Archive for February, 2009
As Featured in the Daily Herald
Your money supply is short.
Demand for your business is high.
And that combination means you should be able to save on most products.
Businesses are using every trick in the book to lure customers, including online offers, store coupons and an array of creative discounts.
The key is planning, says Chicago’s Brad Wilson, owner of BradsDeals.com.
“You have to plan where you’re going and what you want to get,” he said. “There’s probably a coupon for 90 percent of the stores, and I don’t think people realize how many there are and how easy they are to get.”
And sometimes, good planning will allow you to do better than just a discount – like free shipping.
Here are a few strategies for bagging bargains during the holiday season.
PRICE MATCHING
A sale at one place is sometimes the same as a sale at another, thanks to price-matching guarantees. Many competing businesses do this, but to reap the benefits, you must do your homework. Know the competitor’s price and be armed with a current sales flier or Web printout to argue your case. If you’re organized, you can enjoy sale prices from multiple stores in a single stop.
Beware of: The hassle vs. the savings. It’s not worth your time if you have to wait 15 minutes to save $1. “It’s important if you’re buying a $1,000 TV, and less important if you’re buying a book,” Wilson says. Also be aware that some stores might not match deeply discounted Black Friday prices, so check in advance.
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As Featured in the Arizona Local News
Nowadays, few home sellers – and especially those trying to avert foreclosure – have spare funds to hire a “stager,” a professional trained in the art of making a property look as beguiling as possible to prospective buyers.
Good stagers are skilled at making an ordinary property look extraordinary, often by removing excess furnishings, augmenting the remaining items and then rearranging the entire mix.
“A house that’s beautifully staged usually sells faster and for more money than a similar home in the same neighborhood that hasn’t been staged,” said Michelle Minch, a veteran in the field and an official of the Real Estate Staging Association.
But sellers in a financial pinch can gain many of the benefits of staging without the expense of hiring a professional, she said, by asking family and friends for help and bartering for their services.
For example, someone who is skilled at car mechanics could offer a free tuneup or oil change in exchange for staging help. Or you could barter baby-sitting services or gourmet dinners in exchange for assistance in upgrading your decor.
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As Featured in Money Magazine
Sweden’s IKEA is already the world’s largest furniture retailer, with $31 billion in sales in zoo7. But it’s still in growth mode this side of Stockholm, with 35 U.S. Outposts and four more planned in the next two years. It doesn’t matter how lofty your tastes: If you live near an IKEA, the store’s low-price and high-style wares will draw you in eventually, for your kid’s dorm, a basement or a second home. Once there, expect to be the target of marketing more psychologically complex than the complete works of Ingmar Bergman. Here’s how to emerge without having spent a single krona more than planned.
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