The Save Money Blog

Posts Tagged ‘shopping-online’

A few friends and coworkers have been shopping around looking to replace their laptop computers or desktops and have been asking me for advice on what to buy and where to buy them from. I don't have a real concrete answer, if you want to get the best deal like anything else you have to shop around and do your comparison shopping. I do offer a few generic tips to help save money on your next computer purchase.

One friend was all set to spend the farm on a new computer and all he really used it for was surfing the internet and sending email. There was no need for him to go out and buy a top of the line machine. He just needed something simple because that is all he uses his computer for. Simple tasks. Ask yourself what you need your machine for and then shop accordingly. You wouldn't buy a pick pick up truck if you don't use it for hauling things around. The same holds for a computer.

You can also reuse most of your accessories if they are still good. Save some money by eliminating keyboards, mice, speakers and even a monitor if your old ones still do the trick. I always like to buy a nice keyboard and mouse set and then when I upgrade I just have to buy the tower or have one made.

I have always promoted to shop online for deals or at the very least to do your comparison shopping. Many store offer free shipping and many of the big box stores have weekly or monthly sales on their computer if you shop online.

Those are just a few generic tips but some important ones when shopping for a new computer. Don't spend all of your money if you don't have to.

One of the greatest benefits to shopping online is that fact that you do comparison shopping so much more easily then you can when trying to do it in person. This is a great way to save money and find your items at the best price possible. Today we were pricing some tires out for our Jeep and it's such a pain calling a half a dozen places, keeping track of the prices and the different services that go with each. Although tires might not be the best example you can always have a few browsers open to compare items. You can also find sites that have comparison charts. Think about looking at something like apatrim. You can break down exactly what you are looking for and find the best price. I like to be able to compare my items and the internet is great for that.

I am always amazed at how complacent people are when it comes to spending money on things like pet food or pet supplies. If you are a pet owner you will know how expensive it can be to feed your pet a decent food and to buy pet supplies for them. You should look at buying dog or cat supplies like you do buying your own groceries. Try to find deals and shop around to get your best prices. In todays day and age there are many options available so that you don't have to break the wallet looking after your pets.

We shop at a store that offers a free bag of dog food for every ten we buy. We end up getting a free bag a year and that's a big saving plus we get to feed our dog a decent brand of dog food. Stop in at a few stores and see if any of your local pet shop stores offer any loyalty deals like ours do. I imagine that most would love to have you as a regular customer.

Look online. The pet industry online is crazy. There are tons of reputible big sites selling pet supplies at a good price. Many even offer free shipping for big orders. You can always split orders with co-workers or friends to save on the shipping charges or to get your shipping for free.

I was thinking the other day with the way the economy is going there are probably quite a few of us that have been left in the lurch when our favourite store to shop at has disappeared into bankruptcy. Specifically I was thinking about places like Circuit City where you could always find a good deal or two on electronics and goods. I think it's important more now than ever to do some comparitive shopping. Especially if you were one of those that mostly shopped at the same place. There are a wide range of deals to be had out there in the real world and online. If you lost your fav place to find deals don't panic. Just take some time and do your research. It shouldn't be that hard to find a replacement.

I have been scouring around the internet since Christmas looking for wheels and deals on a few things I would like to replace around the house. Not that I am in a rush to get rid of my money but if I can find a few items for the right price it's a no brainer. I am amazed over the difference between shopping online last year and this year. It's all about the free shipping. You can pretty much get free shipping on anything you want from sports equipment to chandeliers. Last year I wouldn't touch many items becase companies would rip you for insane shipping charges. Now things have changed. They are hard up to sell and that means free shipping and great prices.

If you sit googling for searching for items you are thinking about purchasing I would imagine there would be an endless sea of results and pages. I read that if you search for fat burners or other similar items you can find millions of search results. Make sure when you are searching for your items that you find sites with good review by both the owner and other people that have used the item in question. Make sure they have some kind of customer contact phone number or forum so that you can get a hold of them if something should happen to go wrong. Look to see if they offer a money back guarantee. There is nothing worse than being stuck with something you don't want. And then of course, startvorites looking at prices.

Make a new folder in your favorites and save only the sites that have what you are looking for. From there you can narrow it down and you also make sure you don't forget a site. There is nothing worse than finding a good shopping website and then losing it. I always bookmark right away.

What kind of savings are out there this holiday season? Since November we have been bombarded with all sorts of news stories on television, radio, the internet and newspapers about how dismal the economy is and how people are going to be spending less. Well it's probably true but this means retailers have to be giving away some good deals on specials on items or else they lose too. Right?

There have been penty of ads on big sales and savings to be had on everything this shopping season from jewelry, electronics, computers, home goods and even bigger ticket items like cars. Today I saw that Ford was offering shares in their company with the purchase of a new vehicle.

Don't let the stories about bad shopping times get you down. Go out and make some good from it and find some good deals and giveaways.

It's no secret that Christmas is going to be tough on a lot of people this year. The news if filled with stories of lay offs and downsizing. It's sickening really. Well I looked through the net and my brain for some ideas on how to save some money this holiday season. There are alots of ways  to do it and if you can then why not.

1. Just buy for the kids. Every year my wifes family were all exchanging presents. There are just too many of them. Buy for the kids and forget the brothers and sisters. Christmas is for the kids and I am sure we can all sacrifice. If there are lots of kids then draw a name or two and buy for one or two of your nieces or nephews.

2. Wrapping paper is such a terrible expense and who needs it really. If you are going to buy some then get to a dollar store and buy the cheapest you can find. Why spend money on something that is gone in sixty seconds Christmas morning. We use the bags like in the picture above and reuse them the next year. When you are shopping some stores will give you a bag or two with your purchase. It's enviro friendly and cheaper to reuse them each year.

3. The experts are pushing to buy used. An Ipod is an Ipod and who cares. Check places like Ebay, Craigslist or a second hand store. Trust me you children are not going to care two seconds after they get their mitts on their present. In most cases they won't even know. You can save a ton of money this way and still get some decent presents out there.

4. Make your own gifts. For those that are handy you can make your own gifts and save. Picture frames, bookshelves or knitting etc. It's endless.

5. Budget and stick to it. I know it's hard but you have to do it. Have a set amount of money and use it. That means searching things out and planning but you will be amazed at how you can save.

6. Finally, shop online. Search out online coupons and deals. Find websites where you can order and pick up your item later. Find websites that offer free shipping, retailers should be bending over backwards to ship for free this holiday season. How do you save? By not wasting gas driving around the mall parking lot, not paying for parking and not wasting your money by eating at fast food places while shopping. Think about it.