How to shop smarter in 2021
A new year means new goals and ambitions. When it comes to new year resolutions, ‘save money’ is one which understandably pops up on most people’s list of goals. With that in mind, now is the perfect moment to share some top tips on how you can shop smarter in 2021.
How to shop smarter in 2021
Claim cashback
How many times have you seen ‘you qualify for cashback’ when you’ve made an online purchase? Or read about cashback sites that offer money back on purchases? How many times have you thought nothing of it and passed it up? Cashback is a great way to make a saving: it’s literally money back on a purchase you wanted to make anyway. Check out offers in stores themselves – or sign up for sites such as TopCashback and check out which retailers it has deals with.
Shop around – How to shop smarter in 2021
If you see something you want to buy, don’t just jump straight in. Instead, you should compare it – just like you would your car and home insurance. Check out the competition and see if you can find it cheaper elsewhere. If you’re shopping online, this is a simple thing to do with help from Google. Simply type in the product name in the search bar and click ‘shopping’, it will then show all of the stores which sell it along with the price. You can do this in a separate tab before you head to an online checkout – or even on your phone when you’re browsing in store. Get into this habit and you’ll save yourself a decent amount of money during the year.
Don’t miss the sales
Sales come round like clockwork. We know we have summer sales where stores switch out their summer products ready for autumn/winter, and then we have December sales which happen on Boxing Day here in the UK (although some stores have now been doing pre-Christmas sales). We also have Black Friday and Cyber Monday which coincides with the US Thanksgiving celebration (but now more widely adopted due to the proximity to Christmas). Don’t forget there is also Prime Day which is an Amazon-specific sale. The best way to find out about sales and discounts is to sign up to your favourite stores’ newsletters to be kept up-to-date. There’s no problem with having a long-term view on purchases – and waiting until items come into a sale before you’ll swoop.
Loyalty points – How to shop smarter in 2021
If you shop in some places very frequently, signing up to their loyalty programme can be beneficial. As an example, as well as collecting points for money off, Tesco Clubcard users get access to a wealth of products at ‘Clubcard prices’. If you find loyalty cards that have points which don’t expire, it gives you enough time to save them up and make a greater saving. As with cashback, this is just about ensuring you get more back from what you already spend.
But don’t get caught out with offers
Remember that offers and discounts are there to get you to spend more money. If you’re planning on heading to a sale, it’s a good idea to make a list of some of the things you need and then try and find them on offer – rather than simply buy anything with a price markdown. It’s only a good offer if you actually want or need the item in the first place!
These are some simple ways to shop smarter in 2021 which can help you make some big savings over time
