Julia Scott, a reporter over at the Daily News, blogs compulsively about shopping bargains. Sometimes her stuff is Valley-centric, which makes it useless to us in the South Bay, but lately, she's had a treasure trove of holiday tips and online shopping codes, like one for free gift wrapping at Nordstrom online or free shipping from Macy's or 20% off at snapfish.com.
Below are some Web sites our own bargain hunters use on their internet quest to find inexpensive gifts:
http://dailydeals.com/ offers daily updates on computer and electronics deals, as well as coupon codes that will save you when you check out online. You can also sign up for e-mail alerts on specific items you're looking for.
Overstock.com sells name-brand items for 40 to 80 percent off their original price. For the clueless, they have a holiday gift finder and #1 top sellers section, and for the super cheap, they have a clearance bin with their best-valued items.
This morning's blurb ...
"http://dailydeals.com/ offers daily updates on computer and electronics deals... "
You know this is a website squatter. He grabbed the domain when someone forgot or couldn't renew it. Now he gets paid for the click thru's.
Find an item you want with model number. Then go to PriceGrabber.com and search for it.
Even if it isn't located in your zip code you can go to your local big stores, i.e., Staples, Office Depot, Sears, etc. and negotiate.
Even call their 800-numbers and negotiate.
I got a brand new $400 27-inch TV with free shipping this way. I paid $187 total.
Do your research. Consider the savings as you being paid to do the research.