“Search For A Discount Before You Do Anything” plus 1 more

Search For A Discount Before You Do Anything

Posted: 29 Dec 2011 04:00 AM PST

Developing habits that benefit your wallet are essential to keeping finances in check. Today I wanted to share one small habit that has saved me a lot of cash over the last few years and is now something I do on auto-pilot.

These days most of us have the internet close at hand almost all of the time, it’s easy to keep this tip up.

Before I buy anything I always consult Google and Bing to see if I can find any special offers or coupons. I don’t obsess over the search or start digging super deep, just a quick look.

I’ll give you a recent example…

Last week my partner and I took her nephews out bowling. We were taking them to Spare Time bowling in Colchester, Vermont. We picked a Tuesday night because we had been told that kids were able to eat free in the restaurant area, a great deal!

About an hour before heading out the door I decided to do my usual online discount check. I almost didn’t do it because it was already a discount night and being an independent local alley I didn’t think they would have online promotions, well I was wrong.

Their website was offering a 2 games for the price of 1 for up to 4 people. All they needed was my name and email address for their mailing list, no problem!

So I printed off the coupon and we got the extra games and the free meals. The kids had buckets of fun, of course my astonishingly brilliant 106 scoring game was a lot of fun too.

So how do you search for these discounts?

I don’t do too much, it’s a good financial sense habit but not one I want to take over my life or become an obsession. Here is an example of how I found the coupons for the bowling alley broken down.

1) First I always go to Google or Bing and type the place-name followed by the words coupon or discount. In this case if I type “Spare Time Bowling Colchester Vermont Coupons” here are the results.

In this case nothing sticks out as having a coupon that is useful so I go to the next step.

2) Next up I usually either see the establishment / business / product website in the search results (in this case the 4th result in Google) or I do an additional search and go to their official page. So going to SpareTimeColchester.com you can see that right in their navigation they have two tabs of interest. Often an official site will have a special offers section.

Selecting the “Free Game Coupons” option requires only that you sign up to receive the 2 for 1 games coupon as a PDF that can be printed and presented at the time of payment.

3) If I still fail to find a coupon through Google / Bing search or on the official website then I may go to a forum such as FatWallet.com and SlickDeals.com and see if I can find anything there. At this point anymore than 10 minutes or so in, I usually will give up the search and go enjoy myself with no discounts!

I’ve saved on train tickets, meals at local restaurants, theme park entry, vehicle hire and more just by using this habit.

So just do it, whatever you are doing, you never know and it doesn’t harm to try.

What great discounts have you managed to find by doing a quick online search?

Thanks for reading. Forest can be found writing almost daily over at his lifestyle blog where he covers topics such as The Cheapest Places To Live and How To Simplify Your Life.

Dollar Matters: 2011 Roundup

Posted: 28 Dec 2011 10:32 AM PST

The end of another year is approaching, and it’s time for a huge Dollar Matters roundup to reflect that fact. One of my favorite posts of the year, from Financial Highway, was the one I wrote about 50 home business ideas. Plus, on my brand new blog, I wrote about buying a NEW car, rather than buying used.

It’s been an interesting year, and there are plenty of great personal finance posts to attest to that. Here are some highlights from the year. And, of course, feel free to share your own favorite posts in the comments.

When is the Best Time to Buy a Car?

Do you want the best deal on a car? When you buy can make a huge difference. Find the Best Car Price offers a great infographic, and a break down of the best times to get the best deal on a set wheels.

10 Ways to Be Rich Without Being Wealthy

You don’t need piles of money to be rich. Instead, consider what else you have in your life. Out Of Your Rut takes a look at ways you can be rich without amassing a huge amount of cash.

Why I Am Not Rich (Financially)

Find out about the opportunities THE Canadian Finance Blog doesn’t missed to turn into an instant millionaire. The near misses here are rather interesting — and telling. How rich could you be right now?

Is a million dollars enough to retire happy?

Over at the Retire Happy Blog, the question of whether or not $1 million is enough is considered. In the end, it probably depends on what you are aiming for as part of your successful retirement.

How to Invest without Money

Don’t have money for investment? Create Hype shares some ideas that you can use to invest nevertheless. Rethink your idea of “investment” and then go make the most of something!

Personal Finance Lessons from Harry Potter

It seems everything you need to know about life can be distilled from the pages of Harry Potter. Stupid Cents takes a look at the personal finance lessons that come with the teenage wizard.

What Was Your Biggest Money Mistake? And How Did You Fix It?

We’ve all done stupid things with our money. Personal Dividends takes a look at some huge money mistakes — and addresses how you can fix your mistakes and move on to better finances.

What Is Simple Interest and Compound Interest?

One of the most basic lessons that need to be learned is the difference between simple and compound interest. Canadian Finance Blog takes a look at some of the basics, and how compound interest can help you.

How I Lost A Fortune Getting Out of Debt

This great post on Budgets Are Sexy takes a look at how paying down mortgage debt to the exclusion of considering your other options can cost you a fortune. Could that money be used somewhere else?

How to Make $10,000 a Month from Online Advertising Management and Blogging: Crystal Stemberger’s Success Story

I met Crystal at FINCON11, and she has a great story. PT Money tells the story of her success, which involves looking for a need and then filling it — for a profit.

How Getting Courage to Say “No” Saved My Financial Life

One little word can save your finances — and your sanity. Good Financial Cents shares how you can learn to say no, and avoid financial catastrophe. It’s important to know when to turn something down.

How to Get Started in Investment Property

Moolanomy takes a look at how you can get started with property investing. Learn the basics of what it takes to start down the road to successful rental property investing and management.

How To Build Your Fully Funded Emergency Fund In Less Than A Year

Prepare yourself for what’s next with an emergency fund. You can actually build an emergency fund, and fully fund it, in less than a year. This post at Bible Money Matters shows you how.

How Much House Can You Afford?

Frugal Zeitgeist examines the age-old question: How much house can you afford? Learn how to figure out whether you really will be able to afford that home.

Tips for Teaching Your Teen About Credit Cards

Your teen needs to learn about credit and responsible credit card use. Credit, Eh takes a look at what you need to know when it comes to teaching your kids about smart credit practices.

Life Isn’t Fair. Now Get Over It.

Instead of moaning about the unfairness of life, Investor Junkie suggests you head out and make the most of your hand of cards. Life will never be fair, but you can work on making the best life possible for yourself.

Stress-Free Finances: Cultivate Minimalism

Funny about Money takes a look at how you can use minimalism to reduce the stress in your finances. Yep. If you have fewer expenses, you will have less financial stress.

What First Time Home Buyers Need to Know About Their Credit Card Balances

Before you buy that home, check your credit card balances. Free From Broke has some helpful information that could help you get the best deal on your mortgage.

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