Want to save money? Don’t shop - but if you do, know how to play the game
The best way to save money is to not shop. Really. If you don’t go to the store (or the online store), you can’t spend anything, and that’s cheaper than getting a bargain. Especially if you tend to spend an additional $50 or $200 on your way in or out of the store to pick up the “bargain.’’
But sometimes, you have to buy something. Kids need shoes and notebooks. Everyone needs to eat. The good news implicit in this economy’s bad news is that many retailers are competing for sparse recession dollars.
But if you don’t know how the game is played, you could fall into traps that cause you to spend more, not less. Here’s how to make the most of the deals:
■ Take your time looking for items you know you’ll use. When they go on sale, jump.
■ Avoid brand loyalty. If you live in an area with more than one grocery, drugstore, discount chain, and office supply store, you’re in luck. You can play their sales, gimmicks (like double coupons), and rebates against each other.
■ Learn prices. If there are certain items you buy all the time, such as laundry detergent or canned tuna, try to memorize how much you’ve paid for it. You will then be able to discern a good price easily.
■ Read circulars and clip coupons. If they aren’t in your morning paper, go to the websites of the individual retailers.
Or check coupon websites such as www.couponmom.com, www.coupons.com, and www.smartsource.com.
When you have coupons for an item that is on sale and the retailer is paying double on coupons, buy a bunch. That’s what your pantry is for. One site that does a decent job of putting those deals together for you is Coupon Cravings (www.couponcravings.com).
■ Don’t double count deals in your head. Some stores, such as CVS, have started giving cash-off-your-next-purchase deals if you buy something. For example, spend $15 on sunscreen, get $5 off your next shopping trip. You can go back the next day (or even the next minute) and use the coupon to get $5 worth of more stuff, such as a couple of bags of candy bars. So, you either got 30 percent off the sunscreen or free candy bars, but not both. Those coupons can be a good deal, if you use them to buy items on sale that you would typically use. But you’ll be lured into extra spending if you double count them.
■ Shopping online? Before you click “place order,’’ check sites that aggregate discounts, such as www.retailmenot.com and www.alexscoupons.com.
■ Pay the right way. You can squeeze out extra savings if you pay with a credit card or through a Web portal that kicks cash back to you. But it can be hard to match the retailer with the best cash-back deal. There’s one website that will do it for you: www.evreward.com. Type in the name of the retailer and it will give a close-to-comprehensive list of credit card, college-savings, and Web-portal programs that are giving rebates for purchases at that retailer.
Linda Stern is a freelance writer. 
