Deal or No Deal...

                With the holidays coming up, there are tons of retail ads coming our way through every avenue possible; Newspapers, mailers, internet, email, and so forth. All claim they are offering a great deal whether it be the grocery stores, the mall, or chain stores. So is it a great deal? It’s easy to be enticed by these ads even when planning ahead for Christmas shopping. But I urge you to take a second look at the deal before you buy.

For instance, having spent many hours grocery shopping, coupon shopping and price matching I have noticed a few of the tricks companies use.  One sale in particular that was offered by a grocery store in my area was Dryer’s ice cream. Buy two get one FREE. Stock up right? (At least if you are an ice cream lover such as me).   

Well, let’s check that again. What is the price of the two you have to buy? Only a whopping $6.49 EACH! Yikes! NO DEAL. Why? I know that often these Dryer’s ice cream cartons are typically $3.49-3.99 without any advertised sale or deal of any kind. And also that when they are TRULY on sale, they can be as low as $1.99- $2.49! That’s when I’ll be stocking up (and using a coupon too)!  It is very common for items on the regular isle an average person shops to be advertised as “on sale” when in fact it is not. Companies try and trick you where you may be most susceptible, nice huh?

So really, before you get pulled in, think “How much would I normally pay for this item?”  If you need a good reference guide, you can check out Freebies2Deals(F2D) , or CuckooforCoupons  guide sheets for stock up prices on lots of items. It would also be a great idea to start building your own guide sheet on items you buy regularly so you know when to stock up as well.  It is also wise when Christmas shopping to think back to what normal prices were for toys BEFORE the holiday season hit and before black Friday, then you’ll know if it is really a deal or not.

AND then of course, if you don’t need it but it’s on sale, remember, YOU STILL DON’T NEED IT so buying it will still cost you money you wouldn’t have spent!  

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