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Saving Tips For Shopping

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  • Saving Tips For Shopping

    1. Make a list before yo go grocery shopping. Estimates are that people spend as much as 40% more on impulse purchases when they shop without a list.

    2. Take a minute to check your receipt before you leave the grocery store. Computerized scanners are only as accurate as the information input into them which is sometimes incorrect or a non-sale price.

    3. Take the time to comparison shop. Even if the store with the lowest price is too far from your home, you can still probably get the item you want for that price. Go to your local store with the advertisement in hand. Many stores will meet the price of the same item advertised elsewhere.

    4. Before you go out and buy a new item that you will only use infrequently, see if you can borrow it from a friend or neighbor.

    5. Consider bartering or trading goods and services with others instead of paying cash.

    6. Buy clothes at seasonal changes to to get up to 80% off the original price. Be sure, however, to only buy items you are actually going to wear. A "great deal" is a 100% loss if you never wear it.

    7. Check your local newspaper classifieds for public storage auctions. Public storage companies will auction off abandoned items in order to recover their lost fees. You can often pick up great deals on a wide variety of items at these auctions.

    8. Get in and out of the grocery store as quickly as possible. Surveys show that a person spends an extra 50 cents each additional minute they stay in a grocery store beyond 30 minutes.

    9. Go shopping with a full stomach. Studies show that people spend about 10% more if they shop on an empty stomach compared to a full one.

    10. If you are looking to make a large item purchase, shop at the end of the month or at the end of the quarter. This is usually when sales staff and vendors have to meet their quotas and they will be more likely to give a better deal in order to make quota.

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    11. Make sure to check the upper and lower shelves when shopping. Items stocked at eye level are usually the most expensive. Less expensive items can usually be found in the harder to see areas of the upper and lower shelves.

    12. Once you find something that you want to purchase online, take some time to do an online search for a coupon or coupon code offered by the merchant. Taking a few minutes to check can possibly result in savings of 10% or more.

    13. Read the fine print on store "zero-percent financing" offers. While these can be excellent deals, some programs have interest charges accrue from the date you make the purchase if you don't pay off the entire amount when the 0% time limit ends.

    14. Save and file the UPC codes from the products you consistently purchase. The next time there's a contest that requires a proof of purchase, you will already have a supply on hand to reap the rewards.

    15. To truly reap the benefit of using coupons, have the cashier total your bill before subtracting out your coupons. Write a check for the pre-coupon total. The cash you receive back, or your coupon savings, can then be placed in your saving account.

    16. Try to consolidate your grocery shopping into one weekly run. Not only does this help on restricting impulse buying, it also saves you time and money by reducing the number of times you must travel between the store and your house each week.

    17. Try to do your grocery shopping during off peak hours. This will not only save you time, but will also mean less time waiting at the cash register where all the compulsive buy items are placed.

    18. Utilize your local $1.00 store for health and beauty items for prices lower than supermarkets or drugstores. You may be surprised at the variety of quality goods and food you can get there these days.

    19. When purchasing big ticket items, you don't necessarily have to run all over town to get the best price. Search the newspaper sale fliers for the best price, go to your local store and simply ask, "Can you beat this price?" Often they will.

    20. When shopping, buy the amount you need. Just because something is on sale doesn't mean you need to purchase a large quantity of it. Buy only what you know you will use and no more.

    21. When shopping, make a list of the items you need and stick to it. Estimates of the total amount purchased by shoppers at the grocery store that are impulse buys (not what you went to the store to get) run as high as 40%.

    22. Whenever possible, avoid shopping at convenience stores. You'll pay some of the largest product markups on the goods bought there - the price for the store's convenience.

    23. You can save hundreds of dollars a year shopping by learning to compare price-per-ounce costs instead of going only by package price. Buy those items with the lowest price-per-ounce cost and you will be getting a better value for your money.

  • #2
    Buy during clearances and out of season

    Me and my wife make a habit of buying out of season and on clearance...


    There has been times where we have walked out of old navy, gap and others alike With coats, shirts, pants for 1/10 of original cost!!

    Ex. at old navy they have some jackets clearanced and the origianl price is 90 on sale for 20.

    Picked up 3 T-shirst org. 8-10 paid .99


    Target also clearances item quite often especially season stuff like sporting goods I have picked up coolers for 2 bucks.. Bats for 5 bucks regulary 50 and so on.

    Not to mention if you know where you are going to be shopping do search on the net for coupons as that can save you a bundle.

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: Saving Tips For Shopping

      Going to the grocery store without a list is downright dangerous, isn't it? I'd wind up impulse buying and forgetting some things I should have bought.

      I'd like to take this one step further: how many of us actually sit down and plan our menus for at least a week in advance? Based on the survey results at one of my group survey sites, a large number of people said that they usually shop once a week.

      Planning your menus ahead of time for the week really helps you to shop more efficiently. You can decide what you want and see what you already have at home and what you actually need to buy in order to make dinner.

      There is a book called Saving Dinner that has recipes *and* the shopping list for the meal included! Many people have praised this book and how it has helped them to save money.

      So, make up your menus and shop at home first (meaning see what ingredients you already have at home to make up a meal or two --- keeps things in your cupboards from getting old!) then make your list.

      Uh-oh...all this talk about food is making me hungry. Not good at this hour, LOL!

      Margaret Kur

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      • #4
        Re: Saving Tips For Shopping

        Definetly check receipts. I had a coupon for colgate. I thought the sign said colgate 2/$3.00. Had a coupon for a dollar off and they double their coupons. Well when I went and checked out I thought my bill was a little higher than I thought it would be. Went home and checked my receipt. Grapped the wrong toothpaste that I thought was on sell. The toothpaste was not on sale and it cost $3.79. Oh my goodness. Believe me I believe in everyone taking care of their teeth but for $3.79 I can get it cheaper someplace else. So ended up getting my money back on both the toothpastes. Always, always double check your receipts.

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        • #5
          Re: Saving Tips For Shopping

          Wow! You really got overcharged on that one! My stepdaughter watches the display like a hawk when the cashier scans her purchases. Once she noticed that she was overcharged for orange juice and they actually had to send the bagger back to the case to double-check the price displayed. It did turn out that the price programmed into the scanner system was wrong.

          Thanks, I'll think more about that. I don't know how old you are, but when I was younger, it was almost *always* a bargain to buy the larger package. It was always cheaper, we were told, because we were paying for less packaging...

          Not so today! I'm always looking at the unit prices. It's cheaper for me to buy my favorite brand of toilet tissue (I'm not here to advertise, but this is the brand my mother always bought and after years of trying one brand or another I've come back to it because it lasts us much tonger) in packages of only 4 rolls, rather than in larger quantities or single rolls. It just turns out that the unit price for a 4-pack is the least expensive! Why? Beats me...but I check every time because they're forever changing things.

          I've found the same thing with tuna, where it's cheaper to buy two cans than to buy one twice the size. My favorite brand of orange juice comes in 64-oz. (1/2 gallon) cartons and a 128-oz. (1 gallon) jug. It's one cent cheaper to buy the two cartons than it is to buy the jug.

          Even if it's pennies, they do add up, don't they?

          I'll be sure to check my receipts more carefully from now on. The thing that does make it harder nowadays is that they no longer put stickers on the products so you either have to write everything down or have a really good memory (or a tape recorder, LOL).

          Oh, one more thing. I know it's good to check out prices at different stores. What I do every so often, since at our house we eat basically the same things so our list doesn't vary too much, is this: instead of going to Publix this time, we'll go to Wal-mart or Kash-n-Karry (soon to be Sweetbay), etc. We then compare the receipts to see which items are cheaper in which store. Then, of course, there are things that are only available in one particular store, but you get the idea.

          After doing this, we can either choose to split up our shopping if the savings would be significant (not canceled out by the price of gas burned by driving to and fro) or to change stores for awhile. We wound up shopping every two weeks at one store, which was farther away, buying most of our groceries there, then getting only those things that were cheaper or only available at the second store. On the "off" week (not pay weeks) we'd go to the closer store for perishables only. We saved a lot that way.

          It's about time for us to do this checking again, but with the gas prices the way they are, we'll see if the half-hour round trip to the other store is worth it. The other store's only a 3-minute drive away!

          Whatever works.

          Hey, I'm really rambling today. So in summary: yes, check receipts. Check those unit prices. Check to see if you're really saving when you compare your gasoline expenses to your savings by traveling from one store to another.

          Happy shopping!

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: Saving Tips For Shopping

            I can identify with the Colgate situation in a way. Last night, hubby and I went to Target to buy energy saving lightbulbs & hubby put a few unplanned items in the cart. I usually let him splurge since he works hard & doesn't mind me doing the bookkeeping but last night was a shocker! Hubby picked up a pack of Reeses peanut butter eggs (figuring they'd be .99 or 1.99 tops) and put it in the cart. I was excited at the prospect of saving on the electric bill so I didn't bother to look at the impulse item scans and blindly paid what the cashier asked for. Since the bulbs are expensive, I paid and left but when I looked at the receipt, the confounded easter chocolate eggs were 3.99!! Now I love chocolate as much as the next chick but four bucks? ARRRRGH!!! By the time I read this, I was already across the bridge and crossing back to Jersey would be another six bucks. Bummer.

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            • #7
              Re: Saving Tips For Shopping

              I didn't see this one listed and it is one I live by:

              most stores now have savings cards and will often have buy one get ones or really cheap prices. When it is an item I use a lot of or that stores well I buy in bulk. I never pay more than .33 for a can of name brand veggies and that is all I buy. I just buy a few cases when they are 3 for a buck or four for a buck. I do the dame with rices and noodles.

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              • #8
                Re: Saving Tips For Shopping

                i used to wash the windows at freds store, took my own supplies, and they gave me ten dollars instore merchandise and they covered the tax too, so 10.60 in all for 20 mins work tops.

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                • #9
                  Re: Saving Tips For Shopping

                  if you already are full of those store bags, use pillowcases they make gr8 bags! use a diaper bag for milk and other cold items. these are washable and better for the environment if used regularly. i read also somewhere that someone keeps laundry baskets in the back of thier van to take grocerys in more easily from the store to home. i just went to dollar tree and picked me up 3 baskets for 1 dollar each. i buy for five people and thats heavy duty shopping, heavy stuff, and bags loveeeee to rip. this saves on it all.

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                  • #10
                    Re: Saving Tips For Shopping

                    ive found in our local walmart that clearance items are on the end caps furthest away when you approach that section. your in the crafts, u see a pie pan thats barbie or dora and want it, go to the end of that isle and look at the back of the isle wall, it will prolly have another one there for half the price. they have a partial wall of knitters rings all sizes shapes and all, but on the end cap there were some there on sale for a quarter. same and most especially with shoes. end caps! 20 dollar tennis shoes only 4 dollars, stuff like that, off season shoes one and two dollars. i usually buy these and get them one size bigger for the kids. they fit each time too. tank tops off season usually one dollar also, dress long sleeve shirts for boys/men usually 3 dollars off season, stock up! that day after thanksgiving tho i think cant be beat, i hear they call it black friday, maybe that was just this year, i dont know. i was in mich at the time and people were being trampled! microwaves for 25 dollars, vaccuums too. it was a disaster zone.lol.

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                    • #11
                      scanners

                      where i live, if the scanner price is wrong, many of the grocery stores will give you one of the products that has the wrong price free if you point out the error. yet another reason to watch at the register.

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                      • #12
                        Great tips...thanks!

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                        • #13
                          Great tips, very practical. Thanks for posting.

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