Money. The moment we have enough to feel comfortable, we find ourselves dishing it out to take care of our many financial responsibilities. Living frugally can mean a lot of different things depending on who you ask, but if you ask us, living frugally should apply to any person on any income scale. It’s a mere matter of cost-effective spending that separates the frugal from the frivolous.
The many things that make life livable come with big price tags. From the roof above your head to the TV sitting above your fireplace, big-ticket items come in many different sizes, shapes, and carry wildly different price tags. At the end of the day, expensive purchases are the toughest make. You think thrice before putting money down and simply hope you get your money’s worth.
Rather than taking a deep breath and accepting big-ticket items at face-value, use these tips to save big on your next purchase.
Big-ticket Save: Buying a Car
If you live in an area where public transportation is either nonexistent or too inefficient to get you from point A to point B in a timely manner, you probably depend on a car to get you where you need to go. Rather than splurge on a new or used car at complete face value, use these tips to score a better deal.
- Negotiating: When it comes to car buying, those who negotiate always end up getting a better deal than those who don’t. Whether you’re on a tight budget or not, you will likely be able to shed a few hundred or even thousands from the asking value if you negotiate well.
- Shopping around: There are used cars for sale just about anywhere you go. Which means the likelihood of neighboring towns and cities having that 2015 Toyota Corolla for sale is pretty high. Be sure to shop around in person and online to find the best possible deal.
- Waiting for holiday sales: Car dealerships tend to celebrate holidays like President’s Day and Memorial Day with huge sales on new cars. You could save up to 10% of MSRP value if you shop during a deep discount day.
Big-ticket Save: House
Buying a house is a big deal and an even bigger investment. Unless you’re in a superfluous financial situation, you will likely turn to a mortgage to finance your house. In order to strike up the best deal with an agent, try these tips.
- Ask the seller to pay closing costs: No seller wants to sell their home for less than their asking price, so if you’re at a roadblock where the seller won’t budge, try negotiating other costs. Closing costs are a great place to start.
- Look for the lowest interest rate: Interest rates largely depend on the lender, so if you’re only searching within Wells Fargo’s available options, you’re restricting yourself to their particular rate. Search around to ensure you’ve found the best deal.
Big-ticket save: Television
Buying a decent television is a lot less expensive than it used to be when they were first becoming common household items. In fact, finding a flat screen smart TV for under $200 is more possible than you think! But if you’re looking to upgrade your home theater with a 4K ultra-HD TV, you’ll need to use these tips!
- Buy last year’s model: Electronics depreciate faster than ever before, which means it’s becoming easier and easier to score a deal on older models. Just because a TV was made in 2018, doesn’t mean it doesn’t live up to high-quality 2019 standards.
- Scour open box deals: Open box TVs are TVs that a customer bought and then returned quickly in the original package. In essence, open box TVs are new televisions that are on deep discount because the first buyer decided they didn’t need or want it. You can save big on these open box deals. Best Buy and Walmart are excellent places to look for this type of discount
- Consider 1080p: While it’s true that 4K resolution is the image quality everyone is after these days, 1080p televisions still offer impressive high-definition graphics. And when you’re sitting on the couch, you’ll hardly be able to tell the difference!
Saving money in certain places may not be simple, but it’s certainly not impossible. Stop settling for face value products when you could find a bargain price that keeps your wallet padded and your budget happy!
