Entry bubble Prime Times for Purchasing

By: Colleen | June 25, 2008 | Category: Money

For me, there is one cardinal rule of shopping:sale

  • Never buy shoes full price, regardless of how fabulous they are.

Hold steady, they WILL go on sale. It takes some patience—be willing to keep up with the status of those strappy sandals, give it about two months and you can save yourself a whole lot o' cash.

Beyond footwear, my purchasing is fairly limited. But, to really make your dollar stretch, there are certain times when you can find items far cheaper than their usual list price.

  • New Cars: Late summer is when new models come in and dealers want to clear out last year's models. Also, at the end of any month you're more likely to get a good deal because salespeople are trying to meet their quotas.
  • Computers: July, before the back-to-school rush, and December.
  • Jewelry: buy in the off-seasons (that means think of your lady AHEAD of time, boys!) never around Valentine's Day or the December holidays.
  • Houses: start looking in February, before the spring home-buying season.

Remember, a lot of these purchases are available through government auction. Check out homes, household appliances, vehicles, jewelry, and lots of other cool stuff.

| View Comments [3] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: colleen   deals   full   price   purchase   sale  

 

Entry bubble Where to go when getting gouged at the gas pump

By: Jake | January 28, 2008 | Category: Money

Gas pump
I saw a blog post in the Consumerist the other day about a man getting cheated at the gas pump in Connecticut and it hit close to home.

A gas station I used to go to would always pump gas really slow, but it would ring up the dollars and cents really fast. I thought it was strange and I was right. One day I went there and the Virginia Product and Industry Standards Office had posted notices on a couple of gas pumps stating they failed inspection because they were not properly calibrated.

The Department of Energy (DOE) says you should contact your local authorities and fill out their gas price watch reporting form if you suspect gasoline price gouging or price fixing. The DOE collects this information and then sends it to the Department of Treasury, Department of Justice and State Attorneys General for investigation and prosecution when they think those actions are appropriate.

| View Comments [5] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: gasoline   gouging   jake   price