Times are tough, and it’s the priority of many individuals and families to save money in any way possible. While spending less money can be an option, there are times and situations where it’s necessary to make a trip to the store and spend some of your money. However, these instances don’t have to be as expensive as you might think. To help you save money regardless of what you’re buying and from where, here are three ways you can save money while shopping at any store.

Sign Up With The Store

Almost all consumer businesses, whether it’s in retail or food, has some kind of communication strategy to reach out to their customers. Luckily for you as the consumer, this is the perfect way to find out about sales, discounts and freebies that can save you tons of money. Whenever possible, sign up for email lists, newsletters, or SMS alerts from your favorite stores or just stores you tend to frequent. By doing this, you’ll be informed of money-saving information without having to do any of the legwork yourself.

Purchasing At the Ideal Time

While there are times when you have to make a specific purchase immediately, there are also plenty of cases when you know you need something in advance but can wait to make the actual purchase. In these situations, making your purchase at the right time can save you a lot of money.

According to Amy Fontinelle, a contributor for Investopedia.com, planning purchases—especially big purchases—can help you to rarely ever have to pay full sticker price. You can do this by researching when the store will be having a sale, searching out relevant coupons, or finding a different store or vendor that’s selling the same thing for a more competitive price. So if you’ve got a few purchases that you can hold out on for a bit, try to do a little research ahead of time to make sure you’re getting the absolute best price possible.

Online vs. In-Store

In today’s shopping atmosphere, every store not only has a physical location but an online location as well. And although this may seem counterintuitive, Jennifer Marino Walters, a contributor for Reader’s Digest, shares that prices online and in-store aren’t always the same even for the same business. That’s why before you make your final purchase, you may want to double check that the price isn’t cheaper if you choose to buy the item online rather than in the store. Just make sure you account for things like shipping fees and time delays before deciding on which option will be most cost effective for you.

By simply taking a little bit of time to think about your options, you can almost always find a way to save some money on each and every shopping trip. Use the tips mentioned above to help you keep your spending better under control.

Categories: General