I didn’t really shop at Target until I met Panda. A few years ago, he started to introduce me to it. And as I began to see all the different deals and offers I also began to hear about how all these people love it. I began to follow some bloggers who happen to be huge fans and I slowly started to learn the ins and outs of Target shopping. I love using my RedCard, bringing a bag to get that 5-cent discount, and compounding Target coupons with manufacturer ones. Oh yes, I’ve certainly enjoyed adopting Target as my new store of choice. There are some fantastic products to be found and if you’re patient you can get them at absolute steals! Just check out the deal I got on some shampoo. 🙂 Not only do they offer products I like at good prices, there are so many discounts to take advantage of! Makes for a great shopping experience.
Posts Tagged ‘shopping’
365great Day 205: Target
8 tips for buying a new car
Alright, I started to mention some things soon after I got my Kia, but I wanted to put together a more cohesive list of recommendations if you’re in the market to buy a car. One of these days I’ll discuss the decision to lease versus purchase, but for now if you know you want to buy, here are some things that may help:
1. Do your research
This is probably a given, but just in case, I’m including it. Spend time using the various resources online to find out which models you might want and once you have it narrowed down, go for some test drives. Between getting the features you want and having a car that feels good for your driving preferences, you can probably narrow it down. Then you can really hone in on what price you could get it at, using sites like Kelley Blue Book. Your goal is to get at or below the Fair Purchase Price.
2. Take your time
Salespeople will forever be trying to get you to jump on offers pronto, since they want to get that sale in the bag. If they don’t get you now, who knows what might happen – they may never get you as a customer. Don’t let them pressure you into deals you’re not comfortable with. The best way to ensure you’re prepared for this brings me to my next point…
3. Time your purchase
First of all, try to give yourself 2-3 weeks leeway from when you start looking to when you’d actually want/need the car. That way you aren’t in a rush and can go back to dealerships over the course of a few weekends (assuming you can’t make it on weekdays). Secondly, if you know way ahead of time you’ll be getting a car down the road, try to do it as the current year’s models are being phased out and the next year’s are coming in. Dealerships will be much more willing to give you deals on the models that are on their way out. Third, start looking towards the beginning of a month. Many promotions generally end at the end of a month, so this will give you time to browse and still take advantage of offers.
4. Take advantage of promotional offers
There are generally a variety of promotions going on at any given time, so be sure to ask about those and find which ones you qualify for. Even if you don’t, if someone in your family does and is willing to be a co-signer, that’s a great way to save hundreds if not a couple thousand right off the bat. I did this with Panda, who qualified for two promos (recent grad and competitive vehicle). If it was just me… well, I would have had to pay another $1400.
5. Try multiple dealerships
If you live/work within a reasonable distance of multiple dealerships, try visiting them all. I ended up purchasing from the second dealership I went to because it gave me a better vibe and my salesperson seemed to really want to give me a good experience. Plus, you can use it as a way to find a better deal by comparing the different offers you get at each. If you plan on getting all future maintenance with your dealership, you might want to go to the closest one, but if you’re the type to take your car to a smaller local shop, then a further dealer won’t make much difference (and if their service or price is better, it could be worth it).
6. Negotiate the overall rate
Now I’m not sure if all dealers do this, but since all I cared about was the total price I’d pay, including all taxes and fees, the finance guy quoted me a number and he stuck to it. That way, there are no surprises. So if you can, try to get them to commit to the number with everything factored in. After all, what you get for the car may be what you wanted, but then with the freight charge, processing fee, taxes, and who knows what else, you may end up paying thousands more than you anticipated. Watch out for those extra charges and try to negotiate the absolute max that you’d pay all-inclusive.
7. Ask for freebies
A nice way to get some small things you may have wanted buy didn’t want to buy is to use that for bargaining in your negotiation. If they’re at a price you like, try saying you’d sign the paperwork now if they threw in a charging cable, or upgraded floor mats, or what have you. Then you save yourself a few meals’ worth while feeling great about the fun bonuses you got.
8. Get financing with 0% interest
If you can pay for your car over the course of 5 years without incurring a higher price, why not? It frees you up to do other things with your money. Of course, the sales price might be higher if you get this, but it’s most likely you’ll save in the long run compared to if you got a 1.9% or whatever the going rate is now. Make sure to calculate that and know whether it’s worth it. This is assuming you need financing… if you can just pay it upfront then more power to you.
What else would you advise someone on the market for a new car? Have you gotten a great deal before?
UK Vacation Day 2 Recap
Continuing from my UK Day 1 recap, here’s a look at what we did the second day of our UK trip. We did a lot of walking as we went from the Victoria region to Buckingham Palace, through Green and Hyde parks, into the Science and Natural History museums, and back to Victoria.
The day started off with breakfast at the hotel, where we encountered some traditional English items like baked beans and cooked mushrooms. Panda loved it!
I also discovered some things I couldn’t quite figure out, like these “roll mops.”
We then walked to Buckingham Palace, stopping along the way at a gift shop where Panda found tea towels for our moms.
From Buckingham, we went over to Green Park, which was new to me.
As we crossed the street I wanted to get a shot of the thick trees lining the road and it totally got photo bombed.
Apparently there are a fair share of equestrians around here since they have their own crossing lights!
This is the second time I’ve seen a tree like this (the first time was at Hershey Gardens). I want one in my yard!
I couldn’t resist going into the little tree cave for a moment. I mean, it already had an opening!
This adorable squirrel looked so forlorn when the squirrel it was chasing went through the fence. Why it didn’t just follow I don’t know.
Seems like the pigeons and squirrels get along quite well here.
Pigeons are always pecking, which makes me wonder if they’re ever not hungry…
I found some cute baby coons nesting in the reeds. Aww!
Haha! This ruffled up pigeon was cooling its feet in the pond.
Click on this pic and zoom in to see the freakin’ NEON feet of this bird.
Now there’s an unusual duck with pretty black trim.
There were a ton of swans around and it doesn’t look like I’m that close, but it felt like I could touch it!
Some of the kids enjoyed chasing the ducks, geese, and swans into the pond.
The park provided tons of chairs for anyone who wanted to relax. So nice.
After the park we went to the Science Museum, where I got a delicious pasta bake lunch.
Next up was the Natural History Museum where we came across a microscope and decided to take a look at my ring up close.
On our walk from the museums back towards the hotel, we came across signs that had been tagged with fun stickers.
Before going to the room, we stopped at Victoria Station to pick up our train tickets for the duration of our trip. It printed out so many!!
For dinner it was Wagamama and I unknowingly went to the exact one I’d eaten at years ago.
365great Day 174: malt balls
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One of my favorite treats is malt balls. Their crispy, honeycomb-like texture is so much fun to chew on and the way they crumble and melt in your mouth is like none other. They generally come with a nice coat of chocolate that makes the deal even sweeter. The taste is sweet but not overwhelming and they make a great addition to ice cream! I was delighted to find this Maltesers slice offered at a bakery in Edinburgh, so of course that’s what I ordered. Combined with the white chocolate, it was fabulously chewy in both a soft and crispy way. I loved the contrast of the sweet chocolate with the more cracker-like quality of the malt balls and I’m pretty sure that bottom part of chocolate was fudge. What a fantastic little treat! It was very filling and I was able to split it into two snacks. Nom! I enjoy malt balls of all kinds and I’ve had at least three brands of them. All great!
365great Day 162: couponing
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I never learned how to use coupons until Panda showed me a few years ago. I still rarely use them, but I’ve gotten to appreciate their value a whole lot more. I’ve managed to get cool shampoo for less than a dollar and enjoy some fun nail polish because of my couponing efforts. I grew up used to not buying things very often and when I did it was usually from China or some random small thing that I liked. These aren’t the type of things you find coupons for. When it came to household items, my mom got great deals sometimes by attending closeout sales and browsing swap meets. Our family just wasn’t into the couponing thing and I can’t recall using them as a child. In the past year or two I’ve started to pay more attention because Panda showed me how you can sometimes get free things. We had a lot of fun bonding over an outing to get free things and I really enjoy getting such a deal. I’ve also gotten more into the blogging scene and a lot of bloggers are mommy bloggers who write about saving money and will at least bring up coupons if they don’t actually focus on it as a topic. I think coupons are a great way to save money if you plan wisely!
365great Day 156: Kia
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I just got my Kia today so of course I had to feature them. I’ve thought about getting a Kia ever since I test drove an Optima at the LA Auto Show three years ago. When it came time to think about getting a car this month, of course the first thing I did was go to a Kia dealer. I test drove the Optima again and still liked it a lot. Plus, with the premium package it has practically everything I wanted in my next vehicle: moonroof (actually a dual one!), heated seats, backup camera, USB port, auxiliary port, Bluetooth, voice activation, power windows & seats, digital compass, etc. AND it has other cool features I didn’t even think of, like a great sound system, keyless entry, start engine button, not just heated but cooling seats, a chilled glove box, a tire kit in lieu of a spare tire, power folding side mirrors, and so much more. I’ll go into more details about that in a future post. Suffice to say that I am very pleased with my luxurious vehicle. I love how it handles and it has a fantastic turning radius. So much about it is just plain great.
Nuances of car shopping
Yippee! I am now the proud new owner of a Kia Optima EX. It has been quite the path to getting it, with a lot of ups and downs (ups when I saw what I could get in it and downs when I saw how much all of it would cost…). The ultimate price I’m paying is higher than I had hoped for, but for all the features I still think I’m getting a deal. I thought I’d spend more time looking than I did, but that seems to be a trend… with the condo, with ring shopping, and now with the car. It seems like once I start looking, I find what I want pretty quickly and then I pounce! I can’t believe I’m driving off with this vehicle already. It still doesn’t feel real! This is a car I expect to keep for a long time and I really like it. I’ll have to introduce you later – for now, I wanted to just share some of my experience and hopefully help you avoid some of the mistakes I made.
Now I think what I did do right is not letting them rush me too much and making sure to do comparison shopping and check the Blue Book. Admittedly, I wasn’t sure how to understand the numbers KBB provided, since the Fair Market Value was lower than the Dealer Invoice (and shouldn’t the price people are buying at be higher than what it costs the dealer?). I believe the difference is due to the rebates Kia offers, which can bring down the price a good $1000-2000. So, I compared what I was getting to that number and I feel pretty comfortable with it.
One of the mistakes I did make was not getting the complete price quote with all fees, taxes, etc. I thought the price they quoted me included the freight charge of $775, but it didn’t. They also charge a processing fee in addition to the taxes and some other small charge I’ve forgotten. I estimated all that to be about $2000 but it ended up being $2500, putting me over my ideal budget. If what’s most important to you is the overall price of the vehicle, then $500 can be a big deal. If all you care about is your monthly payment, maybe the extra $8.33 a month (for a 60-month lease) doesn’t seem as bad. It all depends on what’s important to you.
Another thing I should have thought through more carefully was whether I’d buy or lease. Based on the price differential for monthly payments, it’d be just under 6 and a half years before I’d break even. So basically, if I was planning on keeping the car for 7 or more years it’d be best to buy, but if I didn’t want to keep it that long then I might be better off leasing. I do plan on keeping this vehicle for a long time, but I had to spend some time at the dealership working out the numbers to make sure I was making the right choice. Don’t allow room for self-doubt! Make sure you calculate these numbers ahead of time so you are completely comfortable with your decision.
Finally, while I did not let them rush me the way they were trying, I still did move faster than I probably should have. I’d recommend allotting at least half the day for the back and forth and waiting around time. I sort of got into signing paperwork too fast and didn’t call up my mom until I had a question. At that point, she started questioning some of the prices I was paying but I had already agreed to them. I mean, as long as I’m happy with the price, that’s what matters, right? I really should have called her before I signed anything, just to work out any kinks and see if she had recommendations. Oh well!
On My Mind, episode 9
I’ve got so much on my mind it’s a perfect time to link up with Jennifer again for Thursday Thoughts!
a. ~I’m so happy that I got the job I really wanted! For awhile I was getting all stressed out because every day that passed felt like weeks and it seemed like I’d never reach the point of getting a job offer. It’s funny how time drags on like that when you’re waiting on something that’s important to you. I mean, from the time I applied to the time I got the offer was really only 2 weeks but I seriously felt like 2 months had gone by. Now that I know, I feel like a weight has been lifted. As they say, the worst is not knowing… then you’re stuck in a limbo not sure of what the next step will be or where it will take you. Oh, and I’m really glad I no longer have to remember to use my debit card 5 times a month to avoid a fee on my checking account. I will have direct deposit again, which will waive that requirement! The small joys of employment…
I’ll get Homegrown Collective boxes like these now!
b. ~So since I’ve settled the job thing, now I’ve got a ton of things to hone in on. I’m looking to get a car and a new laptop and maybe some clothes. I’ve been meaning to get a pair of sneakers (I can’t even remember the last time I wore sneakers and it’s high time I use them again!) and I promised myself I could get the Homegrown Collective subscription when I landed a job. There are a ton of other subscription boxes I’ve been eyeing and I want to pick up yoga classes again, but I don’t want to go crazy spending money so I will need to phase these items in slowly. There’s so much stuff to purchase in the coming months! Not only all this stuff I’ve put off until I got a job (I figured that would help motivate me), but also the things we’re going to want for our new home. I can’t wait to get some fun home items like a reed diffuser and some more furniture.
c. ~Once again I checked the mail late yesterday and I was so surprised to find another Ipsy bag! I double and triple and quadruple-checked that both were addressed to me and I didn’t see a second charge on my credit card, so it looks like I got lucky this month! I got identical bags so I’m going to put some items up for trade, like the lip balm and nail polish, since I really don’t need two of those. Hopefully I can find the second bag a home as well, since I’m fond of collecting the variety of bags and have no need for a dupe.
Lovely experience at the Kia dealership.
d. ~Panda and I checked out a Kia dealer last weekend and today I headed to a different one just to see if they had better rates or something. They ended up offering me a price that is close to what I’m looking for, so it’s looking very promising. I can’t wait to share the car I end up getting, which will almost definitely be an Optima with the EX premium package. There are so many cool features in it that it really feels like a luxury car. In fact, it can rival the Lexus that my parents have (though that one is nearly 10 years old now so it’s probably a bit outdated by now). Still, for the price point, I’m getting a lot of nice stuff. I have a few more questions I need answered and a bit more negotiating to do, but I love that it ended up being easier than it might have been. The original price they quoted was so far from my desired price that I wasn’t sure I could come to a good compromise. I’ve had my heart set on getting a Kia for a long time now, so I would have been disappointed if it didn’t work out. Fingers crossed there are no unexpected surprises!
e. ~I’m slated to start work next month since I had a vacation planned already, so in the mean time I get to go home for a bit! For some reason I feel like I’ve been out east for a long time when it’s only been a month and a half. I think it might be because this is the first time I came intending to stay long term; every other time was just a 2-3 month visit. When you relocate, it feels different from just staying awhile. I do have training to attend next week for the first two days, but then I’ll be flying back to SoCal for a few precious days at home. I’m looking forward to going back since there’s a lot of loose ends that I didn’t really get to tie up yet. I hope I can get some nice rest in as well. For some reason I’m always tired here even though I’m not really exerting myself. Maybe home will be the recharge I need.
f. ~YAY our second annual summer vacation is coming up in less than two weeks! We’ve had this trip planned for months now and I’m so excited that it’s nearly here. Panda and I agreed that we would alternate choosing destinations each year. Last year was our first major trip and he chose Hawaii; this year I chose the UK (which works out nicely since the Uni of York where I studied abroad is celebrating their 50th anniversary this year). It’ll be so nice to go back and share some of my life out there with him. This vacation had to be later in the year (our Hawaii trip was June/July) due to ticket prices and trying to catch a holiday weekend – in this case, Labor Day. It’s the first time he’s leaving the country, which should be quite the adventure.
g. ~Since I have to use my debit card 5 times a month until I get direct deposit again, I went out to Target for some shopping today. I was hoping to get the fuzzy nail polish that Sally Hansen has, but the sale was gone and I wanted to wait for a deal again. Instead I found some ointment for my burns, which aren’t healing as well as I’d want. I also got some food items that I had coupons for, which I’m pretty excited about. Finally, I purchased office supplies – these clear reusable double-sided sticky pads that you can mount pictures or hold things in place with. When I was visiting Brandy (check her out at MommySplurge) a few days ago, she showed me how she used them to ensure things didn’t roll away when she was trying to take pictures. Brilliant! Now I don’t have to waste tape. 🙂
What’s going on in your life?
365great Day 147: Hukkster
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Hukkster takes the beauty of technology, where you can automate things, and empowers consumers to buy items at better prices. When you “hukk” something, Hukkster tracks it and you can set it to alert you when the price drops. Save time keeping track of when sales or discounts will bring down the price of those items you’ve been eyeing. For a long time, I had some American Eagle jeans hukked and I kind of forgot about them. Today I got an alert on a pair and it was down to $16!! Um, yes I’d LOVE jeans at that price, thank you. I went over the AE site and even though the site lists the jeans as going from $49.95 to $39.99 without mentioning the further discount to $16, once I added them to my cart I saw the appropriate price show up. I was so happy I actually found two other pairs on clearance and paid less than $45 for three pairs of pants (two jeans & one trouser). You could easily pay more for just one pair, so I’m pretty thrilled. This type of service is great!
Frolicking in Orlando
Many months ago, I was trying to change a hotel reservation for my uncle when I unwittingly agreed to a discounted vacation in exchange for a timeshare presentation. I chose to go to Orlando since it had been so long that I don’t remember last time I was there. Everything actually worked out really well – Panda and I got a nice little vacation out of it and right before we went, he was able to earn some free Disney gift cards that we could use on our trip. Plus, he actually had some training out there a few weeks before we went so he got to scout out the area first. Here’s a picture tour of our trip:
Our trip started with a snack I’d never tried before! Hot dogs + pretzel bread = delicious!!
Our plane had a cool retro look.
As I buckled in for takeoff, I saw nearly a full rainbow!
After leaving the gate, we found ourselves stuck waiting for a storm to the south to pass.
We waited for nearly three hours! I was lucky Panda gave me his first class seat so I got served drinks the whole time.
Once we finally took off, I got a nice meal to tide me over. The pattern in the tea reminded me of cirrus clouds!
The first thing we saw upon arriving at the hotel was this dragonfly! I went to poke it and it flew off only to land upside down. That can’t be good.
Then we nearly stepped on this little guy as he hopped on by!
The moon was super bright and our parking spot was rather far, but it was a nice walk.
The next morning, I found myself a new pet!
The mirror in the bathroom made square outlines in our pupils. Fun!
I haven’t seen such thick grass in years! I miss that.
Off to Downtown Disney!
The first shop we stopped in had these t-shirt designing machines! We just had to play around with one.
Goofy’s Candy Shop included all sorts of yummy sweets.
Here we go into the Disney store, gift cards at the ready!
I loved the Basin store with all its skincare goodies, like these lip scrubs that I tried.
Panda knew right away I would love this store! Can I bring it all home??
They had so many bath bombs, including adorable mini ones!
Everyone enjoyed the sinks the middle, where you could try out their body scrubs and butters.
I found some pretty cool soaps with other purposes too – one with caffeine and one to ward off mosquitos!
I wonder if they ever sell their soap by the log.
I got two solid shampoo bars, two solid conditioner bars, and a charcoal facial soap.
That random bird stood motionless with wings spread out for so long I started to think it might be fake.
Panda made a reservation weeks ago so we could eat here. 🙂
A great view where we sat!
The bread and crackers with dip were delicious! I also gobbled up my crab legs. NOM
The area was plagued by birds. They even attacked a squirrel!
These lights are so nice; I want some for my own home!
The Pleasure Island part of Downtown Disney is much more adult-oriented.
Love the pattern on this mug. If we actually saw La Nouba I probably would have gotten it.
They had twinkling lights in the trees to make it feel like there were fireflies. I wish there actually were some!
We brought along Panda’s graduation cap that he got just a week or two before.
One of the very first items I decided to buy. So cute! See what else we got.
I just had to compare my Murano glass to theirs. I like mine. 🙂
I love all things chili cheese. I’d never had chili cheese tots before and they are my new fav!
You never know when you’ll get sun or clouds around here.
That red car strung up like 50 of those tree air fresheners. Can you see it? Hilarious.
We arrive at the Boardwalk area and explore the stores overlooking the lake.
I found some fish and a turtle to feed!
As we crossed a bridge, this tugboat came scootin’ along.
On the tiny beach they created, there were ducks eager to eat my bread. I had so much fun feeding them!
These fun globes tested your ability to get the ball to balance on the peg.
Such cute pens!
Even the credit card machines have Mickey’s head on them.
We got a handicapped room, which I quite liked – our door had an auto open button!
We stayed at the Buena Vista Palace and our suite was nice and spacious.
Here are some of the public spaces at the Buena Vista Palace.
And here are some of the exterior spaces at Buena Vista Palace.
That golf cart is practically a tour tram!
Before heading to the airport, we stop for some dim sum at Ming Court.
Tons of lizards around here (or anoles). Masterfully blending with the sidewalk.
This tea pot’s spout is perfect for spill-free pouring!
After returning the rental car, we took a super long escalator up to the gates.
We did a little more browsing at the airport before checking in.
The tram terminals were Tron-themed, I believe.
If you need to hang up your coat in first class, they’ve got that handled.
As I wait for takeoff, I admire how my ring catches the light.
Back in Dulles, I actually see the jetway from my seat. And soon enough we were home!
