8 Tips for the Great Shopping Experience

With the holidays fast approaching, it’s important to know some tips for the great shopping experience that everyone should know when starting the adventure. Sometimes shopping brings a lot of fun or can be a total nightmare, depending on whether you use these tips for the good shopping experience. I really hope that shopping won’t be so stressful after you look through these several tips!

1. Go with the right friend

Taking the right friend is the one of the best to make your shopping experience perfect. It’s better to shop with someone who knows exactly what you need and can be honest with you. It’s amazing to shop with such a friend who inspires you to buy the dress that looks wonderful on you, even if you don’t have anything to wear it to. Also, never be afraid to go shopping alone, if you once failed. In fact, many people feel irritated when go shopping with others, and if that’s your case, you should shop alone! It’s not a necessity to go shopping with others if you can’t stand it!

2. Keep an open mind

Never be afraid to try something on you don’t usually wear! You shouldn’t always look for shirts with stripes since that’s what you normally prefer. You never know what you could find. You may discover something that fits you like a glove that you never would’ve looked twice at usually! If you are more open, I am sure you won’t regret!

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3. Find a friend with similar style

I consider this tip very important for a great shopping experience, if it isn’t true it would make a lot more fun. Can you imagine shopping in the Vera Bradley store when you’d better go searching for something nice at a thrift store. Everything is okay with both those styles, but they’re just completely different. If your friend has similar style and you both go shopping, you can really enjoy the whole time you spend together, rather than spending your time needlessly in stores you’d never go in by yourself.

4. Have a plan

If you want to have a great shopping experience, it’s a good idea to think over beforehand what you would like to buy. If you have a definite plan, you’re concentrated only on the items you need, and don’t pay attention to any other things at all.

5. Know what you like

It’s a good idea to find out what outfit look great and doesn’t look great on you. You can look perfect in maxi skirts, or maybe peplum style is definitely yours. You should find out what you like and what beautifies you, since it will save a lot of your time in the future!

6. Wear comfortable shoes

Never wear shoes that are too tight. You always should feel yourself comfortable in it; lately I’ve made a mistake of choosing brand new shoes on a full-day shopping excursion and still have the scars from it. Try to wear shoes that surely won’t make you want to cry in a couple of hours.

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7. Be polite with the sales staff

Never be afraid to ask for help! At many stores the sales staff is normally friendly and ready to help, so use their help when you need! Recently, my mom has made friends with many of the sales staff at her favorite stores; at first I was confused by it, but later have discovered that it makes shopping more fun and much easier! They’ll combine such clothes for you that you usually wouldn’t put together. You never know. They can even put together your new favorite outfit!

8. Appropriate clothing

Make sure you wear appropriate clothing when you are going shopping. If you want to try on a shirt but wearing a dress, surely you can’t walk in your underwear around the dressing area. Or maybe you can. But I am not so courageous. It’s better to choose elastic clothes for trying on clothes in a dressing room.

Shopping can either be a terrible or a wonderful experience depending on how you go about it! I hope that my little pieces of advice will make your shopping experience more wonderful than terrible! Which tips do you normally use when going shopping? Please share with me in the comments!

9 Common Mistakes You Should Avoid at the Supermarket

As the researches show, a lot of customers make definite mistakes while going to the supermarkets. Due to their faults they can lose about 2.5 billion dollars a year. Usually, mistakes are absolutely different. For instance, some people can buy certain goods at an impulse, without thinking. But still there are some common mistakes which many people make during their visits to shop. I’d like to tell you about these consumers’ faults in order to prevent you from undesirable expenses. So make sure to remember them and consult every time you come to the supermarket. Here is the top list of mistakes. Read it carefully.

1. Taking Items at Eye Level Sight

It’s obvious that a great number of shoppers prefer to pick up goods which lie on the middle shelves as they can view the items at their eye level. That is a common and big mistake that we should definitely avoid at a supermarket. Most supermarkets nowadays use this trick to earn more money. Customers’ inattentiveness is beneficial for the shop owners. They always try to put more expensive items at eye level view. Those are the first things people can see and choose. Be attentive, look at the bottom and top shelves also. Surely you will find cheaper goods there.

2. Not Buying Generic

Today various supermarkets offer their customers lots of generic items. Perhaps some people don’t trust the quality of such things, but I must convince you in the opposite point of view. You just need to take the item and check out the list of ingredients, after you will understand there is no difference. The generic form of products is usually almost identical with popular brands. And if you buy them you will manage to save your family budget.

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3. Hold On to Your List of Items

The first step that you should make when going to the supermarket is a list of items you need to buy. So write your list on a sheet of paper and stick to it. Some people make a mistake when they think it’s not important to write a list of purchases beforehand. If you make the one it will considerably help you to avoid buying things which you really don’t need. Consequently, you will save more money.

4. Not Controlling Coupons

Coupon is another reason for numerous mistakes made by customers at shops. Personally I cut coupons only for the products I buy. I try to avoid different unhealthy items which are offered at supermarkets. Taking coupons will certainly lead you to considerable expenses. For example at most shops coupons are about 50 cents and if you buy two same items it will be doubled. Coupon offers are not available through mobile devices at some stores. Just keep in mind that you should purchase the most important and necessary things for you. The best recommendation for you is to control coupon policies at shops when you plan to do shopping.

5. Non-taxed Goods

A lot of stores offer us taxable goods, though in fact they are non-taxable. We should be careful about this issue if we want to save some money. Do you know that items sold at grocery department are non-taxable while other special items are? Sometimes it can happen that the cashiers charge shoppers tax on those foods which are non-taxable in real. To avoid this you should control every item on the checkout line and in your bill. There is such tendency that some supermarkets do wrong input of items into the machine system. Perhaps they do it purposefully.

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6. End Caps

Today almost every store offers the customers various goods that are on sale. But the main problem is that these goods are mostly put on the end caps distracting people from the truly low cost items located on the shelves. That is another great trick which many stores use to benefit from the consumers. I can tell you more truth about that than anyone else as I have an experience of working at a supermarket. When there was need to increase sales of definite goods our managers put them on end caps. They also put together similar products so that to sell them faster. That’s why remember this trick when you go to the nearest shop next time. Certainly that doesn’t mean that only expensive things are sold on the end caps. Sometimes you find quite cheap items there.

7. Forgoing Frozen

If you think that frozen foods are not worth buying you are greatly mistaken. When you come to the supermarket pay more attention to those items which are frozen. Especially it concerns vegetables and fruits. Some people consider that we can’t get any vitamins or nutrients from such food. But the reality is different. Fruits and vegetables are usually frozen when they are ripe and include all the vitamins necessary for your health. So you can easily use them for different dishes whenever you want. For example, I prefer to buy frozen greens, berries and also frosty smoothies. There are a lot of advantages of buying frozen food. You can cook a great variety of dishes using frozen vegetables such as salads, omelets and stew them either. If you choose frozen fruits you’ll definitely save some money as they are cheaper. I made it a rule to buy fresh fruits every week, but when I think about my budget frozen items are more appropriate. I’d like to advise you to focus more on generic products. They will cost less that some famous brands but the quality of the items is similar.

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8. Buy Unnecessary Items Eagerly

It is the greatest mistake of the most people to buy impulse items. We should try our best to avoid this mistake. The main rule is to remember that numerous tricks and temptations are waiting for us at supermarkets. That’s why don’t look aside at different beneficial offers which are aimed to bankrupt you. Choose thing which you really need and make your way to the register.

9. Do Shopping after Workout

I would strongly recommend you not to go to the shop after your workout. Due to various reasons you can make essential mistakes and spend much money. When you visit a supermarket after the gym you are usually hungry and all your actions are influenced by an endorphin rush after hard exercise. That means you are more likely to buy a lot of things as you are in high spirits. Certainly, you will not be always successful trying to avoid unnecessary purchases. Simply don’t forget that you should minimize your visits to the store after workout. But if you finally decided to buy something, make sure to take some snack with you so that you can eat after your workout. As a result, you won’t buy too much food because of hunger. It is important that your snack includes fiber, fat and protein to provide you a good mood and stable blood sugar.

I try to keep to a healthy diet and buy foods that are useful for my body. At the same time, I’m careful with my money. You can tell about other supermarket mistakes which you know and the ways you avoid them.

9 Things to Save Money on That You Might Buy Anyway

9 Things to Save Money on That You Might Buy Anyway

With the nation’s economy showing no signs of recovering any time soon, people are having to increasingly tighten their belts just to scrape by. This means finding bargains wherever possible. Even if it’s only a dollar, it adds up. Here are a few things you can save money on that you’ll probably buy anyway.

1. Glasses

Is it time for new glasses? If so, you probably dread the idea of paying full price from your eye doctor. Fortunately, there’s a way around this. If you already have a prescription, you can use it to order custom a pair online. The best part is that you pay under $50 in most cases.

2. Event Tickets

If there’s a concert or game you want to attend, take some time to see if you can avoid paying the full price. Many ticket vendors heavily discount admission prices at the last minute to minimize the number of empty seats. Furthermore, when ordering online, you may be able to find coupon or discount codes that knock a percentage off of the final cost.

3. Airplane Tickets

If you have to pay for air travel with all of its inconveniences, you may as well save some money on it. Because prices rise as the departure date draws nearer, book your tickets as far ahead as you can manage. It’s also wise to buy in the morning, and be sure not to schedule early on Mondays or late on Thursdays. More people are traveling for business during these times, which drives up prices.

4. Software

Now that school is back in session, students may find themselves in need of software. It doesn’t usually come cheap, however, so scouting for deals is important for college students. Fortunately, many reputable websites provide numerous titles of full-version OEM software at very affordable prices.

5. Coffee

Before pulling into the drive-through for your morning cup of coffee, stop and consider how you could save money on it. Buying at Dunking Donuts vs Starbuck’s can save you more than $200 every year. However, you can take the path of more extreme savings and brew your own at home, which amounts to over $1,000 extra in your pocket each year.

6. Gift Cards

Do you have gift cards lying around for stores you’re not interested in? You can turn them into quick cash by selling them online. This is also a great option when you want to buy gift cards for other people. You will normally pay lower prices for them directly from the owner than you would if you purchased them from a retailer.

7. Food

Choose your groceries wisely. You need food, but not all foods are needs. Focus more on buying real food with a high satisfaction value, and avoid buying soda, TV dinners, chips and other needlessly expensive products. Also, consider switching to discount or store brands, which are usually as good as their pricier counterparts.

8. Paper Products

At around one dollar per roll of paper towels and around seven dollars per average pack of toilet paper, these are surprisingly large expenses. Reduce paper towel waste by using a rag whenever possible and reusing any clean ones. For toilet paper, consider switching to one-ply. All you get from having more layers is less money.

9. Gas

You need your car, but gasoline costs a small fortune. However, some local gas stations may be cheaper than others, so check around. Even if it’s only a few cents less per gallon, you’ll really see the savings when filling up.

Everyday expenses can easily consume most of your budget, but with some scrutiny and creative thinking, you can make them more affordable. The next time you need to buy something, stop and think about how you can shave off a few dollars.

7 Tips to Protect Your Identity While Shopping Online

It’s important to look after your safety when shopping online. Though clicking through a website might be the most convenient solution for buying your entire family holiday gifts, learning how to prevent identity theft and stolen credit card numbers can prevent you from a financial fiasco. Use these tips:

1. Avoid shopping on your phone, especially in a public place

Any skilled thief can study your online transactions and leap at the chance to steal your identity. Instead, shop safely at home on a computer.

2. Use sites that have links that start with https

The ‘s’ in that stands for ‘security,’ which means any information provided through the website is encrypted and cannot be accessed by just anybody. Carefully check out sites you want to shop on but don’t have this ‘s’ at the beginning of their links.

3. Check

Read testimonials, browse reviews, ask around, and check with the Better Business Bureau before shopping on any unknown site. If the site doesn’t have any reputation, it might be okay to use, but don’t take the chance. However, if the people you ask and testimonials you read state that this site is not the smartest idea, don’t try it no matter how appealing the deals are.

4. Check your anti-virus software

A popular one is McAfee, which blocks viruses and gives you warnings if you’re heading to a bad website. Is your software up to par? Don’t shop online before you know you’ve got a program to back you up in case you run into trouble.

5. Read the fine print

The first block of fine print you need to read is a site’s privacy policy. Thoroughly read and understand the entire thing. If you need to, highlight important portions by printing it out or with a Kindle or Smartphone. After reading the privacy policy, if you still think it’s a good idea, go ahead and begin your transaction. But when any dialog box pops up that asks you to check something, read what it says. If the site’s got a list of terms available, don’t just skip over it like normal. Read through it and understand it.

6. Avoid using a debit card

There are federal acts which can protect you from major financial harm if your credit card is stolen, but a debit card doesn’t have the same luxury. Make sure you’re using your credit card when shopping online.

7. Be wary of sites that ask for your Social Security number

These sites are most likely not safe. If you think about it rationally, why would any website need your Social Security number to get you a couple of gifts? If this question is asked, turn away from the website.

With these tips in mind, breeze through holiday shopping online, but be careful! Avoid identity theft by applying these techniques online.

7 Useful Habits You Should Teach Your Children

I’m sure you want to teach your children a lot of good habits, but what is the best way to do it? One of the best ways to do it is certainly to be a role model for your kids. Children can learn almost from everything they see and it is very important to show them a good pattern to follow. Sometimes it may not work, but mainly children learn from what their parents do. So be very careful with what you do and make sure you teach your kids the following important habits.

1. Manners

The first thing you need to teach your kids is the good manners. Look around you and you will see that not only do kids lack manners today, but grownups as well. And it’s actually where the problem is. Children are absorbing information from wherever they can, so you need to show good manners for them to learn. Never forget to use “please” and “thank you”, no matter what. And you will see your children a polite grownups one day.

2. Kindness

I used to tell my kids that everyone should be treated with kindness. But if I speak badly about people I do not like, it won’t teach my children kindness. So I let them see that we may not like some people, but nevertheless we are to behave kindly to them. Because it is the way we want be treated.

3. Hygiene

Most of the parents know how difficult it is to teach children hygiene. So you must be ready as it will take a lot of time to show you kids that it is important to brush their teeth and have a shower. You will need to let them know the necessity of combing hair, washing face and when you succeed, hygiene will become part of their daily routine.

4. Healthy food

Nowadays, we have a lot of problems with children’s health, and one of them is obesity. Sure, you want your kids to be healthy, which is why you need to create healthy eating habits for them. You can do it by showing them you eat only healthy foods. Make sure you eat natural food instead of chips and hamburgers. It doesn’t mean that you will never eat them again, but make you kids understand that treat is something than do not happens often. Just choose your food well and your kids will follow you.

5. Sport

If you don’t like to exercise, don’t expect your children to go in for sport. I can give you a bit of advice – do it together. Thus, you will spend more time with your children and will be able to show them healthy way of life. Isn’t it great? You can play active games with your kids, such as basketball or football or just do some routine exercises together. Don’t make them do it, just let them watch, and I bet they will join you. It will help you to keep fit as well as model healthy habit to your kids.

6. Compassion

Every human needs to know that someone cares about him. Teaching you kids to be compassionate will help them through their lives. Children need to be understood and in this way they will learn to understand others, understand their necessities and actions. Talk to your children, ask them what they feelings are, and ask them to see things from other people’s point of view. If you are able to show them compassion, they will never pass by someone in need and they will be loved in return.

7. Responsibility

One more important thing to teach your kids is responsibility. If you want your children to take responsibility for their actions, you need to “start low, go slow”. For example, if you want them to be responsible for their own dirty dishes and dirty laundry, you need to care about your own dishes and laundry. The same thing goes about work. Before demanding for the homework to be done, make sure you don’t forget about your work obligations. A good example is everything you need to make things done.

So now that you know about importance of modeling for your kids, do you think your behavior is a good model for them? Or, perhaps, you need to change or add something to it?

7 Common Breakfast Mistakes That Can Lead to Weight Gain

It is a well-known fact that breakfast is the most important and substantial meal of the day. We should be careful while choosing foods to eat in the morning and it is necessary to include only healthy ingredients into our breakfast menu so that we can get all the vital nutrients and vitamins. Unfortunately, most of us rarely pay much attention to the foods we consume at the start of our day. You don’t even guess that there are lots of breakfast mistakes that can lead to weight gain. Perhaps you think your option for breakfast is the best and the healthiest, however, it may be harmful for your waistline. I would recommend you to keep in mind the following breakfast mistakes and you will be healthy and slim at the same time.

Veggie and Cheese Omelet

 Whole Grain Cereal

 Orange Juice

Sweetened Oatmeal

 Fruit on the Bottom Yogurt

 Whole Wheat Bagel

 Not Eating Enough

Not Eating Enough

Not Eating Enough

Not Eating Enough

Not Eating Enough

Breakfast is the first meal of the day that should be balanced and nutritious to give you energy and health. Some people make a big mistake when eat little during their breakfast. In the morning, our body works more actively than at other time, so we need more food for energy. If you have a small breakfast, just in a few hours you’ll be hungry and not able to work well. Moreover, when you come back home in the evening, you will eat everything you can find in your fridge and it will definitely lead to weight gain. Make it a rule to have a substantial breakfast and you will see the difference.

I hope that after reading these recommendations you will pay more attention to your breakfast and choose the healthiest foods to start your day with. Be careful not to make all the above mistakes and you will achieve great results in losing weight. What foods do you usually eat in the morning? Do you benefit from them? What breakfast mistakes do you usually make?