Not free, just cheap...

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epoxy81 — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 10:27:59 +0000

Save a little on stamps/shipping

epoxy81 — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 15:24:06 +0000

Now, I know that mailing letters is a little “old school” at this point. But I found out this week that my local Shoprite has a United States Post Office right inside. I’m sure this is more just out of convenience than anything and that’s’ worth a little bit to all of us in itself. But I asked the lady how the charge would show up on my credit card, as USPS, or as Shoprite. She told me that it would show up as a Shoprite charge.

Why is this significant? Well, because I can get 5% back on grocery purchases. Much like buying a gift card from a grocery store, or groceries from a gas station, this is another opportunity to save a little bit on something that we need to do sometimes. So next time I have to ship something USPS, I’ll go to Shoprite and get a 5% discount on shipping charges, or stamps, or whatever else I might need.

Now, it may not always be cheaper to buy shipping supplies there, but it is always going to be cheaper to buy stamps there. Shipping charges from the USPS are also usually considerably cheaper than FedEx or UPS. They just don’t have guaranteed delivery dates/times for many of their shipping options.

Brand Loyalty

epoxy81 — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 15:08:42 +0000

Cheap people can’t afford to have loyalty. We’re always trying to save money, even if it’s only theoretical savings.

I (almost) always buy based on promotions if the prices are negligible. For example, if I’m deciding between a coke and a pepsi, I’ll check to see if one of them is running some kind of giveaway. If Coke offers a 1-in-6 chance of winning a free Coke, that’s an expected savings of $0.17 (if the coke costs $1) and that doesn’t include concert tickets/cars/monetary prizes that you could also win.

Same goes with BK vs McD. McDonalds has their Monopoly game every year, and BK often runs promotions with movies.

This doesn’t mean you run out and buy lottery tickets or hit the casinos for the possibilities of winning though. All I’m saying is, a Coke with the added chance of winning something else is better than just a Pepsi and nothing else.

Sent from my HTC smartphone

Cheap(er) Fast Food

epoxy81 — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 13:26:36 +0000

Now, eating fast food in itself probably isn’t much of a bargain… but if you do frequent these establishments…

1. Math is your friend
Always figure out if a “deal” is a deal. Studies show that if something is “on sale,” even if it isn’t, people are more likely to buy it. So make sure you’re actually getting a deal.

Also, if you’re buying something that comes in a quantity (chicken nuggets, fries, etc…) check to see which size offers the best price ratio. Best example is McD’s $1 4-piece chicken nuggets. The 10/20 pieces are regularly over the cost of buying multiples of the 4-piece.

2. Get a small soda
If you’re not getting a combo, but want a soda, always get a small if they offer free refills. They’re cheaper, and it’s still all you can drink.

If you’re in a food court, check to see which shopfront offers the cheapest drinks, or which offer free refills. You don’t have to get your drink at the same place as your food.

3. Drink water.
If you do the math, buying the individual items of a combo (but without the drink) is sometimes cheaper than getting the meal. So if you really don’t want that supersize soda anyways, you can save a little bit (money and calories!) by drinking water instead.

$1 Meal at Boston Market

epoxy81 — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 16:58:37 +0000

Best Deal Ever… went three times.

Touch Pro 2 Arrives!

epoxy81 — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 21:06:34 +0000

So I got my new Touch Pro and it’s amazing. Very happy with my purchase.

Now on to the issue of trying to sell the old Treo Pro…

I posted it on craigslist, but only got responses.

1. Says he wanted it, but when I responded… he never replied. (His name btw was “Mike Knight”)

2. Guy wants me to send it to his son in Nigeria.

3. Guy only wants top pay by cashiers check because the last guy who he tried to buy stuff from held him up at gunpoint and stole all his money.

4. Lady apparently is in Rome for a pastor’s conference and wants to paypal me the money and wants me to send it to her brother.

None of those feel like viable purchasers. I’ve moved on to trying to post the phone on different phone forums.

Of course, it’s unlikely anyone will want to sell to me since I’m just showing up now to sell. I wouldn’t buy from me. I guess I should hope there’s someone trusting out there…

$199, but tax on $450

epoxy81 — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 21:36:41 +0000

So I sent a nice e-mail to Sprint this morning mentioning the price at Verizon as well as the fact that they’ve lowered the price to $199 for Businesses, but not normal Consumers.

Threw in some information about how long I’d been with Sprint and mentioned how I enjoy being with them and would love to continue my service with them…

Don’t know if any of that really made a difference, but I got an e-mail this afternoon:

Thank you for contacting Sprint regarding Upgrading the Handset on your Account.

We are pleased to inform you that we are offering the HTC Touch Pro 2 at price match with Verizon Wireless price. The xxx-xxx-xxxx is currently eligible for full rebate. The handset upgrade will require the renewal of the 02-year agreement. You can purchase the equipment from one of our following sales channels

(blah blah blah)

After activating the handset on your account reply and we will apply the credit against the price difference amount on your account. So, after applying the credit the price of the handset will be matched with Verizon Wireless price.

Thank you for writing in to us.

Sincerely,
Mia G.
Sprint

Technically, it’s not really matching, since I have to pay tax on the full $450, but I’m not going to complain about this.

Taking into consideration the $50 that I got for resigning to a 1-year agreement (which was essentially nullified by signing a 2-year to get this phone) and the $200 I hope to get from selling my Treo Pro, it looks Like I’m going to get this phone for about -$12.

The best part is that they’re paying me to continue using a ridiculously under priced phone plan.

The search for a Touch Pro 2

epoxy81 — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 14:23:53 +0000

Currently trying to get a new Touch Pro 2 from Sprint for less than what they want for it.

Currently, they’re offering it for $350 after a $100 MIR with a 2-Year Agreement.

So far what’s happened is:
1. I took my phone (HTC Touch) for repairs… I have insurance on my phone. They ended up giving me a brand new Treo Pro as a replacement (!!!!)
2. I’m going to try to sell the phone for ~$200.
3. I called Sprint and asked to see if they had any special offers available for resigning and extending my contract. They offered me $50 to resign for an additional year. Since I’m planning on signing a 2-year agreement when I get my Touch Pro 2, this has no effect on me. Just a free $50.
3. I’ve sent e-mails to Sprint’s customer care complaining about how Verizon is pricing their version of the Touch Pro 2 at $199. I got a response telling me that after I buy the phone, that I should be able to reply to that e-mail and get an additional $50 off.

So as of now, I’m looking at $450 minus $100 MIR, minus $200 for the Treo Pro, minus $50 Credit for resigning, minus $50 for asking them to lower the price.

If everything goes as planned… I should be able to get it for $50 after everything’s said and done.

Wish me luck!

Blogging the search to save money by spending it.

epoxy81 — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 14:15:16 +0000

First post! I guess I’ll just be using this blog to try and document my attempts at getting discounts or strategies in getting things cheaper.

I guess a few rules I’ll have for myself are:
1. Don’t get angry (Unless you have a legitimate reason)
2. Be nice to CSRs
3. No Lying.

This isn’t a blog about how you can get what you want by bullying a company. It’s about getting a better deal by having better information. Knowledge is power.