Frugal Living Tip #39 - Host a Party

Host a Party

You are probably wondering where I am going with this. I am referring to hosting a direct sales party. There are an assortment of companies that sell jewelry, kitchen products, bags, organizational items, or food storage. I have hosted parties in the past for Pampered Chef, Thirty-One, and Premier Jewelry. The concept is you invite your friends over, a consultant from the company comes over and shows you and your friends some of the products and gives you a catalog to see other items.

The hostess can earn a lot of free products and additional discounts. The benefits vary with each company, and generally the higher your party sales are the more benefits you receive.

I know that a lot of people don't like to attend these types of parties because they feel pressured into buying something, or spending money that they shouldn't. I make it very clear to anyone who comes to one of these parties in my home, that they are under no pressure to buy anything. I never want anyone to think that I invited them over just to buy something. You also have an option to have a catalog only party. It can be really easy these days with catalogs available on-line and promoting it with social media sites like Facebook and Twitter.

I would suggest hosting a party if you see a catalog item that you like, but it falls out of your price range. I have been able to get several big ticket items at a 50-60% discount thanks to hosting these types of parties.

Have you ever hosted a direct sales party? Did you get items that you wanted for free or discounted? Do you have a favorite company that you like to order from?

 

Frugal Living Tip #27 - Social Media

Social Media

I am going to assume that if you are computer savvy enough to have stumbled on this blog post, then you have heard of social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter. Even if you don't have accounts with them, you have heard of them.

I first discovered Facebook about 6 years ago. I hate to admit it, but I am in my late 30's now. It was pretty happening for me to be on Facebook and not be a college student or a recent grad at the time. I am not going to go off on a tangent and talk about all of the changes that have happened since then, but companies have really taken to Facebook to promote their products. It is not uncommon for there to be some sort of giveaway, or coupon available if you go and "like" their page.

I recently won a $10 Target gift card from "liking", commenting, and sharing a post from ILikeToSave.com's Facebook page. I have also claimed a lot of free samples or coupons for a free product by "liking" a company on Facebook. I got coupons over the summer for free small McCafe beverages by becoming a follower of Richmond McDonald's on Twitter.

I find some of my best deals by "liking" local businesses on Facebook. I can find discounts if I say a certain phrase at check-out, make my purchase at a certain time, or even wear a certain color.

It can get a little bit more complicated when a company asks for permission to view certain information from your Facebook account. I would encourage you to take the moment to make sure you aren't giving away more info than you would feel comfortable sharing with a company on their site. Do you really want them to have access to all 765 of your closest "friends"?

Do you use Facebook or Twitter on a regular basis? Do you have local businesses or companies that you like on Facebook? Do you sign-up for free samples or coupons using Facebook?