Cheap Alternatives for the Must Haves in your Life Pt. 2 of 3
Here’s the second installment of a three part series on Cheap Alternatives for the Must Haves in your Life. Here I give alternatives on how to save groceries, cosmetics, newspaper/magazines and mobile/cell phones. Enjoy!
Groceries
With the rising costs of food it’s become harder to maintain our grocery spending. Here are a few sites that provide coupons as a way to save money.
- Sign up for coupon sites:
- Grocery Game
- Coupons.com
- Printable-Coupons
- Food Co-oop
- You can typically save between 20-40%by using grocery/food co-ops. The savings result from members participating in the set-up, bagging and distribution process which results in passing the savings on to the consumer.
- The Frugal Duchess has a really informative article on how she saves money by going using an organic food co-op. This is a great option for those of us who don’t want to bust the budget at Whole Foods.
- Nonprofit organizations
- This is another option if you just need the basics and not much more. For example, ShareDC.org and Angel Food Ministries are two organizations that I have worked with and referred others to in a time of need. Keep in mind that not all organizations require that you have a financial need, but for the frugal bunch, saving money constitutes a need
See their menu here.- ShareDc.org - $18/bag of groceries
- Angel Food Ministries $30/box
- ShareDc.org - $18/bag of groceries
- This is another option if you just need the basics and not much more. For example, ShareDC.org and Angel Food Ministries are two organizations that I have worked with and referred others to in a time of need. Keep in mind that not all organizations require that you have a financial need, but for the frugal bunch, saving money constitutes a need
Make-Up/Cosmetics
As a woman who wears some form of makeup everyday I am always looking for deals in this department because it can get expensive, especially if you have problem skin. I stick to what works for me so I am always able to find my products on Ebay and Craigslist. This way I get really low prices which results in a savings of at least 30-40% off the normal price.
If you generally can’t find your items online via Ebay or Craigslist then track local sales in your area and rack up when the prices drop. This weekend, we got spaghetti sauce on sale at Shoppers, 10/$10. Can you say DEAL?! As with grocery shopping, you create a price book and make a section for cosmetics. Track the prices and when something truly goes on sale you’ll know that it is a good time to buy. This is especially good or those things that you buy often, like we are always tracking Green Giant Sweet Peas.
Here’s an example of how it works from No Credit Needed:
I’ve been tracking the price of Canned Corn at my local grocery store. For months, the price of Canned Corn hovered around .50 per can. In September, the price dropped to .40 per can. A great time to buy, right? Nope. I knew, because of my grocery price book, that they tended to drop even further nearer Thanksgiving. So, I waited - and last week, Canned Corn was on sale for .25 per can! I stocked up, and now we have enough Canned Corn to last the winter and enough to donate to the local food drive.
Try out your local pharmacy/drug store because I know for a fact CVS is good for their end of season sales on certain items which always include cosmetics.
Daily Newspaper/Magazines
My husband is guilty of this, we get the Washington Post and Wall Street Journal delivered only to have them pile up on our magazine rack. He reads most of his news interests online most of the time so we really don’t need to pay for the newspaper to be delivered. Still, I know he likes to read while on the metro going in to work.
With the advent of the World Wide Web it just makes sense to use it to your advantage. Here are two alternatives to buying the paper:
- Read them online at the respective websites
- Check out niche blogs if you want to read about gossip, fashion, political and things that might interest you.
Mobile/Cellular Phone
Wanna beat the mobile phone giants at their own game? Then try one of the following alternatives. If you use your cell phone infrequently then there is no reason to carry a large cell phone bill each month. The benefits include no credit check and no monthly bill making this area of your finances a cake walk.
- Prepaid Phones
- Skype
- This service has proven to be invaluable to us because we have family overseas and my husband often makes conference calls using this service. Its cheap and reliable as long as you have a consistent cable internet connection. So if you’re looking for a reason to dump your cell phone and save money, you’ve got your reason right here!
This concludes our 2nd installation of the Cheap Alternatives series. Let me know what works for you and what doesn’t. What are some cheap alternatives you employ that aren’t listed here?
About the Author: Girls Just Wanna Have Funds is for the woman that wants to take charge of her personal finances. We value budgeting, investing, frugality and remain mindful of our spending habits. Move over and make way for women who are in control of their financial destinies and not afraid to say it. We're armed with a positive net worth and not afraid to flaunt it while breaking financial ceilings one stiletto at a time!
