I have been doing research lately. A lot of it on shopping. I use the web site AFC to find the good deals and coupons that are coming out. Then I head over to My Coupon Hunter where Virginia cuts the coupons I want for me and ships them to me post haste. Some coupons I get of the internet and print out.
Most of my coupon shopping is done at Walgreens for non food items. Walgreens often has excellent deals when you combine coupons with their register rewards. Register rewards are like cash. They are manufacturer coupons off your next order. The rewards often make items very cheap or free. I will do a post later about how I will combine things at Walgreens to get the best deal for my family.
Today what is on my mind though is the misconceptions people have about shopping. There are 2 that many folks need to understand in order to be truly savvy shoppers.
One is double coupons. I know some folks score great deals using these. I used to be one of them. Then the one store in my area that doubled changed their rules. So I began doing research. It turns out that their great deals were really not that great. Often the deals I got there, were ultimately the same as the deal would be at my local HEB with out the coupon being doubled. Granted this was not the case every time. However it happened often enough that dealing with the dirty store and rude staff, when weighed in, made the few cents difference more than worth it to me. I am not saying to not use the double and triple store. What I am saying is do your homework. Research the deal to see if that .50c off doubled to a $1 at one store, is not just as easily .50 off becoming the same price at another store. I may not be brand loyal on most things, but I AM store loyal. My local HEB has outstanding quality. They are a local company and they own most if not all the farms their meat, dairy and veggies come from. Their store brand compares hands down with the national name brands, at lower prices.
The next misconception folks have is, walmart. Everyone has been hypnotized by the chant that walmart has lower prices. Often they do but at what cost? Again research is key. Take jeans for example. Yes at walmart you can get a pair of jeans for your child for maybe $10. Those same jeans at Sears might be $15. However are they really the same? No. Not when you match sears replacement policy if the jeans are worn out before your child out grows them. Wear out walmart jeans and they do not care. Sears does.
It is the same with ladies wear. I have looked at walmart for dresses. First off, I found only 4, all same style and in some hideous patterns. We have a store in the local mall called Avenue. Avenue is attire for regular size women. You know us fluffier ones. They had dresses of similar style but much better patterns. Further inspection shows better craftsmanship as well. The price? $3 more than the walmart dress. It was worth it to me to get a dress that did not make me feel like a throw back to a bad 70’s cop movie. (Big hair, big gaudy orange, pink and black patterns…. Shudder!)
I was glad I took the time to do the research and did not just assume walmart was the best choice. I have done a lot of comparing, and if you shop well, and do your homework you can often find better quality, often on sale for the same or even lower, than walmart.
Yes doing the research takes time. However, when you consider the savings that are possible, you can be well paid for taking that time. Some ladies will say but I do not have the time. That is where sites like AFC come in. People post the deals they find there in various stores. Me being me and working I still like to slowly walk my deal through the store so I can see why it works. My goal is to become a savvy shopper. One of the things I am learning and hoping to share with you all, is the way to make the research more doable. As I learn things I hope to share them with you.
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