How to Be Frugal By Saving Money While Shopping (Day Six in Our How to Be Frugal Series)

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There really are some things you can do to save some money while shopping once you know a few tricks of the trade. In maintaining a frugal lifestyle, I have come to learn some of these tips and tricks that really can add up to big savings – even free stuff.

Now before you think that all free stuff is good, it isn’t, and I talk about that whole idea in My 10 Commandments of Cheap and Free Stuff if you’re wondering how taking, or not taking, advantage of free stuff does and doesn’t work for me.

These tips and tricks cover both in person shopping and shopping on the Internet so there really is a little something for everyone. If you’re looking to be frugal by saving money while shopping.

I’ve actually got more tips than I can share in one post, so I’ve got four tips for today, and then there will be four more tips for saving money while shopping tomorrow, too.

(this post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a small commission at no cost to you)

Become a credit card holder

It can pay to be a credit card holder when it comes to specific stores, but I will also say right off the bat that you have to be smart about it. This means that you have to know yourself well enough to know whether you can be disciplined in using them.

In reality, if you end up paying interest on these credit cards, you will rarely come out ahead. These credit cards generally have higher interest rates, so any interest you pay will be substantial.

The way these credit cards can help you be a bit more frugal is through the incentives that you can receive as a credit card holder. These can come in the form of discounts, coupons in the mail, coupons in your inbox, and special sale days. I’m sure there could be others, but these are a few that come to mind.

It is helpful to be limited in the number of store credit cards you have just from a managerial standpoint, but one way you can help streamline these credit cards is to see about changing the due dates to be all on the same day.

A couple of my favorite store credit cards are Kohl’s, Victoria’s Secret, and Old Navy. There are also times that I will get an Amazon credit card when they are running an awesome promotion. Just the other week I got $80 off an order by applying for their credit card. Then, after a month or two I just cancel it. I only do this once every couple of years, but when there is a great promotion, I will take advantage of it.

As long as you are careful with them, store credit cards can really be a great way to be frugal.

Amazon Prime

I have often been asked if I have Amazon Prime or feel it is a good value. We have had it for many years and have always found it to be a value for us. Especially as a homeschooling family, we order from Amazon at least once a month.

Since we also cut out cable more than a year ago, we also enjoy Amazon Prime for the streaming benefits.

With my husband in school, we are able to get the student rate for Prime, but even at full price it would always be worth it for me…and the two day shipping is really nice!

Follow various deal sites to remain aware of amazing deals

I have recently started posting one or two deals day as my readers seem to appreciate it, but there are sties that are greatly or completely devoted to sharing deals. A couple of my favorites are MoneySavingMom.com and Hip2Save.com.

I want to offer a caution here as well. You also will want to have the self discipline not to overspend on the great deals. These sites offer several deals a day. These deals can be an awesome way to save money, but if these deals are causing you to overspend, they are certainly not a part of how to be frugal.

So, proceed with caution with these sites. There are some great things to find, but just remain in control of yourself and your budget. Remember, for every deal today, there will be another one tomorrow.

Buy used

You can buy some amazing things used these days. You can buy used on various websites like Amazon or Ebay, and you can use Craig’s List, safely of course. Then there are garage sales and stores like Goodwill.

However, my favorite way to buy used is as a member of various Facebook groups. I wrote about how these groups work in How Facebook Can Save You Thousands of Dollars. I also wrote a guest post over on Money Saving Mom about using these groups. You can read that by clicking on How I Made Money Redecorating My Home. Again, these groups need to be used safely, but they really can be an amazing resource for saving money.

I think buying and selling used is so much more common than it was even 15 years ago. Of course, the Internet is a key reason why. If you are careful and smart, buying used is an amazing way to be more fugal in saving money while shopping.

Are you looking to really take these concepts to heart, applying them in your every day life? If so, my ebook is just what you need!

How to Be Frugal: How to Be Frugal Online, In the Store, and In Your Home

This book is everything I’ve learned in 20 years of living frugal!