No matter your budget or financial situation, everyone could probably agree that saving money and snagging great deals while shopping is extremely gratifying. There are several easy actions you could take to get the best overall prices and become a savvy shopper.
Here are 6 of the best ways to save your hard earned money while shopping:
- Compare prices and ask for price matches: if you’re planning on buying a specific item, we recommend shopping around for the best prices since different retailers may offer varying prices for the same items. It also wouldn’t hurt to ask if a store will price match, since many chain retail stores often have a policy where they will match a competitor’s price if it’s lower.
- Ask for price adjustments: you may even find opportunities to get some money back even after purchasing your items. If you notice that the price of an item has lowered during a certain timeframe (usually anywhere between 1 week to a month after purchasing), you may be able to get the difference refunded if the retail store has a price adjustment policy in place.
- Shop through websites that offer cashback: sites such as Rakuten, TopCashback, Ibotta, etc. are all excellent choices to earn cashback on your purchases. Most of these cashback sites work by receiving commission from their retail partners and giving a cut of this commission back to the customer each time they make a purchase. These websites often have shopping portals that’ll enable you to track your purchases to earn a small percentage of cashback.
- Search for coupons and promo codes: when shopping online, search for discount codes to try to get better deals on your items before placing your order. It may also be beneficial to provide an email address and subscribe to stores’ newsletters because many retail stores often send out coupon codes for first time shoppers and will notify you whenever a sale occurs.
- Sign up for store cards or loyalty programs: if you’re loyal to a specific store or brand, then it may be worth it to sign up for that store’s credit card or to join their loyalty program. Some of the perks of joining these programs may include discounts, private sales, or free rewards exclusive to their members.
- Avoid impulse shopping: if an item you want is non-essential and you could hold off on buying it, we advise you to spend some time carefully considering the purchase and waiting until the item goes on sale. This method allows you to avoid any impulse buying and make better purchasing decisions.
