April Q & A Winner

A big thank you to Diane for submitting our featured question!

Question: What resources are available to find good deals on things we need?

Answer: The best way to find good deals is to be an informed consumer! Do your research and shop around. If you are purchasing services (for example home or car repairs), call a few companies and get quotes to compare. Ask if they will match prices or accept competitor’s coupons. If you are purchasing something retail, check out a couple of stores before making your decision. It’s more work, but on expensive items, it could save you hundreds of dollars. Also, be aware of what something costs new versus used. You can sometimes find great deals on secondhand items, but sometimes you can find new items for even cheaper if you watch for sales and clearance items. Also, word of mouth is great too. Let others know what you are in need of; they may have great recommendations.

Online resources for secondhand items:
Ksl.com
Craigslist.com
Freecycle.org (must be a member)
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/UTBulletinBoard/ (must be a member)

Retail resources for secondhand items:
Deseret Industries
Savers (99¢ Mon, ½ price ticket items)
Thrift Town (½ price ticket items)
Kid to Kid (children & maternity clothing and items)
Plato’s Closet (teen clothing)

For tips on shopping at thrift stores from Angela Hunsaker, check out How to ENJOY Shopping at a Thrift Store on a previous post of this blog. If you have any tips or sites to add, please leave a comment.

How to ENJOY Shopping at a Thrift Store

A big thank you to Angela H. for sharing these tips to help us save money by shopping at thrift stores!

1. BE CREATIVE…REPURPOSE! Look at the parts that make up a thing. Can it be taken apart, cut up, or customized to suit your needs? When buying clothing, can it be tailored to fit, so you can shop in many size ranges?

2. KNOW WHAT A BARGAIN IS. What is the price when buying it new? What condition is it in? What will be the added cost of fixing an item in need of repair?

3. WHERE WILL I STORE THE ITEM? If you don’t have room to store an item, it should stay at the store, even if it is a great deal. If you must have it, then you must be willing to make the sacrifice to let go of items currently in your space.

4. HOW WILL I GET THE ITEM HOME? If you are shopping for large furniture, you may need to plan ahead to bring a vehicle that can accommodate your purchase. You may also need to plan not to have children and/or carseats with you for such a purchase.

5. CAN THE ITEM BE CLEANED? Is it still a bargain when including the cost of having an item cleaned? (i.e. dry cleaning)

6. BE PATIENT. If you don’t find a specific item this trip, keep trying! You can’t usually thrift shop with a list. Also, don’t give up if you don’t enjoy thrift shopping the first time you try it. Go more than once before giving up on it.

7. TAKE A FRIEND All shopping is more enjoyable with a friend!

8. BRING HANDWASH OR WIPES for when you leave the store. Sometimes you have to touch and move things just to see what treasures may be hidden on the shelves. This is a good habit to have for after shopping in ANY public shopping area.