NEVER paying full price for anything, if you can avoid it, is a motto that bargain expert Dan Plant lives by.
The Consumer Savings Expert at HotUkDeals lives by a set of frugal rules, which ensures he never pays over the odds.
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This money saving mentality has never been more important.
The cost of almost everything is going up, as many face a crippling cost of living crisis that means food prices, bills and more are on the rise.
He said: “I never pay full price if I can avoid it.
“Every time I walk past somewhere like Game and people are queuing up for latest release, and they’re paying top price too, it annoys me because if they just waited a little longer, all the deals would come flooding through.
“I almost feel like I want to walk into the shop and cause a scene – YOU CAN GET IT CHEAPER ELSEWHERE!”.
We spoke to him, to share his tips and they are rules every good bargain hunter can live by.
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Become a bargain ‘fortune teller’
Dan says the key to finding the best bargains is to predict the future.
You should watch for patterns in typical cycles of sales or vouchers that you know will frequently pop up, like on eBay, Adidas, or Nike.
For example, right now you can get 20% off at eBay – it doesn’t last for long but it’s popped up a few times in the past so there’s nothing to say it won’t come back in a month’s time or similar.
He said: “If you want something but you’re not desperate, eBay may have a code once a month that you can cash in on.
“It pays to be patient as there’s always sure to be some kind of code for other sites too.
“Looking at sites frequently you can predict – for example, if there hasn’t been an Adidas deal in a while, you can predict its coming.”
Join in the online chatter
There are tons of great Facebook groups or websites like HotUkDeals and LatestDeals where bargain hunters share tips and codes.
Some forums are dedicated to a certain store, so you can find all the best bargains just at B&M, for example, or share tips just with other mums.
“Doing it yourself will never work,” Dan said.
“But feeding off other people, you’ll spot patterns together and you’ll never miss out.”
Don’t be a sheep!
“It really grates me when you go to buy something that’s available everywhere, and people jump on the first price tag they see,” Dan said.
“Instead it really pays to have a shop around.”
You can use comparison sites like Google Shopping or Price Spy to spot items being sold for less, elsewhere.
Dan added: “Some people are happy to pay for convenience or splash their cash shopping local or at bespoke stores – that’s completely fine and bargains sometimes aren’t available.
“But when you’re buying commodities, and you aren’t benefiting an individual or a family business, then you’re better off having a rummage online for the cheapest option.”
Clog up that inbox
But in a good way, of course!
Dan explained that setting up a separate folder or email address is a good way to make sure you don’t miss a bargain.
It’s easy for your emails to get a bit overwhelming with so many offers and new releases, but ignoring the ones you’ve subscribed to could mean you miss out on great bargains.
Dan said: “Put them all into one pile in your emails to save for later.
“Deal emails like that are supposed to be personal, but everyone subscribed usually gets the same or a similar thing so it can be worth checking online to see if others have received something you missed, too.”
Expect the unexpected – or don’t, that’s the point
If you use deal hunting blogs or forums regularly you’ll come across a discount for just about everything.
Dan said: “You can even get something like your loo roll at a fraction of the price.
“The most bizarre thing I’ve come across is a discounted toilet brush – but it did turn out to be a great bargain!”
You shouldn’t just buy something simply because it’s on sale. A bargain isn’t a bargain unless you were already going to buy it.
But if something like toiletries or food cupboard items that won’t perish quickly, it can be a good way to make a saving.
Dan also said if there is something you’ve got in mind, you can set up alerts that remind you when it’s been slashed in price.
That way if it’s a brand you love, you don’t have to spend all your energy looking for a deal every opportunity you can – it’ll come to you.
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