Frugal Friday #14: Shop Around

To get the best price, best deal, and best choice, sometimes it is necessary to shop around.  Thankfully, the internet can help to take away the many hours that it might take to research this information.

I normally shop at Food Lion each week.  I mainly buy the sale items. I stock up on things that are really good deals.  This keeps me from running out of necessities and having to pay full price for them. 

When the Kraft Miracle Whip or boneless chicken breasts are buy 1 get 1 free at Food Lion, I usually buy them whether or not I need them at the moment.  This is because I know that in another month I will need them.  Buying the items at the lowest prices keeps me from paying full price later.

Even though Food Lion is my preferred store of choice, sometimes it is necessary to shop around.  Just this past week, I was online comparing sale ads for Food Lion and Lowe’s Foods.  Lowe’s Foods had the better sales this week, so I decided to shop at Lowe’s Foods to stock up on things that were on sale and buy 1 get 1 free.

If there are no good sales on produce, canned fruits and vegetables, etc., then I know I need to go to Wal-Mart to stock up because these things are cheaper there.

No, I don’t go traveling all over the place to find the best deals.  It is important to know the best prices on the items that your family uses regularly.  Some people prefer to keep a notebook where the jot down the best price on products. 

This past week, it was my daughter’s birthday and she wanted a water table.  My first stop was Wal-Mart because I know they usually have the lowest prices.  To my disappointment, the water table at Wal-Mart looked cheap and like it would easily break.  Definitely not something I wanted for a 2 and 4 year old.

My next stop was Target.  There I found a water table with a castle and some stuff to go with it, such as a dragon and princess.  I bought the water table, took it home, and pulled it out of the box to put it together.  I wanted Alligator to be surprised when she came home.

I was really disappointed when I pulled out the Little Tikes water table.  There was hardly any water playing room at all.  I didn’t know what to do.  Alligator would be really upset if she didn’t have her birthday surprise, but I knew if I kept the one we had, she really wouldn’t enjoy it.

I immediately began searching online and found a Step 2 water table at Amazon.  Oh no, that involved shipping and waiting.  Thankfully, I found the water table of choice at Toys ‘R Us for only $29.99.  It was $10 cheaper than the one at Target.

Sorry for the long stories.  I wanted to give you two scenarios to help you see that it is important to do your research.  In my case, I couldn’t see wasting $40 on a water table that wouldn’t suit our needs.  The kids may only get a few hours of playtime out of it and then become bored because it wasn’t something that they really wanted.  If you’re like me, you don’t want to waste your money.

Try to be aware of the sales, and the best prices for the items your family regularly uses.  Stocking up (within reason) can really help save money.  Don’t forget to check the expiration dates.

So, do you shop around or do you buy everything you need from one store, such as Wal-Mart?