How to make your own discount

There are a bunch of ways to get a discount on every purchase you make.. and a lot of them take little effort. When I say I can get a discount on anything, I’m not lying! The comment I hear most from people who I say this to is that they don’t have time to coupon clip or search multiples sites online for the best deal.. so below are simple solutions for these guys!

Okay, maybe it’s a too-simple one… but “ASK!”

·         I’m notorious for a quick question in line with the cashier to say “any current promotions or deals you could offer me?” which has recently been responded to with “here’s a free small slurpee coupon on your next visit since you bought a large one” or “yeah, since you bought 3 Hallmark cards I can give you this coupon to get $5 off”. I have lots of instances where someone had something I didn’t know about that they could offer me just because I asked.

·         Asking can also include the online “chat with us now” boxes just before you place the order. It takes only a couple extra minutes to see if there is a promo code they can give you to apply for being a new customer or a frequent customer, and for me this has worked most of the time.

·         “Ask!” if you have an expired coupon, or if a deal “cannot be combined” if you can use it anyways. This has worked for me in the past for small shops or restaurants who will either give me the discount anyways or offer me something similar. A good example has been our ice cream place, where I can use a discount coupon or my normal discount card PLUS get a stamp on the stamp card that shouldn’t be applicable.

·         Simply ask at checkout if they have any discount programs.. Sometimes they will say “Oh yeah, CAA gets 10% off” or similar. I always look at the store or website to see if they have icons suggesting they take CAA or SPC discounts, but I will always ask too, just in case. In the example of ice cream place again, they have both CAA and SPC, but one is better than the other and I wouldn’t have known if I didn’t ask.

Sign up for credit/bank cards that give you points/miles/cash back.

·         Again, maybe this is too simple, but switching to a bank/credit card that rewards you is a no brainer in my opinion. I have an Air Miles mastercard and my husband has a cashback debit card.. so every time we swipe, we get a little bit extra. Basically every purchase I make gets me closer to another Air Mile, which we use for our vacations. It counts as a discount in my book!

Online shopping – search for the coupon codes!

·         When purchasing online, take the extra couple minutes to google search for a coupon/promo code. Retailmenot is a great starting point, but there are a number of sites with various codes that have worked for others. Take the few minutes to try some

·         Also, sign up for the website’s e-Newsletter. Oftentimes, first time subscribers will get a coupon code for a discount off their first order. If you are an existing email subscriber, check their last few emails to see if they sent out a promo code. If truly determined, use a new email.. I think everyone nowadays has at least 2. I haven’t checked to see if you unsubscribe and then re-sign up later if this works or if it remembers you already got a code… anyone with insight here is welcome to comment!

·         Another option is to quickly check the sites Facebook page, as sometimes they have added a tab that says “sign up here and get a code” or “enter the contest” and at the end you’ll get a code just for entering.

Use the Flipp app

·         Again, no-brainer, but for every shopping trip, check the flipp app. You never known when something you were going to buy regardless is one sale that same week somewhere else.. Price match and save a little bit of money.

Frequent Stamp Cards are Awesome!

Remember to use those stamp and points cards!

Everywhere has the opportunity to get something free.. whether it's paying with a credit card for air miles or cash back, or using frequent buyer cards. A lot of places have these things.. free coffee, free ice cream, free water bottle jugs, etc. It can never hurt to ask the store you're in if they have any frequent buyer program. 

 

And also.. it can't hurt to get a card even if you think you wouldn't buy enough to get anything free. I'm always surprised at people who wave off points card or frequent stamp cards, yet have the same item (lately it's been a McDonald's coffee) every morning. I'm resisting the urge to say "told ya so.." !  I have a bunch of single or double stamped cards on the go, but if it's a place I'll ever go again I'm getting a card for the just in case. 

What also doesn't hurt to ask, is if you can get a stamp even when you're "not supposed to" like when using coupons. I seriously love our ice cream store because we can pay with coupons and get a great deal already, and she'll still give us "just one! This one time!" stamp when we ask. 

All the free stuff adds up and I don't think it's an effort at all to pull out my "rewards wallet" to get another stamp or some points when paying somewhere! 

Trade in and Save

Watch for trade in and save events on stuff you would actually use

 

We just recently did this to get a free new fish tank filter. The event was held at one of our favourite fish stores (Big Al’s) and it was simply bring in any old filter and get a new one when you buy the 3 or 6 pack replacement sponges. I had kept the original filter that came with my first tank I bought 3 years ago (the “just in case” filter), but it was just gathering dust. When we buy a new tank filter, we always buy replacement filters at the same time anyways, so this was a perfect way to upgrade for a future fish tank. It was limited time event on a weekend day, so we made sure to make time to go.

 

 

We got a beautiful new filter (that could support a tank bigger than the old one) with a lifetime warranty, honoured in store at Big Al’s, and no need to register the warranty online or anything. The sponge cartridges were well priced too so we walked out of there paying $18 for a new filter and 3 cartridges. Plus, we got a peelie coupon for our upcoming water chemical purchase. 

 

 

Other deals: 

-          A few years ago I also did a trade in and get a great coupon/free set  when you brought in old Christmas lights through Canadian Tire. It was a great deal, and I don’t think it lasted all that long because everyone jumped on it. I’ve been watching and waiting for that deal to come around again, but no such luck yet.

-          Trade in and save on electronics, like Iphones and ipads. Small credit, but you likely won’t be using that old iphone once you get the new fancy one, even though you tell yourself you will. (I literally have 3 iphones I won’t use because I only use my current one, despite telling myself I’ll use them for ipods.)

-          Henry’s has a deal for trading-up for new cameras/camera gear.   Or some computer shops offer deals on computers/laptops if you buy a certain brand and bring in a different brand.

-          Trade in and save on old printers/office equipment at Office supply stores. Usually run by a branded company like HP or Xerox, it can give a great discount on a new item.

-          Electronic Games are a great one, stuff like Playstation, Xbox, Wii games. If it’s just gathering dust (or you got it at a thrift store), you can oftentimes take it in for a small credit towards a game you actually want.

-          Same deal for DVDs/CDs/LPs and such at somewhere like The Beat Goes On. While already a good place to buy your next DVD, take in some old stuff and get a credit towards what you actually want.

 

-          There’s also always the trade in for a credit when buying a new car. Even an old clunker could get you $500-$1000 trade in credit. You almost always could get more for the car if you went through the effort of private sale, but if you can’t be bothered it’s a little extra off this big ticket purchase