January. A time to reminisce on the festive period, a chance to reevaluate our life choices and make new plans and goals, and a time for shopping. That’s right, the January sales are in full force, and they can be a great way to grab some bargains with any festive cash you have to spend, or simply to top up your wardrobe and essentials for the year ahead.
However, what you don’t want to do is put yourself in a bad financial situation for the rest of the year due to overspending. So I thought I would share with you some of the ways you can grab the bargains in the sales and not break the bank balance in the process.
Use discount codes
We all love a bargain, and January is the ideal time to get those marked-down items. But that doesn’t mean you have to accept that final price. Oh no! If you are savvy enough, you can look on the internet and find yourself some great discount codes to apply upon checkout which could give you an even further discount. It may pay for postage, it may give you more money off, but every little helps.
Use cashback sites
If you are struggling to find discount codes then don’t despair, there is still a way that you can make more from your purchases and overall bring down the cost. Cashback sites are great ways to add more funds into the pot. Some retailers will offer a percentage in cashback of the total transaction. Obviously, there may be a few weeks to wait for the cashback to be credited, but it’s a great way to overall reduce your spending.
Shop online
When you head to the shop, the sudden sense of urgency to grab a bargain can be overwhelming and you may find that you end up spending more than you intended. So a good tip is to sit down calmly with your tablet or computer and shop online. This will enable you to make more conscious decisions about your purchases and buy only what you want and need. You won’t be tempted by those impulse purchases as you wander around the shops and instead you’re more likely to only buy the things you really want.
Free up disposable income you already might have
If you really want to make an impact in the sales then you may need to look at your financial situation right now and free up some disposable income to spend, instead of using the credit card to fund your purchases. It might mean reducing some payments for other luxuries or even tackling a bigger problem like outstanding debts. There is some great advice out there for credit cards and debts which could see you saving money each month on things like interest and minimum payments. Enabling you to enjoy the sales without further struggling with your finances.
Be savvy with your purchases
Finally, don’t be too eager to buy the whole store just because you think it is a good deal. Instead, look at what you have in your wardrobe and in your home and make a wish list of items you want and need. Having a list will help you to seek out the real bargains and make some great investments, without buying extra that you don’t need. I know it can be tempting to buy something just because it seems like you’ll be saving a lot of money but you won’t be saving anything if it’s something you don’t need.
I hope that these tips will help you make the most of the January sales.