The New Thrifty Consumer
July 21, 2009 by Karen Weideman
Filed under financial matters
Guest post by Sarah Russel.
With the economy experiencing its own problems, most people around the country have been forced to rethink their expenditures and cut back on items which are only purchased for their luxury appeal. There have been many new terms with which to refer to this more conscious effort to reserve spending habits (recessionista, poorgeoisie), but for many typical middle-class family, this is a normal effort that parents put forth in managing their funds. These families understand that they cannot shop at high-end stores, but must instead provide for their children and make sure they are fed and clothed.
While this new influx of thrifty customers in many stores is a welcome sign in corporate America, it is a scene which should have been visible years ago when the credit crisis first started. The easy availability for nearly anyone to get a credit card has led to the financial crisis which we are now in. People began to solely rely on credit cards to get them to purchase large amounts which they normally couldn’t afford, even taking out exorbitant loans to buy an extravagant house or car. Now that more and more people are getting denied for loans or credit cards, there has been a heightened interest in ways in which to save money. Coupons have gotten much more use over the past months than they have ever before had, leading to more satisfied customers within grocery stores. Moms are looking for more ways to do cost-efficient activities and save money on weekly groceries. The recession has affected us all, and the repercussions have not been as bad as were forecast but simply have resulted in a restructuring of our needs and wants.
Learning how to shop thriftily is an art form which needs to be learned from seasoned veterans. Simply cutting back on extraneous expenses is the first step you can take which involves giving up a lifestyle which you may have been accustomed to but which is unneeded in the long run. Therefore, determining what you can cut out and what you need to survive is a vital part in becoming a thrifty consumer. Sales and coupons become part of your existence as well and you thereafter discover that there are many alternate routes to take in becoming a conscious customer in any setting. Many moms around the nation are used to this type of thrifty spending for those of you who are new to this “game” there is much to get used to, but in the end discovering how much you save is a reward in itself.
This post was contributed by Sarah Russel, who writes about the best online college degree. She welcomes your feedback at SarahRussel1234 at gmail.com.
image via sxc.hu
