Discount Diva
Clippers get help from Web sites
Ihave a confession to make. I am not one of those people who spends hours snipping coupons and organizing them in sleek binders by category and expiration date.
My Sunday coupon sessions usually consist of me tearing haphazardly at the newspaper in sloppy arcs. One hand is on the DVR remote, the other is tucking scraps of paper into a bulging pile of coupons I keep shoved between the pages of my Entertainment Book.
Some Discount Diva, huh?
Somehow, I manage to make it all work. But I need all the help I can get. Especially when you consider how important it is to time manufacturer’s coupons against store sales. It’s how truly frugal folks take their savings to the next level. Western New York is filled with household CEOs who are fabulous at it. For the rest of us, there’s BOGOfetcher. com.
With BOGOfetcher. com, all you do is enter your city, state and e-mail address on the Web site’s home page and each week it will e-mail the buy-one-get-one-free deals available in your area. You can also search for BOGOs immediately by clicking the “Find BOGOs by City” tab to the right of the screen.
It’s not a comprehensive listing, but it does hit some of the major players such as Tops, Wilson Farms, CVS, Rite Aid and Walgreens.
But while having BOGOs at a glance is helpful, it doesn’t do all the work for you. You’ll still need to consider factors.
For example, another store could be offering the same merchandise at half price, meaning you could opt to buy just one of the same item elsewhere for a similar savings. In fact, vendors tend to offer price breaks to stores at the same time, so it’s worth it to see how those price breaks play out at each one.
Just scanning BOGOs also doesn’t take into account store brands that might be a better value even without a coupon. But it’s a great start.
Another helper is ShopItToMe.com.
I would wear a barrel to work if I could, but they don’t let me do that here. So, like most people in the working world, I’ve got to buy clothes. A beeline for the clearance rack usually prevents gawping at the full-priced stuff. But sometimes something catches my eye.
And let’s face it, some of the things on clearance are there for a reason—sizes are hard to find, styles are picked over. The key is to catch the things you like just as they go on sale. But that sweet spot— between fresh on the floor and last season’s leftovers—is hard to pinpoint.
ShopItToMe watches your favorite brands for you and lets you know when they’ve gone on sale. That way you can grab stuff you need or want before all the good stuff in your size is gone.
All you do is check off the departments, brands (there are hundreds), articles of clothing and sizes you’re interested in shopping. The site gathers them all and sends them to your e-mail inbox in the form of “Sale Mail.” It will also include any additional shipping discounts and coupon codes.
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