Browsing Tag

smart shopping

Shopping

Did We Go Too Far To Save Money?

Do you ever make a purchase at one store and then go around to other stores afterwards to compare prices to make sure you paid a reasonable amount for your item? It is kind of silly, as it is perhaps better to just do your comparison shopping before committing to a purchase, but it is just human nature sometimes to do it the other way around.

I have a silly story to share about the time my husband and I were visiting friends in another city. We decided we wanted to buy our friends a garlic press, as we think everyone should own one if they like to cook with garlic.

December 7, 2010

Money Saving Tips

Buy And Sell Gift Cards At CardSwap

If you want to sell a gift card you don’t plan to use, you can do so by listing it on a website called CardSwap. You enter both the merchant name and the value of the gift card into the website. CardSwap gets 6% of the sale price and the minimum they will receive is $4.50.

Once your gift card is sold you will receive an email with the shipping details. Your job is to mail the card within 3 days of it being sold. Then you will receive a cheque in the mail for the sale price less the 6% fee.

November 29, 2010

Shopping

Consider More Than One Brand When You Shop

Here’s a shopping tip that I find saves me a lot of money. Don’t get too stuck on any specific brand name. If you do, you will find yourself paying a higher price for your items such as food, clothing, shampoos, etc. than you might otherwise pay. Why? If you are determined to always buy the same brand you will not be willing to consider other options that may be cheaper even though the quality might be the same. By refusing to budge from one specific brand you limit your choices and therefore you don’t always allow yourself to take advantage of the best deals. Also, chances are your specific brand will not always be on sale, so if you run out, you will be forced to buy it at regular price.

Although the familiar is comfortable, it’s not always the best choice. Be willing to try different brands at least once. If they are not as high quality as your favored brand, then at least you know not to buy it again. But if it is just as good, or perhaps even better, you know that this new brand can also be considered the next time you shop.

November 7, 2010

Shopping

How To Satisfy Your Junk Food Cravings For Less

Do you ever suffer from an extreme urge to eat chocolate in the late afternoon when you are at work? Do you ever just need that extra sugar boost to get you through the rest of the day? Well, sad to say, this describes me more than I would like to admit.

But rather than buying an over-priced chocolate bar from the vending machine, I prepare in advance by having a stash of chocolate bars in my desk drawer. Then when the craving hits, I can satisfy it without paying an arm and a leg.

November 5, 2010

Gifts

Use Your Air Miles To Buy Your Christmas Gifts This Year

I received a great money-saving tip from one of my readers that I wanted to pass along to you. The email went as follows:

“Two years ago my husband and I had a bunch of Air Miles built up, but we knew we wouldn’t be using them in the near future so we used them up to buy gift cards which we then used for gifts for our brothers, grandparents, etc. I’m not sure if we got the biggest return for the miles (not sure of the rate) but what’s the point in holding onto points for a flight you may never take? Better to use them up I say.”

October 26, 2010

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