Smart Bargains

These days the average consumer faces steadily rising costs in the essential categories of expenses: food, clothing and shelter. Now we can add fuel and transportation costs to the list. With these costs moving ever upwards, today’s economy almost demands that we all be smart shoppers. Really smart shoppers. How savvy do you think you are when it comes to finding smart bargains? Read on to see some advice from the experts. We’ll look at the essentials, one by one to help you find deals and stretch your dollars.

Food shopping offers a number of hurdles. Eat a hearty meal before you go shopping. It’s undeniable that when you shop on an empty stomach, you’re easy target for impulse purchases. Chips and dip aren’t on your list but they’re suddenly so appealing! Look over the weekly sales before you make your weekly menu. Know your prices, because some of the advertised items are not on sale at all. If you know a sale price when you see it, smart bargains are there for the taking. Design your menu around sale items only, if possible. Be wary of those end-of-the aisle displays of a thousand cans of soup, quite likely at regular price. In a nutshell, you must stick to your list. Remember, even a great bargain is not a “real” bargain if it is not on your list and puts you over your budget. If you adopt this basic approach and pretend that your money will only pay for the contents of your list. You’ll save money and attain smart bargains expert status at the grocery store.

Some people think of clothes shopping as a hobby (like my teenage daughters), rather than a basic expense. If you’re a clothes horse, resist the temptation to buy simply because it’s attractive. The hobby clothes shopper is encouraged to have a monthly clothes budget with a “Go to jail, do not pass go” attitude when your limit is reached. Every clothes purchase should extend or enhance your current wardrobe. With a budget set, you’ll find yourself watching the sales with truly smart bargains. Another option that works well is acquainting yourself with the national discount ‘seconds’ stores. You know the ones we’re talking about. You can pick up amazing smart bargains on linens, men’s shirts, home décor items – and yes, clothing.

Many of these items are particularly great bargains depending on the time of year. This goes for just about any item you want to buy. Get acquainted with when is the best time to buy what and you’ll save lots of money.

Now we come to shelter. Unfortunately, most of us have a fixed housing expense. However, the cost of shelter includes those show stoppers, utilities. Trim those hefty extras by wearing sweaters in winter, keeping weather stripping in good repair and doing full loads of laundry, no extra-low settings because you’re in a hurry. Turn off lights when you leave a room. You’d be surprised at how much a computer left on continuously uses over a year! Some cities offer “green” services to help you use less water on your toilets, taps and showers. Use energy saving light bulbs. Keep you furnace tuned up. Change the filters and have it cleaned about every two years. Check the temperature setting on your water heater. Get organized and be thoughtful of these hidden shelter extras. This applies to phone use as well! Take the challenge: see if you can turn a nightmare shelter cost into a smart bargain. You can, you know. The only smart bargains in gasoline are found at the station with the lowest daily price most of the time. Every city and town has one or more. Make it your mission to find out which one you can patronize. Some credit cards offer bonuses if you use them wisely. Use them when making your gas purchases and enjoy the perks. So there you have it,