15 Ways to Never Pay Full Price on Anything

Saving money nowadays is so much easier compared to a few years ago. Thanks to the internet and to the increasing number of eCommerce websites, there are tons of ways to never pay full price on anything.

This is also due to the ever-increasing competition in the market. There are multiple businesses competing against each other for the same market and because the economy is also globalized, they are not just competing against their local counterparts, they’re also now competing against international businesses.

When it comes to shopping, this cutthroat business competition became favorable to us, the consumers. It drove down the prices of a lot of consumer goods.

Remember how much high-end mobile phones cost? Nowadays, some of the specs that are often found on high-end mobile phones are now available to more affordable phones.

And it’s just not on mobile phones but also in most products in the market. I’m here to share with you XX easy ways to never pay full price on anything… ever again!

Use Cashback Cards

Using cashback cards when you pay for your purchases automatically gives you savings on your purchases. A certain percentage of your purchases is given back after a certain period of time. The percentage of rebates varies depending on the category of your purchases and of course, depending on your credit card. If you’re in the Philippines, check out my previous article about cashback credit cards available in the country.

Dine-in at Partner Hotels and Restaurants of Your Credit Cards

This is one of the reasons why I keep my credit cards. Their partnership with hotels and restaurants enables me to dine-in to those establishments with 50% discounts (and sometimes even m0re).

Earn and Redeem Your Credit Card Points

Personally, I don’t redeem the miles I earn from my Citi PremierMiles for any other rewards. I just save it all up and exchange it for miles with partner airlines. Depending on the type of rewards program that your credit card has, you can use it to pay for your purchases, redeem miles, and more.

 

Compare Prices

Years before the boom of eCommerce in the country, it’s so tedious to compare prices because that would mean that you have to go from one store to another. That’s a thing of the past now.

It’s so much easier to compare prices now. All you have to do is to go online and log in to online shopping websites. You can now even check prices using your smartphones.

Buy in Bulk

Buying in bulk can definitely save you money especially when you compare it to the price of buying smaller packs. However, buying in bulk is a double-edged sword, especially for perishable items. Be careful in buying in bulk if you have a small household because some of the food items might just spoil and will just end up in the trash bin. However, for non-perishables or for food items with long expiry dates, then feel free to buy in bulk.

Photo by Shigeki Wakabayashi on Unsplash

Buy During Mall Sale

You’ll also get to save a lot of money if you buy during a mall sale. In the Philippines, usually, the biggest sale happens before and after the biggest holiday in the country which is the Christmas period.

Watch Out for the Monthly Online Sale by Shopee and Lazada

Shopee and Lazada are battling head to head on a monthly basis. It all started with 11.11 (November 11) and it became a monthly thing for both of them. During this time, they slash the prices at unbelievable levels and on top of that, they also give a lot of additional discount vouchers and free shipping options.

 

Buy Past Season Gadgets and Garments

When buying clothes, shoes, and even gadgets, buy the last season items and you’ll surely enjoy a huge discount. If you are eyeing the flagship phone but do not want to spend a thousand or more dollars, then wait for a year or two and the price will definitely be so much cheaper for the same gadget. The same principle also applies to clothes.

 

Buy Second-hand from Thrift Shops and Surplus Shops

I’m a big fan of thrifting to the point of building my business around it. I believe that it’s not only one of the ways to buy affordable clothes and other things but it’s also a huge help to our environment. Instead of these things ending in the dumpsite, it gets re-circulated in the market with the help of online sellers and consumers alike.

If don’t have time to go thrifting, you can buy instead from online resellers on Carousell, eBay, Instagram, and Facebook Marketplace.

 

Pay in Cash

I only learned about it a bit late in my life. In certain shops, especially in appliance stores (even in shopping malls) ask the sales staff how much it would cost if you pay in cash. I never knew that they provide additional discounts if you pay in cash or straight charge on your card. Now, this might not apply to other stores but try to ask and who knows, you might find yourself getting an additional discount on your purchase.

Photo by K8 on Unsplash

Haggle (Politely, please!)

I’m an online seller and even if I’m selling something uber-cheap, I’m always open to giving additional discounts especially if the prospective buyer asked me politely. I’m keener to give discounts to polite customers than to lowballers.

Use Coupons and Online Promo Codes

If you’re buying online, always search for available promo codes before checking out your purchase. Even if the savings is very minimal, it’s still money saved. And the money saved, is money earned! 🙂

Use Shopback or Cashback Apps

There are many cashback or ShopBack apps available on both the Android and Apple platforms. Make a quick Google search on which one is legit and which one is available in your area. Before you download the app, read the reviews to see if it’s worth downloading that particular app. In my experience, the savings are minimal, however, as I have said earlier, money saved is money earned.

Plan Ahead

In making purchases on anything, it will help you save a lot of money if you plan your purchases ahead of time. And this strategy works best in purchasing flight tickets. Tickets bought way in advance usually provides the most discount.

 

Take Advantage of Freebies

There are so many freebies being given away by a lot of companies and most people are not even aware of them. Citibank usually gives out freebies if you meet the spending amount. There are credit cards with free annual fee. There are savings accounts with free withdrawal fees such as CIMB Bank Philippines. There are also savings accounts that can give you free life insurance.

At the supermarkets and grocery stores, there are food bundles that give away some free stuff too.

Take advantage of these freebies!

Final Thoughts

These are just some of the ways that could help you save money on your regular purchases. There are so much more ways waiting to be tried out. I will try to keep this post updated once I discover new ways to save money on shopping.

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If you have additional tips or recommendations, feel free to comment down below.