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klmama
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I'm sharing this one because I forgot today until AFTER I did it wrong:

When using a $10 off a $10 purchase coupon at JCPenney (and some other stores), it's best to use it on just one item you know you're definitely going to keep; have them ring up any other items separately.  If you have them apply the $10 off to all your purchases at once, each item gets just a little of the $10 taken off, and you will lose that portion of the discount for any item returned.

What shopping tips do you have to share?

 

 

 

 

 

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^^^good tip! And definitely do this with Kohl’s cash. If you’re brave enough to use it, then it needs to be used in one transaction with something you *know* won’t be returned. I can never leave Kohl’s without somehow feeling like I got taken advantage of 🤔🤣

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13 minutes ago, mmasc said:

^^^good tip! And definitely do this with Kohl’s cash. If you’re brave enough to use it, then it needs to be used in one transaction with something you *know* won’t be returned. I can never leave Kohl’s without somehow feeling like I got taken advantage of 🤔🤣

 

Yes, I love Kohl's but wish they would just have regular sales and not play so many games with different percentage discounts and the darn Kohl's cash.  And their sales/prices change so frequently.  It's frustrating.

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If you're ordering online from a store for the first time, check to see if they offer discounts for first-time buyers. Most of the time you have to agree to be on the email list, but that can be easy enough to unsubscribe from later on. I've done this with a few larger purchases and save quite a bit on things I was going to buy anyway. 

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LOL. The first thing that came through my mind was "Don't shop at Kohls" Haha. Guess I am not alone in that. I refuse to play games with the stores I shop at, so I no longer shop there unless I have no other choice. 

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Beware of changing return policies.

I shop Amazon A LOT.  I’ve never had an issue with returns before. Last week, I ordered a costume piece that was nothing like the pictures. Submitted my return only to discover that it would cost me $6 to have UPS, which is at my house all the time, pick it up. My only free option is about 15 miles away in a direction I rarely go.  I think I’m going to break down and pay the $6 on the $20-something item and I’m not happy about it!

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Bulk shopping (at least in my area) is rarely the better deal unless your intent is to pay for convenience, which I certainly don’t begrudge anyone.

There’s almost nothing in my supermarket that doesn’t go on sale at least once every month or two, if not more often. I estimate that I buy 90% of my food and household items when they’re on sale, and the other 10% is made up of splurges, emergencies, or really miscalculating how much ketchup we would go through before the Memorial Day sale!

It almost killed me to pay $2 for an avocado last week!

 

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1 hour ago, Carrie12345 said:

Bulk shopping (at least in my area) is rarely the better deal unless your intent is to pay for convenience, which I certainly don’t begrudge anyone.

There’s almost nothing in my supermarket that doesn’t go on sale at least once every month or two, if not more often. I estimate that I buy 90% of my food and household items when they’re on sale, and the other 10% is made up of splurges, emergencies, or really miscalculating how much ketchup we would go through before the Memorial Day sale!

It almost killed me to pay $2 for an avocado last week!

 

 

We shop at a restaurant supply cash and carry type place. It cuts our grocery bill in half, if not more. Regular bulk stores like Sam's and Costco are mostly useless for us in terms of price.

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We've been doing online grocery pickup. No impulse buys!

If I want something expensive it goes on a list and I have to wait one month for every $100. We often don't have the money anyway, but if money comes in it can't be spent frivolously.

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1 hour ago, Carrie12345 said:

Beware of changing return policies.

I shop Amazon A LOT.  I’ve never had an issue with returns before. Last week, I ordered a costume piece that was nothing like the pictures. Submitted my return only to discover that it would cost me $6 to have UPS, which is at my house all the time, pick it up. My only free option is about 15 miles away in a direction I rarely go.  I think I’m going to break down and pay the $6 on the $20-something item and I’m not happy about it!

If you ask the mailman he'll probably just take it.

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2 minutes ago, beaners said:

 

We shop at a restaurant supply cash and carry type place. It cuts our grocery bill in half, if not more. Regular bulk stores like Sam's and Costco are mostly useless for us in terms of price.

Oh, that’s a great tip!  My mom has a membership to one of those kinds of places (way out of state from me) and gets some great deals.  We have a place about an hour away, but I don’t qualify for membership. Some non-members can shop Instacart, but not my zip code! 😞 

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1 minute ago, Slache said:

We've been doing online grocery pickup. No impulse buys!

I was amazed when my grocery bill went down $20+/week when I started online grocery shopping. That's even with a store that charges a $5 fee. I'm sure it's reduced impulse buys, plus I can double check the cabinets and make final calls re: whether or not I actually need to get something that week. 

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2 hours ago, Carrie12345 said:

Bulk shopping (at least in my area) is rarely the better deal unless your intent is to pay for convenience, which I certainly don’t begrudge anyone.

There’s almost nothing in my supermarket that doesn’t go on sale at least once every month or two, if not more often. I estimate that I buy 90% of my food and household items when they’re on sale, and the other 10% is made up of splurges, emergencies, or really miscalculating how much ketchup we would go through before the Memorial Day sale!

It almost killed me to pay $2 for an avocado last week!

 

yes, you definitely have to know what's actually worth buying at the bulk price, and reevaluate annually if it's still worth it. 

For us, Costco has, hands down, far & away the best price on ground beef -- enough to pay for the membership a few times over each year -- so I keep going for that and a few other select items. But otherwise, yep, my local grocery has better deals. Especially now that we got some local competition going (a new store opened, so prices are coming down). 

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Always always do a google search for “store name” coupon before you click the “ pay now” button for online purchases. You won’t always find a coupon, but I do often enough to make it worth the time.

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