There are two things I really don’t like: shopping, and wasting money. But with the holidays upon us, this means I must do quite a bit of both. Fortunately, I have discovered a few ways to ease the pain.
I think there’s some kind of mass neurosis (psychosis?) that comes over the population this time of year. The other day, my six-year old son asked me why it’s called “Black Friday.” I explained to him that people will do anything to save a few bucks on something – all so they can piss it away on something else they don’t need. I shared with him stories of Black Friday trampling deaths, and a shooting that took place last year outside our local WalMart where people were waiting in line in the middle of the night just for the chance to buy a Wii – at full price. I then asked him if he understood why it’s called Black Friday. He said, “Yes, because that’s when stupid people get killed.” I think he gets it.
The only explanation I have is temporary insanity. Example: A good friend of mine, normally a very bright guy who doesn’t like to shop, got up in the wee hours to be at Target at 5:00AM this past Black Friday. His reward: Elf on DVD for $3, and a $30 discount on an external hard drive. I’d use the $33 for kindling, eat the DVD and go back to floppy disks before joining him and the other lunatics on a pre-dawn shopping excursion.
This is why I love the internet. It’s sooo much more than free porn and web sites to help you avoid work. It can help you save time and find the lowest price on stuff you’re buying for other people. Which of course enables you to waste this newfound time and money on other, more interesting things for yourself.
I’ve been doing most of my shopping online since the late 90’s. If I can buy it online and avoid the stores, I’ll do it. A few interesting, non-techy things I’ve purchased over the internet and had delivered to my house include: organic bison jerky, hand-caught tuna fish, dishwasher, lawn mower, weed whacker, chainsaw, and a 22 foot RV (ok, I did have to go pick this up myself).
As you might imagine, I’ve uncovered a few tips and tricks along the way. Here are the ones I think you’ll find the most useful:
1. Never buy anything without first checking for a coupon
Most online retailers send out special discount coupons or promotion codes to their previous customers or email list subscribers. These codes can be used during checkout to help you save big. While you can find them by doing a Google search (e.g., “Lands End free shipping coupon“), there are tons of sites out there that do the legwork and aggregate the discount codes for you. The better sites will allow visitors to vote on coupons so you’ll know if they’re still working. My favorites: Ebates.com and RetailMeNot.com.
2. Use a shopping search engine to find the lowest price
Just type in the name of the item you want and you’ll get a listing of all the retailers that offer it – along with the lowest price. A big time and money saver. I like PriceGrabber, Shopping.com and Google’s Product Search (why would they drop the name “Froogle”?).
3. Get notified of product news and sudden price drops
I use Google Alerts to get updates via email or RSS of the latest relevant Google results for my choice of search words. For example, right now I’ve got my eye on a new pocket camera, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3. But I’m concerned about a few issues, and wondering what people are saying about it. So I created a Google Alert to receive an email notification any time this camera gets mentioned on a web site. A great way to learn about product new issues and price drops.
4. Keep an eye out for hot deals
For computer and technology products, I frequently visit TechBargains.com. Real live people search the internet as well as ads for brick-n-mortar stores looking for the best deals. The site is continuously updated with all the latest sales, bargains, coupons, and deals. A lot of online stores are also listing discount offers via Twitter. I like @AmazonDeals, @NeweggHotDeals and @Ebates.
5. Save on costly shipping charges with Amazon Prime
We buy from Amazon more than any other retailer, which is why it makes sense for us to be enrolled in their Amazon Prime program:
- Unlimited free two-day shipping
- Overnight shipping for only $3.99
- No minimum order size
Prime costs $79 / year for unlimited free shipping, and membership can be shared by up to four family members. I love being able to order something online without having to worry about shipping charges, knowing it won’t cost anything extra to have it in my hands two days. I recently bought a propane-powered generator from Amazon that weighed 522 pounds. Shipping cost: $0
6. Earn cash back rewards for purchases
Cash back rewards aren’t limited to credit cards. I’ve been getting checks from Ebates.com for the past three years, enjoying rebates on online purchases from retailers like Dell, Barnes & Noble, Target and more (1,100+ stores in total). Open up a free Ebates account, search for your stores, and then click on the link when you’re ready to shop. When you complete a purchase, your account will be credited the amount of the rebate (usually 3-6%). Ebates also lists tons of great coupons, free shipping deals, and sales from these stores, so you can stay on top of ways to save even more. They’ll even give you five bucks just for joining.
7. I can’t think of anything else
Other than the obvious (e.g., use a credit card that offers rebates for purchases; or, shop at discount retailers such as Overstock.com), I can’t think of any other really good money-saving tips for shopping online. However, since 7 is a lucky number and sounds so much better than the number 6 in a headline, I went with it anyway.
If you have any suggestions, feel free to post them in the comments section. And if it’s a real winner, I’ll add it here – giving you full credit. Sooner or later, someone is going to submit a comment on this site.
Hey, it might as well be you!
I think there’s some kind of mass neurosis (psychosis?) that comes over the population this time of year. The other day, my six-year old son asked me why it’s called “Black Friday.” I explained to him that people will do anything to save a few bucks on something – all so they can piss it away on something else they don’t need. I shared with him stories of Black Friday trampling deaths, and a shooting that took place last year outside our local WalMart where people were waiting online in the middle of the night for the chance to buy a Wii – at full price. I then asked him if he understood why it’s called Black Friday. He said, “Yes, because that’s when stupid people get killed.” He gets it.
The only explanation I have is temporary insanity. Example: A good friend of mine, normally a very bright guy who doesn’t like to shop, got up in the wee hours to be at Target at 5:00AM this past Black Friday. His reward: Elf on DVD for $3, and a $30 discount on an external hard drive. I’d use the $33 for kindling, eat the DVD and go back to floppy disks before joining him and the other lunatics on a pre-dawn shopping excursion.
This is why I love the internet. It’s sooo much more than free porn and web sites to help you avoid work. It can help you save time and find the lowest price on stuff you’re buying for other people. Which of course enables you to waste this newfound time and money on other, more interesting things for yourself.
I’ve been doing most of my shopping online since the late 90’s. If I can buy it online and avoid the stores, I’ll do it. A few interesting, non-techy things I’ve purchased over the internet and had delivered to my house include: organic bison jerky, hand-caught tuna fish, dishwasher, lawn mower, weed whacker, chainsaw, and a 22 foot RV (ok, I did have to go pick this up myself).
As you might imagine, I’ve picked up a few tips and tricks along the way. Here are the ones I think you’ll find the most useful:
1. Never buy anything without checking of a coupon.
Most online retailers send out special discount coupons or promotion codes to their previous customers or email list subscribers. These codes can be used during checkout to help you save big. While you can find them by doing a Google search (e.g., “Lands End free shipping coupon”), there are tons of sites out there that do the legwork and aggregate the discount codes for you. The better sites will allow visitors to vote on coupons so you’ll know if they’re still working. My favorites: Ebates.com and RetailMeNot.com.
2. Use a shopping search engine to find the lowest price
Just type in the name of the item you want and you’ll get a listing of all the retailers that offer it – along with the lowest price. A big time and money saver. I like PriceGrabber, Shopping.com and Google’s Product Search (why would they drop the name “Froogle”?).
3. Get notified of product news and sudden price drops
I use Google Alerts to get updates via email or RSS of the latest relevant Google results for my choice of search words. For example, right now I’ve got my eye on a new pocket camera, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3. But I’m concerned about a few issues, and wondering what people are saying about it. So I created a Google Alert to receive an email notification any time this camera gets mentioned on a web site. A great way to learn about product new issues and price drops.
4. Keep an eye out for hot deals
For computer and technology products, I frequently visit TechBargains.com. Real live people search the internet as well as ads for brick-n-mortar stores looking for the best deals. The site is continuously updated with all the latest sales, bargains, coupons, and deals. A lot of online stores are also listing discount offers via Twitter. I like @AmazonDeals, @NeweggHotDeals and @Ebates.
5. Save on costly shipping charges with Amazon Prime
We buy from Amazon more than any other retailer, which is why it makes sense for us to be enrolled in their Amazon Prime program:
Unlimited free two-day shipping
Overnight shipping for only $3.99
No minimum order size
Prime costs $79 / year for unlimited free shipping, and membership can be shared by up to four family members. I love being able to order something online without having to worry about shipping charges, knowing it won’t cost anything extra to have it in my hands two days. I recently bought a propane-powered generator
from Amazon that weighed 522 pounds. Shipping cost: $0
6. Earn cash back rewards for purchases
Cash back rewards aren’t limited to credit cards. I’ve been getting checks from Ebates.com for the past three years, enjoying rebates on online purchases from retailers like Dell, Barnes & Noble, Target and more (1,100+ stores in total). Open up a free Ebates account, search for your stores, and then click on the link when you’re ready to shop. When you complete a purchase, your account will be credited the amount of the rebate (usually 3-6%). Ebates also lists tons of great coupons, free shipping deals, and sales from these stores, so you can stay on top of ways to save even more. They’ll even give you five bucks just for joining.
7. I can’t think of anything else
Other than the obvious (e.g., use a credit card that offers rebates for purchases; or, shop at discount retailers such as Overstock.com), I can’t think of any other really good online shopping money-saving tips. Since 7 is a lucky number and sounds so much better than the number 6 in a headline, I went with it anyway.
If you have any suggestions, feel free to post them in the comments section. And if it’s a real winner, I’ll add it here – giving you full credit. Hey, sooner or later, someone is going to submit a comment on this site. It might as well be you!
Tagged as:
Black Friday,
discounts,
free shipping,
lunatics,
online shopping,
save money
I mean, good, dark chocolate. Preferably imported and/or organic. At least 70-85% cacoa content. No artificial colors, flavors or additives. The kind that gives you a rush and makes you salivate just thinking about it. Skip the Hershey’s Bar, spend an extra buck or two, and prepare to be amazed by the awesomeness of a real chocolate bar. I enjoy a piece or three of Green & Black’s Organic Dark Chocolate every day. A wondrous, simple little pleasure that’s also good for you.
I usually shave in the shower. I don’t usually bleed half to death in the process. Until the other day, that is, when I decided to try a brand new Gillette Mach 7 Warp Speed Nitro Power Nuclear Fusion disposable razor. On my first attempt to cut a swath through a day’s worth of stubble, I felt my skin rip and let loose a loud girlie scream reminiscent of the time my parents told me where babies come from.
