Being a working wife with 2 kids, I find myself always trying to find a way to make ends meet and struggling to do so. So along with my new discovery of RTC (I guess you could call it more of an obsession, rather than a discovery), I have made myself a new promise: NEVER again will I buy ANYTHING full price.

Being able to shop online and window shop around so many discount sites with coupon codes ansd weekly deals has almost become my stress reliever. I always knew an occasional splurge could be a rush, but had forgotten how much better I feel after taking time out to enjoy simple things that I used to divulge in. With the economy taking a turn for the worst, I have created a bible of a sort to live by so that life is easier and I can still be able to afford to not skip out on everything.

1. Invest in a wholesale club membership. *this may not apply to everyone since so much stuff doesn’t really need to bought in bulk…. like who needs 3 giant bottles of olive oil at once? However, I find myself getting my money’s worth when I fill up my tank at Costco at $2.17 a gallon when the Mobil down the street is $2.33! And with 2 kids and the rate they grow out of clothes, the discounted items I get them there really add up as well.

2. Clip coupons and go to grocery stores that will double them if you can. I recently moved to a new, more “upper-class” neighborhood where I found the nearest supermarket was one I don’t usually go to. I did my regular shopping there to find out that even after their “loyalty program” discounts, I was spending waaaay more than I used to. I took the extra 5 minute drive to get to a different store and brought my ever-so-useful coupon book with me. The 5 minutes of driving and 10 minutes of coupon clipping was totally worthwhile when I saw how much I was saving that I would normally overlook.

3. Comparison shop online. I think within the past 4 months I have saved a fortune that I can’t even keep track of by comparison shopping. Try freebie offers and discounts like Slickdeals.net and Spoofee.com. Between the promo codes and discount online coupons that you can find, if you take the time to really compare prices at different retail outlets and stores you will find yourself saving more than you could ever save in-store. Yes, even better than most of their “sale” day items.

4. Live for Craig’s List and other community websites. I don’t go a day without checking out what I can get for free, cheap or for trade on Craig’s List, Pennysaver USA, and so many other community sites. Take the time to sign up for things like Freecycle.org and you will be pleasantly surprised when you see what people are willing to just give away! It really is true, one woman’s junk can be MY treasure!

Good luck to all for beating the economical beat-down and saving our money and our sanity!

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