Budget Tips: Shopping at Target.

It's no secret I like to save a buck. Until I make my mega-millions, I don't see the point in wasting money when I could be saving (though I'm trying to be better about spending on things like home renovations and vacations but more on that later). When we moved out to the country we quickly realized our grocery shopping options were limited. Coming from a condo right outside of Chicago with a Trader Joe's, Costco, and Super Target within 15 minutes I had my grocery routine down to an art. Once we moved we realized a (not so super) Target and Sam's Club were about it. 

Now I'm no couponing expert, though I'm learning. Since our Target doesn't have a great produce section and we fly through fruit & veggies, I shop for most of my produce at Sam's. For everything else? Tar-jay is where I'm usually at. 

My Simple Tips for Saving at Target

1.) Coupons & Planning Ahead

I'm a happy coupon clipper though not at all extreme. I find the best printable coupons at Target.com and Coupons.com. I also try to sign up for as many free coupon e-newsletters as possible. Also, REDcard holders often get Target coupons in the mail every so often. I clip them all and keep them organized in a mini-accordian file folder. I plan our meals out one week at a time and make sure that I stick tightly to my grocery list--this way I know exactly what coupons to bring with me and I can usually avoid impulse purchases since I know exactly what I need for every meal.

2.) Mobile Offers

I'm still figuring this one out but I do use Cartwheel and find that it helps boost my savings if the deal is right. I'm still trying to figure out other great money-saving apps--any great suggestions there?

3.) REDcard

Don't get me wrong, I hate credit cards and try not to use them if it isn't an emergency. I got my REDcard back when I was a dopey college student and now I'm pretty happy I did. Don't tell corporate but treat it more as a debit card than anything. I use my REDcard weekly and then pay it off right after I put the groceries away. I have no interest in owing Target thousands of dollars. I get my 5% off and my balance stays at zero. Win-win!

4.) Be Green

A lot of people don't realize that Target rewards you for bringing your own cloth bags instead of using their plastic ones. You get five cents off for every reusable bag you use. It may not seem like much but during a big grocery trip you can save a dollar or so and every little bit helps.On the green note, you always save money by making your own cleaning supplies and investing in reusable paper towels...just saying!

5.) In-Store Offers & Generics

Since I plan ahead, as mentioned, I always check the weekly ad online to see what's on sale while I make my grocery list. Also, don't be afraid of generics...well most of the generics. Though we've had a couple bad experiences with the Market Pantry cereals (the Cinnamon Toast Crunch knock off is rough), Rhyno and I typically don't notice a huge difference when we buy store brand staples (plus Target.com usually has a lot of coupons for their generics). Don't fall for pre-packaged gimmicks either. For Rhyno's lunches we could spend a bunch of money on 150 calorie pre-packaged bags of chips....OR we could be smart and buy the generic big bag of chips with a coupon and divvy them into 150 portions at home. We typically choose the latter.

My receipt from Sunday's grocery trip--not too shabby and this wasn't even one of my best trips!

Though clipping coupons and making grocery lists and planning meals ahead of time can be totally time-consuming, I think it's beyond worth it.The receipt above if from my most recent trip, where I needed more than usual (do you feel like you also run out of all your staples like garbage bags, tin foil, toilet paper, etc. all at once?) and I didn't have the usual amount of coupons. Most weeks I save between $35-45, even if I only saved $24.72 every week that still totals up to $1,285.44 every year. That pays for a vacation!

How do you save big at Target?

Things I Don't Plan to Buy Anymore....for a While at Least...

 

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In an effort to simplify our home, I've been purging things and really taking inventory of what we have. I've combed through each room and sold/donated things we don't use. I went through our huge filing cabinet and shredded old documents that we no longer need. I went through my email inbox and unsubscribed from any email I don't actually read. I've been feeling so refreshed, that catharsis that comes with getting rid of junk is amazing!

In addition to getting rid of things, a huge part of simplifying is to stop buying junk in the first place. I mentioned that we're currently on a mission to save our pennies. It seems easy enough, right? I thought so too until I realized there are just some things I don't need but I really enjoy having. 

Some of  the things I'm not buying anymore (and cheaper alternatives to cope with not having them)

Candles 

I am a candle junkie--the fall scents are my favorites. I love to have a candle burning in our living room whenever we're home and it just feels cozier with that little flame burnin' bright. But, shit's expensive. For so long I'd drop an easy $50 on pumpkin pie candles from Yankee (oh, that heavenly smell!). Goodbye, my too expensive pals. I'm using up the ones we have left and after that I'm switching to some of these ideas keep our home smelling so fresh. 

Coffee

Oh, boy. This one. Recently, as I heard my spoon scrape the bottom of the empty coffee can I decided to quit the stuff for a hot minute. I've read articles on both sides of the coffee war and for now I'm trying to stick to tea. We do have a Keurig and those k-cups can be crazy expensive. We originally cut down on that cost by getting an Ekobrew cup and would typically purchase store-brand cans of java. But if I can cut a cost on my grocery list, I'm going to do it (debt-free life, come at me!). When I'm jonesing for joe, I just make myself another cup of tea instead. I was usually a cup-a-day coffee hound before and I thought I would really miss my morning jolt. Truth be told? After nearly a week I don't miss the stuff just yet, though I am speeding through green tea leaves at an alarming rate!

Straws and Other Disposable Items

I need to tell you that I have a problem. I am crazy in love with those old timey striped paper straws. I keep them on display in our kitchen and burn through a couple a day. I also will snatch up paper plates and plastic flatware whenever we have company over (or it's cute or it's on sale) so that I don't have to use our glass dishes. This is not only a waste of cashola and so NOT green, it causes unnecessary clutter. We can do dishes when we have company over to eat. We must learn to deal with it.

Anti-Aging Anything

Admittedly, it is kind of dumb that I was dropping cash on this stuff in my twenties. I've been using eye creams and serums for years and I might not need them quite yet. I know, I know, "be proactive!" But I think with my healthier diet, weekly homemade facial masks, detox teas/baths, and exercise my skin will look younger on it's own.

How do you simplify your life?

Budgeting for Beginners

 

Let's talk about dolla-dolla bills, shall we?

 

I've mentioned before that we are currently on a pretty tight budget (even tighter as of last night when we learned our dog needs a SUPER expensive surgery--sheesh). We're working to pay down our credit cards, car loans, and student loan debt. I dream of this future where I don't pay any bills except my mortgage and utilities and people shower me with praise for being so dang thrifty. This might be a pipe dream...

 

To be honest, I've never been terrible with money. I did go through a phase in college where I would spend my entire (teeny, tiny) paycheck on clothes but that was really it. I've never had a credit card before last year and I make a habit of paying all my bills at least two days early. Once I made the jump from full-time employee to freelancer I realized we should probably try to save some cashola (tax season can suck it). I don't pretend to be a personal finance expert, in fact I'm far from it, but I am quickly learning how to save a buck here and there. My favorite personal finance blogs is And Then We Saved--if you are looking to really bone up on getting out of debt, click that link and save your financial life. Here are some of my favorite tips (so far)...

 

-Get It Out: Make a budget plan. Put everything on paper--income and expenses. Categorize things and highlight what is a necessity (the mortgage), a luxury (your cheese of the month club membership), and what necessities can be lowered (the electric bill...you have to pay it but you can lower how much it is but using less). I found a great budget template that was already formulated and categorized in Microsoft Excel.

 

-Cut Out: Super obvious but too important not to mention. Once everything is down on paper go through the luxury items and ask yourself if you actually need them to live. I am a magazine lover, I always have been and up until a few weeks ago I had subscriptions to TEN different magazines (and that was down from 25 last year). I opted out of the automatic renewal for all of my magazines. I also cancelled my subscription to Birchbox, membership with Hulu, and Netflix.

 

-Cut Down: There were bills I consider necessities but knew we could cut down--mainly our electric and our Comcast bundle. Rhyno and I both committed to relying less on air conditioning, thank you mild Midwest summer! I dug our window fans out of storage, turn on the ceiling fans, and have been keeping the house cool without flipping on the AC whenever possible. We have also tried to stick to a strict "no lights before 8:30pm" policy which is helpful too. As for our Comcast cut down we had to give cable and our rarely-used landline telephone the axe. We kept only our internet service and security system and wound up saving about $80 a month.

 

Note: We luck out that we live on a private well so our water bill is nonexistent.

 

-Coup It: Use coupons. It's hip now so don't feel like a geek whipping out your pile of coups in the grocery line. I print mine mainly from Target.com (if that's where I'm going...though I'm trying to cut back) and Coupons.com. Go. Go now. Go forth and clip.

 

-Homemade: This is my favorite tip--make everything you can at home! Food, cleaning supplies, beauty supplies. We're sticking as best we can to eating only at home since the doctor is making me be so careful about food anyhow. Cleaning supplies are a GREAT way to save money and I just feel better about making them at home (if you need recipes, feel free to check out my Home: Tips on Pinterest). I also buy huge bags of baking soda from Sam's Club and it lasts me months. One of the hardest things I did to save money was cancel my account with Proactiv skin care. I have used it since I was 17 and found it works so well for me and my crazy combination skin. BUT that comes with a price tag. I have one bottle left and then I am trying this recipe from the always awesome Vegan Housewives. It's always good to get rid of the chemicals anyways. Out with the chemicals in with the money!

 

I'll keep sharing more tips as I learn!

 

Do you have any great budget tips?