1. Cut coupons – Each Sunday I look forward to receiving the newspaper, where we receive upwards of 100 coupons in our Sunday newspaper.

2. Download coupons off the internet – Check out www.coolsavings.com or www.couponcart.com for great on-line deals on your favorite items.

3. Join frequent buyer clubs at your local grocers – These no-cost programs offer club members on select products. In my last grocery trip I saved $15 as a member of my local grocer’s club and another $10 in clipped coupons.

4. Join a local warehouse club – Locally we have a Costco and Sam’s Club, as well as a Super Target and Super Walmart, where I have found significant savings over our name brand supermarkets. The wholesale clubs can save you 20

5. Purchase generic brands and/or store brands – I have often compared store brands to name brands and find that there is rarely a difference between the two. In fact, like many other products we purchase (i.e., electronics, appliances), the same manufacturer that makes the name brand often manufactures the generic product.

6. Purchase fresh products instead of processed/packaged products – It’s no surprise that fresh unprocessed foods are healthier for us, but these foods not only save in calories, but are also less expensive than packaged and processed foods.

7. Prepare a List – when you go to the store with a plan, you are less likely to succumb to impulse purchases. Check out the ‘All Out Of’ shopping list notepad that allows you to create your grocery list as you deplete household items. It has a magnet on the back so you can affix it to your frig.

8. Shop your supermarket’s weekly specials – Each week we receive our local supermarket’s brochure of advertised specials, which often include two for one sales. These circulars will also advertise double-coupon days. During double-coupon days and two for one specials, I’ve taken the opportunity to stock up on often used staples.

9. Choose products on the top and bottom shelves – It is no accident that higher priced products appear at eye-level on our grocery shelves. These are often the smaller sizes of a product, which typically have a higher per unit cost.

Originally posted 2008-08-24 09:24:48. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

July

Computers – July and August, or right after a new model is launched. Buying slightly older technology offers great savings opportunities.

Swimwear – As the swimming season draws to a close in July and August, you’ll find the best deals on tanks and bikinis. 

Indoor furniture – With the year’s second round of new furniture about to hit stores in August, July is a great time to find discounts on current inventory.

August

Lawn mowers and outdoor furniture – stores start to make room for snow blowers by August.

Dehumidifiers - For the same reason that humidifiers go on sale in February, dehumidifiers go on sale in August.

Computers – see July for details

Swimwear – see July for details

September

Gas/charcoal grills – Fire up your credit card in September through November, when outdoor cooking heads toward hibernation in most areas of the country.

Automobiles – Most new model years start in September, so that’s when dealers are looking to clear their lots of the previous year’s inventory. November and December also can be good though selections may be slimmer.

Scrubs, Trees & Perinials – September is when stores want to empty their garden sections, but there’s still enough time to get plants established before the first freeze.

Digital Cameras – A second round of new models comes out this time of year, so current inventory is marked down to make room for new models.

October

Gas/charcoal grills – see September for details

Winter clothing – cold-weather gear goes back on sale when the weather’s just starting to turn.

November

Automobiles – see September for details.

Televisions – TVs are a staple of pre- and post-Christmas sales, so plan to buy during the winter months (coincidentially, the same time you’ll want to spend curled up on the couch in front of the flat-screen anyway)

Toys - Another area where you can save just when you need to – in time for the holidays.

December

Air conditioners – this one’s easy – buy during winter when demand is low.

Automobiles – consumers are focused on holiday gifts and demand is lower.

Televisions - see November for details

Toys – see November for details

Good Days to Buy

Tuesdays – DVDs. New releases come out every Tuesday, and many stores offer discounts if you buy a movie on the first day it hits video.

Wednesday mornings – Airline tickets. According to Consumer Reports, that’s when airlines try to fill unsold seats on flights for the following week to 10 days.

Holiday weekends- Appliances. This is when stores bring out their big sales. Even smaller holidays like Columbus Day and Presidents Day can be good time to buy, according to SmartMoney.com.

If you know of other best buying times for products to add to my list, I welcome your comments.

Originally posted 2009-06-11 11:00:43. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

So you’ve done your research and you know what you plan to purchase. When is the best time to buy to get the best deals? You might just find that consulting your calendar will help you get the best deals. Certain times of the year – or even days of the week – can be ideal to shop for specific items.

Because I am such a bargain shopper, I decided to consult Consumer Reports and other consumer websites to figure out what to buy when. In this post I’ll cover the months in the first and second quarters, then will follow up in a subsequent post in June to cover the month in quarters three and four (July – December).

At the end of this post I’ve also included the days of the week that are best for purchasing certain products.

January

Houses and condos – If a homeowner has their home for sale during the winter months, it usually means there’s a need there to sell. 

Winter clothing – after-holiday sales make January a prime month for bargains on clothing, coats, and more.

Digital cameras – new models are announced in January, so the previous versions may be steeply discounted.

Bedding and linens – January “White Sales” date back to 1878 when a Philadelphia department store discounted his bedding linens, and the tradition caught on and continues to this day.

Indoor furniture – new furniture hits showrooms in February and August, so January and July are the best months to get good deals on current inventories.  

February

Homes and condos – see January for details

Sports gear and running shoes – In February and March, stores discount last year’s shoes. Try to buy sports fear a couple of months before the season starts.

Swimwear - Many stores will have carryover from the previous year and mark down at the first of the season in February or March.

Bicycles - In February and March bike sellers look to clear out last year’s models, much like auto dealers do in the fall.

Humidifiers - Consumer Reports says to buy humidifiers during the coldest time of the year: February.

March

Bicycles – see February for details

Swimwear – see February for details

Sports gear and running shoes – see February for details

Televisions - The fiscal year for Japanese companies ends in March, that month and April offer some great deals.

Camping equipment – Camping season begins in early-to-mid March where you can find great early season deals.

Winter clothing – look for deals on cold-weather clothes when the temperatures begin to rise.

April

Televisions – see March for details

May and June

Not much happening in May and June other than stores are still clearing out cold-weather clothing.

Good Days to Buy

 Tuesdays – DVDs. New releases come out every Tuesday, and many stores offer discounts if you buy a movie on the first day it hits video.

Wednesday mornings – Airline tickets. According to Consumer Reports, that’s when airlines try to fill unsold seats on flights for the following week to 10 days.

Holiday weekends – Appliances. This is when stores bring out their big sales. Even smaller holidays like Columbus Day and Presidents Day can be good time to buy, according to SmartMoney.com.

If you know of other best buying times for products to add to my list, I welcome your comments.

Originally posted 2009-04-10 22:47:26. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Did you know that only 1% of goods you consume or purchase today will still be in use 6 months from now? Think about that! Isn’t this alarming?

If there’s anything positive that can come from our current economic recession is that we are consuming less stuff. Which means that if we are consuming less, then each household is producing less waste that goes to landfills.  That’s a good thing.

This short film will teach you something, it’ll make you laugh, and it just may change forever the way you look at all the stuff in your life.

Originally posted 2009-02-13 13:24:25. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

We are told by pundits and government officials that the recession is causing us to buy too little new stuff – which is hurting the folks who make the stuff. And yet somehow, we are also told by the same pundits and government officials that we bought too much stuff to begin with, ultimately causing the onset of the recession.

We are told by environmentalists that we need to keep our stuff longer (or perhaps get rid of our stuff and get new better stuff) to be more friendly to Mother Earth.

It is all beginning to make me feel suffocated. We live in a country of great abundance – perhaps the abundance of all the stuff is a symptom of our success. Yet a recent wave of documentary/realty television is dedicated to the addiction of stuff. Shows like Hoarders regale viewers with stories of the millions of Americans drowning both financially and emotionally under the weight of years of accumulated and calcified stuff. Lives are destroyed. Homes are destroyed. And families fail. Not because of hunger or want, but because of excess. As a people, we seem unable to outrun the tsunami of stuff that follows our every move.

As a Professional Organizer, I see it every day. The past 5 years that I have been invited into people’s homes and offices to help them deal with their cluttered lives, has changed my life.

Every once in a while, isn’t there great joy in the reduction of stuff? Isn’t a trip to Goodwill (or even to the dumpster) kind of refreshing? I feel great – I much prefer the feeling of living lighter than of being tied down by stuff.

Consider this quote … the most important things are not things.

And yet, we still hang on to our stuff for a rainy day. Why? I challenge you this week to analyze your motives, emotions, reasons and excuses that you give yourself to convince you to hold onto stuff that doesn’t enhance your life.

Originally posted 2010-07-05 20:28:30. Republished by Blog Post Promoter