Never Pay Retail: Tips for the Frugal Shopper

You might not realize this, but as a consumer, you have the upper hand! Your favorite stores and shops need your business to survive, so why pay retail when you don't have to? A frugal shopper isn't necessarily poor; frugality means being careful with your money and paying attention to the prices of the items you need. From clothing to groceries to car repairs to the dry cleaners, you can almost always save a few dollars by learning how to be a frugal shopper. You don't have to get mean or nasty, either. Just start paying attention.

The most important thing to remember as a frugal shopper is that all sales are not created equal. For example, a sale for "Buy Two, Get One Free" might be worth it if you need three of the product. However, if you only need one, then you're actually spending more out of pocket. Don't let flashy retail signs get you to pay more than you originally intended; instead, look for sales and clearances that actually save you money. If buying in bulk will get the job done, then that's exactly what you should do.

Two-For-One Deals
These are fairly common at the grocery store and might have hidden savings that you don't realize. When most people see a Two-For-One sale in retail, they assume that you must buy two in order to get the discount. However, at most grocery stores, you can buy only one item and get it half-off. I'm not saying that you'll find this everywhere, but ask the cashier when you get in line to check out. If you only need the one, take the half-off and ask them to re-shelve the second item.

Buy-One-Get-One-Free
Another great deal for the frugal shopper is the buy-one-get-one-free coupon that you find for restaurants. The price of food in Mexican, Chinese, Italian and other restaurants have been increasingly severely over the years, so never pay retail. Instead, go through the coupons that arrive in your mailbox once or twice a week and pull out the ads for local restaurants. Most of these will have great discounts on meals, including buy-one-get-one-free. That way, you can take a friend out to lunch and pay for only one meal or save on a family meal together.