What are you favorite ways to save money?

[Allison {Mrs. Fussypants}]

I am all about being frugal. The less money I spend at Target means more money I have for my first love -Beads! I would rather buy Target brand lotion and fill up my Bead collection.

I am always looking for new tips. How do YOU save money while running your household?

[Sister Honey Bunch]

I buy most of my son's clothes at garage sales and Ebay. We have a neighborhood where the majority of the kids attend Catholic school. I hit those garage sales HARD because the kids wear uniforms during the week so their other clothes get very little use. I found gorgeous designer clothes for the school year for $1.00 and $2.00 a piece. With Ebay, we will do searches for his size and "lot" so that it's an assortment of clothes.

I just bought his winter coat for next year tonight. Ralph Lauren $2o, TJMaxx. Super comfy. The kid tried on about 5 and kept going back to that because it would be easier to skate and ski in he said.

Grocery shopping--Never go without planning the weekly menu first. NEVER go without a list. NEVER buy anything not on that list. My husband does our grocery shopping (he loves it for some reason.) and I have had to tell him to stay away from stuff just because it's on sale. We don't need it. It'll be on sale again.

I love this topic. Just blogged about the "latte factor" and saving money earlier this week.

[BlondeMomBlog]

I'm with you! I absolutely refuse to pay full price for anything! I usually shop for my clothes at TJ Maxx and Target. I also love to hit Goodwill about once a month. I bought a pair of last year's GAP hip hugger jeans recently for less than $4 and a pair of Tommy Hilfiger summer capris for $1!!! I also save money on my girls' clothes as my awesome neighbor gives me her daughter's hand me downs for play clothes.

I try to watch the grocery circulars weekly and plan the week's meals around whatever meat/seafood is on special. (We grill a lot of fish in the summer.)

I rarely ever ever buy books. I love the library.

I go in to my office four mornings a week so I always leave around noon and come straight home and eat a sandwich or something at the house. When I was working 8 to 5 it was way too tempting to eat out constantly and that really blows your budget.

I never go to Starbucks! ;)

I try to come up with free or super cheap family entertainment, like going to the park or playground, etc.

I used to be more of an Ebay fan, but now it seems like the shipping almost doesn't make it worth it, unless it's a really great buy.

Great topic!

[Allison {Mrs. Fussypants}]

Shipping is such a bummer! I gave up on Ebay. I'd love some tips from the Ebay pros.

[Christie]

Look for sellers who are selling multiple things you like, combining shipping normally makes it cheaper. I always buy stuff on eBay and when I am setting my limit for what I would pay for the item, I always include the shipping in my head. Example, I bought my daughter a winter dress that was brand new and I was willing to pay $15 for it. My max bid was $15 minus the shipping costs. I don't get everything I want, but I get far more than I thought I would!

[Rachel]

I buy all of my kids clothes at the consignment store. It's within walking distance of my house so I go there frequently.
I use Tupperware FridgeSmart containers to store all my fruits and veggies. They keep for weeks and I hardly throw out anything. I earned them all for free by having a party :)
I buy store brand products whenever I can substitute. Due to skin issues I have to be careful about some things.
We try to be careful about things like using a lot of electricity, water (we have city water), etc. It really adds up.
I do shell out the extra money for quality if it's something that I am going to use on a regular basis. For example: the deluxe umbrella stroller. I spent $80 on this stroller because #1 my husband needed one with a long handle and #2 we use it almost everyday. We've had it for 4 years now and not a single problem. I think that we have actually saved money doing this with various items.
My husband takes a sack lunch and I buy snacks in bulk for him to keep at his office.
I know this sounds weird but I don't use coupons. Everytime I would buy a paper and clip coupons, the grocery bill went up. I would be talking myself into getting things just because I had a coupon.

[Jenni]

Oh yeah, you have to be careful with coupons. I use coupons religiously but only on things that are already on sale. Often times I get things for free doing this. When I first started using coupons, I also would talk myself into buying stuff.

It really helps to know the base prices at your local Wal-Mart (or wherever's cheapest) for their store brands. That way, when you are shopping elsewhere with coupons, you know in your head if it is really a deal or still more expensive than the store brand.

[Jenni]

Wow, so many ways. Like Jamie, I refuse to pay retail for anything. Before I make any major purchase, I always check Craigslist and Freecycle first. I've found so many things for free, you would pee your pants if I listed them all. But I only take things I would be buying anyway. It's way to easy to get caught up in the wow-it's-free-I-need-that way of life.

I cut coupons and match them to store sales. I'll be doing a post on this soon, but it can save hundreds of dollars off your grocery bill.

I also am involved in a food co-op. This is a great way to buy food in bulk (and organic!) for much, much cheaper than regular grocery prices.

But I think by far the best way to save money is to always delay your gratification. If you want something, think on it for a few days. It's amazing how something that seems like a necessity at 10pm on Sunday is revealed as a waste on Monday morning.

[Michelle Smiles]

I'm just plain cheap about some things. I refuse to pay retail for clothing and shoes. My daughter's clothes come from consignment shops and some Ebay (have to watch that shipping as you've mentioned). I shop sales and go straight to the clearance racks. All of my maternity stuff has come from Ebay or clearance sales so far.

My daughter is young enough that she isn't asking for specific toys so we've managed to spend next to nothing on her toys so far. Most have been gifts or picked up at consignment shops.

I try and remind my husband to take his lunch every day. I buy store brands of many things. Often a little of one pricier ingredient can really make an inexpensive dish taste yummy (good asiago cheese grated over an inexpensive pasta dish). I grow my own herbs in the summer because fresh herbs give everything extra flavor.

And speaking of beads, the bead shop in the Bellevue mall is going out of business and had everything on super sale. Not sure if it is still going or not but I picked up a few things for a bargain price - all of the lampwork beads were $1 a strand and pearls were 50% off, etc.

[Allison {Mrs. Fussypants}]

Ooooh lampwork!

Hubs loves good Asiago cheese!

[Rachel]

This sounds soo dumb. I would love to grow my own herbs but I'm not sure where to start. I no nothing about plants. I managed to kill a spider plant. The only plant I have in my house is a cactus. I've even forgotten to water it and it gets to looking sad.

[Gail]

One of the ladies at our church just gave a talk on being green & saving money. A book that she recommended reading is Serve God & Save the Planet. (I think that is the title, I don't have it in front of me)
She was talking about different things you can do to save on electricity. She literally cut her electric bill in half! She even showed us her bill! A lot of good ideas on this thread.

[Meredith from Merchant Ships]

Thanks for the rec! I'll check that out.