Are you looking to save money while shopping?

When you are out shopping, nothing beats the feeling of getting yourself a bargain. But did you know there are ways to cut your bills outside of normal sales?

Read on for our list of money saving hacks stores don’t want you to know.

Use a Calculator When You Shop

If you’re shopping for less on a budget then pick a number (like no more than $50) and hold yourself to it. To do this, add up each item you add to your cart as you go along.

Most phones have a calculator built in now, so there is no room for excuses! Also, make yourself a list (on paper or your phone) of what you need to buy. You can tick it off as you go along, and it’ll help reduce impulse buying.

Make Use of Clearance

Stores will want you to pay full price for their items, and buy the top-dollar ones too. That’s why the most expensive items are at the front of the store, and clearance often is at the back.

Between seasonal sales and store sales cycles, you should never have to pay full price. Unless, of course, you’re too late and the items you want have already sold out by the time you get to them.

The normal timespan before marking down items is around 6-8 weeks. Shop items are always changed, they can’t afford to have items hanging around taking up space for too long.

Also, after 6-8 weeks of buying, there might not be many of those items left. There might not be enough to make a full display. So, they move to the clearance section, usually at the back of the store.

For bargain shopping, find your store clearance section, and if you can wait for the item you want to pass the 6-8 weeks mark. You’ll likely find it making its way there, and snap it up for a bargain. If you shop at Walmart, follow this link on how to get Walmart clearance deals.

Get Your Timing Right

If you get your timing right and plan ahead, you could end up making big savings. For example, if you want an electric good (like the latest iPhone) can you wait until the price drops?

Most of the time, once the next model comes out, the price of the older ones will go down as demand goes down. So, can you cope with being a model behind the latest one?

Everyday items like toiletries, cosmetics, and groceries will have sales and offers too. It’s a good idea at those times to stock up on your favorite brands and bulk buy when the offers are on.

For clothing, you’re best bet is to buy them at the end of the season sales. You might not wear them much until next year, but you’ll make huge savings this way.

Buy Online in Bulk

Buying bulk online lets you save money without needing to sign up to any warehouse stores. Sites like Amazon, Boxed, or Jet offer great deals on bulk goods. Or you can use Instacart to buy from Costco without needing to be a member.

The key to bulk buying though is only to buy what you’ll use and have space for. You won’t need 30 tins of tomato soup or 20 pounds of chicken thighs most likely. Bulk buying isn’t overbuying.

Shop Around

Next time you need to buy something, consider other options than your favorite:

• website
• specialty store
• shopping mall

Items from places like garage, moving and estate sales can offer great bargains, this is one of the best money saving tips there is. This option is brilliant if you’re looking for items you won’t use right away, but will need in the future.

For example, crockery sets or a jewellry stand. Don’t expect to find all your item needs, but it’s worth checking these sales out. You never know what you might find at a much lower price than buying new at retail.

Pick the Right Day of the Week

Say you’ve seen a pair of shoes you want, but don’t want to pay full price for. Your best bet would be to go check them out on a Thursday.

Most stores know that people tend to shop at the weekend. So, they start to knock down their prices and prepare to put the old stock on sale (and new stock out) on Thursdays.

Shopping on the Friday or Saturday, you could score a good deal but you might not have as much choice. Especially if it’s a specific item you want.

Shopping on a Thursday gives you the best selection and first choice of the sale offerings. There is less chance you’ll get pipped to the post and miss out on the deal. You’ll be finding sales easily too, as you know when to look and when there will be less competition from other shoppers.

Use Coupons

If you can combine sales and coupons when bargain hunting, you’ll be able to save even more money. Looking on sites like eBay can be a great way to find coupons. They often offer groups of 10 buy-one-get-one-free coupons or similar deals.

Say you get a stack of 10 buy-one-get-one-free coupons for a pack of makeup wipes for $2.50 plus postage. The pack of wipes is $3, if you use all 10, you’re looking at savings of $27.50 plus tax.

You can also look through websites like Coupons.com that have free, printable coupons to use. If you’re looking online too, before you buy an item, search the store name and then “coupon code” after it.

There might be deals for money off shipping fees or even a percentage deal off your whole basket total. It’s worth taking the time to check so you don’t spend more money than you have to.

Negotiate Where You Can

Despite all the tips and tricks, some prices are what they are and that’s that. It would be a waste of time to try to negotiate or haggle the price down. But there are some situations, even in retail stores, where you could negotiate.

For example, if an item or packaging has damage. If you point this out, the store might offer you a discount on it. Damaged items and packaging will prove more challenging for them to sell.

Money Saving Hacks You Won’t Want to Miss

So, there you have it! Now you know these money saving hacks you won’t get caught out paying full price any time soon.

Coupons and sales are your best friend, and so is knowing when to check them out. Timing is everything when it comes to saving money on retail items.

There is no shame in shopping second-hand either, in fact, this is where you could save the most money. You can get functioning items in great condition often for less than half the full retail price.

If you found this article helpful, check out our other blog posts today!

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Nick Jones

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