Bargains on – and off – the list

Barbara Dineen didn't buy a single Christmas gift last week, while Karen Zink plowed through her holiday shopping list.

Both of these smart shoppers still found bargains, even though some were for themselves.

In the second weekly report since their Nov. 25 introduction to readers, Barb, 60, of Omaha, and Karen, 38, of Papillion, dealt with busy schedules and unexpected events that could have wrecked their holiday budgets. The two, who are sharing their shopping strategies and experiences with readers this holiday season, powered forward, like the shopping pros they are.

Karen, a stay-at-home mother of three who works part time cleaning houses, even got help from her husband. While she is an expert planner and budgeter who saves for Christmas year round, she relied on her husband's assertive negotiating skills when the family faced an emergency purchase of a major household appliance.

Barb, an administrative assistant at Creighton University Medical Center, also got help from her husband. She values quality but doesn't want to pay more than necessary when she shops for her family, which includes three adult children and six grandchildren. And this week, she learned that her husband can spot a good deal, too.

Check back every Thursday through Christmas Eve to find out how they're spending and saving.

Contact the writer: 444-1183, christine.laue@owh.com

Barbara Dineen

GOAL: Buy gifts for her six grandchildren, or at least put a dent in the list.

RESULT: She failed to get any gifts for the grandchildren but scored a couple of other bargains. The most exciting find was at Scout Dry Goods & Trade, a new and gently used clothing store near 50th Street and Underwood Avenue. She found a festive evening jacket with the original price tag showing $129. The green taffeta jacket with black embossing was marked down to $16. She doesn't know if she'll give it as a gift or keep it for herself.

Her husband, Tom, spotted two lamps for $20 in a Lowe's ad. The lamps now adorn the Dineens' buffet table, casting more light than a previous lamp.

“When I was doing nonessential shopping, we did find a bargain. My husband, Tom, gets credit for this one. He spotted the ad and then he found them in the store.”

While she didn't get gifts for the grandchildren, she's not worried or disappointed. Her motto, after all, is “there's always a bargain somewhere.”

CHALLENGE: A busy week. Christmas decorating and a son-in-law's birthday distracted her from her goal. Shopping for the birthday gift didn't take too long, but decorating her house was more time-consuming.

TIPS: Barb has two.

No. 1: Check out discounters.

“My biggest tip is if you shop Marshalls, you will find a bargain on an unexpected item. If you're going to go to Marshalls, go there with an open mind.” You might be shopping for shoes but find a comforter, for example.

That's why she hit the discount store when she didn't know exactly what to get her son-in-law for his birthday. She found the coffee lover a 2½-pound bag of Starbucks coffee beans. While there, Barb got a call from a daughter, asking her to look for glassware to display Christmas ornaments. Barb found a foot-high hurricane bowl for $6.

No. 2: If you plan to buy clothing for children, call their parents before you shop to make sure you have the proper sizes. Lining that up will help Barb this week, as she refocuses on Christmas shopping for her grandchildren.

Karen Zink

GOAL: To finish most of her Christmas shopping by next week while sticking tightly to budget.

CHALLENGE: Her kids and husband caught a stomach virus, and the washer died in the middle of it all. Karen somehow evaded the bug and was able to go on several shopping trips, including one with her mother to Target. There, she used a coupon that rewarded her with a $15 gift card if she spent more than $150. Since she already planned to spend more than that, the coupon was a bonus.

Karen's husband, Ron, later took the kids shopping with the gift card so they could buy their friends a few gifts. On another trip, Karen and Ron went to Kohl's, where the two bought a few gifts but mostly loaded up on clothes they needed for themselves.

“Kohl's always has sales,” Karen said.

But this time of year is an especially good time to find bargains on clothes for themselves because of the holiday sales. With the store's coupons for 15 to 20 percent off sale prices, plus “Kohl's cash” earned on previous shopping trips, Karen estimates she saved $40.

RESULT: Success!

“I think I only have two or three gifts left. I'd say I'm 90 percent done.” Plus, she is under budget.

Every Christmas, Karen keeps a notebook with a list of gift recipients, a budgeted amount per person and gift ideas for each. When she buys a gift, she writes down the amount spent. Karen is about $200 under budget so far this year, a major relief because of the unexpected purchase of a clothes washer.

TIPS: Karen has three.

No. 1: Use coupons.

“I've been using a lot of coupons lately. You always get those coupons, and sometimes you feel like they're not a good deal. But they do add up.” And carry them with you, in case you stop at the store unexpectedly.

No. 2: Check advertisements and use them to get good deals. When the washer conked out, Karen and Ron turned to advertisements in the Sunday World-Herald to find appliances on sale. While one pored over the ads, the other jumped online to check product reviews.

After narrowing their options, Ron took a Best Buy ad to Lowe's and asked if the sales representative could match the price on a washer-dryer set.

“They more than matched it, they beat it” by $300, Ron said. Karen said she knows their emergency situation put them at a disadvantage. For example, they paid an extra $100 for blue because the cheaper white versions were out of stock.

“Although we really wanted a deal, we were factoring in that we needed it soon as possible. I think we did OK. It was on sale, and they do have free delivery and take the other one away.”

No. 3: Don't impulse buy. Buy only when a price is the lowest you've seen, not because you're at the store and it would be convenient to check the gift off your list.

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