For all those shopping champions out there, here’s a little reminder to catch a breath and make a shopping strategy. Yes, a shopping strategy! As weird as it sounds, believe me it’s a life-saver. I have been a compulsive shopper myself and learned this the hard way. Nevertheless, the learning did come in and eventually I started a healthier relationship with shopping.

Here are a few tips I learned, a few rules I follow that have helped be become a savvy shopper from being an obsessive, compulsive one. Believe me giving up shopping is not the answer, smart shopping is. So here’s to becoming a smart shopper – cheers!

• Make a list

  I know you’ve heard it a million times and the idea really seems so lame to you, but still do it. Make a list of all the grocery you need for the month, check stock at home and accordingly adjust quantities and numbers in the list.

• Use coupons

  When you have a list in hand, it would be good to look out for coupons for the items. You can check for both printable coupons that can be used for in-store shopping or digital coupons for online shopping. Geoqpons.com has an amazing inventory of discount coupons on anything and everything from grocery to clothing to homeware to electronics and a lot more.

• Make a budget

  Once you have a budget for the month, you’ll have a clear idea of how much you can save and how much you can spare to keep aside for that special something you’ve been wanting to buy for a while. You’ll be surprised how this little money kept aside can come in handy for you when you really need those pretty shoes or that irresistible dress.

• Do not go stress-shopping

  Never go shopping when you are hungry, upset, angry, alone or in any kind of stress. Shopping-can-cheer-you is a quicksand and you don’t want to fall in the trap. Eat something, sit down, catch a breath, take a walk, de-stress yourself and then go shopping. You’ll feel much better.

• Use a piggy-bank for your savings

  For all the money you save from your smart shopping, put it aside in a piggy bank. There will be no match to your thrill when you’ll have extra bucks when you really need it. Sometimes these childish acts can make a real difference in our lives.

Hope these little tips help make a change in your shopping. If there’s a great tip you’ve got, please share it with us in the comments below. Till then, happy shopping.