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All right, dear readers, I’m outing myself here. I’m going to let you in on a little secret. Pinky swear not to tell anyone, ok? Ready?
I believe in cutting corners.
Yep, you heard me right. I believe wholeheartedly in finding shortcuts.
In fact, I spend a good part of my life trying to figure out how other people accomplish so much. I simply do not seem to possess the super heroine-esque abilities other moms have who cook gourmet meals (all under $5), while teaching their children the ins and outs of the quadratic equation and keeping running spreadsheets of every coupon, sale, and catalina deal known to mankind. These women are like Martha Stewart, Ma Ingalls, and the Secretary of the Treasury all rolled into one. (And no, I don’t know who that is–thankyouverymuch.)
If you are that woman, I bless you. I envy you. But I am not you.
Thus my deeply held belief in corner cutting.
Let’s face it. If you are going to take part in the game of saving money, it does take time. Clipping coupons, planning your shopping trips in advance, watching for sales can all add up when it comes to your time.
So, I thought I’d share some of my most favorite time-saving strategies in the money-saving department. If you feel overwhelmed with balancing the time you spend on saving money, possibly some of these tips will help lighten the load:
Sign up for e-Mealz. I’ve said it so many times before, but I will say it again. I love e-Mealz! (If you are unfamiliar with e-Mealz, you can read more here.) In fact, just today, I needed to go grocery shopping. So I printed out this week’s menu and shopping list and voila! I was ready to go. NO preparation required. The time and stress that this saves me is HUGE!
Shop at ALDI. For those of you who live near an ALDI and have never tried it, I highly recommend it. ALDI does not accept coupons and simply sells their own very inexpensive brands. Today it took me about 30 minutes to finish my grocery shopping…even with two very squirmy little boys in tow. There is no need to check prices or search through your coupon organizer, which saves so much time. Of course, there are times when it is less expensive to buy certain groceries elsewhere with coupons. But much of the time, ALDI has other stores beat by a mile.
Use the No-Clip Coupon method. I know some of you already have a system that works great for you. But if you don’t, I recommend this system that simply involves filing coupon inserts each week and only clipping coupons when necessary. I’ve shared it in detail here.(complete with pictures!)
Let others do the work. The fact that you are reading this blog probably means that you already believe in learning from others. The day I discovered money saving blogs was life changing for me. (Thanks, Beckie!) I had no idea that other people were willing to do the work of finding deals and matching coupons to sales and alerting me to coupons. Hey–if they want to do the work for you, let them!
Find ways to save money by doing what you already do. Swag Bucks is probably my favorite example of this. Who doesn’t search the web? Why not earn free stuff for doing it? Cashbaq and Ebates earn you money back for shopping online. Upromise earns you money for stuff that you probably already buy. You can even earn money simply for looking at ads with YouData. Taking a few minutes to sign up for these things now can save you money and time in the long run.
Most importantly, don’t feel like you have to do it all! I used to feel like I needed to hit every deal, but then I realized that this simply isn’t feasible. The world will not fall off its axis if you miss a free after ECB deal at CVS this week. There will be plenty more to come. I promise.
So, there you have it. My secret’s out. I am a bonafide money saving short cutter.
How about you? What are your secrets for saving time while saving money? Please share.
Or am the only Martha-Ma-Timothy-Geitner wanna-be there is? (What? I swagbucked it!)
Kaley,
Great piece and I am totally with you on this. I used to feel anxious if I didn’t hit all the ECB and RR deals of the week – but, life goes on. I, too, and an Aldi shopper and cannot and will not go anywhere else. I shopped yesterday and was in and out in 30 minutes (and that’s shopping for 6). Anyway, great job from a confirmed shortcutter.
Lisa
Agree, agree, agree! I have let deals go the last 4 weeks because I can’t do it all and my plate is so full. It you do it 75% of the time you have a nice stockpile and don’t need to freak out if you don’t make it to Walgreens or CVS that week. Although when other people tell you about their moneymakers it still does bum me out for a moment. But then I get over it. 🙂
Awww…thanks, Faye! I love your ideas too…you are SO not alone!
Geez! I didn’t think I could love you any more, but I do! Amen! I thank God for the men and women who man the deal websites and for the work for me. There is no way I could ever do it myself. I cut corners wherever and whenever I possibly can. The crockpot is my best friend. I take 5 minutes each night to wipe down the bathroom with disinfectant, so it’s not so bad when I do get around to cleaning it. (I’m no Martha-Ma-Tim, for sure)! I group all my trips so I save time, gas, and money. I do most of my banking, bill paying, etc. online-no stamps and no lines. Thank you for making me feel “okay” with the way I am and for letting me know I’m not alone.