Friday, May 28, 2010
Happy Memorial Day Weekend!
These next few days, and even the days after Memorial Day has come and gone, are fabulous opportunities for savings at every turn. Retailers are taking any holiday they can get their hands on as a reason to have a sale. What’s the downside, right?! I don’t see one! I’m not a Veteran, a Dad or a Grad, but I’ll sure take advantage of the sales for them!
Because profit margins are sagging, stores are more inclined to offer consumers incentives to patronize their stores, and Memorial Day holiday is a catchy way to tap into your wallet. Spring into Summer, Memorial Day Extravaganza, etc. You’re starting to get the idea.
Keep your eyes and mailboxes open to all of the stepped-up advertising you’ll be seeing this weekend. Keep in mind the things that you having been hoping to purchase, saving up for, or are waiting for JUST the right opportunity to pounce! If you don’t receive advertising via email or snail mail, chances are really good that you could pop into your favorite store and see savings on every aisle.
I hope to see you out and about saving this weekend!
Showing posts with label bargain. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bargain. Show all posts
Friday, May 28, 2010
Thursday, April 29, 2010
The Bargainista
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Bargainista Lingo:
1. Bargainista – A true bargain fiend who finds exuberance in saving money, often sacrificing her body to do so.
2. START THE CAR! – This phrase comes from the IKEA commercial with the incredibly dorky woman in her Volvo wagon. When she sees the savings that she received, she runs from the building, screaming, “START THE CAR” before they can chase her down and charge her more.
3. Negotiations – Of course, negotiations occur at flea markets and garage sales. However, it is appropriate to negotiate in retail stores if you find an item that you are willing to purchase that is damaged or missing pieces. Most managers offer 10% or more off a damaged item.
4. Aw HELL yeah! – This is the expletive that slips from your mouth when you get to the register and something is on MORE of a sale than you expected.
5. SCORE! – This exclamation arises when you arrive at a store that you typically frequent, only to find that the whole place is on sale.
6. Robbing The Place – This takes place when one leaves a store spending little to no personal money. After coupons and rebates, merchandise is taken off their hands, without compromising the budget.
7. Hoarding – An item is on such an incredible sale that one must purchase all that the store has in stock. Thus, hoarding occurs.
Disclaimer: Bargainista Side Effects – Side effects of being a true Bargainista include sore feet, hunger, paper cuts, and a seriously bad attitude if someone gets in the way of a bargain. You should not become a Bargainista if you are unwilling to incur bodily injury due to your bargaining ways.
Bargainista Lingo:
1. Bargainista – A true bargain fiend who finds exuberance in saving money, often sacrificing her body to do so.
2. START THE CAR! – This phrase comes from the IKEA commercial with the incredibly dorky woman in her Volvo wagon. When she sees the savings that she received, she runs from the building, screaming, “START THE CAR” before they can chase her down and charge her more.
3. Negotiations – Of course, negotiations occur at flea markets and garage sales. However, it is appropriate to negotiate in retail stores if you find an item that you are willing to purchase that is damaged or missing pieces. Most managers offer 10% or more off a damaged item.
4. Aw HELL yeah! – This is the expletive that slips from your mouth when you get to the register and something is on MORE of a sale than you expected.
5. SCORE! – This exclamation arises when you arrive at a store that you typically frequent, only to find that the whole place is on sale.
6. Robbing The Place – This takes place when one leaves a store spending little to no personal money. After coupons and rebates, merchandise is taken off their hands, without compromising the budget.
7. Hoarding – An item is on such an incredible sale that one must purchase all that the store has in stock. Thus, hoarding occurs.
Disclaimer: Bargainista Side Effects – Side effects of being a true Bargainista include sore feet, hunger, paper cuts, and a seriously bad attitude if someone gets in the way of a bargain. You should not become a Bargainista if you are unwilling to incur bodily injury due to your bargaining ways.
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Garage Sales!
Friday, April 2, 2010
Before you get your Easter festivities off to a great start, why not hit up a couple of Garage sales?
My sister and I will be venturing out tomorrow, and we’ve mapped our route. Most cities ask that you apply for a Garage Sale permit before holding your sale. When you apply for the permit, you go into their system, and they log the date and times that you have input.
As a garage SALER, you can visit the cities’ websites and see everyone who has applied for a permit. You can see their address, the dates and times they are holding their garage sale, and in most cases, you can also see the items that they will be selling. Score!
Keep a few things in mind as you are shopping…1) how can I reuse, refinish, or repurpose this item? 2) what do I think is a fair price to pay for this item? 3) what items would be more beneficial to get at a garage sale than paying retail price for?
NEVER, EVER be afraid to negotiate! These people do NOT want to haul this junk back into their garages, nor do they want to make the trip to Goodwill with it. You will often find that some people KNOW what they’re doing and price their items to sell. It is very obvious when you approach a sale and things are ‘priced to stay’. Be aware, and don’t settle for the sticker price – offer a low-ball price, and see if you can meet them somewhere in the middle. You never know – you might get lucky and they accept your offer!
I have many items that I’ve found at garage sales that are now proudly displayed in my home from retail stores like Pier One and Lowe’s. I have no problem stripping the paint/stain and refinishing these items, or touching up the rough spots. It’s a treasure hunt and can be SO fun!
Also remember, Kohl’s is practically giving the store away right now. Not only do I have my $10 off any purchase coupon, but I also received email coupons for 15% and 20% off my purchase. With those combined, I can do some serious damage for very little expense. These coupons, and a BUNCH more were featured on Good Morning Texas on Thursday morning. Their sales are unbelievable and in conjunction with your coupons, you are sure to make out like a bandit!
Happy Easter! DO NOT FORGET to run up to your local retailer on Monday and stock up on Easter stuff for next year. Items will be 50% or more off of the previously marked prices.
Before you get your Easter festivities off to a great start, why not hit up a couple of Garage sales?
My sister and I will be venturing out tomorrow, and we’ve mapped our route. Most cities ask that you apply for a Garage Sale permit before holding your sale. When you apply for the permit, you go into their system, and they log the date and times that you have input.
As a garage SALER, you can visit the cities’ websites and see everyone who has applied for a permit. You can see their address, the dates and times they are holding their garage sale, and in most cases, you can also see the items that they will be selling. Score!
Keep a few things in mind as you are shopping…1) how can I reuse, refinish, or repurpose this item? 2) what do I think is a fair price to pay for this item? 3) what items would be more beneficial to get at a garage sale than paying retail price for?
NEVER, EVER be afraid to negotiate! These people do NOT want to haul this junk back into their garages, nor do they want to make the trip to Goodwill with it. You will often find that some people KNOW what they’re doing and price their items to sell. It is very obvious when you approach a sale and things are ‘priced to stay’. Be aware, and don’t settle for the sticker price – offer a low-ball price, and see if you can meet them somewhere in the middle. You never know – you might get lucky and they accept your offer!
I have many items that I’ve found at garage sales that are now proudly displayed in my home from retail stores like Pier One and Lowe’s. I have no problem stripping the paint/stain and refinishing these items, or touching up the rough spots. It’s a treasure hunt and can be SO fun!
Also remember, Kohl’s is practically giving the store away right now. Not only do I have my $10 off any purchase coupon, but I also received email coupons for 15% and 20% off my purchase. With those combined, I can do some serious damage for very little expense. These coupons, and a BUNCH more were featured on Good Morning Texas on Thursday morning. Their sales are unbelievable and in conjunction with your coupons, you are sure to make out like a bandit!
Happy Easter! DO NOT FORGET to run up to your local retailer on Monday and stock up on Easter stuff for next year. Items will be 50% or more off of the previously marked prices.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Holiday Savings
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
I know we are a few days past St. Patrick’s Day, but Easter will be here before you know it!
Post Holiday sales are great ways to save money on things you are interested in buying. The day after a holiday is the best day to purchase items while retailers still have the “good stuff” – everyone knows that. Well, did you know that they often package regular merchandise in holiday wrapping, thus having to clearance these items out? Heck yeah!
You don’t care if your M&M’s are pastel, or Easter colors, do you? Do you care if your Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup is in the shape of an egg? ME NEITHER! Does it bug you that your chapstick wrapper has a little bunny on it? I didn’t think so!
In the next couple of weeks, look beyond the candy and artificial grass for things that you would regularly buy. If it has an Easter package, odds are that it is on clearance.
The best examples of this are from after-Christmas shopping. Target, for example, packages many items that they carry in holiday boxes and bags to help entice people into buying them as gifts. Once Christmas is over, these items are immediately clearanced-out and you purchase regular, everyday items at 50% or even 75% off! Once you open the package, the product is no longer a “holiday item”!
Another great way to save money and relieve yourself of holiday pressures is to purchase things that you will need next year while they are on clearance from this year. I have already purchased several items for my toddler for Christmas, and I intend to do the same for next year’s Easter. If you have the space, pick up next year’s egg-dying kit or a few Easter basket “ingredients” for next year, based on the age(s) of your child(ren). This is a fabulous way to save a ton of money and you will be SO happy with yourself when you go shopping for special occasions, birthdays or holidays and you already have a SERIOUS head start. This takes the pressure off of the holiday hustle and bustle, and off of your wallet as well. Spread the burden out over several months and you’d be amazed how much less stressful it can be.
Visit Lindsay Walker’s Piano and Voice Studio. You KNOW you want to!
I know we are a few days past St. Patrick’s Day, but Easter will be here before you know it!
Post Holiday sales are great ways to save money on things you are interested in buying. The day after a holiday is the best day to purchase items while retailers still have the “good stuff” – everyone knows that. Well, did you know that they often package regular merchandise in holiday wrapping, thus having to clearance these items out? Heck yeah!
You don’t care if your M&M’s are pastel, or Easter colors, do you? Do you care if your Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup is in the shape of an egg? ME NEITHER! Does it bug you that your chapstick wrapper has a little bunny on it? I didn’t think so!
In the next couple of weeks, look beyond the candy and artificial grass for things that you would regularly buy. If it has an Easter package, odds are that it is on clearance.
The best examples of this are from after-Christmas shopping. Target, for example, packages many items that they carry in holiday boxes and bags to help entice people into buying them as gifts. Once Christmas is over, these items are immediately clearanced-out and you purchase regular, everyday items at 50% or even 75% off! Once you open the package, the product is no longer a “holiday item”!
Another great way to save money and relieve yourself of holiday pressures is to purchase things that you will need next year while they are on clearance from this year. I have already purchased several items for my toddler for Christmas, and I intend to do the same for next year’s Easter. If you have the space, pick up next year’s egg-dying kit or a few Easter basket “ingredients” for next year, based on the age(s) of your child(ren). This is a fabulous way to save a ton of money and you will be SO happy with yourself when you go shopping for special occasions, birthdays or holidays and you already have a SERIOUS head start. This takes the pressure off of the holiday hustle and bustle, and off of your wallet as well. Spread the burden out over several months and you’d be amazed how much less stressful it can be.
Visit Lindsay Walker’s Piano and Voice Studio. You KNOW you want to!
Monday, March 1, 2010
Coupons!
Saturday, February 27, 2010
As we ventured out for some Saturday errands, my blog topic slapped me in the face. STORE COUPONS! Because I shop mostly store brand items for groceries, it is rare that a grocery coupon comes in handy for me. I also receive many online offers from stores that I patronize frequently. However, I find myself checking those emails daily and deleting them. I most often delete them because I don’t think that the coupons offer truly great “deals.” However, there are three stores that I frequent who, I believe, offer truly remarkable savings, and they offer this savings often.
The first is Big Lots. If you have never shopped at Big Lots (or Job Lots) YOU ARE MISSING OUT! They carry name brand furniture, home décor, baby items, children’s items, groceries, health and beauty, and toiletries at MAJOR discounts. Once you are a member of their “buzz club”, you receive the weekly advertisement in advance and occasional email coupons for 20% off of your entire purchase on a Sunday afternoon. You also receive a swipe card when you become a buzz club member. Once you spend $40 or more 10 times, your next purchase is 20% off as well. Because I have a young child at home, the most remarkable savings has been for baby food and oatmeal. Big Lots carries a variety of name-brand baby food for ½ of the price found in grocery stores. This is the case with most items that Big Lots carries. It truly pays to be a wise consumer and know the prices that you pay for the things that you buy often. Most things are a true value (110 zip lock sandwich bags for $2) but there is the occasional product that is not a good value. It is important to recognize these products.
The second store is World Market. We have purchased many of our home furnishings from World Market and have found that they make superior furniture for very reasonable prices. They will email you when they are running a sale on a certain piece/set of furniture so that you, as a rewards member, will learn about the “hot items” before the public does. This has proven to be a true value on many occasions for our family. They will also email the occasional 20% off your entire purchase coupon.
The final store that proves to be of real value to me as I work to find ways to stretch our money is Kohl’s. As a rewards member, I received a coupon for 15% off my entire purchase last Friday-Sunday. If you spend over $100, you receive %20 off your purchase! We usually shop the clearance racks, and Kohl’s is very diligent about 60% and 70% off of the regular price for clearance items. Today, my husband purchased a jacket, an argyle sweater, two casual long-sleeve t-shirts, and a button-down dress shirt for $30!!! These were all clearance items and we received 15% off our entire purchase. I am very pleased with the results today. Become rewards members – it is free to delete emails out of your inbox that do not meet your needs, but the occasional email is truly valuable.
As we ventured out for some Saturday errands, my blog topic slapped me in the face. STORE COUPONS! Because I shop mostly store brand items for groceries, it is rare that a grocery coupon comes in handy for me. I also receive many online offers from stores that I patronize frequently. However, I find myself checking those emails daily and deleting them. I most often delete them because I don’t think that the coupons offer truly great “deals.” However, there are three stores that I frequent who, I believe, offer truly remarkable savings, and they offer this savings often.
The first is Big Lots. If you have never shopped at Big Lots (or Job Lots) YOU ARE MISSING OUT! They carry name brand furniture, home décor, baby items, children’s items, groceries, health and beauty, and toiletries at MAJOR discounts. Once you are a member of their “buzz club”, you receive the weekly advertisement in advance and occasional email coupons for 20% off of your entire purchase on a Sunday afternoon. You also receive a swipe card when you become a buzz club member. Once you spend $40 or more 10 times, your next purchase is 20% off as well. Because I have a young child at home, the most remarkable savings has been for baby food and oatmeal. Big Lots carries a variety of name-brand baby food for ½ of the price found in grocery stores. This is the case with most items that Big Lots carries. It truly pays to be a wise consumer and know the prices that you pay for the things that you buy often. Most things are a true value (110 zip lock sandwich bags for $2) but there is the occasional product that is not a good value. It is important to recognize these products.
The second store is World Market. We have purchased many of our home furnishings from World Market and have found that they make superior furniture for very reasonable prices. They will email you when they are running a sale on a certain piece/set of furniture so that you, as a rewards member, will learn about the “hot items” before the public does. This has proven to be a true value on many occasions for our family. They will also email the occasional 20% off your entire purchase coupon.
The final store that proves to be of real value to me as I work to find ways to stretch our money is Kohl’s. As a rewards member, I received a coupon for 15% off my entire purchase last Friday-Sunday. If you spend over $100, you receive %20 off your purchase! We usually shop the clearance racks, and Kohl’s is very diligent about 60% and 70% off of the regular price for clearance items. Today, my husband purchased a jacket, an argyle sweater, two casual long-sleeve t-shirts, and a button-down dress shirt for $30!!! These were all clearance items and we received 15% off our entire purchase. I am very pleased with the results today. Become rewards members – it is free to delete emails out of your inbox that do not meet your needs, but the occasional email is truly valuable.
Saving at the Grocery store
Friday, February 25, 2010
Let’s talk bargains! My favorite subject!! I am always looking for steals and clearance items. This week, I found my deals at Target – my home away from home. I noticed that they had replaced the “holiday aisles” (I’m waiting impatiently for them to unveil Global Bazaar) with a new concept that involves a consolidated section for clearance and some weekly specials. I don’t normally mess around with 30% off bargains, as I’d rather they quit messing around and give me the 75% off that they are going to eventually get to. However, for the past 2 weeks, Target has had their signature brand, Market Pantry 100% Pure Apple Juice on clearance for $2.08 for a two-pack of 64oz. bottles. I decided that $1.04 for a bottle of apple juice is a very good deal – rivaling the savings that you find when you buy concentrate. So…I bought a few! The juice is regularly inexpensive at around $4 for a two-pack, but I’ll take whatever savings I can get, especially since we’ve been drinking apple juice like it’s youth serum around here!
The other item that I found to be a particularly good savings was an economy-size box of Nabisco Triscuits. The box contains (4) bags of Triscuts for $4.18. When a box of crackers runs me nearly $3, I found $1 per bag to be a real savings. Happy shopping!
Let’s talk bargains! My favorite subject!! I am always looking for steals and clearance items. This week, I found my deals at Target – my home away from home. I noticed that they had replaced the “holiday aisles” (I’m waiting impatiently for them to unveil Global Bazaar) with a new concept that involves a consolidated section for clearance and some weekly specials. I don’t normally mess around with 30% off bargains, as I’d rather they quit messing around and give me the 75% off that they are going to eventually get to. However, for the past 2 weeks, Target has had their signature brand, Market Pantry 100% Pure Apple Juice on clearance for $2.08 for a two-pack of 64oz. bottles. I decided that $1.04 for a bottle of apple juice is a very good deal – rivaling the savings that you find when you buy concentrate. So…I bought a few! The juice is regularly inexpensive at around $4 for a two-pack, but I’ll take whatever savings I can get, especially since we’ve been drinking apple juice like it’s youth serum around here!
The other item that I found to be a particularly good savings was an economy-size box of Nabisco Triscuits. The box contains (4) bags of Triscuts for $4.18. When a box of crackers runs me nearly $3, I found $1 per bag to be a real savings. Happy shopping!
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