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25 ways to save money and bargain shop in small towns and rural areas: part 2

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25 ways to save money and bargain shop in small towns and rural areas: part 2

I read tons of great blogs that tell you how to save money and coupon at stores in big cities. These deals are great, but what if you live in a place where none of these deals exist? How do you save money and bargain shop when you DON’T live in a big city?

Even if you live in the middle of nowhere like we do (100+ miles from any “city” of 20,000 or more), it is possible to save money and bargain shop.

  • This is part 2 in a series explaining super easy ways to save money and “coupon in the country.” (and yes, you can still use these tips if you live in a city, lol).
  • You can read Part 1 of the series here.

6) Watch Amazon closely for online deals. They often have some amazing deals of the day, “lightning deals,” and good sales on food, clothing, and electronics. We will try to alert you when we notice super deals at Amazon. You can see some of the current Amazon Gold Box/Deals of the Day and Lightning deals here.

  • And if you use Swagbucks and iRazoo to get paid to search online and review websites, this means you can buy these items for free with all the free Amazon gift cards you’ve earned!

7) If you have friends or family who live near a Sam’s Wholesale Club (or Costco, BJ’s, etc.), ask them to purchase items for you at the warehouse club. Then when you visit your friends/family, you can pick up the items. You can pay your friends/family in advance, or when you pick the items up, whatever works best for your situation. Even if you only visit them once a year, this will save you money.

8) Buy Free After Rebate Items from Walgreen’s online and request your rebate as a check. If you can catch an online free shipping deal from Walgreens, the only thing you will pay for these items is tax. Not totally free, but still a great deal when you don’t have Walgreens where you live! ***Also, as of 3/09, if you shop at Walgreen’s online through Cashbaq or Mr. Rebates, you will get an additional 4% cash back on your purchases. (Sign up for Cashbaq here and Mr. Rebates here– it’s free to sign up and use, plus you get $5 just for signing up! I recommend you sign up for both ASAP!)

Also, Walgreen’s sometimes has online coupons, so you could end up getting everything for free (plus get money back!) if you use the coupon toward your purchase. Example: let’s say your “free after rebate” item total is $30 + tax. Let’s say Walgreens has a coupon for $5 off purchases of $30 or more, plus free shipping. This brings your new total to $25 + tax, but you will receive a rebate check for $30. You have just gotten PAID to shop at Walgreens, plus all the products were free, after rebate! Then, if you have shopped at Walgreen’s through Cashbaq or Mr. Rebates, you will get an ADDITIONAL 4% cash back. You cannot beat a deal like this! If you are not already signed up for Cashbaq, sign up for free here, and get $5 just to sign up!

9) Hunt during open hunting seasons, or find someone that does. If you don’t like to hunt, offer to buy meat from friends or relatives that do hunt. We enjoy eating deer and pheasant that my father hunts. Homemade deer jerky tastes even better than beef jerky in my opinion! Sometimes you can even get this meat for free from hunters! (Also, be sure to check your state laws regarding the purchase of meat from hunters. Some states only allow hunters to give meat away, not sell it.)

10) Contact product manufacturers to let them know how much you love (or hate!) their products. Look on the back of food cans or packages for how to contact the company. They will send you TONS of coupons, especially if you have a complaint about a product. I am not saying to make stuff up. But if you have a legitimate complaint, let the company know. We have gotten TONS of free products, free coupons, and free stuff this way. Everything from chicken fried steaks to diapers!

We have more great tips to share with you, and we will include the other 15 tips for saving money and bargain shopping in future articles in this series. Part 1 of the series is here.

  • We would also love to hear from any of you that live in small towns or rural areas. How do YOU bargain shop and save money? Post a comment or send us an email at eadflmomma AT gmail DOT com to let us know!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Matt @ MyFinancialRecovery.net says

    Good tips – I use some of these myself living in a rural area.

    One thing to note – purchasing game (deer and such) from others is not legal in a number of states. The hunter is welcome to give away the meat but can not sell it.

  2. Money Savin' Momma says

    Good to know, and thanks for the information. I updated the post accordingly!

    Thanks again!

  3. Shreejana Hickman says

    Great post. I’ll pass this on to a family who lives in a pretty rural area in Florida.

  4. Christina says

    My area doesn’t get very good coupons in the local paper. So I will get relatives from bigger cities to send me coupons, or I’ve even purchased them at The Coupon Clippers or The Coupon Master… This allows me to save money on products I know I’ll use.

  5. Betsy Bargain says

    Found a lot of good tips, even though I don’t live in a rural area. I didn’t know you could do the Walgreen’s rebates if you bought the items online! Thanks!

  6. Money Savin' Momma says

    Yes, you can do the rebates online. You then send in the packing slip to claim your Walgreens rebates. If you do the rebates through Cashbaq or Mr. Rebates, you get an additional 4% cash back, which sweetens the deal even more!