The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

L Seeing or hearing it draws a Pavlovian response, attractâ€" ing you magnet-like, appealing to your primordial need to hunt and gather. Sale. Synonyms â€" blowout, discount. markdown, clearance and liquida- tion â€" work just as well. During fiscal fragility, shopping to stretch budgets, requires com- mon sense, forethought and a dose of administrative artistry, experts and consumers said. Sales mean savings and the extra time devoted to planning your shopping strategy will result in suc- cess, Richmond Hill retiree Anne Nurnberger, a self-described bar- gain bufi”, advised. r u If you’re genuinely sawy, a fam- ily can cut grocery and household costs in half, she said. That trans- lates into thousands of dollars, con- sidering an average ()ntario fam- ily of four spends up to $10,000 on food, $2,100 on furnishings and Planning, cash tools of trade to save ‘There’s no shame being in the checkâ€"out line with coupons and non-brand items.’ t's one of the most used and recognizable four letter words in our vocabulary. BY CHRIS TRABER ctraber®yrmg.com Anne Numberger (left) and Brenda Fegan have become $1,300 on personal care a year, Sta- tistics Canada reports. Planning andâ€"cash are the expert Shopper's tools of the trade, Ms Numberger says. “Look at the flyers, decide where you’re going, make a list and stick to it." she said. “Don't go around he]- terâ€"skelter and don't make impulse buys. When I shop, I'm on a misâ€" sion. leave your credit card at home. Take cash. That way you police your spending." Cost cutting necessity led to money making invention for Mary- ann Pearson. With three kids, aged 2, 3 and 7, Ms Pearson had plenty of childrens' clothes to buy and sell. “I found very few avenues to get rid of the clothing, so I founded a Face- book-based site where people could buy and save on kids’ clothes. Her Internet shop, ri-VYOO, accessible by typing the name into a Google search, has been a boon for her and others looking to slash costs. Since the virtual store has taken ofl‘, she’s added more used merchandise. “The concept is based on flat based pricing," she said. Tee-shirts are $2, pants $8 and so on." For clothing~intensive house- holds, Ms Pearson recommends buying used. "'Définitely," she said. “Look for quality brands. They wash and wear better." Buy shopping online for clothes, bikes and high end toys. the Pear- sons save between $2,500 and > Online businesses can save you money because overhead is minimal. But be wary of free offers for which you only pay ship- ping and handling. Often, that’s how they make their money; D Read the agreement on any online pur- chase before submitting your credit card information. Back off any free or trial offer that insists on sending and charging for products on a monthly or repeat basis. b BetterBudgeting.com â€"â€" advice and resources for all types of savings; b flyer|and.ca - free flyers, deals and printable coupons. $5.000 a year, she said. Though spare hours are a pre- mium for Aurora resident Brenda Fegan, a long-term care executive working in Thomhill, shrewd shop- pers must make time, she said.- “Do a grocery inventory, cross reference it to those stores with sales, clip any coupons. plan your route and don’t deviate," she said. “A disciplined approach will save you enough for a great yearly holiday or a new wardrobe." Michelle Jones, founder of w. BetterBudgeting.com. an lntemet site dispensing practical money sav- ing wisdom and shopping secrets. agrees. WAYS TO SAVE “Keep your budget in mind when shopping for food, don’t buy more than you need,” she said. “If you're not already paying cash for grocer- ies every week, now may be a good time to start.” “Use all the shopping methods available to save money and chalâ€" lenge yourself to only buy items when they are on sale." Coupons shouldn‘t be overâ€" looked the discount divas said. “Coupons can be great money savers, especially when combined with sales,” Ms Jones said. “They’re like free money so definitely use them if you can.” Put ego aside and scan flyers, suggested Ms Fegan. “There‘s no shame being in the check-out line with coupons and non-brand items,” she said. “Would you rather pad your wallet or your ego? Do the math. Five dollars worth of coupons a week treats you to a designer bag. And, why pay for fancy names and packaging when generic versions, such as vitamins, are just as good and much cheap- Use competing retailers to your advantage, the women said. Some guarantee pn'ce matches and a fur- ther discount when accompanied by a rival's flyer. Categorizing outlets by merchandise specialty also rolls up savings. “I swear by Value Village for glassâ€" ware, dishes and children's clothing for my granddaughter," Ms Numâ€" berger said. “No Frills by far has the ‘W‘E’ best weekly grocery specials and Costco’s best for meats and bulk soap and laundry." The covert 'consumer thinks and shops outside the big box, the women agree. Ms Nfimberger’s strategy is “to be persistent, but polite." Astute shopping is an art and science, Ms Fegan said. No matter what you need, patience will net you savings. WEEK 1: WEEK 2: WEEK 3: WEEK 5: WEEK 6: WEEK 7: WEEK 8: WEEK 9: WEEK 10 An ongoing series on ways to help you spend and save better. Money \Mse overview Financially sawy kids Hobbies on a budget Raising your financial IQ Getting back to work New challenges for boomers Retirement of your dreams The DIY approach state planning that pays off