Keep an Eye Out

80% off- That's what I'm talking about.

If you were to ever find me in a store (other than a thrift store) I would be in the clearance section. As you can tell from some of my earlier posts, I thrive on finding something awesome in a rack or on a shelf of less than desirable items.  There are a few risks though when shopping for clearance items. Sometimes the items in that section are slightly damaged or it is possible that you find something in the clearance section that was placed there, but is in actuality not on clearance. For these reasons, it is vital for shoppers (especially us penny pinchers) to keep our eyes peeled.

 These are two tops I 

recently bought at Kohl's.

I got both of them for under $20.

Before even making my way to the register, I thoroughly examine all of the items I want to purchase to ensure that they are not damaged. If something is slightly damaged and I feel confident that I can fix the damage for nothing or for a reasonable price, I’ll probably still get it. If I can’t find any visible damages, I’ll head to the check-out lines. 

Even though the items I have picked out are free of damages, I still run the risk that the items I have picked out aren’t actually on clearance. In some stores at the register, (such as Kohl’s) there are computer screens to show the customer what each of their items rings up for. My eyes are locked on this screen as each of my items are scanned by the cashier. If something does not show up for the price I expected it to, I never hesitate to ask the cashier to double check for me. If it ends up that an item I found in the clearance section was not actually on sale and I don’t feel like I want to pay full price, I have no problem explaining that to the cashier. There is no need to feel pressured into buying something just because you brought it to the register. 

If I only I had some Kohl's Cash...

Not all stores offer the luxury of viewing the price of each item as it rang up, therefore it is imperative that you check your receipt (BEFORE you leave the store).  If you find that you have an issue with a price, it is still not too late to ask a cashier about it. Don’t be afraid to question the cashier. As a former cashier, I knew not to take a customer’s concern for a price personally. You’re trying to save money, not be an inconvenience and cashiers should be understanding of this.

To Splurge or Not to Splurge?

As most of you can tell from my earlier post, I do my best to avoid the mall. But this past Friday I ended up spending a couple of hours walking around in a local mall and I found myself not even being able to fathom paying some of the prices I saw.

You may be thinking “Now, Brandi- if you don’t like malls, why did you go to one?” Well, you curious readers, I took one of my good friends and teammates to a doctor’s appointment for a bone scan. For those of you who don’t know how a bone scan works (I didn’t have a clue)… my friend had to be injected with a radioactive tracer and then we had to wait three hours while the tracer made its way to her bones. We couldn’t think of anything better to do for those three hours than walk around the mall. Plus, I am in desperate need for a bathing suit since spring break is next week. 

Next week, you'll find me here.

My friend and I made our first stop in Victoria’s Secret. They had a rather small selection of bathing suits and none of them under $30 apiece. Needless to say, I wasn’t in that store for very long. We made our way to one of the few stores I do somewhat enjoy shopping at in the mall- Old Navy. I was disappointed this time though, because their cheapest suits were $15 apiece and I still couldn’t bring myself to pay that much. My friend and I stopped by a few other stores but none of them had any bathing suits at all. 

Before long, I was leaving the mall disappointed as usual. This time though, I was somewhat disappointed in myself to be honest. There are times that I believe you need to splurge. Treating yourself is okay. As hard as I try to pinch those pennies, it wouldn’t be the end of the World if I spent $30 on a bathing suit once a year. 

On the other hand though, maybe I didn’t find anything because I wasn’t meant to. Basically, there are two pointers I am trying to share by writing this post- it’s okay to splurge every now and then and also, just because you are go to the mall- it is completely okay if you leave empty handed.

Avoid Being a Name Brand Snob

I think we have all been guilty of this at some point or another…buying a name brand product over a generic one even though the generic product is a lot cheaper. Everyone has their own reasons as to why they do it. Possibly, they feel that they have brand loyalty to a certain name brand…or maybe they just feel that the name brand product is simply better than the generic one. 

Personally, I can only think of one product that I am a name brand snob about. I’ve been a ketchup lover my entire life and I have tried all different brands of ketchup growing up. I have to admit that I am a Heinz Ketchup snob. I will pay more just for that name brand product. I feel that the ketchup that Heinz makes is just better than other ketchup brands. 

Man, I love my Heinz.

Being a name brand snob for one or two products isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It becomes a problem when every single product you buy is a name brand. Those name brand companies can charge more than generic companies because they are brand names. If you want to be sure you won’t be cheated by buying a generic item, check the ingredients of both the generic and brand name products. Chances are they are the exact same. 

 Some examples of generic products at Wal-Mart.

One way that I recommend avoiding the opportunity of being seduced by brand names is by shopping at stores that offer entire lines of their own, generic products. Even though I am not a huge fan of Wal-Mart, I must admit- they have a huge selection of their generic (Great-Value) products. If you are like me and want to avoid Wal-Mart at all costs, check out a store like Aldi. They don’t carry any name brand products at all.

I feel that buying name brand products is a habit that shoppers get into. As with any habit, it won’t be easy to quit, but I know if you really want to pinch those pennies- you have to go for those generic products.

Dollar Tree Rules

Dollar Tree is my happy place.

Just to clarify, this blog post isn’t going to be a set of rules to follow when shopping at the Dollar Tree. This blog post is about why Dollar Tree rules, why you should always check the Dollar Tree first for items before going to a super store, and why I personally love the Dollar Tree.

If you’re unsure of what dollar store I am referring to, it’s not Dollar General, it’s not Family Dollar, it isn’t Big Lots…it is Dollar Tree…the store where EVERYTHING is one dollar. The Dollar Tree is an oasis for penny pinchers like me.

Just this past weekend I had an amazing opportunity to show some of my closest friends just how amazing the Dollar Tree is. In preparation for our school’s winter formal, some of my teammates/friends and I were buying some items to make mixed drinks with. Obviously, the liquor could not be purchased at the Dollar Tree…but all of the other things necessary to make mixed drinks were available to be purchased there!

Unfortunately, neither my friends nor I thought of Dollar Tree when we realized we needed to go shopping. Instead, after making our purchases at the liquor store, we made our way to Food-Lion where we bought soda, energy drinks, flavored drink mix, and water. We also needed a pitcher or some kind of container to mix and serve the drink, but sadly, we couldn’t find that at Food-Lion. Instead of going to Wal-Mart, I suggested the Dollar Tree. Sure enough, there was a pitcher…for one dollar. Oh, and guess what else was there. You guessed it…soda, energy drinks, flavored drink mix and water…& for only one dollar each.

Needless to say, my teammates were a little disappointed when they realized how much they had over spent at Food-Lion. I felt extra disappointed in myself to be honest; I should have suggested Dollar Tree from the beginning. I guess I was just excited about the night’s festivities or something. I can say with assurance though, from now on, my friends and I will always remember to check Dollar Tree first and hopefully all of you penny pinchers will too.