Tempted by too many products in irresistible prices, shopping obviously takes up a large portion of our monthly budget – making it a bit difficult to save money. Fortunately, you don’t need any specialised skills to start doing so. Just give yourself more breathing room by becoming a smart shopper instead.

Here are some simple steps you can take to help you save some pennies.

Set your shopping budget and buddies

If you’re an avid visitor to the mall, it is advisable to plan out a shopping list of what you need and want together with a budget limit. Find out which stores that you can grab your things quickly so you will spend less time wandering around.

Bring along a companion for some shopping. It can be a family member, a close friend or just about anyone you trust but do also consider how they can influence your buying decision. It wouldn’t be such a bad idea too if you plan to go alone because you will tend to pay more attention towards your To-Buy list and get everything settled in a jiffy.

Sale season

“S-A-L-E” is the word everyone loves that delights shoppers like you with discount and savings. This is the time where prices for most things are marked down giving you the chance to save more on the things you’ve been eyeing for days or weeks.

Sale season arrives when retail stores want to stay on-trend by throwing massive discounts on past season items. Usually it is easy to predict when the next sale is coming – just be on the lookout for it. But make sure these sale items are things you will be using or wearing. Otherwise, it would just be nothing more than another impulse purchase.

Samples, coupons and rewards

If you would like to experiment with new brands, get a sample of the items to see if they work out for you. That way you won’t waste a hefty amount on full-sized if it turned out to be unsuitable for you. But if it does, save more on your shopping budget with sale coupons that can be found online, in brochures, catalogues, newspapers or magazines.

If you’ve been making your purchases with a credit card, you might want to check if yours offer any shopping rebates. It will help you from worrying about overspending while doing your shopping and you probably wouldn’t want to receive a bill that will break your bank account.

Don’t forget to check on your loyalty reward benefits too if you are a member of some stores. Some of the benefits sometimes offer amazing things you may need for free or in exchange for your accumulated points from your past shoppings. Usually a benefit like this have expiry dates so check yours to avoid losing out.

Online shopping

Everyone shops online these days. But if you aren’t keeping yourself on track, you might just fall into the trap of spending unnecessarily, especially when most things are cheaper online.

If you do online shopping often, you may want to start doing it with a cashback service. By going through them to your favourite online shopping sites, you will earn back a percentage of cashback into your account. This includes reserving flights or hotels, purchasing cosmetics, clothes, electronics and even food. Besides that, hunt discount codes and free shipping promotions via the search engine that will give you even more savings.

Price and product comparison

One of the essential rules for a savvy shopper is not to buy everything in the first store you see because there are always other places selling the same items for lesser. Doing your research on prices and choices between stores would be ideal for your money-saving goal and also to ensure you get a good deal.

An easier and another terrific way to do comparison is through online shopping. Sometimes you may find things online that are cheaper than at a physical store. You could also find an alternative product easily if yours ran out of stock. We’re not saying shopping offline doesn’t help in saving your money but doing it online generally saves you more time and effort.

Bulk purchase

There are certain things that are worth buying in bulk when they’re on sale like fast-moving consumer goods. When it comes to bulk purchasing, it is very likely for most of us to stray away from the shopping list just because the unit price for every other thing is cheaper than usual. So make sure you are on a mission only for your regular items instead of getting new ones that may or may not be suitable for you.

We hope these tips are able to help you shop with a peace of mind and at the same time, save you some bucks. Plus it’s always nice to see a fuller wallet and bank account.

Don’t forget to check out amazing promotions on our range of Photobooks and Photo Gifts for more savings!

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