Shopping on a budget
March 20, 2019
When it comes to shopping, there’s nothing sweeter than a good bargain – especially if you’re trying to save money!
Here’s how you can shop until your heart’s content (but at a fraction of the price).
Online
Local buy, swap, sell groups can save you an absolute fortune. From homewares to designer clothes, everything is for sale and things are usually priced to sell. Stay safe by opting for sites that allow you to pay securely and let you leave reviews. You can find your local buy, swap sell groups through Facebook or online community pages.
Op shops
There’s nothing dorky about shopping at op shops. You’ll be saving the environment and most likely saving money too. The key is patience and devoting the time to really dig through the racks. Avoid peak times like around Halloween and if you’re a student or pension card holder, you may even get discounts when you shop on certain mornings, so do your research first.
Auction houses
From police auctions to demolition auctions, you can save serious cash buying second-hand. Whether it’s collectible cars, art or furniture, auction houses specialise in the hard-to-get at great prices. Just make sure you set yourself a firm budget so you don’t get carried away in the spirit of bidding. There’s also online auction houses you can check out, jump online to find your closest.
Factory seconds
Ever wondered what happens to all those appliances under warranty that get sent away to be fixed? Well, most of the time they are fixed and then they’re bought in bulk by companies who on-sell them to the public at a fraction of the recommended retail place. Buying factory seconds can save you heaps of cash, just make sure you read the warranty cards carefully and do your research first as you usually cannot make returns.
Flush with cash?
All this bargain shopping you must be saving a fortune, perhaps it’s a good time to consider topping up your super? There are affordable and tax effective ways to grow your super so you can enjoy life when you finish working. Plus if you earn less than $52,697 and make extra contributions to your super you may be entitled to receive a co-contribution of up to $500 from the Government.