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Succeeding as Lazy Saver

December 1st, 2006 at 04:34 am

I'll freely admit it to everyone here: I'm a lazy saver. It's not my fault, you know, it's because I work with computers.

How's that, you ask? The concept of elegant design. Ask anyone in computers what 'elegant design' means, and they'll give you this wonderful schpiel about something that is beautful and effective and concise. What they're really saying is the best way to do something is the way that gets it done right and fast, taking up the least amount of time and energy. This is the backbone of the techology industry, and being a tech-head it is my backbone too.

When I was a trainer, I actually taught this concept to people. When you're working in customer service, being goaled on how many seconds you're on the phone with a customer (!), you need to get your job right and get it done fast. And pleasantly, otherwise you'll lose points on your Quality Assurance Monitoring form.

Perosnally, though, I don't like the word 'lazy'. Too negative. I prefer the phrase 'time effecient'. So, instead of calling myself a lazy saver, I should say I am a 'time effecient' saver.

I'm not going to try to fool you into thinking my tactics save me the absolute most money. They won't. Saving the most money takes a lot of time and effort, and I send great kudos out to the uber deal finders on this site. I'm just not one of them. You will, however, be able to save a significant amount of money. For example: I shopped tonight and saved over 44% without a single mail-in rebate or newspaper-clipped coupon. Could I have saved more? Oh heck yeah! Would it have taken a considerable amount longer? You betcha!

First things first: save your change! Easiest thing in the world to do: pay cash for stuff and save your change. If you're adventurous, save your dollar bills, too. Over the course of a month I have found I save right around 25% of what's in my pocket by not spending change or ones. It also makes me consider my purchases a little more thoroughly, too. How often would you buy a $1.50 cuppa coffee if it resulted in another $3.50 becoming untouchable?

This next tip only makes since when you realize that I pay cash for everything but bills, and in my wallet I have two sections: my money and house money. My money is my allowance, my pocket money for the week. House money is grocery money for the week and a small weekly slush fund for things like a box of nails, a refill on the grill tank, etc. I will loan the house money during the week from my allowance if a great deal pops up out of the blue, under the condition that the house pays me back the next week. I will not, however, do the reverse; once the allowance is gone, it's gone. This saves me money because if I find a great deal on something in the grocery store (like fryers 49c/lb and sirloins $2.99/lb like they are this week), I can stock up without worrying about running out of 'house money'.

My other 'trick' is to pick my stores and stick with them! In any given week I shop at two grocery stores (Bloom and Publix), two drug stores (CVS and Walgreens), and one natural food store. I'm also particularly lucky because all of these are within 4 miles of my house. I have customer cards for the 3 stores that offer them, and all 3 of them offer me extra coupons based on my spending amount. The more I spend at a particular store, the more I get in coupons. For me, this combined with the price of gas makes it ineffecient to go out of my way for most deals.

The sales papers for 4 of my 5 stores are available online. 2 come out on Sunday, 2 on Wednesday. On Wednesday, I will compare all 4 paperless copies and determine which deals are worthwhile. I will do my shopping whenever it's convenient Wednesday-Saturday.

I keep the same basic grocery list of staples from week to week and add to it based on the sales papers. If there's something on the generic weekly list I don't need, I cross it off with a BIG black marker so I won't glance at the item and pick it up by mistake! I find it helpful to print this generic list en masse so I can grab one and have it with me when I go through the sales. This way, you can include the 'normal' price you're willing to pay for your weekly staples on the list. Also, all of my standard weekly list items come from the same store, so that if there aren't any super specials I just go to one place, I'm in I'm out I'm done! Unless, of course, one of my pet stores has a staple at a great bargain, which I'll know, since my list will tell me what I'm willing to pay as a normal price!

If you're not a coupon clipper (and I'm not), one must also pay attention to other sources of coupons. My favorites, in no particular order, are the Walgreens salespaper, my CVS receipt, aisles of the grocery store, and smack on the package I'm going to buy.

Walgreens coupons requiree no clipping: just note which items require coupons and grab one of their sales papers as you walk in the door. Often, since the coupon isn't clipped, they'll also let you take the paper with you resulting in the possibility of another visit a little later in the week! CVS gives Extra Care bucks for certain purchases and CVS coupons as you spend. In the past week I've been to CVS 3 times (only 2 were planned), spent less than $35, and have gotten $17 worth of coupons on my receipts. When I'm cruising through Publix, I'll grab the coupons they have in their aisles for items I know I buy (cereal, creamer, pudding, organic soup, shampoo), and stash them. They're manufacturers coupons, so I can use them at any of my 5 stores.

And don't forget the coupons on the stuff you're already buying! For instance, Hefty zip bags almost always have a coupon on them where I shop. Not ZipLock, Hefty. I went into the store today intending to buy the ZipLock bags that were advertised on sale. I walked out with the Hefty bags that were on unadvertised special with a coupon on each box. Knowing which brands frequently come pre-couponed makes it easier to save money.

And speaking of unadvertised sales: take a look around the store when you're walking, folks! I'm sure we're all aware that not everything that's on sale is in the sale paper. But, when you're so focused on making budget and sticking to the list, it's really easy to miss some awesome deals out there! This strategy takes some will-power, otherwise you might be tempted to buy every BOGO you see just because it's a good price. We all know better, but it bears repeating that a deal is only a deal if it's something you will actually use. Or be able to give as a gift. Or possibly resell for profit...

I have also been a time efficient saver by shopping with my mom. She's a frugal frugie, too, so we compare who can find the best deal. And sometimes there are offers for a better deal when you spend X amount of money. Your choice: spend more than you need to by yourself, or buddy up with someone and pay for everything on one ticket. Mom and I did this the Saturday before TG and that's how we got our 20 lb turkey for free. Plus, with the buddy system, your customer card will get the credit for the bigger purchase which means you might wind up getting more coupons in the future! Rock On!

What about you: what are your tips for being a 'time effecient' saver?

7 Responses to “Succeeding as Lazy Saver”

  1. sarah Says:
    1164953003

    Thanks for sharing this it was fascinating

  2. Broken Arrow Says:
    1164983847

    Hehe. I could have written all that about "time efficiency" and "elegant design" myself. Big Grin But yeah, in the end, I admit it: I'm a lazy guy! In fact, my ex used to joke about how I was one of the most industriously lazy guys she's ever met. Like how I'd work so hard to make everything run so smoothly... cuz I'm too lazy to want to deal with it again. Elegant design! Big Grin

    Fortunately, saving and investing really is right up my alley. After all, after a certain point, it's about money working for you. It's having little greenback minions doing your bidding while you sit back in your oversized chair, petting your Persian kittie and cackling manically.

  3. tinapbeana Says:
    1164984363

    Thus BA revealed his secret identity: 'The Claw' from Insepctor Gadget!

  4. Aleta Says:
    1164984511

    Yesterday, I was in the store and like you saw the Hefty Freezer or storage bags on sale. Buy 1, get 1 free. I saw a coupon sticking out in the back of the front box, and it had .20 off. I looked for the other box. I also had a coupon for .40 for buying a hefty product. Also, most people think that it you buy the quart size, that you also have to get the free one in quart size as well. You can get the free one in any size that you want as long as is the same price. If it's higher, they will charge you the higher price and give you the cheaper one free. Also, as I was looking through my coupons yesterday, I noticed a $2. off the same turkey that I bought. I took my receipt and the coupon and they gave me the 2.00

  5. Ima saver Says:
    1164987819

    Some good ideas, thanks!!

  6. threebeansalad Says:
    1164994646

    "And speaking of unadvertised sales: take a look around the store when you're walking, folks! I'm sure we're all aware that not everything that's on sale is in the sale paper. But, when you're so focused on making budget and sticking to the list, it's really easy to miss some awesome deals out there!"

    I struggle with this one. I try to get in and out of the store to save on impulse buys and time, but there are a lot of unadvertised specials that I end up missing. I happened to glance in the right direction in my last shopping trip and see that the Lender's bagels were on sale that I could get 2 bags of them for free with a coupon. I don't love frozen bagels, but for free I'll take 'em! I find it helps to spend ~ 10 minutes before going shopping to scan through my coupons to remind me of what I have.

  7. Lau Says:
    1165027484

    Thanks Tina for taking the time to write this long and very valuable post... I am just now starting to take the time to look through our grocery store weekly circular. We never bothered to do that before, and bought what we needed for that week. Now that we take that time and actually have the room to store more in the pantry and fridge we stack up on items on sale

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