Savvy Spending... How to Get the Most BANG For Your Buck!

Costs can stack up a lot faster if you only shop retail!

Savvy spending. That doesn't mean we DON'T spend. It means when we do spend, we spend very wisely and try to get a lot of bang for our buck. This week-and-a-half, we have spent quite a bit of money...more so than usual. I got a bonus recently and it's been veeeery nice to not have to pay $650 in rent every month for a dinky, dark, downtown apartment. So we decided to make some upgrades to our technology in the house, and we did that first by purchasing a refurbished 42" flat screen LCD HDTV! We ordered it, it arrived, and we installed it last weekend.

What's a refurb? Factory refurbished items can be a number of things. First, it could be that the item was indeed defective and was sent back to the factory to be repaired and inspected. It could have been a store display, or a store return for any reason (TV too small, recipient did not like, etc.) and once the original box has been opened, retailers are not allowed to resell the TV as new. If the item is not sold as-is, oftentimes they are sent back to the manufacturer to become a certified refurbished item. Then they can be sold online (usually) for hundreds of dollars less than the brand-new price--AND it's been double-inspected. We like that.

You can get refurbished phones, cameras, food processors, refrigerators...heck, we just bought a refurbished hedge trimmer and saved $20!! It feels great to be able to get exactly what you need (and sometimes what you don't need!) for a lot less money than "normal" people pay :-) It feels like you're part of a secret club!

Shop online! The UPS and FedEx guys know us. We have stuff delivered to our house ALL the time from our online shopping ventures. We order vitamins, hedge trimmers, kitchen cabinets (yep), furniture, cat food, cat litter... you name it, I can find it online WITH a coupon code for at least 10% off! I absolutely love online shopping. You can buy with so much confidence due to all of the customer reviews (or lack thereof) on a product and know you're getting a great product before you just buy it in the store because it looks nice... and then it breaks two days after you get it, or just doesn't work. I did this for our wedding registry as well. If the reviews were bad, it was not on my list!

Some of my favorite sites to find great deals are:

www.amazon.com -- everything from fitness equipment, movies, books, appliances, electronics... they don't have much by way of linens or clothing, but that's not a bad thing. Great customer service, so easy to use, and if you use your .edu email address you can get a YEAR of free two-day shipping with Amazon Prime! Yay!!!

www.vitacost.com -- great variety of vitamins and supplements and their "store" brand is great. We also buy shampoo, body wash, etc. on here because they have a great variety of cruelty-free and organic products. We even buy food on it! Ben likes this European cereal, called Muesli, that Vitacost sells for $1.50 less per package than Publix!

www.shopping.google.com -- kind of a metacrawler for online stores. I go here to check and make sure I can't find the same product somewhere else for less money. It even includes eBay, and includes shipping into the total cost!

eBay and Half.com -- great for books. I read the reviews and check prices on Amazon.com first, then cross-check these sites to see if I can find it cheaper.

Overstock.com -- great place to get great deals!! We bought our stainless steel kitchen sink and faucet for hundreds less than Home Depot and Lowe's prices. We also have purchased and office chair. They do have a few coupons as well, and shipping is always $2.95 no matter what! 

www.retailmenot.com -- if you're on a site buying something and you see a field to enter a coupon code, but you don't have one--don't despair! Simply Google the site name plus the words "coupon code" or "promo code" and retailmenot.com will, 9 times out of 10, come up first. I did this for our kitchen cabinets on www.CabinetGiant.com and save an extra 20% (!!!).


What I love most about online shopping is that most of the time, you don't have to pay tax!! Plus, you save TIME, hassles, uncertainty, GAS, and pains in the arse from having to fit whatever it is you are buying, especially if it's large, into the car and out again, to bring into your house. Have it delivered right to your door!

The Internet is a GREAT tool for busy people. And now, you don't even need a computer! With the Amazon iPhone app, buying a hedgetrimmer on your lunch break at work is an absolute cinch! Paying off your credit card bill (in full, every month, of course!) is a snap with Bank of America's iPhone app, too.