The new year always brings new resolutions to loose weight, eat healthy, and save money! If there is one thing that often holds people back from Saving Money it’s the idea that they are too busy to save money. I can totally relate to that sentiment, As a working mom with 3 kids life flies by faster than I can keep up with most of the time and there are more days than I can count where my to do list goes un-done. I thought I would highlight some of my Favorite Ways that Busy People Save Money, because it is possible to both save Time and Money.
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12 Ways Busy People Save Money
1. They Have a Budget and Use Cash
If you haven’t been through our series How to Make a Budget work for you then I HIGHLY recommend you go through this series and work through each of the steps. Having a budget is something that will save you a lot of time and headaches in the long run. While it may seem like you don’t have time to make a budget the truth is your probably spending just as much time or more trying to keep things afloat, pay all the bills, and make your bank account balance at the end of the month and you could save yourself a lot of time and headaches (not to mention money) by creating a Zero Based Budget.
Another great way to save both Time and Money is to use Cash. I am among those people that have gone back and forth between using a credit card (And paying it off each month) and using cash. Can I just be honest and say that when I’m strapped for time the first thing that goes is entering receipts, or spending into a budget system to track. Using Cash allows me to take out exactly the amount I plan to spend + it forces me to stick to my budget even when I’m in a hurry. I guarantee that using cash will cause you to think carefully about every item going in your cart before you hit the checkouts!
There are some great apps out there to Track your Spending and Budgets some of my favorites are: Mint, Quicken, and Mvelopes
2. They Create a Menu Plan Based on their Weekly Schedule
Most people don’t take the time to make a Menu Plan each week, but the truth is this is one of the things that only takes a few minutes but will save you Hundreds of dollars each year.
One of the things that I recommend is planning your Menu Based on your schedule that week. I actually have adapted my Menu Plan to include highlights for each day’s schedule so that I can plan a meal that will fit into our day. The last thing you want to do is plan to grill Steaks on a night where you have Basketball Practice till 7:30 because you will end up opting for take out which gets expensive fast.
Here’s a Direct Link to my Menu Plan Worksheet that I use each week. You can Click This Link to Download the Menu Plan Worksheet.
I use 3 factors when building my Menu Plan to save money:
- Start with Items you Already have on Hand
- Next Use Items that are On Sale
- Add in Any Remaining Meals
Watch this video for More Information on Menu Planning
3. They Always Shop with a List & Don’t Overbuy
Impulse spending is one of the fastest ways to blow a budget. If you do nothing else in a week start a Shopping list either on your phone or on paper and when you get to the stores stick to it!
If you are using coupons then pull out your coupons before you get to the store and place them in a separate envelope or area so that you can find them quickly. I also use this Shopping List Planner to make sure I don’t forget to use coupons once I get in stores. This is a great list to use when checking the Grocery Store Pages on our site too!
My Shopping List each week consists of 3 things:
- Items I need to Complete My Menu Plan
- Items that are on Sale
- Items I’m Stockpiling
You can also plan your shopping list by area of the grocery store which makes shopping quick and efficient. This FREE Grocery Shopping List App will organize your list for you by are of the stores and you can check off each list as you go. It’s a really easy way to stay organized and have your list ready for you when you get to the store.
4. They Price Match Multiple Stores at Once
One of the best ways to save money is by price matching, Walmart has one of the best price match polices out there, you can price match stores in your local area and save time by grabbing all the best deals in one place without driving all over town.
I love to price match produce from Aldi and my other local grocery stores at Walmart. If I am short on time then I will run in the store, pull up the ad on my phone and check to see what produce is on sale this week. I save a lot of money on Fresh Fruits & Vegetables this way which are items that we rarely see coupons for.
I Highly Recommend the Flipp App for Price Matching, this app allows you to see all of the Ads and Circulars for each of your local stores making it really easy to price match at checkout. You can also bookmark the ads for your local stores on your phone making it easy to pull up the ads while your in stores.
Read this post for Detailed Information on Price Matching.
5. They Use the Target Cartwheel App
If I could recommend only one app or system for anyone who is short on time it’s the Target Cartwheel App. Just download the Target Cartwheel App on your phone (It’s Free) each week they add new offers to the app up to 50% off! You can learn more about Target Cartwheel Here.
Here are 5 things you need to know about Cartwheel:
- You can stack Cartwheel Coupons with Target Coupons, Sales, Gift Card Deals & Manufacturer Coupons
- You can use each Cartwheel Coupon 4 times per transaction, and do 6 Transactions per day. (Unless noted)
- Collections are the Easy Way to find the Best Offers. I like the Hot Deals & Weekly Ad Collections.
- Find Coupons Quickly by scanning every item you put in your cart to see if there is a cartwheel available.
- The more you use Cartwheel the more “Spaces” you will have in your cartwheel. Most people start with 10-12.
6. They Only Coupon at One Store (CVS or Target)
If you are short on time and you want to save money then pick one store to coupon at, I also suggest that people start with Health and Beauty Items not groceries if they are overwhelmed because those items don’t need to be purchased on a weekly basis. I normally recommend CVS or Target if you have those near you because they consistently have some of the best deals.
- Focusing on one store allows you to really learn a stores rewards programs, store coupons and policies.
- Shopping at the same store consistently lets you spend and redeem rewards consistently so that you don’t loose track and end up with expired rewards.
- Over time almost all sales come to each store so you can build a stockpile of items by sticking to one store and picking up the best deals each week.
Each week we post TONS of CVS Deals and Target Deals I recommend checking those store pages on the website or the PassionForSavings App.
Target Shoppers can also check out these 21 Secrets to Saving Money at Target and CVS Shoppers will want to make sure they read and understand the 98% Rule at CVS.
7. They only use Printable Coupons
While I do have several videos on How to Organize Coupons I also find that Coupons especially Newspaper Insert Coupons are overwhelming to people. People don’t know how many inserts to buy, how to organize them and often people spend WAY TOO MUCH TIME on organizing the coupons and not enough time watching the sales and researching the deals for their store.
Every week there are incredible deals using Printable Coupons. You can get a lot of great deals by using Savings Strategies and Printable Coupons and while you may miss a few deals here and there or pay a few cents more per item the time you save by not messing with Newspaper Insert Coupons will be well worth it.
You can see all the Printable Coupons & In Store Deals we have posted this week on our Coupons Page by just clicking on the word Coupons at the top of the site.
8. They Use Rebate Apps
Coupons are a thing of the past, the future is really in all the ways you can save money with your phone. There are several really fantastic Rebate Apps that allow you to earn Cash Back on your purchases! Here are 5 of my Favorite Rebate Apps:
I recommend starting with Ibotta if you aren’t familiar with any of these apps. You can read my review on How to Use Ibotta Here.
9. They Stockpile & Compare Unit Prices
Stockpiling is one of the BEST Methods for saving money, the concept is that you buy enough when you find a rock bottom price to last you through to the next sale. This concept works best when applied to items you use on a regular basis. For example if you find a box of Cereal on Sale for $1 a box after rewards, and your family uses a box of cereal a week, then you would buy 8-10 boxes to last you through till the next time you find that price. Most sales come around every 8-10 weeks in our area.
Stockpiling things like Health and Beauty Items, Cleaning Supplies, Household Items and Gifts will help you save time by avoiding extra trips to the store for 1 or 2 items. I also find that my life is has seasons that are busier than others. By stockpiling when I have time, I’m able to make it through those busy seasons of life without having to pay full price.
If your curious what a good stockpile price is then make sure you download and print my Personal Stockpile List, this will give you my stockpile price including per unit prices on over 200 items!
10. They Use Retail Me Not to Save In Stores
Have you ever been in a store and realize that you have a coupon “Somewhere” Either at home, in the car or maybe still somewhere in your email? Well the solution is to download the Retail Me Not App. You can actually find hundreds of In Store Coupons to use at places like Express, Banana Republic, Old Navy and Kohls. Just pull up the App while you are in a store and search for that store, you’ll see any coupons available and you can quickly pull up the barcode for the cashier to scan. I have saved hundreds by using this app in stores!
Click Here to Download the Retail Me Not App
11. They Use Amazon Subscribe and Save
One of the things I’m doing more of this year is Shopping Online! I LOVE Amazon Subscribe and Save and I’m going to try to hit my 5 items per month each month so that I can take advantage of the 15% Subscribe and Save Discount each month!
Here are a few tips for saving 15% With Subscribe and Save:
1. You can increase your Subscribe and Save Discount from 5% to 15% when you order 5 Subscribe and Save items in the same month.
2. Check your Subscribe and Save Shipment Date in your account, Mine is the 6th of each month, so I just have to buy 5 Subscribe and Save Items before that date and they will automatically increase my discount from 5% to 15% when I order my 5th item.
3. You do not have to order all 5 items at one time, but it’s sometimes easier that way! You can also order more than 5 items per month and every item over 5 also gets the 15% discount!!! See all the Subscribe and Save Items Here.
4. Set your Delivery Time Frame to 6 months on each item, You can cancel at any time under “My Account, Manage Subscribe and Save” and that gives you plenty of time to decide if you want the item shipped again!
Right now you can grab a FREE 30 Day Trial to Amazon Prime and get Free 2 Day Shipping on thousands of items sold by Amazon.com.
12. They Use the Passion For Savings App to Find Deals Fast
The All New Passion For Savings App is Now Available for both Android and iOS. You can download this FREE App and get Notifications of Hot Deals so that you Never Miss a Hot Deal again! This app will also let you filter based on Online Deals, In Store Deals or Stores. It’s the best way to access all the best deals from your smart phone!
Click Here for More Information on the Passion For Savings App!
You can also Sign up for our Daily Email Updates to keep up with the best deals happening each and every day! We take the time to post all the best deals each week saving you time, so you can print your coupons, make your list and SAVE!
I am passionate about helping people save money, I want them to know the power of living on a budget and being intentional with their money. I know that often times we give up on savings because we think we don’t have enough time, but hopefully these steps will help you realize that you can Save Money even with a Busy Schedule.
The Savings Process
Below are a few more links and resources that will help you save money! Some of these were mentioned in our presentation today.
Learn More about Couponing:
Extreme Couponing Strategies – This page lists 21 Couponing Strategies in detail, Starting with basic strategies and working up to more advanced strategies.
Free Online Coupon Classes – This page has some of our most basic videos on Couponing, Setting up a Coupon Box, Getting Organized, Creating a Meal Plan and more! It’s a great place to start!
Facts & Questions about Using Coupons – This page lists all of the best Facts & Questions regarding coupons and how to get started using coupons!
Get Help Understanding Coupon Matchups – This page will walk you through all those codes and terms listed on the coupon matchups.
You Tube Page – See all of our videos on saving money here!
Menu Planning –
FREE Menu Planning Worksheet – Download this free weekly menu planning page.
FREE Shopping List Printable – Download this Free Shopping List to get organized.
Shopping the Sales –
Sales Cycles – This is a great article that explains sales cycles in detail.
Stockpiling Price List – Download this Free Stockpiling Price List to get an idea of what you should be paying for an item at it’s lowest price point.
Money Saving Apps –
1. Ibotta
This is probably one of my all time favorite apps because it allows me to earn money on items I am already buying. Download the Ibotta App here and sign up for a Free Account. Search for offers at Target, Walmart, Walgreens, Home Depot, Kohls and more! All you need to do is complete simple activities and then purchase corresponding products and upload your receipt. You can redeem your rewards for Cash via Paypal, or even for Starbucks & iTunes Gift Cards!
2. Checkout 51
Similar to Ibotta the Checkout 51 app allows you to earn cash back on grocery purchases you make in stores. The best part about Checkout 51 is it works at ANY Store so it doesn’t matter where you shop you can get great deals using this app! Download Checkout51 Here.
Another Amazing App that you don’t want to live without is Cartwheel. This app litterally has HUNDREDS of coupons for Target products, everything from Bedding to Milk and Eggs! Just scan the items at Target that you want to buy to see if there is a coupon for the item you are buying, or you can also browse the collections on the app to find high value coupons. Download the Cartwheel App Today!
This is one of my favorite apps to use at the Mall! They have links to all the printable store coupons online that you can use. All you have to do is Download the App, Search for the store you’re in and pull up the coupon. I have saved Hundreds of Dollars using this app in stores! Plus it saves you from having to print all the coupons that come in your email, you’ll almost always have everything you need right on your phone.
This is a great App for Price Matching at Walmart. You can download the Weekly Ads app and view the circulars for your local grocery stores on your phone! Just pull up the ads while you’re in the stores and price match produce and any loss leader items each week to save BIG in just minutes! This is a great way to access your local ads without paying for a newspaper subscription!
6. Favado
If you like to use Grocery Store Matchups this app can help you create your shopping list from all the best deals at the grocery store each week. There are a lot of your major retailers for groceries included in this app and they will tell you which coupons to use to save you even more! Sign up for Favado Here.
Shopping at Target
Target Cartwheel – Everything you need to know about how to use the Target Cartwheel Program
Saving Money at Target – This is a Huge List of all of our articles on how you can save money at Target!
Target Gift Card Deals – Everything you need to know!
5 Ways to find Target Store Coupons – From Mobile Coupons to Printable Target In Store Coupons, get the details on how to find all the best Target Store Coupons.
Shopping at Walgreens
How to Save at Walgreens – This post lists all the different methods for saving money at Walgreens.
Shopping at Walmart
Walmart Savings Catcher – A Quick Guide to the new Walmart Savings Catcher Program + How to enter your receipt online.
Download the Savings Catcher App – Use the new app to quickly scan your receipts. Download the app here.
Walmart Price Matching Secrets – Here are some of the best ways to save when price matching!
Price Matching Aldi’s Meat Prices at Walmart – Tips on which meats you can and cannot price match.
Walmart Price Matching Q&A – Everything you need to know about Price Matching at Walmart!
