Be it festival shopping, wedding shopping, purchasing furniture or electronic goods, or your regular grocery shopping, it involves spending lots of money. However, with some smart planning and shopping hacks, you can save a ton of money and still lay your hands on some great products.
Following your instinct is good, but rushing in whimsically at the first site and purchasing without a second thought is a big no-no. Smart shopping does not mean cutting down on spending. It is about making an informed decision and learning to shop within budget without compromising on quality.
To begin with, do your research, go through multiple rounds of scrutiny before filling your cart, look for discounted products, and do not get shy of thrift shopping.
Just tap your social media skills, and you can find a coupon or two, some fantastic cashback offers, or a better price at another website.
So whether you are shopping for groceries at a local market or on a shopping spree at a mall, following shopping hacks will help you shop smart, lapping up some of the finest products and saving money.
Here are some of the go-to tips that we recommend while going on a thrift spree.
Please think twice before buying that 12th pair of shoes, no matter how attractive they are. Don’t jump at the moniker’ New Collection’. Ask yourself if you will wear those after some time. Or do you really need them in the first place? If unsure, wait for some time. You can still buy it a day or two later. One of the first tips to be a smart shopper is to avoid being impulsive.
Another shopping hack to be a smart buyer is to check your kitchen stores and wardrobes before going shopping and make a list of things that you need to buy. An unplanned visit to a supermarket can spiral out of control and makes you spend a fortune on unnecessary items. A list will help you stick to the necessary things when you go shopping.
Another trick is to look for coupons and cashback offers. There are multiple sites where you can find coupons to get discounts on various websites. For instance, Happy Credit is one of the best sites to get cashback offers on various shopping sites.
Ensure to apply coupons while checking out to get discounted rates. Many banks have tie-ups with various shopping sites where you either get cashback or reward points that you can use for your future purchase with your debit/credit cards.
The best shopping hack that can be suggested is to wait for sales. Every website and store offers deals on different occasions like Diwali, New Year, Christmas, or end-of-season sales, etc. Festive season or sale season is the best time to shop, especially big ticket products like kitchen appliances or electronics.
If you are an avid social media user, there is a high chance that you may come across deals and discount codes on various social media sites like Instagram, Facebook, etc., that can be used for getting discounts on clothing, jewellery, mobile phones, electronics, etc.
Purchasing goods in bigger packages and bulk quantities is a great shopping hack and always proves to be economical. Companies offer bigger packs at lower prices as it saves them packaging costs. However, one needs to know the utility of the extra purchase made. Check the expiry dates on the label to understand whether the goods will last or not.
Thrift shopping is a treasure trove of some incredible deals at stunning rates. You can get anything under the sun in a thrift store, from furniture and appliances to clothes and books. Refurbished products usually undergo thorough inspections and quality checks to make sure they are working optimally.
Whether it is groceries, fruits and veggies, clothes, or white goods, buying directly from the source is always cost-effective as it eliminates intermediaries’ profit margins. Furthermore, you will get farm-fresh fruits and vegetables from them.
Comparing prices from different places is the best shopping hack among smart buying strategies. Whether shopping online or from stores, look for other shops and websites to compare prices and purchase from the site that gives you the best price for your purchase.
While shopping, you may be tempted to shop for offers like ‘buy 1 get 1 free’ and other such alluring deals. However, before grabbing the opportunity, check if the quality of the product is worth buying. What feels like a great deal to you may turn out to be a complete waste of money. It is better to buy one decent quality product instead of buying two cheap ones.
If you are getting ready to raid a website or a mall to get some stylish outfits or gorgeous mascara, wait!! Go through the above-listed shopping hacks and be a smart shopper. You can use these useful shopping strategies to get good quality stuff at a better price.
Q. What are some shopping hacks, especially for online shopping?
To shop smartly within budget at online stores, first, you need to check the customer reviews to understand the product, compare the product on several different websites to know the lowest price, and finally, do not shoot directly to the buy button. Put the product in the cart, check some more products in the category, and then finalise.
2. How to buy good quality clothes on a budget?
To buy good quality clothes on a budget, first, decide the amount you need to stick to. Next, prefer quality over quantity when shopping for clothes as good quality clothes will last longer.
3. What should I consider when buying electronics?
If you are comfortable using refurbished electronic products, thrift shopping is best for saving money while buying electronics.
4. What are some shopping hacks to consider when shopping for kids?
Joining loyalty programmes is one of the best ways to get good discounts, particularly for kids. Kids grow at a fast pace, and their clothing requirements keep on changing at the same pace. Thus, a loyalty programme will benefit the parents. For children, make value-for-money purchases as they will outgrow them quickly.
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Certain portions of the text in this article might have been created using AI tools and subsequently edited by the author to improve the overall quality and clarity of the content for readers.