Money Saving Secrets | WIRL Project

I get a high from a good deal – I can save 20%? Yes, please! So, I thought I’d share with everyone my best money-saving secrets:

1) I used to work in retail, so I know a lot of the “tricks”, especially when it comes to coupons. Most of the time, the cashiers can manually enter discounts, even when they say a deal or coupon is “expired”. Bed, Bath, and Beyond is a great example of this…they take coupons after the expired date, so NEVER throw them out…I have a stash of about 25 in a pile because you can use one per item when you shop there! Also, ask cashiers if they know of any way you can save some money on this purchase. You may have to ring some items up individually, to take advantage of multiple coupons, but usually, if you’re nice and they want to help you, they can do “something”. The key is, you have to be nice! My husband and I do this ALL the time and it works probably 75% of the time!

2) If you’re shopping for furniture or “home” stuff, ask if you can purchase the “floor model” to save money. Sometimes this works and sometimes it doesn’t – if you don’t mind purchasing something thats been hanging on the wall as a display, it can usually save you at least 10%! It never hurts to ask. I would not suggest this for electronics though – you don’t want a TV that’s been on all day every day for weeks/months at a time. In this case, I usually ask, at stores such as Best Buy, if they have anything “open box” that I could purchase. This literally means that someone has purchased, opened the box and returned the item, and that’s it! It can provide great discounts and the warranty is usually still intact – try it!

3) Take advantage of the manufacturer’s warranty! This may seem like a “DUH!” thing to say, but you’d be surprised by how many people don’t do this!! Prime example: We had a very nice (expensive) set of Calphalon pots and pans. The nonstick started to wear off and I was about to order myself a new set on Amazon (for about $600…yikes!), and a lightbulb went off in my head…Isn’t there a “lifetime” guarantee on this stuff, I swear I remember reading that somewhere! So, I took my set into the place I purchased it from (keep in mind, I didn’t even have the receipt) and told them about what happened and guess what? I walked out with an entire new set! But wait, there’s more! When I exchanged my old set for a new one, there was a special “promo” deal where you got a free skillet and a $100 gift card with the purchase of a new set…and they gave it to me!! So I walked in with crappy, old pots and pans and walked out with a new set, an extra skillet and a $100 gift card!!! Nice! This wasn’t just a random thing either, I’ve done this for a Wusthof knife that was looking pretty rough and several other products. If a company knows you’re not happy – they will usually do what they can to make it right – just let them know!

Well, I hope these tips help you to save some money and keep you from re-purchasing products that you don’t necessarily need to. Talk to the store associates, ask for deals, negotiate, and use your manufacturer’s warranties! Do you think those Calphalon pots and pans I mentioned above really cost $600 to make? NO! They build their lifetime warranty into the price so that you have that sense of security when you purchase their products – that’s what your paying for. Most people forget about these things though – don’t be one of those people!

How do you get great deals when shopping? What products have you purchased with a “Lifetime Warranty”? I’d love to hear your story or thoughts.