I am surprised by how many people people complain about not having enough money, and yet, they do not use eBay, Amazon, and other websites to buy items at a steep discount. These purchases frequently have no shipping cost and/or no sales tax. While running through a store with a credit card, it is easy to grab anything you want and charge it. But this is paying the highest retail prices. (Note that the average person who does not pay off their credit cards each month ends up paying twice the cost for an item because of accumulated interest charges). Instead, use your regular purchases to get discounts by searching online first.
A sample of what you can routinely save money on:
- Toiletries
- Cosmetics, make-up, and lotions
- Hardware items (unless they are very heavy or large)
- Nutritional supplements
- All apparel and accessories
- Toys
- Pet supplies
- Store-brand gift cards at a discount of 5-10%
Over the course of a year, these savings can become notable. Reducing your cash outlay for these items, without much effort, frees up money to either increase your life-style spending or, even better, make it available for saving and investing.