September 30, 2008 | Big Picture

Well, my day’s flown by and I haven’t managed to get much posted here. (Darn life, always interfering with my bargain hunting!)

But while I go shuttle the kids around, you may want to take a look at this piece over at The Consumerist. If you have questions about the future of our economy, that’s a nice bite-sized summary of a recent Kiplinger’s article on the sad state of things.

And then go have a cookie, because you deserve it… and you’ll need some cheering up.

Hot Hot Hot!

(Sorry about the long silence today… I had a “quick” doctor’s appointment, and it’s surprisingly difficult to come up with good deals to post while wearing a paper gown and wondering when the doctor is going to show up. So.)

Apparently Lands’ End is running a Great Get Together Contest with fabulous prizes, so you might want to check that one out and enter.

You don’t have to take me with you if you win the grand prize Montana getaway, but if you win second prize (cashmere for up to 12 people)? I wear a small and like purple. And cashmere. And I’m the one who told you about the contest, remember? Thanks.

Hot Hot Hot!, Product Talk

I posted this over at Work It, Mom! this morning, but it’s such a good deal I’m going to put it over here, too.

Amazon has a 34 ounce stainless steel vacuum thermos marked half off at $20, and it’s eligible for the 4-for-3 promotion, which means if you get four of ‘em they’re just $15 a pop. Why do you care? Well, first of all, you care because it’s got a 5-star rating with over 100 reviews (people are claiming it keeps things hot or cold for 12+ hours). Second, you care because come the holiday season you’re going to realize that your UPS man really deserves a little something for carrying all those boxes to your house all year, or you’ll realize you counted the number of your kids’ teachers wrong, or something, and this is an ideal multi-purpose looks-swankier-than-it-is, useful-for-everyone sort of gift to have on hand.

That’s why.

For the kids, Hot Hot Hot!

Don’t forget that Barnes and Noble also carries a wide assortment of games and even toys. And right now, you can get $5 off on any qualifying game or toy purchase, automatically.

Many of the items that qualify offer work with their free shipping on orders of $25+, so it’s worth taking a look. Especially seeing as how there’s a ton of stuff in the sale section, too.

September 29, 2008 | Contests

My name is Mir, and I… I… I’m an office supplyaholic. I particularly like writing implements—I have an overflowing mug of pens, pencils, highlighters, and the like. And some in my desk. And some backups on my supply shelves. Plus sometimes I raid my husband’s desk.

I may have a problem, is what I’m saying.

But you, you don’t have a problem. In fact, all of your pen and pencil problems are about to solved. Why? Because you’re about to have a shot at winning a grab bag of goodies from Zebra Pen. It’s got a pack of Cadoozles (fun mechanical pencils for the kids) and an original F301 and a compact F301 and a bunch of Z-Grips and a whole mess of pens and pencils from their new Zebra Eco line, which are made from recycled materials and fairy wings. (Okay, maybe not the fairy wings part….) I have two packages of Zebra pens and pencils to give away, each containing around 20 items.

Do you feel the office supply love? Does nothing thrill you more than a fresh pen? Do your children keep taking your pencils? This could be the contest for you! To enter for a chance to win, simply leave a comment on this post by 3:00 p.m. Eastern time (noon Pacific) on Wednesday, October 1st, 2008. One comment per person, please; valid email address required. Winners to be determined by random number generation and penmanship (obviously).

Ready? Go!

Hot Hot Hot!

I feel like I’m zooming through the Fall holidays this morning. By this evening I’ll be all the way to Christmas!

Well, okay, probably not. But still, this morning I was talking Halloween and then what do I find? Linens ‘N’ Things is already working on their Thanksgiving deals this week.

(Yes. Retail is wacky.)

Anyway, they’re slashing prices on things like roasters and chafing dishes—many are half off—but the best part is that the shipping is free on those items, this week only. And you can use coupon code 26620000008 to take another 20% off any one item, so if you’re going to need a pumpkin-shaped gravy dish (I don’t judge) or a bigger roaster, plan ahead and reap the savings.

Hot Hot Hot!, What to Wear

Right now at Chadwicks, you can use coupon code CHRAFAPR to take $10 off your $10+ order. Shipping starts at $5.99, so get creative and find a deal. (I suggest checking out the clearance accessories.)

For the kids, Hot Hot Hot!

… which means you can no longer escape thinking about Halloween.

I’m all about a great home-made costume, actually, but if you prefer the ready-made kind, you might want to check out the deals at the BabyCenter Store—everything’s already at least 30% off. Don’t forget that you can use code FREESHIP49 to ship your $49+ order for free, too. (Hey, they carry just about everything, so maybe you pick up a few other things you need while you’re grabbing that cute costume.)

But what do I know? Last year we sewed a doll to my daughter’s jeans and a bunch of tiny chickens all over my son’s clothes. (They went as a babysitter and a chick magnet.)

Hot Hot Hot!

Sure, the weather’s cooling off (well, maybe for you—it’s going to be 85 here today!) and you’re maybe not thinking about things like outdoor furniture, but now is the time to buy such things, because they’re on sale. Big sale.

My folks have one of these hammock chairs and my children think it’s the greatest thing ever. This means I usually only get to relax in it for about 3 seconds at a time, but it’s a mighty comfy chair. And I’d say that even if it wasn’t 70% off, but that doesn’t hurt, y’know? $35.40 is as low as I’ve ever seen this. You might want to get one.

Though I’d recommend against inviting my kids over, if you do.

Contests

Okay, so, would that be a breakfast for penguins? Or a breakfast of penguins (eewwwwwww)? I’m not sure.

Regardless, 330 of you were up for winning either the latest 3-2-1 Penguins movie or a Starbucks gift card, and the random number generator has made me feel all warm and fuzzy, this morning. It’s true. Check this out:

When I have a contest where you have to choose a prize, I generate the numbers one by one. The first number wins, obviously. Then the next number only wins if that person’s chosen prize is still available; otherwise, I generate another number, and so on. (Evidently I like to make things as complex as possible.) So for this contest, I brought up my trusty random number generator this morning and got to work.

The first number it produced was 123, and that means Jodi wins a DVD! Congratulations, Jodi!

The second number it produced was 169, and here’s where it gets good—Ace1234 said this:

I was going to ask for a 3-2-1 Penguins show, but if my number comes up, please use it to give Jen (#165 in Houston) the Starbucks card. yikes! Hugs to you and everyone digging out from Ike!

And you know what? I was very touched by that. So I’m going to deviate from the protocol just a little bit, on account of people being kind make me all mushy inside. Ace1234 is still going to win a DVD, but at her suggestion, I am also going to just go ahead and give the Starbucks card to Jen, commenter 165. (Jen, be sure to thank Ace1234.) Now everyone hug and check their email! Who wants to sing Kumbaya?

Many thanks to all who played, and also to our pals at Special Ops (for the DVDs) and Edelman (for the Starbucks card).

Another contest is coming up later on, and I promise that it has all the write stuff. Ooops! I’ve said too much!