It’s very surprising that I don’t already have a section on this blog devoted to saving money, given my tendency to buy multiples when something’s on sale and go Black Friday shopping, and because I always need to feel like I got a deal on anything I purchase. But thanks to this new blog category I’ll be sharing my money saving triumphs.

One of my colleagues said that she’d stock up on things too if she could afford to, and I understand that if you’re on a fairly tight budget, you may not be able to buy more than one of an item, even if it’s on sale. However, thanks to the fact that Canadian stores seem to have limits on the amount of items you can buy on sale (at least in one transaction), it can be worth it to blow the budget a bit (not to downplay the importance of keeping a budget even though I’m still resisting it!). Some things that I refuse to pay full price for because they always go on sale include:

• aluminium foil
• AA batteries (I don’t usually stock up on the other sizes since I use them less often, and they have expiry dates!)
• cereal
• body lotion
• body wash
• deodorant
• facial tissues (aka “Kleenex”)
• lip balm
• paper towels
• plastic wrap (Saran wrap)
• toilet paper
• toothpaste

I stock up on these items and keep an eye on my supplies as they dwindle.

You can also find some good deals at the dollar store. I (unashamedly!) buy the following (rather random) things from the dollar store:

• parchment paper for baking
• sandwich and freezer bags for food
• wire whisks, serving spoons and similar items
• scrubbing sponges
• brush for scrubbing the bathtub or floors

I’ll be the first to admit that the sandwich and freezer bags that you can get elsewhere are probably better quality than the dollar store ones, but it depends on what you intend to use them for. If you’re planning on putting some nuts or stale bread in the bag and running a rolling pin over the bag to crush its contents, the bag will burst. The same thing will happen if you’re planning to use the bag as a makeshift icing bag. But if you really are just using the bags to hold something, you won’t have any complaints.

I try not to buy clothing at full price but as a plus sized lady, if I don’t move fast on something I love, it may be gone and I’ll waste gas and time trying to find it at another store location. I often still get at least 20% off most clothing items I buy because many stores have at least a small promotion going on most of the time. I worked in retail for years too so I know that everything eventually goes on sale (they just might not have your size by that time!).

Despite all my frugal ways, I’ll never be a true frugalista because I love to eat out. I don’t go to restaurants hoping or expecting to get a deal; for me eating out is the deal because it means I don’t have to cook. Of course I stalk group buying websites for deals for my favourite restaurants and if there is a deal on something I want to eat I’m delighted, but if I don’t see such a deal, I’ll still enjoy my meal.

The way I currently save money is by using flyers as my guide. I’m going to step up my game by using the group-buying sites more and also clipping coupons. If you have any other great money-saving ideas, do share!