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I, like many women, love to shop. But that love of shopping can sometimes lead to financial instability, which is something none of us want. How can we continue shopping while still ensuring a secure financial foundation? These three shopping habits will keep women on their feet during tough times, and will allow them to indulge themselves while still being financially smart.

1. Only buy on sale

My family raised me with the idea that there is never any reason to pay full price for something. Anything you want, from clothes to shoes to books to groceries, can be found on sale somewhere if you take the time to look hard enough and find it. This idea has stayed with me, and has saved me hundreds and thousands of dollars ever since I was old enough to have my own substantial spending money.

When looking for sales, you need not stick with discount stores, although they are certainly excellent places to start your search. Online sites such as overstock.com, amazon.com, and even eBay can all be incredible places to find great sales and discounts. Brick-and-mortar discount stores such as Kohl's and Target are also great places to look. However, even normal stores where you wouldn't expect to find good prices do sometimes have incredible sales, either as annual or seasonal events, or as a result of the current economic crisis. It all depends on how much you're willing to look around for a bargain, which, if you're like me, is well worth the time spent- the thrill of carrying $100 worth of clothes and only having to spend $50 or less is a thrill unmatched by any other!

2. Never buy anything you won't use

When it comes to grocery shopping, this one is easy. Will you really ever find a use for twenty garlic cloves before they lose their potency? Do you really have room in the cupboard for ten jars of tomato sauce? And does anyone in your house actually eat that weird cereal that's suddenly on sale for a dollar a box?

When it comes to clothes shopping, however, it can be a little trickier. Sometimes you see something you really want, and even though you can't imagine anything else you'd wear it with, you buy it anyway- 'just in case' you'll find a use for it in the future. And you're sure you'll find a use for it in the future. But do you really have a use for those adorable candy apple red strappy pumps? Will you ever really wear them, or will they just be a gorgeous decoration for your closet?

Just because something's on sale doesn't mean you'll be saving money. If you wouldn't have bought the item in the first place, don't spend money on it now just because it's on sale. If you do, you're still spending more money than you would have otherwise, which is the opposite of what we want to do, as savers. And this goes for things that aren't on sale, too. Spend your money on items you will actually use and get your money's worth for, not items that will wind up gathering dust.

3. Never lose track of the bill or your budget

It's easy, when shopping, to quickly add up prices in your head. But how often do we forget to include the cents, or forget to include tax? How often to we look at our receipts at the end of the day and feel astonished at how much we spent, sure that we were still within our budget? If this has never happened to you, I salute you, because it means you're already very aware of your spending and don't need much help from anyone else. That's a commendable place to be in. But if you're like many women, to whom this scenario sounds familiar, you need to learn to keep better track of what you spend in stores. Bring a calculator and a note pad if you have to, but do something to ensure your shopping does not get in the way of a stable financial future. No shopping spree is worth losing that for.

Learn more about this author, Rhea Wood.
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