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Time Your Back-to-School Shopping for Maximum Savings

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By Matt Brownell

Save on back-to-school supplies

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Shopping around at various stores and websites is a great way to make sure you get the best price on everything on your back-to-school shopping list. But just as important as where you shop is when.

Different classes of products rise and fall in price at different points of the year. And since your shopping list might include everything from laptops to pencils to jeans, it’s unlikely that everything on it will be at its cheapest at the same time. So instead of trying get it all done in one weekend, we recommend shopping over the course of the summer as your target items hit their lowest price of the season.

To find out the best way to time your back-to-school shopping, we turned to deal site Dealnews, which pored through its historical data to determine when different merchandise tends to see the biggest discounts. Here’s how the site’s experts recommend you time your shopping.

What to Buy Now:

o. Laptops: Louis Ramirez, who covers technology items for Dealnews, says that the current standard for laptops is a 15-inch screen, a dual-core processor, a 500 GB hard drive and at least 4 GB of RAM. Based on that standard, he says now is a great time to buy: Right now, we’re seeing deals that put those laptops at all-time low prices. For AMD processor laptops, you’re looking at prices at $225 and up; Intel processor computers are starting around $299.

o. Tablets: Tablets are less essential for most college students, but Ramirez says that we’re also in the midst of some great Android tablet deals right now; they can be found at places like Walmart, Best Buy and Staples.

o. Clothing (Especially Jeans): Dealnews staff writer Marcy Bonebright says that sales on clothing have started appearing earlier than usual. “Most back-to-school sales and discounts pop up in August, but last year they began in mid-July and kept appearing until the second week of September,” she says. That’s especially true of jeans: She says the best jeans sales are happening this month, so get moving if you want some fresh denim when school starts this fall.

What to Buy in August:

o. Dorm Furniture: While markdowns on individual furniture items can be found year-round, your best bet is to shop in August. According to Dealnews, last summer’s first big dorm furniture sale took place at Target (TGT) in mid-July — but it was followed by a better sale at the beginning of August. There were also good sales on dorm furniture at OfficeMax (OMX) and Walmart (WMT) in early- to mid-August, so it might be best to wait a few weeks to make the most of your shopping around.

Once you’ve got your futon, here are some tips on <a target=_blank href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/2010/09/17/from-drab-to-fab-dorm-decorating-on-a-budget/" …read more

Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance

Business, Finance, Occupation & Industry

Shopping Addiction Is Real — and It's Not Just Women

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By Business Insider

Buzz Bissinger NEW YORK, NY - JUNE 02: Buzz Bissinger attends a dinner and discussion hosted by The Norman Mailer Center at The Norman Mailer House on June 2, 2011 in New York City. (Photo by Eugene Gologursky/Getty Images for The Norman Mailer Center)

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Eugene Gologursky/Getty Images for The Norman Mailer Center

By Megan Willett

Shopping addiction is in the national spotlight this week after “Friday Night Lights” author Buzz Bissinger revealed in an article for GQ that he had spent $638,412 on designer clothes in three years.

Some people are skeptical about the reality of over-spending addictions, but they are very real, and can ruin a person’s finances, relationships, and life.

We got in touch with Terrence Shulman, the founder and director of The Shulman Center in Detroit, which treats compulsive theft, shopping, and hoarding, to find out more about the addiction.

Here’s what he had to say about “shopaholism.” Answers have been edited for clarity.

BUSINESS INSIDER: Is there a certain type of person who is inclined to become a shopaholic?

TERRENCE SHULMAN: I would say we need more research on that. But it affects men and women roughly equally. It also affects young people, because they’re getting access to credit cards at an earlier age. And kids want expensive gadgets: They want a new phone every year or a new video game every month. We also know it affects people who are well-to-do, are gainfully employed, and have a decent income just the same as people who are barely scraping by. So it really cuts across all categories.

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BI: How do shopaholics behave, and does the addiction affect men and women differently?

TS: There are different patterns. They may shop for themselves, or for other people to gain love or approval. Some people have to get bargains, while others need a high-end item to feel good, and still others need something that directly improves their self-image or their image in the eyes of others — for instance, clothing. There are also people who buy and return items who we call return-aholics or bulimic shoppers.

Shopping addictions affect women a little more than men, but men are quickly catching up. Men don’t tend to over-shop, but over-spend: On a car, on a vacation, on sporting events, or on a concert. They typically go for larger purchases. Women can certainly do that too, but I’ve found women are a little more cautious about large purchases, but tend to do more continual shopping than men.

BI: How many people suffer from shopping addictions?

TS: There was a landmark study done at Stanford in 2006 where they estimated about 6 percent of the population, and I think that’s conservative. Then a few years later in 2008, the University of Virginia did a study that estimated it was closer to 9 percent. I would say about 10 percent of people have a compulsive buying or shopping problem.

BI: What causes people to over-shop?

TS: Two of the main things I see are over-indulgence and deprivation, either material or emotional. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance