How to Save Money With Deep Discounts

1. Buy used vehicles

When we buy a vehicle or an RV, we buy used.

We buy used from individuals before we go to a dealership. I have always felt more comfortable going to an individual. Some people might feel less comfortable doing that, but I'm not getting the sales pitch. I'm getting honest information about what the vehicle needs or if it needs anything.

Individuals are more willing to help identify those items, fix those items, and reduce the cost if something needs to be fixed. I've bought one new vehicle my entire life, which I felt was a major mistake. It took me forever to pay it off. I paid way more than what it was worth overall.

This is something that I just feel has had more benefits for us than anything that could go wrong.

2. Buy things refurbished

Buying refurbished saves us a lot of money, and I haven't had any bad experiences.

My last two phones have been refurbished. My son got a refurbished Xbox headset for Christmas one year. He even picked it out online and sent me the link because it was so much cheaper.

He had researched the company and the things that they refurbished and he felt comfortable suggesting that this be a good option because Xbox headsets cost so much, and he's still using them today, and it's been several years.

The dehumidifier I bought is also refurbished, and I've had zero problems with it. So these are some things we have done to save money and still get nice things that maybe had a problem but had an expert fix that problem.

When we return our phones to the company and trade them out for a new one, what do you think they do with that? They fix them up, they refurbish them, and they sell them.

3. We go to outlet stores that sell remnants

These stores sell remnants of carpet and tile remnants that may be discontinued. We'll measure our space first and buy those things at deep discounts.

If you are worried about replacing a piece of tile, you may not feel comfortable doing that. But most of the time, if you buy linoleum or something discontinued, when you find the time to change it out, you will buy all new again anyway. We have no problems buying these things, which are a deep discount.

4. I shop in unexpected areas

I find some of the same goods cheaper, in places like that outlet store I told you about. When I replaced my bad flip-flops, I would get some decent flip-flops. I saw these were back in style, and I loved them. I started pricing them at $99 and $109. I'm not paying anything like that for a shoe.

I looked on Avon, and it's $29 for these. It was a deep discount for a very high-quality shoe from Avon that is the same as the ones they're selling, which are almost $100. I bought clothes from Avon that are now 20 and 30 years old and have held up. So I'm not a bit worried about buying these shoes from Avon.

5. Deals

I also watch for deals that come in my email from local places I trust. For instance, I was given an email for a buy-one-get-one-free at the state fair in September that's coming up.

I immediately sent that link to my daughter, who lives locally, and she also bought a buy-one-get-one-free ticket. Tickets to the state fair have gone up tremendously. So I snatched up this buy-one-get-one-free ticket, and we're going to be able to get into the fair for $10 for two of us; I was super excited about that, saving 50 % on my entrance costs.

When my kids used to go to the fair with us when they were little, and I had a whole bunch of them, we would take a wagon, or we would take a stroller, and we would pack drinks, sandwiches, an ice chest and we would either put it under the stroller or we would pack it in a wagon and pull the wagon.

That's one great thing about the state fair. They don't care if you bring in your food and drinks. So we did that a lot to save money.

6. A warning

The sixth thing is more of a warning than advice. My dad always said the fastest way to spend a hundred-dollar bill is to go into the dollar store. So when you go into the dollar store, it's so enticing to just throw this in my cart and this in my cart. You don't think it's adding up very fast. So be sure to keep a calculator with you or add it up in your head and ensure you haven't gone over the amount you want to spend.

Also, make sure that you know your prices because many times, the dollar stores will have items that you think are a good buy.

But once you go and check other stores' loss leaders or those areas in the store where there is clearance, you'll find out that the dollar store actually costs more than what you could pick up somewhere else at a discounted rate or a sale rate. So be very cautious of that dollar store. Some things are a good deal, and some things aren't.

We usually don't go to the dollar stores unless we have a specific reason to go and because I know that what I'm going to get there is definitely going to be cheaper.

Deep discount

How do you get items at a deep discount? What advice would you give others to save money? Share your shopping strategies in the comments below.