I’ve written before about why it’s important to not get attached to one method of saving, and I was reminded again about that this week when I learned my local paper has discontinued their multiple Sunday newspaper subscription.
It’s times like these I need to give myself a little pep talk and regroup – and I thought I’d include you in on that pep talk today.
Stuff Changes
If you are in the couponing/frugal living world, have you noticed stuff changes? A lot? You get used to diaper coupons coming out regularly, only for them to stop without warning. Your local store stops offering a yearly sale you look forward to (Quaker sale in January anyone?). You find out your drugstore is issuing loyalty cards now. Just when you get used to saving money one way and feel like you’ve got the “game” down, the rules of the games suddenly change.
Depending on your personality, you can either grow discouraged by this, or see it as an opportunity to find new ways to save. Either way you should be prepared and be careful to grow to reliant on any one method of saving money!
New Opportunities will Come
I’d like to remind you that not all changes are bad changes. Some of you might recall a few years back Albertsons stopped allowing competitor’s coupons. There was an uproar and many couponers shook their fists saying they’d never shop there again! Guess what? At least a few of these folks changed their tune when Albertsons started to offer Twice the Value coupons.
In recent years, we’ve seen a huge uptick of strong coupons and free offers on Facebook. Amazon has become a strong source of holiday deals. Daily deals have made family outings more available, and there are ways one can earn credit for these sites, too. I bet you can think of some recent changes that have positively impacted your ability to snag a deal.
Be Proactive
In my opinion, the ones that do the best saving money are those that take an active role and not just waiting around for the deals to come to them!
Be poised and on the lookout for new and interesting ways to save. For instance:
- Try to find “untapped deals.” For instance, I’ve found the Target toy clearance by and large a royal waste of my time, but have discovered Fred Meyer puts many toys on clearance around the same time – and not many people take advantage of that event. Look for these deals by shopping the same stores to become acquainted with their sales/markdown schedules, checking out local blogs, and reading forums.
- Try to DIY. So laundry soap hasn’t gone on sale in a long time? Might be time to take a gander making your own. Organic veggies too expensive? Grow your own – or maybe forage for berries or greens in your backyard!
- Be disloyal. This sounds like awful advice at first, doesn’t it? But hear me out. If you will only ever by Dawn dish soap, 7th Generation Diapers, or Philosophy skin care, you’re going to have a harder time saving! Same goes if you must only ever shop at Trader Joe’s – you might miss a smashing deal on similar items at Whole Foods or Fred Meyer! Or how about this one – if you can say “no” to meat for a few meals a week, you can stretch your grocery budget a bit by opting for meals made with dried peas or beans instead.
Frugal living should be an adventure, not a hardship. Living frugally has inspired me to try new things including gardening, cooking techniques, canning, shopping at different stores, DIY, foraging, and much more. It has made my life richer (both figuratively and literally, I suppose). If you let it, living frugally can also improve your character – it challenges you to live more generously, more humbly, more creatively, and more simply.
I know it can be frustrating when things change – a coupon program goes away or a store goes out of business – but I do believe so much hinges on our attitude and response.
I’d love to hear from you. What kinds of changes have you seen happen in the couponing/frugal living world? And how have you adapted? What additional advice would you give someone struggling with the constant changes?
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{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
Thanks for the pep talk, Angela. I was feeling pretty bummed about the TNT deal ending, and just not feeling very motivated to shop the deals. Your post came at just the right time for me.
I’m so glad to hear it!
I don’t know if you know this but I only have one Sunday paper delivered to my house if I like what I see I get additional papers I want from Fred Meyer because they sell the Sunday TNT for only $1.00!!!!! I always thought that was a pretty smashing deal.
I may well have to do something similar to that! I was aware, but got to admit, I don’t like making a trip to the store first thing Sunday morning to make a mad dash for papers. I think I’ve been rather spoiled with this subscription! But like I said in my post, I’ll adapt – I’ll adjust – and I’ll continue to find new avenues of saving or getting my coupons (legitimately, of course!). Thanks, Junelle!
WHO LOVES TO SAVE, WE DO, WE DO! WHO STILL SAVES, WE DO, WE DO!
I will be your cheerleader! I think it is funny how the whole mid and east coast is going crazy because they will have to use a loyalty card at Rite Aid soon, boo hoo. I relearned how to shop there. It is possible.
There is no try, only do! -yoda
Right, or if you don’t like that idea, try shopping at another store like Walgreens or Target. You might find you prefer it!
Over the last year I have not had time to do it all and so I had to be flexible and do what works for me. I was SO into couponing but that’s all I would do, is clip and organize coupons then I would be so disappointed in myself when I missed a great deal or when I couldn’t do all the deals I mapped out, then my kids would lose it at the store and I just had to stop.
Because of health reasons I have to make 99% of my food from scratch so now I just focus on finding those ingredients at great prices and in bulk. I might have hunted for super cheap spaghetti sauce before as we could only use the Classico brand because it was lowest in sodium – now I just buy the huge can of pureed tomatoes at Costco for less than $7 and make a huge batch of sauce that I divide and freeze to use later.
Instead of looking for great deals on sweetened condensed milk, I just buy the store brand at Winco (love that place) or make it myself. Same with caramel syrup (my son loves it) – just heat a can in the crockpot and voila.
If I happen to stumble upon some printable coupons AND make it to the store in time for the deal, then it all works out. All I know is I am much less stressed and know I am doing what works for me at this stage of my life.
P.S. Really feel like when the Extreme Couponing show came out on TLC it kind of caused some policy changes at the stores AND I saw so many shelves cleared. Who can or wants to compete or deal with that? Not me.
Love this – thanks for sharing Mona!
Thanks for putting things in perspective Angela. Latley couponing has been becoming rather frustrating. I appreciate your optimistic outlook and I hope that you don’t mind but, I shared your link on Jill Cataldo’s site (another blog that I follow regularly). I think that everyone could benefit from your suggestions! You are a wise woman!
http://www.jillcataldo.com/
I was starting to get into Target shopping and they switched to one like coupon per transaction so I now I go there maybe 1-2 times a month. I think instead of going off of blog recommended deals, shoppers are sometimes better off just checking things out for themselves since not all stores do the same deals at the same times.
The Target coupon policy has changed some but not as drastic as you described, D’Anna.
I am mostly frustrated with the couponers that take advantage of the system and force these kinds of changes for those of us who save honestly. I have had to be creative in my savings. I am disheartened but TNT’s choices. I often shared the coupons I didn’t use with friends who needed them and I am not sure how I will be able to continuely to teach others to be diligent and a good steward in the same way. I will adapt of course, but I don’t want others to struggle either, especially if they are just starting.
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