A Few Ways To Shop Smart

March 11, 2008 · Filed Under , · Comment 

I did not always shop smart. I use to be the guy who would wander into the grocery store when I was hungry and end up with 3 bags of Cheetos, a gallon of chocolate milk, and a bag of frozen Chimichangas. No joke. I was also the person who shopped for clothes by meandering through the shopping mall wearing my last clean pair of underwear. I would rather just buy more than actually do the laundry. I currently own 527 pairs of tighty whities and assorted boxers!

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But now I shop smart baby! My wife and I do some of the obvious things like clip coupons, buy in bulk when reasonable, and shop with a list and a plan. But we also have found a few other ways to shop smart that you may not have thought of. By doing some of the following, it not only saves my wife and I a good chunk of money, but also saves us precious time.

  • Big Box Stores. Whenever you are making a major purchase from stores like Best Buy, Circuit City, Home Depot, Lowes, and the like, you have power to negotiate. For example, awhile back, my wife and I were buying a TV and DVD player from Best Buy and I asked the salesperson, “I will buy both right now, but only if you can give me the DVD player at half off.” He ran off to ask his manager, came back and said, “You have a deal.” When I was working at The Home Depot we were encouraged to do things like this. Especially if a product had a slight defect. I would often get approval to give the customer a great deal. This is definitely something I would recommend you trying!
  • Use Your Attic! Shop in your attic for cobwebs and dead bugs and then use it to store great bargains you find throughout the year. Shop right after holidays for the following year! There are always some GREAT deals to be found. Use your attic as storage for Christmas gifts, Easter baskets, birthday presents for your kids that you find throughout the year. My wife and I do this, and not only do we save a ton of money, but it is so much easier to have stuff at the ready.
  • Buy Staples at a Discount. Not staples that hold your papers together, but the kind that keep your stomach from growling. Canned goods, paper products, and non-perishables. We have a Winco grocery store here in Redding where my wife buys all of our staples. They are SUPER cheap!! Their meat and produce is not the best. So we keep our eye out on sales offered at other grocery stores (Raley’s and Safeway) who have higher quality meats and produce.

How do YOU shop smart? Would love to hear your comments and ideas!

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