Money Saving Secrets by Nitinkumar Chauhan - HTML preview

3.     Shopping

We buy things we don't need  with money we don't have to impress people we don't like. -Dave Ramsey

1)   Rewards and discounts: Even if you rarely shop at that place, having a rewards card for that place will eventually net you some coupons  and  discounts.  Here’s  the  basic  game   plan  for maximizing these  programs: create  an email address just for these mailings, collect every card you can, and then check that account for extra coupons whenever you’re ready to shop.

2)  Do it yourself: Make your own gifts instead of buying stuff from the store. You can  make food mixes, candles, bread, cookies, soap, and all kinds of  other things at home quite easily and inexpensively. These make spectacular gifts for others because they involve your homemade touch, plus quite often they’re consumable, meaning they don’t wind up filling someone’s closet with junk. Even better – include a personal handwritten note with the gift. This will make it even more special than anything you could possibly buy down at the mall, plus it  saves you money.

3)  Master the thirty day rule: Whenever you’re considering making an unnecessary purchase, wait thirty days and then ask yourself if you still want that item. Quite often, you’ll find that the urge to buy has passed and you’ll have saved yourself some money by simply waiting. If you want, you can even keep a “thirty day list” where you write down the item and the day you’ll reconsider it, but I prefer just to keep this one in my head – that way, I often just forget about the unimportant things.

4)  Write a list: Write a list before you go shopping – and stick to it.

Did  you  go to buy a  lip  balm and  returned  with  a bagful of cosmetics? An excellent way to control impulsive buying is to make a list before heading towards the market. Though the shelves are filled with temptations, pledge to stick to your requirements, and you will have more money at the end of the month. One should never go into a store without a strong idea of what one will be buying while in there. Make a care