4 Tips For Maximizing Your Shopping Without Breaking the Bank

Everybody loves shopping to some extent. Whether it is for smaller ticket items such as clothes and shoes, or larger items such as plane travel tickets and hotels to some exotic destination. Every once is a while you even get to shop for the mother of all purchases – a home. The good news is that money can be saved no matter what the scale of your shopping experience entails. That’s right – if you are picking up vacuum cleaner or shopping for houses for sale in Perth, you stand to save money if you can follow some simple money saving tips. Afterall, it always feels good when you are able to reward yourself for your hard work, and maybe treat your family or friends along the way, too.

But as we all know, shopping can be a bit expensive if not approached from the right mindset. And in this day and age, every penny saved for the rainy day is very important. So what does this mean for the needed “treat yourself” day? Should you get rid of it altogether?

Well, you do not have to sacrifice that “treat yourself” day if you know some tips and tricks to shop without hurting your savings too much. Here we list the top 4 tips for maximizing your shopping without breaking the bank.

Be Less Brand Conscious

Many women will want a top end brand such as Givenchy, Louboutin, or Chanel in their closet, but if it cannot be afforded as of yet it is better postpone the high-end stuff. Try to focus less on the brand and more on the functionality an item will deliver. It is always nice to treat yourself to some ultra-luxury item, but the happiness it brings is often short-lived and temporary. Studies have shown that much more happiness can be derived by paying for experiences vs. material things. If I still haven’t swayed you, those brands will always be there down the road once you’ve saved up more to afford it!

Find Food Alternatives

Like clothes, we want to be able to treat ourselves to the best food cooked by the best chefs. But if this is not possible yet because of your budget, focus on choosing a fun alternative. This does not mean you should eat fast food every time you go out to eat. You can choose a restaurant that offers the same kind of food that you want with a top-notch dish quality. Right now, the best values can typically be found at hole-in-the-wall restaurants. These types of restaurants do not just offer delectable dishes, they are places that are Instagram worthy. The basic rule of thumb is to avoid franchise restaurants all together. You will typically be paying high prices for mediocre food.

Wait For the Sale

Sales are your best chance to getting your hands on those items you have always wanted. Take advantage of sales which happen from time to time. You can typically find the best deals when retailers are “rotating” their inventory. This is when you will find discounted summer clothes as fall approaches, or discounts on cars or TVs when the newest year models are coming to market. When you do “treat yourself” shopping try to target dates where there are big sales. Also try to make a list of things you want to buy so that you can properly budget ahead of time so that you aren’t tempted to spend more than you should.

Thrift Shop

There is nothing wrong with thrift shopping. In fact, some of the best finds are in thrift shops. Macklemore certainly was not lying when he started singing about the joys of thrift shopping. You can always have the items you’ve purchased from the thrift shop cleaned and inspected once you have purchased them if you find a problem. Plus, I am pretty sure you will come out of a thrift shop with your hands full without even reaching the $200 mark.