To bargain hunt or not to bargain hunt?

These days it is almost essential to be a bargain hunter. The cost of everything is on the rise while our disposable income seems to be going nowhere but down. But what does it take to be a bargain hunter?

To bargain hunt..surf the web

The internet has its cons, but one of the biggest pros across the wonderful world-wide-web is being able to be a comparison shopper. Bargain hunting is all about finding the best deal. Once upon a time, the best deal depended on who was running a sale and who wasn’t. But not so much these days. These days, finding the best deal is done:

• By comparison shopping–shopping online allows you to compare products and prices between major retailers as well as sites like Amazon.com.
• Daily deal memberships–the web is filled with daily deal sites such as livingsocial.com, zulily.com, overstock.com and slickdeals.com (just to name a few). Most of these sites are free to join and send daily email alerts on new bargains.
• Coupons are still a major money saver. However, with the decline in newspaper sales and circulars, bargain hunters need to get a bit more creative in coming up with their coupons.
• Magazines–both print and online are a good source. Most magazines for women and parents have at least a few for popular items most mums use on a regular basis.
• Email alerts–sign up on your favorite brands’ websites to receive email coupons and loyalty discounts.
• Coupon websites such as groupon.com, thekrazycouponlady.com, couponmom.com and retailmenot.com are a start.

Return customers to a place of business almost always merits some sort of perk. Whether it be discounts, unadvertised sales, promotional gifts or whatever else, a real bargain hunter takes it all in. So if you’re not already connected, check out the following:

• Some grocery stores offer loyalty coupons that look like a mini credit card. They swipe your ‘coupon’ each time you visit to give you a loyalty discount on your entire purchase and/or specific items.
• Discount clubs often sell members everything from grapes to toilet paper to gas for the car at cents-off the normal price to the public. These clubs usually come with an annual fee, but the fee is easily saved back within the first two to three months of membership.

Other ways to save

• Shop the second-hand stores for sports and exercise equipment, musical instruments and formal wear.
• Bartering can result in lower prices for things such as home and auto repair, large purchases for home appliances and furniture. Remember, you won’t know unless you ask, and all they can do is say ‘no’.
• Trading good and services–can you bake and decorate cakes and cookies? Do you sew well? Is organisation your middle name? Offer to trade your talents in exchange for babysitting services, lawn maintenance or other such items. You may even consider asking a local beauty salon, boutique or café to sell your items on consignment or outright in exchange for money and/or goods and services they provide.

Bargain hunting isn’t as difficult as you think. Retailer and service providers are feeling the money crunch, too. If you don’t have money to spend, they don’t make any money. So they are more willing than ever before to go the extra mile to get you in the door and open up your wallet.

It takes a few minutes to sign up for online services and notifications, and they may add a bit more to your spam folder, but hey, bargain hunting has its downside just like anything else. Overall, however, being a bargain hunter does save money and allows you to enjoy a few of the finer things in life for less.

We all love discounts and shopping for goods at affordable prices. Here are tips for parents out there who find themselves constantly needing to shop for the kids or family.