From one person to a family of five, it’s always important to find ways of making every dollar stretch as far as possible. With the inclusion of technology, it’s become much easier to find deals, coupons and sales for every type of item purchased. There are some basic frugal living tips that, despite involving a little time investment, are all worth it in the end.
There’s an App for That
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So many popular stores, both online and brick-and-mortar, now have their own app for smart phones. This is a very handy tool for so many reasons. Many apps give the ability to look at their weekly circular for items on sale or coupons that are only good for that week. This may help determine which store is used for various purchases. This is also great to have on hand if at a store that does price matching, so that the other competitor’s sale may be brought up with a few swipes of a finger to show proof of the special.
Printable Coupons
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While the Sunday paper coupons are still available, no everyone is willing to go to the store in order to grab a copy every week. However, many coupons may be found online, both through online store sites as well as manufacturer sites. It’s always worth searching for a current available coupon for items of all sizes, even larger purchases like appliances. Some coupon sites bundle all major stores and manufacturers together, making the search much quicker, as well as giving the option to being alerted of new deals that are released.
Create a Budget
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This is a standard and well known tip, but it never loses its importance. It is always worthy of mention, regardless of how often it is said. What is improved with it now is the ability to utilize a variety of available smart phone apps which help track what is spent, and even help to compare prices on sales to see which one is actually the better deal. Some budget apps allow for the creation of a shopping list and aid in tracking how much is spent in order to keep at or under a prescribed budget. It no longer takes hours to create a budget and work on keeping at it with the aid of such a handy tool.
