Tips to Help Families get Financially Fit in the New Year

by Lisa Reynolds of RedPlum

Time is Money - Families can save $1,000 per year by spending only twenty minutes per week seeking online and newspaper coupons. Encourage your family to look for coupons for the products they use the most. Keep an envelope in a central part of the house where each person can store the coupons they find. Grab the envelope before doing the weekly grocery shop, and everyone benefits!

Call ‘em Up: Call manufacturer 800 numbers: Up to 35 percent of manufacturers only send coupons upon request.

Read-on-a-dime: Take advantage of your local library! You can take out books, DVD’s and magazines at no-cost. This might also be a fun and educating outing for your kids!

Swapping is in: What’s old is new. Organize a book, movie or toy swap within your circle of friends, your neighbors or child’s school. On a personal note, don’t buy a new evening bag or wrap for a dinner out, swap or borrow. Same is true to holiday or specialty dishes.

Search online first: Try to get two to three online prices on the exact items you’re interested in. Without those price comparisons in-hand you risk paying too much even for an item that is “on sale.”

Enlist the help of friends: Maybe you’re running to get a new outfit and don’t want to pay full price. Call a friend who’s always in the know, or ask your super savvy sister who’s always finding savings online. Even better, get on Facebook and Twitter if you’re not already and post info about what you’re looking for there. (Deal seekers should be sure to visit twitter.com/redplumeditor and facebook.com/redplum for great savings!)

Just do it – get organized: Plan your meals around deals as you pair print and online coupons with circulars and store specials. Also make a shopping list that keeps you on task and stick to it.

According to the RedPlum Purse String Study, a survey of over 16,000 consumers, 80% of respondents spend up to three hours each week seeking out coupons, deals and savings from all sources. This was true across the board, regardless of age, children in the household or income

The survey also reveals that 82% said they use the money they save with coupons on basic necessities or paying down debt


Diva Toolbox Radio: Viva la Value
With Lisa Reynolds, RedPlum’s Mom-saver-in-chief

Lisa Reynolds, RedPlum’s Mom-saver-in-chief and host of Diva Toolbox Radio: Viva la Value, is a busy working mom of two young boys who lives and breathes the value lifestyle she talks about during her radio show. Lisa’s advice? Never buy anything that’s not on sale and don’t go to the store without your coupons. She gets her love of deal hunting from her mother who she describes as “helpful Heloise” and from her grandmother who lived through the Great Depression and mailed her coupons for many years.