What %age off before you buy?

[ourbabygirl]

Hi there!

I'm getting better at shopping sales and using coupons, but I was wondering what you look for before you make a purchase. With B&M purchases, what percentage off (on sale) is a good deal to you? Feel free to give specifics with brands (diapers, clothing, other baby gear, etc.).
Do some of you not buy anything that's not on sale? If so, how do you manage that? I come from a set of parents that never uses coupons and just kind of buys what they want when they want it. I want to be stingier and wiser with my purchases, so I'd like your help in deciding when a sale is really a GREAT sale/ deal.

Thanks!

[Melaine]

My very loose rules are, if I desperately need it now, the item must meet ONE of the two following criteria:
a) be at least 50% off
b) be something I love a whole lot and also be on some kind of sale

For buying ahead I pretty much don't buy unless it is 50%-75% off or better.

I never buy full price, it's just silly to me when almost everything can be found on sale these days. I mean, even if I needed something tomorrow, I can find a deal on it.

[justlearning]

Although I do love bargains, I can't say that I follow any rules regarding % off. My biggest concern is the value of the item, regardless of what type of sale it's on. Percentage off doesn't really mean a lot IMO because some stores (e.g., Kohls) always have 50% off of most their items. But that doesn't mean that their sale price is half less than other's regular price. So just looking at percentage off can be misleading.

So, the final price is much more important to me rather than how much it's discounted. I also factor in how much use the item will get, the quality of the item, potential resale value later, how much it fills a need that we have, etc. I have made the mistake in the past of buying items just because they were a fabulous deal (e.g., 90% off) when I really didn't need the item so it just became clutter in our home until I finally donated it.

[LMPC]

Quality is the guiding factor for me too. I don't buy anything that's not on sale...really, not. ever. ever. I will borrow before I buy full price. My DH teases me because I know the prices of everything I buy. I don't just buy things that are on sale...but good quality at a bargain. And i agree with PP...if I'm buying ahead it has to be 50%-75% off. At least.

I get this from my parents. My father still cuts coupons and loves it when someone at the grocery store comments on how he got $100 worth of stuff for $10. In fact that's how I made my pocket money as a kid. I was in charge of coupons for groceries...I got to keep half of whatever I saved. And it had to be things we used, not just anything.

If you want to start being wiser with your purchases, I would say, start small. Maybe start with the groceries and see how much you can save there. I only mention this because it can be a little overwhelming at times!

Good luck....you won't believe how much money you can save!!!

[ha98ed14]

I would also look at where you shop. Some people are picky about their/ kids' clothes, others about food, or cleaning supplies. These are the things we buy week in and week out. Most people don't make major gear purchases week in and week out. I think it is important for YOU to decide for yourself where and how you want to spend and save.

An easy way to start is with big purchases, car seats, strollers, cribs, beds, furniture, etc. Things you are going to buy once and live with for a couple years before you replace it or have no more need for it. If you hang around this board and read the book, you WILL save money on these big purchases PROVIDED you don't go buying more of them than you need. Example: We have one Britax Marathon in my car and one Costco Scenera in DH's car. Right now there is a deal on Marathons, a better deal than when I bought mine, but I really do not need it. For me to buy oine right now would not be a deal because I don't need it. Even to replace the Scenera in DH's car would be a waste in my mind because DD is in his car less than one a month.

On kids' clothes, you have to find your strategy/ modus operendi. Some people can afford to dress their kids completely in Gymbo and think nothing of it. Others buy the name brands and resell to recoop some of their money. I can't afford to buy Gymbo new, and I have no desire to resell, so I buy used. I am the used Gymbo reseller's best friend! That's my MO. I would rather my kid have good quality used than thin, cheap feeling new clothes. That's what is important to me, but others have other ideas.

On food, again, you gotta find your strategy. Some people only clip coupons for the brands they normally buy and never deviate from that brand. So if they use Tide and there is a coupon for Tide, GREAT! If not, they are going to buy Tide anyway. Other people will buy what is on sale or what they have a coupon for, or BOTH. Those are the real hard core folks: Have a coupon AND on sale. That is how I buy my diapers (Pampers; I'm loyal), but I don't buy my food or my cleaning products that way. I hate clipping coupons, so I limit myself to clipping coupons for diapers and I shop for groceries at Trader Joe's and Sam's Club, which are relatively cheap compared to Albertsons and Stater Bros.

So, like I said, decide for yourself what you DO want to spend your money on. What is important to you? And find a way to do it affordably. That is the "big picture" that will enable you to decide for yourself if something is really a deal.

[Melaine]

In fact that's how I made my pocket money as a kid. I was in charge of coupons for groceries...I got to keep half of whatever I saved. And it had to be things we used, not just anything.

:bowdown: to your parents....
What a cool way to teach your kids the value of money! That is going in my virtual file cabinet.

[o_mom]

It varies so widely that I don't have any hard and fast rules. Some things are rarely discounted or it isn't worth the effort. Legos are rarely on sale for more than 25% off, so that is my target price on those. For diapers I don't go chasing sales on sposies because we use clother 60% of the time or more. We buy a big box at Sam's and it lasts a few months or more.

We have so much clothing (hand-me-down) that I rarely buy anything. When I do it falls in one of two categories - either we need a specific item (underwear, dressy outfit, etc) and I just buy at whatever price, or I find something cute but not needed on sale 50%+.

I do agree with the PP that being a wise shopper on everyday items is better in the long term. While I love a good bargin and have fond memories of my 75% off stroller, I find that saving $5-10 a week on groceries by shopping smart goes a whole lot farther than saving $100 on a purchase I didn't really need until I found a sale. ;)

[bw52]

For me it depends on how much I need the item (and how soon) and if I've checked prices everywhere to know I'm getting the best possible deal (even if it's not that great of a deal). And I think everyone splurges more on different things. I'm one who carries a 2-inch thick binder full of coupons to the grocery store and drug stores. I get TONS of free stuff and won't pay over $1 for most things (cereal, for instance--and I get name brand, but just about everything at the grocery store--except for fresh meat, of course). And I've got enough toothpaste, deoderant, toothbrushes, etc....to last us a year--and I got them all for free). So I figure I save there. On things like that I stock up big time when there's a good sale (and use coupons!). I've got about 40 packs of Huggies diapers waiting for dd to arrive that I bought for less than $1.50 each--in varying sizes, of course. I won't ever pay full price on stuff like that.

But we just bought dd furniture and I'm picky out funiture, so we got high quality stuff. I'm sure we could have found a cheaper criib, dresser, etc..., but I figured this is our first and we plan on using it with a lot of children over the years, so I think it's more worth it to spend the money up front on something good, than having to replace it with evey child. Oh, and I talked to my local store for 2 days convincing them to price-match below they're "as low as we'll go" price. I got it for half of what lots of people pay.

For clothes, I always shop the clearance racks first and see if there are any good buys there. Dd is arriving in one month and so far I haven't bought anything for less than 50% off--usually more. And we've got a bunch of name-brand clothes. I'm picky about quality here, too, but I wait for them to go on some sort of sale. I think Ross, Marshall's, etc...have a lot of good selection for good prices.

Sorry that's so long! I'm a bargain-hunter who LOVES finding a good deal! And I've been this way for awhile, so I know if I can find an item cheaper at another store--of if I can find a coupon for an item. I think you recognize that more and more the more you bargain shop.