The More You Spend the More You Save
How many times have you heard this? Well, if you buy two, you get the second for half off. Or, if you spend $100, we'll give you $5 off. It has gotten to where people actually believe that the more you spend the more you save. In reality, the more you spend, the more you spend. You aren't saving anything by buying more stuff. The best thing to do in these situations is just buy what you need right now and get the second (pick one - shirt, pair of shoes, bottle of shampoo, etc.) later when you really need it.
If you do have to make a purchase, make sure you use a coupon. I spend a lot of time in sporting goods stores with my kids and I'm usually able to Google a coupon on my phone and use it at the register if I don't have one in hand.
And a Few Thoughts on Car Maintenance:
You should always ask for a discount when you go to the car dealer for repairs (as I have several times recently to fix my 9 year old car). Because I have been back a few times, I ask for a discount -usually 10% and if I really whine they will give me 15%. If I didn't ask, I'd be paying 10% to 15% more. I'm sure they are still doing quite well (in fact, I know they are because they just moved into a new facility - flat screen tv's, K-cup coffee, a Subway and really nice furniture). I suppose I should try to use a cheaper mechanic, but when you work it's hard to get there and back when the dealer usually offers better hours and location.
I never buy tires from the car dealer or a tire shop. I have found that Costco is the best deal for tires (they usually have a coupon for $70 off a set of four tires - wait for those). You just can't be picky about the brand and you also need to go early in the day (before they open) or you won't get your tires. Costco also has great prices on batteries. I also like to buy gas from Costco since it's a lot cheaper than anywhere else - just have to wait in line.
Related articles
