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Savings Tip

We all shop. Love it or hate it, it has to get done. Of course, when shopping we can either make or break our budget.

One helpful way to stay on track is a simple shopping list.

Making a shopping list is like having a plan before you go shopping, whether it’s in a physical store or online. It’s basically just writing down all the things you really need to buy before you start.

Instead of just grabbing items at random off the shelves in front of you when you have a shopping list, you can stay organized and know exactly what you actually need. This can help you avoid buying things on a whim or making impulse purchases (things you buy without really thinking about them or even needing them).

The Danger Of Impulse

Impulse purchases can easily happen when you see something that looks cool or interesting, but you might not really need it.

Often stores are laid out in such a way that the items we commonly need are also where the shops place items that are small and quick to add to the basket. These might be chocolates or snacks.

We all know how they like to line the check out lines with small, quick to grab items (mostly sweets). It can be hard to run that gauntlet and not grab something.  What you may not realise is that stores do this all over. Near the bread, near the milk, near the cooldrink, near the meat etc. They lay tiny shopping impulse purchase traps for you everywhere.

Stick to the List

Having a shopping list on your phone or even on good old school paper can help you stay focused.

If you go to the store without a list and see a gadget that catches your eye, you might end up buying it even if you don’t really need it. But if you have a shopping list and stick to it, you can avoid those impulse purchases and save your money for things that you truly need or really want.

Having a shopping list is like a roadmap for your shopping trip. When you know exactly what you need to buy, you can go straight to those items and not get distracted by unnecessary temptations.

This can help you save money because you’re less likely to buy things that you don’t really need.