Shopping and Saving Money

• If there is a certain item you need and have been waiting to buy on sale, subscribe to sale alerts from the store's website.  Unsubscribe after you've purchased the item, or mark the e-mails as "spam" so you're not tempted to buy more.
• Scan sale flyers from the newspaper or online.  Make a list of items on special that you need.
• Go only to those stores that have advertised sales on the items you need--and when you go, buy only those items (leave the credit card at home and pay cash.)
• Resist "dropping in" at nearby stores.
• If you tend to pick up things you don't really need on impulse, delegate shopping to another member of your family who will "stick to the list".
• Do an online search for a money-saving promotional code before ordering from a website.
• When shopping online, save your chosen items in a "wish list".  Return to the site later--do you really need these things?
• Put a "no junk mail" sign on your mail box so you're not tempted by advertising flyers.
• Throw unsolicited catalogues in the recycling bin--don't be tempted to spend money you're trying to save.
• When shopping for sale items at retail stores, look only at the front (where sale items are placed to tempt you in) and at the back (where clearance racks might be).
• Don't try on anything you can't afford.
• Don't buy sale items just because they're cheap.
• If you're on a strict budget, leave your credit and debit cards at home. Pay in cash.
• Some people "need" to "go out and get something new" to feel good--go get a library card, and borrow a new book, magazine or DVD every week, for free.