Curbside pick-up and delivery is the must-do shopping experience for some of us at the moment. But have you considered how much money using an app for pickup is saving your family? Here’s how I found $4500+ over the last three years using Target pickup and how it applies to all of us in a post-COVID-19 world. (Spoiler alert: it continues to grow my savings account month-after-month.)
I like wandering the dollar section, home decor, and kitchen gear at Target as much as anyone. But 100% of the time, this wandering led to buying things I didn’t always “need.” A $3 item here, a $29 item over there oh, and how about the gadget near the register too? (Who’s with me?)
So when Luke our $1M NICU baby was born, I had this time-and-money-saving idea that depended on me staying curbside.
What if I stocked our linen closet with 1-2 extras of our essential hygiene or cleaning items? Could I reduce the number of monthly visits to Target? Would it reduce my overall monthly spending? It seemed like a promising hypothesis so I nicknamed this closet our “StoreRoom,” created a small inventory list, and moved any extra items we had in the house so I could see them all in one place.
I filled our StoreRoom with essentials like toothpaste, toothbrushes, a large shampoo, hand/body soap, dish detergent, laundry detergent, paper goods, allergy meds, diapers, wipes, and any other item that was essential enough to warrant same-day or a next-day trip to Target or Walgreens. Then once a month, I’d take my phone with the Target app to our StoreRoom and place one order of anything we were running low on. (To save even more, I also created a monthly subscription on those diapers and wipes too.)
Now, I’m not suggesting you spend gobs of dough and rush to fill your StoreRoom. You might not be able to afford it. Start with a StoreShelf for now and organize what you have around the house. Grab the toothbrush and toothpaste from your last dentist visit. A roll of paper towel or a stack of paper plates and toilet paper too. This tip isn’t about how fast you fill it, but instead how you reduce the number of visits to your favorite stores. Maybe you can start adding $40, $75, or $125/month to your savings accounts (or against your credit card debt.)
I want to be really clear. I did not stop shopping inside of Target. (Love you, Target!!) I’m not suggesting you deprive yourself. Shop! Wander! Buy all the things. This tip is to encourage you to purchase items on-your-terms and not on impulse or from clever in-store marketing end caps. Maybe you want a new washer or dryer or a down payment on a car…maybe you want to ditch the credit card debt or grow your emergency savings fund, maybe you need to keep your head above water –– you might just find it on the curb.
How would you spend an extra $4500?? To learn other ways to find cash, sign up for my free LIVE 60-minute webinar.
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