Posted in Buying, Christmas, Consumer issues, Cutting costs, Discounts, Holiday, Holidays, Money, Money Finesse, Online shopping, Purchasing, Shopping
A lot of us stayed home this season and did most of our Christmas shopping without ever leaving our chairs. Online shopping was more popular this year than ever with Amazon recording its biggest day ever with $4 million in sales on December 11.
The season was disappointing for retailers though, so many are slashing post-holiday prices in an effort to make up the lost sales.
And as retailers further discount high-ticket items consumers will be out looking for presents for themselves. And, why not? There’s no better time to get a great deal on that luxury item you have wanted all year but resisted the urge to purchase. Post-season savings could even make it affordable.
Christmas is over. ‘Tis the season to be selfish.
Posted in Advice, Buying, Consumer issues, Holiday, Holidays, Money, Money Finesse, Purchasing, Timeshares, Travel, Vacations
If you go on a yearly vacation, say to a warm location during the winter months, then you may want to consider a timeshare.
Buying into a timeshare can save you money over the long haul but it’s a large investment to begin with. If saving money is not the most important item on your vacation list, then you may consider how much more you will enjoy your vacation in a timeshare than in a hotel room.
Over at ConsumerAffairs.com, there is a good article that lists nine important things to know when considering a timeshare.
Timeshare Tips for Travelers
Posted in Buying, Consumer issues, Discounts, Holiday, Marketing, Money, Money Finesse, Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart has been busy this year slashing drug prices and then putting pre-season discounts on electronics, toys and other gift items to try to make an early impression on holiday shoppers.
According to CNN Money, Wal-Mart is now chopping prices on food items, in a last-ditch attempt to undercut grocery stores with some items marked down by as much as 20%.
The markdowns are in effect from now to the end of the holiday season.
Posted in Buying, Consumer issues, Cutting costs, Gifts, Holiday, Money, Money Finesse, Purchasing, Saving, Shopping
With the Christmas shopping season nearly upon us, we will be out and about, scrambling to buy gifts for loved ones. According to Amar Cheema, assistant professor of marketing at the Olin School of Business, Washington University in St. Louis, it’s also the season when people are mostly likely to buy self-indulgent gifts for themselves.
Christmas sales, rebate offers and easy credit (sometimes with no money down and 0% interest for a specified term) all give the shopper incentives to buy that big ticket item he or she has been longing for. But only 40% of consumers actually send in those rebate forms and easy credit can encourage consumers to spend more than they can afford.
But according to Cheema, these discounts are not as money-saving as they seem and you are often better off waiting until the post-holiday sales when retailers cut prices to reduce inventories to buy yourself that large-screen plasma TV.
Read the article at NEWSWISE
