What does it take to be a ‘good’ bargain hunter?  Spending days hunting for the right price before you buy anything or frequenting the deals sharing websites such as TopBargains means you know a thing or two about bargain hunting but there’s a lot more to the ‘art of bargain hunting’. Below is a list of signs that is going to confirm if you are truly infected by the bargain hunting virus. And remember the more you suffer from this virus or the stronger the infection, more money you are likely to save throughout your life time.

1.    You want to drive a ‘hard bargain’ every time you buy something

From major purchases like buying your home or car to small everyday buys like milk and bread, you always look for the ‘best deal’ and never spend more than what you think is the fair price. 

2.    You know where to find the ‘best deals’ 

Since bargain hunting is something that is always on your mind, you know where to look for the best prices. You are familiar with the websites and stores that offer better prices and can tell genuine discount sites from spruikers. 

3.    You like to talk about your ‘steals’

Every time you score an awesome deal, you like to brag about it in front of your friends and family. You can easily recall the ‘best deals’ you scored in the past to the very small detail and your family members remember a few of your stories because you have been telling them over and over again.

4.    You are not ashamed of being called a ‘cheapskate’ 

A lot of people would just pay the full price because they don’t want to be judged by others or even the store staff. Luckily, you are not one of them. You don’t care what other people think and the word ‘cheapskate’ equals ‘smart buyer’ in your dictionary.

5.    You ‘overthink’ your purchases

You know the value of your money and tend to spend it wisely. Even if you need something quickly, you take a moment and look around for the best possible price. You know that overthinking is a habit that on average will save you a lot more money than people who buy on impulse.

6.    You are willing to walk away

Good bargain hunters never pay more than what they think is a fair price even if they have to wait for a few days or drive to another store hence you are willing to walk away instead of giving in to ‘I want this now” temptation.

7.    People come to you for buying advice

 If your friends & family often come to you asking for your advice before they buy something, it’s a big sign that you may be knowing a thing or two about finding good bargains. Most people only trust those in buying matters who they consider to be the experts. 

8.    You always compare prices

You like to compare prices before you make any purchase. You look up prices on your smartphone in front of sales staff (to their dismay) and refuse to accept any excuses for higher store prices. You know about major price comparison websites and often use Google to look for better prices. 

9.    You always start with a ‘budget’ in mind

Your main goal is buy everything on your shopping list, while staying within your budget and without compromising on the quality of your purchase. It’s a difficult goal for a regular shopper but more often than not, you are able to achieve this goal without increasing your budget or dropping items from your list.

10.   You are familiar with ‘online deal hunting’ sites 

You simply cannot imagine missing out on any good offers and regularly visit community based deal sharing websites such as TopBargains. You also subscribe to email newsletters from these deal websites. If you are a geek, you also make sure to subscribe to RSS feeds from the deal websites and set up customer Google alerts for price drops and sale announcements.

11.   You refuse to make the purchase if you can’t find the Coupon

You will not buy from a site if you can’t find a valid coupon at the time of purchase. This is a sign of an ‘advanced bargain hunter’. If you are able to delay your purchase for up to a few weeks before a new coupon becomes available, you certainly belong to an elite group of ‘bargain hunters’ who will do anything to drive the best value home and you should be very proud of yourself.

Note: For those who could relate to more than six of the signs given above, a strong level of bargain hunting infection is definitely there but your goal should be to achieve the full marks.

If you have less than six of the above signs, you need to learn the ‘art of bargain hunting’ and being a regular on TopBargains is a recommended start.

I will talk about signs of lazy shoppers in the next post so please stay tuned.