By Jeanette Pavini, Consumer Savings Expert from Coupons.com
Surely you’ve heard the phrase, “You’ve got to spend money to make money.” But what if spending a little money upfront could actually save you money? Guess what? It can!
Here are a few ideas where spending a little more helps you save more in the long run.
- Season passes to theme parks, public golf courses or local attractions. Purchasing a season pass to a local source of entertainment is a great way to save money as long as you plan on visiting those attractions multiple times throughout the season. Take the time to do the quick math and determine if the cost is worth it. Most often paying a little more upfront will vastly outweigh your overall savings.
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- Join a buyer's club. There are many clubs that you can join for a nominal yearly fee, such as Costco or pay a recurring monthly fee, like Dollar Shave Club to receive great savings in return.
- Join an online savings portal. Join an online savings portal like Coupons.com's Savings Club. For a nominal monthly fee, you can get access to great coupons for grocery and personal care items, as well as discounts for dining, movies and recreation.
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- Brown bag it. Pack your lunch and pay more on your grocery bill, but less day to day. I recently compared the prices of homemade lunches with the average deli price for three popular sandwiches. I found that I could save $23.75 per week, or $1,235 over the course of a year, just by doing a little shopping and taking a few minutes each day to make my lunch.
- Hit dollar stores. Get some of your necessities here and spend more in bulk ahead of time and only buy what you need when you need it. Dollar stores are great for toiletries, snacks for school lunches and even toys.
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Two time Emmy Award-winner and consumer savings expert, Jeanette Pavini has been providing consumers with money-saving tips they can use for more than a decade. Teaming with Coupons.com, Jeanette puts her expert feedback to use immediately with real world tips and advice. Jeanette's consumer savings tips have been featured in Oprah, NY Daily News, USA Today and more.