How to shop smart to save money when buying big household items

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SINGAPORE - There's not much point in being prudent with money if you then undo all your good work with cash-happy bouts of senseless shopping.

 

After all, financial planning is not just about investing and saving, it is also about being astute in spending, especially when buying the big household items for your home.

 

For a start, you need to know what products are most suitable for your family and where you should buy them. This may seem a bit quaint in our bold new age of e-commerce but if you plan to splurge on expensive electronic items, it pays to visit a physical store and not shop online.

 

Some people don't realise that while online purchases offer convenience, it also deprives you of critical product knowledge that only store employees can share with you. Even if you are into reading instruction manuals, the many practical tips that can only come from experienced salespeople are not found in these booklets.

 

It is also cheaper to shop at a store, especially if you are buying multiple items for your new home or after renovating it.

 

This is because many shops will offer generous discounts as well as free gifts that no online stores can match. Indeed, some stores can sell items even cheaper than the staff prices that electronic companies offer to their employees to entice them to buy their own products.

 

Shops can afford to do this because they get products at factory prices and some pass on the savings to their regular customers. And if you are not picky with some items, you can get big price cuts by buying display sets that are on sale.

 

There are also pitfalls if you shop online for electrical items: If you pick the wrong model and ask for an exchange, you can end up paying a penalty of up to 30 per cent of the price once you have removed the product from its original packaging.

 

Mr Alex Sia, a seasoned sales professional at Panasonic Singapore, said people who shop for household appliances online often make the mistake of picking models with the wrong sizes.

 

"This is very common for those who buy refrigerators online. Some end up with models that are too big for the kitchen while others complain that the size of the compartments are too small for their use.

 

"Even for those who take note of the measurements, they may forget to consider whether they would have enough space for the fridge doors to open properly."

 

You can probably call Mr Sia, who is based at the Audio House store in Ubi Road 4, an expert in dispensing practical tips on home appliances, judging from the numerous "thank-you" e-mail that his grateful customers send to him.

 

This has resulted in him winning the sales professional of the month award several times at the store in the past six months alone.

 

Here are Mr Sia's three useful tips for those planning to splurge on big household items.

 

Clean and fresh food

 

The technology for refrigerators has seen much improvement over the past decade with the latest models boasting various chill functions as well as water-ion features that inhibit bacteria and keep food fresh longer. Even the controls come as a touch-screen on the door.

 

If space is a problem in your kitchen, you can select the compact vertical compartment units that come with up to four types of chillers to store food meant for cooking the next day, making ice and keeping ice-cream, frozen meat and food and finally perishables like vegetables and fruits.

 

Like storage cabinets, such units come with shelves that can easily be removed to make more space or for easy cleaning.

 

If you are getting a new one delivered to your home, Mr Sia has this simple advice that will make your unit run more efficiently: Don't switch on the power for about two hours because the move would have displaced the coolant in the system.

 

"While waiting for it to settle down, you can use the time to wipe clean your new refrigerator. Also don't panic if the side panels start to feel hot. This is normal for new units and they will cool down once they operate normally," he says.

 

Front or top-load washer

 

It is not easy to judge which format is better.

 

For instance, top loader is more energy-efficient but it uses more water since its drum is deeper. On the other hand, a front loader needs more power but it uses less water.

 

Of course, if space is a concern, a front loader is easier to fit below your kitchen counter. In an open yard, you can also stack a dryer on top of it.

 

But such machines are not friendly to the elderly or those with back problems because you will need to bend or squat each time you use the washer.

 

If you are the type who always forget to put in the last batch of dirty laundry after starting the washer, you should buy a top loader as it allows you to open the cover to dump in more clothes during its wash cycles.

 

If you are buying a washer for your new HDB flat, make sure you check with your dealer whether you need to buy new inlet hoses because some of the standard ones that come from the manufacturers do not fit into the newer taps, Mr Sia notes.

 

Two-in-one or standalone better

 

The introduction of the new two-in-one washer and dryer machine has been a boon to owners of smaller apartments because it takes up less space in the kitchen or yard area.

 

But until the technology for such dual-function machine improves further, it is still better to buy the washer and dryer separately if you are particular about your laundry.

 

This is because the washing and drying functions in such machines are not built equally - the machine can wash up to 10 kg of laundry but its maximum drying capacity is usually up to 6kg or 7 kg. This means that if you have a full load of laundry, you have to take out a third of it to dry elsewhere or risk having partially damp clothes.

 

You probably cannot run the drying function twice in such cases because each complete wash and dry cycle takes up to five hours.

 

Mr Sia says: "That said, having one machine certainly takes up less space and is more convenient, especially for small families that don't need to wash so much clothes."

 

Price is not a big factor in this case because depending on the brands and models, the cost of owning a dual-function machine, which is more expensive, and two separate machines can come up to be about the same. However if you opt for a standard washer and conventional heat dryer, you can actually buy both for around $1,000.

 

Finally, in calculating your retirement needs, don't forget to consider the costs of buying home appliances. This is because whenever something breaks down, you will need to dig into your savings to get new ones.

 

While the costs of such consumer goods are mostly affordable and they do not break down frequently, it still pays to be smart when shopping for such items.

 

"This is why it is important for owners to pay attention to usage of their appliances so that they can last longer. Ultimately, this translates in more savings for you," Mr Sia says.

 

Source: The Straits Times © Singapore Press Holdings Limited. Reproduced with permission.

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