I am always looking to save money. I am a stay at home mommy and my family currently runs off of one income. Even though I do get a little bit of assistance from food Stamps, I like to make the most of it by shopping smart and using coupons and sales whenever I can. Are there any items that you purchase regularly from places other than your main grocery store to save money? For example, my local Dollar Tree sells Merita and Natures Own full size loaves of bread for a dollar where as at my supermarket they are close to two or three dollars. Does anyone else do this or would you be embarrassed to?
I get pride from saving money on great deals! Yes, I proudly get my one dollar bread from the Dollar Tree. It's a great deal that can't be passed. I can get three loafs for the price of one at any other grocery store. How can you pass such an opportunity? I certainly can't! It's wonderful and makes me feel good to know that I can pinch my pennies in little ways, such as with buying bread at a third of the typical cost.
I do these things a lot. I do not get food at the dollar store now because it isn't convenient for me anyway, but I do love a good deal and will take the extra time to save money if I know of an opportunity. I don't think there is anything to be ashamed of. Saving money is just smart. Some people are blessed and don't have to worry about it, but for some of us that is how we get by.
I will buy the item I am looking for wherever it is the cheapest. I am a regular customer of Dollar Tree and I love their products. They always have great grocery items and I have even found really good deals on bath and body products. I'm not embarrassed to be a thrifty shopper. I would rather save my money than spend a fortune at a regular chain grocery store. I used to work as a cashier and I was always surprised at how much people paid for certain items. I was even more surprised at how many people didn't use coupons. Coupons to me are the best thing about shopping. It's free money! Free money! I don't think people understand this. I know for a fact that some people feel embarrassed to use coupons. I used to have people try to be extremely discreet when they handed their coupons to me. As if they couldn't be seen with them in their hands. It was all very silly to me. I'm loud and proud about my coupon and thrift shopping. I want people to know that they can save money. I'm trying to pay off student loans and help out with expenses at my house so I will do anything to save money on my bills.
I certainly agree. I am not embarassed at all when it comes to using coupons. I save upwards of $50-$60 dollars every trip using coupons. It takes very little effort to browse online a bit before my regular shopping trips to make the most of the funding that I have. And, on a previous note -- I agree that I will purchase an item anywhere that I know it is the cheapest. I will often feel guilty say buying something at Food Lion when I know for a fact its more than a dollar or two cheaper at another grocery store.
You should never be embarrassed by this. I do the exact same things and you should be proud you care so much for your family that you want to save as much money as possible to be able to do more for and with them! I am in the same boat. I use coupons, shop sales whenever I can and always buy from the Dollar Store!!! Be proud of that!!! Just think, by doing all of that you will have a little money left over at the end of the month for a fun family activity!!! YAY YOU !!!!! Danyel
Not at all! I always get my bread at the dollar store, it tastes just fine and it's saving me some money, so I really don't care, it's just the same to me.. Absolutely not embarrassed about it, and I don't think anybody should be.
Yes, but it takes some trial and error to find out what stuff is worth it and what stuff isn't at places like Dollar Tree. Some of their products are fine, while others I've gotten were either stale or tasted awful. I bought several pouches of tomato sauce from them recently, and we tried one of them and it was horrible - bitter and sour, so now I am stuck with the rest of them. I also bought some fried tortilla strips for salads from them, and they were seriously stale and chewy, not crunchy at all. One of the best deals I found there recently though was that they started carrying Progresso brand Artichoke Hearts. That is a steal to get them for $1, since they are usually $3-$4 elsewhere. You also have to be careful with what you are getting there because some of those items normally sell for under $1 at other stores, so you are actually paying more for them at Dollar Tree - stuff like canned goods comes to mind, such as canned beans.
You are so right. There are absolutely food items there that aren't worth the savings -- like a lot of the freezer foods they have there. Granted - they are selling them in 'dollar sized' packages I guess - but I would much rather spend the little bit extra and get the full sized package somewhere else -- for example a 10 slice pack of cheese for $1.00 when I can buy a 24 pack for just a little more at my grocery store. I also agree about the canned foods, sometimes they will run them 2/1 but I'm not paying 1.00 for a random brand name can of green beans. Junk food is definitely a hot commodity there though. The brands are sometimes a bit different.. but it's all edible and they are regular sized bags for the most part.
