With Black Friday quickly approaching, you’re likely seeing a lot of ads from your favourite brands notifying you of upcoming sales and discounts. It’s fair to say that Black Friday is a great time to purchase items for less, as long as you know how to be sure you’re actually saving.
But why wait until one time of the year to cash in on discounts? What if I told you that there are many alternative ways to save instead of shopping during the Black Friday sales? And the best part is – you can do it all year round.
1. Sign up for newsletters to be notified of sale periods all year round
Most retailers have a newsletter you can sign up for to be notified of all upcoming sale events. That means you’ll never miss another chance to save when stocking up on all of your firm favourites.
The best part is, if you’re a new customer, most brands have a welcome offer, meaning you can save instantly, too.
2. Shop secondhand
Whether you’re looking for a new pair of trainers, a set of drawers, or a refurbished iPhone, there’s an abundance of secondhand options for you to choose from. Utilise sites like Vinted, eBay, and Facebook Marketplace before shopping at your regular retailers. You never know what steals you might find.
If you’re looking to update your wardrobe without going over budget, we’ve dedicated an entire article to finding the best secondhand clothing apps so you don’t need to.
3. Purchase a dupe first
If, like me, you try to stay up to date with all of the latest trending products, but you don’t have the budget to indulge them all, then purchase a dupe first. I do this with almost all of my purchases – from Ugg Tazmans to the Dyson Airwrap. I even tested a Stanley Cup dupe vs. the real one to see if it was worth the hype.
Purchasing dupes is a great way to see if you’ll really use the item before spending the money. If you don’t, then you’re not losing out on much money, and if you do, then you can purchase the real thing when it needs replacing.
4. Shop outlets
Try exclusively shopping at outlet stores for a month or two, and you’re guaranteed to save money. Outlet stores are ideal because they stock out-of-season items for a fraction of the cost.
All you need to do is wait until the season has been and gone, and treat yourself to whatever you desire without breaking the bank.
5. Join rewards schemes
If you’ve got a favourite shop that you purchase from often, then it’s absolutely worth joining their reward scheme. With most reward schemes, you’ll have the opportunity to earn points to redeem against future purchases, saving money in the long run.
Whether you’re a makeup lover looking for how much you can save with a Boots advantage card or a book lover searching for everything you need to know about Waterstones Plus, most reward schemes are definitely worth your time.
Use a budgeting app
Avoid overspending by leaning on a budgeting app. If you’re new to budgeting, we’ve compiled a list of the best budgeting apps to help you save. Once you’ve set up limits for each category (household, luxury, food, etc.) you’ll have a much better insight into your spending habits.
Make purchases with confidence that you’re investing your money in something worthwhile. What’s more, trace how much money you’re saving and spending each month to help keep you on track.
7. Review and pause subscriptions
Subscriptions can sneakily creep up on you – not only in cost but in number too. I, for one, have far too many movie streaming subscriptions and would benefit from reviewing them.
Sit down and have a gander at what you’re actually paying. Decide which to keep and which to cancel. You’d be surprised how much an extra £9.99 odd from a subscription service could save you yearly.
8. Add to your basket and then ghost
I do this a lot when I shop online – simply add your desired items to your basket, and wait. Often, brands will email you with a discount to convince you to return and proceed with your purchase. The best part is, you’ll get what you wanted, but for cheaper.
9. Check eBay unwanted gifts
Whether you’re looking for gifts or just something for yourself, it’s worth heading to the eBay unwanted gifts page. Most people sell items brand new for discounted prices because they’re technically second hand.
10. Track prices throughout the year
Utilise sites like CamelCamelCamel to track prices of items throughout the year. That way, when seasonal sale periods like Black Friday or Cyber Monday come around, you’ll actually know whether you’re saving or not.
It’s also handy for noting when certain items are at their most affordable price too.
Shop affordable retailers
Sometimes the big brands don’t actually offer the best prices – in fact, most affordable retailers mean you can stock up on the real thing, for a fraction of the price.
We’ve seen this with the likes of The Works £1 book sale, where book lovers can frequently indulge in their most anticipated reads at impressive prices.
12. Read product reviews before buying
Making big purchases shouldn’t be difficult. A great way to ensure that you’re putting your money to good use is to read product reviews before buying. I always do this before I even think about buying luxury price tag items.
We know how helpful this can be, which is why we’ve done reviews of viral items like the All-New Velvetiser and the Nintendo Switch 2, to see if they’re really worth the hype.
13. Consume money-saving content
You’re already doing this one – consume money saving content as much as you can. Follow money saving blogs like ours here at MyVoucherCodes and pick up as many tips and tricks when it comes to money saving.
From helping you know whether ambiguous tech brands like Loaded are legit, to tips to get cheap Domino’s pizza, we cover as much as we can across several categories so you can purchase with confidence – and hopefully save while you do.
14. Use a discount code
Last, and by no means least, if all else fails – use discount code. Here at MyVoucherCodes you can discover all of our discount codes and promotions in one place. We have more than 10,000 offers available so it’s worth checking before you press checkout.
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