How To Buy Cheap Appliances Like Refrigerators
I have a friend who is a great shopper, and the things she does to save hundreds of dollars are not difficult at all. With a little smart shopping, and by comparing at a couple of competing stores, she is able to find the right applicance at the best possible prices!
Look at her great article to get an example : How To Buy A Cheap Refrigerator
Here is a summary of the steps she took to save money, and these steps could apply to any applicance buy!
- Figure out what you want vs. what you can afford. For example, a fridge that makes fancy ice cubes may be cool, but is it really worth hundreds of dollars? If you need a reliable fridge, maybe you could buy the standard model and just spend a couple of bucks on fancy ice cube trays.
- Do not be afraid to go into a store and ask questions or do research, even when you do not intend to make a purchase that day. Of course, the salesperson is trying to sell you something, but that does not mean you have to make a purchase if it is not in your best interest.
- Many appliance stores can negotiate on prices or services. My friend managed to get free delivery and an extended warranty thrown in for less than another store wanted for just the fridge! She did that by stopping in at a couple of stores. If you are buying a $29 toaster this may not be worth your time, but if you are spending hundreds of dollars it is!
Anyway, her tips on fridge buying could be applied to many major purchases - TV sets, Cars, etc. So check out the article, and get a lot more free women’s articles at WemonAde.com!
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Unwanted Gift Cards, and How To Make Good Use of Them!
What To Do With Unwanted Gift Cards
It happens almost every holiday season. Gift cards seem like such a great idea because they allow the person who got the card to go shopping. The only problem that pops up is when the card is only for a store that you never go to. A $50 Godiva chocolate gift card may sound perfect, but it will not work for somebody who just started their New Year’s diet. If you are in a situation like that, you would probably rather have a new pair of walking shoes or money for new Gclothes that are a size smaller!
Some great uses of unwanted gift cards:
- Sell Your Gift Card. You will need to sell it for less than the face value, but you can get some cash for it. Look at online auction websites, and you will see that they are full of gift card sales. Or, simpler yet, put up a notice at work in a approved place.
- Give Your Gift Card Away. If you got a $50 gift card to a store that is just not convenient, you can use it as a donation to your favorite charity.
- Buy Stuff For Other Gifts. You can use that unwanted card for a big box of chocolate and then promptly pass it on to a non-dieting friend for Valentine’s Day.
- Buy Sfuff to Donate. The chocolate example may not work here. But let’s say your teenage daughter gets a gift card to a discount store, and she only wants designer jeans. You could use this one to buy things to donate. Maybe, make a deal that you will pay her for half the value of the card, and then you can use the items as a charitable donation.
The donation idea can have some positive tax implications too. So make gift cards, even unwanted ones, the gift that just keeps on giving!
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No Frills Affordable Cell Phones For Cheapskates, Seniors, and More….
When is a Phone just a Phone?
It is so easy to get caught up in all of the technology available on cell phones today. When some people look for a phone, they are also looking for a handheld computer, camera, music player, text messaging device, handheld game systems and GPS! There are two big problems with all of this functionality though. First, it makes the phone complex to use. The other big problem for us frugal people is that all of that stuff comes with a price.
The Jitterbug phone is often promoted as a Cell Phone For Seniors, because of these features:
- Larger Numbers and Bright Screen
- Personalized Customer Service
- Inexpensive Monthly Fee
- No Contract
- Just a Phone, so it is simple to use
However, many younger people, especially us frugal types, are attracted to having an inexpensive and simple phone that was designed to do one thing. That one thing is to make and receive phone calls so it is available in case of an urgent need. Other people who could benefit from a phone like this are children, disabled people, and anybody who just wants a phone, and not a portable computer!
If you want a simple phone, friendly service, and an affordable price, learn more about the Jitterbug cell phone for seniors (and cheapskates).
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Surviving Holiday Gift Giving Without Going Broke
It Isn’t Your Father’s Thrift Store Anymore!
I have to admit that I had a pretty negative view of second hand stores, of the sort run by various charities. I probably got the idea from a childhood memory of riding with my parents to dump off a lot of my old clothes and toys at the back door of a dusty old building. However, I got dragged into my local Salvation Army thrift shop recently, and let me tell you what I found!
Tons Of Cheap Gifts at The Thrift Store!
Bingo! I found a pair of silver (yes, silver) candlesticks for $3! Now, I’m a bit of a silverbug, and I know the shiny stuff is only about $10 an ounce now. Still, these tarnished darlings were marked, heavy, and the pair is worth at least $100. Once I took them home and polished them up they were beautiful, and made a very appropriate present for the biggest snob on my holiday list. Now that was a really lucky find, and I actually told the clerk about the silver content imprint, but she shrugged. I did stick a $5 in the donation jar, and bought a lot more stuff.
I was pleased and surprised to find some really nice clothes for all ages. Now clothes don’t usually make a great present, but wool scarves and mittens do! I was packing those babies away for $3 to $5! And I also found wool blankets for $15 - $20. I did decide that I deserved a present, and found a like-new leather jacket for $25 which I purchased without feeling a bit of guilt.
My son had been asking for a larger chest of drawers, and instead of buying him a crummy pressed wood piece of furniture at a discount store for $100, I paid half that for real wood. That did mean I’d have to arrange to pick it up later, so it was a bit of trouble, but in my mind, it was worth it. This wasn’t really a holiday gift, but something our family needed, and I just decided to take advantage of the opportunity.
I didn’t complete my holiday shopping, and did intend to get the kids a few new things like a video game to share. If my kids were younger they probably wouldn’t have noticed that the box a toy came in was a bit worn and dented, but they are a bit beyond that, while not old enough to appreciate getting something to wear for a present. But I covered the adults, and even endulged myself in the leather jacket, plus I bought a nice piece of actual furniture.
My bill was just a bit over $100! I felt good about buying practical gifts for the adults in my family, staying under budget, and also contributing to charity through the organization that runs the thrift store!
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Frugal Holiday Shopping — Survive the Holidays Without Debt
Ok, here we are approaching the holiday season while the economy sags all around us. The good part of this is we can find lots of deals out there as the stores compete for business. The bad part, of course, is many of us find we have a lot less money saved or invested, less credit at a more expensive price, higher costs for monthly bills like groceries, and possibly, less income.
And of course, we all meant to start a holiday savings account last January. But somehow, with higher prices and lower returns, that account either got raided, or never even started in the first place. Don’t feel guilty, but just figure out how to attack this holiday season without it. There’s always next year. 
So how can you get through this season without racking up strained credit card bills? Alot of it comes down to being organized. Go ahead and follow Santa’s lead; make a list and check it twice! Then go through your list and assign a budget. If you know you want to spend $100 on teenaged Suzy and $15 on Uncle Tony, you will be able to see if your total budget is realistic. Don’t forget to add in presents you will need for work or social club events.
Now if you get to the bottom of that list, and the total is just unrealistic, this is a good time to figure that out. You know, Uncle Tony might not mind a nicely packaged box of homemade cookies, and Suzy might have to accept a $75 mall shopping card instead of a $100 one!
Shop now, and it next year, remember to start shopping in advance. That electronics device that your oldest son has to have might have been cheaper, and more available, in July. Those people who do their holiday shopping all year around, in an organized way, spend less. If you cannot afford the $500 game system right now, think about giving a $100 gift card to the store where they can be purchased.
Saving towards a goal will be good for John Jr. in the long run anyway! And maybe you can spread it around to all of John Jr’s friends and relatives that a gift card to that store is the gift of choice. Many of them will be relieved because they do not have to figure out what to buy a teenager anyway!
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Consumerism: When Less Is More with Anti Consumerism
Why Anti-Consumerism? Isn’t that Anti-American?
I grew up in a very frugal home. My parents paid cash for used cars, and we lived in older homes with small mortgages that were well within their means. My folks always had money for important things like health insurance, glasses, or emergency travel. They had what we used to call a depression mentality, and as a young person, I struggled against it. Of course, I wanted a better bike, a fancier bedroom set, and more clothes that had not come from my older sister.
So as a young adult, I saved some, but mostly felt as if some extra cash in my hand was a prime reason for purchasing new electronics, hip mall clothes, and whatever else I just had to have. And of course, I took out loans for brand new cars on the lot, and those cars seldom were paid off before being traded in.
I found this article on a term called Off-Consumerism, and it fits in with my new mentality. I like the shoe comparison, because well, we all need shoes. Maybe we even need a few different types of shoes. For instance, I still believe a reasonable person might need a pair of gym shoes, some dress up shoes, and a pair of sandals. It might even be reasonable to consider having a pair of beach shoes, or flip flops, and another pair of comfortable every day shoes. That’s five pairs of shoes.
The Shoes
So it can be reasonable to have five pairs of shoes, even as a frugal person, but can anybody justify having twenty-five pairs of shoes. In my mind, anything over 5 pairs of shoes means we need to clean the closet. Maybe shoes could be donated to an organizagtion that provides shoes to people who do not have any shoes. Maybe our own lives can be simplified by having to contain less clutter. Maybe the black pumps can be polished, and really, do not need to be replaced.
Also consider the cost of shoes. Now some people have foot problems, and their health and comfort justifies a really expensive pair of orthopedic shoes. In my mind, that is something they should have. But most of us can perform just fine in $35 pumps from a discount store, and we really do not need $135 pumps from a name brand retailer. Most of us are happy wearing $7 flip flops to the pool, and $27 flip flops do not enhance our experience.
So take those 5 pairs of shoes. If they are purchased at an average cost of $75 each, that is $375. If you provide shoes for a family of 4, that is $1500! If you are providing shoes for kids, they need to be replaced, sometimes a couple of times a year! So let’s say you are spending 2 grand on shoes because you buy the “best”. And by “BEST”, I mean you equate expense with quality, and the accumulation of goods with comfort.
But if you purchased those same shoes at an average cost of $30 each, you would have spent $150, or $600 for your family of 4. You have saved $900! Is there some other use you could put that money too? A savings account, health insurance, and a small donation to help people with no shoes comes to mind!
Blue Jeans or Butter?
Now, when I say shoes, I mean everything. A teenage boy’s blue jeans, off the rack, at the local discount store are about $12 each. The same jeans, from the name brand mall store, are $40 on a good day. And yes, I am cheating by using boys for an example, because girls are a tougher issue on blue jeans. I have found that clothing companies do not make girls as easy to fit as boys. The topic of another post…. But let’s attack the boy’s jeans first because it is an easier problem. So 5 pairs of jeans for a 16 year old boy can cost $60 plus tax. That same $60 will not even buy 2 pairs of jeans at the mall store, unless you hit a great sale!
So the deal I struck with my teenage boys was to accept 5 pairs of $12 jeans, and they could have half of the $140 savings to spend as they liked. The caveat there was that some portion had to be given up for charity, and that they needed to find their old, outgrown shoes for a donation at a local clothes drop. So we had a bag of 5 pairs of decent, but outgrown shoes for a clothes drop, and the boys each donated $10 for a local charity fund. They each had $60 to spend. The collaborated, and allocated the money for a couple of video games, a couple of bags of munchies, and still had $30 to stick in their drawers for their ready cash stash.
So I hope I am helping my own kids get in the habit of finding the lowest price item that will fill their needs, and by doing that understanding that some money can be left over for a reward. I also am trying to get them in the habit of giving. Charity should just be part of the process of spending.
Now, again, I am cheating here by not even reporting that this whole process seems to be tougher with my teenage daughter. She is under more pressure at school to wear name brands. And it seems harder to fit her with off the rack discount store jeans. So she took her $200 budget and found 3 pairs of name brand jeans on sale for $27.00, and accepted 2 pairs of crop pants on sale for $21.00 each. She spent $125, and had $75 left over. I gave her the same deal, so she had $37.50 left over. She still found a couple of pairs of outgrown jeans for the donation box, gave $10 to charity, and had a bit of cash left over. I felt a bit sorry for her because I understood that her clothes just seem to cost more, so I slipped her another $20. Unfair? Well maybe, but sometimes the needs of the one seem to outweight the needs of the many!
So think about off consumerisms, because the money you save on shoes could really help out on a rainy day. And some of it could, you know, be used to provide shoes (or whatever) for people who have no shoes.
consumerism, retail shopping
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Cheap Father’s Day Presents Dad Will LOVE!
Stuck For A Frugal Father’s Day?
Hey, you know your Dad would want you to save your money. But of course, he would also like to get something nice. Well, that’s what is so great about online shopping promos! Let us share the ones we found. Of course, when we think frugal retail shopping, we tend to think of Wal-Mart. And we even found a real offer for a Free Wal-Mart Gift Card.
Hot Father’s Day Shopping Deals
Here is our own short list for dad!
- Travel and save this summer with GPS at Walmart.com
- Coming Soon! Get a $10 Walmart.com gift card when you preorder Wii Fit (to be delivered on or just after May 21)!
Happy Father’s Day To All Frugal Retail Shoppers!
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A Couple Ways To Save Money On Brand Name Clothes
Shopping Tip From A Reader….
Here’s a tip from a friend of mine who has many talents, including being a world class shopper.
I just went to Macy’s and there was a 1/2 price deal on two calaphalon
saute pans aka skillets. I had a coupon that allowed $15 off of a
$50 purchase, of course the pans were 49.99. I asked the clerk, and she charged me $50 so I
could save $15. You can always ask…..
The other day I got 40% off with a coupon at Hobby Lobby rather
than the marked 30% off advertized price because I asked.
So I guess the point of this tip is to ask. If you arrive a day after, or a day before, the big sale, go ahead and ask. A lot of times you will find the clerk has some discretion in setting prices, or she can get permission from a manager or owner who does have that discretion. This may not work everywhere, but you might be surprised where it will work.
By the way, my friend asked for a shout out to a Texas Artist website: RosanneFriedman.com
You can submit your own frugal living tips, and if we use them we will offer a link to your favorite website. We do use most of the frugal living ideas, as long as they are suitable. Of course, we do need to approve the website as being family friendly and safe.
frugal shopping, retail shopping, coupons, discounts
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