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Extreme Savers' Scrimping Leads to Big Bucks

From the Pittsburgh Channel.

"Many people pride themselves on their ability to spot a bargain. But some take saving a buck to the extreme."

I say DEFINE EXTREME. The depth of savings measures is in direct correlation to the amount one wishes to save.

"An extreme saver might take a class at a community college, for example, to build a deck that would cost thousands of dollars, but instead actually learns the skill and saves thousands by doing it themselves." Carota said she knows someone who spent $65 on a construction class and built an $18,000 deck for just $6,600."

I don't define this as extreme--I define this as a conscientious homeowner who desires to learn how to maintain and add onto his home. This person is very wise to learn how to get the same deck for 1/3 the price.

"...many extreme savers were happy to speak with Channel 4 for the story. While they were all more than willing to share their savings secrets with WTAE, nearly all of them declined to be interviewed on the record, even if their identities were concealed.

"I kind of want to shop in anonymity. Plus, not everyone wants to share their secret. You kind of like to keep them tucked in your purse a little bit," said one saver, who didn't want to be identified but was willing to be interviewed. The mother of two did let Channel 4 Action News in on one of her savings secrets.

"Something that Walmart does not tell their shoppers is that they price match any sales ad. And I save a lot of money price matching," she said. "Here's a great deal: 10 pounds of Idaho potatoes for $1.99 each. (I) circle that. I take that ad to Walmart and they match that."

If you can stand to go into a Walmart these days--around here, they've become the replacement hangout for mall rats and unruly kids whose parents just drop them off to get some peace in their lives. Walmart and Target in my town are the new social hangouts, so I don't go there any more.
...

"Another smart but shy shopper spotted $45 shirts at Macy's knocked down to $1.97. The woman bought 10 and used a $10 off coupon, knocking the cost down to $9.70. Then she used a 20 percent off card to bring the final bill to $7.76.

For those who don't have the time or inclination to work so hard to save a few bucks, there are more simple ways to save. Small sacrifices can lead to saving major money.

For example, dropping full cable TV for the most basic package could save a household $1,000 a year."

Dropping the cable is an example of skipping nickels and dimes for bigger savings. Eventually those shirts will wear out (or go out of style) and have to be replaced, and do you think they can be replaced at the same price that they were originally bought for? I doubt it--retailers learn from their discounting mistakes.

Posted by Cute at 8:16 PM

Labels: financial (non-tax)