Are you an impulse buyer? Have you ever walked in to an electronics store to look around and walked out with a big screen tv or other large item? I will admit that this has happened to me. The bright picture was too awesome and the sales person told me it was the best deal around. I have learned that a little patience can go a long way with saving money on those types of items. The only problem is that I drive my wife nuts sometimes because I have too much patience and I am always waiting for the best deal.
Now when I go into a store and think that I want to buy something, I will write down all the information for that item. I will go home and research it online. I like to read the reviews from other users and research other prices. This is the great thing about the Internet, your most trusted critics are other consumers. Additionally, I will often find that item cheaper online or I will wait until it goes on sale. I am a proponent for buying through local stores and I will often buy items from them even if they are a little more expensive. I will still do research to make sure I am not getting ripped off.
Here are a few sites that I use to search for good deals and price comparisons:
- Outdoor Gear – http://www.backcountry.com/, http://www.steepandcheap.com/
- Electronics – http://www.tigerdirect.com/, http://www.woot.com/
- Various Items – http://www.dealsucker.com/, http://www.ebay.com/
There are many other sites out there, but these are just a few that I constantly monitor to make sure I don’t pay too much for a big item.
Have you ever impulse bought something and then realized you could have gotten it cheaper if you would have waited a few days?