Best Bargains of 2011

Hawaiian Island Hop

Head to Hawaii in mid September and save $782 over a mid-July trip. The tour of Oahu, Kauai, Maui and the Big Island from BeachDestinations.com (opens in new tab) includes 12 nights’ lodging and round-trip airfare from Los Angeles for two.

Cost: $2,849.

Plus: 24 Travel Sites that Will Save You Money and How to Beat Rising Summer Travel Costs.

An Exotic Chinese Adventure

Visit Beijing and Shanghai in November and spend $2,731- compared with a mid-July price of nearly $4,000. The trip for two includes round-trip airfare from Boston, a flight from Beijing to Shanghai, and hotel stays for three nights in each city.

Book at Trip-Masters.com. (opens in new tab)

Plus: How to Beat Rising Summer Travel Costs and

• What to Do If You're Stranded When Traveling.

Cook out, Eat in

Eating in restaurants is pricey. Cooking at home is a chore. Split the difference by attending a meal-prep session at a professional kitchen operated by Dinners Done Right (opens in new tab) or Make & Take Gourmet (opens in new tab). The companies provide ingredients, utensils, recipes, containers and food prep. You assemble the meals and bring them home to freeze and cook later.

Cost: about $4 to $6 per serving.

Plus: More Ways to Save When Dining Out.

Chevrolet Impala

The Impala gets a refresh for 2012, but the ’11 is selling for an average of 22% below the starting sticker price of $25,215, according to TrueCar.com (opens in new tab). The Impala gets nearly 30 miles per gallon on the highway.

Plus: SLIDE SHOW: 10 Cheapest Cars to Own andQUIZ: How to Get the Best Deal on a New Car.

Cadillac DTS

Last chance to get the classic Cadillac cruiser; the DTS bows out this year. At 19% below the $47,600 starting sticker, you can justify extras such as the lane-departure warning and blind-spot alert package ($695).

Plus: SLIDE SHOW: Best Cars for Long Road Trips and SLIDE SHOW: Best Cars for Families 2011.

Nissan Armada

Nissan’s biggest SUV has three rows of seats and 20 cubic feet of cargo space behind the third row—but with gas prices high, sales have been slow. Pick up the Armada (starting at $38,885) for 17% off sticker.

Plus: SLIDE SHOW: Best Used Cars 2011.

Chevrolet Aveo

The Aveo will be replaced by the Chevy Sonic for 2012, so dealers are pushing it off the lots at 19% off sticker price (starting at $12,725). The subcompact gets 27 mpg in the city, 35 on the highway.

Plus: SLIDE SHOW: 10 Cars that Refuse to Die and SLIDE SHOW: 10 Cheapest Cars to Own.

Cheap Tunes

Just because you play songs on iTunes doesn’t mean that you have to buy them from the Apple Store. As Amazon (opens in new tab) attempts to attract music customers, it often undercuts iTunes prices. Its MP3 Daily Deal (opens in new tab) offers a deeply discounted album, usually to the tune of $3.99. Recent offerings include rapper Jay-Z’s debut Reasonable Doubt and The Civil Wars’ Barton Hollow.

Plus: SLIDE SHOW: 25 Ways to Waste Your Money.

Best Time to Buy Furniture

New furniture hits showrooms in August, according to the American Home Furnishing Alliance. That means you can save 10% to 50% in July as retailers make room for the new inventory. January is another good time to buy, as new inventory arrives in February.

Plus: More Best Buys of Summer.

Lock in Your Kids’ Tuition

In 13 states, you can still prepay in-state tuition years in advance, protecting yourself against future tuition hikes. See whether your state offers a prepaid-tuition plan at the College Savings Plans Network (opens in new tab). If your student wants to attend a private school, look into thePrivate College 529 Plan (opens in new tab), which offers a similar arrangement for more than 270 participating private colleges.

Plus: SPECIAL REPORT: Paying for College and SLIDE SHOW: 5 Advanced Degrees Still Worth the Debt.

Xerox Stock

Best known for its photocopiers, Xerox (XRX) acquired Affiliated Computer Services in 2010 and is now a major player in computer services for businesses. Through Affiliated, Xerox, which generated $22 billion in sales last year, runs corporate technology departments and manages company benefits. At $10, the stock trades at just nine times estimated 2011 profits, which analysts see climbing 14% this year (all prices are through June 3).

Plus: 4 Solid Value Stocks and 6 Cash-Rick Stocks to Buy Now.

WellPoint Stock

WellPoint (WLP), the largest U.S. health insurer, is in a better position to cope with health care reform than most of its rivals. Its immensity—revenues should exceed $59 billion, this year—gives it leverage with health providers. At $77, the stock sells for less than 11 times estimated 2011 earnings.

Plus: Great Companies' Stocks on Sale.

Chevron Stock

Profits are gushing for Chevron (CVX). Analysts expect earnings for the integrated energy giant to rocket 38% this year. Meanwhile, the company has been selling off refining assets and recently acquired Atlas Energy, which gives Chevron a major foothold in the Marcellus shale formation. At $101, the stock sells for eight times earnings.

Plus: SLIDE SHOW: The World's 10 Best Stocks.

Fire Sale on ETFs

The cost of owning—and buying—exchange-traded funds keeps coming down. The annual expense ratio for Focus Morningstar US Market Index (FMU), an ETF that tracks the entire U.S. stock market, and Focus Morningstar Large Cap Index (FLG), a fund that tracks large-company stocks, is 0.05%. The largest (and oldest) ETF, SPDR S&P 500 (SPY), charges 0.09% annually. Meanwhile, a growing number of discount brokers, including Schwab, Fidelity, TD Ameritrade and E*Trade, are letting their clients trade selected ETFs without commissions. And Scottrade customers can trade all 15 FocusShares ETFs, which Scottrade sponsors, for no charge.

Plus: Special Report: Smart Moves with ETFs.

More deals on ETFs: New ETFs for Offbeat Niches and ETFs that Bet Against Bonds.

0% Balance Transfers

Cut your credit card interest rate to 0% for 21 months by transferring a balance to the Citi Platinum Select MasterCard or Citi Diamond Preferred Card—among the longest offers available. Note that there’s a 3% transaction fee.

Plus: More Credit Cards with a 0% Balance-Transfer andKiplinger's Credit Card Search.

Free ATM Withdrawals

Open a checking account at Ally, Schwab Bank or E*Trade (all FDIC-insured) for a rebate on fees at any U.S. ATM. None of the accounts requires a minimum balance or charges a monthly fee, and all offer free online bill pay. Or open an account at one of about 1,000 banks and credit unions that belong to the Allpoint network, which includes 43,000 surcharge-free ATMs worldwide.

Plus: What to Expect from Your Bank this Year and SLIDE SHOW: 25 Ways to Waste Your Money.

Manage Your Tech Files for Free

When you upgrade to a new computer, It probably won’t come with Microsoft Office, and you’ll pay $115 (at Amazon) for the basic suite. Instead, try Google Docs (opens in new tab) or OpenOffice (opens in new tab). Both offer basic word processing, spreadsheets and multimedia presentations.

Plus: SLIDE SHOW: 20 Financial Innovations You Can't Afford to Ignore.

Comp Your Computer Storage

Need a place to store and share files? Windows Live SkyDrive (25 gigabytes of free space) lets you upload music files, documents, photos and videos. Bonus: You can create and edit Microsoft Office files in your SkyDrive browser window and save them directly to your account—no Office download required. You can also use Dropbox (2GB free; $120 per year for 50GB) or Amazon Cloud Drive (5GB free; $20 per year for 20GB).

Plus: SLIDE SHOW: 20 Financial Innovations You Can't Afford to Ignore.

Get a Steal on Security

You don’t have to pay $70 a year for security software. Avast Antivirus and Microsoft Security Essentials for Windows get good reviews from tech experts and offer basic defenses, including malware protection.

Plus: Smart Phone Safety Tips from a Professional Hacker

Sign Up with an Online Tutor

Tired of trying to teach your kid the difference between sine and cosine? Ask your school or local library whether It provides access to free online tutoring, such asTutor.com (opens in new tab) and SkillsTutor.com (opens in new tab). These sites offer tutors in a range of subjects and let students and tutors communicate online.

Plus: 6 Key Questions Before You Teach Kids About Money and Should You Pay Kids for Good Grades?

Take the Schlep Out of Shopping

Compare prices and find bargains on sites such as Dealnews.com (opens in new tab) (or follow @dealnews on Twitter for daily alerts), GottaDeal.com (opens in new tab), andAmazon.com (opens in new tab). DODTracker.com (opens in new tab) posts daily deals from multiple sites.

Plus: More Resources to Help You Review Before You Buy.

Cheap Date

A coupon from Restaurant.com (opens in new tab) gets you discounts of up to 60% at more than 18,000 restaurants. Regular promotions on the site bring the cost down even further, to as little as $8 for a $100 coupon (deals are limited to one coupon per party).

Plus: 4 Things to Avoid at Restaurants.

Lowest Airfares

Enter your flight itinerary at Bing.com/travel (opens in new tab), and the tool will tell you whether you should buy your ticket now or wait for the price to drop before your trip.

Plus: 20 Secrets to Save on Travel and SLIDE SHOW: 5 Ways Technology Will Change the Way You Travel.

Cheap Car Rentals

Use the “Hot Rate” feature at Hotwire.com (opens in new tab) to find last-minute discounts in selected cities, or bid on a car at Priceline.com (opens in new tab). The car model isn’t revealed until after you book and pay, but you’re guaranteed a vehicle in a general category from a major agency.

Plus: SLIDE SHOW: Best Cars for Long Road Trips and Car Rental Firms Punish No-Shows.

Bring the Kids, Get the Freebies

How much do you hate buying a $12 entrée for a picky 6-year-old? If the answer is “a lot,” visit MyKidsEatFree.com (opens in new tab) or KidsMealDeals.com. (opens in new tab) These sites point you to restaurants in your area where kids eat free (usually at certain times or on certain days).

Plus: GUIDE: Money Smart Kids.

Down to Earth Athletic Shoes

Find low prices on athletic shoes online. For example, at Road Runner Sports (opens in new tab), New Balance 993 running shoes (retail price: $145) cost $103 if you join its VIP free-shipping club for $1.99. At Holabird Sports (opens in new tab), the same shoes cost $100. For discounts on kids’ shoes, check outShoesteal.com (opens in new tab).

Plus: SAVE MONEY ON PRACTICALLY EVERYTHING: Shopping and Entertainment.

Cool Skiing Discounts

A hot summer day is the perfect time to land a discount on ski and snowboarding gear. Check local sports shops for preseason sales, and in early fall, scour Web sites, such as BestSkiSales.com (opens in new tab), Liftopia.com (opens in new tab), and OnTheSnow.com (opens in new tab), for lift-ticket discounts that could knock $20 or more off the daily rate at selected resorts.

Plus: What You Need to Know About Winter Getaways.

Salvage Savings at Home

Look for prices up to 60% off retail for architectural salvage: materials, components and trim removed from demolished or renovated homes. For a directory of stores, visit OldHouseJournal.com (opens in new tab) and click on “Salvage.” Or snag donated building materials and home goods, new and gently used, for 50% to 90% off retail prices at Habitat for Humanity ReStores. To locate one, visit Habitat.org/restores.

Plus: SLIDE SHOW: The Best vs. the Bargains: Home Improvement and SLIDE SHOW: 8 Easy Projects to Add Value to Your Home.

Thrift Shop for Your Home Online

Search online for consigned home furnishings to find stores in your area. At sites such as Consignmentpal.com (opens in new tab), you’ll typically find a higher markup than at thrift stores, but the furniture comes from manufacturers, interior designers and high-end retailers as well as homeowners, and the store may even provide design help.

Plus: 9 Projects to Spruce Up Your House.

Ditch Full-Price Appliances

For discounts of 20% to 60% on scratch and dent items—blemished or returned (but unused) appliances, electronics, tools, and more—visit a Sears clearance center (opens in new tab) or ask at an appliance dealer or big-box store.

Plus: QUIZ: How Smart a Homeowner Are You?

Sign up for Private Sales

For steep discounts on luxury travel, check JetSetter.com (opens in new tab). It holds short-term “flash sales” on high-end hotels and other services. If enough people buy a deal at Trip­Alertz.com (opens in new tab), the rate drops from an already-discounted member price (membership is free). Offerings recently ranged from a stay at a Dominican Republic resort to a rocket-plane ride into space.

Plus: More Sites to Snag Hotel Deals with Private Sales and What You Need to Know About Private Sales.

Scout Out Student Discounts

Globe Student Discount (opens in new tab) points students (and parents) to deals on computers, travel, books, student health insurance and software. With Edhance.com (opens in new tab), college students register a credit or debit card and use the card to get cash-back deals.

Plus: Get Your Freshman Financially Ready for College.

Shop and Save on Amazon

Most orders of $25 or more qualify for free shipping (generally within five to eight days).

With that deal, there is no real need for Amazon Prime, which offers free two-day shipping and access to 5,000 instant movies and TV shows for $79 a year. Why pay for shipping when you can get it free? And the movie selection pales compared with the choices at Netflix.

Plus: SLIDE SHOW: 15 Greatest Financial Innovations of the 20th Century.

Swap Your Digs

With Home­Exchange.com (opens in new tab), enjoy free lodging in houses and apartments at destinations worldwide—as long as you’re willing to share your home, too. The site has more than 40,000 listings in 144 countries. The annual membership fee is $119.

Plus: More Home Exchange Web Sites and Your Home Could Be Your Ticket to Free Travel.

Deal Alerts

Instead of going to deal sites, get alerts via Twitter by subscribing to deal aggregators such as @deals­plus (opens in new tab) and @CheapTweet (opens in new tab). Or subscribe to Deals on Facebook (opens in new tab) (now available in Atlanta, Austin, Dallas, San Diego and San Francisco through your Facebook account) or Google Offers (opens in new tab) (in Portland, Ore.; Oakland, Cal.; San Francisco; and New York City). You can get also get an instant discount if you note your location with a mobile phone using Facebook, Foursquare and other mobile social networks. But in exchange for the discount, you give up precious privacy because these coupons show in real-time where you’re located.

Plus: 15 Best Web Sites for Finding Deals Online and The Future of Personal Finance.

Mobile Money Saver: Coupon Sherpa

Use Sherpa to get in-store coupons, which you can show on your phone’s screen at checkout. Available on iPhone only.

Plus: Using Mobile Apps to be a Better Haggler.

Mobile Money Saver: ShopSavvy

You can scan an item’s bar code with your phone’s camera or enter product codes manually, then compare prices at other retailers. Available on Android and iPhone.

Plus: SLIDE SHOW: 10 Online-Shopping Traps that Catch Even Smart Shoppers.

Mobile Money Saver: ShopKick

Download this app to find deals at stores, and earn points for gift cards and other rewards just by walking into a store and scanning (or purchasing) products. Available on Android and iPhone.

Plus: Safe Ways to Shop on Your Smart Phone.

Mobile Money Saver: Scoutmob

Get discounts at restaurants, coffee shops and stores in your city with this Groupon competitor; if you use the deal, you get incentives for return visits. Available on Android and iPhone.

Plus: 3 Apps to Get Better Customer Service.

Mobile Money Saver: HotelPal

Book a hotel room at the last minute or on the go. The app uses GPS to locate the best hotel deals in your area, or you can type in a zip code. Available on Android and iPhone.

Plus: Best Apps for Autos and 10 Free Travel Apps for Your Road Trip.

Group Savings

Sign up for daily deal e-mails for discounts of up to 90% off goods and services. At Groupon, a certain number of people have to sign up in order for a deal to “tip,” so sharing it on your social networks helps everyone get a markdown. At LivingSocial, persuade three of your friends to buy the deal and you get yours free.

Fun-Fact: Consumers spent $873 million on deal-a-day offers in 2010, and that may surge to $4 billion by 2015.

Plus: SLIDE SHOW: 20 Financial Innovations You Can't Afford to Ignore and INNOVATOR PROFILE: Groupon's Andrew Mason.

Go the Mile with AAA

A membership with AAA (opens in new tab) ($65.50 a year) provides discounts of 7% to 30% on everything from prescription glasses to hotel lodging.

Plus: SLIDE SHOW: Gifts that Keep Giving and SLIDE SHOW: Best Cars for Long Road Trips.

Costco Membership

You pay $50 a year for membership, but low markups combined with coupons make discounts on bulk goods, tires, TVs and even caskets hard to beat.

As for jewelry and large appliances, the warehouse is probably not your best option. Go to a jeweler for diamonds, unless you’re prepared to get an independent appraisal. And Costco’s selection of large appliances is limited— shop the sales at major appliance stores.

Plus: QUIZ: Warehouse Stores: Deal or No Deal?

Escape to an Outlet Mall

Some luxury and designer items, such as Coach bags, and high-end kitchen goods, such as Le Creuset are great deals at factory stores.

On the other hand, lower-quality outlet-only merchandise, such as Brooks Brothers’ 346 line or Gap factory-outlet clothes may not be worth it.

Plus: QUIZ: Dollar Stores: Deal or No Deal?

Rebates from Plastic

Get something back from your credit card. Bank of America’s no-fee Accelerated Rewards American Express card lets you redeem points for cash, travel or merchandise. You earn 1.25 points for every dollar you spend and receive a $50 credit after your first purchase.

Fun Fact: Did you know that credit card users earn more than $11 billion in rewards each year?

Plus: Coming Soon: Coupons On Your Bank Statement and SLIDE SHOW: 7 Little-Known Credit Card Perks.

Benefit from AARP

For people age 50 and older, join AARP (opens in new tab) ($16 a year), and get up to 30% off hotel stays, car rentals and prescription drugs.

Plus: TOOL: 2011 Retiree Tax Map and SLIDE SHOW: 6 Great Jobs for Retirees.

Ask for a Discount

A store just might take less for an item it wants to unload—say, an already-marked-down sale item—or give you a break if you offer to pay cash.

Plus: Overcome Your Fear of Haggling and SPECIAL REPORT: Save $50 a Day.

Be Willing to Walk Away

If you don’t get the price you want, head for the door. Chances are you’ll get a better offer before you hit the sidewalk.

Plus: SLIDE SHOW: 10 Things We Overpay For.

Send in Your Rebate

Only 47% of respondents in a recent poll say they send in rebates always or often.

Plus: SLIDE SHOW: 25 Ways to Waste Your Money.

Make a Tech Deal

One in seven buyers of major electronic items haggle on price, and half of them win a discount.

Plus: Best Tech Gadgets and Deals and How to Dispose of Unwanted Electronics.

Think Outside the Brand-New Box

For affordable electronics, you can find refurbished gadgets for 10% to 75% off, depending on the item. Enter “Special Deals” into the search bar on Apple’s Web site (opens in new tab) to find iPods, iPads and computers. Recently, a used MacBook Pro cost $899—about 25% off the original price—and included a one-year limited warranty. Amazon (opens in new tab) also sells used tech items.

Plus: Best Tech Gadgets and Deals and Why Buy New When You Can Swap?

Fund a 529 College-Savings Plan

With these state-sponsored accounts, your earnings grow tax-free and escape taxes altogether if you use the withdrawals for qualified educational expenses. If you live in a state that offers a tax benefit for contributions (as do 34 states and the District of Columbia), go with that plan. If not, we like the index-fund portfolios in the direct-sold version of the Illinois Bright Start College Savings Program. For more advice, we picked our favorite 529 plans, state-by-state.

Plus: Invest in Your State's -- or Another's -- 529 Plan?

Do the Math on Your Kids' Textbooks

A textbook that costs $100 new will likely cost $75 used, $50 or $60 as an e-book and $40 to $50 as a rental, says Rich Hersh­man, of the National Association of College Stores. You could resell a new book for about half the price you paid—as long as it hasn’t been replaced by a new edition.

Plus: How to Cut Your Textbook Costs in Half-- Or More and 5 Financial Lessons for College Students.

Trim Green Fees

When the recession hit a few years ago, playing a round of golf became a luxury for many. To lure players back, courses offered greens-fee coupons—printed in local newspapers and offered in coupon books or even online (search for a course name plus “discounts”). Now golfers have grown used to the savings, and courses in many areas are stuck in a price war. You’ll typically save $10 to $30 a round.

Plus: Entertainment for Less.

Best Time to Buy Airfare

Fly on Wednesday and you’ll get the best price, according to FareCompare.com (opens in new tab). Traveling over the holidays? You may save if you fly on the holiday itself.

Plus: How to Save on Last-Minute Flights and SPECIAL REPORT: When Is the Best Time to Buy...?

Best Time to Buy Cars

For the best combination of discounted price and good selection on a new car, shop in September, as dealers clear the lots for the newest models. For used cars, you’ll find the best selection and best chance to negotiate in April.

Plus: Best Buys of Fall and Best Buys of Spring.

Best Time to Buy Clothing

If new togs haven’t sold in about six weeks, stores start lowering prices. Weekend sales usually start on Thursday, and that’s when the selection is best.

Plus: SLIDE SHOW: Trendy Teen Retailers Make Totally Hot Stocks and SPECIAL REPORT: When Is the Best Time to Buy...?

Best Time to Buy Computers

December is a good time of the year to buy a computer; deals range from 15% to 50% off.

Plus: Best Buys of Winter and Ultra Thin Laptops: Worth the Cost?

More From Kiplinger

SLIDE SHOW: 25 Ways to Waste Your Money

SPECIAL REPORT: When Is the Best Time to Buy...?

SLIDE SHOW: Fabulous Freebies 2010

QUIZ: Warehouse Clubs: Deal or No Deal?

SMART BUYING: 21 Web Sites for Finding Deals Online