Amy Kreger’s article on how Work at Home Mom’s and Stay at Home Mom’s can save money prompts me to post on this topic.
1. Inventory what you really have. My wife was cleaning out the shelves one day and found we had a huge supply of writing pads, pens of every description, index cards and other stuff. So now, before buying more, we check our inventory and use it first. I don’t know how she bought all that stuff!
2. Start a custom co-op. Pool your money to buy the office supplies you need in bulk or to save on online shipping. (Or check on sharing the annual price on Amazon Prime too… up to 4 people can be on the same Prime account and get the free second day shipping on many items.)
3. Do “drill down shopping” using the net when you really want to buy something. Here’s a secret I found. I got a “direct mail letter” on some super nutrient. It really sounded good. The scientific name of the “miracle food” is Salvia Hispanica L. It cost up to $30 per pound. Guess what real people call this “super food”?
“Chia” as in “Chia Pets”! Turns out chia is a food grain that has to be sprouted on clay because it gets so gooey. But it can be eaten like any other grain except it’s very nutritious.
I saw prices quotes as low as $6 per pound. If they paid a direct mail marketer thousands of dollars to write the letter, you can probably find something similar or the same by shopping around. Or use the co-op method to buy in bulk if it truly is unique.
4. Beware “national chain Thrift Stores”. Thrift stores are becoming an industry. We have one in my town that rents prime retail space. There must be a lot of money in “Thrift”! There’s so much money sometimes that the prices on “thrift” goods are as high as some “clearance” pricing on new merchandise. In my experience, locally run thrifts are the way to go for the best buys if they have your size… they don’t have mine.
5. Find the manufacturer behind the name brand. I just hinted at the fact that I’m big… 6′5″. I went in to sticker shock over the prices in the “Big and Tall” catalogs. Then I found that one of the pants makers for this particular catalog was just 40 minutes up the road and I could buy things for 50% less without the “label”.
6. Consider online subscriptions. One of my favorite magazines costs $49 per year in print. It costs $10 for a full year online subscription. I’m switching to all online. I never seem to read the magazine any more. If I want news I’ve already seen it online and there’s no real extra value for getting the print version. In fact, all the “extras” come from the online version. They’re going to have to start bribing us better to keep getting the print versions of newspapers and magazines! I never buy the local paper except on Saturday because that edition has one section that I can’t find online - an ad segment no less!
7. Order food through Angel Food Ministries you get a bunch of food in the basic $25 unit each month and specials are excellent too averaging $17 or $18 (you must buy them in addition to a basic unit).
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