*This is a sponsored post. All opinions belong to jenny at dapperhouse.

Marketing is an actual science based in psychology. Our brains are trained to think and perceive in predictable ways. Marketers know how to get the best of us through strategic planning and execution. They are even more successful around big shopping days when you are in a hurry, have increased stress levels and are hyper focused on getting a deal. The way for you to save money is to be aware when you are being taken advantage of and beat the system by avoiding marketing scams. I’ll share a few tips!

How to Avoid Marketing Scams While Shopping @dapperhouse #sponsored @shopular

Don’t fall for marketing gimmicks! 

One of the most common tricks to get you to spend more money is by making you think you’ll save money if you do. They make the offer look appealing but beware; you will really only spend more than you would have planned. It may seem comical if you take a step back and view it with perspective. You approach a product where you were going to buy one item for $20. Then you see that if you spend $30 you can get a $5 gift card free! So you reason that by only spending $10 more, you are making (or saving) $5! What a deal! So you look for something to buy for $10.

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Woah! You just spent $5 more than you had planned, plus you are automatically headed right back into that store for a second visit to use your gift card and of course, spend more money. Sure, sales and deals can be tremendous ways to save money, but if they cause you to spend more than you’ve budgeted, stick to your original plan and your pocketbook!

Use technology to your advantage: 

There are so many apps to make our financial lives better! Find apps that help you save money by posting deals, comparing prices, alerting you to new sales and providing digital coupons. Gone are the days of spending Saturday morning combing piles of newspaper ads for coupons and trying to match them up with store ads!

The app I am loving and using recently is called Shopular. When I approach the vicinity of stores I can pull up all the deals around the area. It lets me compare sales and deals. It also gives me the store coupons that I can redeem right from my phone! When shopping and staying on a budget, you need to be armed with the tools to save you the most amount of money possible. You can also search stores at any time and get the weekly circulars for the stores you love!

Use the Latest Technology to your Shopping Advantage jenny at dapperhouse @shopular #app

Don’t be fooled by price placement:

We are always focused on getting a deal and marketers use this to our disadvantage.  For example, marketers know that we are trained to comparison shop so they manipulate the positions of things to trick us into making the choices they want. Look at this scenario. . . you are in a store shopping for a camera. You find where camera are set up and as you look through them, you check the prices and see that one is priced at $400. Another model that looks relatively similar is marked on sale for only $320. In your mind you obviously reason that although the less expensive one may have a few less features, but you are saving so much that it is a true bargain! Maybe you even buy a few accessories with the money you saved. A few days later you are in a different store and see that the same camera you just paid $230 for are selling for $320 there too…not a deal but full price! Marketers know to place more expensive items near similar, less expensive items to trick you into thinking you got a deal. Just like a red tag instantly tricks our brain into seeing “discount”.

Dont be fooled by price placement while shopping and other tricks and tips @dapperhouse

Do you have a tips for saving money while shopping?