$10 Amazon Gift Certificate

Who doesn't love free stuff. If you're visiting us from the Fall Yawl Bloggy Giveaway, welcome to Living on the Cheap. We're a brand new blog all about saving money and living smarter, and we hope you'll bookmark us.
Now for the free stuff. One of the things that I do to make money is take surveys on sites like Testspin. It's really easy to get money and gift cards for filling out questionaires at these sites. So we're giving away one of the coolest prizes we get for taking these things, a $10 Amazon gift certificate. If you want it, leave your name and Email in the comments for this post. Also, feel free to leave any questions about saving money or living on the cheap and we'll try to answer them in a future post. We'll post the winner on Monday from all EMails submitted by Sunday, November 4 at 11:59 eastern.

Good luck, and welcome to Living on the Cheap.

Oh, I almost forgot. Click on the link at the top of the post to find hundreds of other blogs doing the same thing. You could end up winning a pile of stuff.

Get those Halloween Costumes in November

As with many of the holidays, it probably shouldn't surprise you that the best time to buy Halloween costumes is approaching. What do you want to be for Halloween, next year? If you can answer that question now, you could save a pile on your next costume. Case in point Buycostumes.com takes 25% off with coupon code "sweep25" (expires November 2). So if you can plan ahead, way ahead, you can have a frugal Halloween. If you're still looking for a costume for this year, don't forget about secondhand shops like Goodwill. In our local newspaper, they actually advertise themselves as a destination for Halloween costume shopping which makes perfect sense considering their odd assortment of clothing and accessories at insanely low prices.

Bargain Hunting 101: A little work can go a long way when you shop

Are you getting the best deal every time you shop? Admittedly, searching around for the absolute best bargain can sometimes seem cumbersome. It’s often difficult to make side-by-side comparisons when taking considerations like shipping cost, condition of the item, and reputation of the merchant into account. But if you’re looking for a crash course on saving money, here’s a look at the process I use when shopping for an item online.

First, it is important to determine the exact item you are looking for. Many times, similar models of the same item exist that are slightly different in appearance or functionality. In order to perform an accurate comparison, you need to make sure you are comparing apples to apples. Try to get a model number for the product that you wish to purchase. You can use it in the next step.

Next, decide for yourself how important the item condition is in your search. If I look for a new hard drive for example, I want it new because of the extended warranties offered by manufacturers. If am item is durable, easily serviced or repairable, or less important, a used or refurbished model may be acceptable to you. Refurbished items are usually reconditioned or recertified by the manufacturer, but often come with a shortened warranty.

Now that you know exactly what you’re looking for, it’s time to comparison shop. Luckily, a few websites have made this job dramatically easier. Two that I recommend are Google Products and Pricegrabber. Both of these sites offer a simplified search experience and cover a wide variety of merchants. It is important to use more than one of the shopping comparison engines since not all stores are listed in every database. Amazon for example, only lists in Pricegrabber’s index.

These sites offer various tools to make your comparison a bit easier. You can sort results by price (low to high) to quickly see the lowest prices. When comparing prices, remember to factor in the shipping cost to your location. You may need to visit the store’s website to determine the exact shipping cost. Keep track of the lowest two or three prices that you find.

Next, it’s time to check for any coupons or promotional codes. Most online retailers offer coupons that give a percentage or dollar amount off your purchase. Others offer free shipping if you spend a certain amount of money. Whatever the case, it’s important to look for coupons before making a purchase. Try a site like Dealcoupon to find promotional codes for hundreds of online stores. Once at this site, search for the store where you found the lowest prices for your item. If you find a coupon, calculate the new price for your item to maintain an accurate comparison.

One more place to check for your item is EBay. While EBay has gained a reputation for auctions filled with old figurines from the attic, millions of new items are also available. In fact, EBay probably lists more new items today than used merchandise. Search on the site for your item, again remembering to factor in the cost of shipping.

Finally, find the lowest price on your list and buy your item. If you are using a coupon, make sure the store accepts the code you are attempting to use. If it doesn’t for some reason, move on to a different one. Also, don’t get suckered into to a store trying to sell you similar items they think you may like. They do this because you are a captive audience, and they don’t expect you to comparison shop again. In reality, however, these other items are probably available from another store for a lower price. If you really want one of their suggestions, start the comparison process over for that item.

Once you perform these steps a few times, you’ll become a pro at searching for the best deals and this process will become much less time consuming. It may seem like work now, but your wallet and credit card will thank you later.

Later, we’ll talk about how your method of payment can help you get even more out of your purchase.

First Ever Post

Hello, and welcome to the first ever post to Living on the Cheap. I'm perhaps your typical college student, just doing what needs to be done to scrape by. But along the way, I've learned a lot of cool ways to stretch every dollar I make and at least sometimes, pretend to live like a not-so-college student.

 

On this blog, we'll talk about ways to save money, coupons, frequent flier and points programs, and just about anything else that could result in saving money or living better.

 

Oh, I almost forgot. Check our Bargain Wire near the bottom of this page. There, we'll post extraordinary and cool items from lots of online stores. Usually, we'll only post something if it's the lowest possible price we could find. Save yourself some money, and some time too.

 

If you've got any ideas or questions, just send them along.