I recently stumbled upon some interesting shopping facts. Did you know that women think about shopping as often as men think about sex and that 75% of women admit they think about shopping every minute i.e. 950 times a day! A recent survey led to the conclusion that women spend 48 hours 51 minutes a year randomly window shopping. Well, I can’t personally tell how true those facts are, moreover that’s not what I want to talk to you about. I want to give you some useful smart shopping tips that would go a long way in helping you making some wise choices while you are doing your shopping, especially during these tough financial times.
Making a few basic changes to how we approach shopping can make a big difference in how much we spend. The following tips are designed to simplify the process of saving money on our shopping.
Planning ahead
An important thing to remember about lowering our shopping bills is to plan ahead. Dedicating time to plan for your grocery shopping will cut our shopping spending by up to 50%, but that’s if we stick to our shopping list. It is no secret that impulse buying is the thrifty shopper’s enemy. We should try to avoid picking up items that are not on our list. Deciding on how much you can spend and staying within those limits will make you a money smart shopper.
How much do you really spend?
It is difficult to plan on saving money on something when we really don’t know how much we are actually spending on it. One easy way of determining how much money we spend each month is to put all the shopping receipts in one envelop for a month and then add it up. Afterwards analyze your expenditure. Hint- Be seated when you add it up. The total can be staggering.
Eat before you shop
It is a proven fact that going to the supermarket hungry can increase your shopping expenditure by up to 15%. This is due to impulse buying.
All too often we do our grocery shopping after work when we are tired and hungry. This leaves us wide to temptation and we end up coming home with food we really do not need.
Play it safe and fill up yourself before you fill up your shopping trolley.
Shopping around
Before you buy an item, make sure have researched and exhausted all your options. Visit different shops, talk to shop attendants and discuss your purchase with family and friends. They can help you find the best product for the best price.
Make sure you compare items on the basis of quality and cost. The cheapest item isn’t always the most suitable for you.
Look for a good sale
Patience is a virtue, wait for the after Christmas sales when necessary though make sure a sale is indeed a sale. By this I mean do your price research before you commit to making an expensive purchase in a retailers money-off sale. You have to ensure that the sale really is a sale and not a creative marketing strategy of the shop to encourage you to spend your money without thinking.
Once you have researched the true price of any product, you are then in a better position to take advantage of a sale, special offer or discount and really save money. “Buy one get one free” , “50% Off” and “Huge Discount” will only help you save money if the actual price you pay is lower than what you would pay somewhere else for exactly the same product.
Being a smart shopper isn’t as easy as it seems. A good shopper shops in every price bracket, from budget brands to high-end designer, from inside one’s locality to out. Coming home empty handed is not a sign of a failure; it is a sign of self restraint. If you have spent your time just browsing and getting an overview of what is available, then you have picked up ideas and it is time well spent. You should feel right about what you buy, if it doesn’t make you comfortable and confident then steer clear.