I just read about a woman who was down and out when she suddenly became a single mother of very young children after a divorce. She had no education, no skills, and had no idea what she was going to do to support herself and her kids. Then, she saw a man in the neighborhood going around picking up scraps of metal and hauling them away in his truck. She thought to herself, "I could do that." That's how she started her now multi-million dollar, 200-employee business! I also read that you can always tell how tough economic times are getting when manholes start to go missing. Again, it's the metal. Apparently, very valuable.
Well, the thing is it's only 50% off if the price stays the same as the usual price. This does happen, but a lot of the times as I have mentioned in the article they double the original price so you're not getting a discount. Yes, with manufacturer's coupons it's always a good deal because you are taking the discount on the normal price. Also, if the store does legitimately discount the product even if you buy one thing, then yes, it is a good deal. However, as we all have mentioned already, it pays to know what a "good" and "cheap" price is for each item.
BOGO is usually a better deal than any other discount at the grocery store. Why? It's 50% off. You often see items on the store shelves marked down 10%, 20% or so, but unless it's on clearance you rarely see 50%.
Also, sometimes there are BOGO manufacturer's coupons. If you combine a BOGO coupon with a BOGO sale, most stores will give you the two items for free. For reals!
Amen to helping the cause and fun. My wife is actually acting as the chair for our MS150 ride this year; she won the 'SuperStar' award for helping so much last year.
She works at a local shop too, so we're always able to lean on her product reps to get stuff for stocking goodie bags for the other riders. I'm amazed every time I do another ride and how thankful most of the charity folks are; if they only knew that we were just out for a bike ride with friends...
I don't agree with the author's grocery store comments. Most BOGO sales I come across are legit in pricing. Furthermore, being able to use 2 coupons on a BOGO deal can be very rewarding. I've had BOGO coupons which applied to BOGO deals and I've gotten both items for free - on more than one occasion.
Housing is a completely different ballgame. I can't imagine anyone ignorant enough to fall for that kind of BOGO.
In many grocery stores, you can get the b1g1 free deal even if you only buy ONE of a given item. It is quite awesome - provided you know it's a good deal and it's something you'd buy anyway.
I just take one of whatever I need that's on b1g1, and if it doesn't ring up at half the b1g1 price, I don't buy it unless it's at least as good a deal was what I would pay without the promotion (sometimes it is... and sometimes it's not).
In our city we are allowed two free bulk pick-ups per year which is about a pickup load of your junk hauled away by the city for free. We would call, set the stuff out the night before and in the a.m. it would be gone - and the city would have nothing to take away - and it would be too late to cancel the "free" pick-up. Seems people just come by and take it if it is sitting there at the curb. Needless to say, now whenever we have anything to get rid of, we just set it out at the curb and within a day or less, it disappears. No calling, no advertising and needing to go to a dump.
It all depends on what your buying and also on Knowing the prices at other stores.
The local Publix Grocery usually puts a lot of things on BOGO and they rotate through about a 12 week cycle..my grandfather owned a grocery store and this is standard..everything usually goes on sale at least once every 12 weeks.
I stock up on 12 weeks worth but ONLY if the individual price is now lower than the generic discount brand AND if it is something I use.
Usually I have plenty of Del Monte vegetables that on BOGO cost less per can than Wal-Marts house brand.
And if you don't like Del-Monte next week it might be Green Giant on BOGO then next week Libbys.
Amy Dac..(sorry can't spell it) also known as "The Frugal Zealot" and her idea for a "Price Book" is a vast help keeping track of things.
So true about the hidden costs of running out of gas! I didn't do it to try to save gas, but a couple of times (years ago) I ran out while I didn't have AAA membership. I had to call my then boyfriend, wait around for him, either fearing for my life from speeding passing cars or feeling guilty when nicer folks slowed down to offer me their help (further pissing off other cars around them). After that, I vowed never to let that happen again. The level of stress I experienced during both those times cured me of that needlessly risky behavior for good.
I think taking care of our physical, mental, and emotional health as soon as we detect a potential serious problem with it is another area where we try to save a buck but often comes back to bite us in the end. I know a doctor's office visit is expensive, but an ER bill is astronomical! But, we never think about that when we decide to let our lingering cold continue for weeks. I understand that's how Jim Henson died. He had pneumonia but didn't realize it until it was too late b/c he assumed it was just a cold and never got it checked out. That sad story affects my life in 2 ways: (1) I always make sure I do what I can to stay healthy (try not to overburden my body with work, stress, etc.); and (2) closely monitor any new, suspicious symptoms and force myself into a doctor's office after a week at the most.
Also, if you drive around with only a few gallons into your gas tank all the time, that's likely to cause you tank to rust and cost you its replacement parts and labor costs. Plus, think of the wasted time and gas for all those extra trips to the gas station! I stopped driving almost completely since I quit my day job and began blogging last year. It's heavenly not to be stuck in traffic for 3 hours of my day every day! I also hear that more people are commuting by bus (sometimes 4 hours each way!) and walking to their local groceries stores. I've noticed people walking long distances a Ralphs bag in each hand. And this is L.A.! Remember the song "Nobody Walks in L.A.?" Well, they're walking now! Thanks for the great post!
I make my hubby nuts at the store, because when I see B1G1, I look at is at getting two at half the posted price. I say a B1 at $5.00 and get 1 Free means I can buy two at 2.50 each. If I am not willing to pay $2.50 for one, I sure don't want to pay it for 2! He is the biggest sucker for the word FREE. I was too at one time, but then once I started looking at it differently, I don't jump so fast.
I had some really nasty old air conditioners that I replaced. They didn't even work, and they were about thirty years old. I had thrown them in the yard and was dreading the day I had to deal with loading them on a truck to go to the (expensive) dump.
A couple of days ago, a guy knocked on my door and asked if he could have them. Of course, I gladly let him haul them away. Turns out they have copper wiring in them that can be sold. You never know...
I got a working fax machine. The business got a printer with Fax option and was getting rid of the one I got. It was perfect for my light use and it was only a block away! I was able to walk and pick it up, thus no carbon used. :-)
About 2 years ago someone posted a child's outdoor plastic playhouse for free on Craigslist. Since I lived only 2 blocks away I went to check it out, and discovered that it was in brand new condition (with the exception that it was missing the play portable phone). This was a $185 playhouse, they said that they bought it only a few months ago but that they had to have it gone before they moved. Since I lived so close they even offered to put the house in their pickup and drive it over to my home for me (I would have had to grab a friend and carried it otherwise). Over the years I have found some really good things on CL (for free, or really cheap) but this was by far my best find.
We love the free section of Craigslist near where we live. We have gotten landscape rock by the truckload (which usually sells for $4-5 a bag), repairable washers and dryers (which can be fixed for under $25 and donated to the needy), brand new bathroom fixtures (with only nick or unnoticeable ding) and some other stuff my husband may not have told me about yet. (LOL)
You have to be picky about what you pick up, and making one trip for multiple items is ideal. You also want to only be getting stuff you can really use or need anyway. We have found that often when you are there getting one thing for "free" the giver may have a few other things of use that they'll throw in.
We have met a lot of great people this way. That being said, there is also a lot of crap that you couldn't pay us to haul away. But it's no worse than digging through overpriced junk at the Goodwill to get that gem. And it's totally free!
Hi Guest, Sarge has mentioned backpacking / hiking some so you never know; either way, it's great to think of someone spending free time over decades seeing the world on foot and bicycle.
Aaron, I love these charity rides too: some for the cause and some for the fun, though mostly for both. The 3- day ride was to raise money to provide scholarships/tuition breaks for children at a childcare center in the inner city that serves low-income families (it allows the parents to work and helps the kids to be more prepared for school).
Thanks Chris -- I am glad my story made sense to everyone else!
I found you through Jen, who found me through my BabyCenter blog. I am all about frugal, healthy eating. This is such a great tip for me as a mom, as well as for others who want to eat well. Thank you so much!
Thanks for the mention, Philip. You are correct that adjustments need to be made by the average driver's habits. No longer can we afford to "cruise" on Sunday afternoons, or even take scenic routes instead of the shortest path home. The less wasted driving the better!
Excellent point. Our local freeway DOT "rescuers" are known for giving free gallons of gas to stranded motorists which some people have been taking advantage of. Now there is debate about whether tax payers should be footing this bill. I vote no. If you can't keep gas in your tank then you get to walk to the next freeway off ramp, find a gas can, pay for the gas, and walk back and fill up your car.
This is a great article. I didn't know that this was happening. I'll have to look into it further. If the government does take advantage of this I wonder if there will be any regulations for people that receive a higher income or purchase $800,000 + houses.
I don't believe that motorists would intentionally run out of gas so that they can just get one gallon of gas. That is more trouble than it is worth. I understand the idea behind it, however I believe that more and more people don't want to pay as much for gas and in the process they are trying to get their engines to sip off of fumes. Unfortunately they don't realize that not filling up on gas will save them money. In the long run it won't. Having better driving habits will help reduce this problem. Unfortunately I have had the experience of driving in Atlanta. It was definitely a life altering experience. Learning to drive less and drive safer will save you money in the long run.
It is also a good idea to ads if you are looking for something. It is sometimes good to go back and look for previous sales. Sometimes lenders will give you last weeks ads, especially if you haggle with them. Most lenders won't haggle, but they will give you an online price. Look for deals online and show them the add. Tell them you wanted to buy online, but wanted to see what they had first. Usually if you get the manager out they will give you the deal. Just a little advice.
I just read about a woman who was down and out when she suddenly became a single mother of very young children after a divorce. She had no education, no skills, and had no idea what she was going to do to support herself and her kids. Then, she saw a man in the neighborhood going around picking up scraps of metal and hauling them away in his truck. She thought to herself, "I could do that." That's how she started her now multi-million dollar, 200-employee business! I also read that you can always tell how tough economic times are getting when manholes start to go missing. Again, it's the metal. Apparently, very valuable.
Thanks for the fun post!
Well, the thing is it's only 50% off if the price stays the same as the usual price. This does happen, but a lot of the times as I have mentioned in the article they double the original price so you're not getting a discount. Yes, with manufacturer's coupons it's always a good deal because you are taking the discount on the normal price. Also, if the store does legitimately discount the product even if you buy one thing, then yes, it is a good deal. However, as we all have mentioned already, it pays to know what a "good" and "cheap" price is for each item.
BOGO is usually a better deal than any other discount at the grocery store. Why? It's 50% off. You often see items on the store shelves marked down 10%, 20% or so, but unless it's on clearance you rarely see 50%.
Also, sometimes there are BOGO manufacturer's coupons. If you combine a BOGO coupon with a BOGO sale, most stores will give you the two items for free. For reals!
For god's sake, just breastfeed if you care about health!!!!!!!!!!
The local freecycle mailing list is the same way. There used to be some really good stuff on it, now it's broken this and 1/2 used packages of that.
Amen to helping the cause and fun. My wife is actually acting as the chair for our MS150 ride this year; she won the 'SuperStar' award for helping so much last year.
She works at a local shop too, so we're always able to lean on her product reps to get stuff for stocking goodie bags for the other riders. I'm amazed every time I do another ride and how thankful most of the charity folks are; if they only knew that we were just out for a bike ride with friends...
I don't agree with the author's grocery store comments. Most BOGO sales I come across are legit in pricing. Furthermore, being able to use 2 coupons on a BOGO deal can be very rewarding. I've had BOGO coupons which applied to BOGO deals and I've gotten both items for free - on more than one occasion.
Housing is a completely different ballgame. I can't imagine anyone ignorant enough to fall for that kind of BOGO.
In many grocery stores, you can get the b1g1 free deal even if you only buy ONE of a given item. It is quite awesome - provided you know it's a good deal and it's something you'd buy anyway.
I just take one of whatever I need that's on b1g1, and if it doesn't ring up at half the b1g1 price, I don't buy it unless it's at least as good a deal was what I would pay without the promotion (sometimes it is... and sometimes it's not).
Thanks for the info on grocery stores, FrugalZen. I often take advantage of the B 1 G 1 Free at Publix - good to know I'm not getting ripped off!
In our city we are allowed two free bulk pick-ups per year which is about a pickup load of your junk hauled away by the city for free. We would call, set the stuff out the night before and in the a.m. it would be gone - and the city would have nothing to take away - and it would be too late to cancel the "free" pick-up. Seems people just come by and take it if it is sitting there at the curb. Needless to say, now whenever we have anything to get rid of, we just set it out at the curb and within a day or less, it disappears. No calling, no advertising and needing to go to a dump.
It all depends on what your buying and also on Knowing the prices at other stores.
The local Publix Grocery usually puts a lot of things on BOGO and they rotate through about a 12 week cycle..my grandfather owned a grocery store and this is standard..everything usually goes on sale at least once every 12 weeks.
I stock up on 12 weeks worth but ONLY if the individual price is now lower than the generic discount brand AND if it is something I use.
Usually I have plenty of Del Monte vegetables that on BOGO cost less per can than Wal-Marts house brand.
And if you don't like Del-Monte next week it might be Green Giant on BOGO then next week Libbys.
Amy Dac..(sorry can't spell it) also known as "The Frugal Zealot" and her idea for a "Price Book" is a vast help keeping track of things.
~ Roland
So true about the hidden costs of running out of gas! I didn't do it to try to save gas, but a couple of times (years ago) I ran out while I didn't have AAA membership. I had to call my then boyfriend, wait around for him, either fearing for my life from speeding passing cars or feeling guilty when nicer folks slowed down to offer me their help (further pissing off other cars around them). After that, I vowed never to let that happen again. The level of stress I experienced during both those times cured me of that needlessly risky behavior for good.
I think taking care of our physical, mental, and emotional health as soon as we detect a potential serious problem with it is another area where we try to save a buck but often comes back to bite us in the end. I know a doctor's office visit is expensive, but an ER bill is astronomical! But, we never think about that when we decide to let our lingering cold continue for weeks. I understand that's how Jim Henson died. He had pneumonia but didn't realize it until it was too late b/c he assumed it was just a cold and never got it checked out. That sad story affects my life in 2 ways: (1) I always make sure I do what I can to stay healthy (try not to overburden my body with work, stress, etc.); and (2) closely monitor any new, suspicious symptoms and force myself into a doctor's office after a week at the most.
Also, if you drive around with only a few gallons into your gas tank all the time, that's likely to cause you tank to rust and cost you its replacement parts and labor costs. Plus, think of the wasted time and gas for all those extra trips to the gas station! I stopped driving almost completely since I quit my day job and began blogging last year. It's heavenly not to be stuck in traffic for 3 hours of my day every day! I also hear that more people are commuting by bus (sometimes 4 hours each way!) and walking to their local groceries stores. I've noticed people walking long distances a Ralphs bag in each hand. And this is L.A.! Remember the song "Nobody Walks in L.A.?" Well, they're walking now! Thanks for the great post!
I make my hubby nuts at the store, because when I see B1G1, I look at is at getting two at half the posted price. I say a B1 at $5.00 and get 1 Free means I can buy two at 2.50 each. If I am not willing to pay $2.50 for one, I sure don't want to pay it for 2! He is the biggest sucker for the word FREE. I was too at one time, but then once I started looking at it differently, I don't jump so fast.
Shelle
I had some really nasty old air conditioners that I replaced. They didn't even work, and they were about thirty years old. I had thrown them in the yard and was dreading the day I had to deal with loading them on a truck to go to the (expensive) dump.
A couple of days ago, a guy knocked on my door and asked if he could have them. Of course, I gladly let him haul them away. Turns out they have copper wiring in them that can be sold. You never know...
I got a working fax machine. The business got a printer with Fax option and was getting rid of the one I got. It was perfect for my light use and it was only a block away! I was able to walk and pick it up, thus no carbon used. :-)
Barb
About 2 years ago someone posted a child's outdoor plastic playhouse for free on Craigslist. Since I lived only 2 blocks away I went to check it out, and discovered that it was in brand new condition (with the exception that it was missing the play portable phone). This was a $185 playhouse, they said that they bought it only a few months ago but that they had to have it gone before they moved. Since I lived so close they even offered to put the house in their pickup and drive it over to my home for me (I would have had to grab a friend and carried it otherwise). Over the years I have found some really good things on CL (for free, or really cheap) but this was by far my best find.
We love the free section of Craigslist near where we live. We have gotten landscape rock by the truckload (which usually sells for $4-5 a bag), repairable washers and dryers (which can be fixed for under $25 and donated to the needy), brand new bathroom fixtures (with only nick or unnoticeable ding) and some other stuff my husband may not have told me about yet. (LOL)
You have to be picky about what you pick up, and making one trip for multiple items is ideal. You also want to only be getting stuff you can really use or need anyway. We have found that often when you are there getting one thing for "free" the giver may have a few other things of use that they'll throw in.
We have met a lot of great people this way. That being said, there is also a lot of crap that you couldn't pay us to haul away. But it's no worse than digging through overpriced junk at the Goodwill to get that gem. And it's totally free!
Cool article!
Hi Guest, Sarge has mentioned backpacking / hiking some so you never know; either way, it's great to think of someone spending free time over decades seeing the world on foot and bicycle.
Aaron, I love these charity rides too: some for the cause and some for the fun, though mostly for both. The 3- day ride was to raise money to provide scholarships/tuition breaks for children at a childcare center in the inner city that serves low-income families (it allows the parents to work and helps the kids to be more prepared for school).
Thanks Chris -- I am glad my story made sense to everyone else!
I found you through Jen, who found me through my BabyCenter blog. I am all about frugal, healthy eating. This is such a great tip for me as a mom, as well as for others who want to eat well. Thank you so much!
Thanks for the mention, Philip. You are correct that adjustments need to be made by the average driver's habits. No longer can we afford to "cruise" on Sunday afternoons, or even take scenic routes instead of the shortest path home. The less wasted driving the better!
Excellent point. Our local freeway DOT "rescuers" are known for giving free gallons of gas to stranded motorists which some people have been taking advantage of. Now there is debate about whether tax payers should be footing this bill. I vote no. If you can't keep gas in your tank then you get to walk to the next freeway off ramp, find a gas can, pay for the gas, and walk back and fill up your car.
This is a great article. I didn't know that this was happening. I'll have to look into it further. If the government does take advantage of this I wonder if there will be any regulations for people that receive a higher income or purchase $800,000 + houses.
I don't believe that motorists would intentionally run out of gas so that they can just get one gallon of gas. That is more trouble than it is worth. I understand the idea behind it, however I believe that more and more people don't want to pay as much for gas and in the process they are trying to get their engines to sip off of fumes. Unfortunately they don't realize that not filling up on gas will save them money. In the long run it won't. Having better driving habits will help reduce this problem. Unfortunately I have had the experience of driving in Atlanta. It was definitely a life altering experience. Learning to drive less and drive safer will save you money in the long run.
It is also a good idea to ads if you are looking for something. It is sometimes good to go back and look for previous sales. Sometimes lenders will give you last weeks ads, especially if you haggle with them. Most lenders won't haggle, but they will give you an online price. Look for deals online and show them the add. Tell them you wanted to buy online, but wanted to see what they had first. Usually if you get the manager out they will give you the deal. Just a little advice.
What unnecessary purchases *are*.