Bargain Tips: January 2008 Archives

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Time to update the list from Consumer Reports magazine about when is the best time to make certain purchases. Here's what they recommend for January and February:
Beddings, CDs and DVDs, cookcare, houses and condos, linens, swimwear, toys, treadmills, TVs, winter clothing, humidifiers, indoor furniture, and small consumer electronics.

March and April: Humidifiers, TVs, winter coats, winter sports gear, digital cameras and spring clothing.

I am currently guilty of carrying around...let me count...nine gift cards, plus an extra Starbucks card at home. I'm guessing you are only slightly less guilty than me. But watch out for stores that slowly chip away at your gift card balance, warns a story from Stateline.org. "...some cards come with expiration dates or maintenance fees that make using them a hassle. For example: Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s gift cards expire two years after they were last used. Shell’s gas cards impose a fee of $1.75 each month after a year of non-use. The All-Access Visa Gift Card charges a processing fee, a $4.95 monthly fee after the first year, and 50 cents just to check the balance of the gift by phone."

But not all is lost. The story continues "...30 states have some sort of limitation on expiration dates or fees, while another seven require that fees and expirations be disclosed." Stores such as Barnes & Noble, Blockbuster, Kmart and Toys “R” Us have dropped their expiration dates and service fees.

Pay special attention to prepaid cards like those from Visa and American Express. They can be used at any store but have the highest processing fees, monthly service fees, and expiration dates, the story says. "Even without card fees, retailers are still raking in money because many gift cards never get used. Nationally, about 10 percent of the value of gift cards is never spent, and in 2006, that added up to $8 billion."

No publicity is bad publicity, right? So I'm stating the obvious. I have a new blog photo! In the old one nobody could tell I was looking through a storefront window for a bargain - most people thought I was a peeping tom. Riiiiiight. What happened was that when I was getting my picture taken (never fun) you couldn't tell I was behind a window because it was plain glass - there was no contrast. So we used the sunburst pane. Some bargain hunter trivia for ya. I hope the new photo is a little more obvious. Me + money = savings! The new pic will also run with Monday's column.

Some tips from MSNBC on paying off that horrendous credit card bill you racked up last month! 1) Lock up your credit cards. That way you eliminate impulse buys and force yourself to part with cash every time you buy. Keep the cards stashed until you've got your bill under control. 2) Just buy what you need. Duh. We all *wish* we could do this, but with a loaded bill double your will power by asking yourself if you truly need the item up for consideration. Give yourself a fighting chance by avoiding stores in the first place. 3) Lower your interest rates. If you pay your bills mostly ontime you probably get a million credit card offers. Check their teaser rates for balance transfers but be careful about the conditions that could jack up your rate. 4) Pay it off! Just paying the minimums is not a good strategy. The MSNBC article crunches the numbers - and they are scary! "Say you owe $8,000 on your credit cards at an interest rate of 19 percent (many people with significant debt owe much more and are being charged interest rates in the 25 percent to 30 percent range). If you pay the minimum...

(no relation to post, just a cool drawing) Vicky's Deals is a small deal site with household coupons and freebies. One cool feature is that she lets readers post coupons, but that means there's a lot of unnecessary rambling. Not like Slickdeals.net, which gets nearly all its coupons from readers but presents them in a neat, concise fashion. Also, without photos her site tires quickly. Vicky's forums page lets readers react to her deals and post their own sales. They put the most recent comments on top so scroll down to find the coupon. I tried to sign up for her daily email but the system wouldn't accept it. Her coupons today are a free rubber stamp at iPrint, ShoeBuy coupons, and a Baby Gap coupon for $15 off $75. Can you tell I'm lukewarm about this site? There are others that are much better.

None of the ads tell you what coupons are actually *in* the 2008 San Fernando Valley coupon book, so I'm spilling the beans.

Shalimar Cuisine of India - buy one lunch or dinner entree and get one free up to $13
Tarzana Hand Car Wash - hand wash, tire dressing and polish was for $10 (save $9).
The Stand - 2 for 1 Stand Dogs
Auntie Anne's - buy one pretzel get one free
Baja Fresh - $5 off a tab of $15 or more
Subway - buy one get one free 6-inch sub
Fatburger - buy one get one free with any item on the menu (freebie is cheaper of the two)
Cavaretta's Italian Deli - same deal as Fatburger
Maggie Moo's - same as Fatburger
Movie tickets at the Mann - $7 each (some limitations)
Movie tickets at Regal Theaters - $6 with limitations, $7.50 each no limitations
Dodgers - buy one get one free for an infield or lower level ticket
Footlocker chains or Champs or Footaction - $10 off a $50 purchase
50 free prints at Snapfish, 30 free prints at Shutterfly
Ace Hardware -$5 off an $25 purchase
Harbor Freight Tools - 15% off any single item
Longs Drugs - $5 off an purchase of $25

A reader reminded me to check out their online deals, which include even more restaurants, retail shops, and entertainment venues. I also got 3 mags free for 3 months for registering my card, which gets me deals at certain locations. The SFV book is still $15 with free shipping.

Have you noticed stores are tightening their return policies? Costco changed their liberal return policy to 90 days for electronics, and many others have followed suit, according to a story from the Associated Press. "Sears, Roebuck and Co. maintains a broad 15 percent restocking fee, introduced in 2005 on select items including home appliances, electronics, and sporting good not returned unused with full packaging. Plenty of stores also track customers' returns, blacklisting "serial returners." Dworksy noted that bucking the trend was the nation's leading consumer electronics chain Best Buy Co., which liberalized its holiday returns policy this year. It now allows returns on all goods until Jan. 31. Previously, computers were excluded, some other items needed to be returned by Jan. 8 and still others by Jan. 24"

There are many exceptions. REI has an incredible "100% satisfaction" return policy that I fear will one day go the way of the dodo. My sister tested their committment to this policy by returning a pair of 10-year old hiking boots. One boot had a hole in the sole and so she was no longer satisfied, she told the cashier. The fact that she had put hundreds of miles on these boots didn't stop her from taking them back, or the cashier from giving her a full refund!

if you are already familiar with eBates.com, which has automatic rebate deals of 1 to 25 percent with hundreds of stores, Cashbaq.com will be easy to digest. At Cashbaq you register for free, click on one of the 500 stores they have rebate deals with (like 3 percent at Banana Republic), then four to five months later you get a check in the mail - a verrrry long wait. (eBates is 3 months). Cashbaq gives you $5 just for signing up while eBates gives you a $10 gift card once you sign up and make a purchase through their site. (Use my email, julia.scott@dailynews.com, in the "Anyone referred you?" box, and we both get a bonus!)

So who has the better deals? A quick comparison of a few stores with the eBates rebate listed first, following by the rebate at Cashbaq:

Target 4% ..... 5%
Home Depot 4% ..... 2%
Best Buy 1% ...... 1%
Gap 3% ..... 3%
Amazon.com coupons only ..... coupons only

So in some cases it might make sense to shop at one versus the other. But it would be nice to have all your checks coming from one place so they are easier to remember. See what works for you.