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However, we must all make necessary purchases; so, how do we save while spending?
We must think of ways to spend less or better yet to delay spending. There are times when stores conduct annual sales. January often features carpet and home furnishing items. After Christmas sales are great. Buy cards and items you can use next Christmas. Air conditioners are a good bargain in February along with white sales (linens, sheets and towels). March has winter clothes on sale at a time when you can still use them. May will feature outdoor furniture, TVs and appliances on sale. July is a good time to buy summer clothes, mattresses, washers and dryers. August and September have Labor Day sales of many items. It's a great time to consider the purchase of a new car from the current year after the introduction of the new model. December is great for furniture, appliances and TVs.
Do you need the latest, best model? If you are looking for a computer, TV or other electronic equipment consider something short of the newest most expensive model. Do you really need the 1080p HDTV when the 720p will do? You can now get laptops in 2, 3 and 4 GB but do you really need the biggest? Cameras now are up to 12 pixels. Unless you are a professional photographer, something less will do. Yes, you want to get the product which will meet your needs, but overkill will cost more and be of no real benefit to you. What good is an application which you will never use?
Going green is currently a "politically correct" term, in part, for what I have always called being frugal. I agree that it is good to save the environment and generally doing so also will save your bank account. Consider using the new fluorescent lights, turning off lights when not necessary, getting a programmable thermostat, run the dishwasher and dryer at night in the summer and don't use more water than necessary. Saving your money generally will also save the environment.
We all enjoy going out to eat. But it can be expensive. Eating at home will give you better food at less cost. Prepared cereal products are very expensive, consider oatmeal - it's cheap. Save going out for special occasions and then always take a carry home bag to supply part of a meal for the next day.
New cars are nice but you pay a high price for the first several years of depreciation. Consider a "certified pre-owned" car with a manufacturer's warranty. Keep it well maintained and it will last a long time. If you keep the car long enough it won't be worth much but the annual cost will be really low.
Trendy clothes may look good this year but what about next year? Instead, buy traditional clothes (they will always be in style) in the off-season. Quality is important - not price. Remember you pay for that "logo." Department stores have sales so often that you should almost never pay full price. Look for sales where they offer an additional 30 to 50 percent off items already on sale at a reduced price. Thrift shops are a great idea. You can often find an expensive item for a very small price if you are willing to spend the time looking.
Before making a big purchase it never hurts to ask whether some discount is possible. Try something like, "This isn't just exactly what I had in mind, but for the right price I would take it." You would be surprised, even in big department stores the clerks are sometimes authorized to give discounts when asked. Just try, it never hurts. If you don't ask the answer is always no.
Don't forget to use coupons. There are many sources for coupons. The weekend papers frequently have many manufacturers' coupons plus many store advertisements contain coupons. There are now many online sources for coupons. Significant savings are available with the use of coupons. Senior citizen discounts are also another means of savings. Always ask the merchant whether they give a discount to seniors.
We should all live within our means. We can only do that if we maintain a standard of living equal to our balance sheet. Then we won't look like the man in the commercial who shows us all his expensive possessions and then admits that he is in debt up to his eyeballs. You can be a frugal spender or a big spender. Which are you?
