Pay Less for High Tech and High Fashion

Scoop up bargains on high tech and high fashion.

From Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine, March 2009

With recession-battered retailers slashing prices to attract customers, it should be easy to trim the cost of just about everything in your family budget. And big-box retailers are offering some of the best deals around.

1. Save on Electronics

DIGITAL CAMERAS: Tennis pro Maria Sharapova's favorite camera, the Canon PowerShot, is usually priced at about $200. At Wal-Mart in early January, you could buy one, with the travel case, for $174.
Savings: $26

LAPTOPS: The average laptop costs $795, according to the Consumer Electronics Association. But at Best Buy in early January, the top-selling Acer 15.6-inch Aspire laptop was on sale for $400. It has all the memory and features most users will ever need.
Savings: $395

TVS: The average price for a high-definition TV is $874, and you can easily spend more than $1,500. At Costco in early January, a 42-inch Panasonic Plasma HDTV went for $730. Savings: $144

Annual Electronic Savings: $565
(assuming one of each item)

2. Apparel

HANDBAGS: Designers Toni Hacker and Ben Harnett offer a mini black studded clutch for $220 at www.haydenharnett.com. At Target, you can bag a similar Hayden-Harnett original for just $20. Savings: $200

Shoes: Go to BlueFly.com for designer labels at discount prices, such as Michael Kors leather flats marked down from $98 to $45 in early January. Savings: $53

Jeans: At trendy Hollister stores, girls' jeans start at $50. Get your daughter a pair of L.e.i. jeans -- featuring teen country-music star Taylor Swift as the spokesmodel -- at Wal-Mart for as little as $10. SAVINGS:
Savings: $40

Suits: A man's suit costs up to $900 at Bloomingdale's. But at Loehmann's, you can score designer duds up to 65% off. Savings: $200

Annual Apparel Savings: $493
(assuming one of each item)

3. Lose the Locks: Trim your tresses and not your wallet with less-pricey haircuts.

MEN'S HAIR: A high-end salon can charge $50 or more for a cut, but a trim at the local barber or Hair Cuttery costs about $15. The local barber school often charges even less.
Annual Savings: $210
(assuming six cuts)

WOMEN'S HAIR: Salons charge $90 or more to style long locks. Dropping in at a beauty school such as Paul Mitchell's and taking a chance with a stylist-in-training chops that cost to $17.
Annual Savings: $292
(assuming four cuts)

TOTAL ANNUAL SHOPPING SAVINGS: $1,560

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