Money-saving tips from The Bargainist

Five Foods that Will Drastically Cut Your Grocery Bill

Most of us are looking for ways to reduce costs. Whether you’ve started clipping coupons or you’ve cut back on eating out, food budgets are a good place to go when looking for breathing room in your budget. There are other ways to save at the grocery store, including stocking up on certain foods. Here are five foods that when implemented into your diet will drastically cut your grocery bill.

A Strategy for Saving on School Supplies

For those with children heading back to school, that directory of required supplies can feel like fulfilling a Christmas wish list, only not as fun. But if you go into the stores with a strategy for saving on school supplies you can get it done at a fraction of the price. Add in some extra savings before you go by checking the latest deals at the Ultimate Coupons Back To School Sale page. Here’s what we mean.

What Celebrities Can Teach Us About Money

They have bathtubs made out of 24K gold. They never wear a pair of underwear a second time. In one night they rack up bar tabs that would pay off the average American’s mortgage. Celebrities aren’t always known for their money smarts. But sometimes the best lessons are learned from other people’s mistakes. Here’s what celebrities can teach us about money.

Saving Big with Sales Tax Holidays

Many states’ sales tax holidays are held just in time for back-to-school shopping. It’s a great time to pick up items including clothes, computers and school supplies without having to pay Uncle Sam his chunk. To get you started with some coupons to save on top of that no-tax bonanza, check out the Ultimate Coupons Back To School Sale page. Here are the details on sales tax holidays for the 16 states lucky enough to have them.

When DIY Home Repairs can Start to Get Costly

It’s no secret—going D-I-Y can save you B-I-G. But there comes a point when DIY home repairs can start to get costly. Usually that’s when the repairs to fix your repairs cost more than the original repairs would have in the first place. Here are some examples of when DIY may actually end up costing you more than calling a pro right away.

Do Up Your Dorm Room for Less

There are few places less inspiring than an empty college dorm room. There’s the institution-like furniture, the cement block walls and the complete void of any color. Not to mention it’s only slightly bigger than a department store fitting room. With a little creativity and a few bucks it’s a space that can be transformed into an inspiring oasis for budding scholars. Here’s your syllabus for doing up your dorm room for less.

Steps for Keeping Your Grocery Coupons Organized

You’ve pored over the Sunday paper. You’ve clipped coupons until your fingers were numb. You’ve scoured the Internet for savings. Don’t let that work go to waste with poor organization skills. Keep your grocery coupons organized with these five simple steps.

Snag Free and Cheap School Supplies

Kids everywhere are groaning over the appearance of back-to-school sales. After all, it’s not even August yet! But the truth is, when you start shopping early, you’ll get the best deals. There are plenty of free and cheap school supplies out there already. For some more fantabulous B2S coupons, check out the Ultimate Coupons Back To School Sale page. Here are a few to pick up right away.

How to Improve Your Credit Score

509. 745. 688. Credit score numbers may look random to the untrained eye, but they’re anything but. These days, something as minor as paying your electric bill a week late can wreak havoc with your credit rating, which in turn means you might not be able to get that new (to you) car or qualify for a home loan or new credit card. Read on for some quick, easy tips on improving your credit score, courtesy of GoFreeCredit.com!

Eco-Baby: Green Products that will Keep Kid Costs Down

Babies are a mystery. How can something so little cost so much? Tiny humans have an incredible ability to generate a lot of waste—and I’m not just talking about what shows up in their diapers. Make your baby earth-friendly and budget-friendly with these green products that will keep kid costs down.

Guest Blog Post: How to Survive and Thrive in a New City by Snarkaholic

We'd like to introduce what will hopefully be the first of many guest blog posts by one of our faithful readers! Janet at Snarkaholic writes, often irreverently, always humorously, about moving from the Midwest to the city of the stars, Los Angeles, and how she and her husband have dealt with going from experiencing "Minnesota Nice" to LA attitude.

Three years ago, my husband and I moved halfway across the country from Minneapolis to Los Angeles after just five months of marriage. It was a huge culture shock, especially since we didn’t have time to suss out the city before moving since his job offer came so quickly. It took us some time to get used to our palm tree-filled surroundings, and we stumbled a lot, but now we consider ourselves experts on acclimating to and thriving in new cities. With today’s economy, you have to take jobs whenever and wherever they come up, but don’t sacrifice your social life! Read on for some tips on living in a new place.

Make Your Summer Road Trip Cheaper and More Fun

So you’ve decided to head out on the open road this summer. There’s nothing quite like the freedom from flight departure schedules and baggage weight limits. Before hitting the highway, check out these ways to make your summer road trip cheaper and more fun.

Let Your Craftiness Pay Off: Where to Sell Handmade Items

Wondering how you can turn a pet project into a cash cow? Your hobby may have hidden earning potential. In order to find out, try selling your crafts to the public. Here are some suggestions for where to sell your handmade items.

Bridesmaids and Groomsmen: How to Reduce the Cost of Being in the Wedding Party

Sure, your best friend’s been planning her wedding since second grade, but doesn’t she know there’s a recession going on? Simply attending a wedding can cost big bucks, but if you’re a bridesmaid or groomsman the financial obligation starts to feel like a second mortgage payment. Take some of the burden off with these tips for reducing the cost of being in the wedding party.

Find Free Job Training

Are you one of the millions of Americans looking for a job? Make yourself stand out from the competition by learning new skills or freshening up the ones you already have. There are plenty of programs and organizations offering free job training in a variety of fields. Here’s where you can find free job training.

Keeping Your Kids Cheaply Entertained This Summer

Are the kids driving you crazy this summer? Here are some fresh ideas for frugal summer fun. Keeping your kids cheaply entertained will help parents stay sane and give kids something to tell their friends about next fall.

Celebrate a Frugal Fourth of July

This fourth of July, celebrate freedom frugally! With a few bargains, some freebies and a little old fashioned fun, you can have a 4th of July that will be full of memories without having to spend much money.

Give It Up: Bad Habits Sucking Your Wallet Dry

We’ve all got bad habits. You know the one I’m talking about—it’s appeared on the top of your list of New Year’s resolutions nine years running. It’s probably been the focus of a spousal disagreement or two. And it may be what’s keeping you from being a perfect ten. That bad habit may also be what’s sucking your wallet dry. Here are seven bad habits that could be busting up your budget plans.

How to Be a Shopaholic on a Budget + Confessions of a Shopaholic DVD giveaway!

In Confessions of a Shopaholic, lead character Rebecca Bloomwood is painfully addicted to high fashion. Isla Fisher, the actress that played her in the movie, admits she’s not into designer labels, but she does make her fair share of shopping mistakes. Bestselling author of Confessions of a Shopaholic Sophie Kinsella says she’s also made some poor purchasing decisions over the years. Taking cues from Fisher’s faux-pas and Sophie’s snafus, here are four ways to be a shopaholic on a budget.

Plus! We're giving away a copy of the Confessions of a Shopaholic DVD on Twitter! Just become a follower of @Bargainist (if you aren't already!) and retweet to enter. We'll choose the winner at 3:00pm PST on Tuesday, 06/23/2009. Good luck!

Free Admission: Museums, Stadiums, Parks and More

Admission prices can be steep. But what if you could get into museums, stadiums, parks and more for free? Besides having more money to spend on $5 hot dogs and foam fingers, you may be able to experience more this summer.

Five Ways to Save Money at Home While You're on Vacation

It’s summer and you know what that means– time to get out of town. Most of us are planning our vacations on a budget, but you may not even realize that you can actually save money at home while you’re relaxing on the beach.

Money Advice For Graduates

You’ve got the degree, but do you have financial sense? Setting off into the real world after graduation can be exhilarating and scary mixed with a whole lot of temptation. Before you celebrate landing that grown up job by heading to the car lot, soak up some free money advice from those who’ve been there.

Read on for our sage words of wisdom!

Easy Summer Income for Kids

Three months of study-free sun bathing, sleep overs and staying up late may be your child’s ideal summer vacation. But it can also be a good time to throw in some real life learning about earning income, building wealth and being responsible. Here are some ideas for easy summer income for kids.

Free Summer Fun

Looking for some free fun to pass away the summer months? Lucky for you there’s lots to do that won’t cost lots. If free ice cream, free movies, and free music all sound like your idea of summer fun, then keep reading.

How to Score Free Groceries Every Week

It’s probably one of your favorite four letter words: free. If you’re a fan of paying nothing– you’re in luck. More and more, retailers are offering freebies in order to get customers in the door. Their hope is that you’ll be lured in by the free stuff, then shop around to spend more. But if you stick to your guns, you can get free groceries every week without paying more for stuff you don’t need. Here’s how.

Theme Parks on a Budget: It Can Be Done!

You don’t have to be a millionaire to hang with Mickey. And you don’t need to pick up a part-time job to afford a trip to the theme parks this summer. You and your family can visit a theme park on a budget. Here are some tips for saving money and getting the most fun out of your funds.

Five Free Ways To Live Well

Remember the good old days? Back when your mom was your hair stylist and before $5 lattes were a daily necessity? Returning to the basics can be a great way to live life more frugally and, if done right, with more enjoyment. It may be hard to imagine, but you can live well for free. Here are five examples.

Don't Be Embarrassed: Using Coupons with Pride

In case you haven’t heard, coupon clipping is quickly becoming one of America’s favorite hobbies. But not everyone feels comfortable handing a cashier a thick stack of snippets from the Sunday paper. If you’re imagining dirty looks from those in line behind you or the voice in your head is telling you you’re cheap, get over it. Follow these simple steps for using coupons with pride.

Earn Extra Money with a Part-Time Job

Between wage cuts, forced furloughs and reduced hours your paycheck may be looking a little thin these days. Fatten it up with a part-time job. We’re not talking about managing the fryer at a local fast food joint either. Read on for some fun ways to supplement your salary.

Twitter Tips on Saving Money

If I need a tech question answered, I go to Twitter. If I have a blog I’m excited to promote, I go to Twitter. And if I need someone to write my blog for me, I go to Twitter– well at least I did this time. I posed a question to hundreds of Twitter followers: what is your best money saving tip? And these are the most brilliant Tweets of the bunch.

Read on!