We all shop. No matter how hard we try, we are going to have to buy something sooner or later. Here are five tips to help you shop smart!
1. TAKE A LIST: One way to keep from spending extra dough when you go to a store is to make a list. More importantly, you need to stick to the list. If you have 5 items on your list, you should come out with 5, not 25. This is a weakness of mine. I always take a list, but sometimes I see something I like to eat or I claim I "forgot" to put on the list. I tend to end up with the 25 things instead of 5. I've been working really hard on sticking to my lists. I keep a running list of groceries and finalize that list before I walk out the door. Then it's all about self-control. If you really did forget to put something on the list, like toothpaste, then go ahead and get it, but if you're saying you forgot to put cherry pies on the list, then you're going to have to practice some self discipline.
2. WAIT A WEEK: See a pair of shoes you liked? Was that water bottle really cool? Wait a week. A lot of people have issues with splurge or on the spot spending, especially at places like Walmart and on websites like Amazon. Go in for one thing and come out with ten because you HAD TO HAVE IT! I saw a pair of shoes (Sperry's Top Siders) I liked about six months ago at a Macy's store. I was in LOVE. I wanted to buy them so badly. However, I checked the price and saw they were fairly expensive, so I didn't get them. I thought about those shoes for a week and still wanted them. Made myself wait another week. Finally, when tax season came around and I had a little refund, I splurged and got those shoes I'd been thinking about for so long. Made my purchase worth it. On the flip side, I bought a bathing suit on a whim about 2 years ago because it was on sale. I already had a bathing suit, but this one was cute and ON SALE! I still haven't worn that swim suit more than one time, and I'm fairly sure it still had the tags on it until about a year ago.
3. ASK YOURSELF A FEW QUESTIONS: I always ask myself two questions. The first is "Will I actual use this more than once?" There was a period of time when I really wanted one of those fancy KitchenAid mixers. I asked myself if I'd actually use it. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that I probably wouldn't use it more than a couple times a year, making the purchase not worth the money. I also didn't have enough cabinet space. The second question I ask is: "Is it worth the price?" There are a lot of brand names, especially clothing, that sell for ridiculous prices because they have a certain name on them. Some brands are worth it: tennis shoes, is one example. Others are not. I can buy a t-shirt like the ones I've seen at Abercrombie for one fifth of the price at my local Target.
4. AM I IN A BAD MOOD?: If you shop when you're upset or happy or any other type of emotion, you tend to spend more. Are you buying 20 dollars worth of chocolate because you're upset or because you actually need 20 pounds of chocolate. Same goes for grocery shopping while you're hungry. You're going to end up buying more than you planned.
5. PRICE COMPARISON: If you're consistently buying certain items, or if you're going to be buying a large item, it doesn't matter: it's smart to do price comparisons. When my household buys Dr. Pepper, which we do quite often, we wait until it's on sale. I also check to see where it is cheapest. I check local ads for the local grocery stores, Walmart, Target, and Kmart. Whoever is cheaper, that's where we go.
I hope these few tips will help you. Do you have any more tips?
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