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5 things financial pros know you can buy for less

Here are 5 everyday purchases financial pros keep affordable, from groceries and gas to cars and furniture

Blake Wisz / Unsplash

Saving money doesn’t always mean buying the cheapest thing you can find. Sometimes, the smarter move is knowing where quality matters, and where paying more is simply paying more.

Financial pros, according to Reader’s Digest, tend to be selective shoppers: they spend when it makes sense, but they also know plenty of everyday purchases don’t deserve a big chunk of the budget.

That approach can be surprisingly practical. Gas, groceries, household essentials and personal-care products are all areas where small savings can add up over time. Instead of automatically reaching for premium brands, money-conscious shoppers look for sales, generic alternatives, rewards and other ways to lower the price without sacrificing what they actually need.

The same thinking applies to bigger purchases. Cars and furniture, for example, don’t necessarily become better values simply because they carry higher price tags. Reader’s Digest points to the financially savvy who prefer used cars and secondhand furniture because buying gently used can deliver the look or function they want without the steepest upfront cost.

Even travel gets the bargain treatment, but with an important caveat. Saving money is worthwhile only when the savings don’t come at the expense of too much time or convenience. 

The bigger lesson is that frugality doesn’t have to mean giving up the things you enjoy. It means being intentional about where your money goes. A cheaper phone plan might free up cash for a vacation. A used car might........

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