Save Money While Buying What You Want
May 29, 2006 — -- Whether you're hoping to take advantage of Memorial Day sales today or you just love to shop, here are some tips that will save you money while still buying what you want.
Combine Online Coupons with Rebate Programs
Combine online coupon codes with online cash back rebate programs. Online coupon codes are readily available on thousands of websites for online merchants. Simply search "online coupon code" or "online discount" in a search engine to find them. However, you can save even more by using the online coupon codes you find to purchase merchandise through online rebate sites like Upromise, Babymint.com Ebates.com, Freestylerewards.com or Clubmom.com.
Savings example: (We could find many examples for all kinds of items)The Upromise site gives money back rebates, so save the most by shopping through their site:
Hallmark flower orders earn a 10 percent rebate from Upromise
I found coupon code for $10 off Hallmark Flowers from a coupon site
Original price of flowers: $30.95
Shipping charge: $10.99
Coupon Code: Less $10
Total: $31.94
10 Percent Upromise cash back rebate on $31.94 = $3.19
Total price of flowers with no discounts or rebates: $41.94
Net cost of flowers with coupon and rebate: $28.75
Savings: $13.19
Plus, Hallmark includes a free $1.99 greeting card in the order.
RefundPlease.com
Amazon price guarantee refunds with www.refundplease.com. There are a number of online retailers that offer to credit buyers back cash on past purchases. For instance, if the product you purchased at Amazon.com within the last 30 days has dropped in price they will credit you back the difference.
The only problem is that you have to check the latest prices and then notify them in order to get the credit. The free Web site refundplease.com makes it easy to track every Amazon purchase and get refunds if the price drops.
My test results: I tested the service on my three recent Amazon purchases. Two out of three purchases had price drops and credits, so I saved $35 easily with this free site
Electricity charger: I paid $35.94. The price dropped two days later to $29.95. Credit: $5.99. Refundplease.com alerted me of price drop via e-mail, I filled out Amazon's Refund Inquiry e-mail form. I spent two minutes total time spent getting refund.
Digital camera: I paid $329.94. Three weeks later the price dropped to $301. I got a credit of $28.94 because Refundplease.com alerted me via e-mail and I filled out Amazon Refund inquiry email form.
How to Get Coupons for Offline Shopping
Sign up for retailers' e-mail newsletters to be sent coupons to print and use in stores
Find the Web site of your local mall -- both traditional malls and outlet malls. Sign up for their e-mail newsletter and get advance notice of sales and special coupon offers not sent in the mail. My local mall's e-mail newsletter includes coupons to a popular restaurant, coupons for free gifts at selected retailers, and discount coupons that can be printed.
National outlet mall companies have several printable coupons. (There are 40 printable offers currently available at my outlet mall.)
National outlet mall companies have $5 coupon books available for sale at their mall management offices. However, shoppers can print a free voucher from the mall website and get the coupon book at no cost.
Know How Discount Policies Work
Understand how the coupon and discount policies work at retail stores to save the most. Combine multiple coupons on one order to save big. Ask questions:
Coupon policy questions:
Do you accept competitor's coupons?
Do you accept expired coupons?
Do you accept multiple coupons within the same order?
Do you have a mailing list? Do you send out coupons?
Save at Bed Bath and Beyond
For example, Bed Bath and Beyond mails "20% off one item coupons" on a regular basis that expire in a month. Therefore, they send out new coupons monthly. They also accept coupons from competitors (such as Linens 'n Things). You can sign up to receive the monthly coupons from the Bed Bath and Beyond Website if you don't get them now.
Bed Bath and Beyond will accept expired coupons, and will accept more than one per order. If you have six items and six coupons for 20 percent off one item (even if they are expired) you can save 20 percent off every item in your order.
Bed, Bath and Beyond Savings example:
You purchase six towels at $10 each -- $60
20 percent off one item, $2 savings if you use one coupon.
20 percent off each item, $12 savings if you use six coupons.
You'd save an additional $10 by knowing this trick and saving expired coupons
Saving at Walgreens
Walgreens drugstores have their own store coupons in their weekly advertising circular and in a monthly coupon booklet found in stores (called the Easy Saver booklet). They will accept both their own circular's coupons together with a manufacturers' coupon for the same item (such as the ones found in the Sunday newspaper). There are several examples of these multiple coupon deals every week.
Walgreens Item: Glade Air Infusions spray, Regular price $2. In an ad coupon: $1 off combined with manufacturer's newspaper coupon: $1 off. Use both coupons together, the item is FREE.
Walgreens Item: Glade scented oil warmer, sale price $2.49. Easy Saver catalog coupon $1 and Manufacturers newspaper coupon $3 off. Use both coupons together, the item is free.
How to Price Match
Price Matching means getting a lower price on an item you are about to purchase.
Example of price matching of offline stores with other offline stores: Wal-Mart, Best Buy, Circuit City and other retailers will match the competitors' prices within a city's radius.
You can bring in the sales circular from a competing store to prove that there is a lower price elsewhere, or you can go to www.shoplocal.com and print the page of the sales circular with the lower-priced item
It is faster to search circulars online than to search through each manually.
It also saves gas and time to have a nearby store price-match rather than driving further to get a lower price.
Example of price matching of the online price by an offline store: My local optometrist's price for my contact lenses was 35 percent higher than an online contact lens discounter. The local optometrist will match the contact lens prices of online retailers if the customer prints the page and brings it with them to purchase the contacts. Savings to me of using this policy: $50, and I did not have to pay shipping.
How to Get a Price Guarantee
A price guarantees means getting a refund after you have bought the product and later find a lower price elsewhere:
Example: Talbots and Gap clothing stores will refund the difference in price between what the customer paid and a later sales price is if the price drops and the customer makes the request within 14 days of the original purchase (a receipt is required).
If a customer finds a lower price on an item within 30 days after their purchase, many major retailers will give a refund, plus 10 percent of the difference in price if the customer comes to the store with proof of that price.
Example: Circuit City spells their price guarantee clearly on their Web site: "If you've seen a lower advertised price from another local store with the same item in stock, we want to know about it. Bring it to our attention, and we'll gladly beat their price by 10% of the difference. If you see a lower advertised price (including our own sale prices) within 30 days of your purchase, we'll refund 110% of the difference."
Example: Best Buy has a similar price guarantee on their Web site: "If you're about to buy and discover a lower price than ours, let us know and we'll match that price on the spot. Already bought? We'll refund you the price difference, plus an additional 10% of that difference up to 30 days after your purchase (14 days for selected items). In either case, simply bring in proof of the price on the same available brand and model, from a local retail competitor."