Any shopping geniuses out there? Ones who know exactly what to buy and when? Ones who know the games some retailers play to make you think you are getting a great deal when you may not be?
Must be nice!
Well, good for you, shopping genius. The rest of us just muddle through, getting good deals only by accident, it seems. But there are ways to improve your shopping game, and resources to turn to. One of many is radio money dude Dave Ramsey. He usually has a tip or two to share, in easy to digest bites.
One of his latest is a blog piece entitled “6 Secrets to Being a Smart Shopper.” Here are the bullets:
- Plan your vacations around “off” days. Why are we so locked in to the weekends, anyway?
- Purchase end-of-season clothing. You know, bathing suits in September, etc.
- Know your environment. The way retail stores are arranged can really affect your buying decisions. Why is milk in the back of the store? So you have to walk past everything else to get to it!
- Shop at estate sales on the last day. You know, “everything must go!!!” Same goes for garage sales at noon!
- Take advantage of some free services. Free delivery? Free slicing at the meat counter? Not so much saving here, but rather getting more for the money you spend.
- Don’t buy brand-new technology. Boy, do I know one of these guys! Every new Apple device. Every single time! The bonus is that I buy his perfectly good previous generation old stuff for deep discounts!
There is more info, and more advice at the original piece, so check it out! How about you? Are these good tips? Do you have any others to share? Let us know over at the MindField Online Facebook page, and have a great weekend!