Tips for Buying Smarter

It is start of another year and you may have rounded up some resolutions already. Some would want to lose weight; others want to embark on a new career. Whatever your goal for 2016 is, there is one thing that we are sure you would want to include in your list: how to have more money.

There are actually two ways to have more cash in your wallet: you either spend less or earn more. Now, this post is not about the stock market or where you should invest your money. Our focus for today is on the other side of the coin: how to spend less. How to do that? Well… you just have to buy smarter.

Many of us fall into the trap of convenience. Anything that is convenient will require us to spend more cash. Compare cooking your own dinner versus dining out in a restaurant. We are sure you’d spend more on the latter. The same is true with getting an item off the rack and making a DIY version of it. The main difference is that you’d have to spend more effort in handcrafting household items by yourself than just pulling it out from IKEA.

While it is not bad to enjoy the pleasures of these convenience products, some of us might encounter some financial pothole along the way and it would require you to tighten the belt so that you can augment for all your household expenses. One way how to help you save more money is to buy smarter. Let us show you how:

1. Make use of those coupons. This is a no-brainer but many of us ignore those sweet deals from coupons we receive everyday. Just make sure that the coupons give you the best deal and wouldn’t trick you into buying things you do not really need.
2. Buy from local suppliers, farmers and vendors. Assuming that their goods are locally produced, you would be saving some bucks compared to buying from large supermarkets.
3. Allot one day to check out your neighborhood grocery stores and compare their prices. While the difference may seem small, savings on each of your grocery item can stack up to a significant amount once accumulated.
4. Make a list before doing your groceries and stick with it. Many of us want to hoard items we do not really need. Sticking to your shopping list not only saves you time but money as well.
5. Buy store or generic brands. Try some of these items and see if they serve their purpose. If you are satisfied with them, there is no need to unnecessarily spend for the more expensive stuff.
6. Buy energy-efficient appliances. While some may be more expensive at the onset, energy-efficient appliances actually save you money in the long run by cutting up your monthly consumption.

These are little things that you can do that can generate a big impact on your monthly household budget. Practice smart buying all the time. This way, you can save more by spending less.