I welcome our guest blogger, Steven from Grocery Alerts Canada, who shares his tips on saving money while shopping.
When my wife and I started dating she thought I had a shopping addiction. I just enjoy shopping.
If you enjoy shopping as much as I do, I have five tips to share that will help everyone save some money.
Tip #1 Know your prices.
It is so important to know the difference between the regular price, a good deal, and a great deal. Stores know how to attract shoppers, spend millions on marketing and know what price points they can sell items at. For example, I enjoy all natural peanut butter that has no sugar or salt. At a local grocery store, I often see the 1 kg jar for $5.99. However, it usually goes on sale about once a month and I can then purchase it for $3.99. A savings of $12 a year just on peanut butter based on one jar of peanut butter every 2nd month.
I dislike purchasing items at the regular price and I enjoy the challenge to seeing how far my food budget gets me every month. If I see a tremendous deal on cans of tuna (i.e. $0.79 a can), then my wife and I would stock up and purchase a dozen.
What I have started to do is develop a price book. The price book allows you, as a shopper, to document the prices of frequent items you purchase (i.e. cereal, walnuts, contact lenses solution, laundry detergent) and determine what prices constitutes a great deal.
When purchasing clothing the first place we head to is to the back of the shop to check out the sales and discounted items. Since most clothing eventually goes on sale, I tend not to look at new releases. With the amount of competition in the fashion industry, shops are marking their discounted items only after 6 weeks. Based on how early shops put out their latest items, you will be in time when the weather actually really hits.
Tip #2: Make a list and stick to it.
Retailers of all shapes and sizes are offering discounts and coupons to shop at their brick and mortar stores and online. For example, recently my wife was looking to purchase a top at LaSenza, she happened to find a coupon that saved her 15% off her purchase at our website (here is the LaSenza coupon which expires at end of the year).
My wife and I travel often to the United States and enjoying shopping to get different choices. At the visitor’s center for most malls and outlet malls, discount books are available for out of town visitors. These places already expect you to spend money and hope to offer some additional savings.
I always keep my eyes peeled and ears open if the store has any free clubs to join that are of no cost to you but provide a small coupon savings (15% off coupon for your birthday, free burger for two weeks during your birthday etc).
Tip #4. Prepare a budget and plan before going shopping.
Planning is so important before shopping. If you are heading to the store to purchase a new set of golf club drivers and your budget is $150 maximum it is not worth it to see the latest Nike Sasquatch driver which would blow your budget.
If you bring your list of shopping goods, you will be more determined to look for the best price for one particular item. i.e belt, gloves, scarf. This avoids a impulse shopping for yet another blue sweater to add to the pile.
Tip #5. Analyze your monthly spending.
What I find aids my wife and I in managing our finances is the analysis of our monthly spending. We see where we spent too much. We see where we could make improvements for the future and see what we did with our money. The most common excess we always found was where we spent extra money for a quick bite to eat or a cup of coffee, simply being unprepared.
Final Thoughts
Personally, I use a combination of these methods to help maximize the savings. Keep things simple and plan ahead results in a health bank account and good habits of saving money.
Author’s Bio: The author is Steven Zussino, Founder of Grocery Alerts Canada – Home of grocery deals and money saving coupons. He enjoys personal finance and saving money in beautiful Victoria, BC.
November 9th, 2009 at 12:56 pm
Hello,
I love shopping AND saving which is helping me as well be organized before I go to the store.
We live in Toronto but we have as well cottage in US, just 15 minutes from land border and reason is that we were not willing to spend $400K for so-so house in GTA area instead we decided to purchase 900 sq ft condo in Toronto which is close to my work (only 9km driving to work is saving on gas, car usage and as well time) and we purchased as well another house in US which we keep as cottage. It is a waterfront house with a small beach and wonderful view and we managed to spend less then $360K total.
However travelling to our cottage for weekends which is taking less then 2hrs including border crossing is giving me completely different opportunity for saving. I had subscribed to most of the website – store where I am shopping for weekly newsletter/coupons which made my decision what I buy.
I like to go for grocery to Tops.co , supercenter Walmart.com and as well to HomeDepot.com , HarborFreight.com (great for tools) and another deals. Not too long a go I manage to purchased a kitchen island for less then $200 USD as much at BargainOutlets.com which the same piece in Canada was twice.
I know that at this difficult time I should be supporting Canadian economy but I do not like to pay full price when I can get a bit further with my money. Since I spend my weekends in US after 48 hrs out of country I am entitle to bring up to $400 CAD duty & tax free back to Canada, so I have all my receipts ready for declaration. And I can tell you since I do my grocery on my way back to Canada and most of my shopping in USA I barley reach my $400 dollars limit many times.
Thanks for the article, I like to see more people stories and see that I am not only “saving freak” around.
Take care
Helen
November 28th, 2009 at 5:08 am
Thanks for the tips, I like to see more people read such stories and learn to save around wt overdue spent.
The more n more men or women should honeymoon with amazing deals!!!