Josh Elledge - Chief Executive Angel
How many times have you walked out of the grocery store wondering how on earth you could have possibly spent so much and where you went wrong? Chances are, you’re making one of these five mistakes.
Mistake #1 – You shop without a plan.
You need to have a list and use coupons and store incentives to your advantage. It’s non-negotiable if you want to save money. Don’t wander into the store with some vague idea you need laundry soap and something for dinner tomorrow. That sort of haphazard shopping is what leads you into leaving with $100 worth of groceries and nothing for dinner.
Solution #1 – Our SavingsAngel VIP Shopping Membership lists store sales and matching coupons, as well as store incentives so you can get the lowest prices on products you need. Plus, our personal list creation and sorting features gives you the power to make a list and stick to it. And our system saves hours of time over doing it yourself.
Mistake #2 – You aren’t flexible with your purchases.
- While you want to shop from a list, you need to have a certain level of flexibility too. If you see a great deal, don’t skip it simply because you didn’t plan for it. You can’t always plan for clearance sales or discounted meats and produce. When you’re shopping and find a great price, it’s ok to go off your list and pick up those bargains. Just be sure they’re products you’ll actually use and that you aren’t only buying because it’s a deal.
- Another way shoppers are inflexible is being afraid to try a new or different brand than what they usually buy. When it comes to saving money, a new or different brand of laundry detergent or salad dressing is just part of the savings game. Sales and incentives are plentiful on new products as an enticement for shoppers to try something new.
Solution #2 – Our VIP Shopping Membership lists and coupon-matching to sales gives you the advantage of knowing about new products and available coupons. With coupon location information, and convenient internet coupon links, the toughest part of using coupons is done for you – so you go to the store already armed to save big. And when you’re already saving on the things you plan to buy, it frees up money for unexpected bargains while in store.
Mistake #3 – You don’t know your prices.
You need to know a good deal when you see one. That means understanding the pricing trends for the items you buy most often, as well as knowing the regular retail price. It keeps you from spending on sales that aren’t really much of a sale at all – like when a product is advertised as on sale, but is really only a few pennies off the normal price.
Solution #3 – VIP Shopping lists the average retail prices for products in the store lists, along with the sale price and the percentage you’ll save, so you can easily tell a true bargain from a pretend sale. Plus, VIP Shopping is designed to automatically display the sale products each week from the highest percentage savings, to the lowest, so you’ll know when a price is rock bottom.
Mistake #4 – You aren’t aware that the product you just bought was half price elsewhere.
If you simply purchase everything you need from the same store because you’re already there, I guarantee you’re overpaying. It may be more convenient, but it’s also the most expensive way to shop. You are just paying whatever the store is asking that week for every product.
Solution #4 – VIP Shopping gives you the ability to compare products store-to-store, to make sure that you’re getting the best price you can for your shopping needs each week. You can even search for a specific product to see if it’s on sale and if there is a coupon. And even if it is not on sale, you can search our massive coupon database for a coupon to use so you’re at least saving some on that purchase.
Mistake #5 – You aren’t buying ahead and stocking up.
If you’re just running into the store and getting only what you need for the immediate future, you’re wasting a lot of money. Sure, it can seem like the most economical way to shop in the present – but later on, you’re spending too much. Ever see something on sale, but skip buying it because you didn’t need it right now, then wish you had because a few weeks later you had to pay full retail? That’s what I’m trying to get you to avoid.
Solution #5 – VIP Shopping alerts you to deals you shouldn’t pass up. With both the emailed deal alerts you can personalize from VIP Shopping, and the store lists displaying the best bargains at the top, you’ll be in the know for deals you shouldn’t miss. Then, by adding those absolute best bargains into your shopping list each week, whether they are needed right now or not, you avoid paying retail later. Why pay full price in three weeks for a favorite shampoo that’s 60% off today?
