How To Save Money While You Shop

Who doesn’t love to shop? While shopping is everyone’s favorite cardio, it can get a little pricey.

We all want to dress cute and buy basic necessities, but how are we supposed to do that when everything is so dang expensive? Fortunately for us, it is totally doable! It just requires a little extra work. Here are some tips on how to save money while you shop and look great doing it!

1. Download Coupon Apps

If you can think of it, there’s probably an app for that. We make fun of our parents and grandparents who save their coupons and collect them, but really, they’re the smart ones!

Coupons can actually save you a ton of money so long as you don’t forget about them. Look at CVS, they give out 4 feet of coupons, but how often do you use them because you forget about them? Well, most stores do accept coupon and promo codes at check out, which means they are out there you just have to search for them.

But who has the time to look for coupons that will save you the most money? Now, with the online app, Honey, you can save without having to do the work!

Honey is a browser extension that will automatically search and apply the best promo codes at checkout that will help you save money! This extension is completely free, and you will be saving a ton of money!

2. Watch Out For Sales

One of the most disappointing things is paying full price for an item only to see it go on sale a week later. But you don’t always want to wait for something to go on sale because what if you miss it? With Shoptagr, you will never miss another deal again and save money!

Shoptagr is another browser extension, but you can also get it on your phone! With Shoptagr, all you have to do is make a wishlist, and Shoptagr will automatically notify you when the price has dropped, or an item is going on sale, thus helping you save money.

A hack for bargain shopping at Target is explicitly to look at the price tag. If a Target price tag ends in a $0.08 or $0.06, the price will most likely drop within the coming weeks. But if a price tag ends in $0.04, then grab it while you can because Target will often not go below this price!

Another helpful hack at Target is to remember that sales often happen by the department and usually stick to a schedule. So if you’re waiting for electronics to go on sale, check back on Mondays as that is the scheduled day for electronics.

Monday: Accessories, electronics, books, stationery, kids clothing, and the baby department

Tuesday: Women’s clothing, pet supplies, domestic, and food/market

Wednesday: Health and beauty, men’s clothing, diapers, gardening and yard, and furniture

Thursday: Lingerie, toys, shoes, decor, housewares, luggage, decor, and sporting goods

Friday: Jewelry, cosmetics, auto, and hardware

3. Make a Wishlist

One of the biggest mistakes we can make while shopping is overshopping. Often times, we will go into a store to buy one thing and leave with the keys to the building. And stores know this! Which is why stores such as Target and Walmart are always rearranging their departments around because they want you to get lost and buy things you didn’t go in for.

To avoid overshopping and save money, the best thing to do is make a wishlist or shopping list before going in. Making a list will help you stick to a budget and not wander around and pick things up that you don’t really need.

Have you ever gone online shopping and gotten to the checkout only to gasp at how much everything wracked up? That’s the great thing about online shopping — you can reevaluate your cart and see how much each item costs and see where your money went. When you’re shopping in-store, you often don’t realize how much you are spending because you will only see the price of everything together once you’ve checked out.

To avoid a near heart attack and save money, online shop for clothing and cosmetics ahead of time and form your wishlist around that. This way, you can see how much you are about to spend before you spend it and not stray from the wishlist!

4. Comparison Shopping

Many stores will have the same exact items but will sell them for different prices. Depending on the store you go to, you could be spending $20 extra on an item you could be getting for $10. But because you are shopping at a nicer store, the markup is higher.

Surprising Potential Finds While Thrifting

Before making a purchase on something pretty generic, do some comparison shopping. There are plenty of apps that allow you to scan the barcode of an item and show you how their price compares to other stores. You can also search for the items and find comparable options for half the price.

5. Join Mailing Lists

Joining a mailing list often seems like it’s more of a chore than anything else, but they can actually help you save at some of your favorite stores!

Mailing lists are designed to get customers into the store, which means sales, and lots of them. Some mailing lists will only offer you these deals if you are subscribed so why not join? If you’re worried about your inbox turning into a black hole there are two things you can do:

1. Make a new email

Making a new email designated to mailing lists is a super-easy way to keep your personal email clean and to keep your coupons in one place. Creating an email is totally free, and there’s no harm in having one if you want to get some discounts!

2. Download Unroll.Me

Unroll.Me is a fantastic app if you’re going to get organized. With Unroll.Me, you can get “daily roll-ups” of all your mail in one email once a day. This way, instead of receiving 20 emails from mailing lists, you can put all these emails into one single email and not be overwhelmed!

6. Take Advantage of Discounts

No matter where you shop, there will almost always be some kind of discount. This is especially true for students! Many stores such as ASOS, TopShop, and Madewell will offer any and all students a discount on their purchase with a valid student ID. Check store discounts before checking out to see if you can receive any discounts!