How shopping auctions will save you money.

When Kris and I first got married we furnished part of our condo for $400.00 and the majority of our purchases were brand new. 

Table & 4 chairs

How did we get these items for so cheap?

Futon

Easy! Auctions are also places where show homes take their items once the houses have sold. Overstock from businesses and of course treasures from personal consignments as well. These prices are generally a fraction of the prices that you would normally pay through retail. 


What auctions do we shop? 
Our favourite one to shop is Kastner Auctions. They have a convenient online auction option so you can bid on items from the comport of your own home. 

Important things to consider

You always have to register at the auction, make sure you bring a credit card with you as it is a requirement. You will be given a bidder number and this is how your purchases are tracked by the auctioneers. 

Pick a place that allows you to view items before the auction. Kastner Auctions is open on Saturdays so you can view the items. Auctions take place on Sundays. This is also good for you to research your prices.

Know that you are at times taking chances. If there isn't an option to view items before hand there is a chance they are broken and a piece of crap. Case and point the time Kris bought a pressure washer that had no pressure - thankfully that was only a $10 mistake. 

You have to be comfortable with not having the comfort of a warranty. 

Don't get caught up in the hype and shop impulsively- they want you to, but set the price you're willing to pay for an item and don't go beyond that. 

Brush up on your auction etiquette. There are some great tips here.

What are some awesome deals I have gotten from the auction??

In 2011 we purchased a electric reclining sectional and we also wanted to buy the reclining chair ($1000) that went along with it but decided to wait. Two months later the exact same chair was at the auction and we only paid $300. (It still had the tags on)

We recently just purchased a dining room table for our new house for $40. 

In our condo we purchased a brand new overhead range microwave for $80. (Retail upwards to $600) 


Do you have a favourite auction to shop at or have you gotten some killer deals? 

Apple TV, US Netflix, & Hulu - this is why we are not going with mainstream cable this time around!!

In 23 days we take possession of our house....23
days.... there are so many things to do and picking a "cable" provider is one of them.

We are choosing to go through Apple TV and also signing up for US Netflix again.
We will also be signing up for Hulu Plus eliminating the need for us to subscribe to regular cable and off setting the amount internet is now going to cost- cause holy crap pricing has changed in just a year. Hulu Plus will make it so that we can watch current shows within the week of them airing which is okay because we are not "need to watch the television show on the night of it airing" kind of people. It also has a great database of past seasons for television shows.


Signing up for US Netflix is actually not as much of an ordeal as it was even a year ago. Basically you just need to make Netflix think you are in the US instead of Canada. And if you follow the basic steps...it is SO EASY!

To get Netflix to think that you are in the US you need to register for a company that acts as the hub that makes your IP address look like your internet connection is coming through the US.
I am choosing to use Blockless because after some research and reading online reviews I have come to the conclusion that this is the program with the best streamline and the least amount of problems.

It also gives us access to MANY other popular viewing options.

Costs for everything:
Apple TV costs $109 to buy (At your local Apple store and a one time purchase). We have one already so this cost is null for us. We do however have to invest ANOTHER remote as they go missing - (they are probably with all of Sophie's missing socks)
Apple TV remote - $21.00
HDMI Cable- $39.99 - You can purchase these at Future Shop, Best Buy, Walmart, etc..
Blockless account - $4.95 USD/month
Netflix US- $7.99 USD/month
Hulu Plus - $7.99 USD/month

All of this together is less then 2 months of cable through local providers... :/
Not including the Apple TV, the remote and HDMI cables the amount to pay per month is OVER 60% savings!!!

There are many options out there but this fits the best for our family. Do you have other ways that you save with cable?
Also if you like that you read please feel free to subscribe to my blog :) (on the right side)

20X the points or 20% off @ Shoppers

Shoppers is offering yet another opportunity for you to save or earn extra points. This Tuesday February 18th & Wednesday February 19th you can receive 20X the Shoppers Optimum Points or 20% off of your purchase on regular priced items when you spend $75 or more. 

(Seriously I love Shoppers) 

This time I will be focusing on groceries as this Tuesday I start my eating clean journey (stay tuned for updates on this) 

Want to learn more tips about shopping the Shopper Optimum events??

Check out Mrs January's eBook.

 "The Ultimate Guide to Shoppers Optimum Rewards, How to spend less and earn more"

You can view the eBook here plus you can learn more about everyday savings at

http://www.mrsjanuary.com/

What do you plan on buying tomorrow?

**Sign up for the Shopper Optimum emails here**