Recently, I’ve had a couple of fellow readers ask me how I always seem to get the best, and lowest prices for items that are usually out-of-reach when at full price. Here are my tips for how to shop like a home decor blogger.
Because we’re on a budget – Im working with a set amount per paycheque for “extra” (not fixed costs) – I use Target, Home Depot, Dollarama, Vallue Village and thrift stores. They have some great items, and because most of them are big chains they can afford to cut prices down to clearance values. Dollarama is always within a 1-3$ bracket, and Vallue Village/Thrift stores allow me to find unique and interesting pieces for a steal! Shopping like a home decor blogger is more than shopping for style, it’s also shopping for price.
Sign-up for their email flyers and weekly specials
Target sends their weekly flyer at an obscene hour on thursday morning, and the ping to my phone usually wakes me. BUT it means I get to peruse the weekly deals while sipping coffee and looking for deals.
Receiving the flyer lets you know what in-store promotions are on for the week, and might alert you to a fabulous deal before the rest of the city realizes and clears the stores of the item in question. For real, this nearly happened after christmas when we were looking for a bag with a drum to wind our chrstmas lights around.
Pick a store and get to know the inventory
There are several stores I visit on a weekly basis- they’re near places I need to visit anyways or have a Starbucks. My DH does not enjoy this type of outing, but I do, and it usually pays off
ex. the Dollarama on Pie-XI, Target at Galleries de la Capital, Walmart and Homesense on Duplessis.
I usually walk the isles, taking care to notice prices, and “featured” space within the store. This comes in handy for judging when the sale price is “worth it,” but will also alert you to items on clearance which are usually placed at the end of an isle in a discreet corner. If you know the ins and outs of the stores layout, you can usually spot the changes and sales. This may sound a bit extreme, but I have a very visual memory and this works for me.
Not all stores advertise their clearance periods, or highlight the “clearance area” in the store, so noticing these changes will help you snag a deal!
I’ve also seen flash sales at Target, where the new line goes on deep sale without appearing in the flyer, online, or being advertised within the store – the little yellow markers flutter as I race the cart towards them to see if anything is worth it.
Go with a limit in mind
If I’m just going for the sake of browsing, I won’t be willing to spend more 15$ unless I stumbled upon a fantastic deal or furniture on deep sale.
It makes it easier to judge how much an item is really “worth it” to you. If you went with no goal in mind, surely you don’t need the 25$ frying pan – if it wasn’t even on your radar of things to purchase – it’s not worth it.
Do you really need it? / Does it go with your existing decor?
I always a say ” a deal is only a deal if you need it in the first place.” Sure those napkins are on for a great price, but if they match nothing else that you own, or won’t ever be gifted – maybe take a minute to think about it, discreetly place the item back where it came from, or leave it on a random shelf half-way across the store (as I’ve seen many people do).
Purchase sample size
We’ve all been there: you’re looking for a particular shade of paint in a big enough quantity that you can’t just mix the colour on a palette at home. My fix? Go to your local hardware store and see if they sell paint samples. Home Depot sells sample sizes for about 3$, in the entire paint range that you would be able to purchase in bigger quantities. They’re totally worth it, and the paint quality is fantastic.
Think seasonally
A lot of stores put their seasonal articles and collections on sale following the holiday, and then on deep clearance two weeks later. If you’re not super choosy, you’ll get the best prices the longer you wait!… and usually the smallest choices. Try and find the middle-group for the stores you frequent.
What tricks do you use?
