3 Shopping Tips That Can Save You BIG Money!
...not just during the holidays.
As you know, shopping (both online and in brick & mortar stores) is incredibly popular during the months of November and December.
Not only is all of the hoopla surrounding Black Friday sales events getting bigger each year -- to the extent that many shoppers behave like maniacs on the day after Thanksgiving... But now, the retailers themselves are getting more competitive and doing more things to win over the average consumer.
This means YOU... and you can save big money, as a result!
As one example, for the first time ever, many retailers opened their doors at midnight on the night before Black Friday this year.
With more and more retailers fighting for your shopping dollar, there are a handful of ways that you can save big when you're shopping -- both online and in stores.
The folks at CNN Money spoke to a few experts to get their insider tips on how to shop smarter this holiday season.
The highlights:
#1 Consider visiting the stores after 6 p.m. the day before the big sale. If the ad says the storewide discounts kick off on a Wednesday, instead of waiting until Wednesday, just know that the discounts typically get put into the system after 6 p.m. the day before. BONUS: Not only do you get to take advantage of the big sale prices, but you also have fewer crowds to deal with!
#2 When shopping online, before you checkout at an online store, do a quick search for a "coupon code" or "promo code" for that store first. How? Enter the retailer's name, followed by 'promo code' (or just 'code') in Google and see what you get. If there is any discount code available for that retailer it should appear within the first page of your search results.
#3 Sometimes it pays to shop online. In fact, you can actually make money when you shop at certain (very well known retailers) online, like Kmart, Macy's, Dell, Target, JCPenney, GAP, Sears, and Drugstore.com -- to name just a few. (Here's the entire list of stores.) For example, at ebates.com, you sign up for free, and then you can receive special discounts and even cash back at over 800 different stores. It doesn't get better than that. (Plus, you even get a $5.00 credit the day you sign up, and there's no catch!)
Jennee -
Ah yes... Jim and I have actually talked about trying BillMeLater several times -- just haven't done it yet.
I've heard very good things about it before. Here are a few reviews from reputable sources:
And another interesting, somewhat related report here.
Thanks for reminding me about this great service, Jennee!
Another great site to check out for holiday shopping is www.billmelater.com. I love to use Bill Me Later because I don't have to hunt around for my credit card information and it's very secure and easy. Just answer two simple questions, and you're done! Then you get a bill in the mail a few weeks later.
I just started using Bill Me Later a lot because I recently started working for them, and I wanted to see how it really works. I think it is a great option for people like me who don't like using their credit card online (and I'm not just saying that because I work there now!). Check it out for yourself at www.billmelater.com