As I mentioned last week, one interesting challenge that the Mister and I have encountered in new married life is gift-giving. In fact, it was probably the biggest puzzle we faced in combining our finances.
Until my brother got married in 2000 -- well, actually, not until my nephew was born several years later, I never gave one iota of a thought to the culture of gift-giving in families. I knew how my immediate family did it...and that's all I needed to know. It worked. It made sense.
I won't go into the details because it's not the real point of this story; however, once my brother's son came on the scene, I had the opportunity to learn a little bit about my sister-in-law's family's culture of gift-giving. While normal in the whole scheme of things, it was different from what we did, which did cause some interesting friction.
Having that experience in my background, going into my own marriage I knew I had better find out about my in-law's gift-giving practices before the occasions arose. In fact, as Michael and I discussed our credit histories and current financial status soon after our engagement, I inquired about his family's culture of gift-giving (even though I had a feeling I already knew what it was).
Just as I thought. It was completely different from the way my family handled things.
My family gives one gift to each member of the immediate family (now defined to include spouses-in-law and children of siblings) at Christmas. If they have a big one-time life event (i.e. marriage, birth), we give gifts for those occasions too.
For birthdays, we might send a card to immediate family members. We almost always call the birthday person on their big day (except that my brother doesn't usually remember anymore). We never give gifts (except to children). (Although our parents still give us something for our birthdays.)
For the most part, we treat Mother's Day and Father's Day the same way as we do birthdays (card and phone call)...unless we happen to be with them on that occasion and then we'll treat them to lunch or something.
My husband's family does things differently. Gifts are a very big deal. You have to give something, and you will receive something for Christmas and birthdays. Phone calls and cards are optional. Mother's Day and Father's Day also require gifts, cards, and phone calls.
Trying to merge two different gift-giving cultures is not easy. If you make a change to what your family is used to (stop or start giving gifts when you used to give or not give), you will cause waves that will ripple out to everyone in the family.
For example, if out of the blue we gave my brother a birthday gift this year, my sister may feel guilty that she didn't also give a gift to him. Maybe she feels like suddenly she's going to have to start giving him a birthday gift too. He also may feel bad that he never remembers anyone's birthday anymore. And that means we also need to give my sister, sister-in-law, and parents birthday presents too...and they will feel like they need to reciprocate to us. In the interest of fairness, it would also mean that they would have to give each other gifts too.
Likewise, it would be odd if Michael stopped giving gifts to his family for these occasions.
This is my problem with gifts. Even if no one should feel obligated to reciprocate, they do -- we do.
I pondered this situation for several months before we were married. It would start to get really expensive to give gifts to 13 family members for all of these occasions. It wouldn't settle well with my siblings in particular if Michael and I started a new practice of giving everyone birthday gifts. It wouldn't settle well with Michael's family if we quit giving so many gifts. For me, in the interest of fairness, giving extra gifts to one family and not the other was out of the question.
What would we do?!
A few weeks after we returned from the honeymoon I worked on a household budget for married life. (I do the number-crunching and budget-making and then take the results to Michael for approval.) With 13 immediate family members and lots of friends and family who have special occasions, gifts was going to be a significant line item in the budget. But how much? How would we give gifts and keep everyone (and us) happy?
The solution: the 13 close relatives each get a dollar amount assigned to them for the usual gift-giving occasions (birthdays, Christmas, Mother's Day/Father's Day). There are three categories of people: parents, siblings, and children. Everyone in each category gets the same amount budgeted each year. Michael and I decide for our own family members how we want to use that money. The adults in my family don't get birthday gifts, so they have a larger amount for Christmas. Michael divides his allotments up by all of the occasions. So, we spend less on their Christmas gifts, but they do get birthday gifts.
Will it be strange to Michael that I won't give my sister a birthday gift in a few weeks? Yes. But was it unusual to me that he sent his sister-in-law a check (because he couldn't think of an actual gift to give) for her forty-something birthday this past fall, oh yeah! -- especially, since the check was cashed but never otherwise acknowledged.
It's not a perfect system, but nearly 6 months into marriage and many gift-giving occasions behind us, it's working because we are each pretty much happy with it.
What is your gift-giving culture?
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Married Life: The Culture of Gift-Giving
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
A Coupon Code Success Story
A good friend and Save 4 Fun reader emailed me yesterday all excited about a deal she got on a baby gift. I do love a bargain, so I thought I'd share it with all of you too. Here's what she wrote:
Just had to tell you about the good deal I got...I was ordering a gift for a neighbor who just had a baby. It's her 2nd son, born in the same season as the 1st, so I didn't want go to the clothes or toy route. So, I thought of a brothers picture frame. I found one that I could personalize with their names. It was on sale online, but shipping was $8.95. geez...so I Goggled for a coupon code for that company, and sure enough there one was for $5.00 off. I never do go hunting for coupon codes on the web, b/c I rarely purchase anything online. I was so excited to save $5! Just thought I'd share my good savings with ya!
Hurrah for searching out a deal on a great gift idea! And this goes to show that you really should hunt for coupon codes before shopping online.
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Gift Bags, Gift Wrap Gallore
I spent a while yesterday working on organizing all of the gift wrapping supplies that we have. The volume of stuff is incredible! Michael asked, "Where did you get all of this?"
Well, I had a bunch -- bags, tags, wrapping paper, tissue paper, bows. I used to buy it when I found it on clearance (usually at Target). He also had some that he brought to our household when we got married. But the bulk is from the wedding.
I was pretty lucky in that I had several friends and family members who wanted to host a bridal shower for me. It wasn't really possible to combine any of them. So, I had three showers thrown in my honor. Then, of course, there were all of the wedding gifts. Many of them were shipped to us without wrapping. However, quite a few were delivered in lovely boxes and bags with ribbons and bows.
I'm not a hoarder, but I do hate throwing good stuff away. I want to either give it away, sell it, or use it...not throw it away. All of these wrapping supplies were no exception. In fact, that stuff can be kind of expensive if you buy it full price. So many people gave us gifts in such nice bags with beautiful ribbons and bow -- it seemed crazy to throw it away from an environmental and financial point of view.
As a result, we now have about $600 in retail value of wrapping supplies. Okay, I don't actually know the value of it, but it's a lot of stuff! In fact, after organizing it and boxing it up, I'm not sure I can all be stored under one bed.
If you get a gift from us in the next 10 years or so, it's probably going to be wrapped in reused tissue paper, in a reused gift bag, or tied with a reused ribbon and bow. I hope you'll be able to pass it on too.
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Baby Showers: Decorating with Gifts
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Baby Showers: Cutting Corners but Still Looking Cute
Regular Save 4 Fun reader Kate commented the other day on Can You Tell It's from the Dollar Store that she liked the idea of my friends cutting corners on some things for my bridal shower and splurging on others. She mentioned that she'd have to keep that in mind for upcoming baby showers that she will be hosting.
I've done my share of economizing as a baby shower hostess, so I thought I'd share a couple of tips that I've used. I had searched the Internet for ideas, so these aren't completely originals. However, I can't remember exactly where I found them in order to give credit, and I have a tendency to mix and match my own ideas with ones I've found from various message boards and websites. I like to customize for the honoree, the occasion, and my own style.
The invitations I used were note cards from the Dollar Tree. They were blank inside and had a pink baby carriage on the cover. Cute since she was expecting a girl. I printed them myself at home. I've always liked adding poems about bringing a little something extra as a gift to go with the theme of the shower (bridal or baby).
For this particular one, I found a nice idea of having people bring books for the mother to read to her daughter either as a baby or as a young child. So, I printed that poem on the inside cover of the note card and then the details about when, where, for whom, etc. on the right, inside the card. Below was the how poem read:
Something special for Baby Allie Marie…
Although cards are nice,
With their sentiment and prayer,
They're read once or twice,
Then tucked away with care.
A book is a treasure,
Words and pictures unite,
Read over and over,
To teach and delight.
So instead of a card,
For the little baby and mother,
Please consider a storybook,
With your thoughts in the cover.
Your book will be cherished;
God will watch from above;
When it's read, they’ll remember,
Your kindness and love.
Just like it's shown here, I made the poem in a special font so that it would stand out and look special inside of the card. I also highlighted some of the lines in pink to dress it up a bit.
Most guests still gave her cards with their gifts even though the intention was that a message written inside of the cover of the book would serve as the card. However, she still got a bunch of nice books to go along with each gift. You can actually find nice children's books on discount racks of bookstores for about the same price as a greeting card (assuming you aren't buying it at a discount store where they usually sell for either half price or 50 cents). So, I don't think this idea broke anyone's gift budget if they had one.
Stay tuned for more thrifty but nice baby shower ideas tomorrow.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Gifting an Education, Life-Lesson, and Financial Freedom
I just read something interesting on Washington Post Personal Finance Columnist Michelle Singletary's weekly e-letter from March 27. (When you click on the link, scroll down to the heading Asking for Money.)
Michelle asked her reads,"Is it rude for parents to ask that you give money for a college fund?"
I decided to email her a response. Here's what I said:
Dear Michelle,
If someone is asking what to give a child, I don't think it's rude to request money to go towards a college education. If the gift-giver would prefer to give a toy, book, etc., then they could just say that they would prefer something that will allow for instant gratification and ask for the child's favorite cartoon characters or current interests. But I like the second mother's idea of giving the child a small gift and then some cash for college savings.
I don't have children, but I can speak from being a person who received money for college when I was a child myself. Well, I never was 100% convinced that money I received as gifts was truly for college, but my parents always told me that was what the giver intended. (I usually got a small gift/toy from my aunts and uncles and grandparents and some cash too...and I would have loved to have spent that money at the toy store!) I had a Mickey Mouse bank, and all of that gift money went directly to Mickey. (Mom would clear out Mickey and take his savings to the bank every so often.) As a young child, college savings frustrated me. I didn't even really know what college was, except that it was sucking up a lot of my money! Even as a teenager when I knew I was definitely going to college, I didn't completely appreciate that money.
Once I was in college, Mom pulled the money out of my savings account and put it into my checking account for me to write the checks to the school. Wow - "thousand" was a really long word to write on a check!!!
My parents (with the help of all of those monetary gifts upon my birth, birthdays, Christmas, and other occasions) were able to pay for my undergraduate education. I left college with a bachelor's degree but no debt! Many of my friends weren't so fortunate. And many of them spent a lot of time working on things that I never had to know about out in the college's financial aid department. Many of them paid those loans for a long time after graduation. It was at that point I finally appreciated what my parents, my Mickey Mouse bank, and all of our kind friends and family did for me -- they gave me financial freedom! That meant I was able to start contributing a decent amount of money to my retirement fund when I got my first job after graduation...I think it also meant that I understood what it was going to take to save for a huge goal (i.e. retirement) that was many, many years away. A college education, a life lesson, and a jump start on retirement savings from a mere $10 or $20 gift. What a deal!
Saturday, April 12, 2008
More Wedding Gift Savings: Look Beyond the Registry
I am a fan of buying wedding gifts from registries because I know it will be something the couple likes and wants. However, sometimes you can find the exact same thing from their registry somewhere else for a better deal. Of course, the key here is to make sure it is indeed the exact same thing (brand, color, size, style, etc.). It's also best to send/give this gift early. Once they get it and realize it is from a store at which they did not register, they can mark it off their registry before someone else buys it. Also, make sure the recipient gets a gift receipt and/or the packing slip so that they can return/exchange it if need be.
Let me give you an example by looking at a 5-piece place setting of our fine china by Lenox.
If I were to buy the place setting tonight, here are the prices I'd pay at various online retailers where we are registered. (Note: I've chosen the least expensive shipping method in each scenario.)
Macy's (through registry linked with WeddingChannel.com)
Price: $158.00
Tax: $7.90
Shipping: $17.95
Total: $183.85
Bed, Bath, & Beyond
Price: $109.99
Tax: $5.50
Shipping: $11.95
Total: $127.44
Belk
Price: $109.99
Tax: $6.30
Shipping: $15.95
Total: $132.24
Now, let's look at the exact same place setting at retailers where we are not registered.
Macys.com (not through the registry)
Price: $109.99
Tax: $5.50
Shipping: $15.95
Total: $131.44
Amazon.com
Price: $109.95
Tax: $0
Shipping: $0
Total: $109.95
Lenox.com
Price: $109.85
Tax: $5.52
Shipping: $12.95
Total: $128.32
HomeClick.com
Price: $109.00 **Includes a free pasta/soup bowl from this pattern (value $70)!
Tax: $0
Shipping: $8.95
Total: $117.95
Now you can see that the lowest over all price is from Amazon.com and the best deal is from HomeClick.com because they offer a free bowl. (Lenox.com did have this deal recently but not currently.) Once again, it pays to shop around!
Sunday, April 6, 2008
More Wedding Gift Savings: The Value of Shopping Early
I mentioned on Friday that on one of our trips to Macy's to work on our wedding registry, Michael and I overheard a couple complaining about how expensive something they were buying off of a wedding registry was. Don't worry -- I didn't ask them about this situation! But I did wonder about it.
I suppose their bridal friends may have only registered for very expensive gifts. But I'm willing to bet the real problem was that they waited until the last minute to buy a gift. If that was actually the case, then two things probably happened: 1) most of the items on the registry were already purchased and 2) they didn't have time to comparison shop or wait for a sale. No wonder they were bitter.
I read a blog posting on FreeMoneyFinance.com about selecting your wedding gift early. I suppose a gift card or check for the amount you were planning to spend on a gift is a good alternative, but Plan A is still a better idea -- shop early!
Actually, couples usually register 6 months or more before the wedding. Even if they haven't notified you of the registry, look them up at stores where people usually register (i.e. Macy's, Target, Bed, Bath, & Beyond) or a store that you know to be one of their favorites (i.e. Pottery Barn, Williams Sonoma). Then, watch for coupons and sales. I've never actually done this for anyone I've known to be getting married and for whom I was going to give a gift. But watching the prices drastically fluctuate on my own registries, I will definitely start keeping an eye on these gift lists early for friends who are marrying in the future! In fact, just this weekend Belk dropped the price on our fine china by 46% off of the regular retail price. What a deal! (I sure hope people aren't paying full price.)
Sphere: Related ContentFriday, April 4, 2008
Macy's Red Star Event Sale - this weekend
I have written previously about how to save on wedding gifts at Macy's. Based on the traffic on that posting, I can tell that it's a subject of interest! Also, a few weeks ago Michael and I were in Macy's finishing up our registry when we overheard a couple complaining about the price of something that they were buying for someone off of a wedding registry. Well, that's really a discussion for another time, but if they had just waited for a sale, like the Red Star Event happening this weekend, they could have saved on that purchase.
Anyway, now through Sunday, April 6th, you can save 15% off of regular, sale, or clearance purchases in-store and online! The sale includes Macy's online wedding registry through WeddingChannel.com! (The sale offers 10% savings on small electronics.) They do exclude a lot of name brand items that may be on a wedding gift registry (i.e. All-Clad), but they also include many of them too (i.e. Lenox). In Macy's stores, you can also pick up a game piece to win a trip to see the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, Macy's July 4th Fireworks Spectacular, or a Macy's gift card worth up to $500.
Don't forget that Discover Card's 5% Cashback Bonus promotion this quarter includes department stores. So, between this bonus and the sale at Macy's, you could save up to an additional 20%!
Sunday, March 16, 2008
A Few More Ways to Save on Wedding Gifts
A couple of weeks ago I wrote about Comparison Shopping Between the Store & the Website. I was amazed to find some significant prices differences from the bricks & mortar store and the virtual version of the same company. This was mostly the case between a Macy's store and the online Macy's registry which is handled through WeddingChannel.com.
At the time I wrote that article, the fine china on our Macy's wedding registry was less expensive if purchased through the website. The sheets were less expensive in the store. However, that has flipped-flopped. Now, you would pay between 20% and 30% less for the china in the store than on the website. And right now, you will find the sheets are priced 25% lower online.
Of course, you do usually have to factor in shipping when thinking about buying something online. In the case of this set of sheets, the online purchase price savings is $20, but you would have to pay $11.95 for shipping. There's still a savings, but it isn't as great. For some of the less expensive, individual pieces of china, it would actually be a better deal to pay the higher price in the store than to get the discounted online price and have to pay shipping.
You also have to think about the sales tax when comparing your neighborhood store to the online store. You may pay less or you may pay more, depending on where you are shipping the items and where that company has stores.
Speaking of buying online and shipping, Target is offering free shipping through March 22, 2008, on select items in the following categories: furniture, patio furniture, bedding, bath items, slipcovers, rugs, window coverings, home décor, lighting, and kitchen items. Many couples register for wedding gifts in some or all of these categories at Target. See if you can save a trip to the store and get free shipping!
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Saving on Wedding Gifts at Macy's
Continuing with the series on finding ways to save when buying from wedding gift registries, let's look at Macy's. They offer a number of ways to save in the store and online.
Macy's is a partner with WeddingChannel.com, and it is how they manage their online wedding registries. If the bridal couple has linked a charity to their WeddingChannel.com registries, your online Macy's registry purchase will generate a donation to that cause! I've already gone into detail on this topic in my post entitled Buy from a Wedding Gift Registry & Save for Charity.
Like Target.com and Bed, Bath, & Beyond, Macys.com is a Upromise partner. So, if you are saving for someone to go to college through Upromise, link to Macys.com through Upromise's website to make your purchase. Currently, they are offering 4% of your total price paid to go towards your Upromise account. The unfortunate part about this idea is that you can't buy directly from the online wedding registry and get Upromise credit. However, you can look at their registry to find out what they want. Then, purchase an item from their wish list without going through the registry (because it's actually linked through WeddingChannel.com). If you are buying the gift and giving (or shipping) the gift to the couple right away, they can go into the registry and mark it off as purchased themselves.
Discover Card is offering a 5% additional cashback bonus April 1 - June 30, 2008, for purchases at department stores when you sign up for the quarterly 5% Cashback Bonus promotion. Of course, Macy's falls into this category. That will be a good time to buy for your spring weddings if you haven't already done so. It will also be a good time to get a head start on buying for summer and fall weddings if the couples have already registered. Like Bed, Bath, & Beyond, Macy's is also a Discover Cashback Bonus partner. You could get your Cashback Bonus to stretch even further by trading in $40 of bonus for a $45 Macy's gift card. Gift cards may be used in Macy's stores or online at Macys.com and macysweddingchannel.com.
Finally, if you are shopping in a Macy's store, you really should never go without first looking in your newspaper for current promotions and coupons. They offer some kind of deal nearly every week.
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Buy from a Wedding Gift Registry & Save for Charity
When buying a wedding gift, you may be able to help support the wedding couple's favorite charity. WeddingChannel.com is partners with a number of major stores and their gift registries. If you buy a wedding gift at one of these stores after linking to its website through WeddingChannel.com, up to 3% of the purchase price is given to the charity that the couple has designated.
Here's how it works:
The couple registers for gifts at one of the following places (in the store or online):
Macy's
Bloomingdales
JC Penney
Crate & Barrell
Williams-Sonoma
Pottery Barn
REI
Restoration Hardware
Amazon.com
Gump's
Tiffany & Co.
Neiman Marcus
Fortunoff
Barneys New York
Starwood Honeymoon Collection
Sandals Resorts
Charity Registry
Honeymoon Registry
Borsheims
Cloud 9 Living
Then, they go to WeddingChannel.com to select their favorite national charity to link to their registry at one or more of these places. There are about 100 different charities to choose from in the categories of children, youth, & families, community development, education, environment, health, and social justice.
After that is set up, each time someone uses WeddingChannel.com to buy you a gift from one of the registries linked with their site, WeddingChannel.com will make a donation to the couple's selected charity. There is no cost to the couple or to the gift-buyer.
If you know someone who has a gift registry at one of these stores but you don't see the name of a charity listed at the top of their registry online (accessed through WeddingChannel.com), let them know about this feature. Your gift purchased this way will generate a donation to a great charity!
You can read more about this program at WeddingChannel.com.
Monday, March 10, 2008
Saving on Wedding Gifts at Target
This is the third post in my series on finding ways to save when buying from wedding gift registries. In the first two articles, I talked about Bed, Bath, & Beyond (20% off coupons and other ways to save). Now, let's look at Target, which is another popular, nationwide place to register for weddings.
If you have a Discover Card, you can receive an additional 5% cashback bonus if you link to Target's website site through the Shop Discover program which can be accessed through Discover.com.
The Entertainment Book offers discounts in their book and on their website for Target.com. Currently through the Entertainment Book's website, you can get $5 off a $50 purchase at Target.com.
If you are saving for someone to go to college through Upromise, you can save at Target.com. Access Target.com through the Upromise website and receive a percentage (currently 4%) of your total purchase in college contributions to your Upromise account.
If you have a Target REDcard (Visa), you can earn points for each dollar you spend at Target. Once you get to 1000 points, you get 10% off an entire day of shopping at Target. If you have earned one of these coupons, buying a gift from a wedding registry the day you use it is a good idea so that you'll get a 10% discount.
More Ways to Save on Wedding Gifts at Bed, Bath, & Beyond
I've started a series on looking at ways to save when buying gifts from a wedding registry. First stop: Bed, Bath, & Beyond. Yesterday, I wrote about their 20% off coupons. Now, let's see what else they have to offer.
Upromise: If you are saving for someone to go to college with a Upromise account, Bed, Bath, & Beyond is a great place to consider buying a wedding gift because it is a Upromise partner. If you buy something from them in the store or on their website and use a credit card that you've registered with Upromise, you'll get 1% of your total purchase (including tax and shipping) in your Upromise account.
Discover Card Cashback Bonus: Bed, Bath, & Beyond is a partner in Discover Card's Cashback Bonus program. So, if you have $20 in Cashback Bonus with your Discover Card, you can redeem it for a $25 Bed, Bath, & Beyond gift certificate. That's a 25% savings! You can order as many of these gift certificates as you want, as long as you have enough Cashback Bonus in $20 increments to cover the number you want. For wedding gifts, you could either get the gift certificate(s) and go shopping yourself. Or you could give the gift certificate as the gift. (It's an actual gift card from the store, so they won't know you got it with your Cashback Bonus.) Gift cards from Bed, Bath, & Beyond do not expire and have no service fees. What's great about this idea is that whoever (the gift giver or the recipient) can also use one of those 20% off coupons and also use a Upromise registered credit card to get college savings. Here's an example: You want to get an item from the wedding registry that is regularly priced at $49.99. You go to the store with one of the Bed, Bath, & Beyond 20% off coupons, and the price is reduced to $39.99. You use a $25 gift certificate that you got with your Cashback Bonus, which brings the price to $14.99. You pay for the balance with a credit card you have registered with Upromise, and you save 1% (or approximately 15 cents, depending on the sales tax) for college. That means you get a $49.99 gift for $14.84 (plus tax)!
Gift Wrapping: If you order something from Bed, Bath, & Beyond's website, you can request to have it gift wrapped for free. They have nice silver gift wrap or gift bags, depending on the item.
Competitor's Coupons: Bed, Bath, & Beyond does accept unexpired competitor's coupons.
Price Match: Bed, Bath, & Beyond "will gladly match our direct competitors' price on identical items."
Gift Message: If you order something online from Bed, Bath & Beyond, you can request to have a complimentary gift message printed and put into a little envelope that they will attach to the gift.
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Saving on Wedding Gifts at Bed, Bath, & Beyond
If I'm not careful, I can run up a big total for gifts. I've already written about some tips for Saving on Baby Shower Gifts. As wedding season is fast approaching, let's take a look at saving for bridal shower and wedding gifts.
With the rare exception, I almost always choose a wedding gift from a registry. It's easy, and I know they will like it because they asked for it via the registry. First, I figure out how much I want to spend. Then, I either look online or stop by the store and review the list of the couple's desired gifts. I find something that is within my budget, buy it, and I'm done. Like with the baby shower gifts, I love when I can find something on sale because I can either give a nicer gift and still stay within budget or I can give a gift that has a regular price that is within my budget but get it for less. There are other ways to save when buy wedding gifts too.
Let's start with Bed, Bath, & Beyond, which is a popular national store for wedding registries.
When I think Bed, Bath, & Beyond, I think 20% off coupon!
Coupon is good for: 20% off any single item*
Where to find them: in your mailbox, in the Sunday newspaper, Entertainment Book.
Where to use them: in-store only (not valid for online purchases).
How to get them in the mail if you don't already: sign up for their mailing list.
Do they expire? Fine print and the FAQ section of their website say they do.
How many items can you use them for? Fine print and the FAQ section of their website say one coupon per customer per visit.
Any exceptions to these policies? I have read and have talked to people who have found Bed, Bath, & Beyond stores to be generous around these policies. In fact, just yesterday a friend was telling me that she needed to buy a new set of towels. There were 20 towels that she wanted from Bed, Bath, & Beyond. She and her mom had collected 20 coupons, some of which had already expired. The store accepted them in one transaction because she had one for each item being purchased. So, she got 20% off her entire purchase.
Other ways to get around these policies: For wedding gifts, if you are buying multiple items, it might be worth asking your store if they will take multiple coupons for one transaction and/or accept expired coupons. If not, try to find one item from the registry that will fit into your budget and use your one coupon. Or if the store is convenient, make multiple trips over a few days or a few weeks to get several items from the registry.
Is the coupon good on a sale item? The fine print says, "Not valid with any other offer." However, some stores may make exceptions, so I'd say it is worth asking if you can use the coupon on a sale item.
*Other restrictions: Not valid on purchase of gift cards, All-Clad, Nautica, Tempur-Pedic, Wusthof, AeroGrow, Margaritaville, The Sharper Image, Wedgwood, Lenox, Waterford, Vera Wang, Nambe, Riedel, Orrefors Kosta Boda, Oreck, Capresso, Miele, kate spade, Swarovski, Versace, Alessi, Richard Ginori, iJoy, or Frette Home.
We'll look at more ways to save on wedding gifts from Bed, Bath, & Beyond tomorrow.
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Comparison Shopping Between the Store & the Website
For some reason, I always thought that prices that a store offered online were the same that they had on merchandise in the store. Yesterday, while working on our wedding registry, I realized that isn't the case at Macy's.
Macy's uses WeddingChannel.com for their wedding registries. There's a fine print disclaimer that reads: "Prices, promotions and selections offered on MacysWeddingChannel.com may differ from prices, promotions and selections offered on macys.com or in Macy's branded stores." I found this is true on the all of the items for which we've registered. Some are higher online and some are lower.
Take a look at the difference!
Better to buy it online:
They are offering a sale on the website.
Gravy Boat, Platter, Serving Bowl, Soup Bowl
each 25% less online
Gravy Stand
24% less online
5 piece place setting
44% less online
Iced Beverage Stemware Set
43% less online
Better to buy it in the store:
(Note: these are not clearance items, but they are on sale in the store.)
Sheet Set
114% less in the store
Comforter Set
218% less in the store...not to mention you have to pay extra shipping for this item because it is bulky.
The wedding consultant at another store (not Macy's) told us to remember that we are spending other people's money, so don't worry about registering for things that we wouldn't normally buy ourselves. All of the stores have implied that we should pick higher end items. Well, we do want nice things, and people normally like to give nice things as gifts. But I "spend other people's money" just like I would my own -- very carefully! I really hope our friends and family will shop around and get the lowest price on what we would like to have.
Everyone should keep comparison shopping in mind when buying gifts from a registry. Be sure to have the store mark any items you buy as "purchased" on the registry -- even if they didn't register for the item you purchased at that store. That helps if they receive duplicate gifts. Also, enclose a gift receipt. These steps will help ensure you can get the best deal possible, and the recipients can get what they need/want.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Planning Ahead for Valetine's Day
Valentine's Day is less than a month away. Of course, if you are like most people, you are just coming off from a big spending time in December. But you don't have to spend a ton on your "valentine" to make him/her feel special. To me, Valentine's Day can be blown out of portion in terms of amount spent on gifts. It's far more fun to see how creative you can be in expressing your love on this day.
Michael is smart. He has always cooked a great meal at home for me on Valentine's Day. It makes a lot more sense and is far more special than going out for a meal that is probably over-priced for February 14.
While it can sometimes be hard to dream up, I try to think of some kind of little, inexpensive (but thoughtful) gift to give Michael. He wouldn't really appreciate flowers. He doesn't care much for sweets of any kind. So, it does become a little more challenging.
Last year, I bought a clear glass vase at the dollar store and tied a red ribbon around it. I also got a package of place cards (at Dollar Tree in the wedding/party section). I thought of 52 reasons why I love him (from completely silly things to more serious ones) and wrote one on the inside of each card. On the outside of each card, I wrote the title "52 Things I Love About Michael." Then, I sealed the cards each with a Valentine sticker. (I got a whole sheet of them from Dollar Tree and had enough leftover to decorate the vase too.) To make it colorful, I used 10 different colors of felt tip pens (which I got free after rebate at Staples) to write the messages. The place cards actually came 50 to a package, so I used other little papers I had on hand for the remaining two cards and still sealed them with a sticker too. After all of the cards were done, I filled the vase. So, I had a cute, thoughtful gift for a little over $3.00! I told Michael that if opened one per week, he'd have a year full of great thoughts. However, he couldn't wait and ended up reading one each day. That still lasted nearly 2 months. It was definitely a gift that kept giving.
I don't know what I'm going to do this year. However, as you can see, whether you are planning to cook dinner or hand-make a gift, it takes some time and thought. Better to start working on it now. Then, you won't have to run out and buy an expensive (and probably, cheesy) gift for your Valentine at the last minute.
Monday, December 31, 2007
Saving on Baby Shower Gifts
I've noticed this time of year that Target puts a lot of their baby items on clearance. So, it's time to stock up! No, I don't have any kids and am not planning to have them anytime real soon. I'm stocking up my gift closet because I do go to my share of baby showers and know lots of couples who have recently had babies or are expecting.
Gift-giving on a budget can be tough. I see so many things I'd love to buy people, but I could go broke that way pretty quickly! I used to go crazy in the baby department, spending tons of money on people...even people who I wasn't even all that close to. All of that little-bitty pink and blue stuff is so cute! How can you possibly decide what to get?!
A few years ago I was invited to a baby shower for someone I'm not really good friends with. I asked my sister-in-law (who had an infant at the time) what she suggested I get for this person because I had decided I was going to the shower. She said all of the toiletries and other small items are things that people often forget (or don't know they will need). So, I got several items and put them in a basket. It was a nice gift.
Later, when more people I knew were starting to get pregnant, I decided to also give them baskets, bags, or boxes filled with all sorts of necessary (and even some cute) little baby things. They are all things that they will need like rattles, teething rings, wipes, lotion, baby wash, toothbrushes, etc. The good thing is that you can usually find these things on sale and also find coupons for them. I've been able to give much nicer gifts on my budget.
I actually won a contest on BetterBudgeting.com for this tip last spring! I got $25 and a huge stack of coupons they clipped from the newspaper. You can read the full Baby Shower Gift Basket tip which is posted on their website.
Here is a listing of my savings by using this idea:
Value: $100.39...Price Paid: $46.41...Saved: 53.77%
Value: $84.86...Price Paid: $49.57...Saved: 41.59%
Value: $70.74...Price Paid: $29.34...Saved: 58.52%
Value: $19.58...Price Paid: $6.55...Saved: 66.55%
Value: $78.57...Price Paid: $40.78...Saved: 48.10%
Value: $31.67...Price Paid: $13.85...Saved: 56.26%
So, even if you aren't excepting a baby, start planning early and stock pile things to make into a nice gift basket when the little one arrives.
Sunday, December 9, 2007
Coupon Codes for Online Shopping
There's still time to do some online shopping before Christmas. A few years ago I discovered Coupon Cabin which is a website that lists a lot of online coupon codes. It took me a little while to remember to actually look before making a purchase, but now I always do. You might find that you can get a percentage off or free shipping for your purchase. Coupons can sweeten a deal that you were already going to buy at a certain place or help you decide where to make the purchase.
There are a lot of places where you can find coupon codes online. Coupon Mom offers them on her website. Sometimes you can find them on Upromise. Look around before you click "
A final tip about online shopping: be sure to check on shipping dates before you order. Obviously, even if you have a coupon code for a percentage off, if the rush shipping is going to cost a lot in order for you to receive it in time, it's not a deal. Think about braving the stores and don't pay for expensive last minute shipping.
Friday, December 7, 2007
Gifts with Gift Cards
Gift cards have become a really popular way to give in the past few years. There are things to consider like: Is there a fee? Is there an expiration date? Will the recipient remember to use it? I suppose if you are a really good bargain shopper, gift cards aren't necessarily the best way to go. You might be able to get a better gift for less if you hunt for a sale than if you just gave your loved one money or a gift card. However, if you are giving to a bargain shopper who might search out the best deal (especially after Christmas), a gift card might be stretched to get a bigger gift than if the non-bargain shopper just grabbed something at regular price.
But there's something else about gift cards that I've noticed a lot this year: a bonus gift when you buy a gift card. You might be able to get a deal on a gift card and keep the bonus gift for yourself or add it to the gift you are giving. For example, for every $50 gift card you buy at Bertucci's, you get a free $10 gift card. At Baja Fresh, you get a free $5 gift card when you buy a gift card of $25 or more. At Rock Bottom, they will wrap each $50 gift certificate that you buy in their signature pint glass and gift box (only available in person -- I got the info from their e-newsletter).
If you frequent a store or restaurant that is offering a bonus that you would like and you know you will be spending money at that establishment anyway, buy yourself the gift card. In the Baja Fresh example, if you got the $25 gift card, it would be like getting a 20% discount since you get a $5 card free. If you have a coupon for a purchase at this place or if there is a sale, using this gift card you will get an even better deal!
Whether you are buying a present for someone else or would like to take advantage of a deal for yourself, keep your eyes open for bonuses with gift card purchases. (As always, don't forget to read the fine print before you buy. Some of the bonuses can only be obtained if you make the purchase in person.)
