Secrets to Finding a Great Deal around Phoenix | Money

If there is one thing that I absolutely love, it's KNOWING that I got a great deal!  There is a sense of accomplishment in knowing that someone else paid more for the exact same thing and that I was able through my wit and stealth (or plain luck) to acquire the same item for less.  Sigh.  It's a truly great feeling.

 

Since having a daughter, this little desire to save money and find great deals has not gone away.  In fact, find great satisfaction in beating the consumer-driven system that encourages us mommies to BUY MORE.

 

So, here are a couple of my tips for how I save money on stuff for

 

1.  Children's clothes:  For the first couple of years, our little ones grow out of clothes too quickly for them to even wear everything in their closets.  So, I accept hand-me-downs (especially play clothes) and buy dresses and special occasion wear at consignment stores like Kid to Kid.  I also buy a couple of sizes up.  For instance when my daughter was three months old, I bought size nine months and when she was 12 months old, I bought size 18 months.  In Phoenix this works well because the "summer" clothes can double as under layers in the winter.  For winter clothes, we got tons of hand-me-down jackets and pants and I bought a couple of items a garage sales.  These clothes are so lightly used that they still look new.

 

2. Craigslist: I've bought many items off Craigslist for our home (and nursery).  But, I have some rules:  1.  It MUST be well made furniture.  (To me, this means solid wood.)  2.  I snatch it up same day (or within 24 hours).  If it's a great item, they go quickly.  3. Look past the "old" to what can be.  (I usually paint or refinish furniture if it's not my style.  Things that are easy to change are 1.) color and 2.) hardware - design is more difficult to change, so I usually stick with simple lines and basic designs.  But, my first priority is to find something that is made well enough to LAST.  I don't need junk, that's easy enough to find.)

 

3. Date Night:  I know we are fortunate enough to have sweet friends and family who give us gift cards to restaurants, but that's how we do date night!  I love to ration these gift cards out carefully over time.  When we use the gift cards we generally buy and appetizer and an entree and split both (although hubby always eats more, so it works out), which generally allows us to use the card twice instead of only once.  SCORE! Local tip:  The Green House in Kierland Commons has the most AH-mazing Spinach and Artichoke Fondue served with yummy pita bread.  This definitely counts as an entree!  YUM.

 

4. Cloth diapers + Amazon Mom:  We use cloth diapers... and disposables.  I pick my days when I'm up for the laundry and the mess since becoming pregnant with our second my nose just can't handle as much.  So thankfully, we also have some disposables as back up.  We buy them at 30% off with FREE SHIPPING through the Amazon Mom program.  You can't find a cheaper diaper AND they deliver them to my front door every month like clock work!