Category: Shopping

It’s my educated guess that almost everyone loves a real bargain. I base that on a couple of obvious things from my life experiences. For one, I love a bargain and I’m pretty much like everyone else: I’d rather get something for less than everyone else paid for it. And if it’s really going to ring my bell then “free” would be the nirvana transaction that makes my day. Free is my favorite word, but you already know that.

Now that I’m retired, whenever I’m out shopping I usually mumble something about that guy “Clarence” because his name is on so many things in the store. Where is “he” anyway? Yeah, don’t tell me; it annoys my wife whenever I say that.

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Just this past week I checked out a new Sketchers outlet store here in my neighborhood and I have to tell you I was pretty impressed. Located in an existing strip mall on a major highway, it was way more than I expected and actually presented itself as a very classy and well-appointed shoe store for the family. It even had their own brand of sportswear and accessories to go with its well-known shoe brand. The store was clean and beautiful, and it didn’t make me feel like I was shopping at a discount store.

The prices appeared to be pretty awesome with discounts of 30-70% off the “regular” retail. Skechers are not cheap shoes (if price is any indicator) and these shoes were mostly priced under $50 with some under $30. A note of caution with any retailer or outlet store: don’t just believe in the fantasyland savings of things like “Reg. $250.00, now just $ 9.99”! That’s pretty much just showbiz in an outlet store. But, even with that in mind, it seemed to me I was shopping at one of the very best outlet stores I had ever seen.

I am constantly reviewing my monthly expenses and always looking at ways to save my money and still have some of the things in life that my wife and I need or want. It’s actually a fun activity for me. Yes, it’s a challenge, and since I stopped working full-time a few years ago, I really need a challenge sometimes just to keep alert! I know it’s not exactly like finding the long sought after cure for cancer or providing aid and comfort for those who are in a desperate place in life, but for me it has to do with finding ways for us to do better with our money and then ultimately passing that information on to you so you can save your money! Hey, lucky you!!!

If you’re out there struggling along, trying to deal with your money problems, but don’t really know what to do, then you’re like millions of others that are in that same boat. That’s why I came up with a list of things that for some reason we spend money on all the time, but really don’t need. We just don’t really think about how easy it is to waste our money on these things, partly because of the masterful way we are conditioned to shop. The advertising mavens have us convinced that we “need” every new, improved, special, and yes, expensive item that someone locked in a lab somewhere was able to come up with!

(Or for a small fee!)

Picture it, you and your beautifully wrapped holiday gifts, the family Christmas tree all trimmed, and your fireplace glowing with holiday cheer and warmth as you sit in your favorite easy chair sipping a cup of hot cocoa. Sounds like such a great way to enjoy an evening as you get ready to enjoy special family traditions.

Ok, that’s really cool, isn’t it? But for others, wrapping those gifts is just another obligation on a long holiday to-do list. Luckily, plenty of stores still offer gift wrapping, even online, and your gifts arrive ready to put right under the tree. Here’s an even more pleasant surprise, sometimes it’s even free!Continue reading“These Retailers Offer Free Gift Wrapping on Holiday Gifts”

If you are anything like me, you are probably wondering if you might be paying more for things in 2019. Experts predict that the answer is yes you will and one of the biggest reasons, although not the only one, is because increases in tariffs can cause it. With our recent trade controversies and disputes with foreign governments like China and Mexico, there has been a claim that price increases will go unnoticed, but that is starting to prove untrue as some economists and government officials had predicted. More and more now say they expect the impact on consumers to be pretty significant.

“Things are going to become more expensive because of these added taxes,” best-selling author and personal finance expert Chris Hogan told CNBC. “This has the potential to impact a lot of areas that people need day to day to survive or to run their business.”Continue reading“Will It Be a Happy New Year or Wallet War 2019?”

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Congratulations, you just survived another Thanksgiving holiday with all of the trimmings. It probably included not only a wonderful family get-together with turkey and pies, but also enough sports to cause a major overload even for a diehard football fan. It seems every year gets even more and more like that for us, and if you were among the many this past weekend you probably also included some form of traditional shopping frenzy too! Black Friday deals, Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday…holy cow does it ever let up for even a second?

Can You Say “Shop ‘til you drop?”

Smartphones, online shopping, and “sneak peek” discounting have changed Black Friday deals from the door-busting shopping brawl of just a day or weekend into an even more bombastic event. They’ve reshaped how retailers appeal to consumers on these “special” days which serve as the annual kick-off for the holiday shopping season. But wait, there’s more to it than that!Continue reading“Missed Black Friday Deals…Is It Too Late for Great Bargains?”

Last time, I began reminding you of the common yet tricky retailer strategies that you will be facing now that the holiday season is actually here. Trick or treat doesn’t just apply to Halloween now that it’s in the rearview mirror for a while. The retailers like to extend that into the entire November-December shopping time frame and that translates into what is the only and/or most profitable time of the year for 99% of them. The war they wage and win is no accident. Don’t be fooled into thinking it starts on Black Friday and ends on Christmas day. Thinking that November doesn’t really matter when it comes to wheeling and dealing is wrong. November has many promotions waiting to tempt you from Veterans Day promos to “pre-Thanksgiving” and even more yet to be named.

We covered five ways they fight to get your money on Tuesday. Here are five more that you will be up against so you should be ready to deal with them before you shop the 2018 holiday season! Continued…
Continue reading“Retail Tricks That Make You Spend More Money, Part 2”

Happy Halloween! My wife and I just returned from our annual candy shopping to prepare for the trick-or-treaters who’ll be knocking on our door tomorrow. Yes of course we have waited until the last possible moment, couponed, loyalty clubbed and sale’d our way into the event as per usual! Ok, we’re a little bit obsessed with savings and that’s because we normally don’t stock up on Milky Ways and Snickers bars. Not that we don’t love our candy bars and treats. It’s just that between the two of us we’ve probably reached our quota allowed of them, and shamefully I reached my lifetime allowance of them in 1997. Thank goodness that the number of kids are growing in our neighborhood and we will be generous so hopefully no leftovers to tempt us. Suzanne won’t even let me open the bags until at least noon on October 31st!

But, truth be told, Halloween shopping is just the first of the many battles you will face over the next 60 days! The real shopping war is on right now and retailers are preparing to get every penny they can from you and here’s how!Continue reading“Retail Tricks That Make You Spend More Money, Part I”