Thursday, April 10, 2014
CardCash Extra Discount on Gift Cards
CardCash.com
is one of my favorite sites for buying discount gift cards (pay less than their face value). Use code SAVE5A for an additional 5% off TJ Maxx, The Limited, Outback Steakhouse and more!
Wednesday, March 12, 2014
Reselling at Community Consignment Sales
There are all kinds of creative ways to resell your kids clothes and 'stuff'. Large-scale community consigment sales are becoming more and more popular (and a great way to find good deals too). Google 'kids consignment sale' to find one near you.
I go to a sale in my area that is a Just Between Friends franchises. Usually in the fall and spring, there is a scheduled sale in a community center or public venue and you can sign up to be a consignor. Once you sign up, you use their system to create tags that identify your items and you set the price (remember you want them to sell!). The websites have excellent guidelines and video tutorials that are quick to review so you'll have an idea of what sells and how to prepare your items. You will need some minimal supplies and I recommend this tagging gun because the fine needle is less likely to cause damage.
You can volunteer at the sale and earn a better commission. I volunteer for 4 hours and earn a 70% commission on my items. Volunteers also have the priveledge of shopping early before the main sale and discount sale and I have a lot of fun doing it.
You'll see a schedule of when to drop off your items and they do the rest. You'll be able to login to your account and see what has sold (through your bar-coded tag) and wait for a check to arrive in the mail in a week or two. You can pick up the items that didn't sell (and save them for the next sale) or just let them be donated and receive a receipt for a tax-deductible donation.
Don't have time for tagging? You'll earn less commission, but many sales will do the tagging for you too. Easy breezy!
I go to a sale in my area that is a Just Between Friends franchises. Usually in the fall and spring, there is a scheduled sale in a community center or public venue and you can sign up to be a consignor. Once you sign up, you use their system to create tags that identify your items and you set the price (remember you want them to sell!). The websites have excellent guidelines and video tutorials that are quick to review so you'll have an idea of what sells and how to prepare your items. You will need some minimal supplies and I recommend this tagging gun because the fine needle is less likely to cause damage.
You can volunteer at the sale and earn a better commission. I volunteer for 4 hours and earn a 70% commission on my items. Volunteers also have the priveledge of shopping early before the main sale and discount sale and I have a lot of fun doing it.
You'll see a schedule of when to drop off your items and they do the rest. You'll be able to login to your account and see what has sold (through your bar-coded tag) and wait for a check to arrive in the mail in a week or two. You can pick up the items that didn't sell (and save them for the next sale) or just let them be donated and receive a receipt for a tax-deductible donation.
Don't have time for tagging? You'll earn less commission, but many sales will do the tagging for you too. Easy breezy!
Sunday, March 9, 2014
Reselling - Part of the Savings Cycle
What's reselling? In particular, I talking about kids clothes and toys because they outgrow things so quickly. What do you then? If you automatically think of lots of clutter and work, think again!
Reselling is one of the final possible steps in the cycle. For my toddler/preschool-aged girl, she has a better quality/bigger wardrobe than ever before and I likely break even or make money on it after I resell it. I've shared tips for buying quality at deep discounts either at retail stores, consignment sales, or thrift shopping. Reselling is an essential part of the savings cycle. There are endless options that are quite a bit of work or nearly effortless. You have plenty of options depending on the time and payback you want:
Reselling is one of the final possible steps in the cycle. For my toddler/preschool-aged girl, she has a better quality/bigger wardrobe than ever before and I likely break even or make money on it after I resell it. I've shared tips for buying quality at deep discounts either at retail stores, consignment sales, or thrift shopping. Reselling is an essential part of the savings cycle. There are endless options that are quite a bit of work or nearly effortless. You have plenty of options depending on the time and payback you want:
- eBay/Amazon/other online selling
- consignment: online or brick & mortar stores, or big seasonal sales
- garage sales
- tax deductible donations
- Facebook trading pages
- Craigslist and similar sites
- the list is endless...
Friday, February 28, 2014
Cash Rewards
Plenty of stores are offering a 'cash' reward system now... Gymboree, The Children's Place, Gap, Old Navy, Kohl's and more...
Essentially, if you spend a certain amount during the 'earning' period, you get a voucher to redeem during the 'redemption' period. This is great for the store because they entice you to come back and spend more, but many people forget when to redeem the reward or lose it. I recommend picking 1-3 favorite stores and getting very familiar with their program so you make the most of it.
I set a reminder on my phone and tried out the Gap, TCP and Old Navy systems recently and felt I did well, but I'm still learning with them. First rule is not to buy anything you don't need or is within your budget to buy to because you like it. This is to either earn or redeem the rewards. If you earn the rewards and can't use them, then give them to someone or sell them. What goes around comes around.
I also plan ahead and consider what kind of discount the reward is offering and restrictions. If it's $10 off a $40 purchase, that's only 25%. If it's $25 off a $50 purchase, that's 50%. Can you use a coupon with it? Can you purchase via a cash-back site like Ebates or Upromise? Can you get a discount gift card? If you think the final discount will be worthwhile, then look for a discount gift card once you've earned the reward so you'll be ready once the redemption time comes. Favorite sites are CardCash.com and MonsterGiftCard.com.
So here is an actual example for Gymboree's Gymbuck redemption. I needed to spend $50 to earn it and will need to buy $50 to redeem it. Be sure to keep both purchases as close to that $50 requirement as you can. If you spend $70 and redeem $25 then that's not 50% off anymore.
Gymboree currently doesn't partner with a cash back site so I can shop in store or online. Remember any shipping charges if you shop online. I already had a discount gift card from Cardpool.com that I paid 16% less than it's value. Here's the breakdown of my savings.
Actual retail value of the items I chose was $301.65, but it was already on sale for $156.88. Before even using my Gymbucks, I was averaging a 48% discount. You can't combine a coupon with a Gymbuck so next I used my 3 Gymbucks that totaled $75 to bring my purchase down to $76.88. Now, I'm at 75% off the full retail price. I also qualify for free shipping by having a minimum $75 purchase. Remember that if you pay sales tax, this has also reduced your taxable purchase by 75%. Now I pay with my discount gift card (note: if you want to try this, be sure you understand the difference between a merchandise credit and true gift card). I still pay Gymboree $76.88, but I only paid out of pocket $64.60 which is a total of 79% discount.
Consider other benefits too. I paid the tax with my gift card so I saved 16% on the tax. I bought the gift card with a visa where I earn miles so I earned that reward. Gymboree also has points for every dollar spent to go towards a different reward and I earned those too. It takes some planning and self-control, but 79% off is worth it! It's a savvy way to save money by stacking different methods to save.
Essentially, if you spend a certain amount during the 'earning' period, you get a voucher to redeem during the 'redemption' period. This is great for the store because they entice you to come back and spend more, but many people forget when to redeem the reward or lose it. I recommend picking 1-3 favorite stores and getting very familiar with their program so you make the most of it.
I set a reminder on my phone and tried out the Gap, TCP and Old Navy systems recently and felt I did well, but I'm still learning with them. First rule is not to buy anything you don't need or is within your budget to buy to because you like it. This is to either earn or redeem the rewards. If you earn the rewards and can't use them, then give them to someone or sell them. What goes around comes around.
I also plan ahead and consider what kind of discount the reward is offering and restrictions. If it's $10 off a $40 purchase, that's only 25%. If it's $25 off a $50 purchase, that's 50%. Can you use a coupon with it? Can you purchase via a cash-back site like Ebates or Upromise? Can you get a discount gift card? If you think the final discount will be worthwhile, then look for a discount gift card once you've earned the reward so you'll be ready once the redemption time comes. Favorite sites are CardCash.com
So here is an actual example for Gymboree's Gymbuck redemption. I needed to spend $50 to earn it and will need to buy $50 to redeem it. Be sure to keep both purchases as close to that $50 requirement as you can. If you spend $70 and redeem $25 then that's not 50% off anymore.
Gymboree currently doesn't partner with a cash back site so I can shop in store or online. Remember any shipping charges if you shop online. I already had a discount gift card from Cardpool.com that I paid 16% less than it's value. Here's the breakdown of my savings.
Actual retail value of the items I chose was $301.65, but it was already on sale for $156.88. Before even using my Gymbucks, I was averaging a 48% discount. You can't combine a coupon with a Gymbuck so next I used my 3 Gymbucks that totaled $75 to bring my purchase down to $76.88. Now, I'm at 75% off the full retail price. I also qualify for free shipping by having a minimum $75 purchase. Remember that if you pay sales tax, this has also reduced your taxable purchase by 75%. Now I pay with my discount gift card (note: if you want to try this, be sure you understand the difference between a merchandise credit and true gift card). I still pay Gymboree $76.88, but I only paid out of pocket $64.60 which is a total of 79% discount.
Consider other benefits too. I paid the tax with my gift card so I saved 16% on the tax. I bought the gift card with a visa where I earn miles so I earned that reward. Gymboree also has points for every dollar spent to go towards a different reward and I earned those too. It takes some planning and self-control, but 79% off is worth it! It's a savvy way to save money by stacking different methods to save.
Monday, January 27, 2014
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
Patience is a Virtue
In my previous posts, I mentioned some rewards cash I had earned and how I set reminders for myself to give these programs a try. I had rewards with The Children's Place and could not find a discount gift card for to stack with the rewards.
But, patience is a virtue! I noted that my reward is valid until January 31st and I've kept checking periodically for a discount gift card and today there were some posted at CardCash.com!!
Now, my reward is $10 off of a $40 purchase. That is 25% off...not good enough. The gift card I bought was 15% off of it's face value. Now, I'm up to 40% off. Still not good enough. Once my card arrives, I will access the online store via Upromise, a site for 5% cash back, on my purchase and I will only buy items that are on sale.
Once my gift card arrives, I'll make this happen and break it down for you with the real numbers.
But, patience is a virtue! I noted that my reward is valid until January 31st and I've kept checking periodically for a discount gift card and today there were some posted at CardCash.com!!
Now, my reward is $10 off of a $40 purchase. That is 25% off...not good enough. The gift card I bought was 15% off of it's face value. Now, I'm up to 40% off. Still not good enough. Once my card arrives, I will access the online store via Upromise, a site for 5% cash back, on my purchase and I will only buy items that are on sale.
Once my gift card arrives, I'll make this happen and break it down for you with the real numbers.
Sunday, January 5, 2014
You Don't Have to Buy
In my last post I mentioned having some rewards money from a couple of stores and how I strategized getting even more of a discount. Well, here's another thought. Just because you have a coupon or rewards dollars doesn't mean you have to use it. This is about being smart, savvy and saving money wherever you can. Buying things 'just 'cuz' you have a discount is not smart or savvy.
So I was ready to use my rewards from The Children's Place which was $10 off a $40 purchase. Now that's only 25% off. I also accessed their website via Upromise for an additional 5% cash back. I wasn't able to find a discount gift card so to get my preferred 70% off, I was going to need to find some hot sales too.
I did find some things I liked and we could use. In the end I only had $30 worth of items in my shopping cart. I was going to need to spend another $10 on something I didn't really need in order to use my $10 rewards. That doesn't make any sense. It's not savvy or smart. So I just let it go.
That reward expires on 1/31 so I can check back in a couple of weeks. But what if I can't use it then? Just leave $10??? Nope...coupon karma. There are countless couponing forums where you can sell or share codes that you're not going to use. If you're not familiar with those, use www.retailmenot.com. Give it to someone who can use it and one day when you're looking for a code you'll find someone else who is sharing one they don't need.
So I was ready to use my rewards from The Children's Place which was $10 off a $40 purchase. Now that's only 25% off. I also accessed their website via Upromise for an additional 5% cash back. I wasn't able to find a discount gift card so to get my preferred 70% off, I was going to need to find some hot sales too.
I did find some things I liked and we could use. In the end I only had $30 worth of items in my shopping cart. I was going to need to spend another $10 on something I didn't really need in order to use my $10 rewards. That doesn't make any sense. It's not savvy or smart. So I just let it go.
That reward expires on 1/31 so I can check back in a couple of weeks. But what if I can't use it then? Just leave $10??? Nope...coupon karma. There are countless couponing forums where you can sell or share codes that you're not going to use. If you're not familiar with those, use www.retailmenot.com. Give it to someone who can use it and one day when you're looking for a code you'll find someone else who is sharing one they don't need.
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