Bargain Bits-

Sales Secrets of the Stores-At one point in my life I had worked for a mall jewelry store and the first thing they told me when I was hired is that everything is ALWAYS 30% off but nothing was officially on sale. This sales strategy really made me question and wonder just what is the store looking to make on everything they sell, how much has it been marked up to begin with and at what point will I really be getting a discount? As a bargain shopper, of course I signed up for sales notifications from my favorite stores.  I had them filtered into a sales file in my email automatically so I would not be tempted to shop every day. The first thing I noticed when cleaning out that file was that almost all of them ALWAYS had at least 10% off - if you waited a few days you could get 10% off AND "FREE SHIPPING" but if you waited one more week after that, you would get an email for 20% off but charged for shipping and in the last week it would be 20% off and "FREE SHIPPING" if over $50-$75. Granted by the end of that month you also had limited inventory and they were preparing their sales blast for the week after that to say "Exclusive Peek at Newest Stuff" - so when is the best time to actually buy? Personally I would wait for the clearance to also be on a deeper sale but I am a die hard bargainista. Not all have my patience to wait it out nor do they have the strength to just accept the chance that they won't get it at all in the end, so if I were go give advise to someone a litlle more normal, I would offer these tips.

• Sign up for mail alerts for the stores that you frequent the most. Chances are that if you are a previous shopper, they will have your information already. If you would like to be sent sales and coupons to stores that you visit in person, make sure to get on their mailing list as well.
• Do not ever look at the sneak peek- at least its not worth it to me. Everything will be overpriced and I will have buyers remorse every time I see the prices drop after that. The term MSRP stands for manufacturers suggested retail price but what that really means is "I wish I could get this much for this item" - Don't fall for that.
• Calculate your shipping costs. 10% off makes you feel better about having to pay for shipping but keep in mind just how much 10% really is. Its only $1 off for every $10 spent. You will need to spend at least $20 if you want to treat yourself to a decent cup of coffee.
• Free shipping is always good because its typically a 20% savings off at least $20.
• Look for multiple online coupon codes. If you can find two separate codes for shopping and the site will take more than one then go for it. It never hurts to try and get both. Sometimes a site will be offering a percentage off across the board and the shipping code could be added in addition. Never assume its one or the other.
• Always do a google search for coupon codes. Stores will give out promotional codes to different patrons on occasion so even if you did not receive one in a code yourself, there still may be a better deal out there. Always do a search for coupon codes in what you are shopping for and while you are at it, price shop to make sure what you are buying is worth the discount you are getting.

If worse comes to worse and you are tired and confused from doing math and figuring it all out, you can always just flip a coin. Heads you really need it and will commit to the buy- tails you don't need it now and you can wait until the next email comes in with the next sale..... tomorrow.