I haven't paid for a turkey in years! This is one of my favorite tips and tricks for holiday savings.
Watch the flyers for your usual grocery store carefully. There are often promotions for all kinds of things over the holidays. My usual store typically offers a free turkey if you spend a certain amount. Read the fine print, buy only what you need to get to the required purchase amount, make sure you're still buying things on sale, and be sure to find the correct promotion turkey (ask if they're hard to find).
Sunday, November 10, 2013
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
Make Your Own Sale
Here is a classic example of how I stack savings everyday. This example is with Dress Barn, but the store is irrelevant. It's the steps that are important.
I often buy business attire essentials at Dress Barn. Knowing this, I bought a discounted gift card for Dress Barn for 22% off the face value so I could have it handy when I needed to shop. For a $100 gift card, I paid $78. There are many reputable websites where you can do this. Cardcash is a personal favorite.
Yesterday, I was ready to shop!
1. I looked for a coupon code. I use a coupon blog called www.ThriftyNWMom.com. www.Retailmenot.com and www.CouponCabin.com are also favorite places to look. I found a 30% off + free shipping code!!
2. I went to a cashback site. A couple of sites I use are Upromise and Ebates.
3. I used my discount gift card.
Assuming I selected $100 worth of merchandise, here is how my savings stacked:
Now, if what I bought was on sale to start with, my total savings would have been higher. Regardless, I created my very own 50% off sale!!
The keys to this were some preplanning because I had a gift card ready (this is feasible with merchants you use regularly) and I looked for a discount code. Another key to savings is control. If I had been unable to find a coupon code, it would be better to wait and watch for one. Replace that instant gratification with the excitement of scoring huge deals! YOU are in control.
I often buy business attire essentials at Dress Barn. Knowing this, I bought a discounted gift card for Dress Barn for 22% off the face value so I could have it handy when I needed to shop. For a $100 gift card, I paid $78. There are many reputable websites where you can do this. Cardcash is a personal favorite.
Yesterday, I was ready to shop!
1. I looked for a coupon code. I use a coupon blog called www.ThriftyNWMom.com. www.Retailmenot.com and www.CouponCabin.com are also favorite places to look. I found a 30% off + free shipping code!!
2. I went to a cashback site. A couple of sites I use are Upromise and Ebates.
3. I used my discount gift card.
Assuming I selected $100 worth of merchandise, here is how my savings stacked:
- $100 less 30% = $70 - this is what my receipt would look like
- Amount saved with the discount gift card 22% - $15.40
- Amount saved with 7% cash back - $4.90
Now, if what I bought was on sale to start with, my total savings would have been higher. Regardless, I created my very own 50% off sale!!
The keys to this were some preplanning because I had a gift card ready (this is feasible with merchants you use regularly) and I looked for a discount code. Another key to savings is control. If I had been unable to find a coupon code, it would be better to wait and watch for one. Replace that instant gratification with the excitement of scoring huge deals! YOU are in control.
Monday, November 4, 2013
Cash Back Sites - Upromise
Using cash back sites is one of my favorite bricks in building my tower of savings. Upromise often offers higher cash back percentages or they may have retailers that other cash back sites don't. This is because they are linked with Sallie Mae and can direct your cash back towards paying down your student loans or building a 529 savings plan.
Here is my example from a purchase yesterday. 6pm.com is a favorite online shop of mine and I found some terrific UGG boots there for a great price. Here's how I stacked the savings:
Here is my example from a purchase yesterday. 6pm.com is a favorite online shop of mine and I found some terrific UGG boots there for a great price. Here's how I stacked the savings:
- The boots I liked retailed for $240 and were available at 6pm.com for $117
- Found a 10% off promo code which brought the price down to $105.30
- Accessed 6pm.com through Upromise for 5% cash back (6pm.com does not offer cash back through other sites) - Total price $100.03 - a total of 58% off
Sunday, November 3, 2013
Moxie Jean - Upscale Resale for Kids Online
Another favorite online consignment store of mine is Moxie Jean. The concept is like thredUP, but this is only for children's clothing and they buy and sell smaller sizes. Give them a try and get $10 off your first order of $20 or more. Refer friend and/or send in your own gently used clothing for more credit. Easy!!
Saturday, November 2, 2013
My Big Savings at Michael's
I knew I had a craft project I wanted to do with my daughter soon so I ordered a discount gift card for Michael's. Big score! They're 27% off of face value. Within a week it arrived and I clipped a coupon for 40% off a full priced item. These are in newspaper, mailers, or you can print right from Michael's website.
Armed with my savings strategies, off I went. Well, happy surprise for me! All Halloween 'stuff' was on clearance for 80% off!!! And some of their Christmas craft kits for pre-school aged kids were on sale for 40% off.
Ever get side tracked from what you originally intended to buy? I certainly did! But, I'm usually prepared with extra savings tricks and have my eyes open to opportunities. I bought a couple of items for Christmas (because they were only 40% off) and several things for Halloween next year. My total came to $19.52. Full retail would have been $61.39. That's a savings of 68%!!!
It's not over yet. I paid with my discounted gift card. I paid 27% less than what it's worth so I paid Michael's $19.52 with that gift card, but I had only paid $14.25 for that amount. This added up to a total of 77% off.
Get gift cards for less at CardCash.com
Armed with my savings strategies, off I went. Well, happy surprise for me! All Halloween 'stuff' was on clearance for 80% off!!! And some of their Christmas craft kits for pre-school aged kids were on sale for 40% off.
Ever get side tracked from what you originally intended to buy? I certainly did! But, I'm usually prepared with extra savings tricks and have my eyes open to opportunities. I bought a couple of items for Christmas (because they were only 40% off) and several things for Halloween next year. My total came to $19.52. Full retail would have been $61.39. That's a savings of 68%!!!
It's not over yet. I paid with my discounted gift card. I paid 27% less than what it's worth so I paid Michael's $19.52 with that gift card, but I had only paid $14.25 for that amount. This added up to a total of 77% off.
Get gift cards for less at CardCash.com
Discount Gift Cards
Get gift cards for less at CardCash.com
Discount gift cards are one of my favorite bricks when stacking my tower of savings. It's simple - pay less than what it's worth. If I buy a $100 card for $80, that is a 20% savings off any purchase I make with that card. I know where I spend money regularly so I can plan ahead and get a discount. CardCash guarantees the value on the card.
Major retailers, restaurants, and entertainment such as movie theaters are featured on these sites. I have gotten discounts from 2%-22%, but the typical range for me is right in the middle of that. Here is an example of what I've bought:
Safeway - 2%
Costco - 2%
Best Buy - 5%
Old Navy/Gap - 10-15%
LL Bean - 11%
Dress Barn - 22%
Gymboree - 16%
Red Lobster - 10%
Applebees - 10%
The savings can really add up!
I have also seen cards for airlines, hotels chain, fast food. Many of these are also offered as e-Cards for online purchases. The possibilities are endless. Periodically, I browse through what is available and snap up what I might need. You can also have them email you a notice if they get a card from your preferred retailer. Compare discount percentages because they can vary.
Be aware that some of the cards you receive may be merchandise or store credit. Most retailers use these the same way they would an actual gift card, but some have restrictions. Know your favorite retailers' restrictions on those types of credit. A fairly safe way to spot a true gift card is those that are even numbers (i.e. $25, $50, $100, etc.).
Don't forget to use them!!
Discount gift cards are one of my favorite bricks when stacking my tower of savings. It's simple - pay less than what it's worth. If I buy a $100 card for $80, that is a 20% savings off any purchase I make with that card. I know where I spend money regularly so I can plan ahead and get a discount. CardCash guarantees the value on the card.
Major retailers, restaurants, and entertainment such as movie theaters are featured on these sites. I have gotten discounts from 2%-22%, but the typical range for me is right in the middle of that. Here is an example of what I've bought:
Safeway - 2%
Costco - 2%
Best Buy - 5%
Old Navy/Gap - 10-15%
LL Bean - 11%
Dress Barn - 22%
Gymboree - 16%
Red Lobster - 10%
Applebees - 10%
The savings can really add up!
I have also seen cards for airlines, hotels chain, fast food. Many of these are also offered as e-Cards for online purchases. The possibilities are endless. Periodically, I browse through what is available and snap up what I might need. You can also have them email you a notice if they get a card from your preferred retailer. Compare discount percentages because they can vary.
Be aware that some of the cards you receive may be merchandise or store credit. Most retailers use these the same way they would an actual gift card, but some have restrictions. Know your favorite retailers' restrictions on those types of credit. A fairly safe way to spot a true gift card is those that are even numbers (i.e. $25, $50, $100, etc.).
Don't forget to use them!!
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