Today, in the golden age of retail, new items and ways to get these items are blooming in the market. Even with the blossoming of consumerism, consumers are still always looking for ways to shave off a few dollars on their purchases. The trick that keeps these consumers searching for new ways to save is to realize that just because you shop in the retail world, doesn’t mean you should pay retail prices. As impossible as skipping the marketing price may seem, ways to pay less are all around if you are willing to put in the time and effort.
What you can do to save
When consumers are on a budget, they start looking for ways to cut back, either the amount they are spending or the things they are buying. Sometimes quality is sacrificed as well. Well saving money on purchases does not take any specialized training. All it takes is an investment of time and effort to find all of the money saving options to suit your needs and find ways to pay less.
- Coupons
- Coupons are usually over looked because of the effort it takes to hunt down ones for the items you need. But there are many places to find them, like the Sunday paper and various online resources.
- Rebates
- Mail-in rebates are not as common, but are still able to save you money if you remember to return them before the deadline. For major purchases, these rebates can save you hundreds of dollars.
- Online Codes
Online codes are an easy thing to use if you do a lot of online shopping. Codes for FREE SHIPPING, 20% off and things like that can easily be Googled for your favorite websites and products. They can also be obtained by setting up free accounts for first time purchases on sites.
- Cash Back Websites
- Sites like Ebates offer excellent ways to pay less by giving money back to you for shopping on their website. The money given back can then be merged with online codes to increase your savings.
- Cash Back Credit Cards
- Cash back credit cards work similarly to the cash back websites. If you spend so much at a qualifying retailer, cash back rewards are disbursed to the card holder.
Making merchants work for you
Shopping in stores can be quick or slow, convenient or a pain in the butt, but one thing is certain: it can also be very pricey. Also, getting stuck in habitual shopping patterns can cause you to miss out on deals for stores you wouldn’t normally go to for a product. But do not let that be discouraging. There are numerous tactics to help you find ways to pay less if you know what to look for and are willing to put in the time to find them.
- Deals of the Day
- A lot of stores are adopting a deal of the day or deals of the week promotion for their stores. Grocery stores are big on discounting certain items every week to draw in more consumers.
- Wholesale Clubs
- Places like Sam’s Club have a warehouse style about them and consumers are able to save money on groceries by buying the items offered in bulk. All you have to do is become a member.
- Dollar Stores
- Dollar stores are the perfect places to purchase miscellaneous everyday items like wrapping paper, tape, and construction paper, all well below retail. Even though these types of stores are not places you would go to for major purposes, they come in handy when you realize you need 4 glue sticks for your kid’s school project.
- Secondhand Stores
- Thrift stores are another way to pay less when looking for clothing and furniture. Everything is discounted because it was previously owned, and are usually hit or miss in quality and in matching what you are looking for precisely. But it doesn’t hurt to check out the stores and see what you can find.
If you are looking for ways to pay less at retail stores, be open minded and expand your shopping universe. In order to hunt down the lowest prices, you have to be willing to go to retailers outside of your comfort zone, put in the effort to coupon and find deals within stores. Cutting costs in a bunch of little ways will positively affect your spending in the long run. Simple things like finding out ways to save money on rather insignificant purchases, like cans of energy drinks, coffee or gum, can produce a great deal of savings when you buy these things on a daily or weekly basis. Considering your purchases in this way can ultimately lead you to make thinking about your purchases a habit. And habits are hard to break.