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In today’s troubled economy, many people are learning the value of a dollar and are increasingly trying to save money on the things that they would like to purchase.  In the past, people did not take the time to research ways to save money on their purchases because they believed that the task would be time consuming and the amount of money that they saved would not justify the time spent.  Today, people are realizing that there are many simple ways to save money on their shopping trips that do not take a lot of time and can result in a savings of between 30% and 70% on their purchases.

1. Using Coupons
Clipping coupons is one of the oldest ways around to save money on purchases, but in recent years the coupon has evolved into something much more than a slip of paper for a few cents off of a product at the grocery store.  Today, coupons can be found for everything from clothing to furniture to household appliances and can be redeemed in stores as varied as toy stores and retailers of electronics.  Most coupons can be found in the advertising section of your local newspaper, but some companies have begun to mail their coupons directly to the homes of consumers or place their coupons online to be reviewed and printed out by the consumer at their convenience.

In order to get the best deals on products by using coupons, one effective strategy is to take the time each week to clip or print the coupons for products that you use regularly or need to get soon.  Most coupons are only valid for about a month before they expire so you have until then to use them to purchase the products.  Then, each week you should review the advertisements to see if any of the products that you have coupons for have gone on sale.  Purchasing the products with a coupon while they are on sale can save you as much as 70% off the price of the product depending on how deeply the product was discounted for the sale.

2. Price Match Guarantees
Many stores have begun offering price match guarantees for the products that they carry in their stores.  The way that this works is if the person can find a lower price at a different retailer for a specific item within a certain time frame, either before purchase or within a few week after purchase, then the retailer will either honor the advertised price for new purchases or refund the difference between the advertised price and the price that was paid for the item.  This is especially useful if you purchase an expensive item, such as a home appliance, and notice that the item has gone on sale within the next few weeks after you have made your purchase.  In these cases, you may be able to claim a refund of several hundred dollars.

3. Taking Advantage Of Sales
Most stores will have sales on different items at different times of the month and by keeping track of the things that you need and when they have gone on sale, you may be able to get most of the things that you need for a sale price, effectively cutting 30% to 60% off the amount of money that you are spending each month.  The trick is to always purchase the items while they are on sale and never paying the full retail price for an item. 

Some people will only purchase grocery items that are on sale at a deep discount and then will use a coupon for the item that will reduce the cost even further.  For example, let’s say that you have a coupon for $0.75 off a specific type of chicken that would cost $5 a pack and you notice that your local grocery store is selling that particular type of chicken as a buy one, get one free offer.  By using your coupon, which will probably be doubled by the store because it is less than $1.00, you can get $10 worth of chicken for $4.50 for a net savings of 55%.  This is even more lucrative when applied to higher valued items and you can save a great deal of money over the course of a year.