It has been a difficult year, especially considering that products you want have not disappeared and nobody has the money to buy them for you. If you could buy them for yourself, you would probably buy all your wish list items in a heartbeat. Stimulus checks don’t quite cover it, especially if your wish list is quite long.
If you are tired of waiting on everyone else to purchase the things you want and tired of waiting to receive these items as gifts, just buy them yourself. There are actually several ways you can buy everything off your wish list, although it may take a few months to do it. Here are some helpful tips you can use to stretch your dollars and get all of the things you desire.
- Watch for Sales
It may surprise you to learn that there are actually better prices and better sales on things long before Black Friday and the holiday shopping season. The most savvy shopper doesn’t shop during the holiday season. No, the savvy shopper shops the rest of the year when prices are cut back and items go on sale for even less. Watch your items for slashed prices and sales, and wait for just the right moment to buy.
- Open a Credit Account for a Big Discount
A lot of stores offer huge discounts just for opening a credit line or a credit card account. If you time it just right, you can open an account at the same time there is a sale on something you want. You could easily get it for up to 60% off waiting and working a sale and a credit card account opening.
- Try Flex Payment Options
The buy now pay later option is gaining ground in the retail world because it doesn’t cost you anything to do it. You sign up to make payments on your purchases, split it into equal monthly instalments, and then use a debit or credit card to make the payments so you don’t forget to pay.
Another buy it now/pay later option is delayed payment. It’s the kind of payment option you see most often on big-ticket purchases like cars. You make a purchase during this promotional period, and in a year or two begin making payments. You get the enjoyment of the item you bought for six months to eighteen months before you even make a single payment!
- Comparison Shop
Don’t shop just one or two places for something you want. A lot of big box stores carry the same items as specialty stores for less. Online-only retailers can afford to buy mass quantities to drive the prices down and keep them low. Comparison shop as hard as you can to find multiple locations for your wish list items. Then keep your eye on the competing prices to see when the lowest price becomes available.
- Don’t Avoid Online Auctions
There are at least a half dozen online auction sites selling new and used items. These sites allow you to get something that is now sold out, hard to find or something you are desperate to get. It can mean getting something really cheap too, much cheaper than what you might have paid in the store.
- Use Rebate, Coupon, and Cash Back Apps
In the last couple of years, rebate and cashback apps have become wildly popular. These sites provide discounts, instant cash rebates, and coupons to reduce the price of items from almost any store you can think of. If you use these, you are sure to get what you want sooner for less, plus get money back. The apps can be downloaded to both your phone and your personal computer.
- Shop Season-Specific Sales
Some people are surprised to find that there are season-specific sales on all kinds of items. For example, annual white sales drastically reduce the prices on pillows, bed linens, towels, tablecloths, and more. Tax refund season sees a huge price reduction and sales on TVs and other typically expensive electronic items. Shopping out of season, such as shopping for swimsuits in winter or shorts in fall, also means huge savings.
Becoming a Savvy Shopper
Becoming a super savvy shopper can be addicting. Saving so much money on things you want not only becomes a very valuable lifelong skill, but it also serves you well when there are things you want to buy for yourself. You can use all of the above tips and tricks to save money and shop. Just keep in mind that the more items you remove from your wish list by buying them yourself the more items you will have to add to suggest to friends and family for gifts later!