Photograph Credit: Flickr (Rebeca Falco)
As summer is winding down, the back-to-school sales are gearing up. Viewing the Sunday fliers, I am bombarded with sales from large retail suppliers competing for my attention and business. Sorting through the advertisements, I could spend 1-2 hours creating the perfect list of needed items at the best prices to stretch my hard earned dollars.
The Search
Wouldn’t it be nice if there were a master list of all the school supply sales from all the major retail stores? Well, I have some great news for you . . .
THERE IS.
The Find
Jenny Martin at southernsavers.com creates a master list of all the school supplies from all the stores. You can see this week’s deals (ending today) by clicking on this link. Armed with this master list, you can find the best prices on all your school needs.
Next week, Jenny will post another list. When I see her list, I will post the link on my Facebook page. (Are you following me on Facebook? If not, click on the Facebook icon in the right sidebar, like our page, and “talk” with me. I would love to hear how you are using your time wisely.)
The Timesaver
Having your created list, you are ready to hit the stores. What if you could get most or all of your items at the same store? A one-stop shopping trip would be a huge timesaver.
Hmm . . . have you heard that some stores, like Wal-mart, offer price matching? (You see where I’m going. Isn’t this exciting?)
If your store price matches, then take your list and all your sales ads with you while shopping. Here is how my shopping trip looks:
1. Choose to shop at Wal-mart since I have price matched successfully with them in the past.
2. Take my list and gather the items. The items need to be the same brand, size, and count as the price matched item.
3. Sort the items by the price matched advertisement. To make the checkout process as organized as possible, keep all the items to be price matched from the Walgreens ad together, then all the Kmart ads, then the Target sales, etc.
4. Go to checkout placing the sales ad with the group of items to be price matched. Let the cashier know you have price matched items. Then help him or her by locating the new price from your ads. Be calm, courteous, and don’t be afraid to ask for a manager if the cashier does not honor a sale price.
5. Share your savings with your frugal friends, including Using Time Wisely’s Facebook page or leave a comment on this post. 🙂
Keeping your shopping trips to a minimum and maximizing your savings can both be accomplished by using your time wisely when creating your shopping list and choosing a store that price matches. I wish you a great shopping experience as you preparing for your family’s up-coming school year.
Question: What stores price match in your area?