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Are you getting the most bang for your buck? Whether we are buying diapers, airline tickets or home services we can’t help but wonder, are we getting the best deal. These days the secret to getting the most out of your wallet is to get the most out of the resources online. There are so many websites devoted to helping you save time and money. You just have to know where to find them.
This week, I am sharing my favorite websites for saving money. These are my go-to sites for getting the best deal. I actually have so many to share that I will start a series of posts. So let’s get started.
Everyday Savings
DealSeekingMom.com – This blog is updated frequently with free to nearly free grocery and drugstore items. The site walks you through which coupons to use at which stores to get the best savings. It takes a while to get the hang of all the acronyms and lingo, but once you get it, it can become quite addictive.
BabyCheapskate.com – Babies and kids may be small in size, but their costs are pretty big. Diapers, formula, clothes and baby gear can easily eat up a household budget. BabyCheapskate.com offers a weekly roundup of the best deals for diapers and formula. In addition the site features discounts on everything else you could need for your kids.
CitiesOnTheCheap.com – Finding entertainment or having fun on a budget seems tough, but CitiesOnTheCheap.com makes it easy for you. The site features all kinds of discounts on attractions and events around your city. It is updated regularly. Just click on the icon on the right to find your city. For example, recent events featured in Atlanta were Kids Night at Mary Poppins at the Fox with free kids activities and Buy One Get One Free tickets.
Facebook.com – Yes, the same facebook.com that helps you waste time looking at your great aunt’s vacation pictures can help you save money. More and more companies and stores are offering exclusive facebook discounts and offers. If there are certain brands, stores or shopping centers that you regularly visit or purchase from consider “Liking” their facebook page. Some offer more promotions than others, so you can “Unlike” any that don’t seem to offer much.
Travel
Kayak.com – There are so many travel booking websites ranging from Delta.com to orbitz.com to hotwire.com. Instead of taking the time to visit all these different sites to find the best deal, you can visit Kayak.com and it will search all airline, hotel and travel booking sites for you. Then you can quickly see where to book.
Airfarewatchdog.com – If you are just looking for airline tickets to a specific destination, airfarewatchdog.com helps hound the best deals for you. What is great about airfarewatchdog.com is that they go the extra step. They don’t just list teaser airfares that have little seat availability. They actually try to book seats with the special rates to make sure there is enough availability. They also list fares for all airlines including discount airlines like Southwest which most other sites ignore.
Seatguru.com – Not all airplane seats are created equal. Before you choose your seat on a flight, check out Seatguru.com for a diagram of the best and worst seats on the plane. The diagram shows which seats have better legroom or which ones suffer from loud engine noise. This is especially helpful on long flights. In addition to just seat information, the site also features other kinds of useful information such as baggage fees and limits.
TripAdvisor.com – Once you have booked the best seat on the flight, you want to book the best hotel room. Tripadvisor.com has the most extensive hotel reviews online, including destinations around the world. You can read how other travelers have liked the hotel and find insider info on where the best rooms may be.
Make sure to come back to learn the rest of her go-to websites for saving time and money.
While the holiday shopping season is filled with deals for the little kids, this shopping season is one of the most exciting for some of the most popular gifts for adults. Hhgregg is working hard to compete with BestBuy now that Circuit City is gone and their prices this year are really low. Prices have finally become affordable for name brand GPS navigation systems, Blu-Ray players and HDTV’s. So let’s get started with some of my favorites:
Blu-Ray Players
Hhgregg: Panasonic HD Blu-Ray player: $99 (after $30 rebate)
GPS Systems
Walmart: TomTom 4.3” screen & spoken street names: $89
HDTVs
There are lots of deals on TVs this year, but stay away from 720p, you will regret it in a few months. Opt for the 1080p models that are a little bit more.
Hhgregg: Toshiba 40” HDTV 1080p LCD TV: $549
DVD Players
Hhgregg: Sony progressive scan DVD player $29.97 (great for kids movies)
Camera
Walmart: Kodak 12MP 3x zoom: $69
iPod
Walmart: iPod Touch 8GB w/$50 iTunes gift card: $195
Toys R Us: iPod Touch 8GB w/$50 Toys R Us gift card: $199.99
Photoframe
BestBuy: Pandigital 9” digital photo frame: $59.99
Games
Walmart: Nintendo DS Lite: $98
Laptop
Walmart: HP 15.6” laptop with Intel & Windows 7: $298 (also available online)
Kids Toys
Walmart: Barbie and Bratz dolls, popular board games and sports balls like footballs and basketballs : $5 (also available online)
Walmart: Barbie or Hotwheels Ride on Jeep: $88
Toys R Us: Imaginarium train table set: $79.99
Big Lots: Elmo’s Restaurant: $29
Kitchen
- Walmart: KitchenAid 10 speed stand mixer: $139 (only in stores)
- Best Buy: Samsung Front load Steam Washer and Dryer: $1198
- Home Depot: LG Front Load washer and dryer: $798
- A better value may be the (a) LG Extra Large capacity washer and dryer for $998 with free delivery and haul away at Home Depot or (b) the Samsung HE washer and dryer at Sears for $1000 that also includes free delivery
Home
IKEA has some great deals including a sofa for $199 and 20pc flatware for $9.99 great for extra guests during dinner, great prices on gift bags, wrapping and tissue paper too. Many just for $1. And to top it all off, you can have FREE breakfast when you present this coupon: http://info.ikea-usa.com/seizethedays/
Home Depot: DeWalt 18V Drill/Driver kit: $99
Home Depot: Ryobi 10” Miter saw: $69
Home Depot: Rayovac 60ct. AA batteries: $10 (great deal for all the electronic gifts that need batteries)
Gift cards
BestBuy: $30 iTunes for $25
Costco: $60 iTunes for $48 this is just for Friday but they always have great gift card deals, so take time to look around
Worth noting
- Walmart now has a really cool feature on their website where you can print a map of your local store. This can be really helpful in planning your route and saving time while you save money.
- Free Breakfast at IKEA: http://info.ikea-usa.com/seizethedays/
- Free 64ct Crayola crayons with any purchase at Toys R Us
- Shop till noon at GGP Malls on Friday and Saturday and get a free $10 mall gift card when you spend $100 at the mall. You can also receive a free one year subscription to Martha Stewart Living (this could be a nice gift for a Martha fan on your list.)
- Dick’s Sporting Goods is offering a $20 cash card with every $100 purchase (quantities limited.)
You can almost smell the turkey now. Thanksgiving is just a couple of days away. You can look forward to a festive day filled with lots of fun, lots of family gossip and loads of carbs. So while the gym may be open the next day, there is an even better way to burn those carbs – shopping. Yes, the Day After Thanksgiving sales are this Friday. With so many sales and promotions, it’s hard to know where to start.
Here are the Do’s & Don’ts for The Day After Thanksgiving so you DO end up with deals that DON’T break your budget.
Do’s
- Do your homework – Before showing up at a store at 5am just to join the crowds, do your homework. First make a shopping list of all the gifts you need to buy and the amount budgeted per gift. Second browse the Black Friday ads either in your newspaper or online at bfads.net or dealnews.com/blackfriday
- Do shop on Thanksgiving – Physical stores may be closed on Thanksgiving, but online stores are open and brimming with deals. Many retailers will offer special Thanksgiving Day deals and promotions to entice you to step away from the turkey and shop. If you want to shop at physical stores, wait until night time and hit the outlets. North Georgia Premium Outlets open at 12am on Friday.
- Do know price match policies – Instead of running around town from store to store, ask your favorite stores about their price matching policies. Many stores will honor the price in a competitor’s ad, you just have to ask and show the ad. However limited quantity or time items may be excluded from these policies. Target and Wal Mart are in a particularly fierce battle and look to sway the other’s customers with price matching. Dealnews.com has a nice price match policy reference list along with customer service numbers.
- Do learn the return policy and get a gift receipt – Stores have gotten even more stringent with their return policies this year. Make sure you know how and when an item can be returned. It is also helpful to provide a gift receipt with the gift. This is most important when purchasing electronics as many times they have limited return periods and even restocking fees.
- Do dress appropriately – Shopping on Black Friday can become a long day. Make sure to dress in warm layers that you can adjust as you go through the day, especially if you plan to be start shopping at 5am. Keep other items to a minimum. Bring a small bag and only the credit cards, checks or cash you need that day, not your regularly packed wallet.
Don’ts
- Don’t leave the house without a plan – If you don’t know what you are buying or whom you are buying for don’t go shopping. Hitting the stores just to go deal shopping is no deal at all.
- Don’t buy for yourself – The purpose of Black Friday is gift shopping. You are looking to save money on gifts for others not gifts for you.
- Don’t rush to buy, especially electronics – Let’s be honest, you’re not standing in line in the cold at 3 am to buy an LCD TV for your uncle Bob or your kid’s teacher. You are buying these expensive electronics for yourself. If it’s for yourself, wait until after New Year’s to buy. You can get a better deal then and avoid the crowds. New electronics come out in early spring and stores will have lots of promotions on existing models early in the year.
- Don’t forget about coupons – It’s easy to get overwhelmed by all the sales and promotions but don’t leave money on the table by forgetting to use coupons. Stores have many coupons this time of year, so pair them with the sales and get even more savings. ShoppingQueen.com will feature lots of printable coupons.
- Don’t worry about missing out – Black Friday is no longer the only big shopping day. So if you didn’t get all your shopping done, don’t worry. Cyber Monday is next week and you can take advantage of sales and promotions online. Tune in next Monday to hear how to snag the best deals on Cyber Monday.
This is from my segment on Atlanta & Company on June 22, 2009.
Get out your red, white and blue, Fourth of July is next week. Are you ready for hot dogs, fireworks and fun? With the holiday falling on a Saturday this year, you don’t get to take advantage of extra time off. But with all the sales out there you can at least take advantage of extra dollars off. So what should be on your shopping list?
Party Supplies
Backyard BBQ food – Most grocery stores advertise their hot dog, drink and chips specials to get you in door and then spend money on other items. But if you just stick with your party shopping list, you can get some good deals. Depending on your pantry or freezer space you may even consider buying extra.
Paper products – Plates, napkins and utensils are on sale. And they have no expiration date so this is a great time to stock up for your Fourth of July party and your future parties.
Grills & Patio Furniture
The best sales on grills and patio furniture are during Fourth of July. You can typically find savings up to 40% off. This is the perfect time to buy for the best selection and price. After Fourth of July, the clearance sales begin and while the savings my increase the selection dramatically decreases. So you will find it difficult to find a matching patio set or the grill you want without visiting four different Home Depot locations.
Appliances
like Home Depot and Lowe’s have big sales on appliances during holiday weekends. You can take advantage of store discounts and promotions combined with manufacturer rebates to multiply your savings. If you need a new appliance now this is a good time to buy. Otherwise the next big sale will be during Labor Day weekend.
Summer Clothes
Retailers don’t care about the thermostat, so even with temperatures in the 90’s as far as they are concerned summer is over. So swimwear, summer clothes and accessories are all heavily discounted. This is a good time to buy items you might have been eyeing but couldn’t afford or to stock up for next year. And with the long summer and warm fall weather we enjoy in Atlanta you can wear many items well into October.
Spring & Summer Home Items
Bed and bath items as well as other home items also get marked down based on the seasons. So if new sheets and towels are on your shopping list, this is the time to buy. Many times the only thing that changes between the seasons is just the color and pattern. Also many home décor items like candles and frames are also being clearanced to make room for the fall styles.
School Supplies
The beginning of July marks the beginning of the back to school shopping season. The earlier you buy, the better deals you can get. There are so many retailers from office supply stores to grocery stores competing for your business that many items are offered for free or a few pennies. Check out the weekly School Supply Deals on the ShoppingQueen.com website starting next week. Don’t wait until the tax free shopping weekend, most of the good deals will be over then.
