Being thrifty, I love it.
I'm all over bargains, clearance shelves and deals. Surprisingly, I'm not a huge collector of coupons but this is because I don't often see coupons for things I honestly need.
Some of my favorite ways to save though are these:
-Making my own laundry soap. It only takes 20 min and a couple of dollars.
-Cloth diapers. I mostly use the Flip brand because I can use the covers several times before washing. I think I have invested about $200 in covers and inserts so far. Most estimates per child for disposable diapers is about $3000. That's a lot of money which I'd rather put towards something else. Yes, I have to wash them (which is pretty inexpensive since I use my homemade non-scented soap). I have enough so I only wash them twice a week. Not bad. Plus my super cool Flip diapers are irresistible colors of fun. Big bonus, they hardly ever leak! Unless you've had a child who was always ruining clothes, you have no idea how awesome this is. Might I add that you can pass them on to the next child? Try that with a disposable. No, don't.
-Consignment Shops. I adore them....but I've also learned to be careful. I only buy clothes that are in like-new condition and that I'm really getting for a great deal...not a "deal" I could easily get at the store with a sale tag. I love finding great brand name items for a few bucks verses a lot of bucks because I know how much better they are made and last longer. The big bonus is not handing out the $30+ for only one item.
-Grocery Shopping. I love cooking and baking! But just because you cook at home, doesn't mean it's automatically cheap. Eating out is expensive and eating at home will be too if you're not careful. Sometimes it doesn't pay to get the off brand - I don't compromise on taste if it feels like a punishment while eating it later. Sometimes buying a cheaper brand on one thing allows you to pay more for that "good" brand of cottage cheese. Buy in bulk only when it makes sense i.e. you actually have the storage for it and you will definitely use it before it goes bad.
Making a meal plan for the week so that you know exactly what you need in groceries will save you tons of time, havoc and repeated trips to the store. P.S. grocery stores can be so different with prices - look around.
Living is expensive but it doesn't have to be near as expensive as they try to make you think. If you're willing to go to a little extra work you can save so much in so many ways.
