Who Saves the Most Money? Early Birds vs. Night Owls

fighting for money

“Early to bed, early to rise, makes a person healthy, wealthy and wise.” “The early bird catches the worm.” Sayings like these and others imply that the best way to get ahead in life is to be a morning person. And, while this may be true for some, it is not necessarily true in all instances. In fact, for some people, the worst thing they could do is attempt to get up with the proverbial rooster and try to get things accomplished. This is because some people are simply not “wired” to function well in the morning.

Just as some people do better at night, others do best in the morning. This is known as chronobiology, specifically that area which is called the circadian rhythm. Scientist have actually found that there is a genetic reason why some of us do better at night and others do best in the morning.

So, what does this have to with shopping and saving money? Have you ever noticed how many stores offer early bird sales? What about Black Friday where you have to be in line at 3 and 4 a.m. in order to get the savings. Yes, occasionally, Sears or J.C. Penney will have late night savings events, but they are the exceptions.

As a total night owl who thrives on working, shopping or pursuing hobbies at all hours of the night, I have often stated said that the only way I will be going to an early morning sale would be if I had yet to go to bed! But, fortunately, one does not have to be an early bird to save money or take advantage of extreme coupon opportunities. Here are some ways that you can save money, based on your own circadian rhythm.

The Early Bird:

· Save money on fuel costs-especially during the warm weather months-as heat affects causes gasoline to expand in weight (but not volume). So, you will actually get your money’s worth when you buy your gas earlier in the day.

· Black Friday savings-It goes without saying that people who are willing to stand in line and deal with the crowds can save tons of money at the annual Black Friday Sales.

· Save money on eating out with friends. Most restaurants offer lower prices in the morning so visiting with your friends before the hustle and bustle of the work day not only allows you to connect with others, perhaps bouncing ideas off each other when you are at your peak, but you will also eat for less.

· Early birds can also save money on lunch purchases as they have time to prepare a sack lunch that morning so it is fresher and more appealing than a meal packed the night before.

· Take advantage of movie matinee prices which can be as much as 25% lower than evening rates.

 

The Night Owl:

· Late night specials or discounted items-Shopping at night can result in getting significantly lower prices on daily overstock items. For example, as a night person, I love to do my grocery shopping when the stores are less crowded. In addition, I frequently save 25% or more on the cost of deli items and meats like steak, veal and other items because the store needs to make room for the next day’s items.

· Lower energy costs-During the winter night time people are typically asleep (if possible J) during the coldest time of day and can keep their thermostat set accordingly. Also, during the summer, many activities can be done using natural lighting so it is not necessary to have lights on as much.

· Admissions to theme parks, snow skiing locations and other activities. These places often offer savings for late night tickets. In fact, some ski location or water parks offer a reduced rate on the next day’s pass with the purchase of a late night ticket.

· Product launches- From midnight releases of movies to 1am release of video games, nighttime people have no trouble with taking advantage of the savings and numerous freebies given out at late night release events and parties.

· In general, energy rates are lower at night, so night owls can do jobs like running the dishwasher, dryer and other household appliances at night. Of course, that also means that watching that movie you recorded will cost less at night as well!

· When travelling book red-eye flights as they are cheaper-an you can always catch a short nap on the plane!

· Eating out in the evening can be pricey, but if you take advantage of sites like restaurant.com or live in an area where there are places on the Dinner Broker list you can dine out late and still save money.

So, who is the winner? Is it the early bird who catches the worm…Uh, I mean extra savings J, or is the night owl who reaps the benefits of the evening? Regardless of which time of day you prefer, saving money is completely doable. Whether it is saving money on airline tickets or extreme savings at Black Friday sales there are numerous ways to save money- you just have to pay attention to the sales and savings available at your favorite time of day! Of course, if you have any additional ways to save money based on the time of day, we would love to hear from you.

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