The Information Magazine

How many of us can be millionaires? The answer is 1:100000 people will stand a chance in getting a monetary windfall through an inheritance or lottery or by having a successful multi-million dollar business.  Don’t fret. That doesn’t mean people like you and I can’t live better using the money that we’ve got. Thanks to discount shopping, you can double or triple your dollar’s buying power! Discount shopping can be a fun and rewarding activity that benefits you, but you have to know where to look.

Discount shopping can get you all sorts of great deals on lots of items, but the products being discounted may not be something that you really need, or even want for that matter. If you want to shop for a particular item, a steady routine of bargain hunting will eventually bring you face to face with a great deal. The greatest determining factors in finding great deals on the things that you want are patience and persistence

Foresight is also a discount shopper’s friend: if you see a great deal on something that you don’t need right now, but are guaranteed to use in the future, you can save yourself a lot of cash. Items like light bulbs and shampoo come to mind. Perishables tend to be poor choices for discount shopping, as they are generally at or near expiration at the time of discount. I’ve literally bought expired snacks without checking before. Seasonal items are regularly subjected to deep discounts, because retailers need to make room for the next season’s goods. Buying things a year in advance can save you more money than you ever dreamed, as long as you are willing to store it for awhile!

Still, you can’t get a great deal on everything; some things either just can’t be bought at a decent discount, or need to be purchased immediately.

Plan for Gift Giving Occasions

The Christmas season sports numerous items prepackaged for giving. Why not buy some of the leftovers for future gift giving occasions at a great price? A local department store had discounts on high quality T-shirts marked down after Christmas. My brother’s birthday which is in February, provided me with a couple of items to give him for the occasion. Do you have a wedding coming up? Maybe something the couple wants is on sale. If you have February and March weddings to buy for, the sales may have something you want.

Check Out the Online Auctions

Think of this scenario: Aunt Rose gave her favourite nephew a really high quality case for his PDA when he already had three of them. The nephew may not want to offend Aunt Rose by asking where she got the case, so he puts it on e-bay. Someone else may need a PDA case and is looking for a bargain and finds it on e-bay. Bingo! Aunt Rose’s nephew manages to get someone else to use the case and at the same time earn some money out of it.  

During late December and January thousands of people will be auctioning and otherwise selling gift items they don’t want. You may be able to snap some real bargains.

Likewise, many families who bought themselves new furniture and other major items for Christmas will be selling their used items. Some might be bargains and may fit your lifestyle. Check out consignment stores, newspaper ads, and other sources of good used merchandise.

Going shopping during the few days after Christmas is a daunting task. Before you subject yourself to the crowded parking lots, long lines, and all the rest, flip through the newspaper and the internet to see where the bargains are on what you want.

This strategy will save wear and tear on both your car and your nerves. You may be able to hit the store that has what you want well before they start running thin on merchandise.

Plan for the Year

Of course you’re not going to buy everything for the entire year in January. Still, this is a good time to plan what you are going to be buying for the next year. It is great if you see something in the January sales.

If a plasma television is on the top of your list, take advantage of the sales if you see one that fits your needs in a cash converter store or at an electronics store having a sale.

Use Your Local Newspaper

You can go through the newspapers and pick out where the sales are. If you live in a large metropolitan area like I do, knowing what stores you want to visit will save you a lot of driving around because you can pick one area that has branches of all the stores you want.

While you’re looking through the paper, don’t be afraid to look to the more upscale stores. Often those stores will have some of the deepest discounts on high quality merchandise. Many of the higher priced stores depend on quick turnover of merchandise to keep customers coming in and deeply discount slower moving merchandise. If some of that merchandise fits your need, you can get a great bargain.

Take advantage of season sales to buy the things you need in the future. You will save more this way as the sales are the best times to purchase quality goods at reduced prices.