Playing Sales Sudoku

Doing well between work assignments by managing my budget and buying smart. Thought I would share with you a few of my shopping tactics so you can save money too. It looks like I bought a lot, but I only bought what I really needed this week.

Here’s a quick recap of what I informally referral to as Playing Sales Sudoku (aka how I line up all the saving opportunities to maximize my deals margin)

Search for online coupons before you buy. If you don’t have it today, go online tonight, and look for an online coupon to use tomorrow. Print multiple copies of the coupon, if permitted.
- $5 (15% off any one book ($27) at Barnes and Noble)
- $ 12.80 (4 Free cappuccinos at BN, one per visit, 4 visits in total)
- $6.00 (20% off one item at Borders Café. (Note: I bought a 2009 Entertainment Coupon book with the purchase to save even more money!)
- $4 (40% off coupon from Michael’s Online weekly email. Christmas Gift for my secret Santa!)

Stop by the Customer Service desk for in-store coupons. A quick stop can net you more than just a few dollars. Here's the tally for a quick trip to my local BJs:
- $ 3 ($3 off multi-vitamins)
- $4 ($2 x2 for shampoo & conditioner)
- $2 ($2 off semi-sweet chips)
- $6 ($1 coupon x 6 2-packs of paper towels. Note: BJs allows you to use multiple coupons on multi-pack items packaged for resale.)

Check-out the coupons you receive in the mail. Don’t toss the Value-Pack coupons that you receive in the mail without at least glancing through the offerings for a potential deal. I did and saved big as a first time customer at the new hair salon in town.
- $70 ($70 off a cut, color, and highlights. Hey -a gal has got to look good when interviewing!)

Same Stores – Multiple Coupons. Many coupons state 1 coupon per customer visit, requiring you to go through the line multiple times in order to maximize the deal. While it might not be a time saver, it certainly can be a money saver. If you hesitate to do repeat visits to the same store, just go to another nearby store location. Or do a visit to the store in your hometown, and the one store closest to your workplace. If you’re pinching pennies, it’s worth the effort
- $12 (40% off Michaels coupons x 3 items each $10. Great savings on Christmas gifts)

Coupons and In-store Promotions combined. If you wait 3-4 wks after the Sunday circular flyers, you’ll find several stores offering the same featured items on sale.) And don’t forget to show your rewards cards for even more savings. Hate carrying extra cards, ask your favorite stores if they can provide you with a key fob version of the loyalty card for easy access.
- $5 ($2 off 4 bags of candy + $3 off 2 bags for members only. Note: Happy Halloween to the kids in Chelmsford. Great candy bars coming your way!)

Use your AAA membership card – take advantage on one of the best kept secret. Show your AAA membership card to participating retailer and take advantage of extra savings. For my region, there are 70+ retailers offering additional discounts to AAA members on everything from shoes and clothing to restuarants, from movies tickets to lodging;from museum discounts to flowers:
- $13.72 (20% off $50 FTD floral bouquet for my fabulous Mom. Happy Birthday #79!)


$142.53 – Total savings. chia-ching!

Spending some money to get some more money.

Or in other words, get big savings on your next purchase by maximizing your deal margin (the difference between the retail price and what you actually spend). Some times you need to spend some money to get a little more money. And some times you need to put some effort behind getting a great deal. A little planning, quick research and a little store loyalty love can get you a great deal. Combine these two efforts and win big savings on the items you want or need most. Check out my ideas and the example below to get a better understanding of this Nifty and Thrifty shopping tactic.


Buy Gift Cards and Use Them Yourself. Shop at your favorite retailers straight from your credit card's reward program. Use your cashback rewards, get great deals and discounts. For example, using a Discover Card Partner Offer, I spent $60 to get $75 by buying (3) $25 gift cards for $20 each. If you have a favorite retailer, it can make sense to have a few gift cards on hand for future purchases just for the extra dollars you can acquire. Most credit card companies offer similar programs. Some magazines are also starting subscriber loyalty programs (e.g., Good Housekeeping and Parenting) . Use your cashback bonus to purchase the cards and it costs you nothing. Otherwise, charge the purchase and save $15.

Use Member Only Coupons. Join the email listing of only your favorite retailers. Retailers are offering great incentives to draw you into the store. Lands End sent a “Save $15 off a $75 purchase (online or in-store Sears). If you don't want to have the deals come to you via an email black, then take a few minutes to search for deals at online coupon sites such as Couponmom, eCoupons, or ebates.

Drive to avoid the sales tax. I live near the border of three states. If I'm buying a big ticket item or doing multiple shopping errands, it can make sense to drive across the state line and escape the sales tax. It’s a small savings on most items purchases, but I’m on austerity budget so every penny saved is used elsewhere.

Check for In-Store Sales. Sears is currently running 30% off selected Lands End Merchandise. Sometimes the in-store deals are better than its internet counterpart. Stores need to move the inventory to make room for new merchandise, often they mark down the item before the discount posts on the website. You may be able to maximize your savings if what you’re looking for is on the 30% rack.

Now that you have the basics, let me show you how this Nifty and Thrifty plays out with a real life example:

$59: Lands End Dorey Jacket
$49: Canvas Tote with Patent Leather Trim
___
$108.00 Total Retail Value of Items to be Purchased.
- $14.70 (30% off in-store sale for the $49 Canvas Tote)
- $15.00 ($15 off $75 members only coupon for Lands End)
- $15.00 ($15 saved by buying $75 worth of gift cards for $60 via Discover Card Back Rewards Program)
- $03.17 (Save 5% sales tax on canvas tote bought in a sales tax free state)
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$63.30 – Actual Total Price Paid ($44.70 – Amount Saved)

Do a Nifty and Thrifty. Be happier being a saavy shopper.

Saving pennies means extra dollars for your lattes

It’s a sign of the time. Money is tight. Folks are cutting back to the bare bone essentials. I’m a firm believer in scaling back, but also believe that you still need to treat yourself to a few simple luxuries to stay happy. So if you need your daily latte, just learn to trim pennies elsewhere. Try a few of these effective tactics and sip away …

Bigger isn’t always better. Check the unit prices. Buy the smaller size package. It’s not uncommon for a supermarket or pharmacy to charge more for the supersized package. To find the best deal, check the unit price of an item before you purchase. You’ll be surprised to discover that the larger size bottle of laundry detergent or saline solution isn’t always your best bet. Rather than buy the large size bottle of saline solution, I could have ought 2 smaller bottles, saving $3. Being thrifty, I went bought generic version to save an additional $3. Grand total savings - $6.

Stick around for the refill. If you’re hanging out at Starbucks, and need a second cup of java. Don’t buy another cup. Ask for a refill. Most Starbucks give refills of brewed coffee or tea for 55-65 cents. $1.25 savings.

Ask for a better rate/discount. When my friend’s daily newspaper subscription increased $6, I had her call Customer Service and ask for a discount. The senior citizen discount reduced the bill by $2 (a small latte). When my friend selected to cancel, Customer Service dropped it another $2. Chia-Ching! $4 savings in total.

Drop Netflicks. Get your DVDs from the library. Netflick charges $4.99;On-Demand Cable movies run $4.50; the library charges $0 –it’s free. Net – Net, with $5 savings, you buy your latte and the scone.

Get the good deal. If you’re standing the aisle and wondering if the store sale really is a good deal, call 1-888-DO-FRUCALL (It’s Free). Type in the bar code number for the product. FRUCALL will tell you the range of prices that online retailers are currently selling the item.

Free Shipping isn’t really free. Retailers with a free shipping policy often charge higher prices. If you return the item, some retailers will charge you back for the original shipping costs. Be sure to check the return policy before you buy. When I was looking for winter boots, I noticed Zappos was selling the boots for $170, but the manufacturer’s website was selling the pair of boots on sale for $145 plus $9 shipping.


Be happy. Shop wisely.

What to do when you don't love the gift cards you've got

Have you a gift card to a store that you don’t shop at? Have a large assortment of gift cards buried in the back of your junk drawer or bottom of your handbag? Don’t toss it, randomly give it away, or let it continue to gather dust. If you don’t want the gift card, re-gift it, donate it or better yet, trade or sell it on the web. After all, money is money!

Check out these ways of dispensing with your gift cards and reaping a better return on your unused cards:

1. Have a Girls Night Out that features a gift card swap. Label the back of the card with the amount of the card’s worth. Trade and swap with your friends. You might just find your self swapping out the 4 Target cards that you collected for one Crate and Barrel card with the same dollar value, giving you the ability to buy an item that you really wanted.

2. Donate your card to fundraiser event. Be sure to get a receipt for the donation so you can claim the tax-deduction.

3. Sell it on ebay or Craigslist. Today, I checked ebay. There were 4000+ auctions involving gift cards and/or gift card coupons. While you’re unlikely to sell the cards at full value, selling it at a 5%- 20% discount will at least net you some cash. (Caution on this approach: you’ll need to either very trustworthy or need some way to verify the remaining value of the card and its expiration date.)

4. Sell to a card swapping site such as Plastic jungle, Swapagift, cardavenue, giftcardrescue, and giftcardbuyback. Look for a website that verifies the validity of each card number prior to the completion of the transaction so you don’t wind up exchanging your legitimate card for one that isn’t valid. Most of these websites offer a no cost or low cost to post your card directly into their use base; others allow you to post for free but charge a small commission 10% based on selling price of the card. Most of these websites are also willing to purchase your gift cards for 55-70% of the remaining balance on the card. FYI - Some sites will charge to post a listing on their sites.

Happy Shopping!

Dedicating this entry to the fabulous Allison A. who inspired me to research a solution to her Christmas time problem of receiving gift cards that she can’t use.