5 Ways to Shop & Save Money

I am what you would call an uber shopper. If I can shop I will. I am NOT a browser really. Even if I don’t have a shopping list, I’ll march into a store, grab a basket and briskly walk around and pick out things that catch my eye. This can be a problem at the till when I find I have chosen a bajillion things but I have always been the same. If I can have a list when I go shopping then I prefer it because I can go to areas of shops directly. I love a good bargain but Sales are the bain of my life because I simply cannot be bothered to sort through the absolute bomb site that is sale rails let alone get elbowed and pushed out the way for the last size 8 neon crop top – don’t worry love, I’d have needed one for each boob! However, liking  a bargain and needing to save money are important to me because the reduce the risk of me getting buyers remorse as soon as I get home, though this only ever happens when I buy something for myself. Therefore, I thought I’d share with you a couple of my top tips for saving money when shopping…

Do It Online!

I am all about supporting the High Street and do want them to stay as they are a huge part of our English culture and once a month my mum and I will go to town and peruse the shops and have a coffee and it’s a nice trip out. However, if you want to save money then online is where it’s at. YES, you can wait for the sales in the shops like I do and then hit them hard BUT if there are no sales on then Google is your friend.

Price Comparisons

Now, whatever you are buying be it groceries, a car, clothes etc. 99% of the time there is a price comparison site out there that will help you. For example, if you’re looking for a new mobile phone, then it’s a good idea to check somewhere like Mobile Phone Checker, where you can check out all the prices on models out there. I know that when I do online food shopping, I always put my list into My Supermarket and check which shop is going to deliver it to me cheaper.

Vouchers

Most people think that vouchers and coupons are a thing that belong to America – well people I am here to tell you that’s NOT true. I wrote all about my obsession with Extreme Couponing ages ago and whilst we cannot go to the extremes that the American’s do, you’d  be surprised how many there are out there for us Brits. You can visit sites like Super Savvy Me and Caring Everyday that give some really great coupons to help save you money. You should also keep an eye out in magazines and newspapers and on the back of food packets as so many brands pop a coupon on their packaging to say thank you. If you find one, for goodness sake pop it in your purse or handbag so you have it with you the next time you go shopping!

Bloggers

You’d be surprised how many blogs there are out there dedicated to saving people money. My friend Laura co-runs the awesome Savings 4 Savvy Mums which I myself have gotten quite a few great tips from especially when it comes to cooking on a budget and making meals go further. You should definitely check out her blog which has featured suggested deals for you and then over on their Facebook page they are regularly sharing really useful tips that would help everyone be a little better off!

Competitions

Now this technically isn’t shopping but it kind of is because you can go window shopping at the prizes. You would be so surprised how much you can win. I spent 3 months entering a few competitions a day, honestly not very many and I actually on average won something at least once a  week. There are literally hundreds of competitions a day/week you can enter and they are so easy and simple to enter that sometimes one click and you’re in! There are loads of places you can find competitions to enter such as mine and Rachel Bustin’s Competition page which has new weekly competitions on it as well as websites like PrizeFinder too. Good luck and I hope you all win!

So those are my top tips for ways you can enjoy shopping without being worried that you’re going to break the bank each month. Don’t forget you can also use websites like Facebook For Sale and eBay to sell old stuff to help build your money pot for buying new stuff. Alyssa has some really lovely clothes but she is growing so fast so we always just pop them on one or the other and build up a little Alyssa’s new wardrobe fund and then enjoy going to the actual shops and having a little spree.

Hope they help and do let me know if you manage to grab any bargains. Do you have any super tips?

This is a collaborative post.