Dollar Stretcher: Not a Want, but a Need

This is a guest blogger post by Samantha from Life Organize It.com

We live in difficult times, particularly when it comes to money. No matter where you find yourself on the financial pendulum, you should definitley use the following tips to strech your family's dollars.

Dollar Stretcher Tips:

*Visit online dollar stretcher communities for money-saving tips - I love www.fatwallet.com. The forums are filled with neat and fun ways to stack coupons for the biggest savings... especially online shopping!

*If you've got the time and discipline, it definitely pays to clip coupons. Think about the products your family uses most and clip coupons for those products only. Then ask friends and family for their coupon mailers or newspaper inserts to clip duplicates of those coupons. You can even go online and purchase coupons for just pennies. Utilizing coupons in this matter can really help trim the food budget.

*Here's where the discipline comes in... don't use coupons to buy things you wouldn't otherwise purchase such as candy and snacks. You actually spend more money than you save doing this.

*Choose store brands over name brand products. I'll let you in on a little known secret... a few name brand products produce lines that are labeled under the store brand anyways! Why waste your money on a label if the product is the same?

*You've heard it before and I'll say it again, shop the outer aisles of the grocery store. All your vital fruits, veggies, meats, dairy, and whole grain products can be found there. If you happen to venture into the interior aisles, say for some wholesome oatmeal, get it and get out! This little trick cut my family of six's grocery bill on average by $50 - $75 a week (and my kids are big eaters too)!

*It truly pays back both in terms of health and money saved to purchase a variety of fruits and veggies that are in season and meal plan around them. In season produce taste better and is better for you too. Your family will get the nutrients and dense fiber they need in their diet, which means fewer trips to the doctor, and fewer sick days from school and work too.

*Did I mention meal planning? Here's where it truly pays to organize your meal time! Back in the day when the economy was good, our family averaged eating out at least once or twice a week to 'give me a break from the kitchen'. Well, now that the economy is in the pits, my break is over and I absolutely have to utilize meal planning to feed my family, or I'd never make it through the week or until the next payday! I use www.e-mealz.com to not only save my family money, but some time for me too! Each week I get a pre-designed meal plan for my family for only $5 a month! How easy is that? Again, be sure to plan your meals... it will make you healthy, wealthy, and wise... not to mention the love gained from family time around the dinner table!

Life Organize It is a website that is an organizational resource to help every mom become an organized mom. But, not just for moms, in it you'll find solutions to life's organizing dilemmas that will help anyone get an organized life fast. For super easy organizational tips and techniques to kick the clutter and organize it all the easy way, check out www.LifeOrganizeIt.com and live a stress free life in balance.