December 5th, 2011
The Deal That Wasn’t a Deal
The situation: I wanted a new coffee maker.
The enticement: Gilt, a flash sale site, was having a special sale on fancy coffee and espresso makers. The one I wanted was $79, marked down from $145. Here’s how the chat with my husband went:
Me: Gilt is having a coffee maker sale. Any interest?
Him: Sure.
Me: How about this one?*
Him: I found it here, refurbished?
Me: You and your Ebay. Yes, that’s a much better deal.
Him: How about this or this? We can get the same coffee maker, new, for $14 less than the Gilt sale advertises.
Me: So, basically you’re saying I’m a sucker?**
Him: Let’s hold off on this for a while. I’m going to shop around.
Me: Yeah, this is really your realm.
In the end, we still don’t have a new coffee maker, but that’s alright. I learned a few lessons by not impulsively buying the discounted coffee maker.
- Don’t buy a deal without researching first to see if it’s really a deal. As it turns out, this one wasn’t. In a matter of minutes, my husband was able to find the same coffee maker for $65 new and $29 refurbished.
- Use multiple sources. Just as I researched various sources when writing my post on what’s not in your credit score, I should research various locations when it comes to shopping for online deals. Sites like Amazon.com, BuyDig.com and Ebay are good places to start.
- Save for it. We have the cash for a coffee maker, but that money would be better spent on Christmas gifts for our family or a roast for Christmas dinner. If we started putting $25 per paycheck away in my SmartyPig account we’d have $100 to spend on a coffee maker by the end of January.
- Ask for advice. Since my husband knows all of the great sites for getting deals, I’ll always get tips from him before making a purchase. Then, I’ll bookmark the best sites in a folder on my browser for later reference.
- Be patient. When it comes right down to it, I don’t need a new coffee maker right now. Even though ours spits out coffee that tastes a little like soap, I’ve been surviving just fine with it. My husband and I have now decided to wait until after Christmas to make the purchase.
In two months, I’ll have the coffee maker of my (frugal) dreams. I can be patient for now and keep clicking through online discount sites until I find the best deal out there.
Have a Karmic day!
Bethy Hardeman, Social Media Maven
*Link may only be available for a short time. That’s how these flash sites work. But FYI, it was a Cuisinart 10-cup coffee maker.
**Insert sarcastic tone.
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