I’ve always kept an eye on the sale rack, but I’m relatively new to disciplined couponing. Since I’ve started to contemplate all the new expenses (never mind responsibilities) that come along with having a new baby, I asked Heather from Freebies 4 Mom to share her tips. Heather has a terrific goal: to help everyone learn how to save money on the products they use daily.
How and when did you first become involved in the "Freebie World?"
After my second son was born, I was looking for ways to save money on everything because it was a challenging transition for my family to go from a "dual-income with no kids" to "single-income with two kids" within two years. So I started paying attention to free samples and coupons because I saw the potential for them to help reduce our grocery bill. I started spending time online learning about how to save money by taking advantage of all the promotions by retailers and manufacturers. I discovered that saving money can be fun and it became my hobby to find the best freebies and share them with my friends by email.
My list of friends grew quickly and I needed to find a new format to share my finds. Just before my youngest son turned one I started my blog Freebies4Mom.com so that I could easily share my finds and help others save money too.
I grew up in a family that shopped at garage sales for everything from clothes to cars. My parents introduced me to the thrill of the hunt for amazing deals at garage sales and stores. I started using coupons when I was in college, but didn't fully realize their savings power until I became a mom. I love shopping sales, but especially clearances. I hunt for clearance items at every store I shop at.
Now I am rewarded by sharing my freebie finding hobby with thousands of people every day through my blog. I didn't realize it until recently, but I've spent my entire life earning about everything related to saving money. I feel I have unique knowledge to pass along to my readers. I recently received the honor of being included in the Nielsen's Power 50 Moms list as a "Savvy Spender Mom Blog.” It was quite a surprise and a big thrill to be highlighted out of the thousands of mom blogs out there. But the biggest honor is to have so many people tell me that I'm helping them save money.
For moms (or anyone) who are new to couponing, what is the best way to take a jump in?
- Start simple and don't let it overwhelm you.
- Start paying attention to the Sunday paper by clipping coupons and reading the weekly store ads.
- For free samples that you request online, start visiting Freebie Friday at MomAdvice.com <http://MomAdvice.com> for the best free samples and free events. I contribute to this weekly list, and it really is the best weekly list for free stuff around.
- If you have a few minutes each day, then start reading my blog Freebies4Mom.com because I cover a wide variety of freebies and money-savers. Reading blogs is fun and a great way to get information in a more personal way. You will find your time spent on freebies and coupons is rewarded. The more rewarding it becomes the more time you'll want to spend on it.
- I find that the most important step to take for those new to the frugal world is for people to change the way they think about their purchases. When you carefully track the money you're spending, you start to think about alternatives to what you are spending on. Sometimes it's not about denying yourself something, but finding a free alternative to what you want. The free alternatives are what I focus my blog on. Don't spend mindlessly, but think about every penny that leaves your wallet and how to keep those pennies in your wallet.
Money is a resource that we need for our daily lives, but we also need it for our future. Saving for our own retirement, and for our children's education is important. Moms need to choose not to spend all of the money they have at this moment, so that they can save for their family's future needs.
I'm a new mom-to-be and there are some scary numbers out there about how much it costs to raise a child from birth to 18, never mind college. What can moms do to save on the essentials right off the bat?
Ignore the statistics about the price of raising children because what matters is how you work within your budget on a day-to-day basis. The best way to go about saving money on baby and kid stuff is to change the way you acquire the things that you need and want.
Here are a few ideas:
- Try to get baby items for FREE
- If not free, then try for gently USED.
- Try to get items new but DISCOUNTED.
Babies require only a few basics to be happy, but there are a lot of gadgets and extras that are marketed to new moms. Focus on the basics that you need for baby: food, clothing, diapering, safe equipment (crib, carseat, highchair, etc.).
Do you think it sounds crazy to try to get FREE baby stuff?
Well, it's not because Freepeats.org helps you find gently used (and sometimes new) maternity, baby and kid stuff locally in 51 cities. Some moms (including me) just want to give stuff away to other moms who can use it, but have a hard time connecting with those other moms. Freepeats connects people so that they can help each other.
Gift Registries
Getting things for free also means asking for the things you need and want as gifts. Register at a store your family and friends shop at. My favorite is the Target Baby Registry because they have everything and it's easy to buy things in the store or online. Or you can ask for gift cards so you can buy exactly what you need (even diapers).
Garage Sales
If you have time to go to garage sales, it can be rewarding to visit them at the end of the sale when people will sometimes give stuff away rather than hauling it off to donate. See how many different ways there are to get things for your baby without taking money out of your purse? You can find gently used baby stuff from several different sources. This is where you have to be a treasure hunter, so it helps if you can tell your friends and family what you are looking for so that they can help you hunt for that treasure. You can go to garage sales, shop at thrift stores, or shop online at local forums. Garage sales are fun to go to, but can be one of the most time-consuming ways to find things.
Resale Shops
Resale shops are excellent places to find what you need, especially the ones the specialize in maternity/baby/kid stuff. If you are looking for bigger items like strollers, then it's best to call resale shops ahead and ask them what they have in-stock.
Local Forums
Online local forums like Craig's List or Walmart's Free Classifieds are great places to look (and great places to sell your own stuff because it's free to list items for sale).
Discounts and Clearance Sales
After you've exhausted your resources for getting free and gently used baby stuff, then you need to look at how to buy what you need new but at a discounted price. When you shop a great clearance sale (70 to 90% off original price) look closely and think ahead to what your kids will need up to a year from now. Also use this as an opportunity to stock your gift closet for your own children and for the birthdays they attend.
Use the internet as a resource for finding deals, comparing prices, and reading product reviews. My favorite deal-finding blog is BabyCheapskate.com.
Returns
Another part of being a smart shopper is to return the things that you don't need or change your mind on. I'm amazed by how many people who have brand-new clothing with tags hanging in their kids closets that they outgrow before they ever wear. Keep your receipts and return things promptly as soon as you realize you don't need it. It's usually worth your time to make those returns happen and get your money back in your purse.
What stores (online or brick-and-mortar) do you think consistently offer the best deals on baby supplies?
The best deals are at your local grocery store, superstore, or drugstore if you time your purchase right. It's a great idea to read the weekly store ads to know what's on sale and then use coupons if possible on those sales items that you need in your household.
When buying diapers and formula the best source of information is Baby Cheapskate, where you'll find the "Top Diaper and Formula Deals of the Week" posted every Sunday.
How do you find coupons beyond the Sunday coupon inserts?
Visit me at Freebies4Mom.com where I list the hottest printable coupons and tell you about free samples that usually include coupons. Saving money is all about timing your purchases. You can save the most when you wait to use a coupon when the item is on sale. There are also deals online at Amazon.com and other retailers, but you usually have to buy in-bulk and sometimes factor in the shipping cost before you determine if it's really a good deal.
I think you'll find better deals in-store if you are willing to spend some time looking for the best deals each week and are willing to shop at a few different stores.
What about baby furniture? Where do you shop?
For baby furniture I recommend looking for sales, not buying gender-specific styles, and keeping things simple. I bought our baby furniture at Target, Walmart, and Babies 'R Us and it was all either on sale or just a great low price.
With furniture purchases you have to think long-term. Where will this furniture be in 10 years? With the new convertible crib styles, you can keep your crib well beyond the baby years. Some convertible cribs can become a headboard and footboard for a full-size bed.
My nursery furniture used for both of my boys is now all in my guest room (which previously only had folding tables as furniture with the bed on a basic frame). It does cost a little more to buy the convertible crib, but if you think ahead to how you will use it I think it can be worth it. I purchased my crib at Babies 'R Us when it was on sale, you also should keep an eye out on the coupons they issue.
My rocking chair I found in the Garden Department at Walmart for a great price. I totally skipped the expensive gliders because I just didn't think I needed one (and I didn't). My basic rocking chair worked great for rocking and nursing my babies. Now it works great for reading books to my toddlers. I did splurge at Target on a matching chifarobe and dresser that was on clearance at Target. But when I bought them I knew that someday I would move them into my guest room.
And for clothing? Where are the best deals?
Almost all of my kids clothing are hand-me-downs or were purchased at garage sales. Especially now that I have two boys close in age, I almost never go shopping for their clothing. If I do go shopping, it's because we have a very specific need (like a winter coat) that our current stock of clothing won't cover. If I don't have time to hunt for something at a resale shop or at garage sales, the I will shop my favorite stores both in-store and online.
I like to shop for kids clothing at Target and Old Navy because they have cute stuff and prices are reasonable (especially the sales and clearances). I always look at the Clearance section first and I try to think ahead to what we will need for the next season if the prices are really low. But I primarily rely on the hand-me-downs and garage sale finds. It's wonderful not to worry about ruining any of our pre-loved clothing because we didn't spend a lot of money on it.
How can moms take advantage of your site on a daily basis?
If you are new to Freebies4Mom.com, I'd love to welcome you with a short introduction and orientation here. If you have time to visit Freebies4Mom.com every day, then you'll have fun browsing the hottest freebies and coupons around. If you prefer to get an email from me every day, then it's easy to subscribe to the Freebies4Mom email updates here . I post several new things each and every day because the hottest freebies last for less than a day.
My job is to sift through all the freebies and promotions out there and tell you about the best ones. Most of the free samples I share are for consumable products that most families use. Because I have two toddlers, I have an eye out for the freebies for our children to share with my readers. If you are looking for a specific freebie, coupon or type of offer, then just type it into my "Search" box at the top right. I've also got great resources lists at the bottom of the left sidebar that can give you some general categories to browse. A great post for any parent to read is my "Baby, Toddlers, and Kid Freebies ." Moms with toddlers and school-age children will find my new Rewarding Summer Reading Programs list useful. I like to share free alternatives to family entertainment because buying movies and reading material can add up fast, but are some of the easiest things to get for free.
Where to find Heather:
Freebies 4 Mom blog
Follow Freebies 4 Mom on Twitter
Thanks for all the great tips, Heather!
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Are you running a website, blog or business catering to new moms? Email adrienne@momcentral.com if you'd like to be featured here on the Mom Central Baby blog.
