The Very Best Things in Life Are DEBT FREE!
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Giveaway – Win a $25 Gift Card To T.J. Maxx!
Hello everyone! I am back with another giveaway. Last week I received in the mail a few gift cards—one for T.J. Maxx and the other for Marshalls. Each for $25! I really wish I could have done this giveaway before Christmas to give you some extra spending money, but better late than never right?
My wife used the Marshalls card to do some last minute Christmas shopping, and was really impressed with all of the deals she found. She had a great time looking around and had no problem finding the perfect gift. It has been a while since either of us went to Marshalls but we decided that we would have to go there more often from now on. After reading about how they work and negotiate deals with vendors to get you the absolute best price I am convinced that it will save you more money than ordinary department stores.
Since T.J. Maxx uses the same off-price system to get merchandise I know you will have the same shopping experience! I am going to do something a little different than most bloggers with this giveaway. Nothing too fancy, but most bloggers share their experience, give you a gift card, and call it a day.
I want to actually hear about how your shopping experience was, if you win the gift card.
This blog has been an educational source with helpful tips to not only help you manage your money but also to save you money. Keeping in line with that mindset my goal is to have you, the winner, share with everyone else why they might want to check out T.J. Maxx the next time they go shopping.
Let’s all help each other save money and time.
Here’s how to win!
Leave a comment below telling me what’s MOST important to you when shopping:
- Quality
- Savings
- Shopping Experience
PICK ONE (Even though all three could technically be important to you.)
Next be sure to leave a way for me to contact you via email, twitter etc.
IMPORTANT: Enter by midnight on Friday and I will choose a winner over the weekend via random.org. I will update THIS post so be sure to bookmark it and come back on Monday to see if you won.
That’s it! Good Luck!
AND THE WINNER IS…
Karen from Dreamin’ The Life was randomly selected via random.org. Congratulations Karen!!
She has agreed to share her shopping experience with me so that I can share it with you.
Thank you all for participating!!
Have you joined the Improve Yourself! 2010 Challenge yet?
Dustin is giving more than $750 in prizes away and I have pledged to give any EOD SUBSCRIBER a chance to win $100 for completing the 8 week challenge.
Be sure to let Dustin know that Enemy of Debt sent you to be eligible!! You have until January 5th to sign up!
38 Responses to “Giveaway – Win a $25 Gift Card To T.J. Maxx!”
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I look for Quality. You oftentimes get what you pay for. MY wife and I have been burned more than once by getting the ‘cheapest’ version. It’s OK to spend more knowing you got something that has value.
This is a tough question!! It really depends on what I’m shopping for. Soda? Baragains. A car? Quality. But if I have to say 1 thing, I’ll go for Savings since Im working the snowball right now
Savings is definitely the most important to me because I am in full get out of debt mode right now. I don’t want to walk into a store and see a great outfit and get depressed when the price tag for one shirt is up and over $60 even with the 25% off red tag on it. That’s not savings for me.
I want great savings. I want to be able to find an outfit or object that I need/want/love (yes love…I AM female haha) that also has a price that is acceptable to my budget. If I can find a great store that can provide that for me I’m usually hooked for life.
Right now my absolute favorite clothing store is Forever 21 because they always have great prices. Their clothes don’t last for forever, but they fit well, they are stylish, and I’ve never bought a single item there that cost me more than $30.
Living on a budget is hard, but stores with ridiculous prices, whether it’s grocery stores, shoe stores, sporting goods stores or clothing stores can make it so so so depressing to be on a budget.
Savings is a big big deal.
I look for quality because if it is inexpensive but I won’t wear it or will wear it out quickly, then I view it as a waste of money. That being said, I rarely buy anything full price unless it is already a great deal (running or hiking socks at Costco being a good example.)
I started to select two, but then read your directive to ONLY pick one.
I would have to say savings is the most important thing to me. I hate to pay full retail price for most things but especially clothing. There’s such a markup on it.
Savings
Quality is most important to me. To me, it doesn’t matter how much I save if it’s not going to last. I’m not a huge shopper, so the less often I have to go, the better off I am. (I’m very much an impulse shopper, though, so the less often I have to go shopping, the better off my bank accounts are, too!)
I would say that savings is the most important to me. I usually shop at the Thrift store. I can’t remember when I bought myself something from a department store. I can find really nice clothes at a great price at the thrift store. It helps save me a lot of money each year. Quality is great there as well, and shopping experience is fine. But overall savings is what I like.
Well savings is important to me, but not nearly as much as quality. Take shoes for example, I’ve given up trying to buying cheap shoes. It really doesn’t save me much money in the long run if I am constantly replacing worn out shoes, as opposed to investing in a more expensive, but better quality shoe that lasts me more than one season!
Quality is definitely the most important thing to me when shopping. While I love catching a deal and saving money, I feel that quality ultimately dictates the amount of money you spend in the long haul.
For instance, if you buy a $50 pair of jeans that last for three years and you wear them once a week, they are costing you $0.32 per wear. If you buy a $20 pair of jeans and they last half a year with the same usage, you are spending $0.76 per wear. So even though you are spending more upfront for the quality pair of jeans, you’re spending less over the long run. This equation isn’t even taking into account the additional trips to the store to replace the low-quality jeans, which ends up costing you in car wear, gas and any impulse purchases you make on subsequent trips.
Ultimately, I believe buying quality equals savings so by choosing quality I’m getting a twofer!
Quality for sure – of course at a good price. Doesn’t matter how inexpensive something is, if it’s not going to last, why buy it??
Quality without a doubt. I used to buy cheap things to save money but I found in the long run, I was spending more money. Now even though I might spend more initially for quality clothes or shoes, they last so much longer, they are worth that little extra.
I would have to pick Savings. I always shop for items on sale.
Why pay top dollar when you can get the same item for less.
For example :For Christmas I purchased Camcorders for my
children & their spouses that retailed for $149.00…….I paid $29.99 for the first
purchase and $25.99 for additional ones ! I also purchased watches for my sisters and Sister-In-Law.By buying in bulk I got brand name watches for only $10.00 each !! That was alot of savings
for me !!
If I’m shopping, I am already on a mission so I’m not too concerned with the experience. For me it’s all about SAVINGS!
Quality items at great savings? I need them both lol. I do think quality is an inch ahead of savings. I agree with a lot of the posts here that if it is junk, even though it is cheap, it will not last and you spend more in the long run.
But, if a “quality” item still costs too much I will not buy it. So price is important too. I shopped around a lot this holiday season (mostly online) and got some amazing “quality” items at a huge discount price.
Mine has changed drastically as I have become more aware of the differences. My number one goal now is overall quality. This doesn’t mean the most expensive thing, but I want things that will last and have a guarantee.
I like to shop for quality though savings is a real close second. When you can combine the two, I am a happy happy guy.
Quality is always number one for me. But I would rather call it value, because I want the best there is at the lowest possible price. Rules wouldn’t be rules without exceptions, though. There are certain things I will necessarily pay more for, like shoes and purses. But I happened to find a purse for $15 a couple of months ago. It is a material that looks like suede leather, but the style and usability of this purse has made it my preferred one that I use daily. I highly doubt it will last as long as my top of the line leather bags, but I will be really sad if I can’t replace it.
I look for savings, but to a point, I don’t want something that will wear out real quick. I try to find a balance between the two but leave more towards savings.
This is a tough choice, but I would say savings is most important to me.
There are some great responses so far! Keep them coming and good luck winning the $25 T.J. Maxx giftcard!
I just want to add the most important thing I look for when shopping. For me it is actually savings. I agree with most all of you who say that sometimes quality is important so that you don’t waste your money only to have to go back out and buy the same thing sooner than you normally should. Shoes are a PERFECT example of that. With that said though, you can still find quality at a savings. If I find a quality pair of Nike’s or Sketchers for $60 or less I am grateful. Recently we visited an outlet store in North Carolina on the way back from our trip to Florida, and I found some really nice Sketchers for $40. They were regular $65 so I was pretty excited.
Savings is the MOST important to me by far! I NEVER pay full price for clothes or shoes, mainly because I HATE HATE HATE spending money on those things. LOL For me spending money on clothes sucks!!
Good luck everyone and thank you all so very much for your very well thought out comments. That is exactly what I was hoping to accomplish with this post, aside from giving you $25 to spend of course.
I have a special announcement coming soon that you won’t want to miss!
Definitely the savings on good quality items. I use alot of coupons and you would be surprised the NEW and GOOD QUALITY items you can find at Goodwill.
I am in the middle of snowballing so, definitely savings!
QUALITY!!!!!!
I have 3 dresses in my closet per season, why? Because a quality item is going to last you a LONG time. Many of the clothing items I have are classic, and will last for years. Especially considering my day to day outfit is usually jeans and a decent shirt.
I would say a close tie for second would be savings and shopping experience. I have always been a bargain hunter, and never buy anything at full price and usually get steep discounts.
But I also can not stand rude salespeople, understaffed stores, and unpleasant lighting in the dressing room. (maybe this comes with age?)
Can I say all three?
Savings! I never pay retail for anything. Groceries? They have to be on sale, preferably loss leaders. Clothes? I particularly like sales of an extra 50%+ off the clearance price. Gadgets and gizmos? I search the sale ads each Sunday to see how low of a sale price I can get on any particular item I need.
Savings then quality. If I’m shopping for groceries, it’s shopping experience (customer service), quality, savings. Clothes are WAY down on or list so I go for savings first! I hope we win!
Hands down QUALITY! I used to say cost and that does factor in, but with my minimalist lifestyle, I buy a few quality items and let the disposable EVERYTHING that society sells sit on the shelf for someone else at Target.
David Damron
LifeExcursion
Quality is the most important thing to me.
I like to get great savings on quality products. I won’t pay exorbitant prices for quality, but neither will I take advantage of huge savings on a product that is of poor quality.
Quality would have to be first on my list!! I don’t think I want to spend any of my money on junk just to get a deal…that’s not much of a deal to me! Marshall’s, TJ Maxx and Ross Dress for Less are already some of my favs as far as shopping for quality items for less money…good bargains. I don’t shop as much as I used to, but when I need a gift or clothes or something unique…these are places I tend to check out first!!! Brad, you are such a Santa!!!!
Used to be savings but now the most important is QUALITY. Not to single out brands (ok, maybe a bit), but a certain store starting with J has, in my opinion, gone downhill in quality. That store frequently discounts the following items…but would you pay $20 (or $10? $5?) for these items: tissue thin t-shirts that rip and are totally see through, thin pants that come apart after the seams after a single wash, dress shirts that are “fashionably” wrinkled. No thanks.
Savings is the most important to me. I find exactly what I want and shop for the best price I can find. Usually it is online but I will also find local coupons or subscribe to websites that track local deals. I am never in a hurry to buy and item.
twitter: @dingwog
I think in general I go for savings. I don’t want to sacrifice quality either, but I think usually if you’re a good bargain hunter, you can get both!
Quality is most important to me — if it’s not something that will be useful and last under normal wear and tear, it’s a waste of money to me!
Quaility. There is not much savings in buying something cheaply and having to replace it more often than if you put your money into something of greater quality. Not that isn’t to say I don’t wait for sales and apply coupons, gift cards etc. Never pay retail for anything.
I’d have to say quality is the most important.
I look for quality first and then if the quality is worth the cost. Quality will last and outshine in the end and the value will be there each time the product or sevice is needed.
I have to agree with Dave above… Quality is the most important aspect. Saving is of course great, but if you buy cheap without regard for quality, then you actually end up spending more to replace faulty items. Buying quality items, with careful consideration is definitley the best way to go. Great question, Brad.