Buy off season to rack up savings all year
By JENNISE VENTURA
Saving money can be tricky, especially when you are already living paycheck to paycheck. It can also be overwhelming and it may make you feel lost. Here are some tips to simplify your life.
If you’re a plan ahead type of person, here are ways to help you save money: After a big holiday, like Christmas, wait a couple of weeks to stock up on wrapping paper, gift boxes and bags, holiday décor and even Christmas trees, when they go on clearance, to use next Christmas.
Not long after Christmas, Hobby Lobby stores across the nation offered 90% off Christmas merchandise. I arrived an hour after opening, grabbed two carts and filled it with wrapping paper, tissue paper, gift boxes and décor. My goal was to buy items that I can use all year long.
Since the gift boxes and tissue paper were white, I bought lots of them. I even bought four Scotch tape packs for $.60, originally $6, and stocked up on those. Tissue paper was originally $5, I paid $.50 each. The variety size packs of gift boxes were $9.99, I paid $.99 each. I also bought some red, green and white tissue paper and stocked up on wrapping paper for next Christmas. I couldn’t believe I spent $1 each on $10 wrapping paper! Who pays full price for that? Shoppers were buying décor and Christmas trees, all at 90% off. At the end of that shopping trip, I paid $45 for $450 worth of items from Hobby Lobby.
What if you want to stock up on Easter décor? Maybe Halloween décor? Wait about two to four weeks after a holiday to find the best deals.
While 50% off is nice, depending on what you are looking for and how many are left, it’s best to wait when it’s 60% or even 70% off. If there’s a lot left over, even at those discounts, wait until its 90% off.
If you are looking for gifts and toys, the best places to shop for deals are Walmart, Target and Walgreens after any major holiday. These sales tend to drag out slower so you’ll have to be patient. Markdowns don’t happen until three to four weeks later and it could drag out for another four weeks. It’s a Catch 22 because you have to wait patiently for lower prices but at the same time, someone may buy them before the next markdown and they may sell out. One recommendation is to ask customer service about price adjustments. Most retailers have a different policy on it so it doesn’t hurt to inquire.
The same idea applies for clothes as well. Buy clearance winter clothes in the spring to have for the next cold freeze. Buy summer clothes on sale after kids start school in the fall. If your child(ren) are growing fast, buy one to two sizes bigger. I recommend signing up for emails from the stores you shop at (in store and online) so you will be informed of sales.
What if you are a moment’s notice type of planner and still want to save money? No worries. Sign up for newsletters from your favorite stores to receive coupons and sale notices. Create an email address strictly to receive such email. This will keep your professional or personal account clean and organized. You may benefit from the price adjustment policy if you need to buy items now.
Use the Flipp app to help you. Download the app, put the zip code in and select the stores near you. The purpose of this app is to help you find deals on certain items quickly. When you type in a name of an item, it will show you what stores have it and it will breakdown the deal with coupons and sale price. If you type in diapers, Flipp will tell you all the deals on all brands of diapers in the stores in the area. If you type in specific brand, it will show you sales on that brand. Click on a store and it will show you the breakdown and the coupons needed.
The part I like is that most of the coupons are digital and are on the store app for free. So, if the deal is from Walgreens, you will need their app to clip the digital coupon to receive the deal. If you are military, go to Walgreens on Saturdays to receive an additional 15% off with the digital military discount coupon from the Walgreens app. Buying diapers on sale with digital coupons and 15% off discount is an amazing deal. If you have any questions regarding the Walgreens app, the store employees can assist you.
So, how do you find out when these deals happen? Social media is your best friend, especially Facebook. Look for groups relating to the stores. Use store names as key words and you’ll find many groups that help others, like you, save money. There are employees in these groups who share dates of upcoming sales so you have more control when and where to buy the best deals for you and your family.
