Build is Your Own
THINKSTOCK
“ I knew a lot of producers , and have met more ,” she says .“ I ’ ve been working steadily , being independent in this gig economy .”
Since going on her own , she has appeared on dozens of media outlets , including MSNBC , CNBC , Sirius Radio , USAToday . com and RD . com . And she can still be there when her daughter gets home from school .
“ I talk about how consumers can make well-informed shopping decisions and save money ,” she says . For example , “ Every month , different categories are deeply discounted . If I ’ m doing a TV segment and it ’ s September , it ’ ll be summer apparel . I talk about what categories to avoid , and which to look for .”
Bodge ’ s busiest season , of course , is the holidays . We asked her for helpful tips , which she shares here .
1MAKE ALIST , CHECK IT TWICE , AND DON ’ T STRAY FROM IT . “ Shoppers need tomake lists , and set limits on what they spend per person ,” she says . “ They need to limit their spending to one credit card with the lowest APR , and not gointo the next year in debt .”
2AVOID OPENING NEW STORE ACCOUNTS . “ I do recommend shopping local ,” she says .“ We have great stores in the area .” But if you ’ re purchasing your gifts from achain , don ’ t fall into the trap of opening a new store account unless there ’ s a big discount tied to doing
“ SHOPPERS NEED TO MAKE LISTS , AND SET LIMITS ON WHAT THEY SPEND PER PERSON .”
so that day . In that case , “ Only keep your card after the holidays if you ’ re prepared to pay off the bill every month ,” she says . “ They have the highest APR [ annual percentage rate ] you can find .”
3MAKE YOUR COMPUTER WORK FOR YOU . “ There are alot of great apps called desktop extensions that seek out deals for you while you shop ,” says Bodge . Desktop , or browser , extensions work with Google Chrome , she says , and are easy to use . She recommends :
• SLICKDEALS . NET : This site has a specific Black Friday / Cyber Monday page , with the strongest deals for both dates in one place , soyou don ’ t need to look through circulars for bargains . Ifyou ’ re looking for something specific — say , Nike sneakers — you can set adeal alert on your computer toreceive anotice about bargains . Bodge does public relations work for Slickdeals . net .
• SWAGBUCKS . COM : Click on the site ’ s browser extension button ; then , when you shop , you ’ ll get notices of cash-back opportunities and coupons you can use on your orders . Swagbucks . com works with hundreds of companies , including Amazon , Macy ’ s and Expedia . Swagbucks . com has been Bodge ’ s client in the past .
• GUMDROP BY GOODSHOP ( goodsearch . com / goodshop ): When you use this service , you can feel good for two reasons : You ’ re saving money on your purchases , and a portion of what you spend goes to charity . The coupon website Goodshop displays a Gumdrop extension that users download to see whether retailers offer coupons on the items they want to buy . After clicking to activate the coupons at checkout , a percentage of what you spend — usually 1-2 %, sometimes higher — is donated to your favorite cause . This browser extension works with Chrome , Firefox and Safari .
• GIFTCARDGRANNY . COM : The largest online gift card site , visitors to Gift Card Granny ( a client of Bodge ’ s ) can save an average two to 30 percent on gift card purchases . For example , a discounted Starbucks gift card valued at $ 25 might cost $ 22 on the site ; $ 314.50 could get you $ 500- worth of merchandise at Sleepy ’ s the Mattress Experts . These discounts can be combined with cashback offers and other coupons . “ If you get a gift card from a place you don ’ t like , you can go on Gift Card Granny and give it back ,” Bodge says . “ You lose a few percentage points in value , but it ’ s better than having the card sit in adrawer .” ■
MONTCLAIR MAGAZINE HOLIDAY 2017
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