Latest Deal

So, I just got another steal from one of my favorite places on the Internet.

eBay!

Here is the bargain:

A super high quality lambskin leather jacket made by Pelle Studio.

This ONE sold by Wilson's leather.

While you can see it on eBay, HERE

If not, let's point out what made it go for so little, despite a seemingly well written auction.

Title: Wilson's leather jacket black size 3X

Catagories: Men's outerwear; Women's outerwear

Description:
This is an absolutely beautiful Wilson's leather jacket in mint condition. The color is black, it has a zipper up the front and snaps on the sleeves. It, also, has a removable lining so it can be worn all winter. It has pockets on each side in the front and two pockets inside. It is from Pelle Studio, made of Italian leather. The size is 3X. This is indeed a jacket to wear with pride and prestige.
Measurements: length 31 ins. back 22 ins. sleeves 31 ins.

Bidding starts at just $ 24.99 plus shipping.

They had a really nice picture using eBay's picture service.

It was a bad listing if they wanted to make money or at least get a decent amount back. A great price for this jacket on eBay would be $120 shipped. Here is why I got it for so low.

They put it both men's and women's categories! HUUUGE mistake. Guys don't want a women's jacket even if it did fit them in places. True or not guys have the idea that women's clothes are cut differently, which is true for pants but may or may not be for leather jackets. Also, Men's 3X is 100% different than women's 3x.

Now, if you're not too lazy, you will hunt down a tape measure and measure yourself. I did. This is a men's jacket. But most people will not do this, and MOST of the "leather jackets" on eBay are around the $25 start price of this auction. The reason for this is that they are scrap leather jackets. They are cheaply made jackets made out of the scraps from car leather, upholstery leather, other full leather jackets, etc. Then those jackets are sprayed black, so they can bleed badly. About 90% of the "leather jackets" on eBay are this type, and if you are going to sell a jacket that is actually really good quality, you need to set yourself apart.

Description problems:
Why on earth would you say it's black, when you have a freaking photo? I have no idea either. They did not mention the gender, which is really bad, but then in the title they call it "Wilson's leather" jacket, but in the description it says it is from Pelle Studio, well, technically, it's true, they are both, but they should have put "Pelle Studio Black Men's Lamb Leather Jacket 3x 3XL"

This would grab all the keywords and set them apart from the other auctions, people searching for black would get this auction, for lamb, etc. Also you get both versions of the size; 3x and 3XL.

Also, they did not put a larger picture in the description by hosting the picture themselves. This auction was put up by someone who knows nothing of sales-they DO know that they were impressed by the quality and prominence of this jacket, but fall short in transferring that belief to others. If you want to sell that aspect of it, you need to talk about Wilson's leather (the company that sells this jacket), the brand Pelle Studio, and you need to mention the retail price, where their stores are, etc.

They didn't, so this jacket went for a sick low price. The price I wanted to pay.

Thing is, though, most eBayers are lazy, and because of that, they did not get one other bid. Other than mine, that is. I actually bid over $100 for this jacket, as this one would fit me perfectly and last me quite some time. Over all I saved myself about $20 over a similar jacket that was also selling at the time, but the one I got is clearly better quality.

So, folks, if you're selling something expensive on eBay, DO YOUR RESEARCH!!!
Think about what made YOU buy it, then show those things to the customer, and you will get tons more money.

Next, the hard part.

Finding these bargains and grabbing them (note, any tips here will become more useless when more people start taking advantage of them; i.e., looking for misspellings. Misspelling "diamond" will actually get you more bids than spelling it normally).

NEXT POST the $1000 post. THIS NEXT POST WILL SAVE YOU $1000 over the course of a year if you do it right.

Vacation Time, part one: Hotels

Time to toot my own horn. I get fantastic deals on vacations, I don't mind saying. I have been pretty much anywhere in the U.S. worth visiting with the exception of Seattle. Anchorage to Alabama (you can miss AL), Texas to California, Hawaii, New York, Virginia Beach...you get the idea. I travel mostly for business, but I do a lot of travelling for fun as well, and you can have more fun in places than you ever thought possible with just a little research. I can save you a ton per year by having an adventurous spirit and a willingness to get a deal.

Timing.

Every summer people from hot areas go to cold ones, every winter, people from cold areas go to hot ones.

Pretty much a no-duh, right? I thought so too. By avoiding areas that have a special event going on at the time you book, or if you are planning on going to that special event, take a decent sized trip to get there from where you are staying, this can add up to tremendous savings.

Wanna get the best deals? Pick your vacation based on the deal, not on where you would really like to go. You probably have never thought of a trip to Arkansas, but if you do it right, you can have a blast for cheap. (Crater of Diamonds National Park near Murfesboro is a ton of fun.) Or pretty much anywhere. You might be surprised on what you can find within driving distance

Got a place in mind for your travels and are flexible about what kind of place you want to sleep at? Then Priceline is best for you. Pick 2 star and try $31 ($53 in CA, $112 in HI) per night and make sure you're choosing all the ares near where you want to be. You will more than likely get an Extended Stay America. These are places that come with a kitchen complete with plates and pots, a full sized fridge, possibly a pool, and a sparse breakfast on Mon-Fri. Depending on where you book, you can get a higher end ESA brand, such as Extended Stay Deluxe or Studio Suites.

Priceline would probably like to kill me for telling you this; I learned these numbers only after years of buying hotels, and with a few exceptions like resort towns in the summer or special events, you're going to get what I described about 80% of the time. The rest of the time is going to be split between places like La Quinta.

Another great idea when it comes to finding killer deals on lodging is actually calling the places. If you can't find get the prices mentioned when you name your own price, Google motel and the name of the city where you are going, then call the places and try to hammer out a similar price. You can get $30 a night in many places that Priceline won't partner with, but you have to actually get on the phone. I did that when going to Saginaw, MI over the Thanksgiving holiday. Priceline wasn't handing out the deals, so I got a place with comfortable and outdated furniture and a small fridge for about half of what Priceline or similar places wanted to give me.

Picky?

Well even if you are picky there are ways to get what you want for a little less. Picky people will almost never have the best deals, or the most interesting adventures, and take it from me, running the risk of getting a cheesy motel is completely outweighed by the fun you can have getting there. Anyway, if you want to go to a convention, book first. Many hotel websites will have specials for joining their mailing list or simply booking on their site. So, if you want a specific hotel at a specific time, you should probably get the booking done as soon as possible. Also, if you have AAA or are a senior, or have to stop on the way somewhere because of bad weather, illness, etc, many places have a distressed traveller discount.

Places to avoid.

America's Best Value
Under no circumstances accept a deal at this place. They have had their chance to reform and after staying at three of them in different places I can tell you that it's the only place I have stayed at that had roaches (and I Priceline EVERYTHING). The only places that Priceline will give you ABV (in Texas) is in San Antonio, Waco, and possibly New Braunfels.

You can actually call and cancel your reservation with Priceline when you name your own price. You do have to be persistent and insistent when calling, but the threat of having the credit card deny payment usually does the trick if it comes to that.

I once went to Ocala, FL and found that the room I had booked was actually cheaper if I booked direct (ValuePlace. Thin walls, no dishes or cookware, but a place to cook things and a full-sized fridge, never a pool and you can bet on begrudging service and hard beds).

Next time I visit Hotels, I am going to give you some great pointers on bed and breakfasts and cabins.

Gas Buying

You could always pick the place that is on your way home from work, or you could do it the way I do.

Say you're going downtown to watch a movie, or heading to a baseball game across town, and your about at a half of a tank of gas, before you leave go to gasbuddy.com and check first. On your way back, you can stop off at a place that is near your route and get the lowest gas prices.

For some reason, sometimes you will find that your favorite station is a little high or a little lower than the competition. It doesn't really matter that the reason is, but customer loyalty is silly because you can get the same gas from anywhere. The only difference from one station to the next is the slight possibility that you have more or less detergents in the gasoline. They all burn the same because they all come from the same refinery, the only difference is the amount of cleaners they put in there. The type of detergent (from what I understand) is generally standardized, so there really isn't going to be any difference from one gas to another.

When you go on gasbuddy, you can pick specific areas that you are going to be driving through anyway; this gives you the best chance at saving some dough. Of course if you do happen to see a lower price while on your way to the gas station you mapped out, then please do everyone a favor and report it on gasbuddy so others can share in your good fortune.

You will be able to save anywhere from $17 to $35 per year in gas by adding a 2 minute search to your trip across town.

Remember, it's great to get a great deal, but don't go more than a mile or two out of your way for gas savings, the trip there might actually cost you more than you're saving.

Tires

So, I just got finished buying tires for my truck.

Tires sales are in its own little world. But when you need tires, you gotta have them--so price fixing is the norm. My tires had plugs, slow leaks, gashes and extreme wear... but I was holding out till I saw a great sale with the type of tire I need.

My wife e-mailed me earlier today and told me about Obama's newest international doing, apparently he has taken a little time off from snubbing England to impose a new tariff on tires, 35% on all tires from Our Supplier (China). So, my normal "wait till I can steal it" technique is out the door, because as soon as the chains realize that their least expensive tires are going to be 35% more, they are going to tack on their additional profit and pass the prices on down the line. But I was still confident that I could get a deal.

Problem is, it's for my truck, and they take nice big tires and there is simply no way to get those for $25 apiece like I usually got on my Toyota Tercel. The best price I could find was $65 apiece (youch!) but if I had gone to the first place that crossed my mind I would only be able to get used tires for that price.

So, after several calls, I find that $110 per tire is about the norm. But I didn't stop there, I went online, where I found tires for about $90 apiece (including tax and shipping); but then I would need to get them balanced and put on. I have a place that will do this for $10 a tire, but I didn't want to order online and have to wait for a month till they arrived. I found a place nearby that had some good ones for $85 a tire, and I just about gave up, but I called some more.

Finally I found a place that had a tire sale going on, and after all the taxes and balancing, it came to $330.40--which I normally would have scoffed at, but since a killer deal will soon be that price or worse in the very near future, and the fact that I had a tire constantly losing air, it became the right time to buy.

There is only one way to get a great deal on tires: with a phone, a phonebook, and pen and paper. Compare away, as long as you know what is written on your tires, you can compare prices from 20 or more tire places, and chances are one of them is going to be having a sale on the tires you need.

Once you have found the price you want, you can go back and call the places with the better quality tires; for instance, if you know a shop that only uses Goodyear or Goodyear off brand (manufactured by Goodyear with a different brand name) you can call them back and have them match your lowest price. That way you get the quality you want, and the price you want. Just remember to get over there quick (as in now folks!) and you have scored.

Wal-Mart will match prices on the same brands that they carry if they know about the sale, so if you're in a pinch, go to wally-world, they will take care of you for very close to the best price about 80% of the time.

With my vehicle, there is pretty much no way that the transmission is going to last for more than 60K miles, so getting good quality tires really doesn't figure into things all that much, and the place I finally landed on was literally walking distance from where I was located (I just walked back).

So, if the Obama Tire Tariff has you thinking that it's Tire Time, with these tips you can get a great deal.

Google tells all

The best way to get your best price on pretty much anything is going to rely on research in one form or another. Either it is research you have already done, or are doing as you search.

Google will tell you what you want to know 9 times out of 10, so it's a good go-to.

Running a Google search properly can take some time. It is important not to get frustrated quickly.

For instance, I am right now looking at a microphone for my laptop. Well, I want something that isn't gonna sound like poo, and at the same time, I want to spend a very small amount on it. I know when it comes to microphones, quality is everything. One time I purchased a stage mic for a demonstration I was doing. I bought a wireless set off eBay, and it was terrible, no sound definition. So, I simply took my current mic from radio shack and spliced the better mic into where the original mic was and presto, a great quality wireless mic for under $60 (they can get really pricey) But right now, I want one to mess around with doing some recording on the compie. In this case I am going to trust what other people have to say over the best price, because when it comes to items like this, you simply must pay a little more.

So, I am looking at a Sony f-v100; its a cheap looking omnidirectional mic...the brand is good.

Ah, but when you look at reviews, apparently it puts out volume so low that it simply won't work for me. After a little research, I came across the NADY SP-4C which is also well-priced for a mic, good reviews, but I want it for under $20.00 shipped. The best price around is from http://www.electronics-expo.com/ and their lowest price is $20.22 including shipping... So I wait for a little while till I can get it to me for less.

Google told me all I needed to know, but I had to keep searching. I searched for "Sony f-v100 reviews" and the top listing showed no reviews; but I went to Amazon.com, and there were the reviews, all bad. Then I saw a link to the different mic. Now that I have done the research, I add this to my occasional search list for eBay and when I see it on auction, I will use my online magic to get it for under $20.

Often, you will need to redo your search 3 or 4 times before you get the answers you need. For instance, I wanted to set up my laptop so it wouldn't "hibernate" when the screen was shut, it took me several tries "lid closed", "VAIO hibernate", "top closed", "case closed", etc., till I came up with the correct terminology, and then it was easy to find out what to do. so, when you are looking for something, and it doesn't come up, think about the possibility that you aren't doing something right.

For instance, I was looking up a home gym I was thinking about purchasing, and when I entered the model name into Google, every picture, every review and every site was showing a plain weight bench with that model name...hmm...so, I ran an eBay ended auction search, and bingo, one came up, and I looked at the picture of the box that the home gym came in, and it said model # spc-1000 (or something like that) and then I was able to take that info back to Google and find reviews, original prices, the manual, etc. I decided that it was an awesome deal, a used but completely functional home gym with dozens of separate workouts, originally sold for around $300 and I got it nearby with Craigslist for only $50, and now it is at my house where I try to use it every day.

$10,000 off a new car.

When it comes to new car shopping, most people who have done it two or three times think they have it down, they know how to do it, and telling them the actual best way isn't going to help.

But if you are planning on purchasing an American made vehicle that generally costs $50k, I can save you around $10k. On smaller vehicles, I can save you a proportionate amount. And believe it or not, it has nothing to do with beating up the salesman, or talking to the sales manager, or even showing the dealership you know how much they pay for them (except in the case of high demand vehicles). If you do want one of these, you need to know what someone else recently paid for their's, contact the internet salesperson and ask for a slightly better deal, and send the same e-mail to all the dealerships in the area, with the same email, saying the first person who matches or beats your price gets your business. You can try this trick several times to find the lowest price, by simply changing your name and email address and raising the price, after waiting a week. It's not easy, but if you want the convertable, the high end caddi, newest hybrid or similar vehicle, that's your best bet.

Now, you need to decide what vehicle you want to buy. Before you start your search, figure it out, read reviews, look at resale value, initial quality, etc. Finding your target vehicle is a great way to go. If you want to drive a couple, I suggest renting a car. There are two reasons behind this: One, you're going to be driving a car with a few miles on it, and they will be miles that are hard miles. Nothing is a better test of a vehicle than a rental vehicle. And, two, the stupid salesperson that you use isn't going to appreciate it and you're not going to be buying from him anyway.

Time.

You need to wait until the optimum moment to purchase a new vehicle. If you just simply decide that the road noise in your 4 year old car is not something you want to live with for another six months, you probably won't be able to get a killer deal--a good deal perhaps, but not better.

Buying this year's model is what comes naturally, but it may be a great deal to get the old stock from last year, check the rebates and make sure. Dealerships have actually sold the last year's model for more than the newer year because of rebates, so check and see. It will likely have 300-500 more miles on it than the typical 5-180, but that really isnt that big of a deal in the long run. This works especially well if the dealerships don't like doing rebates on that model.

A little about rebates.

Factory rebates are cash off given by the factory to encourage the sales of certian models throughout the year. they generally start off small, and can actually end pretty small if the demand for the vehicle is high, so don't expect a rebate for a corvette, you're not going to find it unless chevy does something really dumb like produce 3X as many of them as they do now. One of the ideal vehicles for getting huge rebates is the Chevy Suburban. But more on that later.

Research is going to play a large part in knowing when the time is right to even start looking for your car, but generally speaking, you need to stay away from any dealership until you are ready to buy. Some salespeople are really good, and besides, when you show up and you are completely not ready to buy you mess-over the salesperson, who may only get to talk to 2 or 3 people all day.

Rebates under $1000 (wait)
Rebates over $4000 (no matter what vehicle, the time is right)

If you live in a small city, town, or out in the country, this blog may not be the best one for cheap living/money saving, but if you live close to a very large city, you will likely have to go on into town, that is where the competition is.

Once you have researched and found out that the rebates are as high as they will likely get (generally at the end of the model year, or into the next), start looking. I can tell you where you are going to find the best price. It's the big one: on the advertisement. Make sure you are seeing all the ads, get hold of every local paper and spread them all out before you leave. You will be buying the car on a Sunday, by the way, so get that Sunday paper early (the ad cars are done with the largest paper edition, the Sunday edition).

Yes, seriously, the huge Suburban in the picture with the large price is your absolutely best price, and you never going to be able to haggle down that low. Chances are, it's a smaller dealership, and chances are, there is only one or two in stock.

Did you need the metallic grey one? No, sorry but you really don't. You want that color, and that color that you and everyone else on the planet also wants, is going to cost you an extra $3000. If that seems like a decent deal to you, then why are you reading this blog?

Options.

Look closely at the options, and know what each one costs the dealership. This is all part of research. Generally speaking, no two dealerships will put the same ad car on sale, there is always going to be some sort of difference, sunroof, 6-disk cd player, nav system, dvd player...

Chances are, that even with all the discounts you are going to get, you are still better off with a more bare-bones vehicle, the exception being automatic door locks, power windows and an alarm system. all of those three will likely eventually cost you more in the long run (trust me on this, I could tell you some stories!)

Financing.

Get your own financing first, get a credit union, you can belong to a credit union and a bank, and generally the credit unions will be more lenient with lending you cash, and will also have better rates. And go get pre-approved for the vehicle--your interest rate will be much lower than the dealership and you will now be paying the vehicle off on a 30 day option, so when the dealership says, "OK Bob, you're approved," and you notice that the interest rate is 26.95% percent, you can smile and say, "I have a 30 day, cash option here Fred."

You are also going to get financing from the dealership in most cases, that is, unless you can get the money into your account simultaneously with the transaction, in which case you are pretty good with your banker at the CU.

Once you have found the car, and you know your credit score is over 650 (720+ will get you top-tier credit) Now, head on over to the dealership, at 10:30 AM Sunday morning, tell him you want the ad car, drive it around the block, and if it whines or squeaks, they will fix that for you, you just have to make them. Get on in and do the paperwork, don't forget to mention the 30 day option, and he will say "Yeah sure, you can iron all that our with finance." This is when the salesperson will hand you off to the real slime ball, the finance manager, and they will try to get you the worst rate imaginable, TAKE IT. You're not going to be paying that rate, you have your financing already with the credit union.

Add-ons.

Somewhere along the way, you're going to get hit with add-ons.

Anything that you do not HAVE to have by law or already comes on the vehicle and is included in the price, is going to be a rip off, they have this great "system" they want to apply to the interior that repels stains, and this amazing UV protecting coating that will shield your clear-coat. And if you just get the interior for 20% off, we will do the exterior coat for free...

NO.. it's Scotch-Guard and a good quality wax, you can do it yourself for less than $50. Seriously, they have a little spray bottle, and they spray that on. I know, I used to be the one doing it.

Well, you want to protect your car, right? If you extend your warranty a little, this will...

RIP YOU OFF. Remember, you are buying a car from them that costs you less than it cost them. Now, they know they were going to lose some on the vehicle, but they perhaps thought they could get you in one way or another. So, no extra warranties, no coatings, pinstripes, tinting, rubber treatments, sealers, stain guards, side steps, brush guards, bed liners, car covers, NOTHING!

You can get everything else in the same quality for less.

And now you are driving off the lot in a vehicle for a price that can't be beat.

Any sales managers here want to add anything I missed?

Knowing Prices

When it comes to getting great deals, you have to be able to spot them.

This means you are going to need to know what a good deal is when you see it. Whether it's on eBay, at a flea market or in a grocery ad, unless you know what a good deal is, you're not going to recognize a good deal when you see one.

For getting the most amazing deals around, you are going to want to research, research, research.

For instance, I was at a garage sale a couple years back and I saw a plastic piece of equipment in a case, and I recognized it as a sextant, which is a nautical tool used to find certain aspects of a ship's position. The person selling it did not have a clue as to what is was and offered it to me for $5.00. I took it, and as it turns out it sold new for over $200.00. I was able to put it up on eBay and it sold within a day at $86.00, leaving me a nice $72.00 profit (after all fees). It sold to a person in Hawaii.

If you have very specific knowledge about certain collectibles or specialty electronics, you are going to eventually find great deals in flea markets or at garage sales, but it is generally best to have a wide range of knowledge, even if that knowledge is not very specific.

For instance, I know that original Star Trek toys can go for a quite a pretty penny, so finding a play set at a garage sale for $20 may not seem like a great deal, but with a little research, it might prove to be.

When it comes to grocery shopping, your research is going to be the shopping itself. Start paying attention to what things are prices at and then you will have something to compare it to.

For instance, I just put a bid out on some razor heads on eBay. The price was very high on eBay, but when I did the breakdown, I found that I was going to get a great deal pretty much no matter how high the auction went. WM price $2.50 per head. High eBay price for identical product in bulk $1.70 And since I don't think that my wife is going to suddenly decide that hairy is "in" I can purchase away, as all the heads are completely sealed.

Buying in bulk can be a great idea on items that don't go bad and are always eventually needed (as long as you have the room to store them). The things I have purchased in large bulk are:
Toilet paper, paper towels, razors, stamps, packaging supplies (for my pearl website).

Some food items are good for bulk buying, but it always depends on how much you are going to use, and whether you might change to using something else more later.

For instance, I buy sour cream in large portions, my wife and I LOVE Mexican food and Indian food with "a dollop of Daisy." But now that I am on a diet, I have switched to a smaller container of Daisy light, because I can't have nearly as much as I used to.

Another item we purchase in bulk is one many people have not heard of or seen, it's called Heat-N-Eat Indian food. They are pouches of complete entrees, cooked and sealed in plasticated aluminum pouches, which you can heat by adding the package to boiling water for 3 minutes, and we serve over Calrose rice (I am still looking for a deal on Calrose; it is a special short-grain rice with an amazing texture and flavor, usually used with sushi). The Heat-N-Eat meals come in a myriad of flavors, almost none of which I have heard of before, but they are generally excellent, and with our rice maker, it's the ideal quick easy gourmet meal. The food can be stored unrefrigerated and last well over a year. Many of the meals could use a little meat, so a quickly grilled chicken breast does the trick nicely, as most of the Heat-N-Eat meals are vegetarian. We checked online to find the prices, and then used that information to decide on what a good price is.

A good price to Heat-N-Eat entree is $1.00 and when we find it in that price range we generally get 10 or 15 of them, depending on the selection.

One of the most powerful tools online in determining the average sale price for just about any non-food item is eBay. By searching in the "ended auctions" section, you can see the actual sale price along with the shipping for the items that sold.

Unfortunately several years ago eBay cut back the usefulness of this tool by making the searching only show results that ended within the last 2 weeks (it used to be 3 months)

If you're planning on selling an item on eBay, it's always best to check the completed auctions out first, as many people have inflated expectations of what their items will sell for, and are going to throw their money away by starting the bid too high and will never get a single bidder.

When it comes to buying or selling a house, zillow.com is a decent resource, as it will show the actual sales prices of houses in your area, but beware about trusting the price it shows your house at, as your specific neighborhood demographics are not taken into account and the price can be off drastically (it shows my house value at about 2X actual value)
The best resource for getting home values in your area is an insider, a Realtor, and there isn't another great resource out there that I know of for that.

When it comes to knowing your home's value, it allows you to decide what types (if any) of improvements your likely to see a return on.

For instance, My house is worth approximately $45,000.00 and is more than likely the only house on the street with granite counter tops. If you bought them from a professional, and had them professionally installed in my neighborhood, you're going to lose 50-80% of the amount you spent. However, if you are able to buy them used and install them yourself (like I did) you can actually make money on the investment. I spent $2500 for counter tops, stainless sink, ISE, cabinets, dishwasher, ice maker, convection range, and microwave with hood and installed with the help of my parents.

There is no way I would have spent more than $3200 for all of it, because in my area, you don't get a huge premium for a great kitchen, the area depresses a lot of the prices in that way, but doing projects that are mostly labor and doing it yourself can pay off.

On the other hand, if you live in a very nice area with a homeowner's association, clean sidewalks, rising home values, etc. doing things yourself will actually lower the values unless you can make it look just like a pro would.

When it comes to buying a vehicle, your best friend is going to be your research. If you know what dealerships get the biggest volume discounts, and buy at a time that rebates are good, you stand a great chance at getting a good deal on a new vehicle. (more on car buying later)

One more thing. If you see someone demonstrating something DO NOT BUY IT unless you can make sure you cannot get it for less somewhere else. I purchased a set of Miracle Blade III perfection series online after watching the infomercial, and with the savings I got online, I was very pleased with the purchase.

Retail Me Not

When shopping for clothes, electronics, bedding, specialty items and other easily shipped items, one gold mine is retailmenot.com

Retailmenot can also be used to get printable coupons for chain restaurants, and will often have BOGO (buy one get one) offers.

Before you go out to eat with your spouse or friend at Souplantation, TGI Fridays or Wendy's go to http://www.retailmenot.com/.

Many websites will have a field for a coupon code or a field for a "referred by" field, and if you have found the perfect swimsuit or special cord that you can't get on eBay, then open up a new browser (or tab) and check out retailmenot.com. You can get free shipping over $50 on many sites, or freebies such as on my website http://www.undrilledpearls.net/ where you can get a free gemstone with your order by telling a friend about the site.

We use them all the time, and especially if we are making a larger purchase online for something we can't get on eBay We have gotten free shipping, or better. One time we bought something that was on clearance, and got free shipping, it came out to about 1/5th of the regular brick and mortar retail store price.

Shopping Day

I just went shopping, and I want to share a couple finds with you.

Sometimes a great deal on a certain item can be as little as 2% off, which would be true for things like stamps, but on most items it needs to be at least 25% off before I would consider it a good deal. When it comes to luxury items or higher end brand names, you will generally be very lucky with 20% off of the average sale price (notice I didn't say retail--just about nobody pays retail unless you're buying a brand name electronic item new).

Here is what I got today: Large King Crab legs. Average retail appx. $22.00 per pound, average low online price including shipping: $44.10 for one pound (yes seriously).

A good price would be $15.00 per pound, a great price would be $11.00 and a fantastic price would be $8.00

My price: $4.99 per pound.

You simply are never ever ever are going to see this unless you are really lucky, but it will happen that with patience and looking in the right places you are going to occasionally find similar deals on other products.

Who wants some crab now?

Anyway, I also got a good deal on sugar free Smuckers boysenberry jam MMMMMmmm...for $1.99. That would be about an average price if it were regular jam, a decent price for off-brand sugar free, but Smuckers is really tasty and I can't wait to try a little with some whole-wheat bread ($.88).

I was also able to score some hard-to-get sugar free Heinz ketchup. at $.79 /14 oz. Which appears to be a really great deal as it shows online at over $3.00. I am currently on a low calorie diet, and Wal-Mart here does not currently carry it, so actual price comparison is difficult.

If you are fortunate enough to live in Fort Worth or nearby then you need to check out Town Talk foods on Beach St. If you normally buy specialty foods or are into trying exotic dishes, this is the place for you. I shop there at least twice every month, and am in good with one of the stockers, she gives me the low-down on the hottest selling and newest products. If you live in the DFW, head on over there before noon on September 23rd 2009, as of posting they have 3 cases left and going fast (beware, they also have some snow crab mis-marked as king crab) Also, there was a smattering of snow crab for the equally crazy price of $2.50 per pound, but that will likely be sold out as I post this.

Wally-world

Many people don't think too much about saving money on groceries, they buy what they want, because it's time consuming to clip coupons. But I have a better way to get everything you want, Save some green in the mean-time and you never have to get your clippers out.

First things first.

Plan your meals. Even if you only make one meal a day (breakfast) at home, you can still plan your meals around the sales. Wait to make any decisions about what foods to buy or where to shop until you have the ads in front of you. Many times the ads for the nicer grocery stores come in the newspaper, but generally the Hispanic stores (fiesta, food land, etc.) will go directly to your home if you live in the area. The Hispanic stores will generally have the lowest prices, whereas the higher end stores have the best quality and largest produce.

When you have all the ads in front of you, consider that the front page or largest pictured items will generally be the loss-leaders, designed to bring you into the store so you can buy the more expensive items that you also need. Many non-staple items like razors can be purchased on eBay at a savings.

Once you have your meals planned, or at least an idea of what you are going to be making for the week (or two weeks, depending on how you shop) then look to make sure that the ads are not BOGO (buy one, two or 3 or 4 and get one free) Wal-Mart will not match those ads, and if you find that the bulk of your purchasing is going to be those items, then go to that store. Otherwise go to Wal-Mart. Wally-world will match the prices of everything on the ads, their produce is generally medium in grade, and their staple products are cheaper. Take your ads with you to the store and make the list based on those ads.


#1 Rule of Shopping

Most you already know this, especially if you have been shopping for a while, but the #1 rule of shopping is NEVER shop when you're hungry. Those instant dinner-for-4s and ice-cream sandwiches are going to find a home in your cart, and you not going to be able to think nearly as clearly about what you actually need vs. what you would really like to have.

Buying in bulk.

Buying bulk is best in most cases (remember that word "most") The price per gram/ounce/pound is generally less. If you have a large family, then Sam's club or Costco is where you will be wanting to go. but first check Wal-Mart's prices on the things you would be planning to buy there before you commit to a yearly fee. A little math now can save you a lot of time and money later. For instance, if you bake a lot of bread at home, you will likely want to go to Sam's to get flour, yeast, milk, baking powder, etc. But if you only bake a little bread, you could actually lose money in bulk buying. Here is how that works; you buy a 50 pound bag of flour, and the other items you need from Sam's, but after 6 months you have used 5 pounds, the bag is taking up way too much space, and now you're beginning to see little bugs in the flour (they WILL get in there eventually no matter how clean of a house you keep) or if you're lucky, it lasts a year and you have used half the flour, and now you get an off-taste to the flour. It happens, the oils in the flour will go rancid and you shouldn't eat it. Buy only things that you can use within a little more than the stated "best if used by" date.

Meats.

Meats can be confusing to all but the most seasoned butcher. You will very often see a cut of beef or pork mentioned in the ad and go to Wal-Mart only to find the same cut isn't represented...or at least it isn't calling itself the same thing. Don't fret, find the buzzer near the meat counter and wait for the under-appreciated meat stocker to show up. Ask him what would be the same cut. 9 times out of 10 you are going to find that they do have the same cut, but they just call it something else, and when you get up to the cash register, you can tell the uncaring cashier that they butcher told you it was the same cut, and you will see your price go to 3/4 or 1/2 of what it used to be most times.

One word about price matching: it cuts both ways.
Many higher end stores occasionally have loss-leaders are actually More than Wal-Mart's everyday prices, so LOOK to make sure. I can remember one time I thought I was getting a deal on tomatoes only to find that Wally-world already had the competition beat.

Quality vs. Price.

I have found that many items that LOOK better at the higher end stores just LOOK better and taste the same, sometimes this it true, sometimes it isn't. But when it comes to canned goods, I have found that there is generally a higher content of water than produce. so, be careful, if the off-brand is slightly cheaper than the brands you know, it is still generally better money-sense to buy the brands you know.

Produce.

When it comes to produce, look for items that are heaviest for their size, Guys, check the top of the pile; since most women do not reach as far as you might be able to, you're going to be able to find a better selection. Cantaloupes should have a slightly fragrant smell at where the stem connected, Don't worry about the occasional blemish on the tomatoes, melons, apples, or any other item that you are going to peel anyways, remember, the blemishes occur naturally and do not effect taste or nutrition, they just allow you to get it for less.

Staples.

Cereal, milk, eggs, flour, sugar, cool-aide, whatever you always are needing to buy, remember to look at the price per ounce/gram/pound and compare. For cool packaging or individual servings already split out, you are generally going to pay more, but there are exceptions to the rule. I have found that sometimes the largest containers of ranch dressing and my favorite, Pace salsa can be higher than a moderate size. Look first. And think about how much you are going to need.

Bowls, plates, linens, etc.

Wally-world can have fantastic prices on these types of items, but just look first, note their prices, and if need be, write them down. Generally the need for these items is not immediate, you can then go back home and see if eBay has a better price.

Wal-Mart can be a savings wonderland--in most places the Wal-Marts will beat the prices of the competition on a majority of the items. But there are going to be new and fun looking items that you are going to want to get right away, just try the new small Altoids, or pick up a fancy two-in-one washer/dryer sheet, but watch out. This is where Wally-world makes their money, along with the cold sodas near the registers, which are full price. Have a can of soda instead of a bottle and you have just saved at least $0.50 every time.

With these tips, you should be able to save $20-$40 per shopping trip, but come back for more because the Real Shopping secrets are still ahead.

About Me...

Hi,
my name is James Van Daele,

And I get nearly everything for less$$$. Let me paint you a picture.

I own a 3 bedroom and 2 full bath house in Fort Worth, Texas which I purchased for $26,600, I am sitting in front of a 34" HDTV that I got for $50, it is sitting on a solid wood stand that I got for $25, and I am sitting on a large leather couch from Ikea that I spent $100 on. Everywhere in my house I are deals like this, and I mean everywhere. My house is full of solid wood furniture, and I spent less than $500 for all of it. And how about my king size, good quality memory-foam bed that I got for less than $800, including the bedding and down pillows. I spend around half as much on electricity as all my neighbors, and I have money for all the nice things in life, but my wife and I combined only make about 40k a year. She gets clothes from Ann Taylor, and I get the big and tall items I need, but we never spend anywhere close to retail.

I want to share the methods I use to get almost everything imaginable for less than those around me. Come and learn along with me, as I show you the ways to use companies like Wal-Mart and eBay to get everything you want but thought you couldn't afford for less. And other tips and tricks to keep the spending down forever.

In this Blog we are going to explore the two types of expenses:

#1 Fixed expenses

Mortgage/rent, insurance, gas, vehicle repairs, vehicle payments (car loans) electricity, food and clothing.

#2 Variable expenses

Entertainment, luxury items, vacations, and the like.

The things I want to focus on most are items that everyone HAS to use; I am talking about food, electricity, clothes, gas, vehicle repairs, and so forth. Everyone can benefit from the tips I have gained by talking to and being the industry insiders that have given me all this invaluable advice, and even some that I have come up with on my own.

If you want to know how to get a vehicle for the absolute lowest price, or want to take 10% off your food bill, then this blog is for you. I encourage you to add comments with tips that I don't have mentioned, chances are, in your job, you know of ways people can save money off of posted retail prices.

One of the things I will be talking about is being picky. It's the #1 way to lose all sorts of money. rich people do it every day, and it helps our economy keep going. But, if you want to save serious green, then set aside your brand envy, and thoughts about what stores you "simply aren't going to go to" and I will show you easy, practical ways to save at least $500 per year.

Here is my first tip, and it's a no-brainer, but you would be surprised to what extent you can take it to.

SHOP AROUND!!

Yeah, we know it, when we go to buy a vehicle, we don't show up at the first place we find and get whatever they have (those of you that do, tsk tsk) We shop around, and that's great! But you can do that with more things than you probably imagined.

Did you know that if you don't have health coverage with your job, you can generally shop around for non-emergency health care? It's true. When I was living back in Los Angeles, I broke my thumb, bad news. I didn't have any type of health care and I needed a cast. The cheapest place may not always be what you want, but for about $60 I was able to get x-rays and a cast, put on by a real doctor, without an appointment. Yes, there was a catch, 14 hours waiting (!!!). I went to the county hospital and paid up-front. Yeah, so when it was time to go get my cast replaced, I said "nuts with this" and I called around. Just got out the phone book and called places; I told them I would need an x-ray and a cast replaced on my hand, I was very specific. I got prices and asked then if it would be a little less for cash. Sure enough, after calling 5 or 6 places, I got one that would do everything for $50 A real doctor, in a high-rise office.

Now, I realize that this does not work with most types of illnesses or diseases, but I have taken an informal poll of actual doctors that I have spoken with in the last 5 years, and all of them agree that most of the time, if the patient knows what they have, the patient knows more about the disease or issue than the doctor does! Just because they are experts, doesn't mean they know everything, and with a little research you might be able to find out what you have and find home-remedies for it yourself. Of course if you cannot nail down what you have by checking the symptoms and time frames, don't try and guess at it, Doctors are your best bet. just make sure you don't get reamed if you don't have insurance.

If you do have insurance...

Insurance is GREAT for things like cancer and prolonged illness, if you have enough to cover everything, but if you break a leg, it's possible that you are actually paying more for your various co-pays and fees than it would actually cost to have a procedure done with cash, with a real doctor that might not be your normal doctor. you have to tally up the costs and do some figuring, but it's possible to save a decent amount by just doing a little shopping around. Remember, try not to be too picky! You might be pleasantly surprised HOW NICE the other doctor is. In every case of my shopping for a good price on medical care I have gotten a great, pleasant doctor, a short wait time and an overall great experience.

When it comes to saving money on medical expenses, it's going to be difficult, or even impossible in many cases, but if you keep your mind open to the cases where it is possible to save some green, then it's just like found money.

Here is something I would do; follow me at your own risk and don't sue me if it all goes awry:

I live within 4 minutes of a pretty dang decent hospital. If my wife for any reason needed emergency care (other than something that would need her to be professionally stabilized before moving) I would simply carry her to my car, strap her in and gun it to the hospital myself. Dropping her off at the ambulance entrance. This may seem risky to some, insane to others and common sense to people like myself, but I will tell you this, it's generally over $1000 for a 5 minute ambulance ride and if you aren't making very much money then $1000 can be a mountain that will slowly eat away at your credit until your purchasing power is very limited.

If you have medical bills:

Say you have had an expensive procedure done and simply can't pay for it all. You have a couple of choices, one, you can ignore it and kiss goodbye the chances of EVER having a 700 credit score...

Or you can get a charge-off.

People in medical billing would rather get a little than nothing at all, and this holds true especially if you haven't paid on the bill in over a year or two. Call them up when you have a $1000 or $1500 squirrelled away and be upfront and honest with them when you CALL and talk to someone who can negotiate. Tell them that your simply not going to pay it all and they can either take $1000 or keep sending you letters because that is all your ever going to be able to save up at one time, and let them know that you aren't able to save ANY more money because your income matches your expenses. At this point, you will be in a great bargaining position. You may not get away with a complete charge-off (dismissal of all debt for a lower amount) but you might be able to lower the amount owed.

Or you can make payments.

When you call "the powers that be" up on the phone, they are going to want to put you on payments. If you can afford this, then I would do it, but don't take the first number they throw at you. remember to get to someone who can actually do something about it, which is generally going to mean you have to talk to some sort of supervisor in order to get the best total price. Negotiate to have the largest amount paid every month, in return for a lowered balance. If they won't do a charge-off or a lowered balance (they don't have to by law, so you may run into a brick wall here), then tell them that you are going to pay $2.00 per month. and insist upon it. most states will require them to be flexible with their repayment, and you might get away with this if all else fails.