Comparative shop online for everything from light fixtures to fridges. Then ask your local retailer to match the lowest price you find. Sears, for example, will match most online quotes for appliances and even reduce it by 10 percent of the difference between their advertised price and the better deal you found.
You can save anywhere from a few dollars to hundreds of dollars with a few minutes surfing the Web, plus some printer ink.
As an added benefit, you’ll be supporting your local retailer (and thus, your local economy), and you’ll usually get better customer service than you’ll get online. Not to mention what you’ll also save on shipping charges.