Sign-up and post on Iberkshires today.It's Free!
Already a member? Log In
45°  H- 61%
The Berkshires online guide to events, news and Berkshire County community information.           
Saturday November 7, 2009
 Make us your homepage!
 

Sports


High School Football
Hoosac Valley beats Drury in Saturday action. More photos on Monday
Thursday, Nov. 06

Boys' Soccer: State Vocational Championship Game
McCann Tech 3, Keefe Tech 2

Girls' Soccer: State Vocational Championship Game
Blackstone Valley 8, McCann Tech 0
Fall Basketball Clinics

What's Playing


Milla Jovovich vs. alien abduction in "The Fourth Kind." What more do you need to know?


'Michael Jackson's This Is It': But It Is Always There
Movie schedules and times

Daily Digest


This is Jake
He's been lost in Pittsfield for weeks but frequently sited. He was last seen heading toward the fire station on Peck's Road. He's tired, dirty and needs seizure medication. He's chipped. If you see him, call Julie at 413-537-5616, the vet 24/7 at 413-499-2820 or animal control at 413-448-9700.
How Much is Heating Oil this Week?
It's breaking $2.50 but still cheaper than gas.
Thanks to Gabriella Bond for sharing her memories of the Quincy Street house torn down last week.
Send press releases and announcements to info@iberkshires.com. Need to contact someone at iBerkshires? Here's how.

Election

Barrett Reflects on Accomplishments with Capital News 9
Alcombright's Victory Speech

Which election's more important?
Pittsfield
North Adams
Neither, nothing will change
  
pollcode.com free polls

Trying to remember who won what and why? All the information is right here.

Obituaries

Milton E. Pharr, 75
Alice R. Filiault, 87
Lucille Burt, 92
Ellen E. McCarthy, 98
More obituaries
Mary M. Hanlon, 82
George F. Sarrouf, 73

Sales Fliers

 
 

 

Bazaars

Nov. 14

Berkshire Community Church, Richmond
10-4; Crafters, bake sale. Contact Evelyn Goggia at 413-445-5747

Lanesborough Elementary School annual Fall Craft Fair from 10 to 4. Free admission, huge variety of arts and crafts, raffles, food and more. Proceeds go to sixth-grade trip to Cape Cod.

Vendors can contact Deb at 413-738-5349 or debhutton@aol.com or Lori at 413-499-0065 or lorittod@yahoo.com to secure a spot.

Dec. 12-13

North Adams Country Club, crafts 9-4; food from That's a Wrap from 11-2. Contact Sheryl Morehouse at 413-822-3329.

Planning a bazaar this season? Submit information to info@iberkshires.com to have it listed here.

 Search: 
 for    
Enter a long URL
to make tiny:


Related Stories

 
Printer Friendly Version
   Recommend this story to a friend

Five Tips for Saving Big on Back-to-school Shopping

11:11AM / Wednesday, August 06, 2008

Photo Courtesy of Jupiter
It’s almost time for the kids to go back to school, and this year shopping for school supplies will be a lot more difficult for many families. Due to high gas prices and stretched budgets, financially pinched parents are looking for creative ways to save money.

In addition to cutting back on normal back-to-school purchases, parents are comparing prices and looking for bargains so they can get what they need without having to spend a lot of money. Here are some ideas that will help you shave costs on your back-to-school shopping.

1. Do your back-to-school shopping online.
All of the major retailers have an online presence, and many offer significant savings if you shop through their Web sites. Some retailers will even offer free shipping.

According to a recent survey done by the National Retail Federation (NRF), online shopping will experience a significant increase this year. Of the 200 people surveyed in the study, 25 percent said they planned to do their back-to-school shopping online this year. The top two reasons to shop online are to find deals and to save gas money.

But those aren’t the only reason consumers like Marisa Olson of Philadelphia, Pa., will choose to shop online this year. “I like shopping online for the convenience of it, and because it allows me to comparison shop without having to run all over town to check prices,” says Olson, who is happy to share her secret for finding the best deals online. Rather than logging on to the sites of several individual retailers to check prices, she uses Microsoft’s Live Search cashback (www.live.com/cashback) to find the best deals.

The site has partnerships with hundreds of the nation’s major retailers to offer brand name products at bargain prices. Simply log on to www.live.com/cashback, enter the name of the product you are looking for into the search box, and the site will bring up the best prices available at several different stores. Click on the deal you like best, and if you make a purchase, in addition to a great price, you’ll also get cashback which comes directly from Microsoft.

“I recently bought a Louis Vuitton bag and saved over 20 percent. I got more than $200 deposited into my PayPal account. That’s a great thing, considering it was a splurge that I wouldn’t have made otherwise,” says Olson.

2. Hit end-of-the-summer clearance sales.
Behind the holiday season, back-to-school is the most important shopping period of the year for retailers. And as a result, the weeks before school begins are a great time to shop for clothing, footwear, electronics, house-wares and school supplies. It’s not uncommon to find items marked 50, 60 or even 70 percent off since stores are desperate to clear out inventory in order to bring sales numbers up and make room for fall merchandise.

3. Shop at local consignment shops.
Why pay retail prices for clothes that the kids are going to outgrow anyway when you can find some great bargains at your local consignment shop? Consignment stores accept clothes that are gently used and in good shape, so if you’re willing to invest a little time thumbing through the racks, you may be able to find inexpensive children’s clothes that are nearly new at a fraction of retail prices.

4. Buy in bulk.
Another strategy you can take to save money is to buy in bulk. Warehouse stores carry a wide range of seasonal merchandise, including back-to-school supplies. But before you purchase a 100 pack of book covers, a box of 100 pens or pencils, 50 Crayola markers or a two-pack of scientific calculators, do your homework to make sure it’s a great deal.

Bring a notepad to your local office or discount store and write down the unit price for each item you plan to purchase. Then when you return to the warehouse store, compare the numbers and make sure your savings will be significant enough to be worth it.

5. Reuse some of last year’s school supplies.
But perhaps the best way to save money is if you can reuse some of last year’s school supplies. Those Fiskar’s scissors probably don’t need to be replaced yet. Neither does your son or daughter’s pencil box, or the markers that came home unused.

Courtesy of ARA content
Your Comments
Post Comment
when buying online, check http://www.searchalldeals.com first... there's a good chance you can find a coupon code for a discount.
from: Julieon: 08-07-2008



Top Stories...
@theMarket: Back to the Future, Again
REGIONAL - The last two weeks stocks have consolidated, exhibiting greater volatility with the S&P...
Plunkett, Target Team Up for Library Makeover
ADAMS - Recent economic realities have resulted in a decline in fundraising resources, so the...
North Adams Illustrator Has Big Picture in NYC
NORTH ADAMS - Book illustrator Jana Christy's biggest tome to date — the 15-foot high "Dream Big" — was...
Break-ins Shake Up Stamford Residents
VERMONT - Townspeople are demanding better communication after a number of daytime break-ins here...
The Independent Investor: Finally, a Handout for the...
NORTH ADAMS - Granted, a $6,500 tax credit may not seem like much in the grand scheme of things.


iBerkshires.com Text Ads
www.iberkshires.com
www.bascomlodge.net
www.countrysidelandscape.net
tasks.racewaymedia.com
Advertise on iBerkshires.com



Essentials
Berkshire Nightlife
Berkshire Photos
Berkshire Wallpaper
Class Reunion Page
Columnists
Dannyoart.com
Get Lunch Specials
Home & Garden
Movie Times
Obituaries
Randy Trabold
Weddings

Enter your email address below to receive our FREE iBerkshires.com Newsletter

| Home | A & E | Automotive | Business | Community News | Dining | Lodging & Travel |
| Real Estate | Schools | Sports & Outdoors | Berkshires Weather | Berkshires Map |
Advertise | Recommend This Page | Help
Contact Us | Privacy Policy| User Agreement
Execution Time: 612 ms