Archive for September, 2009
iPhone app
Monday, September 28th, 2009
I am happy to say that the first two iPhone apps using the BView API are now live. First up is Local Sale Finder which is available to download here followed closely by London Offers (built by the good people from Rippll) which is available to download here.
The BView API is free for anyone to use and allows you to use the BView vouchers, sales & offers data base on your own application or website. Go get a key and mash it up to your heart’s content.
Tags: api, geolocation, iphone, vouchers
Posted in Announcements, Business, Product Updates | Comments Off
Haggling for discounts
Wednesday, September 9th, 2009
Have you ever haggled for a good deal when buying something big or for an expensive service like broadband or mobile phones or even home or car insurance? These days it can be done – prices are not so set in stone as they used to be. As a previous blogger described, people with nerves of steel and a little knowledge can barter almost anyone down for anything but personally, in reality, I think most of us are a bit embarrassed about asking for a discount or an ‘extra’ as part of the cost, but it IS worth it.
I have only ever bartered over the phone but I have done it twice and it worked for me! I have my broadband, phone and TV through one company and it’s a fairly good price but there was a time when my broadband just wasn’t running to the speeds it should so I rang and told them I was cancelling my contract and moving elsewhere and to my surprise they started to negotiate over my costs and the speed. Not one to miss a bargain if I possibly can, I ended up asking them what they would offer to keep me with them. What I was offered was more than I expected and when I finally hung up I had had my broadband speed doubled and extra channels added on to my TV package. Somehow for me I do not get that toe curling embarrassment over the phone that I would face to face.
I did once try my hand at asking for a discount for cash when buying a fridge but not sure I was confident enough as the answer was a ‘no’. So I was wondering.. Do any of our BViewers haggle? (apart from Vial!) Have you managed a discount even without a voucher from BView? Or do you think that bargaining is too hard? I know that personally I am just not brave enough to ask most of the time but I can see from people on TV that it’s the cheeky people who just go for it that manage to get a better deal. Also there is the point – would you haggle more with a small business because you think they would be easier or would you feel that they are working hard to run a business and asking them to cut their profits is perhaps not ethically a good idea? Have you bargained your way to a good deal at a chain store somewhere, and is that easier or harder than face to face with a small business owner?
Tags: bargain, deals, discount, haggling, save money
Posted in Savings | 2 Comments »
Eating Out on the Cheap
Wednesday, September 9th, 2009
Having a meal out with a partner or friend is sometimes just what we all need to help us wind down from things going on in our lives. I don’t know about you, but typically I find that the times when I need this the most, are usually the times when I’m lowest on cash and can least afford it. Because of this, I thought I’d put together here a few ideas for eating out on the cheap which you can employ when you reeeeally need that time out, but just can’t afford to spend too much.
Look out for discount days
Lots of restaurants and takeaways have days that are quietest (often Tuesdays or Wednesdays), and in order to attract more people in on those days, they offer special deals. These can be things such as 2 for 1 on main meals, or free desert with a main course. One place that’s been advertising something like this at the moment is Pizza Hut, who are offering a free pizza with any order of a pizza and a side for delivery orders
Check online for discount vouchers
There are a number of sites around, including BView, who offer printable coupons that can be taken to restaurants to give you additional discounts on your meals. Quite a number of places also offer vouchers on their own websites, and it’s worth checking for these as offers change fairly regularly.
Picnics & BBQ’s
Of course you could go down the picnic route if the weather is fine enough. A nice bottle of wine, a bit of cold meat, salad and bread, a blanket and a good view can really be a very relaxing way of eating out cheaply, then there’s the humble BBQ. Invite some friends, and eat al fresco. If you do it right, and ask everyone to bring something, no one spends a fortune and everyone has a good time. Just do make sure you cook everything properly won’t you!
Save up points & vouchers
It might sound like an odd way to do it, but saving up points from schemes like the Nectar scheme or Tesco’s clubcard scheme can give you a very affordable evening out, and in some instances these can be used along side some of the deals that restaurants offer. These points can then be exchanged for vouchers to be used in various places including many eateries and sometimes you actually get more for your points this way than you would if you spent them in the store.
My husband and I sometimes like to combine the picnic idea with the spending points one, and we’ll save our Boots advantage card points and go get ourselves a nice sandwich from Boots, then take it down by the river and eat while watching the boats go by.
Tags: boots, eating out, pizza hut, saving money, tesco
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Have you started your Christmas Shopping Yet?
Monday, September 7th, 2009
Yes, I know it’s only September, and some of you are probably thinking I’m off my trolley right now, but lots of people get in a bit of a panic about Christmas when it comes around each year, worrying about the cost, but really as we know it’s going to happen every year at the same time, we can do a lot to make it easier on ourselves by doing what some people do and starting shopping half way through the year or before!
Start now, and plan out who you’ll be giving to, and how much your maximum is that you will be spending per person. I do it by making a chart so I can put the person’s name and what I buy and see at a glance when someone’s completed as I have a box to tick when I’ve sorted them totally (especially useful when planning for kids who you may buy more than one item for).
Because of my chart, I can buy things through the year when I see them at a good price, and put them away without forgetting what I bought or who it is for. This helps me spread the cost out, and it also makes it cheaper as I can take advantage of sales through the year as well.
It’s worth doing this for things like cards, wrapping paper and stocking fillers as well I find. Many things like these are quite expensive from November onwards when most people want to buy them, so if you can manage to store things, pick up cards and gift wrap in the January sales when the shops are clearing it out, but even in August you can sometimes find deals on things like this on market stalls or in charity shops as people clear out their cupboards.
The other thing I use my chart for, is to write down how much each item costs. This way I can keep an eye on how much I spend on Christmas even if I don’t spend it all at once. It’s not really any different to putting a few £’s away each month in terms of what you spend, but you don’t get that horrible mad rushed feeling in December and can look smug when all your friends are moaning about how busy it is in town because you’ve been so organised and got so much done earlier in the year.
Tags: christmas, planning, shopping, xmas
Posted in Savings | 1 Comment »