How often do you pay full price?

[CAM7]

I dunno why I did it... I went online shopping at LE and placed a big order... most of it was NOT on sale. :0

I RARELY do that... I buy things on sale the large majority of the time. I feel super guilty if I buy something at full price.

What about you? How often do you buy things full priced?

[maestramommy]

Only if I really do not have time to look for a deal and we need it like, yesterday:) Also depends on what it is. For clothes I will nearly always wait/look for a deal. Same with shoes. Food is a little harder. Appliances and other electronics ALWAYS.

[Wife_and_mommy]

I'm very similar to Melinda.

For clothes, I can count on one hand the times I've paid full price. One particular item I remember is a pair of BabyGap shorts for DD. I really wanted(needed) them so paid $16. She still uses them 2.5 years later so clearly we got our money's worth.

[lisams]

If it's an online purchase I always search for a code first before placing on order. For food and groceries, I usually am lucky if a few things are on sale. For clothes for the kids I almost always buy onsale (Gymbo and Hanna especially). For big items we almost always read reviews and then shop around for the best price.

[wencit]

It really depends on the item. For big ticket purchases like cars and electronics, I always shop around, compare prices, and wait until there's some kind of sale. But then again, for that kind of stuff, I am usually not in any hurry to buy.

Clothes for DS, I also wait until there's a sale, unless it's already pretty cheap, like Target. The name-brand places like Gymboree, Hanna, Gap, etc all have to wait for a sale before I buy. And unlike some moms, I wish I could buy ahead one season, but I really have no idea how much DS will grow, so I don't take my chances on buying stuff that he won't be able to wear next year.

Clothes for myself, on the other hand, I never wait for a sale. I am 5'1", so most stuff does not fit me very well, and if I wait for a discount, usually the style and/or color I want is already sold out. If I want it and it fits me well, I buy it, regardless of price (within reason, of course). This works out OK for my budget, since I hardly buy clothes for myself. Also, shoes do not fall into my "wait for sale" category, either. I looooove shoes, so those are also See It - Want It - Buy It, both for myself and DS. Again, I hardly ever buy stuff for myself, so it's not like I'm another Imelda Marcos.

Groceries, I also pick and choose the stuff that's on sale, unless I'm making a particular recipe, and I just have to have tomatillos or something. Obviously, there is less "waiting for sale" going on here, as we have to have the basics, like milk and eggs, but if one brand of butter is $0.30 cheaper on sale than the other brand, I'll choose the cheaper one. I'm not super brand loyal except for just a handful of things.

[Octobermommy]

I usually don't purchase anything that is not on sale. I can't remember the last time I bought clothing/shoes that were not on sale. My 3 year old asks while we are shopping in Target if a particular item is on clearance.

[pinkmomagain]

I responded "don't usually purchase unless discounted" but that applies just to clothes, shoes etc.

Groceries I am notorious for not looking at prices at all.

[HIU8]

Oh my, the bulk of DS and DD's things are bought at the outlets or on consignment. I'm going to be buying DS a new winter coat this year as his is extremely small and I will end up paying full price from LE, so I'm consigning a ton of his old things to pay for it. For food I use coupons and shop the grocery store/target/walmart deals only.

[fivi2]

I rarely pay attention to sales - BUT I am not a big shopper. If I see something we want or need then I may do a quick search for a discount code and the best price, but I will buy it then and not wait. (There are exceptions, but they are few). I will overbuy if I stalk sales. I will buy things I don't need simply because they are on sale. I also worry that something we need will not be available once it goes on sale. I have a hard time finding clothes that fit and that I like. But I feel like I end up spending less by only buying what I need when I need it - even though it may not be on sale...

[SnuggleBuggles]

I am not a bargain hunter. If something I like happens to be on sale I'll buy it but I don't go out of my way to find low prices. Most of the time I skip the sales' racks unless they aren't too jam packed and disorganzied. I'd rather pay full price than have to rummage through 99% crap to find one good thing.

I do price shop on big ticket items.

Beth

[ThreeofUs]

The funny thing about this post is that we are all in the "Baby Bargains" community.

We've all self-selected to be here, so my first question is if we have a higher percentage of bargain-hunters than normal.... But I gotta wonder if we're folks who select more for high-quality stuff at great prices?!

[jent]

The funny thing about this post is that we are all in the "Baby Bargains" community.


Exactly what I was thinking.

I usually feel pretty guilty about paying FP for stuff for myself (clothes/shoes). But I'm trying to cure myself of that because, like a PP said, I have a hard time finding stuff that fits well and looks good. And I end up with a lot of "holes" in my wardrobe.

It's easier with big-ticket items (appliances, electronics, even furniture) to shop around or wait for sales.

Jen

[Neatfreak]

I rarely order online unless I'm buying items that are discounted or on-sale. It's harder to find free shipping to Canada, and I don't think it exists to where I'm living now, so I have to balance out higher shipping costs.

[ilfaith]

I responded "don't usually purchase unless discounted" but that applies just to clothes, shoes etc.

Groceries I am notorious for not looking at prices at all.

I'm the same way. I'll rarely pay full retail for clothes for myself or the boys. The stores where I tend to shop are constantly sending out coupons of some sort. In fact I need to return a dress I bought (at full price) three days ago at Banana, only to have it available for 30% off at yesterday's anniversary sale. So I bought it again online (free shipping too..and I knew I didn't have time to get to the mall).

But when it comes to groceries, I tend to buy what I go in for (the basic milk, yogurt, fruit, veggies, chicken), and wander the aisles picking out whatever appeals to me. I remember DH was shocked when we got to the register at Whole Foods and saw the chocolate bar I'd grabbed was $7. It was a darned good chocolate bar though. Dark chocolate with cinnamon and hot pepper.

[Mirthful]

I usually try to wait for sales on clothes for the kids and myself and I make my grocery list looking at the weekly circulars from the grocery stores then try to only buy what's on my list. For big (and some not-so-big) purchases, I am a big researcher (that's what brought me here!) and I don't think I've ever paid full-price.

In fact, I have to share a funny story with you all:
We were at the library recently and checking out books with the self-scan check-out-er (what is that thing called?) and it beeped at us when we tried to check out a book that was actually a misfiled reference book. I told my DD, "Oh, we can't take this book home after all." And she said to me, "Why not Mommy? Is it not on sale?" =)

BUT, I will say that I have (and don't feel bad about) ordered things from Lands End at full price. They sell out of the really cute items/patterns really fast so if it's something I really like, I order it (looking for a free shipping code though of course)