Monday, June 2, 2008

Times Are Tough And No One Is Really Helping.

Here's what I mean: I am watching a segment on the Today Show(again with the Today Show) and they are showing "partying" tips. This is for people who have more discretionary income and is not for those who have barely enough disposable income. I find this to be a waste of resources and somewhat irresponsible. Not everyone can go out and buy special dinnerware for every...single...holiday out there! And what's up with napkin rings and name tags for your place setting??? So, what the hell am I going to do about it? I guess I'll start posting some real information you can use on a daily basis as a buying guide and/or resource. Before I make most any purchase, I consult a number of different avenues before just going out and buying something and as the saying goes, "NEVER PAY RETAIL!" The mere thought makes me cringe. There's no better feeling than when you let a retail institution know you have them over a barrel. So, I am going to post some useful links to some websites that will hopefully let all of you save some money.

Slickdeals This is the best place to research just about anything you want to buy. Make use out of using the "Search" feature on the forums.
Bensbargains This one also has a decent search feature as well and it may be more visually appealing to some. The comments that get posted are usually juvenile turbo nerds that violate my #1 commandment of the internet.
Coupons.com These coupons you can print out and they are usually a higher value than what you will find in the Sunday paper, no joke.
Smartsource This is yet another coupon printing site like coupons.com
EatbetterAmerica.com This one is self explanatory and it is also a coupon site, I love the Fiberone bars.
The Savings-Center This is kind of like the retailmenot site but easier to navigate, just scroll.
The Coupon Loop This has old and new printable coupon links, VERY useful.
Anandtech Forums This is for those who want to get their geek on and do it for less. These turbo nerds know where ALL the tech bargains are. Again use the search feature to find what you want.

Please note that a lot of these site need you to register and some may require you to download some off the coupon printing software. It is safe, I can assure you of that. Also, I am VERY aware of all the well known sites that some news broadcasts have mentioned, I can easily say that mine are better.

I have also used Ebay for setting the bar for pricing when I look for certain items, but I did have a slightly bad experience with Ebay as some of you may remember.

13 comments:

California Girl said...

I had NO idea that these sites were out there...thanks tons! I have no disposable income anymore and am back to the basics. Keeps me humble!

Anonymous said...

Cool beans! Thanks!

Chatterness said...

When gas prices are up so is everything else. :::sigh::::
My bunny rabbit slippers have my initials on them. Random.

Christine said...

coupon.com is great! I have also used couponcabin and couponmountain- good deals!

The CDM said...

Christine, welcome to the madness that is the Complaints Dept. Well aware of the cabin and the mountain. There's also the mycoupons boards, I just noticed that everything you find there you'll find on either slickdeals or bensbargains. Every once in a while something slips under their radar, but it is very seldom.

Cali Girl and Kim, no probs. I'm just so sick of TV shows playing things out like everyone makes 100G's a year. One minute, they're telling people to hold on to their cash and they bring on experts that show you how, only later, they bring on Suzy homemaker who encourages you to buy these silly little trinkets at hobby stores so you can "properly" entertain. Such ignorant and irresponsible drivel!

Chatti...??? Does doc sardonicus know you raided his weed stash? Better ease up, he won't be able to properly entertain his republican bretheren.

complain away said...

yes, times are tough, and I actually know someone who almost rejected her long-term boyfriend's proposal of marriage last week because she didn't think the ring was worthy of her. And she told me this like it was something I should automatically accept as obvious. I immediately deleted her from my phone contact list. Precious space not just on my phone, but also in my life, was being wasted.

I'm back and I'm loving the new masthead!

Rhea said...

Your post was much more helpful than the drivel you mentioned watching, thanks! I think some people just enjoy hearing about things they can't afford, you know? Kind of like reading People Magazine about the lifetyles of celebs.

I just read your Ebay post as well. That did suck prong! Man. I'm glad to hear Ebay was all over it though.

Kim, I used to say "cool beans" all the time! I'd forgotten about that.

Anonymous said...

Cool beans goes back a long time!

She didn't think the ring was worthy of her? What an ass! I hope the guy reconsidered the proposal. I sense that marriage won't last long! :-o She sounds high maintenance.

mama biscuit said...

Thanks for the tips. Given my current condition, I'm all about saving money.

Chatterness said...

this "greedy ring" freak girl is crazy!! what the hell is her problem? hell, for the price of one decent ring, one could buy a few heads of lettuce, rice, and beans for a month.

dr sardonicus said...

Thank you, Heloise.

TV is for the rich folks, anyway. The only time you see anybody making less than $100K/year on TV anymore is when they're doing the perp walk on the 6 o'clock news.

Sandy said...

Just revisiting an older post of yours. Sites like these are becoming more and more relevant to my family lately. The economy sucks! Thanks for a great listing of money saving sites!

The CDM said...

No probs, the sites I listed don't get a lot of play on the media circuit. When I see storeis on the news shows about these "money saving websites" I check them out and notice that they are NO WHERE NEAR as good as the sites I have listed. I guess that makes me the best at getting the REAL scoop.