Don’t ever close your eyes…
As the nights grow colder, cut your costs to save for collecting. (I promise something a little more fun next.)
1. Cut the heat and grab a sheet (or a blanket)! I admit to being a little coldblooded, but as the temperature outside falls, I open the windows. It’s a standing rule in my house — there’s no such thing as a throw blanket. So if you’re cold and can’t figure out what to do, nature will sort it out for you (i.e. Darwin Award). (At least in my house you can hide inside one of the Clone Command Bunkers.)
2. Join the club! Before social networking became the raison d’être, collecting and trading groups (a shout out to my locals at Atlanta Star Wars Collectors Club and my first Intermess venture, TradeFederation.net) were out there slogging through the stores and scalpers to find stuff and help others both nearby and in toy-starved states. Store reports, online finds, and the odd coupon can add up to a network of toy triangulation.
3. Cellular soul. You DO NOT, repeat DO NOT need a "landline". Big-minutes cell phone plans (2000 or more) are usually cheaper than paying for both a landline and cellphone. If you absolutely need to use a "regular phone" at home, dock it: Get an Xlink BT. It treats your home phone(s) as if they were Bluetooth headsets for your cell.
4. Get naked. "Naked" DSL service (that is, DSL without a phone line) is now available almost anywhere. Cable modem service doesn’t require cable TV either; there’s satellite, or you can go "old school nouveau" with an amplified antenna and digital converter box. Dropping the basics you don’t use so much can save hundreds in monthly bills.
5. We all know the rest of the stuff. Conserve fuel. Use public transportation (or carpool). Triangulate areas so that you know when to hunt for figures. Try to make every trip out count. Hit the grocery store on the way. Use COUPONS, especially on double coupon days. (I do.) Enlist friends and family members, and make sure to give them IMAGES and/or at the very least the figures’ I.D. NUMBER (e.g. BD66; CW13) to help them help you.
And if it’s the last thing I ever do…
P.S. If you have tricks or tips, well, feel free to share with the class.
P.P.S. Some cool online stores, such as EntertainmentEarth.com and Hasbro’s own HasbroToyShop.com, will get figures before the big box stores, so, as my Mama told me, you better shop around (rest her soul).
October 8th, 2009 at 10:22 am
I also have an idea… i know this kinda falls under coupons… but look for "CLONE CASH" coupons inside the figure packaging!! They are not always in the figure packages so you have to look carefully at the bottom of the figure.. These will help you save a few bucks if your a figure opener.. I believe it’s $5.00 off a $20.00 purchase so if your buying a whole wave it can help cut down on the total cost.. Especailly sice Hasbro decided to dump all this product on us at the end of the year… anyone else feeling the "Star Wars" pinch as funds run dry lately… OUCH!
Great Tips above… Thanks!
October 8th, 2009 at 10:38 am
We had a pretty dry Spring and Summer season (except for Comic-Con) so I guess we should have saved up. Clone Cash is a very good motivator, though. I hope Hasbro will continue the concept at least until Holiday shopping starts.