Coupon Secrets from Founder of Couponmom.com

There's a method to finding grocery and drugstore bargains online. That's the subject of a profile about Stephanie Nelson, founder of couponmom.com in the latest issue of ALL YOU magazine.



Here are her secrets for finding grocery and drugstore bargains online:



* "Use paperless coupons. Check out shortcuts.com to see if your grocery store offers e-coupons, which are downloadable to the store’s discount card. Once your card is registered card, you can electronically transfer coupons to it.



* Follow a coupon schedule. Get the best deals on Website coupons when advertisers release them at the beginning of the month.



* Avoid rejection. Call ahead to find out if the store you’re headed to accepts coupons printed from the Web."

10 Tips for Savvy Online Shopping

Sortprice.com offers these "10 Commandments" for safe and smart shopping on Cyber Monday. These tips are helpful for the 2008 holiday season and during the rest of the year.

• "Be thorough in your research: utilize all the resources the internet provides, compare prices and search for online-only bargains to guarantee that you're saving money at this critical economic time.
• Carefully review every online retailer's terms and conditions as well as their return policies, as they vary industry-wide.
• Update your home computer's anti-virus software and security tools before you start shopping, and if using a wireless connection, make sure it's encrypted with a password.
• Order in advance to ensure you don't get hurt by holiday shipping delays and check stock availability for a given product before you place an order.
• Beware of certain promotional emails requesting personal information or promising a special deal as they could be part of a 'phishing' scam.
• Create or update new online passwords that are unique and difficult to steal. Avoid pet names, birthdays, etc. and incorporate numbers and characters.
• Use credit cards instead of debit cards - you'll be better protected from fraud and face less liability in the event of your card number being stolen.
• Shop only on certifiably secure websites: look for 'https://' URLs that indicate secure connections when placing orders and entering personal information.
• Be diligent about where you disclose personal information - including phone numbers, addresses and financial information - and avoid unverifiable entities.
• Look for delivery guarantees from online retailers and always keep hard copies of email confirmations of orders and delivery status." --Sortprice.com

Shopping, Buying & Other Money-Saving Tips from eBay Expert

I enjoyed reading "eBay’s Guide to Financial Fitness." The money-saving tips were smart and include advice about using misspelled words to bargain hunt.

Here are the tips:

"First-Time Buyers


Never assume. Missing information in the item description? Don’t fill in the blanks; directly contact the seller before you commit to buying anything. Click on the “Ask seller a question” link from any listing to email questions and get more detailed information.

Research! You can find virtually any information you need online. Start by researching product information, reading reviews and checking the value of what you’re buying. The more you know, the more successful you’ll be.

Follow through. When you buy it, pay for it quickly to complete the transaction.

Use PayPal. PayPal is the safer, easier way to pay online. Beginning this holiday season, PayPal will provide you with unlimited coverage on your purchases.

Frequent Buyers

Hidden Gems. Find a great deal by using search terms with spelling mistakes (sometimes sellers forget to spell check their listings) or search for an item with the terms “outlet,” “liquidation” or “refurbished” to find a bargain.

Communicate. If something needs to be addressed during the transaction, contact the seller directly. The best way is to reach the seller is via email or, if a number is available, give them a call.

Analyze feedback. After you’ve narrowed down your search, check seller feedback and ratings for each item. Remember, give preference to the seller with the highest feedback score – it means they have the best reputation as a seller.

Don’t be afraid. eBay is set up to hold people accountable. If a problem cannot be resolved by contacting the seller directly, rely on eBay. To get more information, click on the Security and Resolution Center link located at the top of any eBay.com page and report your problem.

eBay Addicts

Be adventurous. If you’re comfortable and frequently use eBay to buy from one or two categories, consider exploring other categories to find new, unearthed items. For example, an antiques dealer can find great vintage items in the Clothing, Shoes and Accessories category beyond just shopping in Collectibles.

Consider pre-owned. To save some cash, consider searching and purchasing used items. Review your search results to select the item that best suits your needs – chances are you’ll come across the perfect find at a great price.

Trade up. If you’re looking for a little extra cash to purchase the next must-have item on your list, all you have to do is sell an item on eBay. Voila! You’ve now recycled, cleaned house and earned money to purchase another great product.
Luxuriate! On eBay, you can find a range of high-end items, from consumer electronics to clothing and accessories. Be as specific as possible when searching for an item – include both the brand name and model number. You can also add in helpful search terms like “authentic,” “collectors,” “rare” or an era to help narrow your search."

--source: Jim “Griff” Griffith, eBay’s Dean of Education and author of “The Official eBay Bible,” has been the foremost education expert on eBay since 1996, when he was invited to join the company as its first customer support representative."
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Here's how to buy my new book:

@ Amazon.com
@ Barnes & Noble
@ Borders
@ Target.com

Reader Asks: Did You Really Find Bargains on Black Friday?

A reader named Michael R. from Seattle has a question about so-called Black Friday deals in electronics. He read this column from me and his questions: Do the deals really exist? Other bloggers have posted an assortment of insights. Links are below:

While shopping for a plasma TV, Michael from Seattle found a price spike on Black Friday. Here's his experience:

"I bought a Panasonic plasma TV (42PZ77U) at Best Buy during the first week of November so I would be able to get price matching through New Year’s day based on Best Buy’s 60-day price match policy. The 42PZ77u lists for $1799. That first week of November, I bought it for $1619 (Best Buy on-line price matched at store).

The day after I bought it, Best Buy and Circuit City had it on-line for $1499. Mid-November, Best Buy had it on-line for $1299. The Saturday before Thanksgiving, Sears had it on-line for $1199 (although I couldn’t get the price match on that because it is special delivery in my area). Of course the on-line prices also included various discounts and/or freebies on various bundles and/or installation services.

On Black Friday, I checked Best Buy, Circuit City, Sears and Video Only on-line and in-store and found that the lowest price on the 42PZ77U was $1499 (in-store Video only), and at Best Buy it was back up to $1619 in-store and full price with no significant bundle option on-line.

I wonder if the higher Black Friday prices on my TV was an aberration based on the strong sales for this particular product and/or the relatively strong economy in Western Washington, or if this was some sort of national trend that deeper discounts were actually available before Black Friday, and what that might mean for Christmas and after Christmas prices.

I hope you’ll do a column on whether the forecasts were accurate and what that suggests for the rest of the holiday season.

Regards,

Michael R.
Seattle, WA

I'll check around for answers. Meanwhile, I'm asking others to please leave a comment or write to me with feedback about your Black Friday/Cyber Monday experience.

Here's a roundup of what other folks are saying about early holiday shopping:

From Boston Gal's Open Wallet: My Black Friday Adventure

I wanted to get my parents a laptop computer and after watching the sales leading up to black friday I realized some great deals would be available this year. My guess was right....

From Generation X Finance: A List of Some 2007 Cyber Monday Sales

This year, plenty of online retailers are offering some good Cyber Monday sales, so if you enjoy shopping online, Monday might be a good day to do it. So, here is list of some of the online Cyber Monday sales that I’ve come across. Obviously, some deals are better than others, but these are just some that I’ve noticed this weekend. If you know of any other good deals, please let others know in the comments.

From Seeking Alpha: LCD TV Black Friday Sales Reported Solid

From Mapgirl's Fiscal Challenge: Holiday Weekend Spending Report



From We're In Debt: Day 573: Did You Shop Black Friday Sales?
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The Frugal Duchess Booktique
The Frugal Duchess of Beauty Store

Book Shop of Fear
The Poetry & Drama Queen
Frugal Jazz & Blues
Frugal Comic Book Connection
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Knobs, Handles & Frugal Kitchen Accessories.

Kitchen remodeling projects have hidden costs, including the perhaps unexpected expense of replacing knobs and handles for cabinets and drawers. Even in my small kitchen, I have about three dozen door handles and drawer knobs, with potential replacement costs of several hundred dollars. Fortunately, a friend has found a shortcut that saved her time, money and gasoline.

• Shop on-line: On the Internet, my friend found D. Lawless Hardware (www.dlawlesshardware.com), an Illinois-based company with great deals. ''I was amazed at the incredible selection. Even better, the prices ran the gamut,'' she said. For $1.79 each, she purchased cobalt blue glass knobs, with matching pulls for $3.79 each. The company will match prices if you find better deals elsewhere and my friend received free shipping because her order was over $50.

• Clearance section: Either online or in standard stores, clearance sections often have great prices. D. Lawless Hardware has a ''dollar and under'' section. Likewise, at Anthropologie, a fashion, accessory and home chain store, I recently found attractive knobs and pulls in the mark-down section. My finds included knobs reduced to $2 from $8 and a snail-shaped door pull marked down to $7.95 from $20. At Target.com, I found a set of four plastic knobs for $2.71, or about 70 cents each, and brass knobs for 75 cents a piece.

• Second-hand and cast-off furniture: My husband has purchased unique and attractive knobs and handles at thrift stores. Discarded furniture may have attractive handles, pulls and knobs.

• Internet flea markets: On eBay, I found: basic plastic knobs (38 cents), a collection of six floral ceramic pulls (69 cents for the set), a four-pack of Winnie the Pooh character drawer pulls for 82 cents, and sleek pewter handles (70 cents each), excluding shipping costs. On Amazon.com, the selection included decorative handles, pulls and knobs priced between 90 cents to $5.

• Be creative: Purchase plain wooden knobs and paint them, suggests Cheryl Wright of the Dollar Stretcher (www.stretcher.com). Consider using fewer drawer pulls, which are pricier than knobs. My friend saved a bundle by using more knobs, which were about 50 percent cheaper than the drawer pulls and handles.

This is from my latest column in the home & design section of the Miami Herald.
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The Frugal Duchess Booktique
The Frugal Duchess of Beauty Store

Book Shop of Fear
The Poetry & Drama Queen
Frugal Jazz & Blues
Frugal Comic Book Connection
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