A special thanks goes to Mary for hosting Tightwad Tuesday!

My Tightwad Tuesday tip is to set aside a specific  amount of money every paycheck (or every other paycheck, as I personally do) toward clothing and shoe expenses.  I do this as part of our freedom account.  Our state usually offers a week of tax free back to school shopping each year when clothing, shoes, etc. that cost $50 or less per item are tax free.  Most stores run good sales during this time which adds to the savings.  It's always nice to be able to buy what we need for our growing boys outright (in other words, we can pay for it then and there - no charge cards!).  However, it's great to have this as a "running account" of sorts throughout the entire year.  You never know when you will happen upon a good sale.  For example, I had to run an errand that took me to Toys R Us this past Sunday.  I had no idea that they were offering an additional 50% off clearance clothing and shoes in the Babies R Us section of the store.  I was able to pick up a couple of pairs of shoes (Reebok and Skechers), a pair of pants, and a couple of shirts that ds2 will be able to use in the future for a fantastic price.  Reg. price for everything would have been $70 - I paid $24.  That may still seem like a lot to some, but it's not much more than most of the thrift stores around here would have charged (yes, they can be pricey here) for used items.

Happy Tightwad Tuesday!