One of the easiest ways to start saving this year is by starting a change jar if you don’t have one already!  Three years ago, my husband and I took Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University class and we have been using cash for all of our everyday purchases ever since.  Since we’ve been on a “cash only” system, we end up with a lot of change.  I started off by just keeping the change in my purse and either using it toward purchases or using it for a “bonus” for things like the vending machine at work or a Sonic drink during their “Happy Hour.”

Two years ago, we decided to do something different and we started a change jar.  Whenever we got change from our purchases, we would add it to the jar.  We were surprised when it was completely full by May that year and even more surprised when we went to cash it in and we had almost $100!  We both had guessed that it would be somewhere between $30 and $60!  Those pennies, nickels, dimes and sometimes quarters really do add up!

We have used the money from the change jar to have extra spending money for family vacations and we have also used to it to pay for Christmas gifts.  If you cash out your change at a Coinstar location, there are no fees if you get a gift card.  They have gift cards for Amazon, Gap, Chili’s, Old Navy, JC Penney, and even Kroger!!

Even our kids have gotten into this and they were so excited about throwing any change that they found into the change jar that we got each of them a piggy bank this week (they have them at Dollar Tree stores if you’re interested!) and now they’ve started their own change jars!

If you’re looking for a fun and easy way to save this year without taking money from your paychecks, a change jar is a great option!  It works for us.  I hope it will work for you, too!

*This post may contain affiliate links. Please refer to my disclosure policy for moreinformation.

In another lifetime, I used to buy those big huge bottles of vitamins at Costco and Sam’s Club.  I would anywhere from $10-14 and think I was getting a really good deal and that I was saving a lot of money.  That was before I discovered coupons of course!

It actually took me awhile to figure out that you can get vitamins MUCH cheaper by taking advantage of drug store deals.  If you check out your weekly ads, you will see that they typically have at least one brand priced at “Buy One, Get One Free.”  To sweeten this deal, there are money saving coupons to use, too and since most coupons will let you use TWO coupons (one for each item) on a buy one, get one free deal, you end up saving lots of money!

Let’s say that your drug store has Nature’s Bounty vitamins on sale BOGO free and you have two $1/1 coupons.   If the Vitamin C is priced at $2.99, here’s the breakdown of what this deal would look like:

Buy 2 Vitamin C – $2.99/each

Use 2 $1/1 printable coupons
-$2.99 (store promotion – BOGO free)

Spend $.99 out of pocket for two bottles of Vitamin C!

That’s a much better deal than any deal I ever got at Sam’s Club or Costco!

Here are some tips for saving money on vitamins:

1.  Register for money saving coupons from the following companies:

-Nature’s Bounty

-Nature Made

-Sundown

2.  Watch your drug store ads for Buy One, Get One free offers (sometimes grocery stores offer these promotions, too!)  Pair your coupons with these promotions for extra savings.

TIP: When taking advantage of a buy one, get one free promotion, make sure that you are buying items that are equal or comparable in price.  Typically, the lowest-priced item will come off as the “free” item and if you are buying two items that have a big variance in price, you won’t be saving as much.

For example:  If you are buying Niacin, which is priced at $9.99ish usually and then Vitamin C, which is priced at $2.99ish, the breakdown would look like this:

Buy Niacin – $9.99
Buy Vitamin C – $2.99

-$2 (two $1/1 coupons)
-$2.99 (store BOGO free promotion)

Spend $7.99 OOP

You would save more if you bought two bottles of Niacin!

Also, if you are buying more than just two bottles of vitamins and the vitamins have varying prices, make sure you break them up into separate transactions and buy bottles that are equal or comparable in price together!

I stockpile vitamins just like I stockpile other items.  Just make sure that you check the expiration dates when you purchase them and that you store them in a “safe” location!

*This post may contain affiliate links. Please refer to my disclosure policy for more information