This past month or so has net Amanda and I some great deals. We’re bargain shoppers and we’re not afraid to admit that. Here are some examples of ways we’ve saved recently. Afterwards I listed some tips on saving money. If you don’t want to read about all my deals I got, at least read the tips. They have helped us tons.
Here we go…
November 23
We stand in line at 4:30am the day after thanksgiving to purchase roughly $400 worth of electronics for about $220.
That’s $180 saved thus far on $400 of stuff.
November 30
I have lunch with my mom for my birthday. She mentions that she needs to go to H&H Furniture for something. I tag along at her request. She takes me to the scratch and dent appliance section and tells me to pick out a clothes dryer. SWEET! Ours was broken and we needed a new one. I looked a bit and noticed a washer and dryer set. Retail was $900. Scratch and dent price, $500. You may scoff at the idea of buying damaged merchandise but get this… the dents were on the sides that faced each other. Once installed in the house you can’t see the dents. My mom then upped her offer and decided to buy both of them for us. Being the bargain shopper she is, she asked for a better price. She got it. Final price, $450.
That’s $630 saved thus far on $1300 of stuff.
December ?
I asked a few ladies for some help on buying Amanda a jewelry armoire. I had a $50 budget and was led to a great product for $40 on the Bed Bath & Beyond website. It seemed to be a good deal. On my way to BB&B I stopped by Target to pick up some household stuff and saw it. An armoire with over twice the capacity and better features overall. It was on sale from $80 to $50. Needless to say, I bought it and Amanda loved it!
That’s $660 saved thus far on $1380 of stuff.
December 18
Amanda and I go to Sears to look at freezers just to see what’s available. Lo and behold we find a scratch and dent 9 cubic foot chest freezer. Retail $300. Discount price $210. After some bargaining and a few tactics I got the sales guy to $180. Nice $120 dent that is purely cosmetic. If you want the whole story read here.
That’s $780 saved thus far on $1680 of stuff.
December 26
Grocery shopping can kill your budget - or lack thereof - so Amanda and I shop strategically. We look at the different sale papers from the different grocery stores in the area. All online. This way we know where to shop, which is usually a couple different places for different items. Our most recent shopping trip got us a big pack of chicken for $5 instead of $15, buy one get one free seafood (shrimp, grouper) and cereal, cheap frozen pizzas, and a lot of the usual. Total bill was $134 but we saved $67 according to the bill. We got what we needed and stocked up on things we didn’t need yet but would need soon and would be better to buy now while on sale. We had a brand new chest freezer to put it all in. It definitely pays to plan shopping trips.
That’s $847 saved thus far on $1881 of stuff.
December 28 (Today)
My mom just moved into a smaller place. She didn’t need a house for her and two boys with both of us now out of the house so she got a house sized for her. (Smart lady) That being the situation she decided to sell her dining room table and six chairs. Up until this point Amanda and I had a 30 year old table we got free from an aunt that had a couple broken chairs and didn’t have the prettiest finish in the world. We jumped on the chance to buy this $1500 table for $500. It is nice. Seriously. It has a great finish with great carvings along the edges of the surface and the pedestal. We love it.
That’s $1847 saved thus far on $3381 of stuff.
Summary and Some Tips
Obviously, Amanda and I know how to spend less and get more. It’s not a boast, just true. We studied it. We sought out these methods. Through some great books, courses, podcasts, and conversations we learned these methods and principles and more. That said, let me quickly list a few ideas to help you save money.
- Plan. Nothing will help you get rid of your money quicker than lack of a plan. This plan can be reading the grocery store circular to see what’s on sale, making a list and sticking to it, or deciding not to buy something until it’s discounted. Example… we waited on a freezer until we found a scratch and dent. We wanted new but not new prices.
- Shop around. By this I don’t mean to shop more but to do comparative pricing. Look around town, call around town, look online. If you’re going to buy new, pay as little as possible. It’s easy to find deals online at places like Amazon or PriceGrabber. Doing a search at those sites will help you save big on many things like electronics and housewares. I rarely buy books in town any longer. Even with shipping they usually cost less at Amazon. I get all my camera gear through deals I find on PriceGrabber. It pays to look around a little.
- Look for discounts. Wait for discounts. Most of Amanda’s Christmas gifts were bought at 60% off retail. I got her 9 pairs of earrings instead of only a couple because of the discounts I waited on. Used or damaged isn’t always bad. Scratch and dent items are great ways to save. Used items (like tables and chairs) are easy ways to spend less. This includes cars! You could even try yard sales and auctions. We’ve done those too.
In summary, there are deals to be had, we just have to look for them.
