[Quick Tip] Off The Menu Ways to Save

restaurant discounts

Well the family went out to dinner tonight and after all of that Thanksgiving Pie and Mashed potatoes, we were in the mood for something lite like soup and salad.

I found the soup that I wanted and it was priced at about $3 for a cup and about $5.50 for a bowl.  Next, I scanned the salads on the menu and to my surprise, they all were pretty fancy with some sort of meat on them and priced fancy as well at around $10 +.   So, I asked the waiter if they had a soup & salad combo for dinner.  He politely nodded no.  So, I asked him if they had just a plain old garden salad.   This time he nodded yes, and the unpublished house garden salad was a good size for only about $3.75.   Just want I wanted to both eat and pay.  Note to self….done assume that everything is written on the menu.

New car buying secrets (is sticker really quicker?)

Secrets to finding great deals on new car prices

Most people don’t look forward to buying their next new car.  As you might have guessed, the back and forth price negotiations can frustrate even the most patient person.  Well, we couldn’t agree more.  That’s why  we’re sharing our  buying secrets to help you find great prices on new vehicles.

So here goes:

1. Figure out what you really need in a vehicle and write it down.  Here are some example considerations
   
   • Determine how much money are you prepared to spend.
   • Write down the criteria that the vehicle must meet (e.g. good gas mileage, ability to tow, ability  to carry lots of equipment and/or people,  etc.).
2. Research various types and models of vehicles.
   
   • Visit edmunds.com to sort through vehicle choices.
   • Visit consumer reports to research quality.
   • Visit safercar.gov and www.iihs.org to research crash test results.
   • Research government fuel economy at fueleconomy.gov

3. Test Drive Your Vehicle choices
   
   • Visit several dealers to test drive vehicles.  Make sure that you let the salesman know that you will not be buying today and stick with that decision .  Dealing with a manager will probably be less painful since they are typically not paid on commission.
   • Once you narrow down your vehicle choices, you should consider renting the same type of vehicle for a day or two to ensure that the vehicle will really fit you well.
4. Locate the dealers in your area.
   
   • Search the news papers and the internet for dealers within an hour of your house (or farther away if you prefer).  Write down the contact information for each dealer, then call them to find out who the dealer manager(s) are. Try to obtain a phone number, email address and fax number for these folks.
5. Research vehicle financing options.
   
   • Check the rates and conditions at your bank or credit union before you consider a dealer financing offer.  Remember,  dealers really want you to finance with them because it can  increase their profit margin.
   • If you can pay cash, they will save you the most in the long run.  But if you need to finance, make sure you calculate the complete cost of the vehicle.   You may be shocked at the sum of:
     the vehicle price, the taxes and add-on fees and the total interest that you will over the years.
6. Fax and/email respectable offers before showing up.
   
   • Write a form letter  stating that you are ready to purchase a vehicle within the next X number of weeks and that you will be going with the lowest price.  Be sure to enumerate all of the options that you do or don’t want (including paint color).   Also, be sure that  you have your funding in order before contacting the dealer.   And lastly,  let them know how much time they have to respond to you.
7. Read the paperwork carefully at least twice before you sign anything (make sure that you clearly understand everything in the contract.
   
8. Inspect the vehicle carefully.
   
   • Bring someone else with you and literally take your time to inspect every inch of the vehicle before signing the contract. It’s not unusual to find paint defects, body dings, stains on seats upholstery, etc on new vehicles. If you expect the dealer to do right by you, you must point out what you find before driving off the lot.

9. Make sure to perform all scheduled maintenance to keep the vehicle in warranty compliance.

Secret tricks used to convince you to pay too much.

When you look at TV, radio and print ads,  there are several little understood marketing tricks that are used to get people to pay more than they need to.  Here are just a few of the popular tricks:

1. Advertising products as FREE or at  ridiculously low priced and making good money by:
   • Charging  jacked up Shipping and Handling (or Processing) charges to customers.
   • Offering a return policy with required jacked up return shipping and handling charges.
2. The old “Priced as Low As” trick:
   • When you think hard about this, it becomes crystal clear what they are really saying. We translate it as something like “We may sell you item(s) no cheaper than this price”.  Hey, what does that really mean anyway?  Most folks don’t think to hard about it and assume that they are selling stuff at fantastic prices. As you can image, this is often not the case.   Maybe we should ask them to advertise using this phrase “Priced as HIGH as…”.  Hmm, that probably would not sell as good.
3. The old, if it’s sold at auction, it must be cheaper trick:
   • In reality auctions can bring out the competitive nature in people.  Some people need to win at any cost. Since most auctions have a fixed minimum price set before the auction start, the seller is protected and may make more profit in less time using this approach.
   • So, you really need to do your homework before putting that bid out there on ebay.  Make sure you know what the item is really worth before you bid.
4. The “If we call it a Factory Outlet store, people will assume that the prices are less than the mall” trick:
   • In reality, you may actually pay less at the mall if you catch a good sale.  Also, don’t be surprised if you end up paying the same prices than you can find at the mall.
   • When you think about it, it is brilliant to setup factory outlet stores (that have less overhead cost than being in expensive mall space) and pricing them at the same or higher prices.  Also, many outlet shops are closer to upscale residential neighborhoods.  Someone really thought this one out.
   • Of course you may be able to find lower prices at the outlet stores at times.  Our point is, don’t assume that outlet store prices are cheaper before doing your homework first.