Today is a great day for everyone. For me, I got a snow day. As I’m sure you’ve heard, we’ve been experience snowmageddon here in D.C., but I wasn’t able to participate in the joy because I’ve had work every day this week. Until now. So I’m going to catch up on some work, pay some bills, and get a little extra sleep.
For you, I have a great post. My favorite posts are ones where I teach a lesson by using a personal example. And that’s exactly what I have for you today.
A friend told me he was looking for a new camera, so we did a little investigating and found something reasonable. Our only requirements were that it was small, look sleek, and have a rechargeable battery. Several camera fit the bill, but the Canon SD 1200 was the best of the bunch. It was rated better than the other cameras, but that quality also came with a price: $180.
I use several different ways to find great deals. My first stop is Google shopping. I organize by price and see what the lowest going rate is. $160 for the camera. Slightly lower than Staples, but nothing to brag about.
My second stop is Slickdeals. These people don’t leave any rock unturned and have the best deal. Since these are users submitting deals, you know you’re getting the sneakiest, best deals around.
Using Slickdeals, I found the camera for $180 at Staples, but it came with a $50 VISA debit card. Realistically, that dropped the price to $130.
But these people weren’t done yet. They also mentioned a rebate for people who had previously bought and registered a camera with Canon. Since I had the Canon SD1000 I was eligible for $20 off. That bought the realistic price down to $110.
$70 off the sticker price was great, right? My friend was ready to make the transaction, but I told him patience was a virtue and that I’d look for one more thing.
With all the sneaky deals these people thought of, they did leave out one possibility: getting a coupon from the store. While I didn’t have any Staples coupons, I was able to find a $30 off $150 coupon that I could buy for $3.49. I wasn’t sure it would work out, but I bought it anyway because it’s a low risk, high reward type of transaction.
So this is how it worked out: From $180, the $30 off $150 coupon was applied first, bring the price down to $150. Then the $50 debit card brought it down to just $100. Finally, the $20 Canon rebate reduced the price to $80. Add in the $3.49 to bring the total price to $133.49 in return for the camera and a $50 VISA debit card, or a net $83.49.
My friend was ecstatic and I was very proud of myself for helping out. I’ve gotten great deals before, but a 53% discount for a total of $96.51 off was something even I’m amazed at.
What tools do you use to find great deals?
