Shopping and retail business is one of the major sectors that has been affected in this recession because most people don’t have enough money to spend.
The fact is that most of us need smart recession shopping tips that can help us save money for other use.
The global economic downturn has affected almost every home and household, and the effects have been felt by not only the shoppers but also the high street shops as well.
What happened is that most people don’t have money to spend and those that have money to spend have become frugal shoppers.
Helpful Recession Shopping Tips
Even for the fashionistas and shopaholics or those that are addicted to shopping, their general activities have been greatly affected by the economic downturn.
Not that they have all stopped shopping completely, but what did they do? Most of them have devised smart ways to shop. And what do they get in return? They make a stunning wardrobe in no time and save money on their spending.
So how do you do your shopping during the recession and still have some money left to take care of your other responsibilities such as utility bills?
It is time that we become more recession-proof and turn to be smart shoppers by following some simple and useful tips below.
#1). Budget, buy what is needed
At times we overspend when we go shopping and the painful thing is that we sometimes end up buying stuff we don’t need. You ask why? It’s simply because we failed to research and find out what we mostly needed before we go shopping. But with a proper shopping budget, what you will get is the ability to manage your resources reasonably.
Also, you will get what you want at a very competitive price and do your shopping with ease and peace of mind. With this, you don’t have to worry yourself about whether to buy or not to buy because you will be able to know what you spend your money on that will meet your budget as well as satisfy your needs.
#2). Plan your shopping
Never rush to do your shopping especially when there is no reason for you to do so. Try as much as possible to wait for the time when your favourite fashion shops will do their sales as this will save you some money.
Remember that you are not the only one affected by the recession, even the so-called high street shops are feeling the heat as well. So there is a possibility that they might have to do sales to be able to get some of their products off the shelves. Discounts are usually huge during festive periods and the holiday season and these are great times to shop too.
#3). Check and compare prices
Another smart way to do shopping during recession is to make sure that you compare the prices of the product when next you wish to buy a certain product.
Because product prices usually vary from one seller to another, you will find a lot of differences in the prices when you compare products. Remember you can also get products at a lesser price directly from the merchant’s website. So make sure you check this as it can help you save some cash that can be used for other stuff.
#4). Promotional emails for discounts
Try to sign up for promotional deals emails from your favourite shops or manufacturers as this will enable you to be one of the first people to know when discounts or promotional prices are available on certain products.
To be honest, I personally have been able to save some money through this. I periodically receive promotional emails from some of my favourite sellers and manufacturers. Though you’ll have some unwanted emails in your inbox at times, you will also be able to get deals directly from your favourite shops and manufacturers. And as one of their loyal customers, the more you shop, the more money you will be able to save!
#5). Check with coupon and discount
Remember companies and business do offer discounts on certain products especially if you buy through certain means. Therefore, you should make sure that you periodically check online for websites that offer discount coupons.
You might just be lucky to get some of the products you wanted to buy at discounted prices. There are lots of websites that offer this kind of service. But please be very careful and make sure you use reputable websites that will give you better and genuine deals. This surely can help you make some extra savings.
This is a really well put together shopping tips. I have explored the email subscription from my favourite shops and it’s really saved me some dollars. Just like you said, there are times when my inbox is full of junks but who cares when I can save some money through some of these so-called junk emails from my favourite shops
Very nice article, exactly what I was looking for.