Not going overboard while shopping is very important when it comes to shopping. Often times you hear people complaining about going over the budget while shopping. This can cause some problem if you stay on a monthly budget as a student or even if you like to balance your finances. If you have landed on this list that means you have ended up spending more money than you thought while shopping. The list touches on five different points on how you can save money. Each point may not be applicable to everyone but hopefully, there is something for everyone. Let’s get into it.
1. Planning Ahead
Impulse shopping is one of the things which affects most people who end up spending more than their intent. Maybe you see something and feel you want it or at the spur of the moment, you just bought it. To save yourself from such a thing it is advisable to make a shopping list before venturing out. You can also grade the items by their importance from most essential to least essential. For example, while grocery shopping, get the basics like rice, pulses, vegetables rather than going for cheese, Lays or Nutella first (reverse the order depending on your preference). If you are in doubt whether to buy an item or not just leave it or leave the shop and move on to the next.
2. Making a Budget
This is really important as this will help you plan and grade your shopping list better. If you have a concrete idea about how much you are going to spend then it will be easy to divide the finance among the various items that you have put on your list. You can obviously fine-tune your budget to fit your comfort but doing this before the shopping is very important. Also, make it a rule to try your best to save as much as possible while shopping rather than trying to hit your budget. The budget should be a financial boundary which should not be crossed rather than a boundary to reach.
3. Wholesale Stores
If you like buying stuff in bulk then you might want to go to stores like Quicklotz where they give you huge discounts if you buy in bulk. By bulk, it does not mean that you have to be a retailer. It means that if you have lots of friends then go shopping together and buy multiple units at once, for example, jeans or jackets. Try it. It will help save a good amount which you can then spend on something else in future. Also, there are other stores which sell clothes with very minor invisible defects. You can easily find such stores in your city after doing a google search and get clothes at a huge discount.
4.Limit Cash
Make sure to take only a limited amount of cash. This will help you not go overboard even if you have that ‘impulse shopping’ fit. Now, you won’t have the money even if you want to buy a certain thing. This is something which you will see everyone suggest since this directly hits you. Take only your budget amount along with the travelling expense. ost of the budget overshooting happens when it’s impulsive as you see something and you just want to buy it without giving many thoughts on its utility.
5. Bargain
Look, it might not sound good but always try to hassle for a good bargain. More times than not you will get a good price. The shopkeepers already markup the price enough because they expect the customers to bargain which is why you should always go for it wherever applicable. Sometimes you will be surprised how much you ended up saving and feel good that you did not have to pay as much as you thought. Just keep in mind that you have an idea about the price of the item. Ask your friends or family members before venturing to the market. Don’t quote a price which is ridiculous.