“Spend it Wisely”

Easy tips to make savvy shopping child’s play...

We’ve all experienced trying to rush around the shops with the kids in tow – it’s not easy! And new research shows it could mean you end up splashing out £68.44 each month on items you don’t need or later wish you hadn’t bought. 

More than a third of people said they are most likely to buy something they regret when they are in a hurry and haven’t got time to look around for the best deals or think about value properly. So when you’ve got shopping to do before you take the kids to swimming lessons, birthday parties or even home for tea, it’s an easy trap for parents to fall into. 

The research shows that men are the worst offenders when it comes to buying items they later wish they hadn’t, parting with more £968 a year or £57,223 over a lifetime. In comparison, women will splash out just £649 annually - £46,239 in a lifetime - on things they wish they hadn’t bought.

The study of 3,000 respondents by Kodak, revealed that clothes are more likely to leave people regretting their new buy, followed by gadgets and shoes. And more than a third admit to having been caught out by additional upkeep or running costs of items they have bought. Petrol (51%) tops the list of most annoying upkeep costs, followed by printer ink (45%), subscriptions for pay-TV or websites (39%) and replacement batteries (32%).

Having kids can be costly enough without this extra expenditure so it’s time to be a little bit more shopper savvy.  And with VAT having gone up to 20% in January, now is the time to think more carefully about what we’re spending.

Consumer finance expert, Jasmine Birtles, says: “If you are looking to get the best value and save on unnecessary costs, shopping around is vital. Thanks to the internet, it’s now easy to research different brands and products on offer – you just need to be prepared to do the ground work before you hit the shops and you could save hundreds of pounds.”

In this video, Jasmine offers her top saving tips

For more information visit: www.printandprosper.com