Welcome to another installment of handy money-saving shopping tips! This feature has become a series because every now and then, someone introduces me to a new and interesting shopping resource, and I want to share what I've learned with our readers. I haven't used these resources yet, but I'd like to introduce you to them all the same.
- First off is a website called Price Cut Review. (Make sure you end up at the U.S. part of the website, if you're in America -- the enterprise has nooks for some other nations, as well.) Click in, and you'll be able to review lots of items on sale at Amazon.com. Big deal, you say? Well, what you'll find is listing after listing of items that Amazon is offering for at least 50% off. For example: 78% off a BlackBerry 8800 phone, 62% off a Celestron FirstScope 90EQ telescope, and 54% off a Garmin StreetPilot c330 Vehicle GPS. Now that is a big deal.
- The Dealio DeskBall is a tool you that you download. It pops up when it senses that you're about to purchase a product online and automatically searches through eBay, Amazon.com, and some other shopping sites for that same product and will alert you to better prices.
- FruCall is a clever offering. If you're in a store -- a bricks-and-mortar one -- you can call FruCall at 888-DO-FRUCALL (that's 888-363-7822). Enter the bar code of the item you want to buy -- you can usually find it on the packaging -- and you'll be informed whether the item is on sale online for less. Then, even though you won't immediately have the item in hand, you can buy it from the online retailer while you're on the phone.
- Then there are a number of shopping-helper sites, such as Jellyfish.com, NexTag.com, and PriceGrabber.com, where you can enter the names of items you'd like to buy and the price you're willing to pay for them. Then the site will email you whenever it detects one of those items for sale at a price acceptable to you.
- Also remember how effective it can be to shop around and keep your eyes open. For instance, Whole Foods
(NASDAQ:WFMI) , pioneering a major trend in natural foods, has made a ton of money as a leading retailer of organic produce. But now that other big players -- including Wal-Mart(NYSE:WMT) -- have started offering organic fare as well, you're likely to find better deals. You also may be surprised to learn what you can buy at which places. Costco(NASDAQ:COST) , for example, sells caskets! And it sells them at a lower price than the typical funeral home would, as you might expect.
It can be helpful to make sure you're not shopping recreationally, out of habit, instead of seeking items you need or really want. If the purchase isn't all that important and you don't need it or seriously crave it, you can save more money by skipping it altogether than by finding a better price.
For those interested in finding even more bargains, here are the previous installments in this series:
If you'd like to extend this series, go ahead and send me your own best ideas!
In the meantime, for more money-saving advice, tips on great deals, and general investing guidance, I invite you to take advantage of a free trial of our Motley Fool Green Light newsletter service. There's no obligation, and I think you'll like what you see. The newsletter aims to deliver several hundred dollars in savings each month.
Longtime Fool contributor Selena Maranjian owns shares of eBay, Costco, and Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart is a Motley Fool Inside Value recommendation. Costco and Whole Foods are Stock Advisor recommendations. Try any of our investing services free for 30 days. The Motley Fool is Fools writing for Fools.
