what are you willing to pay retail for?

[abmitch01]

it occurs to me that I try to buy just about everything on sale. I plan my groceries around the sale flyer, I buy the snacks that are on sale, make meals from what's on sale that week. All our personal care items from CVS when they are on sale and preferably with a coupon. I can't remember the last time I paid retail for an item of clothing for me or my kids. I use Groupon and Living Social and Kohl's cash, etc. One thing I pay retail for is to have the Cavalier King Charles spaniel we adopted groomed every few months when he starts to look like a muppet. I just don't think I could do it myself. I will spend money on something nice but I have to feel like I got a good price.

 

[LJSquishy]

I almost never pay full retail for clothing and home decor. When I buy All-Clad cookware I wait until it's on sale.

Other things don't go on sale where I shop, like Costco. I try to stock up on dog food when I have an online coupon or it's on sale, or try to buy it somewhere online where I don't have to pay sales tax (8.7%). The canned dog food savings really adds up so I buy 4 cases at a time.

I buy produce on sale when I can, but since we buy organic there are only a few organic items on sale at a time...but we definitely try to.

Really even things that are "on sale" are still essentially regular price because most retailers run the same sales in rotation so if you miss the "sale", you're likely to see the same sale again 1-3 months later anyway.

Oh! We did just buy an Allen + Roth patio set that I was able to use a 10% coupon on which saved us an extra $80. I did wait for a coupon code to come out to buy it since it was on sale for $800 and then 10% off of that.

 

[NutcrackerPrincess]

I am a long-time lurker saving toward a first trip to WDW in 2022 (projected) and strangely enough, this is the first question that had me register!

I struggle to pay retail for anything. Most things go on sale. I think it stems back to being poor as a university student. I learned to live frugally and never lost the habit. The style of living you recount is exactly how I live - we shop the grocery specials, buy clothes on sale and toiletries on sale.

I think, fundamentally, that not shopping around feels wasteful to me. I love the way we live (a bit of a champagne lifestyle on a beer budget thing), but I handle the budget and monetary spending, and I take the responsibility of making that as efficient as possible seriously.

My husband and I laugh about it sometimes, and we are willing and happy to spend money where it is worthwhile, but we firmly believe that if you watch the pennies, the dollars take care of themselves.

 

[NutcrackerPrincess]

Almost everything in life is a trade off between time and money. We are a single income family so that I can stay home with DD1 and unborn LO2. We talked about it before DD1 was born and decided that his income was sufficient that my income was optional (despite having equal earning capacity) and that we were happy to take the lifestyle hit to have a stay-at-home parent. We live carefully to stay within our income and save for the future. We don't eat out much any more, we don't buy each other extravagant gifts any more, but we are no less happy for it.

Let me reiterate, though, that we are very aware that a stay-at-home parent is a luxury these days. The frugal way we live is possible partly because I have the time to sit down and plan the shopping, the baking, the everything it takes to save the $$. I don't know how busy dual income families do it. Full respect!

When mine are both in school and I return to work, we will have more income, but perhaps less time for being as frugal as we are today. It is a great question. As time goes on, I find myself making more and more things for our family - and enjoying it.

 

[Happyjen27]

Bras.

Sneakers.

Organic food.

I will happily alter and hem hand me down clothes, buy used clothes from friends for myself and my kids. I will sweat at the dump for free mulch for my gardens. I will priceline a hotel if we're doing a staycation. But I will never cut corners on bras and sneakers.

 

[SC Minnie]

I'll pay retail for Heinz ketchup. If we're out and there is no coupon or sale sometimes you have to just do it.

 

[IceSkatingPrincess]

Shoes.

Not worth having hurt feet from trying to save a few dollars. I try to get them on sale, but I will only buy quality shoes. Also makeup, as I have really sensitive skin and a lot of drugstore stuff gives me face rashes, which stinks. Oh, and my dog's food. I pay $50 a bag for that, but it is healthy and good for them so I see that as worth it. Occasionally I can save a few dollars on Amazon, which makes me very happy.

Other than that, if it isn't on sale I'm generally not buying it.

 

[Muushka]

What a fun question!

I detest paying full price for anything. For me, a rare occurrence. But occasionally:

Milk
Dried beans (they rarely go on sale)
Certain spices
Eggs

That's about it. I like Trader Joe's because their prices are pretty good so I can just go there and quickly shop.

Sometimes when I am shopping I will be standing there evaluating all of the packages for the best price.
And usually some man will come up and just grab a box or can of something and in 1 second, he is done. I think to myself

 

[HM]

I've been thinking about this since yesterday.
I can't think of anything that I don't look for a deal on.
But, I do know that sometimes I don't have time to find that deal and have to go with what it on hand. This would include the occasional piece of clothing, generic foods/items at the store (which are less than the sale namebrands), notebooks and pens/pencils for kids at school midyear (never seem to need new ones when a sale is on), socks, makeup, and petfood.

 

[ellie05]

We pay retail for a lot of things, things that I am not really willing to compromise.
-Food, I don't really care if I can get it from free if it is full of chemicals. We eat organic, cooked from scratch lots of fresh veggies.
-Dog food we do get one free bag after 12, so I guess it is not full retail?
-Bras
-Cat grooming
-Vet care
-Usually restaurants
-Kindle books, although I do try to get books when they are on sale, but sometimes what I want to read its not.
That is all I can think of right now.

 

[North of Mouse]

it occurs to me that I try to buy just about everything on sale. I plan my groceries around the sale flyer, I buy the snacks that are on sale, make meals from what's on sale that week. All our personal care items from CVS when they are on sale and preferably with a coupon. I can't remember the last time I paid retail for an item of clothing for me or my kids. I use Groupon and Living Social and Kohl's cash, etc. One thing I pay retail for is to have the Cavalier King Charles spaniel we adopted groomed every few months when he starts to look like a muppet. I just don't think I could do it myself. I will spend money on something nice but I have to feel like I got a good price.

Nothing retail!! Except gas for vehicles, I even get that with a Walmart 'card' with .10 off now for the summer.

 

[North of Mouse]

Bras.

Sneakers.
But I will never cut corners on bras and sneakers.

Shoes.


Not worth having hurt feet from trying to save a few dollars. I try to get them on sale, but I will only buy quality shoes.
.

Why would you have to cut corners to have quality bras and footware/sneakers?

I shop for those a lot at Belks/Macys - or similar stores - almost always have either coupons/sales or both and they both carry very high quality brands of both items. i agree with 'not skimping' as far as quality there - I do it too.

In fact, to be honest, just because I never pay full retail doesn't mean I skimp on 'anything'. I just enjoy planning and using sales/promotions/coupons to the fullest without being an extreme couponer - that is ridiculous and not much 'reality' to it IMO.

 

[EMode]

Charmin

 

[hsmamato2]

almost nothing.... even the stuff I order on Amazon is 'discount x%' I mostly buy 2nd hand stuff and repurpose old things.... if I want something new, I shop for sales (just got new summer makeup and a new quilt for the bed!) none of it was full price.... wow...I am a weirdo I can't think of anything....unless you count Aldi everyday cheap 'retail' prices for food

 

[HM]

Charmin

I get mine at Sam's Club in bulk. That's a savings of retail. And they always have coupons in the Sunday paper if you buy at the grocery or pharmacy. But, if you are saying you won't buy another cheaper brand, then I get that....

 

[NotUrsula]

This really is an odd question. The only thing one saves by "paying retail" is time, in that you don't take time to compare prices from different sources. IMO, the better question is where do I refuse to buy lower-quality? The answer to that, as with a PP, includes underclothing and shoes, but also produce, tools, some condiments, and certain cleaning products.

It is almost always still possible to get a good price for better-quality items even when you insist on a certain brand. (Apple electronics are one of the few exceptions, but I refuse to use Apple products for just that reason: I won't support companies that price-fix, no matter how high-quality their products may be.)

Here is an example of buying a name brand and still getting a good deal: DD wanted a particular pair of Asics shoes that one of her friends had and raved about. The friend's mother purchased them at a specialty shoe store here and paid more than MSRP for them, which I considered ridiculously steep for a child's shoe. I told DD that I would let her have them, but not right away; not until I investigated the possibility of a better-priced source for them. Two weeks later, after carefully checking around, I found the shoes for half that store's price at an online dealer.

I'm personally very fond of shoes from Merrill, Born, and Clarks. However, I almost always buy them online or at DSW, where I'm not also paying a shoe-salesman's commission.

The key, as I see it, is to look at what the market worth of a particular product is in terms of what it cost to produce and deliver, plus a reasonable dealer markup. If the markup is too high, I take the time look for another source, or I haggle the price down.

 

[IceSkatingPrincess]

Why would you have to cut corners to have quality bras and footware/sneakers?

I shop for those a lot at Belks/Macys - or similar stores - almost always have either coupons/sales or both and they both carry very high quality brands of both items. i agree with 'not skimping' as far as quality there - I do it too.

In fact, to be honest, just because I never pay full retail doesn't mean I skimp on 'anything'. I just enjoy planning and using sales/promotions/coupons to the fullest without being an extreme couponer - that is ridiculous and not much 'reality' to it IMO.

I get them on sale or with a coupon when I can. I have big feet (11) and a lot of stores don't carry my size (you'd be surprised how many big chains stop at 10...). What I am saying is, say if I need new running/walking shoes, and if I can't find them on sale/with a coupon, I'm getting them anyway. Most things I would settle, this I will not. I avoid places like payless. I won't wear cheap flip flops because they hurt my feet. A lot of my shoes come from nordstrom rack since they have a lot of extended sizes, but I also get them from DSW, dicks sporting goods, and the regular nordstrom. I don't think anyone was trying to offend by saying you skimp on anything. Just answering what was asked.

 

[abmitch01]

I pay full price once a year for a Le Mystere bra at the bra specialty shop. I'm hard to fit and that brand fits me well. If that shop is going to fit me, I feel I owe it to a local business to support them by buying one. But then I buy the others online cheaper.

 

[abmitch01]

I also pay retail for Apple products but I wait til they've been out a while and the price has dropped. They last so long. My Mac Book is at least 6 yrs old and going strong. I have 10 yr old iPods that still work.

 

[Colleen27]

There are certain things I buy that rarely go on sale and/or aren't practical to stock up on. In those cases I don't mind paying retail. Dog food is one example - we buy a store brand, so it seldom goes on sale and there's no looking for a better price elsewhere, but stocking up on 35# bags when those rare sales do happen isn't practical within our space constraints. So I pay retail more often than not. And occasionally one of the kids will need something Right. Now. (ie supplies for a school project), which leaves little choice but to pay retail.