I was at a supermarket today and in the store they were advertising these coupons where if you spent over $250 you could save $30. Those little things sure do have an influence on people as it seemed like so many people were trying to stuff their carts to reach the appropriate amount.

I’m always a little more cautious about these types of promotions as it is easy to just buy anything without thinking if what you are purchasing is truly a great deal. Since I was with some family members we actually did end up using it as we simply combined our purchases. For myself, I have a general knowledge on what is a very low margin item in these types of businesses and so I knew that using the savings on these items would definitely make it a good deal.

For example, in supermarkets milk is usually a low margin item or if they have an electronics department then video games don’t often make a company a lot of money as well. With that, you know using coupon savings on those types of items would be a good deal. Although, I wouldn’t recommend buying like say $100 worth of milk just to reach the qualification mark unless anyone truly drinks that much.

So if you really need to spend more, I’d say try to educate yourself a little more about the products you buy. While some people may be too old for it now if they already have their careers set, even getting a simple job at various stores can really enlighten you to be more aware of the things that you purchase. There’s always good old fashion networking with people in the know too.

For blog updates subscribe to our RSS feed.

Today while browsing around some video game forums, a user on a message board posted up details about his desperate need for money and how he went to Electronics Boutique to sell of some of his games for cash. To clarify about his situation, he mentioned that he hasn’t eaten for about three days because of the lack of funds. He made this list of what he sold and how much money he received from Electronics Boutique:

Otogi (Xbox) = $3.20
Harry Potter: Chamber of Secrets (Xbox) = $1.60
Dead or Alive 3 (Xbox) = $1.60
Cubivore (Gamecube) = $1.60
Max Payne 2 (Xbox) = $1.60
Silent Hill 2 (Xbox) = $1.60
Resident Evil 0 (Gamecube) = $2.40
Splinter Cell (Xbox) = $0.60
Def Jam Vendetta (Gamecube) = $2.40
Katamari Damacy (Playstation 2) = $8.00
Swing Away Golf (Playstation 2) = $0.45
Blinx (Xbox) = $0.60
Whiplash (Xbox) = $1.60
Jet Set Radio Future (Xbox) = $0.40
Grabbed By The Ghoulies (Xbox) = $1.60
Fatal Frame (Xbox) = $4.00
Bloody Roar (Gamecube) = $1.60
Morrowind (Xbox) = $1.60
Zelda Bonus Disc (Gamecube) = $4.00
Pokemon Colosseum (Gamecube) = $13.60
Pokemon Colosseum Bonus Disc (Gamecube) = $0.80
Metroid Fusion (Gameboy Advance) = $3.20
Golden Sun 2 (Gameboy Advance) = $2.40
Mario Golf (Gameboy Advance) = $8.00
Wario Ware (Gameboy Advance) = $3.20
Wario Land 4 (Gameboy Advance) = $1.60
Tactics Ogre (Gameboy Advance) = $4.00
Mace Griffin (Xbox) = $0.60
Xbox dvd playback kit = $8.00
Hot Shots Golf 3 (Playstation 2) = $1.60
Swingerz Golf (Gamecube) = $0.80
Capcom vs SNK2 (Xbox) = $4.80
Kingdom Hearts (Playstation 2) = $4.80
Broken Xbox = $24.00
GBA-SP system = $24.00

In total, he made $145.85 from his trade-in. Now if you don’t shop for games that much, then you are probably not too surprised about these figures. However, if you frequently play games you know just how bad this person got taken advantage of as one could of easily received four times as much funds by selling it through different channels. The only thing on the list that I think is kind of understandable for the price is the broken XBOX system. Imagine a used car dealer paying you $500 for a car that is only about a year old and works perfectly fine. I’ve personally never been in a situation where I needed to sell off my possessions in a desperate attempt to get money, so in that sense I can’t really say that I know how he felt and that he should of done this or that instead. However, there are times where I felt that I could not accomplish something alone and that’s when you have to reach out to others for help.

In this case for example, I’m surprised that he didn’t first approach friends, family or even colleagues for assistance as I’m sure there would of been someone that would be willing to help. This situation also reminds me of many times where when I am trying to help someone financially, their pride would often get in the way and they would refuse to be helped as they don’t want to feel like some kind of charity case. In my opinion, one shouldn’t be afraid or embarrassed to receive assistants when needed. For example, if you had a broken leg and required crutches or a helping aid of some sort to help you recover, why wouldn’t you use it? What good does trying to walk without it and risk injuring yourself even more do? While the ability to live independently is a great accomplishment, it would be a pretty boring place if we didn’t have others to share our experiences with. With the right people, it’s amazing how much more you can accomplish with the aid of others.

For blog updates subscribe to our RSS feed.