The economy might be getting better in some respects, but there’s still an awful lot of folk who are having to keep to a budget to make sure their dollars last the month. When you don’t have a lot of spare cash, shopping makes a big difference to your outgoings, in that being clever about how and where you shop can save you an awful lot – or if you get it wrong, mean you’re paying more than you need to. If you save on the things you have to buy, like groceries, you may be able to spend a little more on a few treats or save for a vacation or a new car. It’s surprising how big a difference small savings can make over time, so even if you think you’re doing everything you can to economize, there could be a few more tricks you weren’t aware of that could help you even more.
Grocery shopping
This is going to be your biggest weekly expense, and it’s somewhere you can make some great savings without squeezing too hard. The first change you can make is buying different brands to your usual major label products. Supermarket own brands are often just as good, and in some cases even better than big brands, so don’t be afraid to try them. There might be some things that you can’t find a substitute for that you want to keep buying, and that’s fine, but there could be many other items where branding makes little difference – except to the price! You could try shopping around in different stores to see how price and quality compare to your usual destination. It can be a bit of a drag to start with when you go somewhere where you can’t find anything, but you’ll be surprised how quickly you’ll get used to a different layout.
Good food doesn’t need to be expensive
Some of the most versatile and healthiest foods are reasonably cheap, and you can stock up on things like rice, pulses, and pasta (preferably wholegrain and wholemeal), so you always have some in your cupboard at home. Making your own meals and freezing them works well if you can batch cook curries, soups, stews and so on. It needn’t be too time-consuming, as cooking a large batch takes hardly any longer than cooking a single supper. There are some very useful websites on the Internet that have great tips for making brilliant meals with inexpensive ingredients. Collecting coupons for groceries used to be a massively popular activity, and you could save a lot of money if you were diligent about using them. Their star has faded in some circles, but coupons are still available – and don’t forget there are a lot of offers online that have replaced many of the traditional cut out coupons.
Let someone else find the bargains for you
There has been a rise in recent years of sites that offer big discounts on random selections of products and experiences. They do this by promoting the offers so widely that the take-up compensates for the large discounts. In some cases, businesses are happy to use these offers as loss leaders, whereby they create so much publicity and interest in the business that it is worth losing money on one item in their range. You can subscribe to these sites, and although you can never be sure what you might find, there is usually a good selection of things like spa breaks, electrical goods, and beauty products. Using these sites is a great way to save money on items you needed anyway, but don’t be seduced into buying something you don’t really need just because it’s such a bargain! There are other websites that actively seek out the best deals on the web and post alerts to everything they find. These could be special offers; bulk buy discounts or closing down sales – anything that has a worthwhile reduction from its original price could be featured. Go online to see more and browse the offers on these websites; it will save you a lot of time and effort.
Clothes
Rather than paying full price for your clothes, get in the habit of checking sale rails wherever you shop. You can get some real bargains, like end of line fashions that would have been twice or three times the price a few weeks ago. Outlet stores that sell discontinued lines from big names can also be a good source of bargain outfits if you have one near you. Online auction sites like eBay are a fantastic source of clothes, too, and it’s simple to narrow your search down to your size, or even a brand you like. You’ll find all sorts of barely used designer labels and quality clothing at very reasonable prices, as well as shoes and accessories. If you have anything you no longer wear, there are great sites where you can sell your clothes yourself to make a bit of money for something you want.
Buying quality at good prices
The art of keeping to a budget is not to simply get the cheapest possible goods, and end up feeling miserable because you’re living on lentils and tinned tomatoes. It’s all about finding good quality at lower prices, and very often that means looking at second-hand rather than new. Buying something cheap but new is a false economy, because it won’t last and may even look cheap too. If you buy pre-used goods, you can get a far higher quality product for the same or less money than a cheap new item. Good quality second-hand products will last you much longer and look much nicer, so if you can’t find what you need new at the right price, see what is available second-hand.
There are lots of clever ways to get the most from your money, and if you are careful about being economical with most of your purchases, you should save enough to make life more comfortable, and enjoy something special every now and then.