Here Are 3 Great Ways To Spend Less This Shopping Season

I was just reading an article about the sneaky little ways stores try to get you to spend your hard earned money. You would be amazed at the amount of time and research that goes into "neuromarketing."

According to this article from Kiplinger, "Neuromarketers attempt to peer inside our heads to find out what drives a purchase decision. Tools of the trade include eye-tracking technology, electroencephalograms to measure electrical activity in the brain, and functional magnetic resonance imaging, tracking blood flow in the brain to detect areas of activity."

So stores have learned things like how to make the store smell, the perfect music to play or even to make sure the mannequins appear to make eye contact with you as you walk by. All of these things are designed to make you want to spend more time in the store and to spend more money. Not that this is a big secret.

What I found interesting about the article though was that the flip side is also true. These researchers have also found ways for YOU the consumer to actually spend less.

1. Make a list And Clear your Schedule!

Of all the shoppers out there they have found that people who make a list and are not in a rush spend the least!

2. WAIT!

This, of course, is especially true on your big ticket items. Sure, "sleeping on it" would be great but even if it is just a half hour to grab something to eat, give your brain time to catch up and process the information.

3 Shop Alone!

It turns out, you spend a lot less when you shop alone. People who shop with a friend spend around 8 percent more and people who shop with their partner spent a whopping 17 percent more!

Do you have any shopping tips? Tell us in the comments.