People who earn a good salary and still find themselves in financial difficulty every month usually struggle with their shopping habits. More to the point, they struggle to control the impulse to buy items that they can’t afford. If you are serious about saving, you need to plan your shopping in a very structured way and resist the urge to splurge.

Plan your shopping so that you buy non-perishable items in bulk and try to shop for these items every six months. Goods such as detergents and toiletries are much cheaper when bought in bulk. By buying in bulk you will save money and also reduce the number of trips to the shops per year, this reduces your opportunities to spend.

Unless you inherited money or have a wealthy life-partner, it is not possible to be a disciplined saver and a fashion victim at the same time. South Africans love to show off, we buy the most expensive cars and wear the biggest brands – all with money we don’t have. No wonder the luxury brands love our market – we are addicted to conspicous consumption.

If you want to be financially free, you have to break this habit. When you shop for clothes, buy them out of season. For instance, buy your summer clothes at the end of summer (or even better, in autumn) as all the stores have big sales. Try to avoid buying branded goods, they are always over-priced and are often of equal quality to the unbranded clothes that are much cheaper.

Reference : http://www.moneyweb.co.za/archive/practical-advice-on-how-to-save/