Reader Challenge: How do I get the best deal…

Elizabeth emailed me and told me about an HP6310 All-in-One Printer that she was interested in getting. She had seen it for 50% off at Office Max and asked if I could do a quick tutorial on how I would go about figuring out if that was a good deal.

So here is my quick tutorial on how to make sure you are getting the best deal (without spending more then 15 minutes researching).

Elizabeth…while this deal looks great (50% off today for only $74.99) in 15 minutes I found you a better deal by doing these things:

1. In my swagbucks search engine I typed in the type of printer you wanted. (side note I won 2 swagbucks which added to my other earnings will let me get $15 in Starbuck gift cards  just for doing a basic search)
2. I was going to research the cost of that printer at four places that tend to offer competitive deals Walmart, Newegg (electronics), Amazon, and SamsClub.
3. I discovered that Newegg had the lowest price by far with free shipping.
4. I did a quick search on retailmenot to discover if any of the above stores had any coupon codes that could make the deal any better, they did not.
5. I went to ebates and cashbaq to see which free program offered the most cashback for newegg.

Elizabeth based on my 15 minutes of research here is how to get that printer for the best deal that I see.

Go to ebates and log on or register for a new account.

On the top right hand side is a drop down menu that says “select a store” select the store “newegg”

You will be automatically redirected to newegg.

One there type in the printer you want in the search engine for the site (HP OFFICEJET 6310)

You will see the price is $44.99 with free shipping. Add to cart and check out as normal.

You will pay $44.99 out of pocket but you will get a check (when you earn over $5) from ebates for $5.89 if you opened a new account or .89 cents if you used an account you already had. This will bring your total cost of the printer shipped to you for $39.10 or $$44.10 a much better deal

Use this basic process for any item you wish to purchase online and see how much you can save –