June 2008 Archives
Get a $10 credit to buy online music at Rhapsody.com if you are one of the first 100,000 people to create an account with them. The credit is good through July 4, 2008 and requires you to register a credit card. Create an account here.
Rhapsody plans to start selling music a la carte (99-cents per track or $10 per album, just like rival iTunes). But unlike iTunes, once you download an MP3 from Rhapsody you can copy it as many times as your ears desire.
The site started as a music subscription service that charged $15 per month to download an unlimited amount of music onto your MP3 player. For $13 a month you can listen to an unlimited amount of music from your computer but not put it on your MP3 player. I believe they will still sell the subscription service in addition to a la carte pricing.
Want to take your sweet stuff out on the town but lack the dough to finance a big excursion? Consider these 50 frugal date ideas from The Money and Fitness blog. Some of the ideas are old hat - going for a walk, ice skating - so I'm listing just the best ideas below.
+ Cook dinner together for someone else
+ Volunteer together
+ Go to a minor league sporting event
+ Take him or her to happy hour
+ Watch the stars at night (print a free star map here.)
+ Give each other massages
+ Visit a historical site
+ Go out just for dessert
+ Rent a new Wii game (if you have a Wii)
+ Fly a kite
+ Rent a rowboat
+ Go to an art show
Thanks, Frugal Dad!
Many retailers are announcing sales as part of the upcoming Fourth of July holiday weekend. Yay, we get Friday off!
At Sears, appliances and vacuums are 15% off and many tools are on sale. Garden items and Kenmore grills are also marked down. The sale ends Tuesday, but I'm guessing another one will pop up for the holiday.
Get your grill on with a three-burner Kenmore grill that has 767 square inches of cooking space, above, for $250 (orig $330).
Find a Sears near you.
Get 20% off nearly everything at Babystyle now until July 6. Some brands are excluded, see below.Use code FIREWORKS20 to get the discount.
A black dress with white embroidery around the neck for little girls is $26 before the discount. A pair of navy blue board shorts with submarines, above, is $25 (orig $32) before the discount.
Caveats: Online only. Costumes and gift cards not eligible for discount. Cannot be combined with other promos or discounts and no more than one coupon can used per order. Not valid on the following brands: Baby Jogger Company, Britax, Bugaboo, Citizens of Humanity, Eberjey, Habitual, J Brand, James Jeans, Juicy Couture, Maclaren, Maxi-Cosi, Mustela, Medela, Nest, Oeuf, Orbit, Paige Premium Denim, Peg Perego, Petunia Pickle Bottom, Quinny, Stokke, Storksak and Timi & Leslie.
TopButton.com is all about high fashion, which often means high prices. But the site highlights sample sales and other special events where designer threads are slightly more affordable for regular folks like me and you.
The shopping events tab from their home page lists sales inLos Angeles, New York and San Fran.
For LA, the site lists a Beverly Hills liquidation sale for very high end handbags like Gucci and Prada. Cash only. Oh my.
You can also search for sales by zip code and type of sale. Most of the listings are for sales that have already started.
A MapQuest survey of 1,001 Internet users found people have dramatically changed their behavior and lifestyles because of high gas prices. Some of the changes people are making are drastic!
- Due to soaring gas prices, 94% of consumers have made lifestyle changes
- More than 80% of respondents are forfeiting day-to-day activities and changing their spending habits
- Nearly one out of ten consumers are stopping or cutting back on medications
- 19% are giving up heating and air conditioning
- 18% are resorting to paying the minimum balance on credit cards and delaying bill payment
- 66% of consumers say gas prices have caused them to alter vacation plans
- 34% have canceled vacation plans altogether
- 24% of consumers are turning to the Internet to search for cheap gas prices
- More than half of respondents intend to utilize websites to determine the cost difference between driving and flying when planning their next trip
- 78% of those surveyed feel that the Federal government should step in and set limits on gas prices
- 27% of consumers believe oil companies are to blame for continually rising prices
MapQuest worked with the online marketing agency DMS Research, which interviewed 1,001 Internet users age 18 and up between June 5 - 11, on the survey.
Here are links to all the deals in Monday's column.
Bargain Hunter daily digest (plug your email into the upper left hand corner)
Amazon has various pet beds on sale, with prices ranging from a few dollars off to significantly reduced. A fuzzy grey pet bed that doubles as a carrier liner is $4.60 (orig $18). A colorful bone-shaped puffy bed is $7 (orig $25).
Kitties will find a cozy place to nap and hide in this bed carved out of a football, above, for $29 (orig $35). This is so cute it makes me want to get a cat!
There are many more beds, pillows, and resting places for big and small four footed friends. Unclear when the sale ends.
Get $5 off a purchase of $20 or more at Walgreens Friday, June 27 only. Some caveats. Print the coupon here.
Caveats: excludes alcohol, tobacco, prescriptions, prescription co-pays, gift cards and pre-paid cards. One per customer. Sales tax does not count towards the $20.
Find a Walgreens near you.
A colleague at the Daily News recently highlighted venues that show outdoor movies and many of them are free! Here's the list, minus the ones that cost moolah:
Big Free Outdoor Movie Night, Universal CityWalk, 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City. (818) 622-1111.
"The flick is free even if the parking isn't. This being Universal, expect mostly family fare and some characters to show up as well. The Thursday night shows start at 8 p.m."
The line up includes "Horton Hears a Who" (July 3), "Hairspray" (July 10), "The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything: A Veggie Tales Movie," (July 17), "The Simpsons Movie" (July 24), "Transformers" (July 31), "Shrek the Third" (Aug. 7), "Annie" (Aug. 14), "Curious George" (Aug. 21), "Grease" (Aug. 28).
Movies in the Park, Warner Park, 5800 Topanga Canyon Blvd., Woodland Hills. (818) 704-1358.
"An addition to its cousin, the popular Concerts in the Park, the Saturday night movie series gets under way with preshow at 7 p.m. and screenings as dusk."
The line up includes "Hairspray" (July 19), "Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory" (July 26), "Sleepless in Seattle" (Aug. 2), "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" (Aug. 9), "Field of Dreams" (Aug. 16), "Enchanted" (Aug. 23), "The Lion King" (Sept. 6).
Old Pasadena Film Festival, One Colorado Plaza and various venues throughout Old Pasadena. (626) 564-1066.
"While the annual One Colorado Plaza does its salute to Audrey...
It seems more and more important these days to calculate the cost of a trip down to the last penny. AAA has a fuel cost calculator that takes into account your car's make, model and mpg, but none of the other associated costs of driving, like insurance, wear and tear, which adds up to about $.50 per mile.
I created this chart to help you figure out which travel method is cheapest. Print the chart here (requires Adobe).
Cost of Flying
Ticket(s):
Cab or bus to get to the airport:
Driving to the airport (miles x $.50/mile):
Car rental, if needed:
Airport parking fees:
Drinks/snacks on plane:
Total:
Cost of Driving:
Miles to drive x $.50/mile:
Hotel stays, if needed:
Meals on road:
Tolls:
Total:
Remember to consider the travel time each method takes. Start from when you leave your house until you reach your final destination. For some travelers, taking the bus may be the cheapest and best option.
A Burbank hair stylist is offering new customers 35% off all hair treatments now until July 22, 2008. Make an appointment with Sossie at Dream Beauty Supply, Salon, and Spa and mention the Bargain Hunter to get the discount.
Take 35% off these prices: haircuts are $35+ and includes shampoo and conditioner but not blow dry, color (roots only) is $45 and includes shampoo and conditioner but not blow dry. Color (single process) is $55+, a hair mask or deep conditioning treatment is $20+, a blow dry is $15+ depending on hair length.
Sunkist highlights are $45 for 6 to 8 foils but the blow dry is not included, partial highlights are $65 and the blow dry is not included, full highlights are $110 and the blow dry is included, relaxer (roots) is $65 and blow dry is not included, relaxer (whole head) is $110+, Japanese and European straightening is $300+, body waves and perms are $65+, hairloc hair extensions are $200+, updos are $65+.
Whenever a deal sounds too good to be true I always like to confirm the discounted price over the phone and then in the salon before the process begins so everyone is on the same page.
Visit Dream Beauty at 3001 W. Magnolia Blvd. in Burbank. (818) 913-2793. Monday to Saturday 10 to 6. If Sossie does not pick up remember to leave your number clearly on her voice mail so she can get back to you.
LA's Best Coupons is a site that has scanned copies of coupons from weekly mailers and local flyers. They have deals in a wide range of categories, from hair salons to restaurants and laser hair removal, but unfortunately a lot of them are disappointing. I'm also wondering if retailers will accept the coupons because they are scanned.
A link promising a "99-cent breakfast" at Joseph's Delicatessen in Tarzana is actually a buy one get one for 99-centsdeal. A link to "Target coupons" just takes me to the retailer's homepage.
On the other hand, if you have time to sift through the site and are patronizing these businesses already, I would think you could make the coupons work for you.
The Design Within Reach summer sale has tables, umbrellas, planters, lighting, chairs and other outdoor furniture up to 75% off. Most of the discounts are much less, however, and given only when you buy multiples of the same item.
A coated steel Hee Chair in green or yellow, above, is $98 (orig $200).
DWR devotees should put July 28 on their calender. That is when when floor samples go on super sale - up to 50% off - to make room for new inventory. The best bargains will sell out quickly so don't delay. Find a DWR near you.
Soon after posting an item yesterday about discounted Disneyland tickets a reader wrote in to say she knew about an even better deal. Her secret? MouseSavers.com.
The site is devoted to everything Disneyland and it has a lot of information about buying cheap tickets. I like that they are upfront about letting you know that it's almost impossible to get one-day discounted tickets (unless you live in So Cal and have a work hook up). "Even with a discount, you're probably going to have to pay 92-95% of full price in most cases," they say. The savings do add up, however.
MouseSavers has a link ARES Travel, which sells 4-Day Park Hopper Bonus Ticket for $179 for adult and $149 for children ages 3-9. That's cheaper than tickets through Disneyland.com ($184 for adults, $154 for kids). It is not as cheap as Costco, however ($139 for SoCal residents).
I haven't been to Disneyland since I was about 16 and I'm waiting until my sister comes to visit with her burly brood. Without kids I'm worried that the magic will be gone for me. The wildly over-priced food will disgust me, the river will seem nothing more than a glorified duck pond, and the sugary churros won't melt in my mouth (re-heated, fried-yesterday dough, anyone?). Worst of all, everything will seem so small.
But with my three nephews in tow, I'll see the park through their eyes and everything will be as magical as the marketers promise, err, just plain magical.
Thanks, Rein!
The Valley Village thrift store Lucky You Resale wants to help you clean out your closet. They are buying jewelry, silver and summery clothes bought within the last two years that are in good condition.
Bring your threads to their store or make an appointment for them to come to your house. House visits cost $50 an hour but you get a $50 store credit when you sell them at least that much. They schedule appointments before 10am or after 6pm everyday and all day Friday. Make it a quick visit by laying out all the clothes you are offering.
They pay about a third of what they will sell it for, says co-owner Gina. In the store jeans run $10 to $35, tank tops are $5 or $6 and better brand tops go up to about $15. They also sell shoes, purses, jewelery, belts and new samples of om girl yoga wear. "We don't have any thing really, really expensive," Gina said. "There's probably nothing over $50." That totally sounds like my kind of store!
Visit them at 12441 Magnolia Blvd. in Valley Village just east of Whitsett Ave. (818) 985-1115. The store is open Monday to Saturday 10 to 6 and Sunday from 12 to 4. Returns are accepted within five days with tags and receipt. Thanks, Jen!
The latest issue of Shop Smart :) magazine from Consumer Reports recommends a few Web sites to help you pare down your suitcase.
Onebag.com says the three elements to light travel is knowing what to pack, what to pack it in and how to pack it.
Travellite.org suggests products that will lighten your load. To reduce your clothing needs, the site says plan your outfits ahead and color coordinate using neutrals as a base.
RickSteves.com covers everything from travel news to packing light and getting the best Eurail pass deal. For a multi-week trip, leave behind anything you are not going to wear at least three times.
The travel store Magellans.com sells travel gear and has numerous travel articles. Below they lay out second bag fees at major airlines.
Continental, Delta, Northwest, US Airways, and United charge $25. AirTran charges $10 and British Airways charges £20+.
Packing light takes longer than packing heavy, but with many airlines charging $15+ for a checked bag, fitting everything into a carry on will save you money. Not to mention that tossing a small bag over your shoulder is a lot easier than schlepping around multiple over-sized suitcases.
A Kate Spade sale has handbags, shoes, accessories and more marked down by up to 50%.
A blue and white striped Chattanooga Jocelyn bag with a big red handle, above, is $131 (orig $175). The accessories on sale also include a number of clutches and wallet items.
The sale shoe page has a pair of strappy medium-high heels in black or platinum for $119 (orig $325). They are an extra 25% off once you add them to your cart.
Baby items, luggage, home goods, and paper are also on sale. Unclear how long the sale lasts. Some shoe sizes/colors are limited.
All things Mac are on sale at MacMall, a site that claims to be the number one Mac reseller. Computer are up to 30% off, accessories are up to 42% off, iPods are up to 17% off. The sale ends at 6pm PST today.
For sale products MacMall shows upfront how its prices compare (favorably) to Apple. A 20-inch iMac Intel Core 2 Duo 2.4 GHz with 1GB memory and a 320GB hard drive is $1,214 after a $75 rebate. The site claims Apple sells it for $1,500.
I checked Apple and the same computer is $1,250. No rebate required. Hmmm, it's probably best to check all their prices against Apple and other retailers. In some cases they will come ahead and in others, they won't.
Read more about MacMall here.
The gals at Cheap Chic Weddings have this money saving tip for brides-to-be in the early planning stages.
"Planning your wedding off-season can save you up to 50% on venues and other services and goods," they say. "May through October are the most popular months to wed, while January through March are the least popular. The day you choose can also save you some green...Saturdays are most popular and most expensive. Try pricing your wedding for a Friday or Sunday."
I got married on a Sunday and found there was some leverage because many vendors did not have other gigs that day.
CCW also suggests checking out Isaac Mizrahi's wedding collection at Target, where pieces start at $25.
On the style front, platinum is the hot new accent color, booting brown from the top. "Platinum is elegant and goes with everything."
Get free shipping on orders over $75 at Starbucks today only. No code needed. The discount will appear on your receipt review page. It's a good time to stock up on coffee beans if you buy them from the green coffee giant.
Caveats: free standard shipping is for the 48 contiguous states and APO/FPO only. Cannot be combined with other promotions. Expires June 25, 2008.
Oxnard welcomes a new thrift store to town this Saturday, June 28. The Society of St. Vincent de Paul, a charity comprised of members who seek personal holiness through works of charity, is opening the store to help out folks during the downturn.
An opening ceremony begins at 10 am Saturday, followed by music and giveaways at noon. They are accepting donations of usable appliances, furniture, computers and clothing. Donations are tax deductible.
Store hours are Monday through Saturday 9 to 7 and Sunday from 9 to 6. The store is already open. Visit them at 1258 Saviers Rd. in Oxnard. (805) 487-1500
Get $15 off a $30 purchase or $30 off a $75 purchase at Express and Express Men now through Sunday, June 29. Print the coupon here.
In stores only. Their Web site does not sell their clothes but you can look at their current styles.
I found a really good pair of jeans at Express that cost about $35 a few months ago. They look and fit just like fancy denim and were marked down almost 40%. The trick with Express is to wait for a sale or good coupon (like the one above) because the starting prices can be high.
Caveats: One coupon per customer. Gotta have a printout of the original coupon. Not valid on redlined merchandise, previous purchases or with other offers. Copies of coupon will not be accepted.
Sign up for their e-mail list and you will get a coupon for 15% off. Find an Express near you.
A new policy at Ralphs limits the maximum savings from any one coupon to $1, according to a story in today's Daily News. Coupons for 50 cents or less will be doubled in full, but coupons for more than 50 cents will be limited to $1. The new policy begins today.
"That new program will include lower prices on thousands of items that customers buy most often," the story says. "It will also introduce a customer loyalty program that will use a "rewards card" to earn shoppers rebates of up to $1,000 a year." Read more about Ralphs reward program.
Vons still doubles coupons. Is it time to switch grocery stores? Depends on how many coupons you use.
Restaurant.com has a 60% off coupon code that cuts a $25 gift certificate to $4, plus you get a $10 certificate with every purchase. Apply code MEALS after adding a certificate to your cart. This step comes early in the process so you can check if the code is still valid. It's unclear when the code expires.
Caveats: each restaurant has different rules for how you can redeem the certificates so read the fine print. Some are only good for dinner, others do not cover drinks, tax and tip.
At Antojitos Latinos in Van Nuys the $25 certificate is good on a purchase of $50. In a tight economy the certificates are a good way to reduce your restaurant tab. So eat, drink and be merry!
Multi-day tickets to Disneyland are discounted on the theme park's Web site, though they are still more expensive than Costco. A four-day park hopper bonus ticket is $154 (orig $184) for kids and $184 for adults (orig $214) at Disneyland.com. A similar ticket is $139 at Costco for SoCal residents.
Both get your into the classic theme park or California Adventure. The pricier Disneyland ticket also gets you into one park early one morning and is not restricted to SoCal residents, like the Costco ticket. But the Costco ticket looks like it is good for any age.
Three- and five-day passes are also discounted at Disneyland.com. A kid's ticket covers ages 3 to 9 at Disneyland. Kids aged 10 and up need an adult ticket. Thanks, Barbara!
The folks at the Foundation for American Communications in Pasadena held a phone seminar today about gas prices with oil expert and Boston University professor Robert K. Kaufmann. Here are his answers to your burning questions about pump prices.
Q: Why do gas prices rise faster than they fall?
A: As demand declines, producers slow refining and sell from stocks, which slows the price drop. As demand rises, refinery capacity limits supply response. So it's a lose-lose situation? Yes. Take the bus.
Q: Have environmental regulations slowed the building of new refineries, which could increase the supply of gas?
A: No, there's very little evidence that environmental regulations have slowed refining capacity growth in the US. Reduced capacity has mirrored reduced demand.
Q: Why are gas prices so high?
A: Demand has grown significantly since 2003, but not so dramatically that it is the main culprit...
BargainsLA raves about discounted designer clothes available at the Warehouse Sale this weekend at the LA Convention Center. Downside is it costs $15 to get into the sale the first day if you RSVP. It is free on the second day of the sale if you RSVP.
"Designer Jeans are here at $49.99 to $119.99, that originally sold for $150 to $450, " according to BargainsLA. "Designer dresses are here at $69.99, instead of the original pricing of $200-$500. Sought after tees are just $14.99 to $29.99, that originally were priced at $35-$150."
The sale is Saturday and Sunday from 10 to 4. If you do not RSVP Saturday it costs $25 at the door and Sunday it costs $5. Cash and credit cards only.
The Los Angeles Convention Center is at 1201 S. Figueroa St., Petree Hall in Los Angeles. Parking is in West Hall for $12.
(not my actual salad) My recent post with a recipe for a $10 dinner was so popular I thought I'd post another! This next one works well on hot days when you don't have an appetite and don't want to cook or clean much. It also has a lot of variations to suit what is in your fridge.
Chicken, bean, and corn salad
Your favorite lettuce ~$2
Can of black beans, drained, $.89
Can of yellow corn, drained, $1.19
1/2 chicken breast, ~$3
Salt and pepper, canola oil
Salad dressing of your choosing
Extras you can add: red onion, cucumber, carrots, walnuts, chopped cilantro, salsa, tortilla chips, mushrooms, tomato, avocado, etc.
Sprinkle salt and pepper on the chicken, dab it with canola oil, then grill or pan fry it until just cooked. Put the meat on a plate and cover it with tinfoil. This traps the steam and keeps the chicken moist and warm.
Wash the lettuce, put it in a bowl and add about half of the black beans and canned corn. Add other toppings as you wish. Slice the chicken into thin strips and put onto the salad. You're ready to eat!
Serves two with some leftovers.
This Thursday Jack in the Box will give you two free tacos (usually 99 cents for the pair) when you present them with a gas receipt. The fast food chain apparently feels bad that prices are going up and wants to inject some good news into your day.
The tacos are filled with Jack in the Box's mystery meat, which many swear by even if they don't know what is in them.
Caveats: No purchase necessary but you must bring an original gas receipt. Copies will not be accepted. One per person at participating restaurants only. Thanks, Greg!
The two-year cell phone plan Hubby and I have ends in a few weeks and I turned to MyRatePlan.com to find the best cell phone plan for us.
You enter your zip code and the features that you want and the site spits out a chart that compares prices by carriers and minutes. You can add or subtract features and the chart automatically updates the results.
Most plans offer some kind of free phone when you sign your life away for two years. AT&T is the only one that provides roll over minutes. If we want free text messages we have to go with Sprint or Verizon. If Hubby insists on getting the new iPhone our only choice is AT&T.
The AT&T $60 family plan sounds right up our alley. We get 550 rollover minutes (about what we use), two free Blackberry Pearl 8110 phones, unlimited nights and weekends, free calls between the two of us, and free long distance. Both our lines are included, unlike our Cingular plan where we pay $10 a month for the second line.
Adding 200 text messages is $5 per phone. The "free" phone deal also requires one of us add a $30+ per month data plan for six months. I wonder if Hubby upgrades to the iPhone if AT&T will waive that requirement.
LetsTalk.com also sorts through plans by price and features but the comparison is harder to digest. Keep in mind that these prices are for when you buy the plan and phone online. Prices may be higher in stores.
Check out the dresses at the Summer Dress Store, where all the frocks are $50 or less. The selection is not huge - there are six plus sized dresses, two caftans and 14 regular summer dresses - but they are colorful and unique.
I like this bold, retro A-line dress with geometric sprinkles of pink, green and white, for $40.50 (orig $45). This aqua dress with an abstract underwater print is also cute, above, for $35 (orig $39).
Caveats: returns and exchanges are accepted within 30 days of receipt for items that have not been worn or washed and have all tags attached. Shipping and handling charges are non-refundable.
And now for the most pressing money-saving issue of the day. With the squeeze on your wallet do you sneak candy into the movies? Or do you fork over the $3 to $5 for boxes of Milk Duds and Jujubes?
Does sneaking treats makes one frugal or cheap, Frugal Dad asks. The question taps into how we judge how others spend their money.
I'm a sneaker. I mean, I'm already paying $10 for the ticket and perhaps a few dollars for parking. I could have waited for the movie to come out on DVD or found a sketchy copy online. So am I a tightwad for buying my movie candy at 7-Eleven beforehand - or a smart spender?