15 Rules to Save Money While Shopping, According to Financial Experts

Saving money is a challenge, but in times of rising prices and stagnating wages, it’s essential. If you’re stuck on new ways to save money, you’ve come to the right place. We compiled 15 smart savings tips from financial experts. Here’s what they said.   

“Connect your purchases back to your values. Whether that's family, friends, or fulfillment, the things we really want more of are things that money can't buy. Browsing can get us so caught up in the ‘what’ that we forget the ‘why.’ So before you buy something, make it sure it'll improve or get you more of what you value most.” — Jen Smith, author of “Buy What You Love Without Going Broke”

Sometimes you just need to make some minor changes to your web browser to get a better deal.

“Use a Virtual Private Network (VPN). Some sites show different prices depending on your location. Switching your IP address with a VPN to another state or city with lower cost of living can sometimes yield lower prices.” — John Dealbreuin, Financial Freedom Countdown

Some credit cards provide instant rewards and cash back, but there are other ones you have to manually activate online. 

"Keep tabs on the promotions attached to your credit card. They are usually a credit towards your credit card account. You'll have to electronically ‘clip’ them online or in the card's app. I've gotten several hundred dollars back on my regular shopping." — Military finance blogger Kate Horrell, KateHorrell.com

No matter what social media platforms you use, you’re definitely seeing tons of ads and promotional accounts. Here’s one way to cut down on that chatter. 

“I blocked the hashtag "tiktok shop" on TikTok and it helped reduce the number of videos I see trying to sell me things by about 50%.” — Kara Perez, author of “Green Money: How to Reduce Waste, Build Wealth, and Create a Better Future for All”

“Look at the price per unit or the price per ounce on the price tag before you purchase. This can be a huge savings when you know which item is less expensive per ounce and choose the one that helps you stay on budget.” — Deacon Hayes, WellKeptWallet.com

“Join the retailer's reward program or email list. Many retailers recognize the value of having you on their email list, so they will offer discounts for you to join, this can be a dollar amount off or even a percentage. Either way, it's free savings, and you can always unsubscribe if the emails get to be too much.” — Jim Wang, BestWalletHacks.com

“I buy most everything online, including things at local stores. When I buy in person, I only get the cash back for using my credit card. When I shop online, I shop through a portal like Rakuten or Swagbucks to earn cash back. I also earn cash back for using my credit card. Finally, I have the Honey extension that applies coupons. In all, I usually pay less than full price thanks to Honey, and I double dip with cash back.” — Jon Dulin, Money Smart Guides

“Shopping with our kids can sometimes make our expenses soar. To curb this overspending, we encourage our kids to bring their own debit cards when we go out. This way, if they really want something then they can use their own money.

"And if they want it and don’t have enough money for it, we encourage them to take a picture of it on our phones so they can save up for it. This does two things — it encourages delayed gratification and eliminates overconsumption. Because honestly, 80% of the time they forget about that thing they “needed to have” in a couple of days.” — Andy Hill, Family Finance Coach with MarriageKidsandMoney.com

“In my budget spreadsheet, I keep a tab called ‘got my eye on’ and it's things I want, but am willing to wait for a deal for. I don't use the ‘save for later’ option on websites but use this instead. It reduces the urge to impulse spend, prevents me from getting those ‘did you forget about this’ sales emails, but keeps me organized.” — Kara Perez, author of “Green Money: How to Reduce Waste, Build Wealth, and Create a Better Future for All”

“Resist the urge to impulse shop and instead maintain shopping lists. Use services like CamelCamelCamel for Amazon or Honey's Droplist to track and alert you when prices drop.” — John Dealbreuin, Financial Freedom Countdown

It’s tempting to see something cute in a store and assume it’ll look just as cute in real life. That’s where the “trash can trick” comes in.

“The home decor you're seeing in a store or online is carefully curated to look amazing in its setting, but if you're not buying the whole set, it usually doesn't look as amazing in your home. So before you buy it, take it to the trash can aisle and decide if it still looks as good as it did in its curated environment. If you still like it, then get it! But chances are, it'll lose its luster.” — Jen Smith, author of “Buy What You Love Without Going Broke”

If you have a lot of different cash-back credit cards, it can be tough to choose the best one every time. Thankfully, there are other ways you can get around that.

“Use an extension like Kudos to stack rewards when shopping online. It chooses the best card to use to maximize the rewards when shopping. — Karen L. Cordaway, Host of The Everyday Bucket List Podcast

When it comes to saving money, the name of the game is delayed gratification — even research says so. 

“Many times, you will realize that you don't need the item if you just wait a little bit. So, when you find something you want to buy, add it to a list (on your phone or on a piece of paper) instead of buying it right away. Then, wait at least 30 days (or maybe even just a week or so) before actually making the purchase. While waiting, you can check for price drops, search for coupons, or just think about if you even really need it.” — Michelle Schroeder-Gardner, MakingSenseofCents.com

If you don’t want to wait 30 days, try waiting at least a couple of days. Most likely, you’ll forget about the item or find a cheaper way to get it.

“Work with instant gratification, not against it. Your big financial goals are too big to influence your real-time spending decisions. Instead, focus on internal motivators that are going to give you instant gratification. For me, I remember that every product I buy will end up in a landfill, even if it makes a pit stop in a thrift store. Remembering that helps me analyze if the purchase I'm about to make is really worth it.” — Jen Smith, author of “Buy What You Love Without Going Broke”

“Before you check out, look for a coupon or promotion code. It can be a pain to sift through the dozens of coupon code websites to find one that works, but if your purchase is big enough, it might be worth it.” — Jim Wang, WalletHacks.com

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