It has been so, so, sooooo long since I have blogged that I actually forgot I had started one.
Indeed I had a lot more time on my hands when this blog started out, mostly cause I was in a miserable work environment and this kept me busy...anywhoo, Onwards and Upwards!
So it seems my last post was October 2010, very sorry to the 3 people that actually read the few posts I had written (thank you to those who did) that it has taken this long to reconvene.
I have been thinking, much like most of my ideas, I am a day late and a dollar short as the FRUGALness of the world has finally caught up and there are deals to be found absolutely EVERYWHERE!
With Groupon, and TIPPR, and Bloomspot spewing out deals from everything from bikini line lasering opportunities, to BOTOX, to oil changes, to personalized closet cleaning, and a bunch of other semi unnecessary items and/or services you don't-need-but-must-have-at-THAT-price, I feel my seeking out of these deals for you might be a moot point. (I could still kick myself for not starting the web based business idea I had years ago, but alas...)
Perhaps I can discuss how to focus and best utilize some of these sites and how to make the deal offers really work for you!
Here's my iron clad tips for "spaving" ( or "spending to save"...I really need to Trademark that word...)
1. Use a specific email address for subscriptions.
First thing is first, if you are a subscriber to the deal generators I highly suggest using one email address that all this semi "junk" can go to, it's a lot easier to sift through and makes deleting ACTUAL mail less likely. It's like a wanted spam filter. I do happen to use a personal account where I get most of my personal email as well, but for god's sake do not use your work email EVER. If you are like me I get about 1500 emails a week (or so it seems) and by no means do I need anymore mail in my inbox.
Creating an account specifically for email opt in's or sales type emails is KEY!
2. Only subscribe to stores, sites, and interests that you think you will use or might be interested in.
This sounds like a no brainer but I know people that subscribe to everything, I mean crap they don't even care about, so why bother? Pick a few things that you are interested in and go from there.
Personally, my main interests are food, designer clothing, and travel. I belong to sites that specialize in this or let me select these as an interest. NEVER OPT IN for partner sites, unless of course you know you want them.
3. Cross check any deal!
This is specifically for any clothing or accessory purchases you might make through sites like Gilt, Rue La La, etc. I have on numerous occasions seen something I like only to find it cheaper elsewhere, half the time directly on the designers site or at a dept. store. Safe to bet that if it is on sale at Gilt it is probably on sale somewhere else too. Also, this is a good rule when searching for anything. I have found (recently) a much coveted pair of boots on sale at Barney's and Macy's but on sale for a lot LESS on the designer's website.
For travel deals this also seems to be true. I spent a week at Le Sport The Body Holiday in St. Lucia which had a ton of deals going on at the time (mid-summer, July). I had seen deals on Jetsetter and Gilt City for $540 a night (it's a luxury all-inclusve normally about $1k a night), which sounded like a great deal, and while I was looking through the site went into rates and specials, the rates for that time of the year WERE $540 a night, and they had a special going on for 40% off of the rack rates which brought the whole price down to $250 a night....um, yeah...HUGE difference. Thus I nudged 2 of my girlfriends to book it with me, and VOILA we had a lovely girls trip! (The Body Holiday is ridiculous by the way, we had a spa treatment daily, gym and fitness classes, and all water sports, including wake boarding,etc, are included as well as all the food (healthy, and not so healthy) you can shove in your mug! Highly recommend.
4. $40 for $100 worth of anything is a GOOD DEAL!
These are my absolute favorite kind of deals. Essentially it is a percentage off kind of deal, but holy smokes these make me happy. Most of the time these are for restaurants, and if they are restaurants you have been dying to try or frequent often than snatch these up! I recently got one of these for one of my favorite places and was so excited as it can get pretty pricey, just remember ALWAYS tip on the would be amount! Big difference between being Frugal and Cheap....
I also just bought one for merchandise and was so happy I did, I got some great jewelry from a small retailer out of Philly that I normally would not have known about!
These types of deals are really worth getting, and if you're like me and my friends and don't think it's tacky (SPAVING is never tacky, BTW...) you can always get something like this as a gift, etc...
5. Monetary coupons never expire, their monetary value does.
OK, this is a bit tricky and you should always read the fine print when purchasing a deal, however, in particular, the deal mentioned above ( #4) can have different rules and regulations depending on what state you are in. But since I live in CA I can knowledgeably discuss how this works here.
Normally a "$40 for $100" worth of goods coupon will only be good for a certain amount of time. Which means that it is only worth $100 for a limited time, HOWEVER after it expires it reverts back to being $40, which is what you actually paid. This does not, and cannot expire, at least in California. If you paid $40 it is actually still worth that amount after the promotional value ends/expires...DO not throw these away or think they just went unused...This actually goes for any service you paid money for. Whatever you paid it is still worth...So look back in all your Groupons or Buy With Me's and see what ones might still work!
(and I know this because I actually got into a FIGHT with an owner of a store in Venice because of this...http://www.yelp.com/biz/coutula-venice#hrid:n-riw0tI-tjvu3y4jDAnQQ)
OK. well I hope that helps for a bit, hopefully I can get back to this little blog and think up new ways to wow you with my expertise and deal finding abilities.
As you know, holiday time there are DEALS to be had everywhere. Make a list first before you go spending!
Happy "Spaving"!
xx
jess
