Don't Fall for the Clearance Scam

I found this gem on Pinterest. Sad, but true.

Trust me when I say this; no one that I know (other than maybe my mom) gets more excited when they see the words “clearance” or “on sale.” But, I soon learned that seeing those words doesn’t always mean that I will find a great bargain. Stores know that those are trigger words for penny pinchers like me and that I will come rushing over to any section that has a clearance rack. 

Here are some tips to remember when you find yourself at a supposed “sale” or “clearance.”

      1.       Check the original price and the now, sale price.

      2.       Inspect item(s) for damages.

      3.       Make sure at the register that the items ring up for the correct price.

      4.       If they don’t, say something!

      5.       Don’t be afraid to change your mind if the price isn’t what you expected.

Now, if you know exactly what item(s) you are looking for there is a website that you can use to find the stores that offer the lowest prices. Similar to price comparison sites such as Travelocity.com and Kayak.com, there is a price comparison site for shopping- http://www.pricegrabber.com/  . 

Until I did some research, I had no idea that this site existed. When shopping online I would do comparisons the old fashioned way…go to site by site individually and write down the prices that I find and choose the cheapest one. This site does all of the hard work for you and provides the store with the lowest prices available. 

I hope that this is helpful and remember that “clearance” doesn’t always mean that you are getting a great deal.

What’s Better Than Saving Money?

What could possibly be better than saving money? Here’s an idea- how about making money? Sounds good to me.  After a quick brainstorm session, I came up with a few ways that college students can make money.

 Obviously, I don’t suggest any kind of sneaky, under-handed pawn shop deals, but there are plenty of other ways to make a few bucks here and there. One way that I make money while at school is by selling text books either to our school’s bookstore or to individual students. In the past I have sold to both and I feel that the profit is better when selling to individual students. The bookstore has to make money to sustain, so they are less likely to give you a fair amount for your textbooks. 

Always sell your text books at the beginning of a semester.

Another way to make some money is turn in aluminum cans. I know as a college student, if I took a stroll around campus I could find a ton of cans. Although the amount per can you get paid isn’t much, it will add up quickly. Locating a drop-off site is the first step, next you want to prepare your cans for drop off. It is best to crush all cans to prepare to turn them in. More cans will fit in a bag when they are crushed. Some states also still accept glass bottles for money. 

One final way to make money is to sell your old, un-used electronics. For example, when you receive an upgrade for your cell phone, you can sell back your previous phone. Usually this is in exchange for store credit or the money can go towards paying for your upgrade though. If you would rather see cold hard cash, try selling your phone (or other items like iPods, iPads, and tablets) to places like Game Stop or even online (Gazelle or E-bay).  These places are also great for selling video games and DVDs. 

 I wonder how much my boyfriend's X-Box & iPhone is worth?

So, as you can see, it isn’t that difficult to make some extra money…and we all know making money is way better than spending money.