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shopping tips

Shopping

Consider More Than One Brand When You Shop

Here’s a shopping tip that I find saves me a lot of money.  Don’t get too stuck on any specific brand name.  If you do, you will find yourself paying a higher price for your items such as food, clothing, shampoos, etc. than you might otherwise pay.  Why?  If you are determined to always buy the same brand you will not be willing to consider other options that may be cheaper even though the quality might be the same.  By refusing to budge from one specific brand you limit your choices and therefore you don’t always allow yourself to take advantage of the best deals.  Also, chances are your specific brand will not always be on sale, so if you run out, you will be forced to buy it at regular price.

Although the familiar is comfortable, it’s not always the best choice.  Be willing to try different brands at least once.  If they are not as high quality as your favored brand, then at least you know not to buy it again. But if it is just as good, or perhaps even better, you know that this new brand can also be considered the next time you shop.

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Shopping

Ask For Last Year’s Merchandise And Save Money

A great way to save money when you shop is to be willing to purchase last year’s merchandise.   When buying shoes, don’t be afraid to ask the sales representative if they have any shoes left over from last year in your size.   If you are lucky, they will have just the shoes you are looking for, and at discounted prices since they came from last year’s stock.

Recently my husband and I benefited from this strategy.  While shopping for shoes in the States, the shoe salesperson brought out various pairs of shoes from last year that fit us perfectly. We were able to get good quality shoes without paying regular price.  As a result, we saved at least $60.

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Shopping

Become A Member And Save Money When You Shop

Although it may be annoying to have so many cards in your wallet from all the various stores where you regularly shop, it is worth your time to become a member when it results in saving you money.  It’s important to familiarize yourself with the benefits of membership and often all it takes to apply is your name, contact information, and mailing address.  The best part is that membership is often free!

You can also benefit from becoming a member in a country other than your own.  This worked for me when I was shopping for groceries during our travels in the U.S.  While shopping I noticed that members enjoyed significant savings, so when at the till, I asked the cashier if I could become a member even though I was Canadian.  She said it was no problem and it only took about two minutes to fill out the application form.  On that same bill, by taking the extra 2 minutes, I was able to save about $15.00.  It never hurts to ask!

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Shopping

Shopping Around Pays Off

The other night my husband and I went shopping for special devices used for dental hygiene.  The two items we were looking for included a Philips sonicare toothbrush and a Waterpik waterflosser.   These may sound like really weird gadgets, but they are supposed to help promote dental health and we definitely need to be taking better care of our teeth.

We started off by checking out the prices at Zellers.  The waterflosser was $100 and they didn’t have the toothbrush.  Next we went to Superstore, where I expected to find the lowest price for these gadgets.  We discovered that the toothbrush was $100 and they didn’t have the waterflosser.

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