Three Thrifty Tips Tuesday!

It seems there is a new "F" bomb being dropped all around me lately. With the state of our economy, I'm hearing it left and right, up and down, all around me. No, I'm not talking about that four letter word that we all try so hard to keep our toddlers and teens alike from hearing or saying. Nope, I'm talking about people using and saying a word that, in practice, may seem to some like an even worse word than the one our mothers told us to never use. Oh yeah, I'm talking about being "Frugal."

As a long time cheapskate, I think it's a bit ironic that it takes an economy of this magnitute of stagnation that we are currently in to spark a fire under some people to start watching their pennies. It just seems like common sense to me to be conscious and conservative when it comes to doling out the one thing that plays such a major role in determining the quality of life (or at least, the things we can afford) for each of us.

On that note, in addition to my "Thankful for Three Things Thursday" posts, starting today I will do "Three Thrifty Tips Tuesday" posts every Tuesday. All tips will be things I have been practicing for years and find quite effective for keeping our hard-earned dollars where they belong. For those who are newbies to penny-pinching, that would be an interest bearing account of some variety.

I would love to hear your tips too, as I'm sure others would as well. If you are a penny-pincher, cheapskate, tightwad, whatever you want to call yourself - new to it or an old vet - please feel free to post a comment on what works for you.

1. When shopping for clothing, become a disciplined shopper by limiting yourself to the clearance racks only. If you have a coupon, use it on clearance items for an even better bargain. For example, several times per year I receive "$10 Off $10 or more" coupons from JCPenney. I scour the clearance racks looking for the very best deals and can usually get two or three items for just pennies apiece after the coupon has been subtracted from the total. While some stores will not allow coupon use for clearance items, many still do. Not even a resale store can beat prices like that - and items from those places are almost always used and show some signs of wear.

2. Keep restaurant coupons in your vehicle! Obviously, eating at home is best and the most economical but sometimes eating on the run is unavoidable...unless you just like listening to your varied belly growls or a carload of screaming, hungry kids. Here is what we did to keep all those coupons well organized and not cluttering the car: Buy an accordian folder and mark each section with a type of food. Your labels might be "Pizza," "Chinese," "Burgers and Dogs," or whatever works for your family.

3. Bundle your errands. This is a no-brainer for those who have to travel long distances to get to the "big city." However, we should all be practicing this, especially those who - like my family - live in an area where public transportation is a joke. Although we live in a suburban area with every imaginable convenience only minutes away, our town is not a walk-to-do-your-errands kind of city. With the exception of taking Reiss to preschool, we try not to leave the house unless we have at least three stops we need to make.