Introduction:

Embarking on a journey across America a few years ago, I was captivated by the #vanlife trend and decided to build my own customized van. My quest for adventure led me to purchase an old e350 decommissioned ambulance, equipped with a powerful 7.3L V8 turbo diesel engine and a spacious aluminum box. As I delved into the van conversion process, I encountered the challenge of figuring out the best deals for the parts I needed. Little did I know that my experience would inspire the creation of this revolutionary tool: Pricemates.

Here is how the van looked once all the ambulance stuff was removed and the house stuff added.

The Van Conversion Journey:

The entire van conversion project demanded around 3-4 months of dedicated work. During this time, I meticulously stripped the van down to its metal skeleton and tackled essential tasks like insulation and wiring. Simultaneously, I scoured the internet for the necessary components, investing weeks in researching various brands and comparing prices. While popular brands caught my attention, I struggled to determine if the prices were truly competitive. Ultimately, I decided to purchase most of the items from Amazon, taking advantage of the affordable prices and convenient next-day delivery in the US.

Once the building had started it was a bit of a mess!

The Uncertainty of Savings:

As I wrapped up the van conversion, the accumulated expenses on my credit card reached approximately $13,000 over a span of eight weeks. Evaluating the totals, I couldn't help but question whether I had made smart purchase decisions with good deals or unknowingly overspent. With no reliable way to gauge the value of my purchases, uncertainty loomed over the financial aspect of my project.

Applying the finishing touches and moving in!

A New Chapter: Setting up a 4x4 in Australia:

Two years later, back in Australia and preparing to hit the dirt road, I found myself facing a similar scenario. However, this time, I stumbled upon a new trend of large discounts of up to 50% on some parts. I always knew exercising patience and waiting for sales could yield significant savings, however trends had pushed sales to a more regular rotation of prices to attract more customers. Nevertheless, the absence of a tangible reference point hindered my ability to truly quantify these potential benefits.

Introducing Pricemates: Where Value Fuels Adventure:

My goal with Pricemates was to help customers not just save, but make educated decisions about the purchases they wanted. Picture having the power to visualize price trends and estimate potential savings. Now, Pricemates brings that vision to life let me illustrate with a quick example.

Let's compare the prices of a few parts I wanted when I brought my new car, both at regular prices and during a sale. By visualizing the price differences and setting price alerts at a dollar amount I was comfortable paying, I managed to save a staggering $940 on just five parts.

The Impact of Smart Shopping:

Saving nearly $1,000 on a $3,000 list of items is undoubtedly a remarkable feat. Considering that I ordered approximately 30 parts total for the vehicle, with an overall expenditure of around $6,000, it becomes evident that uninformed purchases would have cost me an additional 50%, totaling $9,000. These astounding savings highlight the significant impact of shopping with Pricemates and a bit of patience.

Conclusion:

Until now, We had no way of knowing if we were overpaying. Pricemates presents a revolutionary solution, enabling users to unveil the price histories of products and make informed purchasing decisions. With Pricemates, you can unlock remarkable savings and ensure every dollar spent contributes to a more fulfilling and budget-friendly experience. Embrace the power of smart shopping and embark on your next adventure with Pricemates by your side.

Bonus:

The free version of Pricemates allows users to set a total of 2 alerts. Be smart with these alerts as they cannot be undone. Here are some tips to best use the free tier.

• Use the free alerts on high value items. This ensures the most savings.
• Use the free alerts on items that have less regular sales. This means you wont miss a sale on important items that have sales less regularly
• You can always sign up for the Pro version to unlock unlimited alerts and many other features

While the free version offers great value the Pro version has the ability to unlock massive savings. Lets do some simple math on the table we used above. at $9.99 per month for Pricemates pro if you forgot to cancel your membership or decided not to set alerts it would take you 84 MONTHS just to break even on on the 4 parts above. Now I dont know about you but I tend to spend far to much on my vehicles so 4 parts is nothing compared to what I spend most months.

The first haul of parts the day I picked up my new car!