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Shopping

Aug 28
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10 Best Things to Buy on Labor Day Weekend

By Money Management, Shopping No Comments

If you’re not out enjoying the last bit of summer on Labor Day, you might want to take advantage of the long holiday weekend to get great deals on a variety of items. From summer merchandise to big-ticket items, you’ll find plenty of things deeply discounted during Labor Day sales.

In fact, you should see retailers starting their sales several days before Labor Day weekend, said John Park, CEO of Goodshop, a coupon and deal site that makes donations to charitable organizations when users make purchases through the site. And “if you don’t have a chance to shop during the big sale time, not to worry,” Park said. Some retailers will likely keep their sales going until the weekend after Labor Day.

Before you head to the store or online, though, it pays to know what to buy on Labor Day to snag the biggest discounts.

Major Appliances

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Labor Day sales are a great time to buy major appliances at a deep discount. “To clear stores for newer breeds, retailers discount previous years’ appliances by as much as 40 percent,” said Sarah Hollenbeck, shopping and savings expert at deal website Offers.com.

Look for Sears to have some of the best deals and free shipping on refrigerators, ranges, cooktops and washers and dryers from brands such as Kenmore and Whirlpool, Hollenbeck said.

Best Buy is also known for having great deals and should be knocking hundreds of dollars off the prices of major appliances from Samsung, Bosch and other popular brands. Also look for Best Buy to offer free delivery and haul-away of old appliances, she said.

Grills

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“The unofficial last day of summer, Labor Day, also marks the unofficial end of barbecue season,” Hollenbeck said. “To clear out their stores for fall merchandise, retailers offer grills at up to 80 percent off.”

So, Labor Day sales are a great time to get a new grill at a fraction of the cost that you’d pay if you waited until next spring or summer to buy one.

You’ll find some of the best sales on gas and charcoal grills at Home Depot, Lowe’s and Kmart, Hollenbeck said. And look for both Home Depot and Lowe’s to offer free shipping on select online orders.

Grilling Accessories

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If Labor Day doesn’t mean the end of grilling season for you, you can get the supplies you need to keep cooking outdoors at a discount.

“Labor Day tends to be a great time to stock up on grilling accessories,” said Regina Conway, a savings expert with deal site Slickdeals.

For the past three years, retailers such as Home Depot and Lowe’s have discounted bags of charcoal by 50 percent, she said. Even higher-end stores such as Williams Sonoma cut prices on grilling accessories to clear out their summer inventory.

Patio Furniture

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Labor Day weekend is a good time to get patio furniture at a discount, Park of Goodshop said. For example, home goods retailer Wayfair marked down outdoor furniture by 70 percent last year during its Labor Day sale, he said.

In addition to Wayfair, you can expect to see outdoor furniture sales at Kmart, Kohl’s, Pier 1 Imports, Pottery Barn, Sears and West Elm, Park said. Home Depot also marks down patio furniture, so make sure you check out the store’s deals this Labor Day.

Summer Clothing

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Like grills, patio furniture and other seasonal items, summer clothing gets deeply discounted during Labor Day sales.

“Labor Day weekend is an excellent time to stock up on summer season clothing, especially if you can find staples that transition well into other seasons, like T-shirts or cardigans,” said Lindsay Sakraida, director of content marketing with DealNews.

Stores slash prices on summer apparel by as much as 75 percent, she said. But you can score additional savings by stacking coupons on top of the sale price. Sakraida said you can find coupons for clothing that slash up to an extra 40 percent off. Check sites for online coupons such as DealNews, Slickdeals and Goodshop.

Sunglasses

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Sunglasses are among the summer clearance items that represent the best Labor Day deals.

“There are many online glasses stores that have sales up to 80 percent off on affordable name-brand and generic styles,” said Brent Shelton, online shopping expert for deal site FatWallet.

You’ll find discounts from online retailers such as Eyeconic, 6pm.com and GlassesUSA and from big-box retailers. Some of the best savings, though, will come from Oakley, Nike, Ray-Ban and Spy Optic, Shelton said. “Expect savings as much as $100 on these higher-quality styles that can also be fitted with prescription lenses,” he said.

Shoes

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You can find some great deals on shoes during Labor Day sales, Park said. Expect to see markdowns on both end-of-season summer shoes and back-to-school shoes.

In the past, retailers such as Shoes.com have offered 30 percent off during Labor Day sales. Some retailers cut prices by up to 50 percent, he said.

Mattresses

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“Every Labor Day has a big mattress sale,” Park said. “So, if you’ve been sleeping on an old uncomfortable mattress all year long, here is your chance to upgrade.” He expects Macy’s to have some of the best deals.

In general, you can expect department stores and mattress retailers to slash prices by up to 60 percent on a variety of styles, Sakraida of DealNews said. However, remember to “keep in mind that the base and mid-tier models are the most likely to be discounted,” she said. And if you find a great deal from an online mattress retailer such as Casper, don’t balk at the idea of making this purchase online. Mattresses are actually one of the best things to buy online now because many retailers offer free return shipping if you’re not happy with your purchase.

Laptop Computers

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If you missed the back-to-school sales on laptop computers, you still can find deals on them — last year’s models, in particular — during Labor Day weekend sales. Retailers and manufacturers such as Acer, Best Buy, Dell, HP and Lenovo will offer 15-inch PC laptops for as little as $300, and you’ll see $900 for a 13.3-inch MacBook Air.

You can get an even bigger discount if you’re a student. “You’ll save an additional $100 to $150 with a student ID at most computer stores,” Shelton said.

Cellphones

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If you’re in the market for a new cellphone, take advantage of Labor Day sales to get one for less. For example, Verizon usually offers great deals on cellphones, upgrades and data plans, Hollenbeck said.

You also can find cellphone accessories marked down during Labor Day sales. For example, Best Buy is offering 40 percent off three or more select cellphone accessories with a cellphone order through Sept. 4, she said.

Click here for more Things to Buy on Labor Day by GoBankingRates.com.

Originally appeared on GoBankingRates.com.

Aug 12
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How to Save on Your Grocery Bill

By Money Management, Saving, Shopping No Comments

Everyone wants to save on groceries, but it’s not always obvious how to eat cheaply.

Here are some tips for every type of shopper — and eater.

The number cruncher

If you want to get your costs down as much as possible, consider clipping coupons or using a rebate app to make sure you don’t miss out on deals.

Rebate apps work like high-tech coupons: The app will show you rebates available on certain items. After you buy those items at the grocery store, you can snap a picture of your receipt and your refunds will become available. You can transfer them into a PayPal account.

Related: How to split the tab (without losing friends)

You can also keep costs down by comparison shopping — shopping at different stores for the best price on each item on your list.

“I typically will look at the [store’s] weekly circular online, and depending on what is on sale, that’ll determine what we’re eating that week and whether or not we’ll buy in bulk,” says Anne Marie Ashworth, a certified financial planner with Abacus Planning Group in Columbia, South Carolina.

The healthy eater

It may feel like a challenge, but there are ways to keep your grocery budget in check while still buying healthy foods. For organic produce, check out low-cost grocery stores like Aldi.

To spend less on fruits and vegetables in general, shop according to what’s in season. You can buy seasonal produce in bulk and freeze it for soups or smoothies at a later date. Avoid buying fresh, pre-chopped vegetables, which are often more expensive.

The online shopper

Amazon, Instacart and many local grocery stores offer online food shopping.

Roger Ma, a certified financial planner based in New York, says he uses the online grocery service FreshDirect almost exclusively.

To save money, Ma plans meals around what’s on sale and buys discounted non-perishable items in bulk. He also uses FreshDirect’s DeliveryPass, a flat fee for unlimited deliveries, to keep delivery costs down.

Amazon Prime members are also eligible for free shipping on some orders.

Related: Want To Save More Money? Why You Should Shop Online More Often

The planning averse

Planning ahead is a good way to stick to a budget, but it can be tricky.

Jeana Salman, an LPL Financial Planner with Delta Community Retirement & Investment Services, recommends a meal-planning service called The Fresh 20 to help keep you on track. You can subscribe to different plans: a year-long subscription costs about $74 for access to grocery lists, meal-prep guides and recipes, and a cookbook.

The provider

If you spend a few hundred dollars on groceries each time you shop, you’d likely benefit from a credit card that gives extra cash back for groceries.

The American Express Blue Cash preferred card offers users 6% cash back on up to $6,000 in yearly purchases at U.S. supermarkets. According to American Express, customers who spend $400 at eligible stores per month can earn more than $300 back each year.

Originally appeared on Money.CNN.com and written by Danielle Wiener-Bronner @dwbronner

Aug 03
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4 Back To School Savings Tips

By Money Management, Saving, Shopping No Comments


It’s that time of the year again … Summer vacation is over and it is now BACK TO SCHOOL time!!! Even though parents are celebrating on the inside, what keeps them from doing the happy dance on the outside is the expense of Back To School Shopping!

So, to help all of the parents with school age children really celebrate, especially if you missed the Tax Free Shopping Day, here are 4 Back To School Savings Tips.

Think Outside of the Box

National office supply stores, national drug stores, Toys R Us, Best Buy, Khols, and Target are great places to get school supplies for super cheap or FREE. Yes, free. Check out their weekly ad in your Sunday newspaper; you may see great deals for items that happen to be on your supply list.

There’s an APP for That

Use money saving smartphone apps like ShopKick, Plink, and Valpak which offers savings right at your fingertips. Compare in-store prices, reveal the best deals, or find online coupons with these easy to use apps.

Get Social!

Facebook and Twitter are for more than just connecting – you can also discover exclusive deals. ‘LIKE’ and Follow office supply brands on Facebook and Twitter for exclusive deals. Use Twitter to search for #deal, #save, or #coupon and you’ll see a flood of thrifty tweets. If you don’t feel like searching yourself, you can tweet @ValpakCoupons or @Savings, include hashtag #HelpMeSave and mention what you’re trying to save on. You’ll receive a coupon in return to jumpstart your Back-to-School savings efforts.

Get Cash Back! 

If you shop online and aren’t using a cash back site like Ebates.com you are missing out on Free Cash!  It’s super easy to use!  Just log in to Ebates.com, find your favorite store, and start shopping.  With every purchase you will earn back a percentage of your total purchase amount (between one percent and 40 percent depending on the store).

Using these 4 simple steps can help you save big during your Back To School Shopping!

Jun 24
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Help! My mailbox is filled with wedding invites, and I’m trying to budget.

By Money Management, Shopping No Comments

Syndicated | Kasasa

5-WeddingParty-BudgetingLet’s be real: attending other people’s weddings can get pricey quick. The worst part is that it usually comes in waves. I remember a few years back wondering why I hadn’t gotten any invitations yet. Low and behold, this year I received three for the same month. Be careful what you wish for.

This week we’re featuring two bloggers who tackle this adulthood struggle in their own ways.

First up is Erin Lowry, otherwise known as the Broke Millennial. Her blog is jam-packed with real-talk about handling money as a “Millennial,” and her work has been featured on Forbes and Kiplinger.

The Price Tag of Attending Other People’s Weddings

“Hey – guess who got engaged today,” Peach asked.

My stomach dropped. Our combined dance card felt dangerously full already with seven weddings populating our calendars from May to November.

“Who?” I choked out.

Peach smirked, clearly messing with me.

“Not nice,” I retorted, while wishing I could cradle my travel savings account and whisper in soothing tones, “I won’t totally deplete you.”

Lately, weddings seem to dominate both conversations and my bank account. The onslaught started about four years ago when I’d just hit 23. That’s not to say I’d been wedding free for the first 23 years of my life, but I didn’t have to pick up the tab as card-carrying member of the Bank of Mom and Dad.

Planning for the inevitable

Suddenly, entering my mid-twenties ushered me into a phase of life in which everyone around me seemed ready to get legally yoked to another human being. I was also a big girl with big girl paychecks – not to be confused with big paychecks – who no longer had an active account at the Bank of Mom and Dad.

After a year of five wedding invitations, and no end in sight, I decided it was time to stop trying to squeeze variable line item into my budget and instead give “Other People’s Weddings” its own savings account. It’s part of the reason I routinely joke that I’m saving for a wedding, just not my own.

Previously, the “Other People’s Weddings” fund served as my travel savings account, but considering most of my vacation had been co-opted by true love, the logic followed to just transition the account too.

The account gets funded by 25% of each freelance paycheck I earn. To clarify, that means I’m exclusively using side hustle money to pay for travel and focus my daytime job salary on other financial goals. Part of the reason I freelance is to subsidize non-essentials (in the sense of survival) like travel. I aim to have $2,000 to $4,000 available at any given time (depending on how many flights, hotels, presents and bachelorette parties I’ve recently attended).

On a few occasions, Peach and I have leveraged a wedding destination into … (continue reading Help! My mailbox is filled with wedding invites, and I’m trying to budget)

Sep 13
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5 Car Buying Tips for Women

By Credit, Loans, Money Management, Shopping 3 Comments




Are you, or someone you know, in the market to buy a new car? The Fall Season is the best time to shop for a car because the New Year models come in, and dealers give great deals for older models to make room. Buying a new car can be exciting. However, the car buying process can also be intimidating and stressful for some women. If you are in the market for a new car now or in the near future, here are some Car Buying Tips to help save money and minimize stress when shopping for your next car.

car buying tipsKNOW YOUR BUDGET

The first and most important tip is to know “How much you can afford!” Do NOT let a car dealer’s finance department or bank tell you how much you can afford. Both essentially want to ensure that you borrow as much as possible so they can make more money off of you. The more they can make you believe that you can afford, the more the car dealership will make on the car and the more loan interest income the bank will earn on your loan.

GET PRE-QUALIFIED

The best way to avoid unpleasant surprises; like, not qualifying for the amount wanted, needing a cosigner or getting a ridiculously high interest rate, is to get Pre-Qualified or Pre-Approved for an auto loan. Go to your bank or credit union to apply for an auto loan. Tell them the payment amount you can afford to pay so they can determine the total loan amount based on the interest rate and term you qualify for based on your credit. Remember, the Higher your Credit Score, the Lower your interest rate, which may increase your qualified loan amount. Adversely, the Lower your Credit Score, the Higher your interest rate may be, which may reduce the qualified loan amount and require a down payment.

RESEARCH BEFORE YOU CAR SHOP

Now it’s time to have some fun going online to search for a vehicle in your price range. Dealers with No Haggle Deals are good because they, usually, sell their vehicles below NADAguides or Kelly Blue Book (KBB) value. Next go to NADAguides or KBB website to find out and print the Trade In and Retail Values to take when you go shopping.





TAKE A MAN WITH YOU

Some people may disagree, however,  when in doubt … take a man with you to the dealership. Take your husband, a boyfriend, father, brother, uncle, male coworker or that dude from down the street. Even if he knows nothing about cars or negotiating, take a man with you when you go car shopping. If the sales person begins speaking directly to the man, play along and coach your escort in what to say or not say. You are in control of the transaction; he is just a figurehead. Although not at all dealerships … unfortunately, women are sometimes taken advantage of during the car sales process.

NEGOTIATE BEFORE THE TEST DRIVE

Sometimes we lose our mind after we get intoxicated by that “New Car” smell during the test drive. My advice is to negotiate before you test drive to have a clear mind during the negotiation process. Here are a few things to do when you get to the car dealer:

  • Tell the sales person that you are doing a cash purchase. (Because you have already been pre-approved!)
  • Do NOT give your personal information or allow them to run your credit. (Again, you are already pre-approved.)
  • Tell the sales person what type of car and the price you want.
  • Ask if the car has any rebates or if the dealership has any incentives.
  • Ask to see the buyers order with options to see the breakdown of all expenses and fees to help you with negotiating.

Use your NADA or KBB value to negotiate the price as close to the Trade-In value as possible. Negotiating the price as close to the Trade-In value will give you equity in your car, as well as help you when you decide to trade in the car later.

Even if you are not able to get your dream car now, by getting a reasonably priced vehicle within your budget, you will help save money and get that dream car in your near future. Happy Shopping!

Sep 08
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Want To Save More Money?

By Money Management, Saving, Shopping One Comment

Shopping online isn’t always associated with saving money. In fact, some people think it costs them more. However, when you’re a savvy shopper, you can quickly find that online shopping is the way to keep more funds in your wallet.

Money Back Sites

When you shop at the store, you aren’t always receiving money back on your purchases. Check out websites where you can go to that connect you to an array of stores. Then, you can receive money back almost every time that you shop.

Free and Reduced Price Shipping

Perhaps you’re a person who loves to flip through magazines and fill out order forms. Chances are, you are paying a hefty price for shipping when you purchase products that way. Instead of spending your money in that manner, look online. You can often find free or reduced price shipping, especially if you need to stock up on multiple items. Some sites allow you to pay a low price to get free shipping all year.

Comparison Shopping

It’s true that you can go from store to store to see which place has the best price, but you need to realistically consider how many shops you’re going to drive to before you just decide to buy the item. With online shopping, all you need to do is open up another tab on your browser, and you can see where the best deal is.

Bulk Purchases

Buying in bulk at the store can prove trying if you don’t have someone to help you carry everything. Also, you may find that you don’t have room in your cart. You can buy items in bulk online for wholesale or reduced prices, and they can get delivered right to your door.

Coupon Sites

While finding coupons in the weekly circular and so forth is certainly possible, the internet allows you to research coupons for a specific store or website. Doing so can help you to maximize the savings that you get. You can use coupon sites like, 15% off 6pm coupon code, to get the best prices on clothing, shoes and accessories.

Shopping Cart Removal

When you go to the store, by the time you get to the cashier, you might be tired and ready to go home. Therefore, when the total exceeds what you wanted to spend, you don’t bother to put any items back. If you’re shopping online, you can see the shopping cart total rise as you go, and you can quickly remove items if the price becomes too much.

Shopping online may not be associated with saving money, but due to these reasons, it certainly should be. Consider these tips to save money next time to purchase items online.