How to Always Get Free Shipping Online

Have you stopped yourself from buying stuff online due to the minimum purchase or shipping costs. Nowadays, with the Covid-19 pandemic, it's better to have things shipped. Unfortunately, shipping is delayed because of the less manpower each business has. On May 15th, 2020 most States will open up their States so non-essential businesses can resume doing business. However, that doesn't mean you have to stop ordering things online.

Benefits of Shopping Online:

• No contact with others, so you're safe from Covid-19 exposure
• You don't have to drive to the store
• It's simple and fast

Now in order to avoid shipping costs, you want to order the minimum amount. Let's say you wanna buy something that's $20, but the minimum amount you have to spend is $35. What you do is buy something that'll bring your total up to $35. And order merchandise online which has a physical store like Target or Walmart or Homedepot, so if you don't like what you get you can return it. When ordering from Amazon, it's difficult to return because you have to box it up for shipping. I ordered nice white end tables, but one of the legs of one of the tables was cracked, I was able to easily return it to the store.

So let's summarize on how to get free shipping:

1. Order the minimum amount to get the FREE Shipping
2. Buy something even if you don't want it
3. Return whatever you don't want to the physical store
4. If you want to order something from an online store that doesn't have a physical store then make sure they provide free returns so you don't have to pay for the shipping costs of returning

And that's it. Enjoy shopping, but don't abuse this method, especially when you're buying from small businesses.

How to Lowball Car Dealerships

We all know that car dealerships always inflate their prices for everything, even their maintenance services. For example, they may charge 30%+ more for an oil change when compared to a third-party auto shop. However, one benefit to go to a car dealership is that you can depend on their quality of their work.

Now there are many different car dealerships but I wanted to focus on franchise-based car dealerships. Franchise car dealerships are sellers that are officially selling for the brand name cars such as just selling Honda or Acura cars or selling just Toyota or Lexus cars.

I have broken down the pros and cons of purchasing from a franchise car dealership.

Pros of Buying from an Franchised Car Dealership

• They have more selections of cars
• They have new cars to buy
• They can afford to not make a profit when they sell you the car
• They have certified used cars
• They offer insurance packages 
• They offer maintenance packages
• Maximum warranties are offered

Cons of Buying from a Franchised Car Dealership

• Prices are higher when compared to a non-franchise car dealership
• Maintenance is higher if you’re not on a prepaid plan
• They will charge for everything

Cons of Buy from Non-Franchise Car Dealerships

• Less selection of cars
• Limited to no warranties are available
• Limited to no certified used cars
• No selection of new vehicles

Avoid Buying New Cars

I don't buy new cars, I always buy used cars from car dealerships. For an average American, keeping the resale value of the car is very important because we don’t keep our cars forever. When buying a new car, as soon as the contract is signed, the car buyer looses $4,000 in the value of the car on the spot, because it's "owned" by someone by that time. I bought a 2017 Nissan Altima which was 6 months old, with very low mileage, which was good enough for me.

Guide to Lowballing Car Dealership

• Before going to the car dealership, research which car you want to buy at the dealership of your choice. Find the market value of the car from Kelly Bluebook.
• Before going to the car dealership, check your Credit Score to see if you have a good score, a good score should be around 700+.
• Before you go to the car dealership, set a budget with the car you researched.
• Get pre-approved for an auto loan from a Credit Union
• After you have done all of the things above, Google search a dealership that has good customer service.
• Go on the last day of the month. The last day of the month is when the car salesmen have to meet their quota. If they see a customer who is willing to buy then they'll do just about anything to get that last sale. They'll even get on their knees for you, just kidding.
• Give little shopping time for yourself to browse around. Basically, arrive 20-30 minutes before the dealership closes. The dealership will keep the business open after hours if they are confident that you will buy a car from them.
• When you tell them which car you want, talk to them as if you have little time. Don't ask too many questions about the car, because you already researched about the car.
• Get a premium maintenance package like oil change and all the goodies that come with them like tire insurance. Trust me when I tell you that it'll help you in the long run if you get the full package, because it's cheaper in the long run. 
• Get gap insurance if you don't have a luxury car. The value of your car will drop just months after driving it. Only luxury cars (Lexus, Mercedes, BMW) will retain a steady value. 
• Make sure you are always ready to walk away if the price of the car is out of your budget. The salesman will do their best to lower it; they'll even talk to their manager to get the car to a price that you can afford if it's within $2,000-$3,000 difference. 

Take the tips I mentioned above and apply them. Remember, you're the customer and at the end of the month, the ball is in your court. Happy Shopping.

Are Online Coupon Codes Worth It?

I remember when I was young, my mother or another adult family member sitting me down and making me cut coupons from the Sunday newspaper. Those coupons would say something like "save $0.50" or something insignificant.

All those days have passed on after the dot com boom. Google search as allowed us to navigate on the web and find the best deals. But sometimes the best deals are not visible without a certain coupon. Coupons from grocery stores don't really make a huge difference because the savings is not really much of savings if you take the time and search for what you item you want discount of and cutting out the coupon and going to different stores to get those discounts. Grocery store coupons doesn't really make sense on the financial side.

However, when you shop online, the coupons that you can find can make some real difference of how much you want to spend and how much you can keep in your wallet. What if I told you that you can save at least $20 on a $60 purchase? sounds inciting right? Well it's possible. I have lost so much money in the past that I could've saved on my past purchases, but you live an learn

Just the other day I wanted to have a some documents printed at Office Depot. I had a big order and the total was around $65. On my Chrome browser, eBates turned on and said I will get back 5% on my purchase, which will be $3.25, which is fine but I wanted to see if I can get more back. One thing I learned overtimes with eBates is that sometimes the prices will increase on eBates just so the company and you will have money back, with you paying for it. So I looked online for any printing coupons and found several but none of them worked because I wasn't purchasing what was the coupon intended for. After trying 6 different coupons I ended up with one which gave me a fat discount. I went from $65 to paying $52! That's a $13 discount which was hidden from the average shopper.

Now, let's take a step back and think about that $13 that others could've saved if they searched for the right coupon. Those who shop online without searching for the coupon are missing out on potential money saving opportunities. These savings rack up and if you are a regular online customer then you could save yourself $100 or more per month.

Where to Find Online Coupons
Usually you an just Google search it but most of the search results will give you invalid coupon codes or expired coupons codes. Therefore, you should take the time and try multiple codes until it works. Some sites that offer coupon codes include:

RetailMeNot
BeFrugal
Savings

Is Groupon Worth It?
Now this is a yes and a no. I love using Groupon sometimes, but I'm very careful about it. I use Groupon when it comes to restaurants discounts and events like Escape room. I never use Groupon for travel because that's taking a risk if the Airline doesn't recognize the discount and you already made plans to traveling. One of the downside of Groupon is that it's a hit or miss. However, if you know what you want and keep an eye on Groupon then you can actually find great deals.

For example, I got a year of Sam's Club membership for around ~$35 along with $10 credit to shop on top of that. A basic Sam's Club membership for a year is about $45, but with Groupon I got $35 with a but more.

All and all if you are vigilant about getting those discounts then you will get it and before you know it, you will keep more of your money from hundreds to thousands of dollars.

Where to Buy Cheap Brand Name Clothes

So a pair of Levis Jeans can cost as much as $50 at Macy's, and button down shirt can cost as much as $70 at Express. A pair of dress shoes can cost as much as $100. So overall it can cost total of $220 before taxes just for one outfit!
Let's face it, an average individual cannot afford to buy multiple outfits with that price tag. So an individual has to go to stores where clothing may be cheaper like Wal-Mart or Target, but they may not have brand-name clothing.

Tailor It
In Wal-Mart you can get a dress shirt for $15 and a pair of dress pants can cost about $20. Take it to a local tailor and have it modified for around $45. Without the shoes we are looking at around $80 before taxes. One thing you are compromising is the quality when shopping at Wal-Mart, they don't always have the best quality merchandise which would not last as long after washing them.

Go to Off-Price Retailers
Marshalls and Ross are the ideal places to shop brand-name clothes and shoes. I bought beautiful Perry-Ellis Shoes for $40, which would cost almost $90 or more at regular department stores. Some really nice modern outfits under $100. In this category I would not include TJ Maxx because the prices at that store is almost as same as regular department stores.

Shopping at off-price retail stores is sometimes better than shopping at Wal-Mart when it comes to clothes. A lot of high-quality merchandise at off-price retail stores are priced at the same or even lower than what you will find

Get the Deals At the End of the Season
Sometimes regular Department Stores can have some crazy deals. I went to Dillard's and a Italian-made wool coat costs $700 regularly. The first time I saw it, it was lowered to ~$280, which is still pricey, but very low as the winter season was coming to an end. The salesman told me that there is a high possibility the price may drop even more in couple of days or next week. I had a trip to go to in Colorado and I needed a nice coat but I needed a quality coat so I had my eyes on that coat. I was willing to spend $280 but I was also feeling guilty at the same time so I held back my shopping compulsion. I came back couple of days later and the coat was still there, but the price dropped to $130, and it was the last one. I didn't hesitate and I bought it before I flew out. So basically waiting till the end of the season to buy clothes can land you some kick-ass deals.