I'll preface this with some overarching statements:
- I only shop for things I need, and at
- shops that have sales, or
- good quality generic brands, and after
- checking for comparison prices online, and the
- shops handout rewards/loyalty cards for free.
So, on a day when I had just over $100 left on my credit card and some serious needs, for the princely sum of $39.98 and reward/loyalty card point redemption, I have bought $143.32 worth of items.
1. Teenage son's black shorts for school. He was told at school on Friday he can't wear his black jeans, and needed black shorts by Monday. We shopped around at a few stores and bought a pair of black cargo shorts in a style he feels most comfortable in from Jeans West, valued at $49.99, on 30% sale for $34.99, paid for on ANZ Frequent Flyer credit card and earned points on store loyalty card too for a future 10-15% saving.
Saving - $15
2. Went to Autograph to buy a summer top for work. Normal price $49.99, on sale for $14.99 on the clearance rack, paid for by $10 redemption of loyalty points, and $4.99 on ANZ Frequent Flyer credit card.
Saving - $45
3. Went to Coles for top-up shop of things I ran out of. Most items were on sale (even cheaper than Aldi, my normal haunt), and a couple of the smaller volume items were cheaper on sale than the bulky items, so I didn't need to over-buy. These sale items included dog food, lactos free milk, bread, snacks for school lunches and facial cleanser. I also bought cheaper products at everyday prices, including shampoo/conditioner and soy milk. The full price was $43.34 (according to docket, I really think it was meant to be higher than this), sales price $37.73, recorded saving of $5.61. Purchased completely with Fly Buys Cash. This was from $50 redeemed from points earned from a much needed tyre purchase at Kmart Tyres in Nov. 2012 when they had the Eco tyres I had already selected on sale (best price around) and earned 10,000 bonus Fly Buys points.
Saving - $43.34
So, my savings for the day were $103.34.
Add to that my son's friendly negotiation skills. He scored a $50 gift certificate at Games Workshop for $30, and spent the full amount on exactly what he wanted.
Saving - $20
Wish we had more days like this. The focused effort and thinking of all of the options was completely worth it.
