Do you love bargains? It’s a great feeling when you can find a true deal. It’s worth so much more than you spent for it. It seems some people have a natural knack for bargain hunting.
Here are 6 tricks to finding the best deals around.
#1 Search the classifieds. In addition to finding estate sales, garage sales and flea markets, the classified section of the newspaper may tell you about items that are being sold individually or given away for free. Check your local papers along with classified ad sites like Craigslist.org.
#2 Pay attention to the season. If Christmas is coming up, you can bet that everything will go on sale the week after. Prices drop quickly and sales abound. It’s a great time for bargain hunters. However, don’t limit yourself to just post-holiday sales. Other seasons promise good sales too. For example, back to school shopping is huge in August and September. Come October, stores have moved on to Christmas promotions and those back to school items are on closeout.
#3 Shop specialty stores. Many specialty stores have quite a fluctuation throughout the year. For example, a swimsuit store is going to do gangbusters during the spring and summer months. However, once August and September roll around, you can hear a pin drop in those stores. You can also find a great deal.
#4 Buy display models. Quite often, furniture stores, appliance stores and other large ticket item retailers have a floor model sale. You can buy a brand new couch, never been used, for less than half the original price. The same is true for appliances. Imagine getting a gourmet kitchen stove or refrigerator for half the price simply because it was on display.
#5 Be in the know. The best bargain hunters are seasoned bargain hunters. They know when stores hold their big clearance sales. For example, most brides have heard of the Filene’s Basement Running of the Brides. It’s a nationally reported annual event. (People just like to hear about it and watch the mayhem.) As an aspiring seasoned bargain hunter, start tracking when stores hold their big sales. Gather information and keep it organized. Then you can make sure to be the first in line when the store opens their doors on sale day.
#6 Subscribe to Susies-Coupons RSS feed and newsletter, and/or follow us on Twitter and Facebook – so you never miss a deal.
Bargain hunting is about patience, having a system, and gathering information as much as it is about being in the right place at the right time. Pay attention to season, holiday, and look outside the box for deals. You can find wonderful bargains just down the street in a neighbor’s front yard.
