25 ways to save money and bargain shop in small towns and rural areas: Part 1
(update 3/5/09 – part 2 is now available here)
I read tons of great blogs that tell you how to save money and coupon at places like Kroger, Walgreens, CVS, Rite Aid, Meijer, Publix [insert any big store name here]! These deals are great, but what if you live in a place where none of these stores exist? How do you save money and bargain shop when you DON’T live in a big city?
Well, I am here to tell you that even if you live in the middle of nowhere like we do (100+ miles from any “city” of 20,000 or more), it is possible to save money and bargain shop.
So, I am starting a series of blog posts explaining super easy ways to save money and “coupon in the country”: (and yes, you can still use these tips if you live in a city, lol).
- We have personally used most or all of these tips, and I can tell you that they do work!
1) Since it is nearly impossible to get free or cheap items via “couponing,” the number one most important thing you can do is focus more on small ways you can make extra money, rather than saving money via couponing.
We earn extra money online primarily through paid survey sites (if you want to sign up for just one survey site to see what it’s like, try MySurvey), and other sites in our free money section. We also get paid to search online with Swagbucks and iRazoo.
2) If you have a local Walmart or local grocery store, ask the store manager if they will price match ads from big city newspapers. Even if you do not have a Kroger or CVS in your town, it is possible your local store will still price match these type of ads, especially if you live 60 miles or less from one of these stores.
- Walmart DOES price match ads, but local Walmart stores can limit what ads they will price match (usually just stores in the local area, but how far out “local” is, well, that’s up to each Walmart store).
3) Shop for deals online (subscribe to our blog; we’ll keep you updated on the latest deals)
4) Sign up for Great Food for All or Angel Food Ministries. These programs help you feed a family of 4 for $30 a week, or a single person for $30 a month.
5) Sign up for UPromise.com. It is a great way to turn everyday purchases into college savings, either for yourself or your children! According to the UPromise website, “Every time you make an eligible purchase, our partners return a portion of that money back to you. Those earnings accumulate in your Upromise account until you decide to use it to invest in a 529 plan, help pay down eligible student loans or assist with college expenses—all tax-free!”
So, you get cashback up to 25% on your purchases, to use for college expenses! These are purchases you are already making anyway! You link a credit or debit card to your UPromise account, and every time you make a purchase at a qualified merchant, the cashback automatically goes into your UPromise account!
Tons of companies are part of this program, including McDonald’s, Target, ExxonMobil, and eBay, just to name a few! You are really missing out if you are not part of this program yet! They even offer free coupons!! Sign up at UPromise.com
***Also, VERY IMPORTANT, when you sign up for UPromise, be sure to register your credit card, debit card and/or grocery cards that you plan to use with the program as soon as you sign up! If you do not register your cards with the program, you will not be able to earn cashback! So register them while you are signing up, so you don’t miss out on any cashback from the start! You will be kicking yourself later if you don’t!!!!
We have more great tips to share with you, and we will include the other 20 tips for saving money and bargain shopping in future articles in this series.
Updated 3/5/09: You can view part 2 of the series here.
Be sure to subscribe to our free blog updates so you don’t miss the rest of this series!
- We would also love to hear from any of you that live in small towns or rural areas. How do YOU bargain shop and save money? Post a comment or send us an email at momma AT gmx DOT com to let us know! If you like this series, please share it with your friends and family!
jenny says
Sooooooo many deals are not available where I live. I look forward to the rest of this series!
Money Savin' Momma says
Thanks for your comment! We feel exactly like you… very few deals available locally where we live! That’s why we decided to do this series, to help others out, who feel the same way! Good luck to you!
* says
Making spare change online is a way I have been trying to help out with our regular expenses for a few years now. Ive never been able to get into paid surveys though, they bug me LOL, by the time Im done with one I always want to scream “SHUT UP AND STOP ASKING ME SUCH STUPID QUESTIONS!!!!” So I stick to paid to click sites and stuff like that lol… Just learning to use coupons/rebates and shop sales, I stopped throwing grocery store fliers into the fire bin as soon as they show up and now they have a week long home on my desk so I can comparison shop 😀 So far so good! Looking forward to seeing the other ways you have coming in your series 🙂
Money Savin' Momma says
Thanks for your comment! Everyone does have their own preferences on what works for them. We have had great success with paid survey sites, as well as sites that pay you to read emails Hits4Pay), and sites where you get paid to search online (like Swagbucks and iRazoo).