Make your money work for you. . . online
You know you should be saving money, right? Everyone realizes that, although how much and where and all of that are separate issues. What you might not realize is that online savings banks are a smart choice for savvy consumers, both in terms of ease-of-use and interest rates.
I happen to use ING Direct. (No, I am not affiliated with them in any way. Just a happy customer.) There are other online options, of course, though I’ve been very happy with ING. Let me count the ways…. read more…
I wish I had the kitchen for this
I’m a sucker for a big metal pot rack. It’s true. Now you know the awful truth. Well, it’s not really so awful. But I certainly don’t have the kind of kitchen where you can have one of these. (Nor do I have—now that I think of it—the fancy sort of pots one should have to hang on such a thing.)
Maybe you have the right sort of kitchen and the right sort of pots for such a thing. Maybe you can take advantage of the 62% off markdown and the free Super Saver Shipping (at 11 pounds, the shipping savings alone is substantial).
And as we all know, the listings at Amazon can change with the shifting of the winds… so if you want to get in on the deal, don’t delay.
Do you think I can buy a new house before they change the price…?
Healthy habits, free stuff
Do your children balk at brushing their teeth? Does your family read together at bedtime? Do you like free stuff?
If you answered “yes” to these questions, keep reading!
Colgate wants to help promote healthy habits in your kids. (Okay; they probably want you to buy Colgate products, too. That’s beside the point.) Sign up for the Healthy Bedtime Habits log to help encourage your kids to brush and read. The bedtime battles just may decrease, and your child can earn a free electric toothbrush.
Thanks for the tip, Jen!
Anti-trust, schmanti-trust. . .
I’ll admit it: I was a little sad when Toys R Us split from Amazon. I worried that the amazing deals would all dry up and disappear. And it really is all about me and my bargain needs, not what’s good for retail as a whole, you know.
Anyway, behold! The first Toys R Us and Babies R Us deal of the post-Amazon era! Can I get a “Woohoo!”? Woohoo!
Use coupon code TRULEG20_3XjKrfoXSCr to get 20% off one item at either Toys R Us or Babies R Us (the same code works on both sites). Good through September 1st, 2006 and excludes video game hardware and accessories.
Do some poking around; there are some items with free shipping, some items already marked down, and some with both free shipping and an already discounted price.
Lands’ End women’s swimsuits
There are some items—as you all well know—where I will advocate just going As Cheap As Possible. There are notable exceptions to this directive.
Why, here’s an exception right now: Don’t buy a cheap swimsuit. Cheap swimsuits pill, stretch, fade, and fall apart. And most of us are neurotic enough about donning a figure-baring item of clothing, in public, that the last thing we need is a pitiful excuse for a swimsuit making us even more self-conscious.
Why not check out a SwimFinity™ suit from Lands’ End? There’s an assortment of great styles to choose from in the “Not Quite Perfect” section, right now.
Don’t buy a cheap swimsuit. Buy an expensive swimsuit, cheap.
It’s battery time again
32 alkaline AAs for $4.98 shipped. If there’s a better deal out there, I don’t know it.
The lowdown on couponing
Usually when I get a question from a reader, I pop it into the advice queue, and I get to it when I get to it. But this came in this morning and I thought it deserved a quick few words, so here we are.
Hi Mir,
Because you are so pretty and smart I know you’ll have a good answer for me! What’s your take on coupons? I’ve been reading around the blogosphere lately about extreme couponing, where people save gazillions of dollars on their grocery bill. Now, my take is that not many coupons are offered for stuff I actually buy, as I tend to stick to whole foods (bought on special!), and I wouldn’t be saving enough money to make it worth my effort. Thoughts? What do *you* do with coupons?
Thanks so much!
Groovecatmom
Having just recently addressed this very issue without delving into some caveats, I felt like Groovecatmom had a point that’s in need of addressing. read more…
Friday links, now with more vacuum!
This weekend’s deal at Overstock: $1 shipping and 12% off any order, good through Monday at 2:00 or so. This is the time to make that purchase you’ve been considering, as this is one of their best coupons.
Happy Friday! Anything good this week at the Friday Sale at Amazon? Why yes, there are a few items of note. Weren’t we just talking about vacuums? You may wish to look at this Eureka upright, as it’s cheap, ships free, and has good reviews. (Pssst! If you decide to order it? Don’t forget that you can get $25 off a Kitchen/Home purchase of $125+… find something cheap to add to your cart so that your total qualifies!)
(Yes, I see that there are 2 other vacuums in the Friday Sale. Read the reviews. I feel okay recommending the Eureka, but the reviews on the others frighten me a bit.)
Or how about this reconditioned KitchenAid mixer? It’s just $134.99 after coupon, and the free shipping alone is a huge savings, because those things weigh about a hundred pounds. They make mean cookie dough, though. Er, I mean, wholesome organic oatmeal. Yeah.
What I really want is a robot to call my own. *sigh* Great deal or not, it’s a bit out of my price range right now. If you buy one, can I come over and watch it?
Happy shopping!
Book it
Do you know Book Closeouts? It’s a bargain haven for any book lover.
Right now they’re running a back-to-school promo where many of their already low prices are an additional 50% off.
You can also use coupon code castle and password bookcloseouts for an additional $5 off your $35 order, now through August 31st, 2006.
If I find a great book there, I often buy a stack and use them as teacher gifts. Just an idea. (I also sometimes just buy a bunch of books I want to read, because I’m a selfish bibliophile like that.)
Thanks for the heads up, Kris!
Racy detergent
Thanks (I think) to Lindsey for alerting me to these Tide and Downy freebies.
Though I will freely confess to being slightly put off by their description:
Tide® Simple Pleasures™ is a collection of laundry detergents with naturally-derived essential oils for a relaxing, refreshing, or romantic scent experience. Use together with Downy® Simple Pleasures™ liquid fabric softener in the same naturally-inspired scents and you’ll get a long-lasting scent experience.
It took me the longest time to figure out what was bothering me, and then I realized that I’m pretty sure I’ve read almost the same description on the back of a bottle of… well… lubricant. Which is disturbing.
But it’s free, so maybe you can forget that it sounds kinda porny.
|
|
|
|
|
