Buy Anything On Sale!

This great money-saving idea comes from my husband. It would work especially well if you are planning to make a large purchase from a chain store such as Target, Best Buy, etc:

1. Save up your money (never buy anything with debt!)

2. Search online (Ebay or Amazon) for a gift card for the store you are planning to buy from. You should be able to buy the card for less than it's worth. Some deals are better than others, but you can sometimes save 10% or more off of the card's dollar value. The higher-dollar cards often have better savings than those with low dollar amounts. Watch the auctions for a few days and figure out which card amount or combination of smaller card amounts will give you the best value. Be sure to check into what it will cost to ship the card(s) and add that to your total cost. Also, make sure you understand if the card has an expiration date and when that is.

3. Try to resist buying a card of a higher dollar amount than you will actually need. It may be a "good deal," but are there other things you should be spending that money on?;o)

4. For an even better deal, plan to make your purchase when the item is on sale (ask a manager if and when it will be on sale), or try to obtain a coupon to maximize your savings.