One thing I have written about for years is just the cost to be alive!  The cost of food, shelter, clothing, medical, etc, the basics, what is cost just to wake up each day in a reasonable comfortable surrounding and have meals.

So one thing that has always struck me as odd are sales, sales and reductions on food, clothing, etc.

This year I saw quite a few ‘sales’ going on, especially at the Christmas time when retailers want more people to buy.  I went into the local food shops, all the big chains and some items, were drastically reduced and many on offers of two for one.  The reductions around the New Year were on alcohol and especially Champagne.

A bottle of Champagne that sold for £24, was now £10, or a £34 bottle was now £17.

Some ready meals that were £2.99 or more were now two for one, or reduced.  OK, with food I can understand reducing the cost as it comes to code, move it along, let’s not waste it.

Then there is clothing!  I found items marked down from £20 to a fiver!

What I am getting at is, how much profit did they make off the item at the full price? Because you can expect even with the reduction there still is some profit on most of these items. So for everyone who pays full retail price for an item, either because it is new, as in electronics, or this year’s fashion, the profit margins must be huge!

Now I can be accused, and have been accused, of being mean when it comes to spending on certain things, clothing being one.  But I have found if you visit the discount shops and are not too bothered about fancy labels, you can save a fortune.  I know as I have, and I have witnesses.

So what I am getting at is the next time you go to make a purchase of something, anything, look at the price, what exactly you are buying, and ask yourself is it really worth what they are asking?

I read that over the Christmas shopping season some shops were allowing customers to haggle over some of the prices.  Interesting, and one thing I was not that good at.  I am lazy that way, I just want to walk in and see the bargain I am looking for.

One thing that has really helped me is online shopping, not that I do much of it, but it allows me to make price comparisons at my leisure and have a rough idea of what something may cost, and the competition involved.

So sales aside, there are bargains to be had if you are willing to look and go to a discount shop as opposed to some of the more fancy shops.