Frugal FineBlog

MSN Money published an article called “15 ways stores trick you into spending” which is from the money blog called the ”Simple Dollar.”  I listed my favorites tips from the article in addition to some of my own in the list below:

• Use cash in the store:  Head to your bank’s ATM and pull out only what you want to spend.  That way you cannot spend more than your budget.
• Don’t use Shopping Carts whenever possible.  Carts make it covinenat to do big shopping “making it psychologically easy to toss in an item you don’t need.”  If you have a specific list of a few items, don’t get a cart and just quickly pick up the items you need in your hands to prevent impluse spending.
• Have a specific shopping list and stick to it.  Avoid enticing end-caps that highlight impulse items you didn’t go into the store for. 
• Walk quickly - avoid making too many stops in the store to look at items, it is too tempting to pick up additional items that will drive your bill up at the cashier.
• Use your cell phone calculater - to calculate price per unit volume.  That way you can quickly calcuate what a good deal or not.

and my favorite tip:

• “At the checkout, rethink everything you put in your cart” and don’t be scared to hand unwanted items to the cashier.  Don’t feel guiltly about this.  You don’t have to pay for anything you dont’ want.