How To Get The Best Bang For Your Buck At Target

I LOVE Target! I am a Target addict and I am not ashamed! I never thought in a million years I would shop there for groceries until I realized what a better selection of natural/organic products they have. They have so much more variety of snack foods and frozen foods in an organic variety and those types of things are always great to have on hand when you need something quick. I just always assumed that they were way more pricier than they grocery store or dare I say Wal-Mart. I am going to insert here that I avoid going to Wal-Mart at all costs. I just do not like the environment of Wal-Mart and it always seems loud and chaotic every time I go in there. So I will pay a little more to not have to go there. I usually shop at Kroger, but I had never thought to compare prices between them and Target until I downloaded Target's Cartwheel App and realized there were some awesome deals on there! Once I started comparing prices I realized Target was very similar and often cheaper than what I had been paying at Kroger. After shopping at Target every week for a while now I have it down to a science. Here is how to get the best bang for your buck at Target:

#1: Cartwheel
Cartwheel is an app you can download on your smartphone to get exclusive coupons to use at Target, no printing required. All you do is select the offers you would like to use (i.e. 25% off Cherokee baby & toddler clothes) and click "add". Then, when you get to the check out at Target you go to your app, hit "my barcode" and let the cashier scan the barcode directly from your phone! The app keeps track of how much you have saved using it so that is always cool to look at! You can use the same offer on multiple items, so if you added the 25% off Cherokee baby & toddler clothes offer and you picked out 3 shirts it will take 25% off all 3 shirts!

#2: Clearance
I absolutely love Target's clearance areas. I know where each one is for every department at our store and I be sure to hit every one when I'm there because you never know when you might come Across I stellar deal. I once got a Doc McStuffins doll house regularly $54.99 for $16 and a Leap Pad 3 for my son regularly $100 for $30! When Target decides to get rid of stuff they mean business. Also, another great thing about Target that I've not really seen in any other store is that they clearance food. Most of the time it's not even food that's getting ready to go out of date. We have been able to try alot of new foods and drinks that way! Recently they clearanced out some of their organic juices so I was able to purchase organic juice for cheaper than regular juice! Also, I have figured out the best time to go for clearance at our store is on Thursday mornings.

#3: Target Debit Card
Target now offers a debit card that you just link up with your normal debit bank account, but you save 5% every time you use that card at Target, the Target cafe, or the Starbucks inside your Target. They also have a Target credit card where you can save 5% on every purchase, but I do not recommend a credit card ;) The debit card is free to sign up for. You just hand them a blank check and they get you set up in just a couple minutes. I usually used my debit card any way at Target so I though "Hey, why not save 5% while doing it!" In our state 5% is the tax rate so I like to pretend I'm getting things "tax free".

#4 Target Sales
Target has been known to run some crazy good sales that often will have a Cartwheel offer to go along with it. My favorites are "Buy so many an get a $5 gift card" or "Buy one get one half off".

#5 Reusable Bags
If you bring your own reusable to put your stuff in instead of the plastic bags, Target will take $0.05 for every bag you use. It doesn't sound like alot, but if you've got a buggy full of stuff it adds up pretty quick and you are saving the planet while saving money! :)

#6 Manufacturer Coupons and Target Coupons
I do not like clipping or printing out coupons so this is a last option for me. Everyone knows what a manufacturers coupon is so I won't elaborate on that , but target has coupons on their website that you can print out and these can be combined with manufacturers coupons for double the savings. This option takes a little more thought and planning than I'm willing to put in, but sometimes I  come across something good that isn't to hard to get the coupons for. Target also has mobile coupons that they will send to your phone and the cashier can scan them from your phone.

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Making Target cheaper than say Wal-Mart or the grocery store does take a little bit of effort, but to
go at my favorite time (on Thursdays usually in the morning) when it's nice and quiet and I can shop practically by myself in store is worth downloading a few offers to my Cartwheel and shopping clearance!

A little humor for you ;) {via}

What's the best deal you've come across at Target?

**I am in no way affiliated with Target or any of their products. This is simply my own advice and what I personally do.** :)

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Cloth Diapering on the Cheap

So today I wanted to share how to cloth diaper from birth to potty training very inexpensively. It's no secret I love cloth diapering, but sometimes I get so wrapped up with the latest and greatest cloth diaper that I burn myself out and just want to get back to the simple way. This is not the very cheapest way to cloth diaper but it is the cheapest, simplest, "guaranteed to work and not have leaks all the time" way. And the answer is..,Prefolds and Covers!

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I have been using these non stop for the last week or so because they are so much easier to fold when they come out of the dryer vs stuffing pocket diapers. When you have two in cloth you can easily spend 30 minutes to an hour folding and stuffing diapers, but with prefolds and you just fold them in half and throw the covers in a pile which takes like 5 minutes. I've pretty much come to the conclusion that next baby, I using prefolds from birth to potty training.

 Here are my reasons why:

1. They are cheap (I'll give you a price breakdown in a minute)

2. Never have stink issues and clean really well

3. Easy to fold and put away

4. Very, very absorbant

5. Hold up well for a long time (multiple children and beyond)

This method has been used for a long time, especially before disposables so I know it is tried and true. They only cons are they aren't as quick to put on and they can be bulky in a diaper bag, but if you've ever needed a burp cloth or a towel in a pinch you can just whip a prefold out and save the day! :)

Cost Breakdown: *for this example I am giving the prices of what I personally use and recommend. There are definitely cheaper prefolds and covers out there but I like to pay a little more and know I'm getting something that will last a long time!* All prefolds mentioned are Diaper rite brand "Natural" (unbleached) prefolds from Diaperjunction.com. These are by far my favorite and the softest. 

24 newborn prefolds (6-12lbs)- $35.85

2 xs Thirsties covers-$23 ($11.50 each)

4 size 1 Thirsties Duo Wraps- $51 ($12.75 each)

18 medium prefolds(14-30lbs)-$41.85 ($13.95 per 6)

*there is a size small prefold but honestly I'd just skip it and go to medium because they won't stay in that size long at all*

4 size 2 Thirsties Duo Wraps-$51 ($12.75 each)

And later on down the road you can buy Large prefolds which fit 26-40 lbs

18 Large prefolds-$44.95

3 pack of Snappis- $9.35

Total: $257 from birth to potty training or you could wait and pay $44.95 of it around 1  yr old or 18 months old for the large prefolds. 

 Diaper Junction usually had the 5% off coupon code (HIGHFIVE) going so that would bring it down the total cost to $244.15! 

Since I wrote this I have found an even better deal on Nickisdiapers.com. When they have their Thirsties covers on sale for 10% off (which they do often) you can get the same thing except 24 prefolds in each size for $240.85! If you want exact details of what to get just ask in the comments. :)

That is almost 1/10th of the price you would pay if you used disposables from birth to potty training (average cost of disposables from birth-2 yrs old is $2,000!)

And if your child is like mine potty training will probably happen around age 3 so tack on another $1,000 in disposables!

I already have most of the things mentioned above. I just need a few more prefolds so for me I could diaper my next baby from birth to potty training for about $50!

But I will say night time diapering can throw a curve in this. I suggest getting pocket diapers and 3 Hemp inserts for night time just because the inside of pockets have a stay dry material that will keep your baby from feeling wet so they can sleep better and the hemp inserts will hold up for about 12 hours so you don't have to wake them to change them! The price of this will vary depending on the brand but you don't need anything real fancy! :)

*Disclaimer: I am not an affiliate of any of the products/brands mentioned above. This is simply what I use and love! :)**