Ask Julia from the Daily News a question (Women of Personal Finance Spotlight)

[Lynn]

For this entire week 12/8 - 12/14, Julia Scott, from the Los Angeles Daily News will be answering questions in this thread about bargain hunting, what it's like blogging for a big newspaper, and what we can do to survive this economy.


Julia has been a reporter for more than six years, including two at the LA Daily News (second largest paper in LA), two at the New Jersey Star Ledger, where she contributed to stories that won the Pulitzer Prize for breaking news in 2005. Her popular bargain hunting blog covers how to score deals from groceries to Gucci.


This interview is part of Wise Bread's spotlight on the Women of personal finance. In the future we'll publish the best questions and answers from the forum interview and post them on the homepage. If your question gets picked we'll include a link back to your blog.

About Bargain Hunter

Blog: Bargain Hunter

Blogger: Julia Scott

Subscribe: RSS

Julia started her Bargain Hunter blog 18 months ago because she had blog envy. Many other reporters at the LA Daily News had successful blogs that were transforming the newsroom and she wanted a piece of the action. Today, the Bargain Hunter is one of the fastest growing blogs at the Daily News.

Check out some of Julia's most popular posts:

• Talk yourself into a deal when there are no coupons

• Deals around the country (frequently updated)

• The Bargain Hunter gift guide

• 12 ways to cut back

• Being a cheapskate is in my blood... tips from my pop

• How does your insurance bill compare?

[Lynn]

Welcome to Wise Bread Julia!

A lot of us are bargain hunters but you actually get to do it for a living. What are the best perks of your job? Are there any hidden downsides? I imagine it might be pretty hard to not buy anything when you are seeing great deals all the time.

[jdp]

Hi Julia!

I really liked the post about your Pop. Sounds JUST like my dad. But a word of caution from one frugal dad to another - my dad, the shoe thing? He did it. Came time to bust out a new pair, got the box out, and his feet were a whole other size! Happened to be going to a check up and asked and the doc said as you get older your feet spread, flatten, not really grow but it will change your shoe size. Someone with size 10 feet benefited from dad's frugal foresight shoe shopping though

[Julia Scott]

Lynn,
Thanks for your great questions about being a professional bargain hunter. There are a lot of perks, like knowing about a ton of deals and strategies to save money. I think being a bargain hunter takes a lot of practice so I've learned a lot very quickly by doing it full time.

One thing that I've learned is how to ask for discounts and haggle, which is a great way to save money. Once you do it a few times you get comfortable with it. What seemed like a difficult question - asking for a discount - becomes second nature. The retailer may not always give it to you, but you realize that getting turned down is no big deal. If folks want to know more about negotiating, I'd be happy to go into it further.

As for downsides to writing the Bargain Hunter blog (blogs.dailynews.com/bargain) and column for the LA Daily News, I've become a real cheapskate! I hate paying full price, I'm always asking my friends to go to cheap places, and sometimes I worry that I'm a bit of a savvy-spending snob. I try not to be but when you know about all these ways to save money it seems silly when people pay full price.

On the whole I love my job and am thankful for all the readers who have submitted tips and shared info about saving money. Working together makes it a lot easier to save a buck in everyday life.

Julia

[Julia Scott]

Hi JDP,
Thanks for your comment about blogging about my Dad's frugal tips. (http://www.insidesocal.com/bargain/2...-in-my-bl.html)

I guess being a cheapskate runs in my blood! But you are right about the shoe tip. If you buy a lot of shoes at a great price, but your shoe size changes, it wasn't a very good deal.

Every tip has caveats that decrease its value.

On another note, I like to include tips from folks who read the Bargain Hunter because even though I know a thing or two about bargains, my readers know even more. It is amazing how much info you can collect when your readers share the things they see.

I also get a lot of great blog posts from reader questions. If one person is thinking about a topic, it's likely other folk are, too!

Julia

[blogherfan]

Thanks for introducing me to yet another great blog Lynn.

Julia congratulations on having such a thriving blog only after 18 months. Lynn mentioned that a lot of reporters at the LA Daily News already had successful blogs when you started. What kind of lessons did you learn from them? What are some of the best tips you can give to a new blogger about launching and marketing their own bargain hunting blogs?

[arcadian]

i really liked the guilt spending article julia.

i like to take at least one big trip a year but i'm afraid to do so in this economy. did your mom decide to go on that trip after all?

what percentage of my savings can i use for discretionary spending like trips (i'm 30 and single).

[Julia Scott]

Hi Blogherfan,
Thanks for checking out the Bargain Hunter. I hope it helps you save money in everyday life. As for learning from other successful LA Daily News blogs, I strongly recommend blogging about something you are really passionate about. It is a lot of work, so if you are not devoted to the subject you won't be able to sustain it. I also recommend writing at least 5 posts a day to maintain interest and momentum.

I just returned from a top-notch journalism seminar on blogging run by the Poynter Institute and learned a ton about what makes a blog successful. Here are some of the tips I learned.

Have a great blogroll. It creates good blog karma and establishes you as a resource for readers.

Write really, really well. Bad writing turns off readers.

Have a focused topic and do not stray too far from that focus. It is your focus that drives readers to your site and keeps them coming back.

Spend a lot of time marketing your blog, promoting your blog, letting other people know about your blog. Just because your blog is fantastic does not mean it will be successful without hard work on your part to promote it.

Hope that helps!
Julia

[Julia Scott]

Hi Arcadian,
I'm glad you liked the post about guilty spending. My Mom has not decided about her trip, but I hope to get some good advice from readers about whether she should splurge or save. So far, the advice has definitely been leaning towards splurging! I hope to blog about her decision down the line so stay tuned.

As for your discretionary spending, I can't say how much of your savings you can or should spend without more info about your situation. Lame answer, I know. The answer depends on how much you have in savings (aim for 3-6 months of living expenses), your future earning potential (are you about to be laid off?), and what your tolerance for risk is.

One person may be fine with not having much in the bank, another person may want a ton of backup. Look at your situation, decide what you are comfortable spending saving, and go from there.

Hope that helps.
Julia

[RoseBowler]

I can't believe I didn't know about your blog. Bookmarked!

I definitely appreciate the local deals. Throw us more Pasadena and Thousand Oaks deals and I'll be your best friend.

There was recent New York Times article about how many local newspapers are outsourcing their jobs to India--including local reporting. Can't recall the name of the paper they used as an example, but it was a local Pasadena newspaper. Do you see this as a popular trend in your industry? How can people in other country do local reporting for Pasadena? Sorry if this is off topic.