We dry most of our own food, so buying bulk vegetables (like 2.5 lbs of spinach) is wonderful. I highly recommend searching for one in your area. Buying bulk on what you can store will save you a lot.
By Davidicdancer from Spokane, WA
By Teresa L S. from Campbellsville, KY
By Jean from Alturas, CA
By Pam from Bruceton Mills, WV
By Jill N. from Blue Bell, PA
Rather than focus on the shopping, now I try to come up with creative ways to utilize what I already have to meet my needs or wants. If I buy something that is not a true necessity, that is OK. I just try to realize that the activity and purchase is entertainment, not particularly money saving!
By M in NM from Socorro, NM
By Savings Assistant from Georgia
By Fisher
By Lynn from Oregon
This, too, could pertain to getting something from the grocery, (ex. a 1/2 of a watermelon from the produce section, only to get it home to serve and find out that it's soured) I had this happen to me once, they replaced it with one that was quite tasty. Our money is hard enough to come by to settle for less.
By Terri
Editor's Note: So true. Just because something is perishable doesn't mean a store won't take it back. We had cheese go bad incredibly quick, took it back and they replaced it. It's helpful to have the receipt but I have even been able to take items back without it.
I always spend less money if I use cash instead of my debit card or check book.
An excellent tip that I have used for years is so easy. When I shop, I always use money. When my change back consists of loose change, I always throw it in the bottom of my purse, instead of placing it back in my change compartment. At the end of the week, I empty all the change I've collected for that week in my change jar at home. I don't touch it till it's filled. Then I go to the bank with the change and deposit it into savings. It's always amazing how much I've saved by a simple task.
By Kathy
Leave your debit/credit cards at home when you go shopping. Take only the amount of cash you need, or have budgeted to spend. If you have any left at the end of your shopping trip, put it in a jar at home to save up for a special treat.
By Susan from Mount Vernon, WA
By Becki H.
By Terri from NV
To help save money when grocery shopping or shopping for multiple items anywhere, use a tally counter to keep track of your spending and don't be surprised when you get to the register. Calculators never work for me because I always end up zeroing by mistake.
Example of a tally counter:
Stores plan displays carefully. They know the average height of a shopper, and they plan those eye level shelves slyly. Walk down the cereal aisle of a supermarket and inspect the layout. Eye-catching, brand name products are at eye-level while the store brand is usually above or below. Look at the bottom shelf. Kids cereals tend to be placed lower to meet kids' eye levels, leaving the healthier adult cereals at the adults' height.
Sale items are also placed at the eye-level. Often the sale item looks reasonable, so a shopper won't ever look below that shelf. The store brand item which costs less without the sale is below eyelevel, and therefore rarely noticed.
Many department stores count on the store layout to do the selling. Flanking the walkway are clothing displays that claim to be "hot spring fashions" or "new styles." For the repeat customer, it is nothing new to know that these items will be replaced with other items in a few weeks. The stores are playing the game of "get it while it's here or it'll be gone." What only the savvy shopper will know is that in a few weeks these items can be found in the corners of the department and often at a much lower price than they started. Be patient and buy later. Styles don't fade after only a few weeks.
Most people know about the temptation of items in the checkout line. Known as impulse buying, the idea is to add a few more items to a purchase at that last moment. Stores make thousands of dollars on impulse buys in checkout lines, and their placement of the items shows that they know about it. Look at the selection for a moment. Candy? Magazines? While waiting in line the brain is idle and it convinces itself that these items are needed. Instead, save a task for waiting in line such as sorting coupons or making next week's meal plan while the contents of the store are fresh in mind. Avoid reading magazines that spark interest and end up on the conveyor.
There are other types of impulse buying that profit stores. Salsa is marketed alongside chips, and ice cream cones are displayed on racks in the ice cream aisle. Ask yourself these two questions: Is a more cost efficient brand available in the aisle where these products are usually displayed? Do I really need cones to go with my ice cream anyway?
Cakes, pastries, and other luring goodies are also found in the aisles at the end of the grocery store. By this time shoppers are tired and often hungry. The temptation of the sugary snacks is too much, and yet another purchase is made. Resist by eating before leaving the house or shopping the store "backwards" and ending by the paper goods rather than the bakery.
By keeping the stores' selling tactics in mind, a shopper can avoid overspending. Before leaving for the store create a list and stick to it. It's when a person strays from that list that stores are happy.
By Robin from Washington, IA
By Shefali from Washington DC
There is a time when things aren't on sale-no matter what the store sign says, what's written on the price tag, or how much the cashier actually charges. When is this? When you pay with your charge card.
How many times have you snatched an item off the shelf because it was unbelievably priced, then you paid with a credit card? Credit cards are great for spontaneous purchases, but if there are too many spontaneous purchases they start to counteract the sale that pleased you so much.
This isn't a bad deal if you have the $300 set aside to pay for them (or at least you will by the time the credit card bill comes.) However, if you are like most people, you will carry a balance on that card. Paying a minimum of $20 a month plus interest will take a little less than a year and a half to pay off with $27 in accumulated interest charges (13% APR). Still, this isn't a bad deal.
However, if you apply the previous logic to a sweater that is on sale for $6 off and add it to an already mounting credit card bill, things change. If the sweater is $34 on sale, you're adding $34 to a bill that already isn't being paid. Suppose you still make the $20 monthly payment, but your balance is $1238. It will take six years to pay off this debt (assuming you never add to it) and you will pay $488 in interest (13% APR.) Rather than save the $6, apply the $34 towards your monthly payment and reduce that $488 interest to $193.
The premise is simple - you're not saving on sales if you're adding to accumulated debt.
Keep your balance manageable on your card. If there is a month that asks for the sudden flight to Aunt Jo in Denver, then avoid using the card again until this emergency is paid off. Likewise, if those golf clubs are on sale and your card carries little or no balance, buy them. Even at paying the interest you're saving $123 on the set. However, the sweater isn't worth it.
Have trouble keeping your hands off your credit card? Try this trick. The first is to keep the card in a lock box at home rather than in your wallet. Yes, revolving balances and internet purchases are still possible, but the temptation of a shopping spree at the local department store which is having a blowout sale will disappear. If something is on markdown, the drive home to get the card will make you think further about the purchase and its validity. If you're too tired to drive back out to the store (not to mention add the expense of the gas for another trip) then you really didn't need it in the first place. It forces you to think about your purchases more.
This week we're conducting an experiment in our house. Each weekend, we reluctantly run errands that total $200 or more. It's depressing. They're not meaningless, bored shopping trips; they're planned trips for essential items. Yet, I'm not happy with the amount of money we spend, so we've make a goal not to spend anything next weekend in order to revamp our weekly spending.
Create a well-planned list and stick to it. Don't let your mind wander to other projects and needs while wandering the aisles of the stores. Instead, focus only on the list in hand and avoid browsing.
Circulars with coupons should be put aside. When an essential item is on your weekly list (here comes those sneakers) you can check circulars to find it. However, don't look through the entire circular. Instead, just look at the section for the item you need just like when you enter the store and only target those items on the list rather than browsing.
Tips to consider when you go shopping. Post your ideas.
By Dejas (Guest Post)
10/04/2005
Each Tuesday the local grocery stores send out sales sheets for the coming week in the mail. I then go through my coupons, match up items on sale with any coupons I may have for them and make meal plans around what's on sale.
When making out my list, I visualize the different aisles in the store. I then make out my list according to the items found on each aisle, starting with the order of the aisles I go down. This way, I save time because I'm not constantly going back and forth finding things on my list.
I also use competitor ads when shopping at Wal Mart. I can really save money when a competitor has something on sale that I also have a coupon for. This way, I can pretty much get everything I need in one stop.
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Quilting Tips and Tricks