Shannon over at Rocks In My Dryer (a blog I adore even if it doesn’t have much to do with saving money!) usually hosts a weekly Works-For-Me-Wednesday feature with loads of helpful ideas, inspiration, and information–especially for moms!
She’s mixing things up today and asking everyone to share what doesn’t work for us. I thought it would be fun to share some bargain-shopping things which I’ve found don’t work well for me at this current season of my life:
1) Sending in for manufacturer’s rebates. Believe it or not, I usually find mail-in rebates to be more work than they are worth. In addition, since we are on a strict $40/week grocery budget, I don’t have room to pay for extra things just because I get a full rebate back.
My only exception to the no-rebates-rule is when I buy something at CVS that is already free after ECBs and there is a full manufacturer’s rebate I can send in for. Then, and usually only then, I’ll normally take the time to send in for it.
2) Buying groceries more than once per week. I rarely shop outside of my designated once-a-week shopping trip. Otherwise, I find myself wasting time and money buying things I probably didn’t need in the first place. As an added bonus, I like staying home and find I am much more productive and calmer when I make an effort to stay home more.
3) Shopping at Walgreens. Should I admit this?! I stopped shopping at Walgreens almost eight months ago and have only been back three times since then to hit some exceptional-can’t-miss deal. I shopped there regularly for a few years but after I had my second baby, I felt the need to streamline my shopping in order to keep things simple.
I’ve found that one or two transactions at CVS each week keep us plenty stocked on household items. Plus, I prefer the CVS system and cashiers to Walgreens. If we ever move somewhere that does not have a CVS, I will certainly be happy to go back to Walgreens shopping again since I know there are lots of great deals to be had there!
So there are my bargain-shopping "what-doesn’t-work-for-me" confessions. What about you? We are all in different situations and locations with different families, different diet preferences and restrictions, and different time constraints so it should be interesting to hear what doesn’t work for others.
Also, I’d love to know if I’m the only person who only shops once per week, doesn’t send in for rebates, and skips Walgreens most of the time. Do tell!
And speaking of things that don’t work, if you want to hear about one of my biggest over-achieving, first-time mothering flops, you’ll enjoy this post.
In the first picture, I spent $8 and received $5 ECBs!
