Frugal, fun and fashionable...

Living frugal might seem like a scary challenge at first but it can be far more fun than you ever imagined. Something clicks in a person when they finally realize that they have been over-paying for all the items they have purchased. That there was a better way to save their hard earned cash. It is a overwhelming feeling of stupidity. Don't feel bad, I have credit cards and loans based on my previous lack of deal shopping knowledge. It happens to the best of us.

Once you learn that everything is cheaper somewhere. It becomes a new goal to find out where and how to obtain what you need, want and desire at the best possible selling price. It takes time and possibly years to fully let go of impulse buying but hey mass retail stores like Walmart were built on this type of human instinct shopping.

Baby step it and don't try to redecorate your budget in one day. First find a sale at the store you shop, then apply other aspects of saving. Little by little you will notice something amazing...you are living for less money than before!

The internet is your friend. Embrace it. Do web searches and you will find a wealth of information that is so valuable you get addicted to reading it. May I suggest a few of my own favorites?

slickdeals dot net - love that site! Just seek and ye shall find it there.

Fatwallet dot com - a softer version of the site above.

Frugalvillage dot com - all things frugal. Just a great site to read and learn from.

Hillbillyhousewife dot com - lots of recipes and ideas, well worth the reading.

ok, for the Divas - My beauty Recipes dot com - how to make your own natural beauty treatments! Yes, you can do it.

Here is one for the Diva wives and mothers out there - Pioneer Woman - a great read with lots of class, advice and whimsical knowledge.

Now that you are on your way to learning, there is a common word that people in the deal shopping secret societies use. It is called a coupon. Ok, you have heard of a coupon but do you use them religously? Why not? Why give away your hard earned cash? When is the last time that someone just gave you money for no reason? Ok, point earned!

Coupons are not just your mothers cut and clip version, although those are wonderfully effective and can save you hundreds of dollars a month and thousands of dollars a year. There are also internet coupon codes that can save you a ton of things that you were going to buy anyways. Before I teach you about these, you must read Rule #1

Rule #1 - Don't buy it just because it is a deal. It is only a deal if you need it or can profit from it.

Why buy online verses in store. Plenty of times, I can find a better deal online than in store. I never buy from unreputable places. I always do my homework first before ordering from any company that I have not heard of. I search for coupon codes online and sometimes this take time but is well worth it to save $$. There are several sites that have coupon codes retailme not dot com and some even sell coupon services like coupon junkie dot com and ebay.

*As it is illegal to sell or buy coupons, it is not illegal to sell or buy the time and effort in providing them.

Why purchase a coupon? I only purchase a coupon when I can not get it free anywhere else and it will save me money. Here is a example of a instance a few months ago;

There was a big sale at Childrens Place dot com. There was tons of summer clothing $1.99 - $3.99 and at that price the savings were good. Their shipping is $5 flat rate. I found a free 15% off code and was spending $150.00

The math: 15% of $150 is $22.50.
$150 - $22.50 = $127.50 plus $5 shipping = $132.50

I found a 20% off code for sale for $3.99 online and it would be delivered to my email instantly. The code included a free shipping code.

The math: 20% of $150 is $30. $150 - $30 = $120 plus the $3.99 cost of the coupon brings my total to $123.99 and a savings of $8.51 for 2 minutes of work.