Join a wholesale/membership club: When I moved to Elon, I found a BJ’s nearby, and I got a membership. I make one “big” BJ’s shopping trip every month, and I know I’ve already saved a lot of money. I’ve only bought shampoo and shower stuff, cleaning supplies, and surprisingly milk once since I moved in, and I stock up on Lean Cuisines, fruit, meats, snacks, and other items about every 2-3 weeks. BJ’s is wonderful. There are other online membership services, too, like New Vision Nutrition, Ipsy, and Dollar Shave Club. Dollar Shave Club prides itself in providing great razors at great prices so you can get a clean shave each time. Your membership gets you a box of fresh razors sent right to your door, and saves you the money and hassle of buying your own. Check out their website for more information, and watch their hilarious viral video, “Our Blades Are F*ing Great.”
Grocery store rewards cards: These are my favorite things ever. Most grocery stores have rewards systems that get you gas points when you shop. I used Kroger’s card in Blacksburg and now I have a Lowes card at Elon. You get a certain discount on gas per gallon depending on how much you shop at the store over the month. Gas is expensive enough, I’ll take every discount I can get!
Coupons: I cannot speak to this enough! I’ve gotten in a habit of buying a Sunday newspaper every week and cutting out coupons to use on my next shopping trip. Seriously, coupons are the best. Read more about my coupon tips here.
Lay out clothes the night before: It seems simple, but this is such a time-saver in the mornings, especially during the week. Sometimes I wake up and question my outfit choice at close to midnight after a long night of homework has fried my brain, but I usually lay out something that works and looks nice. I will gladly take the extra 5-10 minutes of sleep in the mornings.
Make lists: I do this for almost everything, but especially when I go shopping. It helps keep me organized, and usually prevents me from buying things I don’t need. It also saves me some time because I don’t wander around stores trying to remember what I need…it’s right there in my hand. To-do lists keep me productive during the week. I keep track of what assignments I have left to do and it keeps me on top of my work. And I just love the satisfaction of scribbling something out or ripping a sticky note off my whiteboard.
How do you save time and money in your life?
This post was inspired by Dollar Shave Club.
