Savvy Saver Pt. 1

by - 12:38:00

Hi all, hope you're enjoying what's left of the  weekend.

This post and the ones to follow will be a tad different from my usual posts in the sense that I won't be reviewing any products as such.

I'm often asked how I afford the things I have beauty and cosmetics wise on such a tight budget, so I thought I would share my top tips over a number of posts so everyone who wants to, can save too.

Today I wanted to focus on sales and discounts as these are where I tend to save the most.



Tips and Tricks for sales shopping

  • Take your time.
This for me is the most important thing because I know that when I'm rushed I either miss out on things that I would have liked and end up with things that I don't really need or want. Not ideal as I'm supposed to be saving money on things I want; not wasting it because things were cheap. Which leads me on to my second point.

  • Ask yourself this question.... Do I genuinely like the product or do I like it because of the discount?
I can't count on my fingers and toes the number of items I've bought purely because they were so cheap. Over time I've learnt that I'm throwing my money away and should always ask myself said question. Doing this has really benefited my bank balance and has no doubt freed up a tonne of storage space.

It has also meant that I am more satisfied with my sales purchases as I go home and they are very much loved. The most recent example of this is the Thierry Mugler Womanity set that I reviewed not too long ago. I'd been lusting after this scent for ages, but could never bring myself to take the plunge and purchase it. A few months after Christmas I found the perfume complete with lotion and shower gel for £25; perfect. I genuinely wanted it and the discount was amazing (50%) so it was a no brainer.


  • Do I need it?
This is where things tend to get a little hazy for me. I'm not very good when it comes to turning down a cheap product even if I have similar items at home. In this case, I will always try to work out if I will be able to use all of the products I have before they go bad. So if I have multiple mascara's which have a shelf life of 6 months, I probably don't need to purchase another as I won't be able to use it up before it goes off if I'm rotating between the different ones I own. In that case I won't purchase the item. However if the item is one that keeps well for a longer period of time I might purchase it because I will eventually be able to use it and it won't have gone off.

So the question becomes if I don't need it, will I be able to use it before it expires? 

  • Enjoy the experience
When I go to the sales at Christmas time I always see stressed women who fear they will miss out on something. I'd definitely advise not going with any expectations of what you might be able to find, that way you aren't disappointed and aren't the crazy person raiding the racks as if your life depends on it ( a la Monica in Friends shopping for her wedding dress). 

Just go with the flow and have fun. I've found some really amazing things over the years and I enjoyed them more because I wasn't disappointed that I missed out on other things. I believe the saying is that if you don't have expectations, then you'll never be disappointed.


If like me you aren't a fan of shopping the high street then online sales are perfect. You can find what you're looking for super quick and don't have to break a sweat or get out of your pyjamas. What's not to like? For online beauty sales I always hit up Boots, Debenhams, House of Fraser and ASOS. They have some amazing products at amazing prices. Post Christmas, you really can't beat them.


Tips for discounts

When there aren't any sales (they tend to be seasonal) you might be able to find a discount online or in magazines. 

I'm not so clued up on the ones in magazines but they usually give you a code to use online or a voucher for in store. So for the price of the magazine you could save yourself a bit. But I wouldn't specifically go out to purchase the magazine as I've been able to find the codes online in forums so you're saving money already.

I'm much more clued up where online discounts are concerned as I prefer to shop online rather than trudge up and down the high street. 

Online

  • Forums
These have been invaluable to me as of late. They're basically sites and boards where people share codes and deals they've come across so anyone who's looking can use them too. They're usually really easy to find too, so if you're looking for ASOS discounts just Google it and you'll get a whole host of results for you to choose from.

vouchercodes.co.uk  is the one that I frequent the most as it has everything you need all in one place. 

hotukdeals.com is a really good site for both online and in store offers as people post up to date offers and deals so there's always something new. This one covers all kinds of purchases but you can narrow down your search using the search box. 

  • Cashback Schemes
These are something I've only really started to use over the past year, but I've yet to have a bad experience. 

You basically do your shopping online through them and you earn cashback on any purchases you make. It's really easy to sign up and once you're all set it's a really straightforward process.

I currently use Quidco and have found them to be a really good, but I won't be using them next year as I found they charge £5 to use the service, which they did not make clear. So as much as I have enjoyed using them I will be taking up using Top Cashback as it's the same service completely free.

From time to time, aside from cashback they also have promotion codes unique to their site so these are additional perks too! Saving you a little more too.



So there are just a few little tips I've picked up along the way and I hope it in some way benefits you too! 

If you have any tips and tricks yourself I would love to hear so feel free to leave a comment!

Kirstie

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