May 2008 Archives

This is such a good sale I didn't want to wait until tomorrow, even though I've already sent the daily digest. Dodgers tickets for June 2, 3 and 4 games against the Rockies are as low as $4!

Four types of tickets are discounted. Field Box tickets are $17 (normally $50), Infield Reserve tickets are $9 (normally $28), Lower Reserve tickets are $6 (normally $20), and Reserve tickets are $4 (normally $16). The Monday and Tuesday games start at 7:10, the Wednesday game is 12:10.

Buy the tickets here and remember to enter the promo code TZOOJUNE to get the discounted prices. Each ticket has a $1 convenience charge.

Unclear how long the deal lasts but don't expect a good deal like this to stick around.

MetroPCS is handing out free hands-free earpieces starting Monday June 2 and going until Sunday June 8. You don't have to be a customer to get the freebie, you just have to drop by one of their 12 company stores and ask for one.

The deal comes just in time to satisfy California's new law requiring drivers to use a hands-free device starting July 1. Also, wireless safety week is June 2 to 8.

Caveats: the freebie earpiece may not be compatible with all phones. Find a MetroPCS store near you. Note, the deal is only at company stores so if the name of the store is not MetroPCS it is NOT participating. Company stores include locations in Panorama City, Culver City, MacArthur Park, Fullerton and East LA.

Thanks, Greg!

Get $25 off a regular priced pair of Brighton Footwear at Cobblestone Cottage in Valencia when you donate a pair of new or gently used shoes. They can be men's, women's or children's shoes. The donations go to Soles 4 Souls Inc., a charity that gives shoes to needy people around the world.

The shoe drive and discount ends Sunday, June 15. Visit Cobblestone Cottage at 24335 Magic Mountain Parkway in Valencia. (661) 253-0209.

UPDATE: The sale has been extended until midnight PST June 2.

PREVIOUSLY: Road Runner Sports is having a mega sale on running shoes until noon on Monday, June 2. A tab on the left lets you sort the pairs by size, width, brand, color, price, foot type, and gender. Many of the shoes are $10 off, which is not a huge deal but not bad either. The best prices are in the bargain basement section, where a pair of women's ASICS gel empire II sneaks, above, are $58.50 (orig $110), in size 6 only, unfortunately. A pair of women's Addidas post-workout sandals in pink and black are $16 (orig $25). A pair of men's Nike Air Cesium are $58.59 (orig $120) and come in many sizes.

A few of the discounted items are final sale so look for that. If you join their VIP program you get a free pair for every five you buy and free shipping. It costs $40. Some clothes are also marked down.

Get $10 off a $30 purchase at Walgreens today only with some caveats. In stores only. Print the coupon here.

Caveats: excludes alcohol, tobacco, prescriptions, gift cards, and pre-paid cards. Find a Walgreens near you.

Get a $500 gift card to Ikea if you are selected to get married at the Ikea in Burbank as part of a celebration of Mamma Mia! The Movie. Exactly 20 couples will be chosen. Note, you can also renew your vows or do a commitment ceremony.

Folks will be tying the knot July 17, a day before the movie comes out. They take care of the reception, justice of the peace, entertainment and cake, and will have a Swedish spread, according to Ikea. You can also invite up to 16 friends!

Fill out this form by June 10 with your name, email and reason why you want to get married at Ikea. 1250 words or less!

As a mini-honeymoon you and your beloved will get a pre-screening of Mamma Mia! The Movie at Universal CityWalk following the ceremony.

Phew. Boy am I relieved. I can barely afford to fill up my gas tank, the cost of putting dinner on the table is skyrocketing, and home prices are still totally out of my reach. But at least I can afford to get dressed!

Mainstream clothing prices have dropped over the past 10 years, according to a story in the New York Times. Luxury brands like Gucci and Prada are still rising, but those labels are priced in another stratosphere anyway.

"As consumers adjust to soaring prices for gasoline, food, education and medical care, just about the only thing that seems a bargain today is clothes - mainstream clothes, anyway," the story says.

The deflation of clothes is due to manufacturing going overseas and competition between retailers. Think of all the low-budget retailers out there: H&M, Target, Forever21, Ross, Kmart, Aeropostale, Gap, American Eagle, The Express, Charlotte Russe, Costco, Hot Topic, Kohl's, JC Penney, Mervyns, The Limited, Loehmann's, Marshalls, Old Navy, Sam's Club, Sears, Stein Mart, Neiman Marcus. Whaa? (Just checking if you are still paying attention.)

From 1998 to 2008 a pair of Levi's 501 Jeans has dropped from $50 to $46, a Lacoste Polo shirt has fell from $95 to $75 and Joe Boxer briefs have slipped from $17 to $9. But don't expect clothing prices to get any cheaper, says Bud Konheim, chief executive of Nicole Miller. "I think we've exploited all the countries on earth for people who really want to work for nothing."

I'm back from New York City and am pretty proud of myself. I limited my shopping, ate cheaply, and only took three cab rides. Below is the budget I set up before the trip and in bold is what I actually spent. Did I come in under my estimated $317.50?

+Weekly subway pass: $25. Actual: $25

+Hands free device so I don't get a ticket when the new CA law takes effect July 1: $6. Actual: $0 (didn't buy one)

+Ticket to the Museum of Modern Art: $20. Actual: $0 (didn't go)

+Shoes (just in case I spot an awesome pair): $60. Actual: $0 (bought clothes instead, see below).

+Meals out: $75. Actual: $60 for seven meals

+Presents for friends who let us crash on their floor: $50 Actual: $65.
+Lunch at Ibby's Falafel in Jersey City: $5. Actual: $6

+Bus fare to wedding: $26.50 Actual: $19

+Drinks with friends (multiple nights): $50 Actual: $52

+Run around Central Park Loop: free! Actual: free!

Plus all the expenses I forgot to budget.
+Cab rides: $10
+NY Post: $.50
+Purse for $13 and khaki's for $10 at Goodwill
+Chinatown bakery sweets: $1.70
+Train ride back to the city after the wedding: $14
+CT Advocate newspaper: $.50
+Summer top for $15, plaid shorts for $10 and Calvin Klein bra for $17
+Picture of the Brooklyn Bridge at sunset on my cell phone was free!

Grand total: $299.70!!! Not too shabby. Making a budget definitely helped because I knew going in where I wanted to spend my money and I was conscious of my spending while I was there.

It would be hard not to blog about something that has been cluttering my brain this week - the "Sex in the City" movie! Roll your eyes now if you don't love every minute of the Carrie-Charlotte-Samantha-Miranda foursome in action. They are fabulous!

And now, a smattering of ideas about the foursome's clothes. About.com has a great low-down on "Sex" fashions, from trends the show has popularized (Stilettos, great coats, the bob) to favorite brands (Manolo Blahnik, Dolce & Gabbana, Chloe, Prada, Roberto Cavalli). The site also has four tips to look as amazing as the foursome.

+ Mix high and low. "What this means is simply learning to mix flea market finds with designer or wear high-end fashions in unexpected ways," the site says.

+It's all in the shoes. "Toss the Birkenstocks and opt for sky-high mules, sandals and pumps (the more expensive, the better). Comfort is not the key here: long legs are the point. If you have the legs for it, go bare-legged. Otherwise, try super-sheer pantyhose. And of course, a perfect pedicure is required."

+Dress on trend or slightly ahead. "Can't bear to part with your hippie chic duds? Well, the "Sex and the City" gals wouldn't be caught dead in something so blatantly last year. Subscribe to every fashion magazine and read the Fashion website religiously."

+Be prepared to drop a bundle. "Price out a typical designer outfit and it can easily run in the thousands. That's probably why the producers made Carrie's apartment such a dump (all that rent money being blown on $500-a-pop Manolos)."

Hmm, not so sure about that last one. There are ways of getting a designer look without paying for the labels. Dress like Charlotte with these tips from the Budget Fashionista. I'm not sure how much Charlotte's actual outfit costs, but the BF puts it together for $203.

Fashionable flowers litter the film, apparently, and you can get the look too. "To wear it, pin or clip pretty silk or jeweled flowers to you jacket, dress, handbag, or hair, and let it be the focus -- meaning pare back on other accents or just go ahead and leave the rest of 'em at home. A note: while Carrie can pull off the most outrageous of floral pieces we suggest that, in real life, the flower you choose to don should not exceed the size of your head," the BF writes.

Look for a lot of "get the look for less" type ideas online and in magazines after the movie comes out. I'll try to find the best of them!

The Babystyle spring sale has prices up to 75% off and many good deals if you look closely. The sale has discounts by category for pregnant ladies, babies and kids.

A pair of metallic baby sandals with red hearts, above, are $13 (orig $24). Plain brown leather baby shoes made by Robeez are $15 (orig $26). A little boring, but perfect for serious play at the park. A pair of blue sweatpants for the baby are $4 (orig $18). Ideal for days when you just can't bear to put anything else on her/him.

In the maternity section, a yoga cami with three solid colors is $13 (orig $38). Calf-length leggings come in limited sizes and colors but are only $13 (orig $48).

Plenty of deals for kids, too. A pink and brown tunic top with a geometic tulip pattern is $17 (orig $30). A brown mini skirt with eyelet ruffles around the hem is $20 (orig $28).

Unclear how long the sale lasts. Online only.

Spending for Father's Day gifts is going to decline this year, according to a retail group called the National Retail Federation. The average spending will be $94.54, down from $98.34 last year.

Is it me or does that seem awfully high?

I think a card or a phone call is a good gift. If you are compelled to buy something consider a gas card or gift certificate to a food store. Gifts like cologne or a silk tie are more sexy, but a gas/food card will definitely get used. And if you are worried about your budget, chances are he is too.

You can always pair the utilitarian gift with a joke about the unusual gift. I was going to write one but I couldn't think of any!

The folks at Laemmle Theaters wrote me about their senior discounts and they sound pretty good. Every Wednesday matinées starting before 6pm are $4 for seniors aged 62 and older.

On any day of the week for any show seniors can get a the "senior concession combo," which consists of a small popcorn and a 12 ounce fountain drink, for $4.

I saw a preview for Son of Rambow and would like to see it. Find out what other movies are playing at Laemmle Theaters.

Click on a Laemmle Theater location at the top of this page. Or visit them at the Town Center 5 in Encino and the Fallbrook 7 in West Hills. Thanks for thinking of the Bargain Hunter, Laemmle!

(my actual food!) I thought I was stuffed a few nights back until I saw the window of Egg Custard King Cafe in NYC's Chinatown. Puff pastry treats and colorful sweets beckoned and I found my dessert stomach rumbling with hunger. It wasn't a hard decision to cross the street and step into the cafe.

Inside I ordered two delicious treats, each under $1. The first, a mini-egg custard in a flaky crust, was my favorite. I love flan and creme brulee and the egg custard, above, had a similar texture. Soft, slightly warm, and sweet. At 70 cents each I was addicted. Why didn't I buy a dozen more?

Next up was a sweet rice ball, below, with diced peanuts and sugar in the middle. It was covered in coconut flakes and about the size of a baseball. Eating the gooey ball with my fingers made me feel adventurous. But it was an awful lot of chewy ricey goodness for one person and I did not finish mine. Hubby would only sniff it. Still, at 90 cents I felt it was a good deal.

I'm not very familiar with LA's Chinatown but I bet it has similar low-priced bakeries. Here is a list of Chinatown restaurants that includes Family Pastries Inc., Co Co Bakery, and Fun On Bakeries. Check one out and try and egg custard!

If you are in NYC Egg Custard King Cafe is on Lafayette just south of Canal.

Get $5 off a $50 purchase at Home Depot online now until June 4, 2008. There are many caveats so read the fine print. Use coupon code DAD2008.

A one gallon Gardenia plant known for fragrant blooms is $25. A Char-Broil Santa Fe charcoal grill with two adjustable side shelves is $119. Use their grill finder to set parameters like price, features, fuel type, brands, and BTU capacity.

Coupon caveats: cannot be combined with other discounts, not valid on labor or self-furnish and install including roofing, windows, siding, HVAC products, custom closets, storage solutions, installed sheds or structures. Not valid on gift cards, prior purchases, consumer electronics, and the following brands: John Deere, Cub Cadet, Little Giant Ladder Systems®, Thermador® in select markets, Gaggenau®, Miele®, Dacor®, Viking®, Fisher&Paykel®, Sharp Insight™, Delonghi®, Casablanca®, Hunter Prestige®, Buckhaven, Weber, Lynx, Alfresco, OCI, Marvel, Bertazzoni, Aga, and Vent A Hood.

How ironic that as soon as I leave star-studded LA I run into one of the most talked about girls these days. And I didn't even recognize her - until I saw her a second time!!!

Here's what happened. Hubby and I were getting out of an elevator with a friend in NYC when I see this smallish girl waiting to get in. Her hair was tied back and she had a little bit of makeup on. Behind me Hubby did a double take and was agog when we made it onto the sidewalk. I knew something was up.

"Who was that? Some girl you want to date?" I asked our friend Jeremy.
"I wish," he said.
"That was C.C.," Hubby said. "Wasn't that C.C.?"
"Yes, it was," Jeremy said.
"Who is C.C.?" I asked, still clueless.
"You just missed Chelsea Clinton, babe," Hubby said.
Doh!

Turns out the former first daughter (who is unlikely to get that title again) lives in the same building as my friend Jeremy. We house-sat for him while he spent Memorial Day weekend on Fire Island. Besides living in the same building as a celebrity, Jeremy has a very cool apartment with a gym, pool and roof deck on the top floor.

On our second day of slumming in the apartment we rode the elevator up to take a swim. And who did we see as we passed the gym on our way to the pool? Ding ding ding ding ding. Chelsea Clinton working out on the elliptical machine. She looked just like she does in the pictures and she was working hard.

I was barefoot and in my swimsuit so I opted against a spontaneous workout in the gym. Turns out the pool was closed so Hubby and I returned to wait for the elevator while stealing glances at Chelsea. The elevator came and we descended. Our 15 minute brush with fame was over.

There is a Mobil station on Ventura and Winnetka that I drive to (out of my way) because the prices always seem low. I never knew whether the extra drive was worth it until now.

A Rhode Island newspaper has a calculator and chart that tells you if going the distance to get cheap gas saves or costs you money. Enter the number of gallons you will buy, the price per gallon, your car's mpg and how far away the station is.

The site spits out a chart that is a little difficult to read but comes with good directions. You basically find the dollar amount you will save at the cheaper gas station as listed in the left column (say $.05 per gallon), then scroll to the left until you find how many many extra miles it takes to get to that cheaper station (say 3 miles). A green number reflects how much you will save overall at the cheaper station. A red number reflects how much you will spend getting there. For my car's stats I would save $.18 by driving 3 miles to a station if the gas was a nickel less per gallon than the closest available station.

Confused? Read the site's explanation.

There are many Web sites where drivers can search for the lowest gas prices as entered by other drivers (Gas Buddy and Gas Price Watch are two), but this MSN site takes it a step further. MSN Autos maps out gas prices from 90,000 stations across the country. They get data every day but prices change more quickly than that. The best price is marked with a green gas pump, the worst has a red pump.

Here is a gas map of the Valley. The best gas price as of 10:50 a.m. Wednesday is $3.99 at a Chevron at 7208 Reseda Blvd in Reseda. Thanks, Mom!

Orbitz is having a sale on cruise prices, which can be a great way to contain vacation costs because almost everything is included. Keep your alcohol and souvenir budget in check and you will know up front how much the trip is going to cost.

A windowless room on a three-night Norwegian cruise to the Bahamas leaving from Miami is $279 per adult. With taxes it comes to $369 per person. Not bad!

I have never been on a cruise but think it would be fun. Tons of activities - swimming, sun bathing, entertainment, yoga, dancing - and you don't have to worry about cooking or cleaning. My first choice would be a cruise to Alaska before it melts!

Browse other cruise deals. Caveats: airfare not included, prices subject to change.

Check out the "gently carried" handbags on sale up to 50% off at the Bag, Borrow, or Steal outlet sale. Viewing the sale bags requires you to register (for free).

A double-strap Kooba "Natasha" handbag made of coated-canvas shimmers and is very stylish, above, for $245 (orig $495). A Rafe New York "Lindsay" handbag made of washed buffalo leather mixes chic and casual for a versatile bag that is $265 (orig $525). Register and you can browse earrings and accessories, too! Unclear how long the sale lasts.

Not familiar with Bag, Borrow or Steal? Read about how the rental service works.

I'm back! New York City was great but I'm glad to be home - sleeping in my own bed, eating from my own fridge, pooping in my own toilet. I saw a ton of old friends in the Big Apple, reconnected with my sister and boogied at a wedding. But I was not sad that I didn't live there, unlike my previous visit, when I bawled on the subway platform because life in NYC was going on without me. Now the city felt like a bunch of people rushing around to make their lives busy.

Maybe I've turned into an LA bimbo but when my friends asked me if I liked LA and if I was *really* going to stay there I had little to say beyond pointing out the great weather and laid back atmosphere. They didn't buy it, but that's okay. When we got home I stepped out of the car and could smell the salty ocean air. This morning the birds sang to me as I woke up to a clear, sunny day. It's good to be home. ~Julia

PS. I was going to do a theme day on free stuff to do in LA but since it's my first day back from a week off I'm going to postpone it until next Wednesday. Please email me your ideas!

The Valley Cultural Center hosts free concerts every Sunday, June through August, in Warner Center Park in Woodland Hills. Check out the June lineup here. Concerts start at 6 p.m. unless otherwise noted on the schedule.

The concerts are free and they ask for an $8 donation to park in one of the nearby lots to help pay for the music. The park is between Topanga Canyon Blvd. and Owensmouth Ave, and Califa St and Marylee St in Woodland HIlls.

Search By Inseam, a Web site that lets you enter certain measurements to help you find good fitting jeans, has launched a similar site for men. Here's the beta version. The site helps you narrow down millions of options by sorting jeans by inseam, waist measurement, price range and brand.

There is no way to specify cut, unfortunately. For example, I know Levi's are not a good fit for Hubby because he has linebacker legs. But when I put in his measurements I still get results from Levi's. The only way to get around it is by choosing every brand BUT Levi's. I'm guessing a lot of men don't know which brands cater to their frame.

I wish Search by Inseam would allow you to enter parameters like slim, regular or roomy cut. Even for shoppers who are familiar with what brands work for them, this would help eliminate unwanted pairs and direct them to new brands they might like. Most brands offer a variety of cuts!

No I didn't get my haircut (though that needs to happen soon). I'm talking about the blog! I went on vacation and just learned that the tech guys have reformatted the Bargain Hunter so it looks like all the other Daily News blogs. Consistency is important, I'm told. The changes mean a different width, color, banner, and a new arrangement of the links on either side.

The new look is a little scary at first! I miss the pink sidebars and will fight viciously to get them back. I mean, I'll ask the tech guys nicely until I win them over. :) The search box is up at the top right now, which I hope will encourage more readers to use it. Or you can read old posts by clicking on a category that looks interesting (Back to School, Bargain Tips, etc...)

Another big change is having ads, something I see as a mixed blessing. On one hand it means the Bargain Hunter is contributing $$$ to the company, which makes me feel a bit more employable, which means my addiction to food and shelter can go untreated. On the other hand, ads are annoying.

I hope the new look of the Bargain Hunter grows on you. Feel free to leave a comment so everyone knows what you think.

Keep it simple this Memorial Day instead of busting your butt (and wallet) serving up fancy dishes and pricey cuts of meat. The blog Yum Sugar suggests a low-key menu that includes Chipotle Deviled Eggs, Sticky BBQ wings, a BLT Salad with Buttermilk Dressing and Herb Potato Salad. Yum! I'm hungry already.

Another idea to keep expenses in check is to invite guests to bring a dish, drink, or dessert to share. It's not rude if you ask nicely and a lot of times folks enjoy contributing something.

Save money on vacation lodging by finding another person to swap homes with, a short item in the USA Weekend insert from May 16-18 suggests. If you are comfortable swapping homes with a stranger, there are a few sites to check out.

HomeExchange.com boasts more than 20,000 listings but costs $100 a year to list your home. The site facilitates the exchange and will email you if a listing is added from your desired destination. Read the FAQs here.

Digsville.com bills itself as a member club and lets you contact listings for free. Joining is $45 a year, however. They have listings in 53 countries and a "mingle" page where you can browse swap listings.

Craigstlist.com is free and has many listings. Go to the page for your city then look under the housing section for "housing swap." The LA swap page has a listing for a two bedroom house in Bologna, Italy for the month of August. It also has a listing for someone looking to swap a WestLA apartment for shelter on Catalina this summer. Good luck with that one!

A NY Times story on house swap sites also lists International Vacation Home Exchange as an option. Know of another good home swap site? Let me know by leaving a comment and I'll check it out. Thanks!

I stumbled across the NYTimes' version of the Bargain Hunter. Well, it's really more of a distant cousin but it's purpose is similar - help readers save money. Their new "Your Money" columnist offers big finance advice centered around five tips that I'll summarize here by using the story's headlines:

INVESTING IS SIMPLE

IT STILL MAY BE WORTH PAYING FOR HELP

PEERS MAY KNOW MORE THAN PROFESSIONALS

EVERYTHING CAN (AND SHOULD) BE AUTOMATED

HAVE THE TALK (with parents, about whether they will need support from children)

Read the whole story here.

Cancel it, that's how. Then get outside this summer for your workout! This long weekend is the perfect time for getting the ultimate in free workouts. Just put on some shoes and run around for an hour. For free!

Don't have that kind of motivation? Then adopt a dog from the East Valley Animal Shelter this weekend. The economic downturn means there's lots of Fidos and Fluffys being dropped off (per this Daily News article.) Believe me, it's the ultimate motivation. And talk about a bargain. It's less than $100 to get the animal with shots, license, microchip.

I haven't used my membership for the Woodland Hills Gold's membership since I adopted Bella, my energetic yellow lab in September and Beastie, my even more energetic Newfoundland/border collie in November when he was still a pup -- a BIG pup. Now my workout is all about tiring out the doggies so they don't destroy the house when I'm gone. That gets me out of bed like not even my muffin top can. I run with them an hour on weekday mornings around the neighborhood (early, to avoid the heat) and then hike with them on the weekends. (I like the Angeles National forest trails via Tujunga or Alta Dena, and the Verdugo Mountains in Burbank/Glendale. Lots of excellent trails where dogs are allowed, and not too many people.) I've saved money and got in good shape. It's all good.

And now I have extra money to spend on outdoor gear, yay! See how it's all related? And there's few things better than perusing through the REI outlet online. So many great deals! And you can avoid shipping fees by ordering your stuff and having it sent to the Northridge REI on Devonshire (in that mall at Reseda with the Albertsons) for free pickup _ or the Santa Monica one, if you're on that side of the hills. They e-mail when it's ready. I got a mondo sized dog backpack for big Beastie for only $29.99 (that's him at right in his old, puny sized backpack). Now he's my Beast of burden on the trail. Water please, Mr. Beast!

So many great deals from the site. Like this cute fitness top that's half off. I like it in quasar, whatever that is. Or these Wright socks for $3.93. I looove me some Wrightsocks and highly recommend them for any runner. I will only run in these socks. They are double layered to keep the blisters away. It works.

If REI isn't your thing and want to get all reusable (it's green!), check out Play it Again Sports, the store for reused sports gear. There's one right down Reseda at Nordhoff in that mall on the northwest corner of that intersection, with the McDonalds.

-- Post by Mariel

This came in via the comments section, but I thought it needed it own post.

Bargain Hunter readers can receive half-off an animal massage session from Buddha Dog Animal Massage. Regular rates start at $30. Sessions are with a Registered Vet Tech and Certified Animal Massage Therapist, are at your location in the L.A. area, and will include Acupressure, TTouch, Stone Massage and Reiki, as well as a consultation, physical exam, and a walk before and after if desired (recommended). Massage is especially helpful for arthritic and senior animals, as well as growing young animals, athletic and competitive dogs, working dogs, recovering animals, and fearful and stressed animals, but offers healing benefits to all animals. For more information, please see http://buddhadog.com or call 818-300-4478. Thank You!

No, thank you, Buddhadog!!

This might sound freaky to some of you, but honestly, it can work. I had a crazy Maine Coon cat called Chuy who had some sort of obsessive tail twitchiness that the vet wanted to control with drugs. Instead, I took him to a pet chiropractor in Pasadena who used a form of spinal massage that calmed him right down. All she had to do was lay one hand on him and he would start this insane purr and relax into a puddle of happy grey fur. So, if you have a hyper, weird, sickly, depressed or otherwise out-of-sorts animal, this might be the ticket.

--Post by Mariel

Mark, who runs The Saturday Sale, emailed to tell me about his deals. "I run the biggest clothing and accessory sample sale in L.A." The sale is held at the California Market Center in downtown L.A. It costs $1 to get in but you can print a free ticket here. Check it out and let me know how it is!

The Saturday Sale continues on June 28, July 26, September 20, November 8, November 28 and 29, December 6, December 13 and December 20.

Get free computer games at Popcap.com. David, who emailed me to tell me about this deal, says "the site offers a solid mix of puzzle games and arcade favorites." Click on the "online" tab to find their free games. There are a few dozen. Download the game you want to play.

You get 60 minutes to play the game free. I tried Insaniquariam and believe me, after three minutes I had enough! But I'm not the computer game type. You can pay $30 to download a "complete" version of a game if you want. Read more about them.

Thanks, David!

Get 20% off your purchase of $60 or more with a friends and family coupon good between May 23 and 26, 2008. Visit hmfriendsandfamily.com to update your registration or register for the first time. Then download the online coupon after you update your profile. Share the coupon with others by sending them to this site. Note, to print the H&M coupon you have to install a Coupon Printer application that can take a few minutes. Annoying!

Caveats: good only at H&M stores in the United States. Find one near you.

Hello Bargain hunters and huntresses, I'm Mariel Garza, a guest blogger to help Julia for a few days while she's doing God-only-knows-what-kind-of-debauchery in New York this weekend. In my real life, I'm an editorial writer and op/ed columnist for the Daily News, which means I write about things like local politics, state politics and, sometimes, national politics. But not always. My last column was on ways to do good for the local economy and/or the environment (like buying some porn and compact florescent light bulbs) with your economic stimulus check. If you notice that there's a decidedly green bent to to my blog posts, that's deliberate.

Here's a snippet of some of the column's advice:

Even the highest tax rebates aren't enough to outfit a house with solar-energy panels, but they could easily pay for a pack of compact fluorescent light bulbs, with hundreds left to spend on comfy yoga pants and soft T-shirts at American Apparel. Or you could invest the money in replacing the biggest energy-sucker of most homes - the refrigerator - with a more energy-efficient one.

Other ideas are putting up awnings over windows to keep your house cooler (and give less to the city Department of Water and Power for AC costs - that's a win-win) planting vegetables and fruits (save money and eat organic!) in place of lawns or heat-retaining concrete patios.

There are endless ways to spend your rebate on candy, and save it, too. But there is one thing you ought to make a conscious choice not to spend your money on: gasoline. From an environmental standpoint, one of the worst ways you could spend your money is at the pump. Not only will it not go far, but it only helps justify (for a short time) gas-guzzling vehicles. The oil companies have enough of my money already.

I pulled out my water-sucking lawn and put in pretty rocks with part of my money and am going to blow about $100 in locally-owned clothes stores this weekend (finally, shopping is not only guilt-free, but highly encouraged! Look at me singlehandedly stimulating the environment!). Then I will save the rest by investing it in microloans in Latin America, via MicroPlace. It's not a huge financial return but you do get about a zillion Karma points. Priceless!

What are you going to do with you EcStim check? Let us know!