In these tough economic times, we're all looking for ways to save a little money. Even a few dollars saved on appliances and tools today might be important tomorrow, so even the most reluctant shoppers are having to subscribe to the age old savvy shopper maxim: shop around. People who don't enjoy shopping, and men in particular, sometimes find it difficult to get bargains because they don't know how to shop around. If you find yourself in that boat, let our article on shopping around teach you the ins and outs and make you into a pro.

Know What You Want

When you're shopping, you can cut down on your frustration and cost levels simply by knowing what it is you want and deciding that you will buy these things only. If you go searching for clothing and you see a DVD that you want or a new TV you love, ignore it. Focus on the clothing. This doesn't mean you shouldn't take advantage of surprise bargains on things you know you're going to need, such as paper towels or storage shelving, just that you should keep your distraction level to a minimum.

Choose a Brand and Item

To properly shop around, you should look at all the items that meet your needs. If you're looking at vanity cabinets, for instance, you should view all the different models, compare all the different materials they're made of, and choose the brand and item that both fits your needs and offers the best value. Doing this step on the internet beforehand will minimize the number of stops you need to make and the salespeople you need to talk to when you're shopping around.

Resist the Urge to Buy

The urge to buy immediately is strong. For most women, the allure is ownership. Of having something new now. For most men, the allure is expediency. Of getting in and getting out quickly without a lot of hassle. Resist. No matter how good the first screwdriver you look at is, odds are that there's a better, cheaper one somewhere else. Likewise resist the attempts that salespeople will make to get you to buy a newer, better, and more expensive model or brand than the one you've decided on.

Comparison Shop

And finally, you need to get out there and find your best price. If you're shopping on the internet this process is much quicker. All you need to do is to enter the brand of art materials you want into a comparison shopping engine like Shopzilla and hit enter and it will find the best price for you. In person things take longer. Be willing to drive or phone all over the city checking prices because it could end up saving you a lot of money.

A few of our staff's favourite shopping sites here at Space Closets Drop Shipper:

Amazon.ca for electronics and much more!
Oldnavy.ca for clothing.
Overstock.com for household items