14 Tips To Save Money When Shopping

While I love to shop, I also love to save money.

No one loves getting a deal more than my mother-in-law. She reads all the grocery store circulars and plots a path to purchasing everything on her list at the best price. She drives to every store and there are a least 5 within 5 minutes of our home.

She buys groceries on our behalf. We pay for them, of course. She just does the grunt work of deal finding. She’s so proud of how much she saves that she regularly marks the savings in pen right on the items, even the ones she gets for us. And instead of handing over the bags of groceries straight away, she takes the time to showcase her most outrageous deals.

She really does get us some things at next-to-nothing prices. I can’t tell you how much she’s saved us!

While I don’t have the time and the energy to hunt deals at her level, I have learned a number of strategies to save money shopping. I’ve marked the tips I learned from my mother-in-law with an asterisk.

1. Use coupons whenever possible.

I’m from the Philippines where coupons aren’t even a thing. When I first saw them I was like, “What!? These little clippings of paper are worth money! Why isn’t everyone using them!?”

Most come in the mail or in newspapers; however, there are printable coupons online at sites like coupons.com. You can sign up with some sites and they’ll e-mail them right to your inbox.

At the grocers you can, believe it or not, combine manufacturer’s coupons with store coupons. But don’t stop at coupons alone. Wait for a sale. When I use a store coupon and a manufacturer’s coupon on an item that’s on sale I get it for next to nothing and sometimes free!  

Nowadays, there are fewer and fewer reasons to pay full price. Yes, couponing is work, but it’s well worth it.

Hubby says even the stock market is hard pressed to offer the 30-50% we save on coupons. That’s not pocket change. What you save from a year’s worth of couponing could pay for the family vacation!

2. Get the Sunday paper.*

Some of the best coupons can be found in the Sunday paper.

I’d get the Sunday paper even if I didn’t read the news. The coupons are so worth it my mother-in-law gets two papers!

Additionally, every grocery store in our area puts a circular describing this week’s deals in the Sunday paper. My mother-in-law is so committed to the hunt that she plots what she’s going to get and where. Fortunately, all our grocers are nearby.

3. Sign up for store coupons.

JCPenney  and DSW sends me coupons for $10 off $10, but you have to sign onto their mailing lists.

Pretty good deal, right? Sometimes I only buy $10 worth and pay nothing.

Other stores offers free products and coupons.

4. Stock up.

There is certain rhythm to sales and coupons.

From time to time you’ll find deals so spectacular that they warrant stocking up. So when you’re able to take advantage of multiple opportunities (e.g. manufacturer’s coupon + store coupon + sale), go all in. Get more than you need and store it in your pantry or freezer.

Some things like cereals have a great shelf life.

5. Mind the per-unit price.

When you’re shopping and comparing prices between similar items, your natural inclination may be to compare the price tags, but that’s not always the right thing to do.

The volume discrepancy between items is not always obvious. Pay attention to the per-unit price. It’s the best indicator of value.

Sometimes even a coupon on a brand name item isn’t enough to overcome the savings on the generic alternative.

6. Use the Ibotta app.

Don’t have time to clip coupons? This app is for you.

To redeem an offer, just take a photo of the receipt and they will add the money to you account. You get paid with a check, PayPal or gift cards. I use this  app in addition to coupons. Are you ready to save money? Sign up here  and get a $10 sign-up bonus.

7. Shop at outlets and discount/thrift stores.

We get much of our groceries at Aldi’s. It has the best prices on produce — even better than Walmart.

The rub is you have to bring your own grocery bags and a quarter to get a shopping cart which is returned to you when you return the cart.

The trick with outlets is managing your produce. You’ll get plenty of deals. You just have to be careful to plan your menu to avoid buying more produce than you can consume. 

We get kid’s clothes, shoes, toys, decors and household items at the local thrift stores. Plus, there are always sales. Mind them. This is the best time to buy.

8. Buy generic brands.

If you don’t have a coupon, buy generic. In some cases, a generic without a coupon will be cheaper than a brand with a coupon.

In many cases, there’s no notable difference between generics and brand names. You’ll learn where the exceptions can be made.

Hubby says Weis peanut butter is better than Walmart peanut butter. Weis corn chips and ice cream are as good as brand names. The generic oat cereal, however, is tasteless and so we stick with Cheerios.

Weis is our local grocery chain.

9. Check the discounted/clearance section.

Most bakeries offer 50% off nearly-expired items. Just freeze what you get if you don’t use it immediately.

10. Ask for a rain check.*

If you find a good sale on a product but they are out of stock, you request a rain check from the service desk. It’s a voucher for the sale price that you can use the next time they have stock.

11. Use different-item, same-brand coupons.*

This one really depends on the store and I was shocked when my mother-in-law showed me this. However, Weis accepts coupons for different item by the same manufacturer. So, for example, I have used diapers coupons on getting baby wipes, assuming both products are from the same manufacturer.

Remember, each store has its own policies. While some frown on this sort of thing, others are okay with it.

12. Use the Ebates app.

I love the Ebates app. I use it to get cash back every time I shop online. They have many retail stores to choose from (e.g. Amazon, Walmart, Kohl’s, JCPenney, Best Buy).

You can even earn cash back when you book your next vacation.

Are you ready to get cash back? Register here and get a $10 sign-up bonus.

13. Buy off-season items.

Check the clearance section. Off-season items may be marked down by up to 80%.

I bought a summer dress at Forever 21 for $4. That’s even better than thrift store prices!

14. Stop window shopping.

This one should be obvious, but it needed saying.

Don’t go to the store (online stores included) when you don’t actually need something.

When my oldest was in preschool, to kill time between dropping her off and picking her up I went to the store.  Now that she’s in Kindergarten, I stay home and blog. This reduced our shopping and gas expenses.

The obvious lesson is that if you expose yourself to deals, you’ll be tempted to buy things you don’t actually need because who knows, maybe…

I hope you learned something new and valuable. I’d love to hear from you.

Jennabel

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