Is it possible to save money when shopping despite any circumstance? The answer is yes.
Shopping via online or physical stores is a common tradition shared universally by humans. Through shopping, people can access their needs in the fastest, most convenient way possible.
By itself, purchasing essential items like food, beverages, or medicine is vital to one’s well-being. However, business industries and technologies have blossomed over the past years. Shopping, which was once just a response to people’s personal needs, has become a double-edged sword.
In the United States of America, it’s been reported that consumers spend more money on fashion accessories than educational fees. This reflects the impact of consumerism most people subscribe to.
Spending has peaked to the point where even the Federal Reserve Board warns consumers bear approximately $1.1 trillion in credit card debt over the past years. But, this vast growth is not entirely the customer’s responsibility.
It’s easy to fall behind with well-engineered advertisements, product advancements, and society’s acceptance of consumerism. These shopping habits are hard to conquer, but they’re absolutely fixable.
In connection with these, here are the proven and sustainable ways to save money when shopping (online or in physical stores).
1. The “Santa Shopping” Principle
Kids know Santa Clause as the Christmas icon who loves to carry a list. He tracks the “naughty and nice” before Christmas Eve – everyone knows how this works. Actually, we can incorporate this concept when learning how to save money when shopping!
The point is, consumers should list everything they’re planning to purchase before going online to shop or driving to stores. When people shop, they are bound to face constant struggles of being enticed to buy items they don’t necessarily need. Not only that, when we slip and buy things unneeded, there’s also a bigger chance that we forget what we really need.
It’s also wise to practice writing down the budget for each shopping trip. It doesn’t have to exactly fit the plan, but it will help rewire the brain to become more mindful. After this, review the entire list and assess the value of each purpose. If it’s something that you can live without this month, you probably don’t need it.
2. Save Money Shopping With Rewards
Rewards cards are criminally underrated for the help they offer in mastering how to save money when shopping. What do these do? Put simply, you get a percentage back on each purchase!
Cashback applications allow consumers to receive an amount when they reach a certain price point in a specific shop. These are usually gifted in grocery items and other shops. Sometimes, rewards cards are also used to claim discounts and other shopping benefits.
As a disclaimer, rewards cards don’t offer cashback in enormous amounts. Don’t expect to get the full or half of your purchase. But in the big picture, the accumulation of each purchase’s cashback is rather neat. These are better than nothing and are easy to sign up for!
Some of the most popular options are the Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express with 3%-6% cashback, the American Express Gold Card with travel perks and exclusive shopping deals, and the Amazon Prime Rewards Card with 1%-10% cashback.
Luckily, rewards cards are slowly becoming the mainstream in most shops. So, don’t miss out and get the most off your purchase.
3. The Art of Dividing
Dividing grocery items is a common practice in most Asian countries. The concept is to buy big or bulk items in discount stores (not grocery stores). Next, divide them and separate into smaller or travel-friendly containers.
Buying in bulk, dividing, and transferring them to smaller packages urges people to use less of what’s needed from their purchase. In using lotion or shampoo, it’s very common to use more of what’s required, especially since humans tend to mindlessly drift away while showering.
Dividing also applies to dry grocery items like coffee, sugar, or powdered milk. Think of these as ways to save while shopping through lessening monthly demands. The more an individual uses less, the less urge to buy another item. It’s a small act that leads to a significant impact.
4. Never Buy For Convenience
It’s actually true there are so many household and grocery items people are paying way too much for. See, everything that goes to a product, from packaging to the preferred color scheme, or even the way something is cut or manufactured, has a cost. Unfortunately, this is a burden customers carry in many transactions.
One rule regarding how to save money when shopping online or through physical stores is to never buy for convenience. This means that precut vegetables and dairy products will cost more than purchasing whole products.
For example, a tactic commonly found in grocery stores is prepackaged vegetable salad mixes with costly tags. These salad mixes contain green leaves, carrots, olives, and salad dressings that are more expensive for smaller amounts than buying them separately.
Quality-wise, buying whole items is also beneficial since you can check for freshness individually. Although not all, many grocery marts use prepackaged deals as methods of reselling products that are way past their freshness date. Since these usually come in sealed packages, it’s hard to tell whether something less fresh is included in the mix.
Other Examples
Under these rules, here are some of the other products that are better off buying as a whole.
Popcorn – Movie theatre popcorn ranges from $6 to $21, depending on size and flavor. Of course, popcorn must be accompanied by a tall cup of soda or other beverage. These are all on top of the movie ticket fee people can only enjoy for one-time use. Contrary to this, the average price for microwaveable popcorn may run $10-$20 for 20 small to medium-sized packets. Anyone can make these anytime, and it’s a lot cheaper in the long run.
Protein shake – Unless a person is professionally competing as an athlete or is responsible to meet a specific health goal, these shakes are unreasonably pricey. Protein shakes can cost around $30 to $100, depending on their quality and brand. While these shakes seem promising at first, preparing protein-filled meals are less expensive. On top of that, they have less sugar and are proven to be more filling when consumed.
Coffee – Every time a person buys a cup of coffee in an establishment, they also purchase the electric fees, brand title, barista fees, and even air conditioning. Grinding or preparing one’s own coffee beans has always been the cheaper practice. It’s also healthier and more customizable than those in cafes.
5. Taking Advantage of Rebate Apps
Rebate apps are handy and more techy versions of traditional cashback practices. They’re easy to use. Rebate apps reward consumers with cash prices or rewards each time they purchase from a store. The only difference is that these apps gather info via receipt and not per purchase.
Another way to earn through rebate apps is by referring to friends. Individuals will get a personalized link for their friends to input. Then, all that’s left is to scan through the barcodes of their purchase and claim the rewards. Rebate apps have a good reputation of being generous, so it’s best to take advantage of them.
These apps have links to grocery stores but, other shops also accept them. The most popular rebate apps include Rakuten, Ibotta, and Shopkick. Some rebate apps only cater to a particular area.
Don’t worry, as signing up for these apps is completely free and safe.
6. Wait for Seasonal Sales
Anyone who loves to save money when shopping knows that store sales are one of the best ways to get the most from the purchase. Here’s something most people don’t realize about sales. Any customer can easily calculate and predict these “available only today” opportunities.
Sales aren’t as limited and rare as they sound. In fact, they come around every month, and each seasonal promotion can last up to two weeks. Below are some of the hot takes to consider in a year.
January to March
Events – New Year Sale, Valentines’ Sale, St. Patrick’s Day Sale, Super Bowl Sale.
Best to buy – Home electronics, books, winter items, gym equipment, jewelry, fashion items.
April to October
Events – Easter Day Sale, Mothers Day Sale, Fathers Day Sale, Halloween Sale, Back to School Sale, Labor Day Sale.
Best to buy – Men’s apparel, stationary, Christmas decorations, costumes or special/festive attires, plates, mattresses/ bedding.
November to December
Events – Thanksgiving, Black Friday Sale, Cyber Monday Sale, Christmas/Holiday Sale.
Best to buy – Gadgets, phone upgrades, and accessories, meat products, toys, and footwear.
Clearly, sales aren’t as unique as we think they are. Stores usually have many reasons to conduct sales. These companies need to promote sales or deals more than customers need them. Out of all reasons, sales exist to rid excess products.
When the inventory is high and the demand is low – that’s the best time to buy! Schedule ahead of time and save a lot by tactically planning when to shop.
7. Shop With Opposing Thinking
This rule connects to the aforementioned one. The foundation of any good deal is demand and inventory. And by understanding how these two work, anyone can save money when shopping.
Basically, when something is in demand, don’t buy it (yet). Stores charge more for products that are in season. And yes, this applies to all perishable items too. Instead, schedule ahead of time and buy that item before it reaches its peak moment.
For example, don’t buy swimsuits or summer items in summer. Because many people are going to need these products for summer, companies move up the price. So, buy during December or the Christmas season. Since only a few buy them during these times, companies will stretch discounts to get rid of excess stock.
This is just one of the many benefits of planning every purchase beforehand. Wise shopping isn’t merely about spending less money but also knowing when to spend. And it’s not about depriving oneself. It’s more creating better financial choices for better security in the future!
8. Guard Your Overall Mindset
Among the rules presented here, this is the most crucial concept every consumer should remember. In order to protect the wallet, one must first guard the mind.
Consumerism and the art of branding/advertising isn’t a thief that directly takes money from our wallets. Sure, the companies entice us to feel the urgency to buy more with less consideration. It is the mind however, that dictates actions and places value on material objects.
Stay away from trends that encourage purchase after purchase. A perfect example is kitchen sets. One minute, you’re buying a knife, and the next time, they’ll convince you to get the new chopping board that comes with it. Of course, the chopping board needs the entire plate and glassware set to maximize design. And how could anyone forget the kitchen mittens that are just a “must-have”?
Companies pay hundreds for product engineers that design these items to be incredibly dependent on another object. This is how they convince people to buy more without needing things. Upon knowing this, every consumer should define the value of their purchase and its urgency.
Save Money When Shopping – The Harsh Truth
Our shopping habits speak volumes when it comes to measuring how we manage our finances. The small steps we take in planning and dividing our resources will greatly benefit us in the future. With the unpredictability of the economy and our income sources, the good habits we create will grant us more financial opportunities and certainty.
Buying products you need is absolutely acceptable. And most of the time, it’s non-negotiable. But buying products out of pure influence in an attempt to make you feel more secure about status, satisfaction, or gratification is not worth the financial stress. Every dollar counts so every purchase matters.
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