Five Surprise Savings Tips

Here's an article from Market Watch that promises to offer five new saving ideas to use this holiday season. Here goes:

1. Get a job. You already have an income, but what about spending time at the mall on the other side of the register for a change.

2. All in the friends and family. If you don't want a job at the mall, do you know anyone else who already has one? More and more major retailers sponsor a "Friends and Family Day" to boost sales and reward employees for bringing their family or friends to the store.

3. Case workers. Need to give a lot of $20 gifts to associates, assistants and service folk? "Why not save time, money and aggravation by just stopping by your neighborhood wine shop and having the merchant select a modestly priced case of wine.

4. A winter romance. You can score points with your spouse by making your major gift this year a romantic holiday for two... in January. Many resorts drop their prices right after New Year's Day, making January an ideal time for a less expensive getaway.

5. Managing spending.

My thoughts:

1. Ideas #1 and #2 are the same concept executed differently and I prefer idea #2. Something about getting a minimum wage job to save a few dollars seems unattractive to me (idea #1). However, you would have less time to spend money if you worked two jobs. ;-)

2. My improvement on idea #1 -- Instead of "Get a Job" the tip should be "Get YOUR KIDS a Job." Then they can do all the work, earn some income, and you can still use the employee discount. ;-) Since my kids are under 10, I'll need to wait a bit on this idea.

3. I'm not an alcohol sort of guy, but if the same deal worked on Hillshire Farm's smoked sausage, count me in!

4. We're doing something like this except we're going to a family-oriented place BEFORE Christmas (when no one is there). Anyone ever heard of the Great Wolf Lodge?

5. I think opening a savings account is a GREAT holiday gift. I'm currently recommending Emigrant Direct due to its high yield.

Comments

[Jeremy]

Yep, I've heard of the Great Wolf Lodge. There's one in Kansas City, KS, right next to the Kansas City International Speedway. It looks like a real nice place. I have some friends that usually stay there and love the water park.

[fivecentnickel.com]

We drive past the Great Wolf Lodge in the Wisconsin every summer.

[FMF]

It's a perfect place for our kids (9 and 7 -- much younger and it's a bit too much) and the two times we've been there (mid November and mid December -- on week days), NO ONE has been there -- we've had the place all to ourselves. It's been GREAT!!!!

[Petra]

I have never been to Wisconsin. In fact I have never been somewere else ten Germany. But this sounds GREAT!!!