ask dsm readers

Photo by Trey Ratcliff

Every week I’ll pose a question for you to share your experiences and tips. If you have a question that you’d like me to post, I’d love to hear from you!

Recently Fariba asked me on Facebook how I save money on family vacations, and it just so happens that we’re heading to the Outer Banks next week! We’ve got some staples already packed, plus I’ve been scouring the grocery store ads and getting my coupons ready to grocery shop when I get there.

In the meantime, I wanted to open the question up for you all to share your tips. How do you save on family vacations? Do you camp, rent a house or stay in a hotel? Where is your favorite inexpensive destination? Do you go during the summer vacation season or off-season? How do you save on food and activities? And how do you balance your desire to save money with wanting to just kickback and enjoy the time away from home?

Join the discussion — add your two cents to previous Ask DSM Readers questions too!

Photo by Faith Goble

Every week I’ll pose a question for you to share your experiences and tips. If you have a question that you’d like me to post, I’d love to hear from you!

Recently, I received this question from Kelly:

I was curious to know how you save on things that don’t usually have a plethora of coupons like fresh fruit, vegetables, butcher meats, milk, bread…

As a family, we’re working to eliminate prepared foods and anything that contains high fructose corn syrup. Since we have five kids, we go through a gallon of milk, a loaf of bread or a bag of fruit very quickly, and I’ve been looking for additional ways to save on fresh foods as well.

How do you save on produce, meat, dairy and bread? Do you limit the amount of these foods that you buy in favor of cheaper processed foods? Do you shop at specialty outlets that offer these at a discount?

Join the discussion — add your two cents to previous Ask DSM Readers questions too!

Photo by pau.artigas

Every week I’ll pose a question for you to share your experiences and tips. If you have a question that you’d like me to post, I’d love to hear from you!

Recently, Kristin emailed me with this question:

My husband and I switched about a year ago to a power toothbrush. It has been a great investment. Neither of us has had any cavities since, and our dentist appointments are always so fast because they don’t have to do a ton of cleaning. However, we do have to buy replacement brush heads for the toothbrushes every 3 months and the cost adds up. I think investing in our health is a money wise decision, but I’d still like to save money. My question is, how do DSM readers save on power toothbrush heads?

If you’ve been deal seeking for very long, you probably have a stockpile of free toothbrushes, toothpaste, deodorant and more. But what about “luxury” toiletries, such as electric toothbrush accessories, makeup and tanning lotion?

How do you save on toiletries that may not have Extra Care Bucks or Register Rewards offers as often as everyday toiletries? Where do you find the best deals on these items? Do you buy them in bulk?

Join the discussion — add your two cents to previous Ask DSM Readers questions too!

Every week I’ll pose a question for you to share your experiences and tips. If you have a question that you’d like me to post, I’d love to hear from you!

On the Deal Seeking Mom Facebook page, Janet asked:

I’d love to know how you keep track of “scanned” coupons! I’m finding more and more coupons were not scanned at the store, but of course [not until] I get home! I just realized that $6 of q’s were not given to me at Meijers todayhttps://dealseekingmom.com/https://dealseekingmom.com/and I really thought I was watching the cashier!!! I need a better system to follow.

I know I have trouble with this too, especially when I’m trying to keep track of five kids while watching to make sure everything rings up properly. And some stores’ receipts (ahem…Target) are nearly impossible to decipher after the fact.

So do you have a system for making sure that all of your coupons are properly scanned? How do you check them? What do you do if you discover that one wasn’t scanned?

Join the discussion — add your two cents to previous Ask DSM Readers questions too!

Every week I’ll pose a question for you to share your experiences and tips. If you have a question that you’d like me to post, I’d love to hear from you!

Randy emailed me recently with this question:

I’d like to get a new refrigerator, microwave, oven and dishwasher. What would you suggest I do in order to secure the best pricing?

He went on to say that some stores have good brands but terrible prices, others offer good warranties and still others offer great prices but not the top brands. We haven’t had to purchase any new appliances recently, so I’m hoping you can share your experiences to help Randy get the best deals!

How do you save money when purchasing home appliances? How important is brand to you? Where do you go to secure the best deal? Do you negotiate on prices? How do you feel about extended warranties?

Join the discussion — add your two cents to previous Ask DSM Readers questions too!