Smart Shopping

[Harrison]

No matter what you're shopping for, don't spend more than you have to on anything you buy. If you follow a few smart shopping strategies, you'll save money on most items you need to purchase. Here are a few smart shopping tips to help maximize your savings.
1. Do you need it? This first rule of shopping smart is don't buy it if you don't really need it. If you really want to save money and spend wisely, you shouldn't buy items that you don't really need now. Being patient has benefits. Circumstances change and sometimes good deals come along if you wait. You may find you no longer need the item at all or it is drastically reduced in price in the future.
2. Plan for spending - If purchases are planned and included in your household or personal budget they are not a financial strain. Plan for major holiday shopping, like Christmas gifts, and shop sales throughout the year to save money on your Christmas budget.
3. Organize shopping trips and make shopping lists - Make a list to keep your shopping focused on the shopping plan. Keep an organized list or calendar recording birthdays, anniversaries, and other special occasions. You can make special gift purchases when you come across great sales, clearance, or closeout items throughout the year to plan ahead for these events. You can save money shopping for gifts throughout the year during sales events.
4. Do research - If you're buying an expensive item or a large household appliance, doing a little research could save you a lot of money. Know your options. What is available, and what suits your personal needs? Informed consumers make smarter purchase decisions. For example, if an appliance has 10 convenience settings in addition to the normal basic 5 settings, but you know you'll only require (or actually use) the basic settings, don't pay extra for options you won't use.
5. Compare prices - Always shop around at internet discount resources, thrift stores, clearance and closeout resources and compare prices before making a final purchase. When you know an item is worth, you'll know when it is "really" a good deal! An informed consumer always saves more money.
6. Know your rights - Can you return the item or is it a final sale. Know your warranty conditions and what the warranty covers. Consider costs and benefits when purchasing additional warranties, especially on large appliances. Avoid paying additional costs for warranties on low cost small appliances.
7. Use frugal, thrifty, resources - Shop thrift stores and yard sales, and always recycle when appropriate. While you may not want to purchase gifts using these resources but, they are great money saving resources for your personal needs. Always buy gently used items when it will suit your needs. You not only save money, you help save our natural resources through reuse and recycling. Plus, many thrift stores are owned and operated by, or support, charitable organizations.

[Harrison]

Tips for Controlling Your Grocery Bill

Know How Much You Have to Spend

The first step in managing your dollars is to know how much money you have to spend. The next step is to develop a spending plan and establish a maximum amount to spend in each category. How much do you have to spend for groceries for one month? Divide your money into four parts. Now you know how much is available to spend each week.

Know What You Must Purchase with Your Grocery Money

Your supermarket bill will include various food and non-food items.

Non-food purchases include things such as cleaning and laundry products (soaps, detergent), paper products (napkins, toilet tissue), grooming supplies (toothpaste, shampoo), and household supplies (light bulbs, waxes, polishes).
Know Your Needs

Before going supermarket shopping, check to see what you have on hand available for use. Then, make a list of items you will need for the week.

There is a difference in what you want and what you need. You may want steak, but your need is meat -- and there are meats that cost less than steak!
Make a Shopping List

To organize your shopping, make a list. A shopping list helps make sure that you get the things you need and helps you avoid overlooking a product that would require an extra trip to the store.


Keep the list handy in the kitchen so you can write down the items needed as supplies run low.
Include basic staples when they need replacement.
List the weekly-advertised specials that fit into your menu. Include staples that are on special if you have storage space and you can use them before the quality deteriorates.
Look for Bargains

Check newspaper ads for special prices. Stores often sell some merchandise at reduced prices to attract customers who will usually buy other merchandise. Note the price and store on your shopping list. Before going shopping, plan a menu for a week so you will know which foods to buy.

Use Coupons, Rebates, and "Cents-Off" when Advantageous

Manufacturers and stores issue discount coupons. Most stores that sell the product accept the manufacturers' coupons. You can only use store coupons at the specified store.

Most coupons offer savings on name brand products. Coupons can save you money if you normally buy that specific product at its regular price. If a store brand (or another brand) sells for less, the coupon may not save you money.
Mail-in refund coupons are popular. But remember to receive a rebate you must mail in proof of purchase and usually the sales receipt. It is easy to neglect mailing the request. View rebates with caution. Remember you must follow through to receive the rebate, and you must pay the postage when requesting the rebate. Rebates are not always paid.
Know When and Where to Shop

Try to shop when the stores are not crowded. Shop alone if possible (children and mates often add to the bill). Take advantage of farmers' markets and roadside stands to buy less expensive, locally-grown produce. Compare prices at competing supermarkets. Choose the one that has the best prices for items you buy.

Some bakeries and stores have "day-old" outlets that sell bakery products for about half price or less. These products are leftover from a day or so earlier. Some super markets also sell day-old products.
Do Comparison Shopping

Compare the cost of food products in different forms (for example, canned, fresh, and frozen). Compare competing brands including store brands. Many of the store brands are from the same processors as the national brands but usually sell for a lower price.

Compare cost per unit of competing products. The unit price is marked on the supermarket shelves beneath the products.
Consider the Packaging

Packaging is important in keeping foods and other products fresh and protecting them from soil and contamination during handling. It is important to select products that are not over-packaged.

Think about how the product is to be used. When and under what conditions do you use the product.
For example, individually-wrapped slices of cheese are great for children who will "build" their own sandwiches on a picnic table. It is excess packaging of cheese if the cheese is for general home use.
Consider buying concentrated forms of products. The smaller container reduces waste. Others sell refills in more environmentally-friendly packages. Remember, "Just a few packages" discarded by many people has resulted in overflowing landfills. Every discarded package counts.
Read the Label

Some call the label the window to the product. Federal regulations require certain label information, including the:


Common name of the product
Contents
Amount of product, and
Name and address of manufacturer, processor or distributors.
Food product labels include:


Net weight including solid and liquid content (for example, peas and juice),
Ingredients that make up the product (listed in decreasing amounts by weight).
The nutrition information tells the shopper:


How many servings are in the container
How many calories it contains
The amount of sugar, fat, vitamins, minerals, and
Information needed to make nutritious choices.
Use Open Dating Information

Dairy products and some other products are required to carry an open, shelf removal date. Other products (for example, cereals) voluntarily use a shelf-removal date to ensure quality.

When shopping, think about the length of time you will store the item before using it. Look for a date that is as distant as possible unless you plan to use immediately. Shelf removal dates are quality assurance dates. They are not a "do not use after" date. Products are usually still usable for some time following their shelf-removal date.
Buy and Prepare Foods in Usable Quantities

Do not waste food. For those living alone, divide food into serving sizes after preparing. Label and freeze the individual servings. If you do this for several foods, it is easy to select a varied menu and you reduce preparation time.