For some people on Christmas and other occasions, many times I simply ask others if they are willing to chip in to buy specific people a present that they would really want as oppose to worrying about staying in a low budget if they bought them a gift on their own. For example, instead of buying the person a clothing item to stay in budget, maybe there was an electronic device that they really wanted.

I have often found that it is a great way to make sure that the person will actually use the gift too as usually one would be more inclined to appreciate it a little more. At the same time, sometimes the people chipping in can semi save money as well since you will know ahead of time what item you want to get as well as a price. Therefore, you know exactly how many people you will need and sometimes you end up paying a little less individually than expected.

There is a good fun and thought factor to it too when you see your friends and family getting together in an attempt to buy you the ultimate gift.

I guess that news about the bailout plan for US automotive companies is all around right now with a lot of mixed reactions. I personally don’t think it is a good idea if something similar was proposed here. Just today though, I noticed this article at http://www.canada.com/topics/news/national/story.html?id=1053898 that talks about how one auto dealer is offering a 2009 Dodge Caliber for free with a purchase of a 2008 Dodge Ram, Dodge Durango, Chrysler Aspen or Jeep Commander until today.

The main reason apparently is due to the slowing economy and how sales have not been good as a result for the company. That makes me wonder if this will be a common thing with other dealers as well if things continue the way it is. While I guess it is a good deal, would someone really want to purchase a car if the whole goal is to save money?

It is enticing as I guess if you really wanted a vehicle you could essentially split the sales cost with someone else between the two vehicles. This also shows you the power of consumer spending in terms of driving prices up or down. Imagine if most people used say a bike or public transit……that would definitely create a price drop.

One thing that a lot of people do, especially during this time of the year, is taking advantage of price matching guarantees that companies offer. While many simply agree to match the prices of its competitor’s prices if you find it cheaper, others are willing to give you an extra discount such as an extra 10% off the difference to the competing price.

Essentially, if someone sees one store selling this product for $199.99 and a different store selling it for $250, they will actually go to the $250 store and attempt to get a price match plus the bonus guarantee. Hence, they save even more money. Now usually a big stipulation is that these guarantees only apply as long as the item isn’t being sold in a clearance or limited quantity way.

At the same time, for a lot of stores the extra savings only apply if you have already bought the item and are now bringing back the receipt to get a price adjustment. However, from my experience most stores that offer a bonus simply give it to you anyways. It’s definitely a great way to save even more for the shopping season.

For one reason or another I had a craving for a pineapple recently and so I decided that I was going to shop around for one. A person then told me that I should avoid it as at this point of the year it is an out of season fruit and therefore the price is usually jacked up and will probably cost me like $5 to buy one.

In many ways that is true I suppose where if you really want to save money, shopping for specific items during specific times of the year can definitely save you money. I suppose the more extreme like in this case is that when it comes to food items changing your grocery shopping based on the time of the year can be a way o save more too. Almost like how some people purchase and plan their meals based on what is on sale.

While those are a good way to save money and in many ways convinced me to not shop for the pineapple, funny thing was that I was walking to the grocery store to buy a different item and wouldn’t you know it……I saw a decent size pineapple for about $2.50. As well, they had a special where you could buy two for $4.50. So I guess destiny was on my side huh?

Like most people I usually have a set amount of money that I usually spend on gifts for various occasions. Especially now that it is the Christmas season, there is a list of people I have to shop for. I was talking to a friend other who mentioned that he wanted to buy this item as a gift that was tagged at about $50 which was pretty much on the ball in terms of how much he was willing to spend. However, he mentioned that after taxes it would be over the amount and so it was out of the question.

That was interesting I thought as I personally don’t see many people who factor in taxes as part of the total amount in terms of gift giving. Example, if one’s budget was $20 for gifts then they would most like buy it as long as the item is $20 before taxes. If I wanted to get someone an item that was in the $100 range then the taxes would play a role for me. However, it was in the $20 range then I don’t consider the taxes substantial enough to be a factor.

I guess that’s why gift cards can be good sometimes too as you can give them exactly the value that you originally intended to spend without the hassle of calculating the taxes and all.