10 Things you should never pay full price for

Esta Hammond, Easy Ways to Save Money Updated March 26, 2012, 2:31 pm

Sometimes paying full price is unavoidable, especially if you wait until you run out, or last minute to try and find promotions, sales, and specials to get what you need and save some money.

But there are a variety of things that you can get a lot cheaper with (just a little) bit of forward planning, and avoid ever having to pay full price again.

Here are our top 8:

1. Consumables

Things like laundry powder, shampoo, toilet paper, toothpaste and dishwashing detergent, are all items that you should be able to pick up heavily discounted on special just by going through your weekly catalogues. The trick is to get organised and make yourself a bulk storage cupboard somewhere in your home so you can always stock up when on special, not when you run out. More from Easy Ways to Save Money: Brand name products vs generics - when to use what

2. Bed sheets and Towels

These seem to be a popular promotional item that get people in to department stores, which is why you will find one of the larger stores (such as: Big W, Target, Kmart, Myer, Harris Scarfe, Spotlight etc) having a sale every couple of months on sheets and towels almost guaranteed. The discounts will usually be anywhere from 20% - 75% off.

3. Underwear and socks

As with the bed sheets and towels, we all need underwear and socks which is why you will find a sale every couple of months at one of the mainstream stores like Kmart, Big W, and Target.

4. Petrol

Keep and eye on petrol prices and fill up when cheap, not when you are running on empty. To make sure you never pay full price you can also check a petrol watch website like MotorMouth to find the cheapest petrol in your local area. And also don’t forget to keep your supermarkets discount vouchers handy in your car. Related reading: How to beat rising petrol prices and from Today Tonight: Petrol price assault

5. Appliances

You will always find appliances on sale, and a quick online catalogue search will help you find it at the best price. Once you have the best price most retailers will match or beat the price to win your business with just a little bit of haggling. If you know what you want you can try to find it online using Shopping.com or eBay.com.au , just make sure you get it from an Australian distributor or you could end up with the wrong power plug shape.

6. Prescriptions

There is no need to pay full price for your prescriptions, with most medicines having a generic option available. You can also look at online or discount chemist like ChemistWarehouse that claim to offer cheapest prices on prescriptions.

7. Pets

Don’t spend hundreds of dollars on a pure bred or designer dog when you can adopt from a shelter for a fraction of the cost. Even shelters have pure breeds, designer dogs, and puppies surrendered all the time if you are really set on one. Plus you will be giving one the hundreds of thousands of pets dumped at shelters each year, a deserving and loving new home. See what pets are available at PetRescue.

8. Accommodation

With so many online accommodation sites like Stayz, TotalTravel, and HotelsCombined, it’s easy to pick up some great accommodation at great rates without ever having to pay full price again. Related story from Today Tonight: Rent out your spare room

9. Bank Account Fees

Put your spare cash into an online savings account that's completely free of fees, like the Bankwest TeleNet Saver. Earn over 5% p.a. interest on your cash, paid straight into your account monthly! That's right, Bankwest pays you to hold on to your spare cash and it doesn't cost a cent. Apply now.

10. Cosmetics

With online discount stores such as StrawberryNET you can pick up main brand cosmetics, skincare and perfume for much less than normal retail price, sometimes even up to 60% off. Related story from Today Tonight: Cheap beauty products

Source: Esta Hammond, author of 'Save It – easy ways to save money' and founder of EasyWaysToSaveMoney.com.au

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