Home & Garden & Office: March 2008 Archives

Get a free Swingline stapler worth about $20 when you take a very brief survey for Swingline. Just tell them how important it is to have 28 different tools/office items in your desk. The free stapler retails for $19.59 at Office Depot. Unclear how many freebies they have to give out.

Caveats: one entry per person and per household, must live in the contiguous United States. Allow up to 6 weeks for delivery. Note, staplers cannot be shipped to a PO Box.

UPDATE: This deal has already expired.

PREVIOUSLY: Get a free Schick Quattro Titanium Razor, which retails for about $10, when you enter your name, address, age, gender and email address on this site. Unclear when the deal expires.

Caveats: one razor per person, household, or address, available only while supplies last, must be 16 years of age or older to receive a free sample.

Looking for linens? One place to check out is the Designer Linens Outlet. They sell linens for the bedroom, bathroom, and window dressings. A white sheet set made out of 1000-thread count cotton is $120 (orig $400). Linen prices can really vary, but I did a quick check at Macy's, which only sells sheets up to 800-thread count. Their Hotel brand 800-thread count sheets are $117 just for the flat sheet and another $117 for the fitted sheet.

The Outlet has a matching comforter, bed skirt and sham set in fall hues is $95 (orig $190) but comes in king size only. Macy's bed sets range from $80 to $230.

At the Outlet a six piece silk blend Shangri La towel set is $60 (orig $120). Macy's does not sell the Shangri La brand of towels but you can browse their selection here for your own price comparison.

Barnes & Noble is marking down all their CDs - new releases, box sets, etc - by 40% now until Sunday, March 30. In stores only. Use this printable coupon to get the discount. You do not need to be a member and the discount applies to as many CDs as you want to buy.

Caveats: not good at college bookstores or online.

Have you heard of Buck-a-Roo$? Besides from having a really silly name, the discount home goods/grocery store in Van Nuys has some really good deals. Not everything is a bargain though, so shop with a discriminating eye.

Here are some deals I found there. Three Oral Fresh Plus toothbrushes for $1 (now I'm wondering why I only bought three!), two pint glasses for $1, Wet 'n Wild nail polish for $1, Herbal Essences 23.7 fl oz for $5, maternity jean shorts with an elastic band for $5, two 24-oz packs of Nestle chocolate chips for $5, and 5lb of long grain white rice for $2.

Some suspect prices I found there. Six packs of Ramen for $1 (a really good sale is at least 10/$1), 16 oz of pasta for $1 (you can get the same amount for $.79 at Trader Joe's) and camping chairs for $15 (they go on sale for $10 or less).

About 2/3 of the store is home goods and the rest is grocery. No fresh food was being sold when I dropped by. Here is a coupon for 15% off any purchase, good through April 15, 2008. Buck-a-Roo$ has such low prices because it buys overstocked items, orders that were canceled and items that have old packaging (not expired, just old). That means the stock is inconsistent - a deal you see one day may not be there the next day. Read more about the company here.

The Van Nuys store is new and clean, the aisles are wide and the place is well lit. Parking in back and in front. Note, they do not accept personal checks. Visit them at 17641 Vanowen St. in Van Nuys. (818) 758-6500. Open 8 to 9 everyday. Other locations in Bellflower and Pico Rivera.

In case you don't get these things all the time in the mail, here is a coupon for 20% off at Linens 'n Things. Good on any single item with some exceptions. Expires December 31, 2008. Both LNT and Bed, Bath & Beyond accept each others coupon and generally accept coupons even after they expire. This one can be used more than once so come back to print another one out when you need it.

Cavests: valid in stores only, cannot be combined with other discounts. A number of labels are excluded, read the fine print for details. Find an LNT near you.

Get 30% off all the faux retro greetings cards from Paper Relics for an unknown amount of time. Buy online and use code CANDY at checkout. I may have to get a set for my sisters, who send me the most beautiful cards. I like this whimsical Let It Snow card, which is $4 for one, $12 for 4, or $20 for 8. That's before the discount.

A card that has a little fairy standing on a tree limb with an egg in her hands brings home the message "you're a good egg." Perfect for a birthday, graduation, or other congratulatory occassions, with similar pricing. A proper lady decorates a fun "eat cake" card, above.

The Machinist blogger has figured out a way to access all the Wall Street Journal stories online for free. Normally subscribing costs $80 a year. The deal is that the WSJ wants to get traffic from search engines like Google and sites like Digg that collect popular stories, so the financial newspaper makes most or all of its stories free if you access them through these sites.

Normally, when you click on a link to a WSJ story from an ordinary Web site you get a truncated version of the story and have to log on and pay to finish reading it. "But if you click on a link to that same article in Google News, you'll be sent to the full story for free. This is true, also, of WSJ links on Digg, and probably a few other big referral sites, too," the blog post says.

If some stories are still off limits you can install a referer spoofer, which is totally legal, the Machinist blog claims. For directions click here and scroll down to where it says "The slightly harder way (but you do get all the Journal's stories):"

The Chef's Corner has marked its collection of Villeroy & Boch dishes, platters, and serving ware down by 50% in honor of the basketball fever that has consumed many otherwise sane people. A 16-piece Twist Alea Limone set with a dinner plate, salad plate, bowl and mug, above, is $129 (retails $260). A French Garden Fleurence 12.5-inch serving platter is $75 (retails $150). Browse all the V&B on sale. Note, if you want quicker delivery make sure the item is in stock. Otherwise it takes about three to four weeks. Sale ends March 29, 2008.

The kit is $4 (orig $18) at Graveyard Mall and shipping is $7. Not a bad deal overall. It includes 400 letters in two fonts, four stampers to hold your message, tweezers to arrange the letters, an ink pad and a tray to hold it all. Don't wait long if you are interested because prices fluctuate on this site.

Click here to see their other deals of the day, including a scale/body fat monitor for $23, a wooden multi-game set for $5 and a mushroom that plays soft music and displays lights to soothe sleepy tots, for $10.

Here are four merlots that were rated as "great bargains" by Shop Smart magazine. They range from $5 to just under $11. I added links to purchase each bottle.

Columbia Crest Grand Estates 2004, Columbia Valley, Washington, $10.79 on wine.com

Yellow Tail 2006, Australia, $7 at Wine County North Plainfield (I've had this and it works in a pinch.)

Bogle Vineyards 2005, California $7 at klwines.com (I had this and it was tasty.)

Walnut Crest 2005, Rapel Valley, Chile $5 at greatcorks.com

My favorite bottle of cheap, I mean affordable wine, is Ravenswood Vinter's Blend 2005 Zinfandel for $9 at Malloy's Finest. Albertsons stocks it.

The article also gives the thumbs up to two boxed wines, which are the size of four bottles.

Delicato Bota Box merlot 2005 is $20 at Wine Merchant Raleigh and Black Box 2004 is $22 at Bevmo.

Members get 25% off one regular priced item at Borders now through Sunday, March 16. Joining is free and takes about 3 minutes in stores. I push the Border's membership because it is free and when you use their big coupons the book price often rival Amazon, but you get instant gratification. Print out this coupon to get the deal.

Caveats: gotta be a member. Cannot be combined with any other offer, including but not limited to “3 for 2," "Buy 3, Get 4th Free," "Buy 4, Get 5th Free," or “Buy 1, Get 1 Half Price” offers. Excludes previous and online purchases, gift cards, newspapers, magazines, comics, coupon books, eBooks, digital downloads, Rosetta Stone® software, shipping, and all electronics, including the Sony® Reader and the Zune™.

Find a Borders near you.

A gourmet cook dreams of the shiny pots, untold number of gadgets, and serving dishes sold at Sur la Table. Alas, they rarely have sales, which is why I jumped at this one. Assorted items in nine categories are marked down. Graphite baking pans for a lasagna or casserole are $25 to $55 (orig $40 to $80). A four-piece steak knife set is $30 (orig $60). Both would make great gifts for a wedding or house warming.

Easter gear is all 30% off. A red wooden sign that will warm the hearts of chocolate lovers, above, is $9 (orig $37). A set of four fuzzy chicks to cheer up your Easter table are $12 (orig $20). Not sure if the sale is as extensive in stores (or at all), but I'll understand if you prefer to shop Sur la Table's isles, if only to fuel your foodie fantasies.

Reader Judy wrote me about the One Dollar Bookstore, her favorite place to pick up $1 reads. I hesitated to blog about the store because I have not been there and I don't often get over to Burbank, where A&S is located. But I didn't want to deprive anyone of a $1 book.

The store has fiction, non-fiction, hard and soft covers, used titles, children's books, coffee table books, cookbooks, craft and gardening books, and comics. They are not organized so you have to peruse the shelves yourself. Judy bought hardcover books by Jonathan Kellerman, Stuart Woods, David Baldacci and Wilbur Smith. She also bought a Jay Leno book.

All sales are final. Visit them at 301 San Fernando Blvd. in Burbank. (818) 238-0371. Hours are Sun to Thur 10am to 10pm, Fri and Sat 10am to 12am.

The store is partners with A&S Books, which owns Crown Books, which runs the Web site. Two reviews on Yelp give it the thumbs up.

The online and mail order retailer Garnet Hill sells women's clothes by Eileen Fisher and similar styles, kids clothes, and home gear. Basically it's one stop shopping for moms. They have a sale of the day and today there is one item in each category.

An Eileen Fisher fine cotton cardigan is $74 (orig $118). Lace trimmed tanks for girls and toddlers are $16 (orig $20 and $22). Vibrant red, orange, and pink flowers perk up blue 200-thread count sheets, above, which are sold separately.

Thanks, Sarah!

The price of a first class stamp, now $.41, goes up to $.42 May 12. (Inflation and all that jazz.) That means it's a great time to buy $.41 Forever stamps, which are still good after the price goes up.

The post office has stocked 5 billion Forever stamps to meet demand. You can buy them at post offices, contract postal units, consignment locations, automated postage centers, vending machines, and online.

Saving a penny per stamp does not make sense if you
a) hate going to the post office
b) have a history of losing stamps
c) don't mail letters
d) already buy rolls of 100 at Costco for a few pennies off

You can also buy discounted postage stamps from collectors looking to unload their goods.

Two's Company Interiors, which decorates homes for sale with furniture and artwork, is going out of business. They are selling small furniture items (end tables, mirrors, nightstands) and the office furniture the business has used (desks, file cabinets). Don't expect big items like couches or chairs because there won't be any. The owner is retiring because of the crummy housing market. Small furniture items run $50 to $125 and art work (contemporary, Western, Swedish and Americana paintings and prints) run $15 to $300, an employee said.

Sale starts Friday and ends Tuesday. Hours are Friday from 8:30 to 4:30, Sat and Sun from 8:30 to 3:30, and Mon and Tue 8:30 to 4:30. Visit them at 20620 Plummer St. in Chatsworth near Lamps Plus on the south side of the street. Parking and entrance in back. Thanks, Theresa!

The upscale kitchen store Williams-Sonoma has decent sales online with plenty of Easter items. Mini Easter totes that look like a chick, bunny or pink tulip, above, are $9 for a pair (orig $12). Perfect for holding a few treats. Six chocolate carrots for decoration and eating are $10 (orig $15).

Non-Easter sale items include a set of three earthenware canisters with a blue and white wine pattern are $40 (orig $100). Not bad at all. A stainless steel wine bucket is $29 (orig $49). Thanks, Sarah!

Get $10 off your tab of $30 or more at Bed, Bath and Beyond stores now until April 20, 2008. Not good online. You can print this coupon more than once, though I think you can only use one per transaction.

Caveats: not good on gift cards and the following brands: All-Clad, Nautica®, Tempur-Pedic®, Wusthof®, AeroGrow, Margaritaville®, The Sharper Image, DKNY, Tommy Bahama®, Wedgwood®, Lenox®, Waterford®, Vera Wang, Nambe®, Riedel, Orrefors Kosta Boda, Oreck®, Capresso, Miele, kate spade, Swarovski,
Versace, Alessi, Richard Ginori, and Frette Home products.

A men's valet with room for a watch, keys, wallet, sunglasses, cuff links and other manly items is $20 after you use the coupon (sale price $30). Check to see that it's for sale in your local store because the coupon does not work online. Find a BBB near you.

A reader named Debbie called in to recommend NoHo Custom Framing in North Hollywood. She says they have "terrific deals and do beautiful work." She has checked around and believes they have some of the best prices around. The place got a stellar review on Yelp from a guy who said the shop did the piece at right for $50. I have never been there.

Visit them at 11410 Burbank Blvd., Suite 8, in North Hollywood. (818) 980-0114. Thanks, Debbie!

10% off thousands of items at Design Within Reach does not seem like a great deal to me, but I'm guessing the demand for their sleek, modern furniture is strong enough that even 10% will have the house proud calculating where a new chair will fit. DWR's stuff is gorgeous, after all. Warning: ample budget required.

A funky but really cool bookshelf, above, is $445 (orig $495). Browse all their categories, like bedroom, classics, seating, storage, and dining. Within each category there is an "on sale" tab at the bottom. Sale ends Tuesday, March 18. Find a store near you.

Get 100 business cards from Staples for $2 including shipping. Ends today! Click on the above link then look on the right for the box advertising the sale. When I click on the box the page comes up but doesn't load fully so I don't know if it is not working or just overloaded with people trying to get the deal.

Use coupon code 93128. Good online or over the phone (800-378-2753).

Now until Saturday, March 8 get $10 of your purchase of $25 or more at Office Depot stores. It's part of their grand opening event, but the coupon is good at all their stores. Good on supplies, furniture, cameras, printers, TVs and other stuff. Must have the coupon to get the discount. Find a store near you.

Caveats: not good on computers, gift cards, stamps, HP ink and toner, wireless, satellite Internet, technology or installation. Not good online.

Sears mondo tool sale ends Saturday. All the tools on this page are half off, including a 12-inch tool bag for $5 (orig $10) and a Craftsman mini digital multimeter for $10 (orig $20).

A Craftsman 245 -piece tool set that comes with a three-drawer chest is $200 (orig $250). A similar 263-piece tool set for $170 (orig $270) has already sold out online but check if it's available at your local store or if they will give you a rain check.

Browse all the tool categories on sale by looking at the left hand column of this page. Find a Sears near you.

The Dock Downtown, a discount furniture and home furnishings store, is going out of business March 9 and until then everything is 20% off the lowest marked price. Here is their selection of upholstered sofas, which they claim are priced 40 to 80% below retail. No prices online but you can browse their selection of beds, chairs, and dining room chairs. They also sell ottomans, sleeper sofas, benches and tables.

Visit them at 1481 East 4th St. in Los Angeles. (323) 446-0281 ext. 201. Hours are Thursday through Saturday from 10 to 6 and Sunday and Monday from 11 to 5. Cash and credit card only. Parking on site is free. From the Valley take 101 South or 5 South, exit 4th st, turn right onto 4th and the store is between Clarence and Anderson.

Get $10 off orders of $70 or more at Petsmart online until March 31, 2008. Use promo code SAVEMAR in caps when checking out. It comes up right at the beginning of the checkout process, which is nice because you know right away if it is working. Until March 17 all toys are 10% off and Flexi retractable leashes are 20% off until March 31. A 24 oz box of IAMS puppy biscuits is $3.50.

Caveats: limit one coupon per customer per transaction. Not valid with any other discount or offer.

Those jersey cotton sheets I was salivating over last week are now on sale for $10 at Target (orig $20). I dropped by this morning to check the quality and decided they were soft enough to buy a set, which will replace our red flannel sheets that my Mom gave me when I went to college. (They kept me very warm on the East Coast but now have a few holes.) The set includes a flat sheet, fitted sheet and two pillow cases. I do hope they get a little softer with washing, however.

Many other sheet sets, towels and bathmats are on sale through March 8, 2008. Looks like the sale is also online. Scroll down to where it says Weekly Ad, then click on sheets or towels. Find a Target near you.

Thinking of sprucing up your yard for Easter? Head to Smith & Hawken's garden sale to get 20% off garden structures, arches, edgers, and window boxes. If only I had some dirt to dig my hands into. For those who do, a steel twining arch is $175 (orig $219) and spreadable trellises are $33 to $38. A little wooden bridge that adds whimsy to any yard, right, is $159 (orig $199).

Browse all the sales here. Unclear how long the sale lasts. Find a Smith & Hawken near you.