts – Can you get a discount based off the company you work for? Recently when we signed up for our cellphone service, we where happily surprised that we would get 5% off our monthly bill because of where my husband works.
• Price shop - Many folks price shop stores in their area, but you should also price shop online. Many online “stores” can offer lower price because the have low overhead. The majority of the time you can also get free shipping. Who wouldn’t want to shop in your PJ’s and have it delivered right to your door? I took advantage of many of these offers during the holidays.
• Price matching - Many stores will price match the lower advertised price at a competitor store. hhgregg recently told us they would price match and take 10% off the difference. So if you are one of those people who don’t like online shopping, there is no reason you still can’t benefit from a lower internet advertised price.
• Price adjusting – WHAT! The TV you just bought yesterday is now $50 less today? There is nothing more frustrating than opening the Sunday paper and seeing your previous purchase at a lower price. This is one of the questions I now ask stores. Most of them will price adjust within 30 days of your purchase. Over the holidays, I price shopped a toy for my daughter. Target had it on sale for the lowest price I had seen AND I had a coupon. I bought it and 2 weeks later they lowered the price again. I went in for a price adjustment and they told me they do not do those. I was relatively new to deal-shopping then and knew I had made a newbie error by not knowing this ahead of time. Well, I went out to the car and retrieved the item and returned it. I just happened to still have one of those coupons I used on the previous purchase, so I went to the toy section and bought it again at the lower price. What? You wouldn’t do the same?
• Thrift store shopping - This is usually a hit or miss for me. But with an open mind and an imagination, you may get lucky. Check back for details on my latest find.
• Garage sales – This is also a hit or miss for me.  It’s so much fun when you find something, and there’s nothing like a little outdoor shopping.  Last summer, I found an under-the-cabinet TV for my kitchen.  It was brand new in the box, and I never would have splurged on an item like this at full price.
• Shop with a list – If you go with a list, you are less likely to impulse buy.

The number one tip I can give you is to have patience and do your research. Saving money isn’t always quick and easy but a definite joy in the end.  I’m learning more everyday and I have a strong desire to save my family money.

While I have to wonder if there is truly a perfect answer to this age old problem, we have found a frugal solution that works for our family. Year after year, retrieving our lights from storage has been a non-issue.

We simply wind up each string of lights, using the hand around elbow technique, and place them individually in a plastic bag from a recent shopping trip. Each string will have its own bag. Label the bag listing the color of the lights and location of where they were used.

Then, we store all the bags in a reusable plastic tote box, similiar to this one, found at Amazon.com. The following year, all we have to do is examine each string for burnt-out or damaged light bulbs. We have found very few tangles using this technique.

Have you found a tidy and successful way to store your lights? I’d love to hear your ideas.

This post has been linked to Works for Me Wednesday by We Are That Family.

Simply put, I knew it would be a losing battle to get 2 children and a husband to properly hang bath towels each and every night. Instead, I found hangers that did not require care and precision. The hanger below is actually a coat rack but works beautifully in our main bath.  The following picture was taken immediately after the children’s showers and is how they left the towels. I think it looks great, considering I never have to remind them anymore of how to leave the bathroom for the next person. As long as the towels are off the floor, I’m happy.

The second solution I have for messy bath towels is for the master bath with little wall space. This gadget has “arms” that attach to one fixed place on the wall. I found mine on clearance at a specialty bath shoppe.

Unique and space efficient towel storage works for our family. For more Works for Me Wednesday tips, visit We Are THAT Family.