Hassle-Free Savings

Photo by Sarah-Rose

Every month or so, I get together with a couple women I worked with in a former life. Our team was pretty close-knit so when we moved on to different positions, it was important we stay connected. Though these dinners at first resulted in rants about our respective workplace experiences, they’ve mellowed to friendlier topics like politics, religion and who we believe is the best hairstylist in town.

During our last meet-up, my friends were sharing their individual yet similar experiences with coffeemakers. It sounds riveting, I know, to have an entire discussion about coffeemakers, but it resulted in a money-saving strategy that I feel compelled to share.

Without going into the mind-numbing details, each friend called the manufacturer of her coffeemaker when it died. By chatting with a rep about how long she owned the device and whether it was prudent to have it repaired, each friend received a new coffeemaker for free or at half the selling price. In fact, one friend had her Starbucks coffee machine perish after just two years of use. She brought it to her local branch and walked out with a new one, free of charge.

It’s important to note these experiences occurred with several different coffeemaker manufacturers. This level of customer service isn’t limited to one forward-thinking company; it seems to be the norm for most of them.

I’ve discussed the success of simply asking for what you want before, but to be honest it wouldn’t occur to me to contact the manufacturer of a broken item unless I’d recently purchased it. If my coffeemaker finally died after 17 years, I’d go pick one up at Sam’s Club. Thanks to this conversation with my friends, I’ll think twice about this approach.

Have you had a similar experience with replacing broken items? Any examples of requests gone wrong or more examples of great customer service?

Photo by What I Wore

A few weeks ago, a friend and I discussed the possibility of not spending any money on clothes or shoes during the month of February. Since we’re both fashion-obsessed but money conscious, it seems like a suitable challenge. Plus, February is the shortest month of the year making the sacrifice seem more doable.

While I don’t spend money on fashion every single month, I certainly buy more clothes and shoes than I need to. I also swap clothes with a friend every few months and donate quite a bit to Goodwill. Yet, my closet it still busting at the seams with clothes I seem to have lost interest in.

And that’s the part that boggles my mind — at one point, every item in my closet represented my latest find and something I was really excited to wear. Still, I find myself staring dumbly at my clothing racks day after day, wondering what the heck I’m going to wear.

Since I encounter this dilemma on a daily basis, I dug a little deeper and determined my problem: I get bored with my wardrobe because creating new outfits isn’t my strong point. I wear one outfit and then a few weeks later, wear that same outfit again. After two or three wears, I’m over it and want to hit the stores for something fresh.

Though they get a bad rap from people with “better things to do,” fashion bloggers who post images of themselves in outfit ensembles are insanely helpful to me (does anyone else mourn the loss of “What She Wore 365″?). I’m inspired by their look and recreate it with my own clothes, breathing new life into overlooked garments. The strategy of creating new ensembles with existing clothes is incredibly satisfying and makes the idea of a shopping embargo even more appealing.

After reading about a woman who successfully stopped buying things she didn’t need for 8 weeks, I’m seriously considering this challenge. I’m also interested in what everyone else has to say — have you challenged yourself to stop spending money on a certain item or activity? If so, how did it turn out?

Photo by yoppy

The new year inevitably brings fitness-related resolutions for me. My mission this year is to run a 5k comfortably, without stopping, and at a relatively rapid race. My lack of specific milestones related to this pursuit will likely be my undoing, but for now this foggy approach will have to suffice.

As shallow as it may seem, the best way to get me out of a fitness-related funk is to buy new gear. Since these funks are more prevalent in January when the weather is often gray and bitter, you’ll find my scouring active wear racks at least twice a month. As such, I’ve found the following ways to cut the cost of avoiding my new year’s resolutions.

Orange: The Color of Commitment
I used Christmas cash to buy a new pair of running shoes after the holidays. I spent an hour and a half scouring the sale rack at my local Nike outlet only to fall in love with the most expensive pair in the store. My budgetary salvation came in the form of a bright color — my husband found the same shoe in neon orange for 30-percent less.

Savings Tip: Broaden your horizons. I was determined to find something in an un-obnoxious color, and yet am totally in love with my new neon kicks.

But It’s Made of Organic Bamboo Composite!
I found yoga blocks at TJMaxx for $5 each when they were being sold elsewhere — namely sporting goods stores — for nearly $20 each.

Bottom Line: Brand names are big in the fitness realm and while you want to splurge on some items, foam is foam regardless of the packaging.

I’m Sorry, How Much?
I stock up on tops and workout pants at Ross, TJMaxx and Marshall’s because I have a hard time spending $80 on stretchy pants. This means I can’t flaunt prAna during yoga practice but luckily I’m surrounded by people striving for Aparigraha, anyway.

Savings Tip: Go cheap on replaceable stuff but keep a keen eye out for brand-name basics that last.

Free With Sales Pitch
A friend of mine recently purchased a new pair of running shoes and went through a specialized test before finding the right pair. Salespeople analyzed his gait and foot shape and selected shoe options accordingly. He ended up with the best pair of shoes for his style, and saved a bit of money by dodging their upsells including specialized running socks.

Bottom Line: “Free” consultations and evaluations always come with aggressive sales pitching. Just keep this in mind and be prepared to say “no” a lot.

But It Was on Clearance!
It’s been a couple years but I’m still wearing the white and gray racer-back cotton tanks I bought for $4 each at Sports Authority. My only regret is not buying one in every color for that price.

Savings Tip: Hitting the sale rack at a specialty store is always a good idea, but don’t be fooled into buying something at 50-percent off that still exceeds your budget.

The chair. And my dog.

Inspired by a friend with impeccable taste, I’ve coveted a classic leather recliner for a long time now. This friend had a casual gathering at her home for brunch one day, and the image of her happily sitting cross-legged in a high-back leather chair is one that’s stayed with me for years.

This vivid memory contributed to my desire for a genuine leather chair with a specific style — essentially, exactly the chair my friend made look so comfortable a few years ago. During my search, I learned this kind of inspiration can lead to good decision-making but it can also influence purchasing behavior in the wrong ways. Despite my intent to hold out until finding the perfect chair, my resolve wavered when faced with the potential price tag of my dream. The recliner that came closest to my specifications was over $2,000, and there’s no way I’m spending that kind of money on a piece of furniture my dog will soon claim to be his own.

After a few weeks of research, deliberation and lots of test drives, I’m happy to report I found the perfect chair by being open to other, more affordable options — namely, fabric instead of leather. This process has taught me a few lessons about shopping for a big item and how original desires can be molded to fit a realistic budget.

Determine What You Really Want
My laser-focus on what I want usually keeps me from wasting money on items that don’t quite meet my specifications. However, by straying from my original dream chair, I was able to find exactly what I didn’t know I wanted for much less than my original budget. Ultimately, I deconstructed my vision to determine my actual requirement: a stylish, comfortable recliner in which I could easily lounge with a good book and glass of red wine.

Stick to Your Budget or Reassess
Despite my relatively generous budget for the recliner, I found myself considering going a few hundred dollars over budget for the right chair. What’s the point of setting a spending limit if you have no qualms about exceeding it? A budget should be considered a deal breaker, not a starting point. If you find your budget is unrealistic for what you want, it’s time to go back to the drawing board and either adjust your expectations or hold off until you’ve saved more money. Ideally, your goal should be to come in under budget, which is exactly what I did.

Broaden Your Purchasing Horizons
Since I’ve had my eye on this purchase for a number of years, my research has been steady (albeit intermittent). When I saved enough funds to finally make my purchase, I did some research online and visited a couple stores that I thought would carry my desired chair. However, because my initial scope was so narrow, I found myself feeling lost after striking out at both places. Ultimately, I’d narrowed my focus so much that I risked spending too much out of impatience. Avoid this potentially costly mistake by exhausting all options. In my case, I broadened my search from boutique furniture stores to the local warehouse store.

My husband brought the chair home last night and I immediately rearranged our study to showcase it. Though it’s not the chair that inspired my purchase, it is the chair that enables me to recreate the comfort and contentment my friend emanated years ago, and that’s pretty priceless.

Free Shipping Day is Today!

Shopping-related salvation comes in many forms, and there’s no time like the present to take advantage of the phenomenon when it presents itself. With just one week until Christmas Eve, there’s only a couple days before last-minute shopping turns savage. Happily, events like today’s Free Shipping Day enable procrastinators like me to continue my bad habit without punishment (or fear of being shredded by hungry holiday shoppers).

Today is Free Shipping Day, and while I should be scouring the site for deals on gifts for others, my clicker finger shamelessly gravitates toward the “Women’s Clothing” category. Since I’m not fooling anybody at this point, I thought I’d share the best fashion offers featured on FreeShippingDay.com.

• The Limited — My all-time favorite clothing retailer is offering free shipping on any order (typically $100 minimum order requirement) plus 40-percent off original ticket prices. Swoon!
• Coldwater Creek — I bought a gorgeous scarf here a couple years ago and it’s still one of my favorites. Today, you can get free shipping plus 40-percent off all orders.
• New York & Company — Free shipping and 50-percent of everything? How can one possibly resist this?
• Express — Free shipping on all orders plus their characteristically-complicated-yet-wonderful savings options: $25 off $75, $50 off $150 or $75 off $250.
• JCrew — The favorite brand of our First Lady is offering free shipping plus 30-percent off all orders.
• Urban Outfitters — Feeling a little edgy? Go crazy with free shipping on all orders plus $15 off $75+.
• Sports Authority — I concede “women’s fashion” doesn’t immediately bring to mind sports gear, but let’s face it: my only consolation for working out is sporting cute activewear. Get free shipping plus 30-percent off all orders today from Sports Authority.
• Levi’s — America’s favorite denim brand is offering free shipping plus 30-percent of all orders today.
• Anthropologie — Though a bit too rich for my blood, die-hard Anthropologie fans can get free shipping on all orders today.

So there you have it. This is just a selection of the best women’s clothing offers from the up-and-coming procrastinator’s shopping holiday. Be a better person than me this holiday season and buy something for someone else today. Though salvation does indeed come in many forms, sometimes it’s best just to save yourself.

Photo by maxstrz

In the immortal words of Tom Petty, the waiting is the hardest part. While he likely wasn’t referring to foregoing a purchase in pursuit of savings, his lyrics speak to the very heart of my agony.

Since the beginning of the fall fashion season, I’ve been in hot pursuit of an affordable pair of wine-colored skinny jeans. Since everyone’s definition of affordable is different, I’ll admit that I’m looking for a cheap pair, something under $30. That being said, I don’t want them to actually be cheap and fall apart on me (literally or figuratively).

I don’t ask much, right?

I was immediately drawn to the style offered by The Limited, and just as soon turned off by their $74.90 price tag. Assuming I could find a comparable pair for much less elsewhere, I dismissed the store as a candidate for my purchase. After unsuccessful trips to Target, Marshall’s, TJMaxx, Old Navy and even Macy’s, I was left feeling hopeless.

And then, salvation. After months of waiting for the perfect deal, I can finally say I snatched up my coveted Limited-brand jeans for the bargain price of $24.

How did I save $50, you ask? By taking an admittedly extreme couponing approach (gasp!) and stacking discounts. I know I’m breaking my own rules here, but desperate times call for desperate measures. I really wanted those jeans.

I was alerted to a 50-percent off sale at The Limited by CouponSherpa.com, a site I’d been keeping my eye on from the beginning of this journey. A well-timed $15 reward received earlier this week allowed me to bump up that discount to nearly 70 percent, creating the perfect opportunity for serious savings. Despite the extreme nature of this approach, the process was pretty hassle-free.

Stacking savings doesn’t always work out so smoothly, which is why I’m so shocked to have landed this deal. My experience is that coupons and extra discounts cannot be applied to items already on sale. However, exceptions seem to be made when the “extra discount” is the result of frequent patronage. I guess that’s one more reason to keeping shopping — darn!

So there you have it. While holding out on a desired item can be painful, getting it for much, much less than everyone else makes up for it. It’s good to be king.

Photo by Kendal Rae

At Hassle-Free Savings, I’m all about finding the simplest way to save some money. That being said, I’m also a passive-aggressive saver. I’m not big on negotiating simply because I lack the patience and confidence that’s required in quality haggling. When I find something I want but can’t afford, I prefer to go home empty-handed and mope for a few days. This strategy actually helped me land some beautiful Ralph Lauren wedges last summer, but is not the most proactive approach to saving money.

My inability to confront the system about the price of a desired product was revealed to me this weekend while running errands with my husband. Unlike me, he has no qualms about questioning the price of items and negotiating for his preferred price point. While shopping for our pooches at PetSmart, we deliberated over several relatively pricey dog toys. We decided on the best-priced option and proceeded to the checkout line, only to have the toy ring up for $3 more than advertised. My husband mentioned the price discrepancy and the cashier simply removed the overage from the scanned price. No apologies, no price checks, just savings.

Had I been alone during this shopping experience, I likely would have left empty-handed. The purchase isn’t important enough for me to argue over $3, but the assumption that I would lose the argument represents the flawed part of this scenario. By simply informing the cashier of the price difference, my husband was able to leave the store with the product he wanted and the price he expected.

Ultimately, this experience has taught me that it’s always best to ask and never to assume — after all, passive-aggressive behavior never served anyone.

Photo by anneh632

After a summer dominated by beer brewing and a shoddy attempt at inserting running into my regular routine, my husband and I finally conquered a project that’s been on our to-do list for at least two years: painting the house. And I don’t mean leisurely painting interior rooms in complementing shades of calming colors — I mean painting the very tip-top peaks and endless trim that makes up the exterior of our house.

We put off this project for obvious reasons. It’s a tedious, thankless job that can take weeks to complete. It requires so much more than painting — cleaning, taping, measuring, covering, priming and drying — not to mention endless trips up and down the ladder. Though my husband declared he would never hire a professional to tackle the project, I held out hope by saving Valpak coupons for house-painting — $200 off a $2,000 job or $500 off a $5,000 job. Wait, $5,000?!?

Despite the negativity conveyed in this story’s headline, it really wasn’t so bad. Several factors contributed to it sucking less than it could’ve, including:

The purchase of a power washer. My husband has been salivating over power washers since we first had a garage to store one in. This investment will also enable us to quickly clean our vehicles and avoid driving the lawn mower and barbecue grill through the car wash.
The purchase of a high-quality paint sprayer. Painting the exterior of a 3,000 square-foot home is for masochists. We have plans to use the sprayer again when we finally tackle another big project we’ve been putting off: re-staining the fence.
Saving $55 per gallon of exterior paint, thanks to a well-timed promotion. Despite the sale ending the day we were “just looking,” the salesman was kind enough to extend it until the next day when we’d decided on colors and quantities.

Overall, we spent a bit of money to save a lot more, and used our precious three-day weekend to complete a task that had been nagging at us for years. While I’m no expert on big projects, one truth became very clear to me during this process: having the right tools is paramount. My husband and I agreed using rollers would take twice as long (at least) and would’ve been anything but — wait for it — hassle-free.

And the biggest contributing factor to this PITA project being totally manageable?

My rockstar husband. He spray-painted the entire house in two days while I scurried beneath his feet, helping him move the ladder he was perfectly capable of moving himself. Though I wasn’t completely useless, I attribute the quality and efficiency with which our home was repainted to my main man.

So, thanks babe. You can get back to beer brewing and I can resume reading articles about marathon runners and assuming doing so actually makes me one.

And now time for some shameless self-promotion. I interviewed with a very chic writer from People StyleWatch magazine a month ago and was thrilled to find one of my tips in their September issue. The one-page, quick-reference article discusses easy ways to save on fall fashion. Be sure to check it out for great advice from fashion bloggers, personal finance experts, and…me.

Photo by ...lovemaegan

Despite my frugal approach to shopping, I’m often tempted by a full-price item I fear won’t make it to the clearance section. I nearly purchased two pairs of shoes this summer at full-price before my inner nag convinced me otherwise. Thankfully, this internal nuisance was right. While there’s no guarantee something you love will be around come sale time, these two success stories just might inspire a frugal hold-out in the face of extreme cuteness.

Success Story 1

THEN: In pursuit of the perfect summer shoe, I came across a fabulous pair of chocolate sandal wedges by Ralph Lauren. Since I’m pretty picky about this type of sandal, I was thrilled to finally find a pair that met my standards. The instant comfort and neutral color provided the nudge I needed to put them in the “must-have” category.

This should be a no-brainer buy, right? Wrong. They were $70, about $20 beyond my budget. I toured the store in them twice before committing to a purchase, justifying my splurge with the use of a $10 coupon. Then, upon presenting the shoes and coupon to the cashier, I was informed the promotion didn’t start until the following week. I decided not to get the shoes and left the store empty-handed and a little heartbroken.

NOW: Just last weekend, my mom and I went to DSW to check out their clearance shoes. Low-and-behold, my coveted Ralph Lauren beauties were 30-percent off. I also had one of those amazing $20-off coupons, the date for which I double-checked! Sadly, the front of the store didn’t have my size, but my wonderful, amazing, MAGICAL mother found my size in the bargain room. Just like that, I had my perfect summer shoe for the bargain price of $35.

Success Story 2

THEN: During one of my many first-of-the-month trips to TJMaxx, I came across a darling pair of Adrienne Vittadini flats in rust. The shoes struck me as more of a fall purchase, but I tried them on anyway. Heaven. They were so comfy and super cute, with none of the “toe cleavage” I abhor in some styles of ballet flats. As I removed them from my feet, I uttered a small prayer to the shoe gods, requesting they be under $20.

The shoe gods scoffed at my selfish request. They were $40, and I already had a $15 rose chiffon blazer in my clutches. Sigh. No rust flats for me, even if $40 is a steal for designer shoes.

LATER: During one of my many mother-daughter trips to TJMaxx, I saw the shoes in the clearance section and my heart skipped a beat. Surely they’d be $20 by now. No dice; they were $30. Since I had a set of sheets in my hands, I let them be and resigned myself to never owning them.

NOW: Apparently I’m the only one who fell in love with these shoes, because they still remained on the clearance rack during one of my infrequent husband-wife trips to TJMaxx. This time, I ignored the gods and was rewarded with a $21 price tag. And even though I had a colander in my basket, I figured third time’s a charm. Just like that, I bought my coveted fall flats for $19 less than original cost.

Moral of the story: Sometimes it pays to wait, even if that’s the hardest part. And beware of the shoe gods — they’re ruthless.