In today’s day and age, we should all look to be savvy shoppers thanks, in part, to lower wages, rising house prices, and a relatively uncertain economy. When it comes to daily goods, there are some items that with a bit of looking around or by simply having a conversation with a store employee you should be able to get a great discount on.
Phone Contracts
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Seriously, what the glossy brochure tells you is a lie because there’s always a discount to be had when signing up to, or extending your smartphone contract. Let’s say that you’ve bought it online and your contact is up for renewal. Say you’re thinking about leaving but let them know how long you’ve been a loyal customer, but do it subtly, i.e.‘ Oh I remember when I got my first smartphone, I can’t believe it’s been eight years.’ The customer service employee will not want to lose a valued long-term customer and will offer extra complimentary data, money off the device or a substantial discount on your airtime plan.
Books
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Does anyone even buy books anymore? The answer is yes, plenty of people do, but it’s hardly ever at full price thanks to secondhand booksellers, Kindle 99p sales and even online marketplaces like Craigslist. If you’re currently studying, before you head to the university bookshop, you should check out a student forum, or even Amazon Student to see if you can get your required text cheaper. Be aware though that the edition you’re after may be earlier, or later than the one advertised so it’s always worth double checking.
Clothes
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This is where online stores have the advantage over physical shops because they tend to offer many more discounts. The best times to shop are during the sales when items can be reduced by up to a whopping 75% as well as the brand having mid-season sales to entice new customers into purchasing items. It may also be worth you signing up for a store, or loyalty card as these always offer bonus perks like free delivery, 10% of all items, or a gift from them to you on your birthday. Clothes prices are always massively marked up, and it may be worth seeing if you can buy them directly from the source or finding a discount code on Groupon if its department store clothing you’re after. Remember, there are also plenty of websites that offer quality second-hand clothing like Ebay, Etsy, and Oxfam.
Groceries
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The trick to saving money while being able to afford lots of goodies is simply knowing how to use a pair of scissors. Yep, coupon collecting can save you hundreds of dollars, and some people in America are so successful at it that they rarely pay full price for anything. Don’t worry about collecting coupons for things you don’t need or use, as if you’ve got a friend or family member who’s also an avid collector you can simply swap codes. Coupon swapping evenings are held regularly, so you might be able to get your hands on that ‘buy one get one free’ voucher for the brand of expensive washing detergent you love.
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