Let me tell you! Target really knows how to get on a bargain hunter’s good side! If you are looking for a new fun approach to saving or paying off debt, Target’s got the answer. Of course it took me a whole lot of shopping before I figured it out though.
See, I may be a bargain hunter obsessed with paying off debt, but I’m ashamed to say that Target is definitely no match to that. I’m a bit Target obsessed. Who could blame me? They’ve got the “One Spot” in front of the store, cute clothes, groceries, great beauty products and amazing home decor items that makes me feel like I’m an interior designer. And they do it all at fab prices! Needless to say, I definitely went a bit crazy this holiday season. (Of course, I used all my favorite sites and apps like Ibotta, Ebates, and Recieptpal for cash back though)
It wasn’t till last weekend that I was able to justify my Target shopping problem and it was all thanks to one of those crazy long lines at customer service. As I was waiting to exchange some items last week, I started reading any sign I could find to distract myself. There were signs about the exchange and return policy, signs advertising open jobs, and signs about online order pickup. But there was one sign I saw that I realized I never took advantage of : the shop with confidence price match guarantee. For those who aren’t familiar with it, Target will price match items sold for a cheaper price at their competitor stores.
Now, I’ve always known about it but just never took advantage because I thought the time wasn’t worth it for me. In the time I spent getting competitor coupons and flyers and driving back to Target to get my money back for matching competition I could be doing something more productive. Thanks to an extremely long customer service line, I had time to think about beauty of the price match program and how great it would be if I had time to take advantage it.
And then it hit me. Who said,price matching could only be applied to items purchased at Target? The shop with confidence price match guarantee can be applied to other aspects of life. Unfortunately, I’m not talking about paying for gas when filling up the car. I’m referring to saving and paying off bills. Even though Target is so affordable, I do feel guilty shopping there sometimes since I’m still swimming in debt. All I keep thinking is that every penny I spent shopping, is money I should have been applying to my debt payoff plan. That’s why I decided to use Target’s shop with confidence price match guarantee to aid me in getting to my debt free life.
Find out how to use the price match guarantee to pay down debt! Click To TweetInstead of buying an item and price matching it at Target, I decided to price match it with my student loans. For example, a few days ago I splurged and bought lunch at Popeyes. To somewhat rectify my poor decision, i applied the same amount i spent at Popeye’s towards a student loan. I thought it was a win-win situation. I was able to feel a bit better about the unhealthy meal I just devoured and made some progress with debt payoff at the same time.
Of course, the whole price match thing can get a bit expensive after a while (i.e. large grocery trips etc.) Realistically, there’s no way I can get a tune up and oil change for my car and than apply that same amount toward my debt on top of my regular monthly payment. That’s why I decided to apply the price match principal to all unnecessary purchases $10 and under. And though, $10 doesn’t seem like a lot, it definitely adds up quickly. Not only does it help me pay make a dent in my loan payoff progress, but it helps keep my budget in check by making me think twice about purchases.
I’ve only just started my price matching experiment to pay off debt, but I’ll certainly report back. I have a feeling the results and impact will be promising.
Who knew Target held the key to being debt free? Now I can truly shop with confidence.
Have you ever taken advantage of the price matching programs at stores? What other interesting ways do you use to pay debt?
TERRIFic Quip: First they’ll call you crazy. Then they’ll ask how you did it.
This is interesting. I am all for syking your selling into to action about something that’s lingering on your mind. Can’t wait to heR how it works out. Either you’ll stop spending unnecessarily or you’ll pay down some debt. Either one is a win!!!
This is a cool concept. I never considered it. I don’t do the price match thing because I just don’t like to shop. I like how you apply the concept though.
If it don’t do nothing else it will make me think about spending money period. If I get this I have to apply the same amount my Studeny Loan. On second though, I wont get it ans just apply yhr money to my studeny loan.
I do something similar when buying new clothing items. If I buy something that I just want but don’t need, I make sure to give something away that I have not worn or can no longer fit. It keeps the clutter in my closet down and allows me to donate to charity.
I never thought about doing it this way. I only have one piece of debt. I’m going to try this method.
I just started to use the Savings Catcher app at Walmart and the basically give you the difference if they find something lower anyplace else. So far, I made aback a few coins.
This post has inspired me to start price matching more often in the stores. Thanks.
This is a great idea and I do spend LOTS unnecessarily at Target so this would actually be a great idea to help me save or pay down a couple of things!
I like this idea. I can’t wait to read your follow up. I’ve started saving all five dollar bills in an effort to apply toward debt.
Interesting tips and I always thought Target was a little bit pricey. But with these tips it seems that there is a great way to save some coinage! And the concept of price matching personally is genius. I just told my husband that we should start taking the money we would spend on frivolous things and putting it towards a bill, etc. Great idea!
This is a cool concept. I never considered it. I don’t do the price match thing because I just don’t like to shop. I like how you apply the concept though.