Savings Tips

A friend of mine is getting married and asked me for some advice on how to cut her wedding costs. The average wedding these days costs around $30,000, so even saving 10% can be a great amount of savings. It’ll definitely help with the honeymoon. So here are a few of the tips I shared with her:

1. Look for non-wedding vendors for wedding deals. For example, Costco.com offers Weddings at Costco where you can purchase flowers, invitations and even your honeymoon.

2. Consider bundling or unbundling services. For example, some event facilities simply rent their facilities and give you the power to choose your own caterer and bring your own alcohol. Other locations require you to use their own or affiliated food and beverage services. Many times choosing your own caterer and purchasing your own alcohol to serve can save your money. Sometimes getting a bundled service might come out cheaper. This all depends on what is or is not included in the package such as linens, plates, glasses, cake service and more.

3. Don’t call it a wedding. When getting prices, first start over the phone and just say you are getting pricing and service information for an event. Many times vendors charge higher for a service related to a wedding than other kinds of events.

4. Don’t take prices and contracts at face value, negotiate. Ask the vendor if they can give you a discount or include other items and services without an additional charge.

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I like to play tennis. Not that I am really good at it though. But I am good at finding tennis (and other) deals. Yesterday I received my free USTA tennis long sleeve shirt in the mail. This was in addition to the $11 discount I received for my membership fee. None of my team mates got this discount, so how did I manage it?

Before I make any purchase online, I always do a Google search for the store/website name and the words coupon and promo. You would be surprised at what kind of discounts are out there if you just spend a few minutes or in some cases seconds searching for them.

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When giving and receiving gift cards you think the value is apparent, but that is not always the case. You can purchase gift cards for less than face value. CreditCards.com has an article entitled Eight Ways to Get Gift Cards for Less. Some of my tips are mentioned in the article, but here are my top tips for saving on gift cards:

1. Shop during special occasions – Retailers have gift card promotions during major holidays such as Christmas, Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. Many times they will offer an added bonus to a gift card purchase. You especially see this at restaurants. The Brinker restaurant group which owns Macaroni Grill and Chili’s for example offers a free $5 bonus for every $25 card purchased.
2. Look to credit cards – Credit card issuers such as Visa, Mastercard and Amex frequently have gift card promotions on their discounts website. Amex for example has an offer for 10% off Linens N Things or Visa has a discount for Spawish.com.
3. SwapaGift.com – This website offers discounted gift cards. If you purchase a card directly from SwapaGift, it is guaranteed. If you purchase one through one of it’s users, its only guaranteed up to $100.
4. Buying from eBay or craigslist – There are many listings on both sites for gift cards, but you have to especially careful and do some legwork You should ask to verify the balance before you purchase. You need the card number and the toll-free balance check number. You should also ask about the expiration date. Many cards have expiration dates where some or all of the value is lost.

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There are so many credit card promotions out that I don’t know where to start.

Actually, the first place to start is your credit card company’s website. They list many travel, entertainment, dining and shopping deals. The deals are especially good if you are shopping online although many printable coupons are also available.

Some of the noteworthy promotions currently are:

1. Save $10 at Lowe’s when you pay with Visa

2. Save $15 at a local spa through Spawish.com certificates purchased with Mastercard

3. American Express has many dining deals, so check out their site: www.AmericanExpressOfferZone.com before you head out to eat. They also have local shopping coupons too.

The key is to remember to check the websites often as the deals are constantly changing. The summer months especially are a good time to find deals.

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With the cost of gas going up, so is everything else. Especially noticeable is the rising cost of groceries. Coupon clipping can only go so far. We have to be more creative in saving at the store. Here are some tips to help you save:

1. Don’t just rely on Sunday coupons. More and more grocery stores have their own coupons online, so check their websites before you head to the store.

2. Join a coupon sharing club or a coupon train. Do a search online to find one in your area.

3. Join your grocery store’s loyalty club. They offer additional deals.

4. Buy what’s in season. Learn what fruits and vegetables are in season and purchase accordingly. They are less expensive for two reasons, first they are in more abundant supply and second because they don’t have to travel from foreign countries to reach you.

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