Image Courtesy: back_garage

I have to admit that I am not the biggest fan of thrift store shopping. Don't get me wrong, I'm not opposed to it or think that I'm too good for thrift stores. My problem is that I hardly ever find the things that I am looking for. When I go to the thrift store, I'm usually looking for hardly used pants and shirts. I've posted before that I am not the most patient person so It's really hard to look through hundreds of pairs of pants. Especially when there are multiple combinations of sizes and lengths all there together in no particular order.

I'm more than happy to buy and wear good quality clothing from the thrift store. As a matter of fact, just a few weeks ago, I was able to find a pair of khaki's for $4 that had never been worn and still had the original tags on them.

My aunt on the other hand is the thrift store queen. She buys all of her clothes from thrift stores and I don't think she had been to the mall in years. I can only imagine how much money she's saved just from buying her clothes at the thrift store instead of the big department stores.

I went with her on one of her thrift store shopping sprees and picked up a couple of tips I'd like to share.

Be Open Minded. Since the inventory changes daily, you never know what you may find. You may go in one day and not find anything that you can use. You could go back the next day and find a tons of items. Most thrift stores have a range of items such as clothing, housewares, furniture, electronics, outdoor furniture and books.

High Income Neighborhoods. My aunt has found that by going to thrift stores in high income areas, the items are usually of higher quality and in better condition. Most times, she is able to find clothing that still has the original price tags on them.

Return Policy. Since most thrift stores do not accept returns, be sure you check and make sure any electronics you purchase work properly before you leave the store. Most of the thrift stores I've been have dressing rooms allowing you to try on the clothing before you purchase it. Some stores do have a 7 day return policy so make sure you check on the store's return policy if your aren't sure about an item.

Sale Days. Some stores have certain days when a special color tag is at a special price. For example, on Tuesdays, all green tags may be 50% off.

Are you a thrift store shopper? What tips can you add?

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Image courtesy of myeralan

If you are one of those folks who wait until the last minute to do your holiday shopping or just need to pickup a few more items, be sure to be safe this holiday season. In this economy, there are a lot of people out there who would rather get gifts at a substantial discount by taking them from you (after you've paid for them).

If you will be out shopping in the next few weeks (or anytime for that matter), remember these basic tips:

Shop during the day, if possible. Crime can happen at anytime but it is easier to do at night when there is a limited amount of light making it easy to hide.

Shop with a friend or family member. Especially if you shop at night. Not only will this help to keep you safe, it may also keep you from overspending!!

Don't carry large amounts of cash. Once your cash has been stolen, there is a good chance you won't get it back.

Use a credit card (if you plan to payoff the purchase in full). If thieves steal your credit card, as long as you report it asap, you will not be responsible for the unauthorized charges. Try to limit the number of credit cards you carry in your wallet or purse in case your wallet is lost or stolen. This will save you a lot of time by not having to call the bank of all the cards in your wallet. My favorite card is the Discover Card. Top notch customer service and easy to use online interface.

Better yet, don't carry a purse or wallet. It's best to carry only your ID and a credit/debit card in a safe.

Be aware of your surroundings. Know where you are and who is near you at all times.Try to stay off your cell phone until you are in a safe location. Keep it handy though in case you need to call the police.

Keep your packages out of sight. Place packages in the trunk where they are not visible from the outside. If you have an SUV, be sure to make sure your items are not easily visible by someone walking by your vehicle.

The easiest way to stay safe and avoid the crowds is to shop online. I plan to do 99% of my shopping online because it is easier to comparison shop and find a good deal. I am also able to avoid the crowds and rude people.

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Thanksgiving is upon us and while many people are winding down and relaxing after dinner with the family, others will be gearing up for one of the busiest days shopping days of the year. This Black Friday will likely prove to be a bit different than the last several years. Although the economy is suffering, this year most people will not be foregoing gift giving altogether, so you can expect fierce competition as you venture out to find the best deal of the season.

Here are a few tips to ensure a successful mission this year.

Be Prepared. The day after Thanksgiving is not the day of the year when you want to be strolling leisurely down the aisles browsing at items with no clear idea of what you want to purchase. Seasoned shoppers are out in droves and they are in it to win it. You will want to have a list of who you are shopping for and a general idea of what you want for them. Have the name, age, and gender of who you are shopping for listed to help keep track of who gets what to ensure an appropriate gift.

Have your budget in mind. You may want to break down your total budget by how much you are willing to spend on each person and the number of gifts you want to purchase. It is far too easy to go overboard when shopping and if you overextend your budget you really aren't “saving” a thing. It is especially important to use caution and keep your budget in mind when shopping with credit. Far too many people spend more than they can really afford only to suffer in January when their statement comes around. There isn't much joy in gift giving if you are still paying for it July.

Research, Research, and Research. This year especially should provide intense competition among retailers. With the dismal economy and many people cutting out frivolous spending throughout the year, many stores hope to make up for slumping sales by providing deep discounts for holiday shopping. To ensure you are getting the best deal possible, it is important to do some research in advance. Check out circular fliers from stores you intend on visiting. Another excellent tool is the Internet. Many retailers will have information available online, such as store hours, door busters, sales, discounts and other valuable information you can use to prepare and compare where you will get the most for your money.

The holiday season is a time for us to gather with our loved ones and be thankful for all that we have. Our holidays have become painfully commercialized and finances might just provide you a reason to rein in your spending and rediscover the point of the holidays. Gift giving is great, giving of yourself is even better. To all who are venturing out this Black Friday, Good Luck and Happy Shopping.

Trisha Wagner is a freelance writer for DestroyDebt.com, a debt community and debt forum. Trisha writes regularly on the topics of getting out of debt and personal finance.

Image Courtesy of SqueakyMarmot

According to an article in Sunday's, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, retailers are expecting consumers to reduce their use of credit cards this holiday season. Most people plan to use cash for their holiday purchases. What? Is this a new concept? People actually be spending their own money for gifts this holiday season?

Because of the credit crunch, more banks have cut back on credit card offers at the same time consumers are cutting back on purchases. In my opinion, if there is any good that will come out of the credit crunch, it is that people are starting to realize it is a bad idea to spend money that does not belong to them. If you don't have the ability to pay cash for a purchase, you probably should not be making the purchase; especially, if it is for a want and not a need.

Credit card issuers have also started to get better about who they issue credit cards to. For the second quarter of 2008, compared with the second quarter of 2007, most of the top credit card issuers have reduced the number of credit card solicitations they send out.

According to Synovate Mail Monitor, solicitations by HSBC are down 54%, Citigroup is down 45%, Discover is down 33%, Chase is down 9%, Bank of America is down 3%. Some issuers such as Washington Mutual and Capital One have actually increased the number of solicitations they've been sending out.

How do you plan to pay for your holiday purchases?

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Update 11/16/2008: I've gone to Circuit City for the past two Saturdays since the store closings were announced. Here's what I've learned:

• Even though the sign on the front of the store says up to 30% off, big ticket items are still only 5-10% off. This includes flat screen televisions (10%) and computers (5%).
• Most of the televisions and computers they have for sale are floor models or open box items.
  
• Some of the prices on the televisions have been marked up to account for the 10% discount!!
  

Looks like the poor economy is taking a toll on another big business. According to the Atlanta Business Chronicle, the retailer announced Monday that it will be closing 20% of its 755 stores in 55 US markets. Being the electronics junkie that I am, this is big news to me.

Why the move to close so many stores? “Due in part to its deteriorating liquidity position and the continued weak macroeconomic environment, the company has decided to take certain restructuring actions immediately, including closing 155 domestic segment stores, reducing future store openings and aggressively renegotiating certain leases,” the company said in a news release.

The company will be closing all 16 stores in the Atlanta area and Macon, Athens and Warner Robins. The company will be also be closing all stores in the Phoenix, AZ area. The closings are scheduled to be completed by the end of the year.

If you are looking for a great deal on electronics this holiday season, you may need to look to Circuit City. Of course, you shouldn't make a purchase you previously had not planned to make just to save money that you had not planned to spend in the first place.

For a list of store closings, click here.

Yep, you read the title correctly. I'm going shopping today. I've been so focused on saving money the past few months, I haven't taken the time to enjoy the fruits of my labor. I don't have anything in particular that I want but I'll be spending some time with my sister. Her first request was to go to the mall. Knowing her, she probably end up finding a lot more things to splurge on and the day may end up being about me spending money on her. I must be crazy for taking a 15 year old to the mall!!

I know alot of personal finance bloggers will disagree with me but I think it is okay to splurge (within reason) every now and then. Looking back at my financial records, I've been able to save over $1000 each month. To be more exact, since I paid off my car in May, after all expenses have been paid, I've had the following amounts left over:

• June - $1,236.31
• July - $2,853.30 (I had an extra paycheck this month)
• August - $964.67
• September - $1,152.82
• October - $1,570.67
• November - $1,100.00 (Projected)

I plan to spend a little bit of those gains today. My savings accounts have been funded for the month and most of the bills have been paid. The remaining bills have already been accounted for in the budget so now is the perfect time to spend a little.

This will not be a normal splurge though. I'm only planning to spend $200. I will be leaving my credit card at home and I plan to go to the ATM and withdraw $200 in cash. Once my $200 is gone, I'm heading back to the house. Once I get back, I'll report how much I've spent and what we purchased.

Image courtesy of SqueakyMarmot

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I was having dinner with my family last night and somehow we started talking about how they used to put things on layaway. For those unfamiliar with layaway, it was basically an extended payment program. You select the items you wanted to purchase but you didn't have the money to pay for them in full right then. The store would set the items aside for you and allow you to make small payments over time until the balance was paid in full. Once you were paid in full, you could take your items. The maximum time to keep something on layaway was up to 3-4 months. You were required to make payments weekly or biweekly to keep the account current.

Wal-Mart and Kmart were some of the most popular places to put things on layaway. Kmart still allows you to put items on layaway; but most of the stores have closed. Wal-Mart chose to do away with the layaway option in 2006 citing declining use and increasing costs. According to the companies website, the company phased out the layaway program as it was expanding its other financing options. (In order words, we want to cater to the customers need for instant gratification and charge them for the privilege).

You had the option of paying for your layaway in full at any time and getting your purchases. You also had the option to change your mind and get your money back, minus a small restocking fee. There were limits to items that you could put on layaway. For example, you were not able to put food items or clearance items on layaway.

When I was growing up, my mother used the layaway program to purchase my Christmas presents. She would select all of the items she wanted to get me a few months before Christmas and then put them on layaway. The store would then hold all my toys and any other items and allow her to make small, interest free, payments until the balance was paid in full.

In light of the current economy, I think they need to bring back the layaway program. Of course, you could always have your own layaway program. Simply save money in a separate account until you can pay for your desired purchase in full.

Image Credit: Jetheriot

Image from Arbron

This is a guest post from Miss Thrifty. Be sure to check her out at www.miss-thrifty.co.uk.

There comes a time in every frugal blogger's life when a harsh reality must be faced. Yes: it's new computer time. In my case, my current laptop is on its last legs. It has been so well-used that the matte silver mousepad has worn away. Worse still, the damned computer keeps turning itself off. Wordpress causes its innards to combust. The DVD drive doesn't work and a simple video clip can send the machine whirring and spluttering into meltdown. It makes so much noise, my husband says that being in the same room as the thing gives him a headache.

I have been putting off the purchase of a replacement for as long as possible, but as is often the way with these things, Fate has muscled in and forced my hand. I have so much work on right now (I'm a freelance writer and blogger) that the problems described above are seriously hampering my productivity.

The rub is that for obvious reasons, a thrifty lifestyle doesn't really mesh with the contents of PC World or Best Buy.

Also, new computers depreciate in value just as new cars do; as soon as you get them out of the showroom, at least a third of their value disappears into the ether. A case in point: the mother of a friend offered to sell me her little-used laptop for £250. This was significantly less than she had paid for it just a year previously. But when I looked up the model, I found that it is now selling for £250 new.

I've come round to thinking that with many of these laptops, you get what you pay for. Cost savings in the short term don't necessarily lead to long term savings. I can't help thinking that if I hadn't been so determined to buy the cheapest laptop I could find that had a half-decent memory/hard drive/etc., I'd have ended up with something a little more steadfast than my current machine. (That said, I think that some of these super new-fangled models, with their flippy tablet screens and wafer-thin dimensions, look pretty flimsy too.)

So what to buy - and how? I'm loathe to purchase a second-hand or "reconditioned" computer - I just don't trust them - but I'd interested to hear from anyone who has gone down this route. Is it possible to haggle with the PC World bods? I tried this a year ago, but the purple-suited sales assistants just snickered at me. Perhaps the economic downturn has softened them a little?

And is it just me or are Macs absurdly overpriced? I know they look so nice and pretty, with their sleek lines and their whiteness and the glowing apples set into the lid etc. etc., but seriously! They're twice the price of the equivalent PCs. And if my experiences with iPods are anything to go buy, Apple isn't the most reliable or robust of brands.

I have my eye on this little beauty (a Toshiba U400), but ouch! How the pound signs hurt my eyes. Even at this price - the cheapest I have found - it is still half a year's food shopping budget.

So here, drawn from bitter experience, are my bad-tempered and curmudgeonly tips for laptop shopping:

• If you can get away with putting it off or exploring alternative options, such as restricting your internet activities to your computer at work, do so. If not, prepare for an assault on your wallet.
• Looks are important - you're going to be sitting at this computer for hours at a time, so you might as well like it - but don't get carried away. The prettiest machines aren't necessarily the best-performing.
• When I was browsing in computer shops last week, I noticed that a lot of the current laptops on the market are geared towards those high-def, fast-moving computer games. These set-ups come at a premium, however, so if you aren't a keen game-player they are best avoided.
• Cheap is as cheap does. If you can only stretch to the clunky-looking PC with the rock-bottom price label, so be it. But be prepared to replace your ailing model a year or two down the line.
• Know what you want and what you need. There's no point opting for an expensive laptop with a built-in webcam and a lightning-fast processor if your primary programs are going to be Microsoft Word and Excel.
• Shop around! This isn't difficult to do: once you have identified your laptop of choice, stick its model number into Google. You'll get a list of prices and discount offers under Google Shops, and you can arrange the results in price order.
• Sorry to end on a downer - but please, please, please remember that these machines don't often come with Microsoft Office already installed! A sneaky swindle, I know. Without fail, I forget this; the years that elapse between laptop purchases are just long enough for the anger and irritation to fade. In theory, you're supposed to spend big on a new copy of Office; in practice, you find a techie friend who will somehow sort it for you.

UPDATE: Read my follow-up post Ah, for the love of laptop computers! Part II, to find out what happened when my old computer imploded and I finally had to bite the bullet!

I hate shopping. Let me say it again. I hate shopping. I don’t like dealing with the crowds of rude people with uncontrollable kids talking on their cell phones. I’m not a mean person and I don’t have anything against kids, but I just don’t have a lot of patience for people who aren’t considerate of others.

Since I hate shopping so much, I only shop for clothes once a year. I am a big fan of Kohl’s due to their frequent sales and large selection. The stores are also large enough that you aren’t bumping into anyone.

They had a pretty good sale this weekend and I had Kohl’s giftcard that I received as a Christmas gift that needed to be used. Reluctantly, I decided to go ahead and get my yearly shopping spree completed.

The Plan:
Wanted items: The dress code in my office is business casual. I usually wear khaki’s and either a short-sleeved button down or a long-sleeve button down in the winter. In the summer, I usually wear short –sleeve polo type shirts. I’d planned to purchase at least two pairs of pants and at least 5 short-sleeved shirts.

Purchased items: I ended up purchasing 2 short-sleeve polo type shirts, 3 short-sleeve button down shirts and 1 pair of khaki pants.

What I spent: I ended up spending a little less than $40 out of pocket for my 5 shirts and 2 pairs of pants. The shirts were regularly $30-$40 but were on sale for $12.99 - $19.99. The pants were regularly priced at $34.99 but were on sale for $24.99. I only bought one pair since they were a little bit more expensive than I was wanted to pay.

Where'd the money come from? I’d set aside $200 in the budget for my annual shopping spree so I have about $160 for more shopping. I need to buy shoes sometime soon and that purchase will come from the $160. The leftover money will probably go back into my Freedom Account.

Image Credit: Phillie Casablanca

I'm not really into playing video games but after hearing alot of talk about the Nintendo Wii, I checked it out and decided I really wanted one too. I'd heard about how hard they were to get and how much people were paying to get them but I refused to pay an inflated price.

My neighbor works at Wal-Mart so I asked her if they had any available. They had none at that time but they were getting in a shipment soon. She said she would keep and eye out and let me know when they came in. I was able to get 3 Nintendo Wii's for about $240 each. I only needed one so I decided to put the other 2 on Ebay after reading HustlerMoney's post on Side Income: Learn to Ebay Hot Items.

I listed the item for 7 days with a starting price of $100. For the first 5 days, I only had 1 bid on each of them for $100. I've used Ebay for over 5 years so I knew that the bidding would pickup as the auction came to a close. I wasn't real worried that I would get less than I paid for them because everyone wanted to get their hands on one of these.

The auction ended on Friday and I sold both of them for over $410 each. After Ebay listing fees, Paypal fees and shipping, I was able to make a profit of $291.89. Not only did I get my Nintendo Wii for free, I made an additional $50!!!!

Did you purchase a Nintendo Wii for Christmas? How did you pay?

I have to admit I do not know anything about Cyber Monday until this year. I kept hearing about it on the news so I wanted to do a little checking into it. For those unfamiliar with Cyber Monday, Wikipedia describes it as the Monday immediately following Black Friday where the online retailers offer the best deals like the brick and mortar stores offered on the previous Friday. Planning to do a little online shopping today?

Make sure you sign up for Ebates.com. If you have been reading this blog for awhile, you know that I am a big fan of Ebates. Not only do they offer signup bonuses and cash back on your purchases, they have all the major stores. TODAY ONLY (Monday), you get DOUBLE CASH BACK! SIGN UP HERE.


Not interested in shopping? Be sure to check out the 115th Edition of the Carnival of Debt Reduction hosted by fellow M-Network member, beingfrugal.net. My article was included: Paying off debt makes you feel.... so be sure to head over and read all the great stories.

If you are like me, you've probably been keeping an eye out for all the "deals" to be had on Black Friday.

The two things on my list, a brand new flat screen tv and possibly a new laptop. After paying off the last of my credit card debt, I decided to put the money to better use. The 50" TV I have now works just fine and my laptop, although some of the keys have to be pressed really hard in order for them to work, is ok for now.

With that in mind, I will not be shopping on Friday. I do plan to make one small purchase though. I want a ShopVac. They have them for sale at Wal-Mart for $20. They usually run about $40-60.

Be sure to check out CleverDude's post - Black Friday and Buying out of Budget. CleverDude gives some excellent reasons for putting off those unneeded purchases.

What are you buying? How much are you planning to spend?

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My business trip has been completed and I am back home. For me, I am always excited about leaving for a trip but I am even more excited about coming home. I posted the other day about "Temptation is ALL around me" and I had a temporary moment of weakness. I appreciate all the emails and words of encouragement helping me to remember what is important. I did do a little bit of shopping but the result wasn't too bad. The were a couple of stores that had really good clearance sales so I was able to pickup a few items I needed. Here is what I ended up spending:

• Old Navy Outlet - 1 pair of pants $21.59
• Haggar Outlet - 4 shirts $42.27 (they had most of the shirts marked down to $10 each)
• Eddie Bauer Outlet - Airplane travel bag $14.99 (has wheels and a handle).

Total Spending: $78.85

I was actually able to save a little money because the company paid for all my expenses. The hotel provided breakfast so I did not have to spend any money for that. Lunch and dinner were all paid for by my company. I have a $15 limit for lunch and a generous $40 limit for dinner. I figure this is what I saved:

• Lunch - Avg spending of $9/day for 5 days = $45 (gotta start bringing my lunch to work)
• Dinner -I may go out to dinner a couple of days with friends. Avg spending $30. I don't do this every week.
• Breakfast - There was not a McDonald's close enough for me to get cheaper iced coffee so I probably would have gone to the Starbucks right next door. $4.25/day for 5 days = $21.25.

Total Savings: $96.25

I figure even though I did spend a little money, I was actually able to come out on the positive side by about $17. Not much but I did not cause any major financial damage.

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I made it to my destination for my business trip last night about 11pm ET. It was only a four hour flight but it seemed like 8 hours. It felt like they made my seat extra small and uncomfortable. When I finally made it to the hotel and checked into my room, I was pleasantly surprised. The room was not the usual crappy hotel layout and was more like a suite. I have nice fridge, a small bar, granite counter tops, and a 42" wall-mounted Plasma TV in my room. The hotel has been recently renovated and they did a really good job. I don't travel that often but my company usually does not spring for diggs like this.

So what is the deal with all the temptation around me?

• I want a wall-mounted flat screen. I have been pricing them for about 6 months. I haven't decided when I will make the purchase but I can only purchase it once I payoff my credit card debt.
• The hotel is right next to a huge Outlet Mall. I can walk to it in about 1 minute.
• One of my co-workers is already planning to go shopping right after the meeting today. HELP!

I need my readers to comment or email with a little motivation so I won't go on a spending spree. Help me guys. I would do the same for you...LOL.

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Yeah, I know I said "ain't" but I live in the South so it is a requirement. Anyway, a while back I posted about a shopping site called Ebates.com. Since I signed up, I have earned over $31 for buying things I would normally buy anyway. Instead of going to the store, I save time and money by ordering online through Ebates. Target, for example, gives 4% back on your purchase amount. I needed a new pair of shoes to wear to work and purchased them online. I paid the price I was looking for and got a 10% rebate. When I signed up for Netflix again, I signed up thru Ebates.com and received $18. The rebates are paid every quarter via Paypal or by check. A Big Fat Check, with cash back rewards for all your purchases posted between July 1st, 2007 and September 30th, 2007 will be sent on November 15th, 2007. Purchases from October 1, 2007 to December 31, 2007 will be paid on February 15, 2008.

If you want to make some extra money, you can sign up here. You get an additional $5 after your first purchase and I also get $5 for referring you.

I almost had a small heart attack today. One of my co-workers was doing a little online shopping today. I asked her what she was getting and she said a pair of boots. I thought no big deal; boots aren't that expensive. She had to step away from her desk for a minute and asked me to listen for her phone as she was expecting a call. I was sitting at her desk and she had not closed the webpage she was shopping on. I can't help that I am a little nosey so I happened to check out what she bought. Are you ready for this........she bought a pair of Moschino "Cheap & Chic" boots for $695!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yeah, I said that right, Six hundred ninety five dollars!!! This is the same person who only eats once a day because she can't afford it. No wonder... She has been with the company a little longer than I have but I know she doesn't make that much more than me.

I almost said something but figured it wasn't my place. Would you have said something? We are friends but not close friends by any means.