How does everyone save money shopping?

[mugshot]

I just wondered what everyone does to save money when they shop. Do you haggle, do you use coupons, or do you use credit cards to get the best exchange rate when abroad etc...

Thanks for looking!

[disneysteve]

See my other thread about shopping online.

[mugshot]

Hi Steve,

Yeah online is a good place to start, but there are a lot of stores which still sell at full retail and perhaps dont offer the discounts that they could.

In some cases in store deals can be lower.

[lovcom]

I like purchasing online, out of state. No sales tax. The lowest prices, and the shipping is often very low or free. And selection is often better online then in a local store.

[jasonnoguchi]

sob... I rarely go shopping if at all. The last time I made a purchase was online for a 2gb ram.

[cschin4]

First, I find that limiting any and all time spent browsing or looking at merchandise has saved me a lot of money. The less time you spend looking or standing in front of merchandise, the less you are going to buy. Make lists and only go shopping when you actually need to buy something. Don't browse the mall or gift shops for fun. And, that goes for online surfing as well. Out of site, out of mind.
And, don't shop as often. Don't go to the grocery store every day. Try to buy more with less frequent trips. You will simply buy less. If you browse the mall for entertainment, then it is time to instead go for a walk in the park, hit the library or find other ways to entertain yourself.
Second, when I do shop, there is always the impulse to buy something I didn't know I needed or wanted until I went into the store. So, if I see something I don't really need but would like to have, I put it in my cart and walk around with it a bit, then I put it back on the shelf. If I can remember by next week what it was that I wanted so badly that day, I will allow myself to go back and get it. Usually, by next week, I don't care about whatever it was that caught my eye. The other option is to go ahead and buy it, take it home and leave it unopened and with tags on and then allow yourself a cooling off period to return the item if you really didn't want or need it afterall.
I do NOT bargin shop. More browsing and more time spent in front of merchandise simply means more buying for me. For the little i would save in getting a "deal" I would quickly spend on other things. I have a few stores that I regularly shop at and that is it. That way, I can easily manage receipts, I get to know the store prices and specials and it saves me a huge amount of time as I hate to shop and think shopping is a big waste of my time when I could be doing other things.
I also do not use coupons. To me, it is just an enticement to buy something I probably would not have purchased otherwise.
For CC's, I use mine at times but prefer cash. And, I always pay off my cc in full each and every month and have never carried a balance over without paying in full. I have done this all of my life on the advice of my dad when starting out and it was great advice.

[southerndoc]

Coupons, rewards programs, using a cash back credit card, ordering as much stuff online through rewards programs (highly recommend extrabux.com). Ordering things online for in-store pickup.