How to Get Great Bargains

To save money, families should compare prices, buy only during sales, use loyalty programs and check out factory outlets before buying goods.

Time to get a new washing machine? The kids need some new clothes? Want to surprise the spouse with a nice wedding anniversary gift? Well, if money is not an issue, getting these things is not a problem.

However, if the family needs to stretch every dollar it has, some smart shopping tips will come in handy. Here are some useful buying tips for families to get great bargains.

Compare Prices and Ask for a Bargain Before Shopping

It's important to know the value of goods before buying them. Visiting stores and checking out catalogues and flyers help. However, there's an even better approach to compare prices. Consumers can use comparison sites such as Shopferret.com.au and GetPrice.com to see the market prices for all kinds of goods such as clothes, toys and games, electronics, children's furniture, fragrances and beauty products as well as CDs and books.

Once the shopper gets to the store, she doesn't always have to settle for what's on the price tag. Ask for a discount. This is particularly important when buying larger items such as TVs, refrigerators or big furniture. Ask for even better deals if more items are going to be purchased. Some shops give free or cheaper deliveries if there are big purchases. But be sure to ask for these perks.

Buy Only During Sales

There are sales constantly throughout the year. So don't buy anything when the "Sales" signs are nowhere to be seen. In Australia, major retailers such as Myer, David Jones, Target, K-Mart and Big W have promotions and sales nearly every other month while fashion houses often have end-of-season sales and new season discounts. Supermarkets too have their own sale cycles.

Sign up for the loyalty programmes offered by retailers to receive alerts on upcoming sales. Another great way to check for sales is through the Internet. Great sites that list sales include the SalesGuide, CatalogueCentral and MissyConfidential websites. Also, don't throw away junk mail. Scan through the flyers to see if there are sales for things that the household needs.

Use Loyalty Programmes and Credit Card Benefits

All major retailers have their own loyalty programmes where members get extra discounts, gift vouchers and gifts with purchases. While there's no need to join every loyalty programme in town to save money, it helps to be a VIP member of shops that the family frequently buys from. A very good place to start checking out the myriad loyalty programmes is Perkler.com, which lists hundreds of such cards across Australia.

Credit cards too come with perks. Users can use them to collect bonus points to redeem gifts or vouchers. Some even offer instant rewards to their holders when they purchase at selected shops. However, do use credit cards wisely. Use them to buy only things that are needed and pay off the credit card debt in full before its due date.

Purchase From Factory Outlets

Driving around industrial areas is a good exercise for households looking for great bargains – there are often warehouse sales, clearance stores and factory outlets with out-of-season items or ex-sales stocks. It's possible to find branded goods in these outlets as well. Some items may have some slight defects but these are often not very visible. Consumers can often get branded goods at a fraction of the market price.

However, some of these factory outlets usually have very strict returns policy. Some may even state that goods sold are not returnable. So choose items carefully before paying for them.

Buying Tips for Households

To save money, families can learn some useful shopping tips. Before even leaving the house, search the Internet to know the market prices of goods. Compare prices first. Buying only during sales and promotions, using loyalty programmes and purchsing from factory outlets are also great ways to score good bargains.

Delay Gratification

The Power of Delayed Gratification with Your Money



Americans have changed so dramatically in the last fifty years. We went from being a simple group of folks who believed in working hard to an instant gratification "I want it now" society. It seems that no is no longer an acceptable answer to our wants. The idea of delayed gratification is perhaps the single choice that separates the future millionaires from the future lower class. It's not really even a decision that you make consciously unless you chose to. Despite what the finance guy at the car lot will tell you, it doesn't make any more sense to pay with nothing down and fixed monthly payments rather than just saving up and paying cash for a purchase.

There should be no doubt in anyone's mind as to which choice makes more sense financially. Both instant gratification and delayed gratification will move you in two very opposite directions with money. Choosing delayed gratification will set you on a road to financial success, where as instant gratification will get you stuck into a world of payments. Most people do not even consider that they could have invested the amount they are paying out in payments and used that money to become very wealthy.

People make purchases based on their emotions, rather than any knowledge they might have about money. This is why so many of us impulse with our money and ignore the idea of delayed gratification. Instead we have to be able to choose delayed gratification on an emotional basis rather than a head knowledge basis, because that's the only way we will consistently choose the delayed gratification option. We have to somehow make the connection in our heads that delayed gratification means security and future success. Living for the moment will only leads us to trouble.

.More: Delayed Gratification Instant Gratification Mind Power Save Power .Choosing a lifestyle of delayed gratification does not mean that we get rid of our lifestyle all together and instead only save for the future. We can sit down, enjoy life, and have some fun now, but it's a balance.

We have to make sure that we have a good balance between saving for the future, and living our life today. Most of us let this jump out of check, and that's what gets us in financial trouble. It starts out with a few trips to McDonalds, then that new TV you wanted, before you know it you have a house and a car that you'll be paying payments on for decades and there's too much month at the end of the money. By Matthew Paulson