April 2008 Archives

Oh, how I wish I was not on a budget! A downtown shoe wholesaler is selling designer shoes at a significant discount this Saturday. The store only opens to the public when it benefits a charity, which in this case is LA Commons, a group that cultivates "highly visible public art projects that tell dynamic neighborhood stories."

An organizer named Julie said the warehouse is big and filled with high end shoes. The sale is from 12 to 4 p.m. and shoes are either $35 (for pairs that retail for $100), $70 (retails for $200), $105 (retails for $300) or $140 (retails for $400). Look for brands like Stuart Weitzman, Robert Clergerie, Donald Pliner, Kate Spade, Anne Klein, Via Spiga, Calvin Klein, Claudia Ciuti, Salvatore Ferragamo, Hollywould, Stephane Kelian, Enzo, and Cynthia Rowley.

The sale is at Dave Berger & Sons on 403. E. Washington Blvd. at the north east corner of Washington and Maple. (213) 749-9964. For questions about the sale call Julie at (310) 924-8453.

Caveats: cash and major credit cards only. Expect to pay a $2 to $4 charge for paying with your credit card.

Directions: From the 10 east, exit on Maple. Turn RIGHT on Maple once you exit the freeway. The building where Dave Berger & Sons is located is on the left (east) side of Maple, just before Washington Blvd., next to the alley where you will see a brick and mustard colored building with the name "Centro Cristiano Missionero". Turn LEFT into the alley to park (just know there is limited parking in the alley) OR park across the street opposite the building with the address 1734 Maple. If you don't park in the alley, you walk a very short distance from the street. Above the 2nd door, along the alley, the sign will read Dave Berger & Sons. The actual address is 403 E. Washington, however, the entrance to this wholesale supplier does NOT face Washington, but runs along side the alley.

Swimsuits for $26, tanks and T-shirts from $6, camis for $6 and baby doll tops for $13. These are the prices I'm seeing at the Arizona Jeans Everything Under the Sun sale. Get a new suit and a few summery beach outfits for under $50. Not too shabby.

A two-piece polka dot bikini, above, is $13 for each piece. Shop sale items for gals, guys, shoes, and accessories. Unclear how long the sale lasts.

Tomorrow is taco truck night! A new county law that fines trucks for idling more than an hour may do away with taco trucks. Some of us, especially those who appreciate the trucks for their cheap, tasty meals, are ticked off. District 1 County Supervisor Gloria Molina and the L.A. Board of Supervisors are to blame.

"Citations will be punishable by fines starting at $100 for the first offense," according to a story in the Daily Breeze. "If the District Attorney's Office chooses instead to treat the offense as a misdemeanor, it will be punishable by a fine of up to $1,000 or six months in jail or both, he said."

Join this petition to save taco trucks and show your support by eating at a taco truck tomorrow, May 1. Before they are gone add your favorite taco truck to a site that lists dozens, mostly in NoCal.

Albertsons is having an eight hour sale tomorrow, Thursday May 1 from 1 to 9 p.m. The prices are super low on select items, so stick to your list and you will come out ahead.

Bottles of Gatorade are 69-cents for 32 ounces, Ultrabrite toothpaste in 6 ounce tubes OR Colgate Plus toothbrushes are 10 for $10. Large sweet mangos are 2 for $1, a 35-pack of Crystal Geyser Spring half liter water bottles is $3 +CRV. Albertsons brand cheese in 8-ounce chunks are 2 for $3. Get meat sliced at the deli (Hormel Honey, Virginia or Cooked Ham or Jennie-O Oven Roasted Turkey) and it will cost you $3/lb. A set of 18 fresh baked chocolate cookies at the bakery is $2.

Sales may vary by store. If they are out of an item ask for a rain check. The number of items you can buy in each sale category may be limited. Find an Albertsons near you.

A number of small hotels and inns are offering gas freebies or major tank savings when you book a few nights. The Colonial Terrace in Carmel will knock $25 off your bill when you show up in a Hybrid for a Sunday through Thursday stay. Book for dates before June 30, 2008 to get the deal.

The Tin Lizzie Inn in Fish Camp, CA marks the 100th anniversary of the Model T Ford be selling you gas for your Model T (which they happily rent) at 20-cents a gallon when you book one night. Or, you can get $20 to cover the entrance into the park. Mention Tanks A lot when booking. Valid June 1 to July 25, 2008.

Similar deals at Prufrock's Garden Inn by the Beach in Carpinteria, Bear River Ranch in Grass Valley, CA and the Kern River Inn Bed & Breakfast in Kernville, CA. Search all the California gas deals at hotels and inns.

I don't know if this Web site is a godsend or another example of people being way too uptight. StopForwarding.us lets you anonymously e-mail someone a message asking them to stop forwarding mass e-mails containing jokes and stories.

The anonymous message doles out a lesson in e-mail etiquette. "Avoid sending forwards to friends or relatives that you've grown distant with. It can be frustrating for the recpient (sic) when the only correspondance (sic) you have with someone is via impersonal, unwanted email."

While you are at it, don't forget to spell check! Read the full e-mail your unwitting friend will receive.

I can think of a one or two people who send me messages every month that I'd rather not receive. But I choose to open them. If you really don't want to be bothered with jokes that have been forwarded a million times (hence the heading), delete them! You can always ask the offending sender to leave you off their e-mails. But sending an anonymous email? That's kind of snarky, don't you think? Of course, if you don't feel comfortable approaching the sender (say ita co-worker, this would resolve the situation tension-free.

Get a discount on home repair and maintenance with a coupon for $5 off a purchase of $25 or more at TrueValue hardware. Click here to enter your email so they can send you the coupon. Expires July 4, 2008 so come back to print out more as you need them.

Caveats: one per customer, stores may limit eligible items to certain items in stock, not valid with other discounts, not refundable. Find a TrueValue near you.

Get 20% off regular, sale and clearance merchandise at Macy's now until Monday, May 5. The discount is 10% on electrics, technology, furniture, mattresses, and area rugs. Get the coupon here. Online use code MACYSFF.

I blogged about this discount a few days ago but you had to go to the Topanga store. Now everyone can use it. This coupon also makes for killer savings on wedding presents!

Caveats: cannot be combined with other discounts, excludes cosmetics, fragrances, Everyday Values, Tempur-Pedic, gift cards, services, restaurants, special orders and wine. Thanks, Kay!

I got such a good response from my Sunday story about trimming household spending that I decided to let y'all know how my saving plan is going. Hubby and I made a long list of our expenses, highlighted categories where we can spend less, and made a to do list to trim out bills. I followed through on one of them and made $70 in 7 minutes!!! No joke.

Hubby and I pay $28.15 a month for the Sunday New York Times. That is just over $7 a paper. Yikes! I called the Times to see if they could extend a discount to a longtime loyal reader. No such luck, the lady on the other end politely informed me. But I can already read the sections I like online, I pointed out. No deal, she said. But I can probably get the paper cheaper off the newsstand, I protested. Can't help you, she said.

By this point I had convinced myself to cancel the paper, which is what I told her. Hold on a second...oh my supervisor has approved a 50% off deal for 16 weeks, plus an additional 4 weeks if you pay by credit card. Kaa-zam!!

My bill drops to $70.35 for 20 weeks, down from $140.74. I hope we save as much with the other items on our to do list.

+Call cable company and ask for $10 off a month, we had the discount our first year of service and are considering switching companies

+Look for cell phone plan with fewer minutes but more texts to fit with our usage patterns

+Reduce gasoline bill by working from home more and carpooling

+Don't risk parking tickets, bring change or keep looking for spot

+Shop around for cheaper places to fill generic prescriptions

+Use dry cleaning coupons instead of going to the most convenient place

+When ordering take out, split a dish instead of creating leftovers

Forever21, the cheap chic clothing store, is opening a store at Valencia Town Center. It will be located at the entrance of the atrium court and will be one of the biggest stores in the mall, apparently. I like shopping at Forever21 for affordable, edgy clothing that may go out of style quickly and basic clothing, like white tops, that wear out fast.

Get 30% off the entire Urban Decay line of makeup and beauty products now until tomorrow, April 30, 2008. Use coupon code FFA30. Good online or over the phone (800-784-URBAN). No minimum purchase required.

Reader Michelle wrote in with the code and this recommendation: "They have unique colors for eyeshadows. And in my opinion the best liquid liner there is. Stays on the whole day and does not smudge. Their cosmetics line has an edge when it comes to packaging and they are known for the best eyeshadow primer which is the Urban Decay primer potion. Your eyeshadow will stay on the whole day without creasing or smudging."

They also sell vegan makeup?! Thanks, Michelle!

Get 24 coupons for tools and supplies at Harbor Freight that can be used now until May 3, 2008. A 18 to 24 volt solar charger is $80 (orig $90), a six-piece Pittsburg screwdriver set is $1.29 (orig $6), a 10-pack of 1/8-inch drill bits is $1.39 (orig $3.50), a stud finder is $6.50 (orig $10), and a 22-piece screwdriver bit set is $3 (orig $7). Print the coupons here.

Find a Harbor Freight near you.

Wednesday, April 30 is 31-cent scoop night at Baskin Robbins. It's a stunt to gain publicity for their $100,000 donation to the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation, which, together with the ice creamery, is honoring 31 firefighters from across the nation who have shown an "exemplary commitment to community service."

The cheapo scoop is only from 5 to 10 pm on April 30 and it is for a 2.5 ounce scoop, which is about four gulps of water. But each person can buy 10 mini-scoops. The press release rightly points out that this is a great opportunity to try more than a tiny pink spoonful of wacky flavors. Find a Baskin Robbins near you. Thanks, Judi!

The $600 checks the government is sending out to stimulate the economy will arrive in bank accounts and mailboxes across the country soon. If you are going to spend yours, take advantage of retailers that are offering special discounts tied to the rebate checks. Click here to see when your check will be sent.

Ralphs and Albertsons will add $30, $60 or $120 to a gift card when you exchange your tax refund or economic stimulus check for a gift card. The bonus equals 10 percent of the amount you exchange. The offer starts Friday and lasts through July 31. One per household up to $1,200.

RadioShack gives a 10 percent discount on tabs of $50 or more when you use your stimulus check or tax rebate between May 4 and July 12. The balance will be put on a Vision Silver Prepaid MasterCard that can be used anywhere MasterCard is accepted.

Sears, Kmart, and Land's End offer a 10 percent bonus when you exchange your entire rebate check for gift cards. That means a $600 check nets gift cards worth $660. Bring in your check between May 14 and July 19 to get the deal.

Staples is offering no-interest on purchases over $499 with some exclusions when you use your Staples credit card. Valid April 21 through June 30, 2008. Mention code 31831. Read the fine print at here.

Restoration Hardware is offering $100 off a purchase of $750 or more through Wednesday. Get a voucher here to shop in stores or use code HEMAP804 online or over the phone. You can put off paying for a purchase of $750 for one year with no interest when you use your Restoration Hardware credit card.

If you plan to save your check...

Get 21% off purchases at DiscountOfficeSuppliesy.com today only! An email flyer said there are no exclusions. Use code EMAPR28 in all CAPITAL letters to get the discount. Free delivery on purchases over $50. Unopened software can be returned within 5 days, products can be returned within 30 days. Read the full return policy here.

Caveats: excludes shipping and handling, cannot be combined with any other offer, coupons, or discounts, not valid on previous purchases, one per customer.

Get 20% off one full priced item at J.Jill online or over the phone now until May 30, 2008. If you have the coupon from the May issue of Real Simple you can get the discount in stores, too. Online or over the phone (800-642-9989) use code RLS048. I'm guessing the fourth character is a zero and not an "o."

Caveats: not valid in J.Jill outlets, one per person, cannot be combined with other offers except Take 5, not valid on gift cards, past purchases, shipping or tax.

Get $3.50 off an order of $10 or more until May 11 OR get free shipping on orders over $25 until May 3 at Ulta Beauty. The offers cannot be combined, unfortunately. For the $3.50 off use promo code 92524. For the free shipping deal use code MOMSHIPSFREE. They suggest fragrances and other gifts for your Mom. Donna Karan's Eau de Toilette is $58 for 1.7 ounces.

Caveats for $3.50 off: excludes salon services, fragrance, hair artistry brands, prestige cosmetics including Bare Escentuals, prestige skincare, GoSmile and T3. Cannot be redeemed for cash or gift cards. Limit one per customer.

Caveats for free shipping: tax and gift cards do not apply towards total, some restrictions.

Buying a flat screen TV is a lot more fun than saving your $600 rebate check, but it won't help your solvency. Think twice, be realistic, and consider these tips from the Wall Street Journal before you head to the electronics store.

+Put the rebate towards credit card debt. "A $600 balance on a credit card with an 18% interest rate costs $108 a year" in interest alone. Debt at these rates is not a bargain.

+Start or add to a retirement account or IRA. Max out the limit you can contribute to the retirement plan at your work. Or, if your job does not offer one, start an IRA. "IRA accounts grow tax-deferred, allowing you to earn interest tax-free," the story says.

+Set up a 529 college savings account. The money grows tax free if used for education.

+Create a health savings account. If you are eligible, you can pay for out of pocket medical expenses like co-pays and prescriptions with pretax dollars. There are some limits to how much you can put into the account. Some let you rollover a remaining balance to the next year, others do not.

I like to read the critical shopper stories that come out every Thursday in the Style section of the New York Times. They are written by Mike Albo or Cintra Wilson, but Albo does a better job. Each piece describes what a store sells within the consumer and fashion culture that surrounds the establishment and its followers. They usually toss in a healthy dose of the retail building's history to satisfy the paper's uber-informed tone.

The critical shopper from last week has Albo's take on our little consumer fairyland that is The Grove. It is hard to hate the convenient cluster of shops - with music! and a trolley! and a little patch of grass! - but at the same time the place is kind of weird.

Albo writes: The first time you go to the Grove, the immensely successful and completely fabricated commercial center in Los Angeles, you will try to hate it. But then you will watch the old-fashioned trolley passing by, or the dancing fountain as it splurts jovially to the cadence of a Sinatra song, and you will drop your snobby urban integrity and walk around consuming things in a mouth-breathing stupor just like everyone else.

“You want to hate the Grove, but you just can’t,” one Angeleno friend said.

“The first rule of L.A. is to stop hating the Grove,” another said.

“You have to go to the Grove!” everyone else gushed. Keep reading.

Here is a Web site that helps you find the best bank for your needs. At FindABetterBank.com you enter your zip code, then rank 12 account features as things you either don't care about, would like to have, or must have. Answer a handful of questions about what fees usually snag you, then sort through the results it spits out. It took me about three minutes to go through the process.

You can rank the results by estimated annual fees (the Web site guesses what you pay according to the info you shared), the percentage of preferred features you ranked or proximity. The results also detail each bank's features, fees, and savings account rates. The site was started by two guys, one with a finance background and one a techie. Their premise was that it is too difficult for people to switch banks and that if the process were easier the better banks would rise to the top.

People have such different needs I do not think there is one "best" bank, but certainly this site can help you find one that suits your lifestyle. Read more about how the site works.

Free cone day is tomorrow, Tuesday, April 29, at Ben & Jerry's in celebration of the chain's 30th anniversary. I went last year and there was no line and the server was very pleasant. If I recall correctly, you could get any flavor in a regular cone or cup and the scoop was a normal size. Find a B&J near you.

If you miss this freebie or crave more ice cream (who doesn't?), check out 31-cent night at Baskin Robbins on Wednesday, April 30. More details tomorrow!

If you read my Sunday story on making a household budget and are looking for the blank budget worksheet, you are in the right place! Download it by clicking here. Note, you need Excel to open this document. The form automatically sums your expenditures, but you may need to add line items for categories not already listed, like Internet connection fees.

Good luck filling it out! It is tough to figure out where every penny is going, but you must know this to get control of your cash flow. Once you have that under tabs, it is a mental wrestling match with your inner spending beast!

Thanks to Rebecca Robins, a CFP in Stevenson Ranch, who agreed to let me share this document with Bargain Hunter readers.

The one day home sale at Bloomingdale's is Saturday, April 26, but it really starts today during "preview day." Select items in linens, housewares, furniture, mattresses, luggage, bed and bath are 25 to 75% off. Ralph Loren towels are $5 to $16 (orig $8 to $27), a 4.5 quart Kitchen Aid, above is $200 (orig $350).

Browse all the sale categories here. Sale is in stores and online. Thanks, Sarah!

Tipsy shoppers are helping boost Internet sales, a story from the LA Times says.
"BUIs -- those who buy under the influence -- may be the Internet's dirty little secret," the story says. "(Then again, how dirty can you feel when you wake up spooning your keyboard?) And with retail e-commerce up 19% to $136.4 billion in 2007, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce, it's not shocking to realize that some people are boozing and browsing."

Makes sense. A few drinks and that sizzling dress on your screen does not seem like such a stretch. And gosh dang it, I deserve it! Hiccup. But I disagree with the last sentiment in the story - that online shopping is the one thing you can do while drunk that you won't regret. You may be able to return a mistake, but you will probably have to pay shipping and/or a restocking fee. Plus there's the whole hassle of it.

Get 15% off your purchase at Footlocker.com using code LKS18M15. I'm told it has very few exclusions. A sleeveless Kobe Bryant jersey is $45 before the discount.

Browse women's clothing and shoes, stuff for men, and kids gear and apparel. Fan gear here.

Caveats: online only. Unclear when the code expires.

Get $15 off a purchase of $30 or off $75 at Express and Express Men stores now through April 27, 2008. Print the coupon here.

Caveats: one per customer, excludes jewelry and hair accessories, redlined merchandise, or past purchases. Find a store near you.

Get 70% off restaurant gift certificates at Restaurant.com for a limited time. Enter code GOURMET after you have added the certificate to your basket. The certificates are for specific restaurants and often come with a detailed set of rules you have to follow to redeem the certificate. At Il Paradiso Ristorante in Encino, a $25 certificate goes for $3 with the code, but to use it you must order a minimum food purchase of $35, excluding alcohol/beverages. Dine in only. They automatically add 18% gratuity. I've seen other certificates that limit days and times you can use them. The certificates are a good deal, but run the numbers to see how much you are actually saving before buying.

Take the deal above. Say you order $35 worth of food, no drinks. You pay $13 for the grub ($3 certificate plus $10), plus a $6.30 tip (that's 18% on the original bill of $35) plus $3 in tax. The total comes to $22.30 for the $35 meal. You save 36%, not bad, but nowhere near the 70% discount that you started with.

Hi folks, just wanted to let you know the techies at the Daily News are changing the blogs Monday afternoon so there will be no new posts during the then. They say it will take two hours but my guess is a lot longer. I will do my best to get out the daily digest before the freeze but if I don't please check the site to see all the new deals. Hope to be back to normal Tuesday. Thank you for reading the Bargain Hunter and sending me tips! ~Julia

If a weak dollar has not dissuaded you from venturing abroad, take advantage of this offer to lock in a hotel rate in US dollars at two Paris hotels. Basically, you pay the equivalent of whatever $300USD is in Euros the day you check out at Hotel Lutetia or $360USD at Hotel du Louvre. So if the dollar falls, you pay fewer Euros. If the dollar climbs, you pay more Euros. The bottom line is you pay however many Euros equals $300USD, plus bank fees, on the day you check out. Book now for stays between July 11 and August 31 to guarantee these rates.

On hotels.com Hotel Lutetia is booking for $398 a night. Hotel du Louvre is booking for $430 a night. Caveats: valid only for North American citizens (they check passports at check in), subject to availability.

Get 20% off at almost everything at Macy's starting next week, April 30, through May 5. To get the deal call Loren Bennett at (818) 883-7211, hit 1, then extension 2941. She is a personal shopper at the Macy's in the Topanga mall and you can make an appointment with her to shop or tell her you prefer to shop alone and just want to pick up the coupon. She can't email it, unfortunately.

Loren says there are many perks if you shop with her, such as private dressing rooms and private check out. She will pull stuff off the rack before you even get to the store and you can email her requests. Her services are free and there is no obligation to buy. But again, if you prefer to shop alone that's okay, she said.

Caveats: the discount excludes cosmetics, fragrances and everyday values (they have prices that end in .98). I asked if specific brands were excluded and she said no. Thanks, Jen!

A friend balked at paying $20 per cell phone accessory at the phone store and instead turned to CellularFactory.com, which has lower prices than what you typically see in a cell phone store. A $20 phone clip in the store was $3 online and $15 earbuds were $2, he said. For a grand total of $12 he got all the cell accessories he and his wife desired.

But is the site cheaper than the bargain basement otherwise known as Amazon.com? Well folks, it is hard to tell. I tried to compare the prices of several items and they are labeled differently on the two sites so it was difficult to do an exact comparison. I recommend checking both sites to find what you want at the best price.

Cellulary Factory has $4 shipping or free shipping on orders of $15 or more with coupon freeship (unclear when this expires). Returns are accepted within 10 days of receipt as long as it is unused. A 15% restocking fee applies. Read the full policy here. Thanks, Chris!

Check out the sale going on at Urban Outfitters, where prices are up to 50% off. A super cute silver doctor's bag purse is $40 (orig $68). Tons of men's T-shirts are $10 to $20, like this light pink outlaw astronaut shirt for $10 (orig $38). There are pages and pages of women's dresses marked down, like this simple white cotton dress that looks super versatile, for $30 (orig $58). A tiny leprechaun pet hat, above, is $4 (orig $8). Browse other sale categories: women's shoes, men's accessories, men's shoes, and home furnishings.

The family and friends sale at Cost Plus World Market is April 24 to 27, 2008. Get 25% off store wide and 10% off gourmet food and beverages. Use this printable coupon for in store shopping or code FFAPRIL online.

Caveats: excludes alcohol, gift cards, prior purchases, cannot be combined with other coupons or discounts. Find a Cost Plus near you.

Get super discounted rates on more than 20 magazines, including Entertainment Weekly, InStyle, and Sports Illustrated, through this Time Warner friends and family deal. Expires June 22, 2008. I found their prices to be lower than Magazine.com. Entertainment Weekly is $20 for 28 issues versus $10 for 57 issues with the Time Warner discount. InStyle is $24 for 12 issues versus $20 for 13 issues and Sports Illustrated is $20 for 28 issues versus $38 for 56 issues at Time Warner.

Caveats: no more than five magazines per household will be processed, valid for new subscriptions only.