Guest post at Wide Open Wallet
I’m flattered to share that Ashley from Wide Open Wallet asked me to write a guest post while she’s out of town this week vacationing at Disneyland. Since I’ve always enjoyed her blog immensely I was thrilled to take her up on the offer and to get my first guest post under my belt.
Ashley has been one of my biggest referrers since the early days of my blog – haha, okay which is only like, a month ago. :-)
For that reason, though, many of my readers are also fans of her blog. But, if you haven’t visited Wide Open Wallet before I would strongly encourage you to check it out (and I don’t just mean now while my post is up there).
Thanks for reading and hope you enjoy my guest post about the “Grocery Store Mind Games” marketers play!
Filed under Finances, Saving Ideas | Comment (0)Save with Shop it to Me
I’ve never had the best timing. In high school I was the person who asked a friend in gushing tones how it was going with her boyfriend…a week after they’d broken up.
From a shopping perspective, my horrible timing means both frustration and missing out on opportunities to save. For example, a co-worker will wear an outfit that I absolutely love and then tell me she got it on sale for something like 75% off. I’ll drop everything to get to the store…only to find out the sale ended the day before or the last one in my size was just sold. Aaarrrghh, it’s annoying!
Which is why I was excited when my friend emailed me about a website called Shop it to Me which monitors online sales and emails you when items – both in your size and at stores you’ve pre-selected - go on sale. I’ve set mine up to send me alerts on J. Crew, New York & Company, Banana Republic, Nine West and Ann Taylor, but there are literally over a hundred different store/brand options to choose from. Oh and did I mention it’s free?
Plus, now through January 31, 2009, if you get 10 friends to sign up to also receive Shop it to Me email alerts, you’ll receive a $10 gift card to the store of your choice. Here’s to happy sale-ing and never having bad timing again! At least when it comes to shopping…
Filed under Deals, Saving Ideas, Shopping | Comment (0)FREE Revlon Matte Makeup
Walgreens just released its January EasySaver Catalog and much to my excitement, among the “free after rebate” items are lipstick, blush, eyeshadow and eye pencils from Revlon’s new Matte Collection.
I was introduced to the EasySaver program in September and since then I’ve gotten free L’oreal facial moisturizer ($20 value!), Revlon nail polish, Crest toothpaste, L’oreal cleanser, Almay mascara and Rimmel foundation…all told, about $70 worth of free products in four months!
Honestly, I have no idea how Walgreens can afford to offer such deals, but my job is not to ask how but to take advantage of the savings! :-] So, here’s how you can take advantage too:
1. Visit your nearest Walgreens and pick up an EasySaver Catalog near the entrance of the store. According to this month’s catalog, there’s $577 worth of savings inside. Typically, though, I only use one or two of the coupons and the rebates that make the items free after purchase.
2. Find the items and make sure the price sign underneath shows the “free after rebate” tag. Be sure to double-check that the item is exactly the same as the one listed in the catalog – size, brand, color, item type, etc. – since they will not reimburse you if the product is not the same.
3. Once you’ve purchased the item, log onto Walgreens.com and click on the Easy Saver Catalog icon, then “Claim Rebates.” The first time you visit you have to enter your profile information but it takes less than five minutes and the site walks you through everything. Input your receipt details, choose how you want to receive your refund and then sit back and enjoy your savings!
Some Saver in the City tips:
*Try to visit the store as soon as possible after the new catalog launches since the “free after rebate” items tend to sell out quickly (go figure…)
*If you shop at Walgreens for other purchases, opt for your refund to be deposited onto a Walgreens Gift Card rather than a rebate check since you receive a 10% bonus.
*Look to see if you have any manufacturer coupons (or you can find coupons online) for the items that are free since there’s no restrictions on using such coupons. I did this with the L’oreal cleanser and after receiving my rebate, they’d actually paid me $2 to buy the product!
*Most important of all: If possible, submit your receipt online and wait to receive confirmation that the rebate is approved before you use the product.
I bought Pantene shampoo and conditioner back when I was an EasySaver novice and much to my surprise the check came back without my promised $5 rebate. In a huff, I called Walgreens only to learn I’d bought the wrong product type and that they were not eligible for the discount. Nor could I return them since I’d already used the product…it was an expensive lesson to learn!
Filed under Deals, Saving Ideas | Comment (0)80% off Restaurant.com gift certificates
If you haven’t tried Restaurant.com before, the way it works is you can buy “gift certificates” to a variety of restaurants in your area for a discounted price. The reason I put gift certificates in quotes is that there are a variety of stipulations attached to the certificates, such as a minimum spend, alcohol not included, blackout nights, etc. However, if you’re looking for a fun night out and you pay attention to the fine print, these can be a good deal.
Especially right now since the website is offering 80% off, making a $25 certificate – usually $10, although quite honestly I’ve always seen a special discount attached to these – only $2 and a $100 certificate $8. To redeem simply enter the coupon code “SANTA” at checkout.
One word of warning from personal experience: if you’re looking for a frugal dinner, these may not be the way to go since food minimums are designed to ensure the restaurant makes some money. These are great, however, for a special occasion or when you’re looking to splurge a little on a nice dinner without paying full price.
Filed under Deals, Saving Ideas | Comment (0)Want to save $6-$6,000? Just ask
I love getting a bargain, but for whatever reason I am extremely uncomfortable asking for a bargain. Growing up, I used to hit the garage sales with my mom and she had no problem haggling the sellers down to a price she considered reasonable. You’d think seeing her succeed time and time again would have driven home the importance of asking for a deal, but usually it just left a bad taste in my mouth.
Years later I studied abroad in London and I distinctly remember a weekend trip to visit the leather markets in Italy, where haggling is practically an art form. I was so uncomfortable playing the game that I simply decided not to buy a leather jacket (hey, leather jackets were all the rage back then!) – I was too nervous to haggle but thankfully also too practical to pay the overblown prices. Of course, then I had to sit by envious as my friends showed off their new purchases and recounted stories of the amazing discounts they’d received.
Slowly but surely, I’ve been trying to get over my hang-up because recent examples have shown me it can pay – and sometimes pay big – to simply ask. For example, earlier this week I was looking at some colorful coin purses that I thought would make great Christmas presents for my friends with a gift card enclosed inside. They were $7 each and yet my budget for my friends’ presents was $20 each…and a $13 gift card would be a little awkward. Since I wanted to buy three of the purses, I thought the sales clerk might be willing to give me a “bulk” discount. I took a deep breath and approached her with an offer to buy three of the coin purses for the price of two ($14).
Rather than look at me with disdain, she simply countered with three for $15 which was actually my real goal since I could then add a $15 gift card to each for an even $20 present. Simply by asking, I saved $6.
For those of you who scoff at $6, a better example might be when I refinanced my house in September. Initially I “locked” in a rate of 5.75% but in talking with my broker she told me I had one option to lower that rate during the 30-day loan initiation period. In the weeks that followed, I watched the rates and shopped around for a few other quotes from brokers around the country. One based in California (not my state of residence) claimed he could get me a 5.625% rate and lower closing costs. I trusted my current broker and I wanted to stay with her but I couldn’t ignore the opportunity to save nearly $6,000. Swallowing my nervousness, I called her up and asked why the other broker could offer me a lower rate and lower closing costs. At first she hemmed and hawed with some possible explanations but when I faxed her the good faith estimate, she offered to go back to the loan company to negotiate a lower rate. The result: a 5.625% fixed 30-year mortgage and even lower closing costs than the broker in California had promised.
My need to be liked often prevents me from asking, but I try to remind myself it’s not personal. Three options are possible when you simply ask:
Worst case: they say no and you pay the price you would have paid inititially.
Better case: they counter back with a price that’s higher than you asked for but below the original price
Best case: they accept your offer
Looking at the above, two of the three options result in savings…I’m not a gambling expert, but I’d say those are pretty good odds and well worth the initial discomfort of asking.
Filed under Saving Ideas | Comment (0)