Free Geekery

Are you the type of person who impulsively grabs the first
electronic or computerized gadget that comes down the pike, or do you like to
hunt for deals? Even if you have a favorite store bookmarked on your computer
and on your GPS, and even if you search diligently for coupons and
sales, and even if you’ve accumulated a lot of retail shopping points on your rewards credit card or platinum credit card, there’s one more money-saving idea that you might consider — timing.

That’s right — seasons and reasons come and go, and they affect more than the
clothing on your back and your rationales about acquiring full-priced gadgets.
This guide will help you monitor your purchases by time and by action. The buyer
is you, but we supply the “what”, “when”, “why”, and “how” to stay in budget.
As a result, you can own everything you need with the least amount of cash.
That’s the next best thing to being an anti-consumer!

1. Avoid new gadgets.

When: Almost always.
Why: The day you buy a hot new gadget is the day that item
becomes obsolete. Within a few days — if not hours — prices will drop on what
is now the “next best thing out there” and you can save anywhere from
a few dollars to a few hundred dollars on that item. The only time to ignore
this advice is when the price difference between the old and new technology
is minor and the newer item is guaranteed to deliver superior — not
negligible — technological advances.
How: If you thought about buying or building a new AMD-based
PC back in early June 2006,
you picked up some great bargains if you waited a few weeks for the Intel Conroe
CPUs to hit the market. On 24 July,
the day after Conroe was released, AMD cut their CPU prices by as much as 50%. AMD had
no other competitive solution but to cut prices against Intel until they are ready
for their AMD K8L architecture release. Since the K8L release isn’t expected
until
2008, you can sit on your AMD upgrade cash for a year. (Put that money in
an interest-bearing account!)

2. Buy with friends, compare online.

When: When you can find “more-for-1″.
Why: You may not need four gadgets when you only need two,
but you know a good deal when you see one. Especially if you’re a college student, Enlist friends to get in on this
deal with you, and you’ll all save in the long run. Search online, but your
best bet to find mini-bulk deals may be at a bricks-and-mortar store, most likely
at a mega-mart.
How: Remember when some memory cards cost over
$300 each? That writer was able to purchase memory cards in blister packs
for less than $100 at her local WalMart. You can check out Walmart’s offerings
and do further some comparison shopping for memory cards at BizRate.com.
In that search, I discovered a Lexar Duo 64 MB Memory Stick Duo for $3.46, but
I have yet to find a memory card blister pack online.

3. What: Go into (very small) business and buy in bulk.

When: Anytime.
Why: Even if your friends refuse to go in on a purchase with
you, you can purchase gadgets in bulk at places like Liquidation.com
and sell what you don’t need at a price that covers your costs. Although you
need to become a business owner to purchase in bulk at most liquidation sites
(even if you don’t resell), you don’t need to become a corporation. You can
register at Liquidation.com as a Flea Market seller, for instance. And when you’re ready to make your purchases, consider getting a small business credit card.
How: On the day I wrote this article I discovered 39 Apple
iPods between 2GB & 4GB that had sold for $76.92 each for a total of
$2999.88 on Liquidation.com. If you sold all but one of those iPods at a flea
market (or on eBay) for $125 each, you’d
have your iPod and a profit of $1750.12 (before taxes and expenses) and everyone
would walk away happy.

4. Use your credit card habits as a guideline.

When: When you’re tempted to use your credit card for a purchase
and you can’t pay that item off before the next billing cycle.
Why: If you sock away those credit card payments into an interest
bearing account instead of making a purchase on your cash back credit card, you’ll end
up with more than enough money to buy that gadget in six months to a year. How
can I guarantee this? In real life, most new gadgets usually go down rather
than up in price over time (although some drop like a brick and others drop
like a feather). Additionally, since you’ll be earning interest instead of paying
interest, the savings are two-fold.
How: In
2005, new HDTV television prices plunged about 25% from the previous year
based upon demand. That would have been a good time to buy an HDTV. But, while
the level of HDTV sales has risen — due higher demand at lower costs — sales
have yet to reach the level necessary to bring the price of HDTV sets down to
the level of affordability for the average American. Look for HDTV manufacturers
to pressure legislation to favor policies such as cable must-carry policies
that could stimulate sales and lower the purchase prices further. Otherwise,
you might look
for HDTV prices to stall, which means that you have time to save before
the next big price drop.

5. Take advantage of annual sales.

When: Black Friday, or the day after Thanksgiving in the United
States.
Why: Black Friday historically has been noted as one of the
busiest shopping days of the year (even though a lot of folks are traveling), and retail sales encourage the traffic. Retailers
consider this day as the official beginning to the holiday shopping season,
where negative red marks in the ledger book may turn black, or positive, with
profits.
How: Best Buy’s 2006 Black Friday sales are still
online (not sure how long this page will remain, so check it out now). One
example on that page includes the HP 385 Compact 4×6″ Photo Printer for
$69.99. Currently, the same product sells at Amazon.com
for $127, and at TechonWeb for $132.75.
If you hate crowds, you can get in on Black Friday sales online as well. If
you want to stay on top of this annual sales event, you can sign up for updates
at BFAds.net (Black Friday Ads), where you can
learn about sales prices days or weeks before Thanksgiving.

6. Stay on top of geek lists, social book marking sites, etc. for sales news.

When: Daily.
Why: If a computer or electronics store is closing or offering
an off-season sale, you will be one of the first to know.
How: Take, for instance, the
recent news that CompUSA decided to
reconsolidate. The effort to control costs while taking on large cash infusions
is behind the decision to close more than half its U.S. locations. As a result,
CompUSA’s Web site has begun to offer some interesting bargains, presumably
based on overstocked items. And, you can find some of the Digg’s
search engine. But, you need to act fast, because within 24 hours of a Digg
post about a CompUSA sales item, that item is usually gone. One example that
I managed to catch was the Apple TV for $249.99. That item usually sells for
$299 at Apple. The savings in this instance isn’t that substantial, and shipping
costs may eat up the difference. So be sure to research an item’s normal sales
price before you tap that “Buy” button anywhere.

7. Conduct research for the best products.

When: Before you make a purchase. This research might take
from one hour to weeks or months.
Why: If you listen to friends, family, and credible online
venues, then you can save many dollars on a purchase that will serve you best.
How: In the age of the “how to” article, you can
find a plethora of online advice about how to research your next purchase. You
can research
a business, learn about tips
for better online auction bids, and read reviews about any given product
or service from reputable online sources (whichever ones you might trust). You
can even streamline your eBay purchases with a search for current bargains on
that site through Honesty.com
or by scanning through last-minute eBay deals at LastMinuteAuctionBargains.com.

8. Put off that craving.

When: Now. You’ve probably heard (or know first-hand) that
you should put off grocery shopping until after you’ve had a full meal. The
same rationale holds for electronics or computers. Never shop for high- or even
low-ticket items when you crave them the most. Instead, eat some chocolate and
take time to follow the steps in this guide. A little research or a best friend’s
opinion might curb your appetite a bit.
Why: It never fails that I can find a better deal as soon as
I spend my money. But, if I wait to purchase an item after I dig around and/or
wait for the best price, I usually feel good about my purchase even if the store
next door sells that item for a few pennies less.
How: Don’t walk into your favorite store with a fresh paycheck
in hand, for instance; or, don’t rush out to purchase a new digital camera because
you dropped and broke the one you had. Instead, plan on saving up for a new
camera now and update your wish list constantly. When you’re ready for that
new camera you’ll have the cash and you’ll know what you want based upon your
research. If you can wait until the day after Thanksgiving to make your purchase,
then you’ve done just about all you can to buy the best for less.

If you enjoyed this article, please bookmark it at del.icio.us »