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Hi folks, my next theme will be pets! I am not lucky enough to have a furry animal (actually, it's my landlord's fault) but I know plenty of folks do. Please send me any ideas you have for where pet owners can save a buck! The theme is scheduled to run Wednesday, May 21 so send them in soon by leaving a comment on the blog (click on the tiny "comments" link underneath this post). Thanks! ~Julia
Women in wealthy homes make the majority of buying decisions, a story from Marketing Daily says. "Women make the home appliance decisions in 68% of households, and the travel decisions in 61%. They make the health-care calls, including choice of plans and providers, in 48% of such households, and the home improvement purchases in the same percentage. Two-thirds of wealthy women say they make family financial decisions jointly with their husbands, but fully 22% say that they make all of these financial decisions on their own."
Women in wealthy households, which they define as having a total income of $150,000 or more, don't balk at addressing service and product quality issues.
The story is based on a survey from the Luxury Institute in New York. CEO Milton Pedraza knew before the survey came out that women make big money decisions. "Recently," the story says, "his own wife walked out of a Best Buy store after a salesperson asked why her husband wasn't with her ... taking her $3,000-plus TV purchase elsewhere."
My question is, did they ask these wealthy women how important it is to get a good price? Even folks with tons of money want to save a buck!
The Mervyns Web site is a bit kooky - they don't seem to *sell* anything online, which is sooo last year - so I'm relying on my newspaper circular for the details of this sale. All swim wear is 40% to 50% off for "the family" so I'm assuming that includes men's, women's and kid's suits. Beach towels are 60% off at $5 to $14 (orig $12 to $35), flip-flops are $10 (orig $16 to $18) and sunglasses are $14 (orig $20 to $25). Reversible totes that come in three patterns, above, are $12 (orig $24). Sale ends Saturday, May 17. Find a Mervyns near you.
Save a few bucks while stocking up on bones for Beastie or toys for your Kitty at PetSmart. Get $5 off a purchase of $25, $10 off a $40 tab, or $15 off a bill of $50. Print the coupons here. The expire May 18, 2008.
Caveats: cannot be used to buy gift cards. Find a PetSmart near you.
UPDATE: Got an email from the retailer saying the sale was so popular they have pretty much sold out! Instead, they are offering $20 off a purchase of $50 or more. Use code ESAPC1. Expires May 18, 2008.
PREVIOUSLY: Gaiam is having a 50% off sale on certain pairs of Earth shoes. I'm in love with these red sandals that have a twist over the toes, above, for $59 (orig $120). They are so cute! Perhaps a little too crunchy for LA, though.
A pair of ocean blue clogs made of molded denim claim to mimic the feel of walking barefoot in the sand. Hmm...is that a good thing? Walking in the same is tiring. They are $49 (orig $99). Browse all seven pairs of sale shoes. Unclear how long sale lasts.
Thought I would re-post this popular coupon for a 2-for-1 at Yozen Frogurt because it is supposed to be a scorcher today. Plus I've got yogurt on the brain after writing about two freebies in Valencia this weekend. If you don't make it up that far north you can still save a buck at Yozen Frogurt's stores in West Hills or Westlake Village.
Here are two coupons for the store. It is a pdf so give it a minute or three to load. The first coupon is for a buy one get one free for 4, 6, or 8 oz portions. The second is for 50% off a quart of frozen yogurt when you buy a second quart. Both expire May 31, 2008.
I like their fruity flavors the best. If I get more than one dairy flavor it always seems too sweet and heavy. I recommend strawberry, tart peach, white cloud (the Pinkberry flavor) and peanut butter gold. If you ask nicely they will let you combine up to three flavors in a cup.
Caveats: cannot be combined with other coupons. Visit them at 6450 Platt Ave in the Platt Village strip mall in West Hills. (818) 887-8511. They also have a store at 2416 East Thousand Oaks Blvd in Thousand Oaks.
The travel sale at the Container Store comes just in time to help you stay organized on summer trips.
Zippered mesh packing cubes will keep all your socks together, or can be used to pack an outfit in one place. They are $6 to $9 (orig $8 to $12), depending on size. Basic toiletry sacks are $5.24 to $9 (orig $7 to $12). Find your luggage more easily with a bright critter tag, above, for $6 (orig $8).
Click here and scroll down to see more toiletry carrying options, travel bags, and liquid containers. Unclear how long sale lasts and if it is in a store near you.
Red Mango in Valencia is celebrating its grand opening by giving away frozen yogurt Saturday, May 17, from 12 to 6. The store is part of a popular chain that originated in South Korea in 2002. They specialize in tart, nonfat frozen yogurt flavors.
If you also hit the Robeks Juice opening on Saturday you'll be set for freebies! Visit Red Mango at 23885 Newhall Ranch Road at the Bridgeport Marketplace. (661) 253-4492.
A new Robeks Juice in Valencia is celebrating their grand opening by giving away free 12 ounce smoothies Saturday from 1 to 4. There will be samples of pretzels and soft serve yogurt, a live DJ, and prizes while supplies last. Even the Mayor of Santa Clarita may be there!
For details turn to page A8 of Thursday's Daily News. Visit them at 27730 McBean Parkway in Valencia. (661) 297-4915.
Got wind of a bunch of sample sales from Daily Candy. Here's the scoop!
The Calleen Cordero Warehouse Sale has extras from their Melrose retail store. Look for handmade shoes, boots, belts, and bags slashed 40 to 90 percent off retail. Saturday 10 to 5 at 7231 Hinds Ave. just north of Sherman Way in North Hollywood. (818) 764-0715.
Twelfth Street by Cynthia Vincent marks down spring and resort collections by up to 80 percent off retail. Thursday noon to 5 and Friday 10 to 5. 860 S. Los Angeles St. at Ninth St. Walk up to suite 422. (213) 225-2697.
Only Hearts is selling intimates, sleepwear and clothes from their own brand and Zooey, Alice McCall, and Princesse Tam Tam. Prices are up to 80% off. Thursday 10 to 5, Friday and Saturday 10 to 7, Sunday 11 to 6. 1407 Montana Ave. at 14th street in Santa Monica. (310) 393-3088.
Rhys Dwfen has samples of cotton, silk, and cashmere knits from previous seasons up to 90% off. Friday 2 to 7, Saturday 10 to 3. 453 S. Spring St.. downtown between Fourth and Fifth Streets. Walk up to suite 536. (213) 623-8285.
Tree is selling spring dresses and tops at wholesale prices Saturday 11 to 4. 846 S. Broadway, downtown between W. Eighth and W. Ninth streets. Walk up to suite 502. (213) 926-0919. Please confirm details on this last sale as I was not able to.
Get 40% off one regular priced book at Borders when you spend at least $20. Must belong to the Borders free membership club. The coupon is good in stores only. Print the coupon here. Expires May 18, 2008.
"Autobiography of a Face," by Lucy Grealy, sounds fascinating. As a young girl Grealy's face was disfigured by cancer and she struggled her entire life to accept herself while secretly wanting to be perfect, the Amazon review says.
Caveats: excludes previous and online purchases, non-stock special orders, magazines, comics, coupon books, eBooks, and shipping. Cannot be combined with other coupons or discounts, one coupon per customer. Find a Borders near you.
Get a free Southern Style Chicken Biscuit between 7 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. or get a free Southern Style Chicken Sandwich from 10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. at McDonald's today only. You need to purchase a medium or large drink to get the freebie so alas, it is not entirely free.
No coupon needed, according to Fast Food News. The deal is also posted on this McD's site. Find a McDonald's near you. Thanks, Coralee!
Get three weeks free at the women-only gym Curves when you bring in three milk caps to a participating Curves before July 17, 2008. New members only. The gym uses circuit training, above, to get members in shape. Read more about the offer here.
Caveats: caps have to be from fluid milk containers, limit one per person, not valid with other offers. Find a Curves near you and call first to confirm they are participating. If the first person you talk to has not heard of it, ask for a manager.
Double caveat: some of you may have heard Curves has ties to anti-choice groups. No matter where you stand on this issue, here is an interesting article that explains the brouhaha around Curves founder Gary Heavin.
UPDATE: Problem solved. I uploaded a new coupon that everyone *should* be able to access. If not, leave me a comment to let me know!
UPDATE: You may need a Gmail account to get this coupon. I'm looking for one that is easier to download.
PREVIOUSLY: Get a bag of Popchips free when you buy one bag now until May 31, 2008. The ad says "never baked never fried." So how do they cook these things - microwave oven? The Popchips site says they are popped "using heat, pressure, and a little snack magic." They are not fried in oil but are seasoned with oil so I'm guessing they are healthier than say, my beloved Fritos. They come in nine different flavors and are sold at Ralphs, Vons, Whole Foods and Albertsons.
Bring this printable coupon into the store. Find a store near you that sells them.
Caveats: one per customer, you pay sales tax, max value $3.29. Thanks, Natalie!
Rut roh! That's me using my best Scooby Doo voice after hearing that big dogs are not welcome at the new Americana at Brand shopping complex in Glendale, according to Racked LA.
Racked writes "Family-friendly Americana at Brand is already not looking so lovingly at Fido if he's not the size of a teacup. Franklin Avenue reports on letters coming into the Glendale News-Press complaining about Americana's no big-dog policy."
What if you live there and have a big, Scooby-sized pooch? Does this mean you can't take him/her for a stroll out your front door? If it comes down to pet people v. Americana mall rats, pet people are going to piss all over the policy. Now, who's got a Scooby snack?
Albertsons has a few deals on food now through Tuesday, May 20. Boneless London broil beef round is $1.69/lb, 64-ounce containers of Tropicana Punch are 10 for $10, Aquafresh Direct toothbrushes or toothpaste are 10 for $10, and fresh limes are 4 for $1.
During their three-day sale Friday, May 16 to Sunday May 18 a max pack of pork spare ribs are 99 cents/lb and a 1.75 liter of Absolut Vodka is $22.
Find an Albertsons near you and look for your local sales flyer here.
Here are a bunch of Web sites where you can download grocery coupons. Some are free, others charge. Please share your favorites coupon sites by leaving a comment (click on the tiny "comments" link underneath this post). That way everyone can benefit. Good luck finding one that makes money for you!
CouponMom.com--Run by coupon clipper extraordinaire Stephanie Nelson, who once paid $18 for $103 worth of groceries. Nelson shares her secrets on this site, which boasts hundreds of dollars worth of coupons. The site's virtual coupon organizer lists the date and page coupons can be found in a Sunday newspaper, but no actual coupons. You have clip and organize them yourself.
CheapCooking.com--Just what it sounds like, a site with recipes and ideas to make cheap meals at home. Check out their serving calculator to figure out how much meat at a certain price costs you per serving (it assumes you are cooking one serving/person).
FrugalFamilyKitchen.com--A well-written site that combines frugal ideas on cooking to stories about the writer's life as it relates to food. I loved her story about a resilient turkey that escaped...
We've all seen online reviews that just seem too glossy or pessimistic to be true, whether it is for a restaurant or a new gadget. Reading these fake reviews makes me doubt other write ups and leaves me constantly looking over my cyber shoulder.
Now OpenTable, the free online restaurant reservation service, claims "that every review (on their site) came from someone who actually dined at the restaurant," according to TechCrunch. They do this by sending emails to folks who were actually seated after making a reservation on their site. The down side to this is that OpenTable does not share the actual review, instead providing a ranking from confirmed diners. The system also seems to be new enough that very few restaurants have reviews. Boo!
I may stick to Yelp for now. Check out the reservations process for San Fernando Valley area restaurants.
Today through Tuesday, May 20 Ralphs advertises these sale prices: four boxes of Post cereal (Raisin Bran or Honey Bunches of oats) for $6, 10 Ralphs brand yogurts cups for $5, whole tri-tip for $2.99/lb, boneless pork sirloin chops in value packs for $2.49/lb, sirloin or blade pork loin chops for $1.99/lb, Gold Medal bread for $1.79/loaf, Barilla Pasta is 10 for $10, two packs of GE compact fluorescent light bulbs are $6, plus there are buy one get one free deals on a handful of toiletries. Caveats: discounts require you to have a club card. You can use coupons on top of these sales!
Browse the weekly ad for your zip code. Print up to 68 coupons at home through Ralphs Web site. Note, you need the Smart Source Coupon Printer to do this.
Ralphs also sells some generic prescriptions for $4 and 90-day supplies of some prescriptions for $10. Find a Ralphs near you.
Hubby and I spend a lot of moolah on groceries, between $400 and $600 a month. I came across this horrifying number while writing a story about trimming my household budget during a lean economy. Seeing the number in print - and realizing it obliterated my clothing budget - pushed me to use grocery coupons. Again. Would it work this time? Past attempts have been so frustrating or a huge waste of time. Ocassionally both!
This last try I stuck to the basics - clipping coupons from the Sunday newspaper. Master this and I might delve into the graduate school of grocery coupons - online savings programs. I made my shopping list first, noting several items that we could stock up on if they were on sale, like meat and cereal. Then I pulled out my coupon organizer and tossed out my expired coupons, slippery reminders of my failed attempts.
I clipped coupons only for products I buy, leaving behind ones for pet food, processed cheese, and instant rice. Coupons that I wanted to use that very grocery trip I put in front. Others I filed into categories for dairy, cereral/bread/grains, and the bathroom.
At Albertsons I flipped through the coupons I had pulled for the trip to remind myself to look for these items. A better idea would be to add them to my list with a -c at the end so I know I have a coupon for them.
I used five of the seven coupons and was like a hawk when it came to store sales. 20 yogurts for $10, load 'em up! Generic brand brown sugar packets for 69 cents, you bet! I also carefully did the math to discover fresh squeezed OJ on sale was actually cheaper than frozen OJ.
The checker rung me up. I owed $89.64. Then I gave her my club card and coupons and we both watched my bill jump down, down, down to $61.23. I saved $28.41, including $4.75 in coupons!
I hope my bill will drop even more as I build up my stash of coupons. I may start shopping at Ralphs, which doubles coupons. (I have resisted until now because my sense is their prices are higher than the Albertsons in my neighborhood.) My next step is to check manufacturer Web sites for coupons and get Hubby on board. My coupon career has set sail!
I rarely read the OC Register but a friend brought me the Sunday paper recently and I found tips to tame grocery prices by Reuters columnist Linda Stern buried on page 9 of Marketplace. Some of her best ideas:
+Buy frozen fish. Even the "fresh" fish at the meat counter has probably been frozen before. Prices on still-frozen fish in the freezer section are often cheaper.
+Use meat for flavor, not bulk. I've started to cut the meat we eat into smaller portions and use slightly less overall. So far, Hubby has not noticed and he is a carnivore through and through. Cooking with chicken or beef stock will also up the meaty flavor of a dish without requiring the real thing! A serving of meat is roughly the size of a deck of cards.
+Buy containers, then repackage bulk goods on your own. You can do this even if you don't shop at Costco. This works for chips, yogurt, veggies, and lots more.
+Stock up on sales. Stern recommends this for pasta, lightbulbs and toothpaste, and I would add to that list cereal, baking ingredients like flour and brown sugar (if you bake, like me), meat, bread, nuts, vitamins, canned goods (duh!), and anything else that you use regularly and that has a decent shelf life or can be frozen. Bread products freeze particularly well.
Thanks, Scottie!
The future of the Bargain Hunter is themed days, my sister and loyal reader advises me. You know, a slew of blog posts devoted to one subject, like the beach, or green clothes, or kids.
"Oh, really?" you say. Me thinks so, plus my sister is a smart gal so I'm giving her suggestion a trial run. Once a week I'm going to have a theme to my posts (other than saving a buck), starting with groceries. I'd love your feedback, whether you love/hate the concept or have great/terrible suggestions for a theme.
Please leave theme ideas as a comment on the blog. Thanks! ~Julia
Groceries, groceries, groceries. If the blog seems very dry today, you are not the only one. I've had about as much groceries as I can take. To change things up a bit I'm posting this very...wet picture of Lance Armstrong. I'm linking to it because it shows a lot of skin! ~Julia
Select pairs of women's shoes are up to 60% off at Brooks Brothers online this week. Not that I want to tempt you to blow your budget during these trying economic times, but if you have room to splurge check out the sale.
The trouser boot,, above, is a mid-length leather shoe made in Italy. It is $179 (orig $440). Comes in brown or burgundy and with the boot's 4-inch heel you will tower over everyone. I can neither afford these fabulous boots nor could I walk in them! But I can dream. 
The satin and velvet D'Orsay pump is fancy schmancy and packs a stylistic punch. Not everyone can pull this conspicuous pair off. Walk into a room with these babes on your feet and you will get noticed (in a good way). The 3.5-inch D'Orsay heels are $115 (orig $200). Browse all the sale pairs.
Knock $10 off your order at the Body Shop with no apparent minimums. I tried it with a $16 purchase and it worked! You still have to pay for shipping unless your tab is $70 or more. Use code BODYSHOP. It is case sensitive. Online only. Unclear how long this code will last but I don't expect very long. Really good deals never do.
I love the Body Shop's Seaweed Day Cream, above, for $16, though you still need to put on sunscreen because it does not contain any. I also find their Vitamin E Eye Cream makes a difference if I use it regularly. Yikes, the price went up to $17. I think it used to be $14. I've also had good luck with their lip products.
Get 20% off sale and regular priced merchandise plus free shipping on orders of $75 or more at Ann Taylor Loft now until June 1, 2008. Online only. Use promo code 81300060 and be careful not to insert any spaces! Mine did not work until I had it just right.
A summery white cotton dress could be dressed up for work, dressed down for a BBQ or the beach, or accessorized for a date. It is $47 (orig $59). A pair of black patent leather slides with a buckle are $16, above, (orig $34). In size 8 only.
Get a free scoop of Vanilla Honey Bee ice cream at Haagen-Dazs today, May 13, from 4 to 8 p.m. only. Short lived, but the best deals usually are. I love their super creamy, dense ice cream!
Find a participating store near you. No idea if the scoop is itty bitty or regular size.
Just discovered this Web site. It's called FreeShipping.org and it is a ton of, you guessed it, free shipping codes. You can search by store, category, expiration date, and alphabetical order. The display format is easy to scan so you can figure out quickly if there is a code for your particular needs. Check it out!
I will add it to my links on the right of the blog in case you forget the Web site's address.
Get $27 tickets to Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia when you buy them online and visit the park before Memorial Day, May 26. Tickets at the gate are $60 for adults. You can also get a year's pass for $60 if you buy it before May 18. Wahoo!
Falling interest rates are good for home owners or anybody taking out a loan, but when it comes to lending your own money to others (in the form of a CD), dropping interest rates are bad. I found this out when I opened a letter from my bank last night, which had written to say they were pleased I renewed a 12-month CD at an interest rate of 3.25%. My jaw dropped. That's barely inflation!
I compared my last renewal letter from a year ago and sure enough, my interest rate for the previous 12 months was 5.20%. It dropped almost 2%! Now I'm on the prowl for a better CD rate, and you may want to do the same.
Bankaholic lists the top 25 CD rates. Using the tabs at the top of their site you can compare CDs for various time periods and dollar amounts. As I write this GMAC has the best rate (4.10%) for a 12-month CD with a minimum deposit of $500. It may pay to make a few calls and switch.
