So who doesn’t love a good bargain? I would say that no matter what your economic
status or social status is a good bargain makes the soul feel good! Wouldn’t you agree? Many of you know that I LOVE a good
deal. I have tried my hand at couponing
(it’s a lot of work but if you’re committed it really works). I have signed up for freebies and lots of
great offers. I am ALWAYS on the hunt
for the easiest form of shopping (AKA—online shopping is the BEST). If free shipping is offered, I’m taking
it! I just love a good deal. Maybe it started because before my mom
remarried I saw her work two jobs just to make sure I was provided for and
taken care of. I saw her manage her money like no one else. She was a whiz at it! She taught me the art of frugality and I
carried that through with me pretty much my entire life (except for those rare
occasions when I splurge on some fab shoes or a purse---but those days are
limited now that I am a mommy). Some people feel a surge of happiness with a good shopping spree. Well I do too; but only when I know I've walked out saving some $$$. A feel euphoric when I feel like I got a good deal. And I LOVE when someone asks me..."where did you get that, it must have been so expensive?" and I get to reply, "OMG, I got the BEST deal on this, it was so cheap!!!"
All this
said, a lot of friends have asked me how and where I shop for such amazing
deals. So here you go, here are my
secrets. I know there are tons more yet
to be discovered so feel free to share your shopping secrets too!
Ok if there was a frequent shopper program or rebate program
Amazon might go bankrupt on me alone. I
am in LOVE with Amazon, not in like, in LOVE.
Be prepared for LOTS of caps and lots of exclamations. I’ve been known to say Amazon is my best
friend. Sorry Husband. J
So here’s the 411 on a few Amazon related topics.
- Amazon Prime-Annual Membership ($75) which earns you free shipping on thousands of products and discounted expedited shipping. This membership pays for itself within a few orders for me.
- Amazon Mom-This program was recommended to me by other mommies. It is a free program offered as an extension to regular Amazon. In short, you sign up, choose products you use on a regular basis (i.e. diapers, formula, wipes, etc.) and have them delivered to you on a regular basis (every other month, once a month, etc.). In return Amazon extends an additional discount (starting at 5%) which increases the more items you sign up for. The BEST part is there is no obligation and you can cancel or change items anytime you want before the cutoff. Speaking of the cutoff, busy mommies can’t remember everything so Amazon takes care of it for you. They will email you a reminder. If you want your order to be shipped as is, do nothing. If you want to alter or cancel it just click on the link in the email. Easy peezy! I use this for SG’s diapers, wipes, Diaper Genie refills, detergent, dog food, fabric softener and more.
- Amazon App-Super easy to use app. Once you set up an account you can shop and ship with one click---BEWARE, this gets very dangerous. When SG was just a tiny lil nugget I used to make it through middle of the night feedings and waking by shopping online. Great example for SG but I got a lot done during those late nights!
- Compare Prices-I will price compare just about everything to Amazon. They have an amazing app that will let you search by name or even barcode (you scan the barcode with your smart phone) to price shop. For example, you are in Target and are about to buy a Baby Bjorn---check Amazon first by scanning in the barcode and they automatically search their system and compare your price at Target. GENIUS!!! This has saved me MANY times.
We have an Executive Member to Costco which we pay $100 a
year for. I know, I know, sounds like a
lot but we earn money back for every purchase made. We literally always get at least $100 back at
the end of the year from Costco so the membership ends up paying for
itself. Be forewarned, if you have never
joined a club before you WILL go crazy at first. Just ask my husband who on his first trip
spent $400…and he was living alone back then.
You will try the delish snacks that are being sampled and think, “ooooh
I totally need 1,000 mini hotdogs rolled in pretzel,” or “who doesn’t need
2,000 trash bags?” The trick is to be
smart here. I wouldn’t recommend produce
unless you are throwing a big party and know you will be eating that entire bag
of 20 avocados before they get too ripe.
I WOULD recommend paper products or staples (detergent, soaps,
toothpaste, etc.). I would also
recommend buying baby formula here.
Costco has the larger size of SG’s formula (34 oz. Similac powder which
makes 61/4 oz. bottles or right around 30/8 oz. bottles) and the price per unit
is some of the cheapest I have found.
The 34 oz or 2.12 lb tub will run approximately $32. You can also buy a pack of three for $94.99
(which breaks down to $31.67 per tub).
Ooh I love me some Walmart.
I found out that Walmart also has the lowest cost of SG’s formula
(compared to Target, HEB, Kroger, Babies R Us).
Here you can purchase a regular size (22.72 oz or 1.42 lb.) tub of
formula for $23.98 (more expensive per unit than Costco but still a good
price). The other great thing about
buying formula at Walmart is they accept consumer coupons. I signed up for Similac coupons via their
website and just about every month I receive three $5 off coupons. Once I combine these with the low price at
Walmart then becomes the cheapest in town.
Oh and you can redeem up to three coupons at one time at Walmart (Target
only allows two). I also found that
Walmart’s Gerber baby food is cheaper. I
buy Gerber organic baby food to supplement for when we have run out of homemade
food and Walmart’s prices start at $0.98 for two cups to $1.12. I also like to buy Earth’s Best baby food and
cereal and they are cheaper at Walmart as well.
Oh and recently I have been purchasing LOTS of teething rings and toys
and Walmart is hands down the cheapest.
They also have their own line of baby clothes and toys called
Garanimals. I LOVE this line! I bought SG 5 summer rompers (super cute) for
$6 each. The clothes are fab for casual
outfits and we all know how fast these lil guys grow so who wants to spend a
leg and an arm for wear one time couture?
Oh and Walmart offers free shipping on tons of essentials or for minimum
purchases.
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| The Garanimals brand makes toys and clothes. |
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| SG in one of the $6 Garanimals rompers I found her. |
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| Another $6 romper. |
Can anyone walk into a Target and not walk out having spent
at LEAST $50?! Am I the only one? Certainly I can’t be. I often refer to Target as the black hole of
shopping. You walk in needing some
toilet paper and you walk out with a new wardrobe, new home décor, and tons of
other “essentials.” Target has started
something very similar to CVS where upon purchasing featured items you earn
money back. This makes me a very happy
momma. For example, Tide detergent,
Bounty paper towels and Charmin toilet paper are featured. If you purchase 2 units you earn a $5 gift
card. Say you purchase 2 of each…you can
earn three gift cards (although I believe they put a limit on these). So what do I do? I purchase the items which earn me cash back
and then I make them ring up my second batch of purchases and use my gift cards
towards that purchase. It’s completely
awesome! One time I combined gift cards
with my Similac coupons and was able to buy 4 tubs of Similac for the price of
1! I also love Target for baby
clothes. They have tons of super cute
outfits but my fav line is their Circo line which starts at $4 per
outfit/unit. I can’t tell you how many
of these I have purchased for SG.
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| Super cute onsies by Circo. |
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| SG in a $8 Circo find. Adorbs dress with built in bloomers. Circa 1989...mommy likey! |
See Target’s earn money back program….CVS does the same
and sometimes you can earn even more back.
I have been known to combine CVS’s program, coupons and discounts earned
via their frequent shopper program and save up to 60% off my entire
purchase. My brother has saved up to
80%.
There are tons more money saving ideas I can share but this
should get us started for now. Keep in
mind that deals/programs are constantly changing and may differ by city BUT
there are ALWAYS deals to be had. And
when in doubt research online for coupons or coupon codes. One of my favs is RetailMeNot.com.
In the meantime happy shopping and stay frugal!
THanks for sharing love, love Amazon prime and Amazon mom. I'm addicted oh and to Target too:)
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