7 ways to never pay full price

Life has become very expensive so nabbing a bargain can make a difference to your family’s finances. Whether it’s a new pair of shoes for the kids or a housewarming gift for a friend, the good news is that there are plenty of ways to save money whenever you shop.

The obvious one is to make sure you compare prices before you buy anything but there are a few other tricks you can try. Here are seven ways to help avoid paying full price.

1. Look for promo codes

Scoring a discount can sometimes be as simple as searching for a coupon or promo code. All you need to do is google the name of the store and the words ‘discount code’ or ‘promo code’ to see if anything comes up. There are also a number of dedicated promo code websites that you can use such as Australian Coupons, Buckscoop and CupoNation.

2. Sign up for newsletters and loyalty programs

Retailers will often offer you a discount on your first purchase if you sign up for their newsletter or join their free loyalty program. Subscribe to Adairs News, for example, and you’ll get a $10 voucher to use towards your next purchase of $50 or more. Or join Jeanswest Rewards and you’ll score a $10 voucher.

You’ll probably also be sent email notifications on special promotions throughout the year. You can always unsubscribe later if you find you aren’t enjoying the emails.

3. Use cashback sites

You might not get a discount upfront but cashback sites can still be a great way to save money on your shopping. Essentially, cashback providers get a commission from retailers linked to their site and they then pay part of this commission back to you. Two of the biggest platforms in Australia are Cashrewards and ShopBack. You can sign up for both and look for which one has the best offer where you’re shopping. Some providers such as Boost your Super and Grow My Money will pay your cash back straight into your super. Grow My Money also gives you the option of adding it to your home loan.

4. Download browser extensions

There are a number of browser extensions that can make nabbing a bargain just that little bit easier. One worth adding is PayPal Honey. When you’re shopping online it searches for coupon codes and if it finds any it will automatically apply the best one to your cart when you checkout. This saves you having to google codes yourself.

Another browser extension to check out is Little Birdie. It scans the internet while you’re shopping and if it finds a better price for the product you’re looking at, it will notify you.

5. Know the sales calendar

Another way to avoid paying full price is to plan to make your purchases when there are sales. These days you don’t have to wait too long as there seems to be a major sales event every few months. Of course, this won’t work if you need something urgently but if you need new bath towels or could do with a new saucepan chances are you can wait a little.

According to Australia Post, some of the key events in the sales calendar for the remainder of 2024 include:

• July: Amazon Prime Day
• August: Afterpay Day
• August 7-11: Click Frenzy Travel
• September: Vogue Online Shopping Night
• November 11: Singles Day Sales
• November 12-15: Click Frenzy The Main Event
• November 29: Black Friday
• November 29: Green Friday
• November 29: Colour Friday
• December 2: Cyber Monday
• December 14: Free Shipping Day
• December 26: Boxing Day sales

6. Keep an eye out for discounted gift cards

Picking up discounted gift cards can be a clever way to secure yourself an instant discount. Let’s say you bought a $100 gift card for $90 (10% off) and you use it to buy a $100 pair of shoes. Technically, you only spent $90 on those shoes. Even though you may still end up paying full price for something you’re ahead.

The major supermarkets regularly offer discounts on gift cards so it’s worth keeping an eye out for those. Health insurance providers, motoring organisations and even some energy companies also offer their customers discounted gift cards.

7. Abandon your cart

This trick doesn’t work as well as it once used to but it’s worth a shot. The idea is that you pop the item you want in your basket but don’t buy it. Leave it in your there and in the next day or two you may get an email from the store offering you a coupon code with a discount. You will need to create an account or sign in for the retailer to be able to email you.

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