Guest Post: Save money on fashion & Beauty Items!

Hello guys! Today I'm bringing you a guest post by Brittany from Shop at Home all about tips and tricks to save money on things we love and wouldn't be blogging without. Thanks for reading! x

Shop Talk: How to Save Big Bucks on Groceries, Clothes & Beauty Products

By Brittany Anas at ShopAtHome

Sometimes I feel like National Geographic could narrate my shopping expeditions -- err -- trips. It’d go something like this: “There she is, stalking her prey. The dress has just been reduced and moved to the clearance rack. She pounces! Now, she’s hunting and gathering at the grocery store with a calculator in one hand and weekly flier in the other, eyeing the perimeter.”

Dramatic? Absolutely. But, I’ll chalk it up to my mom being in the banking business and teaching me to balance a checkbook around the same age I was learning to ride a bike and automatically deducting a dime from my $1 allowance to instill the “save 10 percent rule.”

Here are some saving tips I’ve learned over the years -- thanks to frugal primal instincts, my mom’s advice and figuring out how to stretch my reporter’s paycheck like it’s Silly Putty.

Grocery shopping

·      Always make a list and come armed with coupons. You don’t need to go scissor crazy on the Sunday newspaper. Choose from hundreds of grocery coupons at ShopAtHome.com, where you can search for deals on the products you need. There are a few “regulars” on my grocery list. My fave? I almost always pick up a $6 rotisserie chicken because it’s a quick, no-cook option I use to top salads, fill wraps or mix with black beans, veggies and a little bit of taco seasoning for a quick lunch. 

·       Buy what’s in season. For example, peaches and sweet corn are delish right now -- and you’ll find some amazing deals on them. I stocked up on both during our last grocery trip, so not only am I eating corn with dinner, but I slice off kernels to add to lunch-time salads. With the white peaches, I’m making smoothies, garnishing my yogurt with the fruit and have a cobbler lined up for the weekend.

·       Steer your cart around the perimeter of the store. Not only will you fill it with the healthiest foods, you’ll also save on the bill.

Fashion

·       Sign up for e-mails from your favorite retailers and follow them on Facebook and Twitter. They’ll send out alerts when they have sales -- and that’s especially helpful when it comes to “flash sales” that last just a day or two.

·       Get paid to shop with Cash Back offers from ShopAtHome.com. Sign up for free at ShopAtHome.com and you’ll earn Cash Back when you buy from your favorite stores. There are thousands of merchants and you’ll find some great stores on the Cash Back list, including Banana Republic and Nordstrom and you can even save on designer clothes at stores like Saks Fifth Avenue.

Beauty products

·       Shop dollar stores for basics like makeup remover pads, cotton swabs and hair ties. You’ll save up to 40 percent, plus you can get Cash Back at stores like Dollar General and score free shipping when you spend $25 or more.

·       Do you ever toss beauty products after a couple uses because they just don’t work with your skin type? After going through a few different face washes that irritated my skin, I started doing my research with the help of Beautypedia.com. The reviews of 45,000 beauty products are based on ingredient lists and published research that rate whether the products can live up to their advertised claims.

Brittany Anas writes for ShopAtHome.com

Photo: Creative Commons ya