Living Big on A Small Income: Thrifty Shopping Tips

I have always had to be conscious of what I buy, and how much I spend. Growing up in Eastern Kentucky my mom either made our clothes or bought them second-hand; even our shoes were bought from the slightly-used section of the local shoe store. We didn’t have a choice, buying everything new was not an option.

When my husband and I were just starting out, I realized that the lessons I had learned from watching my mom were invaluable. I figured out that having new and fancy things did not make a person happy. Sometimes, it is just the opposite. The time one has for hobbies, and to spend with family, friends, and community makes life worth living.

Why We Chose to Live Frugally

There were a couple of reasons that we chose the frugal lifestyle. First, CJ and I both worked as public servants. He worked at a water plant for many years, and I worked as a teacher’s assistant. Public service does not pay well. What we earned kept the family going, but did not leave room for waste. Buying secondhand kept items out of the land fields and helped us to lessen our carbon footprint. And, growing much of our food allowed us to have organic foods as well as stretch the budget. Learning to live on a small income may seem daunting, but with a little forethought and effort, it can be well worth the effort.

Ways That You Can Save

At the Grocery Store:

• If you plan to shop name brands try to clip coupons and only buy items that are on sale. Check to see if your grocery store offers e-coupons. Sometimes you can stack coupons. They may also have coupons for store brands.
• Look for items in the clearance bins and buy store brands as much as possible.
• Only buy items that you need: if it sits on a shelf and goes bad you haven’t saved money by bargain hunting.
• By talking to the staff at your local market, you may be able to get inside information on which days are the best for bargain shopping mark downed items.
• Plan the menu for the week around what you find on sale, and what you already have in stock in your pantry.
• Limit junk food and colas. Look for affordable snack alternatives. Small kids love favored cereals as much as they do candy, and it is better for them.
• Buy produce that is on clearance, then process for storage. I often buy huge bags of organic broccoli, brussel sprouts, and cauliflower that are marked down (I then blanch and freeze them in Ziploc bags). You can find instructions for canning and freezing food online. I prefer the Ball canning site.
• Shop produce that is in season.

Farmer’s Markets and Local Growers:

There are several reasons why buying local is a good thing. It helps the local economy, it helps the environment when foods are not transported long distances, and it can help stretch your budget.

Local Growers Selling Surplus: Look for ads on your local Facebook Market Place, and in the Newspaper for local families that have raised an excess of food. Generally, they sell products cheaper than the farmer’s markets, though it usually means that you go pick the foods yourself.

Farmer’s Markets: These markets often provide products at a cheaper price than grocery stores. Still, be aware of store prices to make sure you are getting a good deal.

Grow a Small Garden:

Garden scaping is a concept that utilizes existing flower beds as an area to incorporate edible plants into the landscape. You may not be able to grow enough food to store for the winter, but it can still work to offset food costs during the growing season.

Growing what food you can also help you be self sufficient in times of food shortages. It is also an amazing family activity that teaches kids about science and nature. You may be interested in reading my earlier blog post on garden scaping. It discusses garden scaping in greater detail.

Invest In Canning Supplies:

• Several brands of salsa and pasta sauces come in reusable canning jars. By reusing these jars you can avoid spending as much on canning supplies. If a canning jar lid fits then it can be reused.
• Buy jars and other supplies at the end of the season to avoid paying full price.
• Invest in a Ball canning book. Ball is the premier name in canning and food processing.
• Contact your local Cooperative extension service. They sometimes have free gardening and food prep resources for free.

Shopping for Clothing:

When I worked in a public school system, I could not afford to buy the expensive clothing that others wore to work. I wanted to dress nicely and had to figure out how to do it on a budget. Long before I found Pinterest, I was making scrapbooks from clothing catalogs and sale flyers that came in the mail. Pinterest is my new best friend. I have a board dedicated to clothing styles that I like. I use it in place of my old scrapbook. I look for outfits that make use of pieces similar to what I already have in my wardrobe. Then when I am shopping at thrift stores, yard sales, or clearance racks I look for pieces that will allow me to create a knockoff of the expensive outfit that I pinned.

I try to find my clothing at either thrift stores, yard sales, or on clearance racks. A couple of weeks ago I came home with a large bag of clothing for around $15.00. Many of the items still had store tags in place. You may be wondering how I managed to get so much for so little. The trick is knowing when it is dollar day at my favorite local thrift store. I get there early to snag the best deals. Know the stores you shop. Ask if there are certain days that prices are lower. Usually, the store attendants are glad to help if you ask nicely.

My Shopping Rules:

Ask yourself, “Can the item be used to mix and match to create several outfits”? My rule of thumb is to never buy anything that I can’t use to mix and match to put together three outfits. I had people comment that I must spend a fortune on my clothing because I never wore the same thing twice, and was always in style.

Don’t Buy it if You Don’t Love it. I have found that if I don’t like the feel of the material, the way it feels as I move, then I am not going to wear it.

Decide If It is a Need or a Want. If I already have a little black dress that I love, then find another one that is a good price. I stop and ask myself if I really need it. The lure of a great sale can tempt me into buying things that I later find was an impulse buy.

Always check the clearance racks: Sometimes you find incredible deals that are in style yet affordable.

Shop End Of Year Clearance: Shopping at the end of the season is a great way to buy those timeless pieces that never let you down. I also look for seasonal shoes and outerwear at these sales.

Yard sales and thrift stores are great places to buy play clothes for kids. I applied the same rules to shop for my kid’s clothing as I did my own. They were able to put together styles that they loved, and that we could afford. We did buy some new school clothes each year, but by thrift shopping, we were able to keep the cost down.

Word of Advice

If you buy used clothing anywhere take care to not lay them down in your house. Take it straight to your clothes dryer and dry on high for fifteen minutes. You should do the same thing to any clothing you take on vacation, and even new clothing. This is a preventive measure to insure you do not accidentally carry home bed bugs.

The Early Bird Gets the Deals

Yesterday when I went out to pay bills I dropped by the Hospice Thrift Store. You all, I was able to buy three pairs of shoes for $12.50. One pair was brand new Reeboks, and the other two pairs were like new. Hope that you all have enjoyed this post. Then I went on to the home supply store to pick up a can for stain with sealer in it for our new porch swing. Normally the stain would have cost me around $60.00 for a gallon. I checked the miss-tinted paint section, and sure enough there set the exact color that I needed. I got the stain for $9.00.

You may not find exactly what you need every time go look for bargains, but it is worth spending a little time looking.

Going On a Bargain Hunt

Good luck finding those deals. I’d love to hear about your shopping adventures and the deals that you find. If you have tips for frugal living that you’d like to share, I’d love to hear about those too.

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Happy Shopping,

Vikki