| HeraldNet - Snohomish County's online news source |
 WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2010 1:57 am |
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Ten tips to stretch your gift budget Did you get all your holiday shopping done on the long weekend after Thanksgiving?If you did, this column isn’t going to be all that helpful to you. If you’ve still got some shopping to do, read on. Here are 10 money-saving shopping tips from the office of Rob McKenna, the state attorney general. · Bring the ads. Take the ads with you to the store and make sure the price you pay matches up with the ad price before you leave. · Treat gift cards like cash. Stores typically don’t replace gift cards that have been lost or stolen. Write down the card numbers and keep them safe as well as the cards. Keep your sales receipts to show the cards with those numbers were activated. And if the store allows it, register your card on its Web site. · Don’t wait on rebates. Many people lose their rebate form or proof of purchase, and lots of rebates go unclaimed. Read the fine print. Fill out the forms and do everything promptly to make sure you get the money back. · Know return policies. Check the store’s Web site to know its return policy. Even if you don’t meet all the conditions, ask the manager if he or she will make an exception. Managers sometimes do, especially for good customers. · Keep receipts. For gifts, ask for a gift receipt and enclose it with the present. If you don’t have a receipt, many stores will refund the lowest price at which an item was sold. Gift receipts won’t show the price, but they will show when the item was purchased. · Save warranties. Printed copies of warranties make it easier to negotiate refunds or exchanges if there’s a problem or you need to exchange the product. · Be timely with returns. Most merchants have a deadline for returns. If you miss it, you may miss the chance for a refund or store credit. · Check recall notices. This is especially important for children’s products to ensure they’re safe. Go to www.recalls.gov before you buy a child’s gift. · Check video game ratings. It’s up to parents and other givers of video games to ensure they are age-appropriate for the recipient. “This Christmas, when your kid makes a list, check it twice for video games — and make sure to review the rating on each game to know which ones are right for your kids,” McKenna said. You can do that through the Entertainment Software Ratings Board Web site: www.esrb.org. · Shop online on secure Web sites. That helps ensure that your personal and financial information is transmitted safely. Secure sites begin with “https” and have a small padlock at the bottom of the page. McKenna also recommending that people use a credit card online rather than a debit card to make sure that your checking account isn’t affected if something goes wrong. Credit card payers can reverse a payment if something does go wrong. |
- Sorry, Hawkeye; M*A*S*H gets bowled over
- Former Whidbey student shot
- County archive software paid for but waiting for set-up
- Ruling expected on Sultan beating statement
- ‘Roadkill’ caucus seeks a voice for centrist Democrats
- Police seek witnesses in two accidents
- PAWS calls out for critter care-givers
- Boeing has a busy test schedule
- Ex-Boeing engineer jailed for espionage
- Morning mystery: What happened to House Bill 3181?
- Lynnwood sets height limit on grass: 8 inches
(10) - State Senate votes to toss I-960's tax-raising hurdle (9)
- School levies in Snohomish County all passing, Marysville bond failing (6)
- A tidy lawn could be law in Lynnwood (4)
- Vote on school levies by Tuesday (3)
- Two suspects sought in Everett shooting that injured two (3)
- County archive software paid for but waiting for set-up (3)
- Former Whidbey student shot (2)
- Snohomish County's bargain housing won't last (2)
- Reader poll: Should the WIAA add lacrosse as a sanctioned sport? (2)
- Jackson girls outlast Meadowdale owdale
- OBT raises barre in children’s program
- Junior firefighters
- School levies passing
- Mavericks topple Wolfpack
- Get a second look at Second City Feb. 13
- Sports Briefs
- Warriors advance 11 to regional meet
- Arlington's Cascade Valley Hospital celebrates expansion, national award and 100 years of service
- Business Licences Feb. 2010
- Technology tips for launching your own business
- Business Events Feb. 2010
- Tech Talk: No excuse today for going without a Web site
- State already raising fees and rates that restrict business growth
- Some legislators again targeting people’s initiative petition rights
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