Comments on: Tips for Making a Major Purchase

By: AloDeals

AloDeals — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 06:40:16 +0000

i always check coupon in retailmenot. it’s great site and helped alot

By: DDFD at DivorcedDadFrugalDad

DDFD at DivorcedDadFrugalDad — Wed, 27 May 2009 12:38:48 +0000

Nice post!

Big purchases are a challenge because you have to live with your choice and the buyer’s remorse that follows it.

By: Laura

Laura — Wed, 27 May 2009 03:28:05 +0000

Thanks for the feedback! My husband was pleasantly surprised I wrote about his HDTV hunt.

It is very easy to miss a step or two when shopping, but being careful can really save you a bit of money.

@Jess: Good point about asking for a price match with the salespeople. Sometimes you can come ahead just by asking.

By: Jess

Jess — Tue, 26 May 2009 22:28:38 +0000

Also, ask the salespeople if they have any deals going on or are willing to match competitors’ prices. I wanted to buy a camera from a particular store because it had great service, but they had a higher price. So I asked for them to match their competitor. Not only did they match it, but they threw in some goodies as well.

By: Wojciech @ Fiscal Fizzle

Wojciech @ Fiscal Fizzle — Tue, 26 May 2009 21:52:10 +0000

Comparison shopping is something I always forget to do. I get so excited that I’ve saved up enough money to go and finally get that “whatever” that I’ve been saving so long to get that I frequently fall victim to just getting the first one I see.

I have to slow down and remind myself that I’ve worked so hard to save up and that I should figure out how to get the most for my money.

Not to mention if there’s money left over, I can bump it over to my next goal!

By: kev

kev — Tue, 26 May 2009 18:42:26 +0000

This kind of goes along with reading reviews, but my advise (depending on what you’re buying) is to YouTube it. I’ve found that YouTube is an excellent source of information when it comes to consumer electronics. I recently purchased a SD digital camcorder and had been reading reviews for two days straight. Then it occurred to me – YouTube! I searched the model number I was interested in and was instantly flooded with videos of users un-boxing and demoing their new cameras! So, I got to see it action and hear their opinions at the same time. Cameras are the obvious ones, but I have found the same to be true for laptops, music players, and other items.

By: craig

craig — Tue, 26 May 2009 16:48:49 +0000

Set out a timeline for the big purchase. If you know you want to save X amount of money and it will take you 6 months for example, you have 6 months to save, research, comparison shop and find the best deal possible. Doing your homework and paying in full not only will get you the best deal, but you will be happy with the purchase because you did it the right way. I did that with my big screen TV.