Last week I announced a giveaway on the blog’s facebook site, and to participate the followers had to share their best saving tips. I got some really great ones, which I can’t resist to share. So there you go!
It’s very interesting that the most popular tip was to shop with a shopping list;
Monica – Always shop with a list. It helps you remember and plus you can avoid buying excess stuff which helps you save.
Sultan – Write a list before you go shopping: Make a careful plan of what we’ll buy before we go, then stick strictly to that list when we go to the store. Don’t put anything in the cart that’s not on the list, no matter how tempting, and we’ll come out of the store saving a bundle.
Reshma – I always have a list whenever I go shopping as it helps me to stick on to that rather than making me indulge in impulsive shopping…also enrolling for loyalty schemes is helpful for savings at a long run where I can use my points for vouchers and discounts.
One of the readers have the cutest answer on the topic:
Shada – I used to send my hubby alone for shopping grocery items, by giving him list of needed items. If I myself go for shopping, I will buy whatever I see, even it may not be useful to eat or for cooking. It actually doubles our expenses. In order to reduce expenses I send my hubby alone for shopping.
There were several advices to avoid taxi and choose metro, also to collect the coins (as I already told before), and do not forget about the lot of tips regarding not to eat out too much, and prepare your food at home. But what else?
Let’s see my favourites;
Shameem – Buy clothes that mix and match well and you’ll not need nearly as many clothes.
Rabia – Making your own coffee in the morning, instead of stopping at a chain, will save you tons of money each week.
Del – Master the 30 day rule. Whenever you’re considering making an unnecessary purchase, wait thirty days and then ask yourself, if you still want that item. Quite often, the urge to buy will pass and you’ll have saved yourself some money by simply waiting. If you want, you can even keep a “thirty day list” where you write down the item and the day you’ll reconsider it, but I prefer just to keep this one in my head – that way. Master the ten second rule too. Whenever you pick up an item in order to add it to your cart or to take it to the checkout, stop for ten seconds and ask yourself; why you’re buying it and whether you actually need it or not. If you can’t find a good answer, put the item back. This keeps me from making impulse buys on a regular basis.
Maura – Use simple homemade alternatives for beauty and cleaning. For example, use organic coconut oil as a skin moisturizer and also on your hair, use rose water as a skin toner, use a tbs vinegar in a jug of water for a shiny hair rinse, use salt and sugar mixed with honey or olive oil as a hand and foot defoliator, use lemon, baking soda and vinegar for cleaning and so on. It is completely toxin free and also more economical.
Sally – No matter what comes in, 10 dhs or 500 dhs, automatically take half, and put it away in your closet. Don’t touch it! I’ve always learnt that, if you just set your mind frame as all you see I’d half then you’ll open that cupboard and be surprised one day. Although in Canada, I had my own bank, credit cards, and financial accounts everywhere, so I always used a system when they automatically take a percentage over deposits and put it in the savings account, so that way I never saw what was going on. I was only living within my means of what I thought I has. Was great, because come months end – I was always happy. Sometimes, I wouldn’t even need to check my accounts because I always lived within my means of my chequing accounts (main account). So basically live within your means, even lower! You’ll be happier with yourself.
Jãckson – I remember joining a gym near my place and paying a whooping Dhs 3000 for a 6 month membership. My intention was to join for just 3 months, but the person in charge somehow coaxed me to into a 6 month membership saying that the difference was just Dhs 500. Anyway, after joining, I hardly went to the gym for 1 month. Imagine having to paying 3000 and not using it. I was just too lazy , and later I felt really guilty that I has wasted my hard earned money. That’s when I thought to myself; why on earth should I even go to a boring gym when I have a beautiful park nearby? The Barsha pond park is free, there’s fresh here, birds chirping, they’ve got a beautiful running track, and some exercise equipment. This was a perfect place for a jog, walk or run. It’s been 2 years now, and I actually feel motivated to go there every day, cause it makes me feel good. This is probably the best decision that I’ve ever made, besides saving & investing a part of my salary every month.
Nicholas – I use re-usable textile bags for shopping! More durable, stronger and definitely more fashionable than the plastic bags.
Did you tried any of these products yet? What do you think about them? Are you agree that they’re worth their price?
with an empty purse in Dubai 