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Household stuff and items are essential but it can cost a lot of buck. Moreover these are consumable items that one tends to buy over and over again. While there is nothing wrong with buying these items as these are considered essential, for frugal individuals like me, we can always be creative in order to save some.
Household stuff like toothpaste and toiletries may cost little but these can easily cost a household hundreds of dollars every month. For one, these are essentials and we can’t practically live without these. Second, we tend to shop these items every week. Finally, these items can are consumables and oftentimes they don’t last that long. According to research a typical household spends 15% to 20%. If you are finding to scrimp even a single dollar just to save on these items, here are tips you can do.
Tip #1: Identify the Needs.
Saving money on household items starts from identifying the needs of the family. It is important to rank the household items accordingly. First thing the family needs to do would be to identify the essentials. Know the items you get to use regularly. Better review the past groceries the family have in order to know which ones were bought frequently. Then analyze the supplies. Know also the lifespan of each item. For example, how long does a tissue roll last? How long will the family use a toothpaste and so on? If possible, list down these items in accordance to the priorities. List item number 1 as the most important and how long it will last. You can identify the usage on a weekly or monthly basis.
Tip #2: Find Alternatives.
After identifying the necessities and ranking them accordingly, identify the brand of choice of the family. Include also the price so you will know how much the item costs. The next thing to do would be to find alternatives to these items. You might want to tour your local grocery store in order to list down the possible alternatives and the prices. For instance, if you have been using this toothpaste brand identify if there is another toothpaste in the market that can deliver the same results yet cheaper by a few bucks. Do the rest of the list until it is done. Again, find cheaper alternatives and look for other brands.
Tip #3: Use Coupons.
Coupons are there for a reason. Might as well look for those items be it in magazines or in stores. Sign up for store deals so they can email you coupons and related discount codes. There are already many avenues for you to get a coupon or two. First, you can scour the Internet for electronic coupon sites. There are even websites like Coupons.com and other Coupon Network where you can click and print the coupons. There are also coupons that you can get from newspapers and magazines. Simply cut those coupons out and you can present those at the counter. There are also in-mail rebates and credit card rewards.
Tip #4: Shop on Sales
Stores are very fond on giving sales. Make sure to time when to shop so you can be able to seize on this price cut backs. You might want to shop during holidays where discounts are plenty. You can also get those about to expired household items as these are priced relatively low because of the due dates. There are a lot of sales and discounts around. Just keep yourself updated as to when. You can start signing up from these stores, stalk their social media profiles or visit their stores every now and then to know when they will be having those sales. Don't forget to check for reviews too like reviews on keranique for hair care sales and discounts.
Tip #5: Purchase in Bulk
As they say, the more you buy the lower would be the unit price. Which is why, it is always suggested to buy in bulk rather than buy in lesser units. There are even stores that reward such purchases. The only downside is you are going to buy more product than you actually need. But at least it will still take a while before you head to the grocery to buy that item again. Apart from saving the unit price you can also save a trip or two.
These are just five of the many tips you can do in order to save small household stuff. Start implementing a tip or two and you are on your way to maximize your money. What are your other tips to save money on household items?