Sep 26, 2011

More Important than Coupons: Know Your Shopping Style

I don't know anyone "in real life" who coupons the way I do, hunting for the best deals and stockpiling the same way. My friends who know how I shop haven't really expressed any interest in learning to coupon, and I think that's totally cool. While I love helping others save money, it's more important to be true to yourself.

So if clipping coupons, shopping at multiple stores, and hunting down deals is too stressful for you, don't do it.

I don't mean you should pay full price for everything, but I do mean you should find a store like Trader Joe's or Target, which have low-ish every prices, and shop there. Clip coupons for those things you normally buy and when you see them on sale, use your coupons to get a great deal. Shop from a list and avoid impulse purchases.

The key to saving big on shopping is to buy when prices are low, and to not buy more than you need.

You don't need to buy at the lowest price - you might spend more than a hardcore couponer would, but you'll still spend less than you would without any strategic planning at all.

5 comments:

Heather near Atlanta said...

Cathy, this is so true. Because of my commute and just general driving kids around (i.e., I'm always in the car anyway), I don't mind stopping two or three times a week, at each of the drugstores and then at Publix on penny-item days, but those trips are pretty carefully planned out for a quick zip in/zip out. Other women look at me like I've grown a second head and accuse me of "liking to shop." But that's my style and it works for me!

Tia said...

Cathy, you so hit the nail on the head. My mother-in-law hates to shop and can not deal with coupons so I encouraged her to stick with a no frills/low price store like Winco to keep her grocery bills down and that works for her. I also play the drugstore game in what I call "Binge Shopping" because I will grab up all the deals for a few weeks and then take a break for a few months. It is a lot less stressful for me. LOL! If you know your own shopping style AND know the different times of year to buy different items you will have it made!

Chief Family Officer said...

There are times when I LOVE making lots of trips. And my friends think I'm nuts too, LOL! But I applaud you - have fun!

Chief Family Officer said...

I love "binge shopping" - can I borrow that? :D

Tia said...

Absolutely! LOL! I know it doesn't have a very nice connotation but I can't think of any other way to describe it.