Here in the Kelley Clan, we have three kiddos, three cats, a dog, an ever hungry daddy, and then there's me. Let me tell you, I hate shopping. HATE. I hate shopping with the fiery passion of a thousand burning suns. Never mind that shopping for a family this size is a massive time and energy suck. Forget completely the fact that taking three children into an establishment for any stretch of time longer than five minutes results in an earth shattering melt down. No, the real reason I loathe shopping is the panic attack that comes at the register.
My heart races and my palms get sweaty as I hear the slow beep-beep of the scanner. I mentally calculate everything that I've put in the cart and what I believe my total should be as I make nervous small talk with the cashier. Did I account for sales tax? What is the least important thing I grabbed in the event that I've gone slightly over budget? It's nerve wracking.
I will never forget the time, before my husband and I were married, that we were down to our last $13 with a week left before my next payday. We were down to our last few days of groceries and we're almost completely out of diapers. We walked into our local grocery store in a panic. How in the world are we going to make this work? I walked through the store carefully placing things in our cart. Ultimately we walked out of the store with a week's worth of food and a pack of diapers. My husband stared in awe like I was some kind of super hero. Mom saves the day.
The cost of living is ever growing. A few years ago, $20 went a whole lot further than it does today. I know there are a lot of mom's like me out there looking for the best way to stretch a dollar. So I've decided to do a post about how I do it.
Step one seems so simple, but I can't stress enough how important it is. Plan, plan, plan! Take an inventory of what you already have. Figure out what you can make out of it. Then use that to make a menu for breakfast, lunch and dinner. From that make your shopping list and really stick to it. You might be surprised at how little you actually need to buy. Just don't forget your list when you go shopping.
Use a rebate app. Now you're looking at this post with a raised eyebrow. Just hear me out. I know it's been around for a while, but if you haven't tried it, I suggest you jump on the Ibotta band wagon. It allows you to get money back on things you're already going to buy. Even if you don't buy name brand, they have any brand rebates and they do mean any brand. Even the grocery store brand. You can earn up to a couple dollars back per purchase. Then you have the Walmart app. After your shopping trip, upload your receipt to their app, and they do the rest of the work for you. Someone scans local ads for lower prices on the products you have bought. If a lower price is found, you get the difference. Both apps can be found right in your play store and they're so worth it.
I know what you're thinking. That seems like a lot of work. It is a little bit of work, but how much time are you going to spend scrolling aimlessly through your phone anyways? At least this way you are getting a little return back. In my family now, I'm able to stay home. Saving money is an absolute must. I just look at it as part of my job; one that provides me the ability to spend lots of quality family time.
What are some of the things you do to save your family a dollar or two?
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