Frugal Friday: No Special Trips

I live about 35 minutes from the closest Target store, and I LOVE to go there! The problem is that it costs me about $10 to get there and back. There have to be some REALLY good sales going on for me to make the trip to Target. But I’ve learned to save gas — and therefore money — by not making a special trip out of the house for just one store.

This makes me plan ahead so that I can stop at a minimum of two stores where I’m expecting to get some great deals. For example, when we went to Target yesterday, we also stopped at JCPenney and Kohl’s. These are all stores that are in the same area, and they’re the only locations anywhere near home. I had some great Target deals planned (see HERE), had multiple JCPenney coupons to use, and wanted to snag several of the $5 gifts from Kohl’s (see HERE). Some of my Target purchases also qualified for a $10 rebate, enough to cover the gas for the trip.

When I stopped at Rite Aid earlier this week (HERE), I also stopped by the library to drop off a book. That alone saved me overdue fines!

My only exception to this rule is Kroger. It’s about 10-15 minutes from home, and sometimes the grocery store is all we can handle in one trip! But I can guarantee you that I at least think about other stops that can be made in the same area before I leave home.

By consolidating trips and not allowing myself to drive 30 miles to save $5, I can save even more!

For more frugal living ideas, stop by Frugal Friday hosted by Life As MOM.