What if you didn’t have to sacrifice your time to save money. Would you do it? We thought so. Herein are the seven things you should never pay full price for, along with several tips on how to perfect the art of frugality without sacrificing your style.
Automobiles
An automobile is the second biggest purchase a man will ever make, next to his home. When trying to save money, the time of year is the first thing you should consider. New cars arrive on the showroom towards the end of summer, which means a dealer will get antsy to get rid of old stock during the fourth quarter of the fiscal year (Sept-December). Your best approach is to start looking for a car during the beginning of the month, and then buy towards the end. This is because car dealers have a monthly quota they are expected to reach, and they get nice perks from the manufacturer if they sell a certain number of cars.
Negotiating Tips:
- Avoid discussing monthly payments, incentives, trade-ins, or anything other than the total cost of the vehicle. This is how dealerships manipulate you into thinking you’re getting a better deal than you are.
- Call a dealer and ask for the price of a particular vehicle. When they give it to you, tell them your bottom line is $1,000 below that. If they ask you to come down, you’ve just opened the door to begin negotiations at one grand below asking price.
Fashion
The best time to purchase denim jeans is directly after the back to school specials. Your favorite clothing stores will have little choice but to offer big discounts after the holidays, to keep their store from becoming a ghost town. Beyond the holiday lull, great deals on suits, coats, and hats can be found towards the tail end of every winter. However, don’t wait too long, as many stores are bringing out their Spring stock earlier than you might think.
Suit Buying Tips:
- Forbes calls Indochini.com the “It’s-Too-Good-To-Be-True-That’s-Actually-True” custom suit, because most customers can’t believe how great their deals are. If you are concerned about ordering a suit you have to measure yourself, Indochino has a fail safe policy. If the suit doesn’t fit, they will refund up to $75 to get the alteration done at a local tailor.
- Gilt.com has some of the least expensive designer names at a deep discount. However, at these prices, expect a quality product, but with only mediocre service.
Travel
Shop at least two months in advance for plane tickets, which means September is the latest to start making winter holiday plans. Finding deals on airfare and hotels can be as easy as using Orbitz, Expedia, Kayak, Priceline, Hotels.com, and Hotwire. However, before you risk paying any fees associated with these middle men, visit a couple airline and hotel websites, and see if a coupon code is available. Yapta.com tracks your airfare right up to boarding, and if your ticket price drops, they will get you a refund for the difference.
Travel Negotiating Tips:
- Online bookings may be easy, but talking to a sales representative will allow you the advantage to ask for a discount, room upgrade, or complimentary internet/breakfast.
- Last minute deals on hotel rooms that have not been sold, can be found through the Hoteltonight app.
- If you’re planning a cruise, the month of April traditionally offers the best deals.
Sports Events
You can find tickets for all your favorite sporting events through StubHub. They offer a controlled means to purchase tickets from other fans at a substantial discount. If you have always wanted to know what it would be like to experience a game like a celebrity, Fandeavor.com offers once-in-a-lifetime sporting packages, which may include stadium tours, locker room access, suites, and autographs.
Ski Trip Tip:
- If you are willing to purchase a nonrefundable resort package, Liftopia has access to over 150 of the best alpine resorts in North America, at rates as low as 90 percent of its regular price.
Tech Toys
Within a typical week, Monday is the best day to shop electronics, as this in when most manufactures apply their rebates. The Japanese fiscal year ends several months after most other manufacturers, so year end savings for your favorite ‘Made in Japan’ tech won’t happen until March.
Tech Buying Guide:
- Groupon is a great way to save money. However, there are several competitors that are just as good, including LivingSocial, FatWallet. And RetailMeNot.
- Rakuten ‘Deals’ are fantastic if you can get to them before their stock runs out. However, almost every retail store has adopted the Deal of the Day mantra, so if you have the time, shop around and compare prices before you buy.
Grooming
Time is money if you consider the amount of time it takes to research and purchase grooming products. However, what if you had the opportunity to let a professional stylist do the work for you, and you wouldn’t pay anything over retail for the opportunity? This can be accomplished through one of the many online “man packs” available through the internet.
Where to Find the Best Man Packs:
- Manpacks.com offers toothpaste, deodorant, and condoms; and instead of having 15 options to choose from, there is only one, and as far as most guys will be concerned, it’s the right one.
- TrunkClub.com inquires about your style, and a professional stylist will pick out a trunk of clothes for you. They will be shipped to your door, and you keep (and pay for) only what you like, and return the rest at no cost.
- Full size grooming products can get expensive when you don’t know what you like. Another option is to join Glymman.com, and for $25 a box, you’ll receive seven to eight luxury grooming samples to discover what fits your style.
Anything Retail
There is no excuse to pay retail with today’s technology and software integration. You can find promotional codes for just about any store, through websites such as Currentcodes.com. Many stores offer price match policies, such as Circuit City and Sears, so if you can find a better price online, they’ll meet that price, and give you an extra 10 percent off to sweeten the deal.
Brick and Mortar Haggling Tips:
- Be polite, but determined.
- Most sales associates are only allowed to take so much off an item, so if you want the deepest discount possible, ask to speak to a manager.
About Dr. Eric J. Leech
Eric has written for over a decade. Then one day he created Urbasm.com, a site for every guy.
About Dr. Eric J. Leech