Tips on Saving money before you start the shopping Spree

As fashionista's we all know that spree and late summer are the peak shopping season because of the clearance sales and the sample sales which makes clothing anywhere from 50%-75% off the original price. Yet when we go to these sample sales we end up wasting a lot of money after we get the clothing that we wanted for so long and finally got at a reasonable price.  Don't worry I am here to give you the lowdown on what to do so the next time you are trying to get into a last minute clearance sale or a sample sale you will not be breaking the bank.                                                                                     

One problem that all fashionista's have that waste money is that we are constantly carrying a balance with use everywhere we go. Everyone knows that debt is an ugly shackle that holds us back because we usually have credit cards that charges high interest rates. For example say you have a balance of  $3,000.00 on your credit card and you have an interest rate of 15%. You don't realize that you are blowing $450.00 a year on interest so, what do you do? You can plead with the company to have them lower your interest rate or you can get into the habit of paying you monthly balance in full. If I was you I would go with the other one because it makes life so much easier.

Another problem that is in the way of a fashionista having enough money to spend is overspending on gas and oil for the cute convertible that they drive. Okay not everyone owns a convertible but, the point is there is no need to spring for premium fuel if the manufacturer says regular is fine. Seriously who doesn't know that? Another thing is that you should always get your tires checked because if you are racing to get to the sale before everyone else and, you suddenly of a flat or deflated tire then you are going to have some serious problems. So it is important before the huge sales to have your tires check to make sure they can get you there without a problem. Also please don't tell me that you are still paying for oil changes for every 3,000 miles. If you have a car that is atleast 2005 and newer it can last about 5,000 or 7,000 miles without you having to give it an oil change ever 3,000 miles. In addition you have these fancy new gadgets called sensors that are built in to your car that tells you when it needs it's next oil change. If it doesn't have that then check your cars manual to see when it is the best  time to give it an oil change. You are wasting perfectly good shopping money doing this!!!   
 
 Also what is a problem that few seem to take notice is we keep up are unhealthy habits such as smoking. Ladies drop the disease sticks a.k.a cigarettes. Do you know how much you are spending a year on buying packs and cartons of cigarettes? Compared to other expenses smoking expenses increase dramatically even more for auto insurance and homeowner insurance put together. Why dish out all the money and later on your going to waste even more money for all those treatment because you couldn't stop smoking. Another bad habit is indoor tanning. Ladies that tan do you know that those tanning beds have harmful agents that are found in cigarettes? Now when you go to those tanning salons you are paying a 10% tax on the indoor tanning so, why not go to the beach or got to the store to by the tan spray or better yet QVC has products that gives their customers a smoking hot tan. It cost a whole lot less then going to those tanning beds ladies so why do you give them a try?

Furthermore there is another problem that we just don't want to hear at times , that problem is that we are using these fancy cell phones that we really don't need but, we want them to raise our status. How many of us has spend hundreds of dollars on a fancy, shiny, brand new cell phone and, we are paying hundreds of dollars a month keeping up the fees that came with the cell phone? Your phone should not be your status symbol it should be a way to communicate easier when you are on the go. There are too many people in the world that pay too much for their cell phone contracts and don't use all their minutes which in most cases don't rollover.  It is a blessing that there are websites such as billshrink.com , MyRatePlan.com and Validas.com that tell you about the usuage of your phone and help you find a reasonable phone plan that works best for you. This is what is causing us to lose our shopping money so, listen up and get them phone plans in order before the next sales comes.

Another issue that we all need to kick in the but is buying brand-name instead of generic. I know what you are thinking and yes store brand cookies are just as good as the ones that the elves make. Listen instead of spending money on fancy label food how about you try out the store brand instead because they are cheaper and how do you know you won't like it if you never tried it in the first place? Also do you have coupons for this fancy label item? Yes coupons do seem to be a hassle but they do save a certain percentage of money on you favorite items. For instance like Costco if you have a membership with them you will have coupons mailed to you monthly and, there is a wonderful thing called the Sunday paper were there manufacturer coupons that help you save money on your favorite fancy label items. Furthermore you have those coupon websites that you can download and print out coupons for your favorite items as well so, why not give them a try and OMG the are BBB accredited you can't beat that can you? This is a good way to save money how about we listen?

Oh do you know what is another problem that causes us to lose our money? Hmmm let me think oh right keeping our mouths shut! I know what you are thinking yes no one wants to be a pest but we can simply ask those collection companies that keep bugging us to snag a lower rate so we will be able to pay off the debt.  Make sure when you are shopping ask if there are any discounts or specials on the item. It won't hurt to ask because you'll be ahead in the long run. Thus you will have extra money to have when you are trying to shop at the sales.

Here is another thing that cost more money and less money to shop with and that is buying our drinks one at a time. If you are still going to the cafes buying the fancy coffees, going to the store to buy those fancy sparkling bottle water or to the vending machines buying a cool crisp soda. You budget has sprung a leak my friends  and this is the easy thing to solves seriously. How about you make the fancy coffee at home, filter the water yourself and buy the soda in bulk? Better yet leave the soda and try a healthier option such as fruit juice which has less calories than soda. Did we forget about crystal light and other packets that flavor our water into tasty drinks? Hmmm so many crystal light flavors don't know what to do. Oh I know I'll buy more crystal light than buying soda and wasting my jimmy choo money. Let's go with that.

Did we forget to mention about paying for stuff that we can get for free or dirt cheap? No we didn't? Good that was the next thing that I wanted to talk about because there are really a lot of things that we can get for free that most of us do not even know. Yes there are software and other useful things that we can get for free or dirt cheap and they are at the places that we don't usually go because they are old and dusty. Yes the library and the book store because there are so many things that we don't even know. So why not get you next movie or music from there because there is a lot of treasures waiting to be discover that no one but, you will find before the others get a wif of this. So hurry before it's too late.

Have you gave your Uncle Sam is money? No? You better give Uncle Sam his money because he knows were you are stashing it and he's gonna get it. You know if you give Uncle Sam his money then your money can gain interest. Yes we all now that the government takes to much money out of our paychecks all year long but, what can you do?  Get that money back in your pocket this year -- and put it to work for you -- by adjusting your tax withholding. You can file a new Form W-4 with your employer at any time. You see everything works out if you give it a shot.

Another problem that can hurt your shopping finances is being disorganized because you have all these papers and you don't know what you are looking for half the time. This can hurt you a lot when it comes to tax season when you got to give in your tax return. So what do you do? Relax go to the mint.com and download a budget software so that you can have all your assets organized and you can make you payments on time. It's  easier this way and put more money in your pocket.

Here is one thing that people really don't think about when it comes to there money and that is letting it wallow in low interest accounts. You work hard for your money shouldn't it work hard for you? Interest of keeping it in those  traditional saving accounts earning next to nothing , make sure that you are getting the best return on your money.  Search for the highest yields on CDs and money-market savings accounts. And consider using a free online checking account that pays interest, such as ones offered by Everbank and ING Direct. This will help having your money work for you instead of having it lay in the account wasting away.

Paying last fees and missing deadlines is also another problem that we can face before the sale and having enough money to buy all the stuff that we want.  Here are simple solutions that can help you through.  Return those library books and movie rentals on time. Mail in those rebates. Submit expense reports on time for reimbursement. And if you make a bad purchase, don't just stuff it in the back of the closet and hope it goes away. Get off your duff, return it and get your money back before you lose the receipt.

Paying atm fees is also problem when it comes to money. Why are you paying fees when getting money out the atm?  Banks do that so you a pay there non-network fee so, why not switch to a bank such as ally that does not charge an atm fee and reimburses you for fees other banks charge. Another way to avoid fees if there's not an ATM in your bank's network nearby is to get cash back when you make a purchase at the grocery store or drugstore.

"Shopping at the grocery store without a calculator." Why do people do that??? I don't understand why people do that do you know how much you are spending on those items? Seriously do you? If you are at the store with $300 and you are picking up things left and right without even giving it a second thought about the price. You are spending more money than what you came with so, make life simpler don't leave home without that calculator.  
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Paying for things that you do use. Well that is perfectly good money that went down the drown. What are the things we don't use but, are paying more for anyway. Hmmm do we have a spare car that insurance we pay every year or every 6 months? Do we use all the cable channels that we have? Do we use all the internet add-on that we have? If not then it time to find a way to put this to good use or find subscriptions to things that will save us money. Like Netflix so you won't need those movie channels and a company that puts internet and tv together so it's one bill. The spare car if you didn't have an accident in the last five years then sell it for the blue key value instead of keeping it.

Not reading the fine print is also going to hurt you in the long run because you are wasting more money that you could be using to spend on the upcoming sales. Thought you were being smart by transferring the balance on a high-rate credit card to a low-rate one? Did you read the fine print, though? Some credit-card companies now charge up to 10% for balance transfers. Also watch out for free checking accounts that aren't so free. Some banks are starting to charge fees unless you meet certain criteria.


Making impulse purchases. Now we are almost at the end because we all do it and we see something we like it and what happens? We are spending up all our shopping money!!! Why? Why? Why? We need to stop before it's too late and we don't have enough money for  the sales that are coming up!  When you buy before you think, you don't give yourself time to shop around for the best price. Take the time to compare prices online, read product reviews and look for coupons when appropriate. Make it a policy to give yourself a cooling-off period in case you're ever tempted to make an impulse purchase. Go home and sleep on the decision. More often than not, you'll decide you don't need the item after all.


Last but not least dining out constantly.  Spending $10, $20, $30 per person for dinner can be a huge drain on your wallet. Throw in a $6 sandwich for lunch every day and you've got quite a leak. Learning to cook and bringing your lunch from home can save a couple hundred bucks each month. When you do go out, consider getting carry-out instead of dining in (you'll save on the tip and drink), skip the overpriced appetizer and dessert, and search the Web for coupons ahead of time.

So here we are these are the reasons we spend all this money and have almost nothing for the sales that are coming up take my advice and use it.