Memorial Day is a day that is famous for more than its national importance. It is also famous because most of the major retail chains have huge Memorial Day sales! Summertime is rampant with sales—Memorial Day, the Fourth of July, Christmas in July, Back to School and Labor Day…The retailers will find any excuse to fling open their doors and cut their prices almost in half. They do this because they know that one of the best ways to get people to buy more merchandise is to make it cost less!
Think about it—do you really need those five white t-shirts? Probably not, but you’ll buy them all anyway because it’s buy four get one free. You probably don’t need a new spice rack, but if you buy one at regular price you’ll get fifty percent off any other item in the kitchenware department!
With all of the great sales happening, how do you survive them with your budget in tact, your credit not endangered and your lust for buying satisfied? Here are a few hints to help you out:
1. Do not drive to your local mall blind. Know which sales are happening ahead of time. This way, you can park next to the store you most want to shop at and can avoid having to walk past all of the other temptations in the shopping center.
2. Look through the sale ads before you leave the house so that you will have an idea of what is being offered. This way, if a store doesn’t have anything you really need or want, you will know that it is okay to just walk on by.
3. If you don’t have the cash on hand, do not buy it! That said—here’s a hint to help you save even more money: most stores offer an extra discount for people who have a charge account with the store. When you shop, use your department store charge card to get an extra percentage off of the sale price. Then, walk over to another cashier and pay the balance of your card with cash! You are still shopping with cash and saving money. Just do not fall into the “I’ll write a check when I get home” trap and don’t sign up for the card to get the discount. Only use the discount if you already have the card on hand.
4. If the sale you most want to attend is within walking distance, walk there! This will save you money on gas and fares for public transportation and it will provide incentive not to go overboard with your shopping. Think of it this way—if you walk to a sale then you will have to carry your purchases home. The more you buy the harder your load will be to carry!
5. Shop with a family member or friend who is also on a budget. The two of you can act as the voices of reason for each other!
Popularity: 10% [?]
