If you’re goal is to live frugally, you’ve probably already read all the standard ways to save money on shopping such as have a shopping list, stick to your budget, don’t buy impulse items and so forth. What these tips overlook is the fact that most of us go shopping several times a week for non-food items. Here then are five somewhat offbeat ways that could help you save money when shopping for those items.
Pay cash
Sometimes it’s just too easy to put an item on a credit card. Try paying cash instead. You may find it a lot more difficult psychologically to hand that retail clerk a $50 bill then to hand over a credit card.
Don’t shop when you’re feeling emotional
When you’re having a down day or are feeling upset about something, don’t utilize shopping as a form of self-medication. If you’re having an emotional day, just stay home and away from those malls. You might be able to make yourself feel better for a few hours by buying a new purse, wallet or the latest electronic gadget but you’ll soon find that this is not a long-term cure. In fact, you may feel even worse a day or two later when buyer’s remorse sets in and you wish you hadn’t spent money on an item you didn’t really need.
Expensive is better than cheap
You might think you’re saving money when you buy that cheap shirt, pair of pants, blouse or dress but you’re really not. It will probably wear out in two to three years and you’ll just have to then replace it. You will save more money long term by paying more for items that will last longer. Do the math and you should able to see why it makes more sense to pay $100 for an item you can use for five years versus paying $25 for one that will last just two years.
Swap out your clothes
Don’t let those gently used clothes go to the Goodwill or the trash. Have a swap party instead or go to a website such as Rehash.com or SwapStyle.com. This is a particularly good way to save money if you have growing kids. Chances are, they’re outgrowing their clothes before they’ve outworn them. Since they still have value, you should be able to swap them with another family who could use them. In return, you would get clothes that the other party no longer needs. This doesn’t work just for children’s clothes either. You should be able to go online and swap clothes you no longer like for ones you’d be happy to wear.
About the author
Paul Ritz writes articles on a variety of topics related to person finance,including debt relief, debt settlement, credit card debt, bankruptcy and budgeting.
About Guest
Great tips! I haven’t thought about having a swapping party, but it sounds like a great idea! I think I will contact some family and friends and see if they would be interested. Thanks for posting these tips!
I think you need to “do the math” and you’ll find the example below is wrong
Do the math and you should able to see why it makes more sense to pay $100 for an item you can use for five years versus paying $25 for one that will last just two years.
I agree that shopping in a right manner is very important. You can save money while shopping but you need to keep some points in your mind. This post has given lot of great tips like we should always buy expensive things rather than cheap because cheap material will wear out in two-three year but expensive material will not. This post has given more information. Thank you for posting.