Never buy retail again. 15 ways.
I don鈥檛 believe people who claim they never buy anything without a coupon 鈥� because聽I know that鈥檚 impossible. Coupons don鈥檛 exist for everything, and certain types of coupons are released a lot less often than others.
But what is possible is never paying retail.
For the past year now, I鈥檝e maintained Money Talks News鈥� 聽and curated our deals posts, sifting through hundreds of deals a week. That job quickly made me realize: There are so many ways to avoid paying retail that it鈥檚 almost never necessary.聽So I started keeping an anti-retail list. I鈥檓 at 15 and counting. If you have more tips to add, I鈥檇 love to hear them鈥�
1. Coupons
Your Sunday newspaper is still one of the best places to find coupons, but it鈥檚 not the only place. Printable coupons can be found all over the Internet. I cherry-pick the best ones I see for our deals posts and pages, but you can find more by doing a Web search or checking the websites of your favorite brands.
2. Online codes
You should never buy anything online without first checking for what鈥檚 called a coupon code or promo code. These alphanumeric codes are the online version of a coupon. Instead of handing your coupon to the cashier, you enter the code at the online checkout. I post the best codes I find on our deals page, but you can also do a Web search for a product name plus the words 鈥渃oupon code鈥� or 鈥減romo code.鈥�
3. Sales
I still find sales are one of the best ways to save. I cherry-pick the best deals I see for our deals posts and pages, but I also highly recommend regularly reading your local Sunday newspaper ads, which you can also find online for free at ShopLocal.com/sales.aspx.
4. Free stuff
I鈥檓 not a big fan of freebies, especially online freebies. Too often, they require you to do something in return or give up personal information, which hardly makes them 鈥渇ree.鈥� But true freebies are out there. I recently scored a free reusable grocery bag from Target 鈥� which I鈥檇 told you about in my 聽-聽and you can find more legit freebies on our .
5. Deals of the day
Amazon.com is known for its steeply discounted Deal of the Day, but the trend is spreading. Lots of online stores 鈥� from Target and Walmart to Home Depot and Hotels.com 鈥� offer up one item each day at a bigger-than-usual discount, sometimes with free shipping thrown in. Stop by our 聽for a list of links to retail daily deals.
6. Cash-back websites
Online cash-back services like Ebates and Big Crumbs are a sure-fire way to shave at least a few percentage points off the price of just about any online purchase. Plus, the cash-back can often be combined with online sales and codes to maximize your savings. If you haven鈥檛 already signed up with one of these services, be sure to check out my recent article,聽.
7. Cash-back credit cards
If you pay off your credit card each month, a cash-back card can ensure you鈥檒l pay less. For specific options, visit our credit card page or email聽Money Talks News credit card guru Jason Steele.
8. Mail-in rebates
These aren鈥檛 as common as they used to be, but when I do see them, they鈥檙e usually significant savings 鈥� if you can remember to mail them back before the deadline. (I kicked myself for forgetting about the $100 rebate that came with my cell phone.) The other risk with mail-in rebates is that they can get lost in the mail, although I鈥檝e never had a problem with that.
9. Amazon-like retailers
Who doesn鈥檛 love Amazon.com? They sell seemingly everything imaginable 鈥� and not only is pretty much everything sold for less than full retail, many of their prices are unbeatable. Buy.com and Overstock.com can be worthy competitors, though.
10. Wholesale clubs
Shopping at warehouses like Costco is perhaps the best way to save money on groceries. Other potential warehouse deals include everything from furniture and electronics to clothing and fine jewelry. If you don鈥檛 already belong to one, check out my article How to Pick the Best Wholesale Club.
11. Outlet stores
Consumer Reports says you can save an average of 38 percent at outlet stores, but it鈥檚 not always a deal. Some outlets stock lesser-quality versions of what their non-outlet stores sell. To get what you pay for, check out 5 Tips for Finding Outlet Store Deals before making a long trip to an outlet mall.
12. Dollar stores
Not everything at the dollar store is a bargain either. Before you buy something, you have to stop and think about whether you could find it for less money elsewhere. Still, it鈥檚 a great place to find everything from gift wrap to cleaning supplies at well below retail. And yes, we鈥檝e done that story too: 10 Dollar Store Duds and r
13. Yard sales
Yard sales and garage sales can be a great place to find all kinds of things for a fraction of their retail price 鈥� if you know what you鈥檙e doing. Money Talks News鈥� expert yard sale shopper, Angela Colley, recently shared some of the best yard sale-hopping tips I鈥檝e ever read in 10 Ways to Save Time and Money at Garage Sales.
14. Secondhand stores
Thrift stores are another great place to find items like housewares and clothing for a fraction of their retail price. They can be hit-or-miss, however, so instead of making a trip just to go thrifting, plot nearby stores on a map and stop by when you鈥檙e in the area. And remember that upscale finds are more common in stores in upscale neighborhoods.
15. Haggling
You have nothing to lose by asking for a lower price. In fact, Money Talks News founder and serial haggler Stacy Johnson says it鈥檚 鈥渢he easiest way to save money.鈥� For haggling tips, check out last week鈥檚 article .
Karla Bowsher runs the deals page and covers consumer, retail, and health issues. This article first appeared in Money Talks News.聽
