Saving Money in Norway
I am very cheap, thrifty, frugal, what have you. Moving to one of the most expensive countries in the world has left me not wanting to spend much if any money at all especially when I still don't fully understand the currency so everything seems extremely expensive to me. I have sought out some of the cheaper stores, which helps my peace of mind - some. You also must be careful purchasing items online because the items purchased can't cost over 200 kr (about $33) but this doesn't include shipping.
1) -nille - This is a store in Norway (yes, a store in Norway with reasonable prices) which sells a little bit of everything. I love the "little bit of everything" stores in Norway - it almost reminds me of Wal-Mart or Target, but smaller. I usually go here to purchase knitting supplies or craft supplies.
nille.no
2) ebay.no- Most American clothing stores online can have really great sales, but when you click shipping to Norway you're shocked that it costs around $50, so if you're like me, you've wasted time just to find out the shipping costs more than the items. I've found many great deals from ebay and have purchased many sweaters from there for about 30-60kr each ($5-10) with free shipping. I've also ordered cake pans and cookie cutters from there with free shipping to Norway. The cake pans were 20kr (about $3) and the cookie cutters were about 6kr or $1. ebay.no
3) dx.com - This site has free shipping to Norway and sells a little bit of everything. dx.com
4) Rema 1000 - a grocery store which is supposed to sell some of the same brands as well as their own Rema 1000 brand at a cheaper price. Rema 1000
5) IKEA - Who doesn't love IKEA? One of the best companies to ever come from Sweden! It's like a Lowe's or Home Depot that sells less tools and more furniture you put together yourself. Furniture, house ware, remodeling materials, decor, etc. can be found here and for the most part it has reasonable prices. IKEA
6) Europris - Another store which sells a little bit of everything. It's like a mini Wal-Mart and most things sold are at lower prices. Europris
7) Søstrene Grene - or in English it would be The Sisters Grene. This store sells a lot of houseware items, craft items, candy, gift items and home decor. I think this is the cheapest store I've ever been in here in Norway and I love it! My last purchase from there was a pack of scrap paper for card making for 7 kr. or a tad over $1. Søstrene Grene
8) Spar - Spar is a grocery store and occasionally they'll have multiple items on sale for 10 kr (about $1.65) in that case, it's generally very worth going there and stocking up on meat, canned goods, toiletries, etc. Spar
Oh, and bottled soft drinks are generally buy 5 pay for 3 at Spar.
9)everbuying.com - This store is similar to dx.com and sells a little of everything. www.everbuying.com
It's rare to use coupons here, but occasionally schools will give students coupons. However, there are discount cards you can use here in Norway (Telemarkskortet, Fordelskort and many others) some are available to you depending on the part of the country or the state you live in. Plus, there's always checking newspapers for sales in stores. There are also many 2 for 3 sales at stores everywhere. It's probably the most common sale to be seen here. Buy 2 shirts get one free. Buy 2 blocks of cheese, get one free.
So, it is possible to save money while shopping in Norway, but it takes a little effort to check on sales, sign up for discounts, wait for items to come in the mail and maybe shop at various places.
1) -nille - This is a store in Norway (yes, a store in Norway with reasonable prices) which sells a little bit of everything. I love the "little bit of everything" stores in Norway - it almost reminds me of Wal-Mart or Target, but smaller. I usually go here to purchase knitting supplies or craft supplies.
nille.no
2) ebay.no- Most American clothing stores online can have really great sales, but when you click shipping to Norway you're shocked that it costs around $50, so if you're like me, you've wasted time just to find out the shipping costs more than the items. I've found many great deals from ebay and have purchased many sweaters from there for about 30-60kr each ($5-10) with free shipping. I've also ordered cake pans and cookie cutters from there with free shipping to Norway. The cake pans were 20kr (about $3) and the cookie cutters were about 6kr or $1. ebay.no
3) dx.com - This site has free shipping to Norway and sells a little bit of everything. dx.com
4) Rema 1000 - a grocery store which is supposed to sell some of the same brands as well as their own Rema 1000 brand at a cheaper price. Rema 1000
5) IKEA - Who doesn't love IKEA? One of the best companies to ever come from Sweden! It's like a Lowe's or Home Depot that sells less tools and more furniture you put together yourself. Furniture, house ware, remodeling materials, decor, etc. can be found here and for the most part it has reasonable prices. IKEA
6) Europris - Another store which sells a little bit of everything. It's like a mini Wal-Mart and most things sold are at lower prices. Europris
7) Søstrene Grene - or in English it would be The Sisters Grene. This store sells a lot of houseware items, craft items, candy, gift items and home decor. I think this is the cheapest store I've ever been in here in Norway and I love it! My last purchase from there was a pack of scrap paper for card making for 7 kr. or a tad over $1. Søstrene Grene
8) Spar - Spar is a grocery store and occasionally they'll have multiple items on sale for 10 kr (about $1.65) in that case, it's generally very worth going there and stocking up on meat, canned goods, toiletries, etc. Spar
Oh, and bottled soft drinks are generally buy 5 pay for 3 at Spar.
9)everbuying.com - This store is similar to dx.com and sells a little of everything. www.everbuying.com
It's rare to use coupons here, but occasionally schools will give students coupons. However, there are discount cards you can use here in Norway (Telemarkskortet, Fordelskort and many others) some are available to you depending on the part of the country or the state you live in. Plus, there's always checking newspapers for sales in stores. There are also many 2 for 3 sales at stores everywhere. It's probably the most common sale to be seen here. Buy 2 shirts get one free. Buy 2 blocks of cheese, get one free.
So, it is possible to save money while shopping in Norway, but it takes a little effort to check on sales, sign up for discounts, wait for items to come in the mail and maybe shop at various places.
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