Keep More Income

I am a huge advocate of buying online. Most items I want, I can find online at the best price. Sometimes I can even find the best prices in my local stores, but through deals I find online.

I had a dark period a number of years ago, though, where I found so many great deals online that I was just wasting money. I was buying things I didn’t need and, even though I was saving on those items, in the long run I was throwing money away at extravagances, all in the name of a “great deal.”

I now have a very specific system that helps me save money on the items I buy, and without the temptation to buy other goods. It’s a very simple process, actually.

I stick with one or two deal forums, and whenever I am looking for an item, I simply go to those two forums and search for the item or service I’m looking for.

For example, I recently needed to get an HDMI cable for my DVD player. A basic HDMI cable in all the local stores were anywhere from $30 to $100.

I ended up heading over to my favorite forum, Fatwallet, and simply searched for “hdmi cable.” That resulted in a forum listing for monoprice.com, which had the exact cable I was looking for for $5. The store and cable both had rave reviews, and I have been happy with the purchase since.

What’s important, though, is that you just search for the item you want, find the deal, and leave. Do not stick around and read other deals, because I can guarantee you will get tempted to buy something you don’t need.

I do not recommend going to web sites that list deals daily, but instead relying on forums like these. The reason for this is that many deals come and go quickly, and sites that list deals daily often miss out or cannot provide follow-ups on whether or not a deal is still alive. The forums, however, are kept up-to-the-minute and are regularly updated by active users.

By the way, the forums I search on are (in order of preference):

• Fatwallet Hot Deals Forum
• Slickdeals

Bars and clubs are interesting places to me. Most people have no problems paying $10 or more just to get inside, and then they throw away another $20 minimum on drinks.

Being young and social, I am no stranger to bars and clubs. I am definitely not a regular at any particular bar or club, but a while back I learned a little trick that helped me get into places with cover fees either free or half price.

I was going to meet some friends at a bar one night, but found myself there early — about an hour early, in fact. The bar was nearly dead, but the bouncer was outside, bracing himself for the night.

Being bored with the lifeless crowd inside, I stepped outside to where the bouncer was. I made a little bit of small chat and then popped the question:

“Hey, you want a drink?”

Now, I am not a drinker. I have maybe a beer or two every couple of weeks. This doesn’t mean I can’t treat others to drinks, though.

The bouncer obliged, told me his drink of choice, and I got it for him. He asked for a fairly expensive beer — set me back about $14 — but I saw it as an investment. We talked a bit more, exchanged names, and then I headed back inside to meet up with my friends, who were slowly trickling in.

Since that night, I get into that particular bar for free any time there is a cover and that bouncer is there. Mentioning that I am that bouncer’s buddy when he isn’t there usually results in me getting in for half price, minimum. A lot of my friends get in for free or half price, too, just for showing up with me. A lot of times we can cut long lines, too.

Show up to a bar early — before the crowds — and buy the bouncer a drink. That $14 drink and the few minutes of chatting time have saved me tons in cover fees, and have helped me in my social life too.