Your Guide to Saving on Major Appliances
If you are moving into a new area, you require basic household appliances such as fridge, washing machine, stove, and heater. Normally, these appliances would cost you thousands of dollars. It is therefore necessary to consider some cost-effective tips in buying major appliances.
First of all, consult Consumer Reports, available in most public libraries, for information about specific appliance brands and models and how to evaluate them, including energy use. There are often great price and quality differences. Look for the yellow Energy Guide label on products, and especially for products that have earned the government’s ENERGY STAR, which can save up to 50% in energy use.
Once you’ve selected a specific brand and model, check the Internet or yellow pages to learn what stores carry the brand. Call at least four of these stores to compare prices and ask if that’s the lowest price they can offer you. This comparison shopping can save you as much as $100 or more.
That being said, here are some tips to go about the whole process:
a.List down your needs. Appliances will always be part of our daily lives but you may not be able to procure all of these at once. So start with the most important household appliances to buy. In other words, list and prioritize your requirements.
Alo take into consideration the cost on consumption of electricity while you calulate the total cost. So if money is not easily available, you may want to restrict your purchase to the most important for now and think about buying the addons in the future
b.Space constraints - Can you accomodate your dream machine into your house. Do you have the space to keep it ? If not, you may want to think about alternative products or smaller sizes. This is especially true in case of refrigerators. No matter what your storage requirement may be, it is useless if you do not hav ethe area to keep a large refrigerator in your house.
Parents should also take into consideration the type of appliances, which will be able to supply all the needs for the family. A 5.0-kilogram washer would definitely not suffice in a family of 5. In such cases, one would have to consider purchasing those that are of heavy-duty type of major appliances. These are items that need deep considerations before buying. You may want to discuss this with the family before embarking on that buying spree. If not, your exercise may fail and the product could well be a hinderance to the family members. You sure do not want that to happen in your house, do you? on the other hand, the bulkier the gadget, the higher electric consuumption it will have. So it may be worthwhile to take energy costs into consideration as well.
c. Compare prices:The 1999 Consumer Literacy Consortium report provides enough reason for consumers to compare price around before they do the actual purchasing on major appliances.
Basically, for people who are determined to make the purchase, they would usually shop on a single appliance center and don’t bother to shop around and compare prices at nearby stores.
More often than not, leveraging on secondhand appliances is better than procuring a new one specially when one would look into similar features and durability standard. This intelligent buying will save you hundreds of dollars as expected and allot savings to other home stuffs which in turn provides additional luxury in your part.
You may want to check out the alternatives available before finalizing your product. Check configurations and specifications and compare prices before you uactually buy. You will definitely get a better bargain if you are careful to look around.
d. Annual Buying Guide – Local libraries today keep some records of buying guides and ratings and prices on some of the major appliances nationwide. These buying guides and consumer literacy reports provides exclusive and substantial information on performance (durability), price, and quality among other things.
The report also maintain a database where you can compare prices from coast to coast and details on handling and packaging of merchandises should one would interest on buying them.
e.Negotiation – This is an art you need to perfect. You will have to get the best out of th edeal and this is only possible through negotiations. You need to understand that the seller will try to quote themaximum price but he is also ready to negotiate as he wants the sale to be completed. You always have a chance to balance teh price as per both buyers and sellers expectations. Do this religiously to get the best possible price. There is nothing to be ashamed of in negotiating the price with your seller.
Use the above tips to get the best deals on major appliances. This guide will also help you in going through th eselection process and comparing prices. This is an important aspect of the buying behaviour and if you do the homework righ, you stand to gain a lot. So practice this art religiously.
Article by Nakagava Ltd., creator of PiggyBob™, the money and time saving tool. PiggyBob™ is an extremely convenient tool to help you keep track of your income, expenses, and time (well, time is money!) Downloand your truly user friendly personal accounting tool now!
