When I get home from a shopping trip, I often quip to my husband "look how much money I saved!" while excitedly flapping my shopping bags in the air.
It's usually met with an eye roll, but the hubs does oftentimes congratulate me on my shopping prowess. He even saves coupons for me when he sees them in the mail! True love!
Obviously, I love to shop, that's a total given. But what I love just as much is getting a great deal---in fact, it makes shopping even more fun for me.
Here are my best tips and tricks for saving while you shop:
It's usually met with an eye roll, but the hubs does oftentimes congratulate me on my shopping prowess. He even saves coupons for me when he sees them in the mail! True love!
Obviously, I love to shop, that's a total given. But what I love just as much is getting a great deal---in fact, it makes shopping even more fun for me.
Here are my best tips and tricks for saving while you shop:
Coupons are a gal's best friend. If you're ever making a purchase in a store and they ask you to enter your email address and phone number into their system, do it! Not only will they send you coupons, but the more you shop, the more they send. I constantly get "$10 off a bra" and "free panty" coupons from Victoria's Secret. I don't remember the last time I paid full price for a bra there. Express also has a ton of coupons like "Take $25 off a $75 purchase." I keep all of my coupons in my purse at all times so that there's no excuse not to use them.
Check your inbox. Visit your favorite retailer's websites and sign up for their e-newsletters. Yes, you'll get a lot of emails, but it's worth it for the savings. I delete 80% of the ones I get, but the other 20% often have printable coupons, updates about new items that have been added to the sale section and special promotions. Remember that some coupons don't need to be printed out and can be shown at the register on your mobile device to get your discount---read the fine print to be sure. Another thing to look out for---a lot of stores seem to be following the trend of hosting "happy hour" sales. Basically it's a post-work event where they offer a great discount until the store closes on either all or select merchandise. Worth it if you've had your eye on something and don't have post-work plans.
It's all about timing. I like to shop for deals on holiday weekends. Why? Because a lot of stores (including outlets) will have mega sales (like 40-50% off the entire store). The crowds may be larger and the lines may be longer, but the savings can't be beat. A ton of stores have these kinds of sales on random weekends too (think Ann Taylor, LOFT, Banana Republic, Gilly Hicks, GAP etc). Keep up with your emails and you will know when these sales are taking place and can plan your shopping trips accordingly. I've noticed that if Banana Republic runs a sale one weekend offering 30% off the entire store, in the next couple of weeks they will offer 40% off so I usually wait for the 40% sale because I know it's coming.
It's all about timing. I like to shop for deals on holiday weekends. Why? Because a lot of stores (including outlets) will have mega sales (like 40-50% off the entire store). The crowds may be larger and the lines may be longer, but the savings can't be beat. A ton of stores have these kinds of sales on random weekends too (think Ann Taylor, LOFT, Banana Republic, Gilly Hicks, GAP etc). Keep up with your emails and you will know when these sales are taking place and can plan your shopping trips accordingly. I've noticed that if Banana Republic runs a sale one weekend offering 30% off the entire store, in the next couple of weeks they will offer 40% off so I usually wait for the 40% sale because I know it's coming.
Google for promo codes. I never (repeat, never) buy anything online before Googling "name of retailer + promo code." I often use the website retailmenot.com to find codes for anything I am buying online. I have scored 20% off codes, free shipping codes, etc all just because I used Google prior to clicking the "process order" button. Never ever buy anything online before first checking for promo codes. You never know how much you'll save.
Bookmark this site. Many of you gals already know her---Chloe from the blog The Chloe Conspiracy also has a blog called "See Chloe Shop" where she lists the daily deals from all of the popular retailers. Bookmark or follow her blog now and check daily for retailers who are running promotions. The best part? Not only does Chloe list the sales---she also provides links to her favorite items on the site---like getting advice from a professional stylist! It's a must read!
Bookmark this site. Many of you gals already know her---Chloe from the blog The Chloe Conspiracy also has a blog called "See Chloe Shop" where she lists the daily deals from all of the popular retailers. Bookmark or follow her blog now and check daily for retailers who are running promotions. The best part? Not only does Chloe list the sales---she also provides links to her favorite items on the site---like getting advice from a professional stylist! It's a must read!
It's all about friends and family (as in, sales). Sephora has a "Friends & Family" sale once a year (usually October/November) which offers 20% off of everything in the store. Sephora never has sales so this is the one time a year where you can really score. Saks Fifth Avenue and other higher-end retailers also hold these sales once yearly so it's worth it to keep these sales on your calendar to save, big time. Ulta also runs a F&F sale around the same time Sephora does---but watch out because it doesn't include fragrance whereas Sephora's sale does. Do your research and check for exclusions so you know which retailer to order which products from.
Monitor for sales. Recently I learned of a website called salemarked.com. How did I not know about this sooner? It's like the Priceline of online shopping and oh-so-simple to use. While you're shopping online, you just click the Salemarked bookmarklet OR copy and paste the product URL into your Salemarked dashboard and then enter how much you'd pay for said product. Salemarked will track the price, and when it drops to or below your desired price, it will immediately email you. How amazing is that?
Designer for less. I am a member on designer discount sites like RueLaLa, MyHabit, OneKingsLane, Ideeli, GiltGroup, etc. These sites offer designer goods at 50-90% off retail. I have purchased a Cynthia Vincent dress that was selling on other sites for $350 for $75. I have to admit that I don't often find things I want to purchase on these sites, but it's worthwhile to at least look at what's available because you may find something really incredible.
Wait it out. If I find something cute at a pricier store like J. Crew, I'll often wait a couple of weeks for the item to go on sale or for them to run a promo codes (they'll often do a 25% off of a $150 purchase code). The exception to this is if I feel something will sell out or if it's the last item available in my size. Sometimes, good things are worth the wait!
Check Amazon. Amazon has lower prices on a lot of items, especially books! I order 90% of my books on amazon because the prices can't be beat. Amazon is also great for hard to find products (like my La Roche Posay skincare faves).
Do you have any other tips or shopping secrets? Post them in the comments below! Thank you for reading :)
xoxo,
Veronika.
PS---another tip I thought of after I posted this: KEEP TAGS ON YOUR CLOTHES. I don't take the tag off until I wear something I purchased. This makes it easier to return things (I also keep all of my receipts). Part of shopping smarter is acknowledging when you purchased something that you didn't really love or that doesn't work with the rest of your clothes. Make sure to know the store's return policies so you can take back items that just didn't work for you. I have done it many times and don't feel any regret at all. I'd rather have items in my closet that get a lot of wear than items that sit there with tags on.
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