Open Mic is a post every Thursday that is a mini-version of a discussion board. You can leave a comment with whatever coupon, money-saving or debt reduction tips or questions you have and other readers chime in and answer.
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As always, I look forward to hearing the voice of the Pocket Your Dollars community. Read through the Open Mic archives here.
Your turn: Leave a comment with your money-saving, coupon or debt reduction question, thought or suggestion.
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I am currently laid off due to the Mn Gov shutdown. Any suggestions for earning income, while I am unemployed? Anyone know of anyplace hiring? I do follow your money saving tips on couponing.
Thanks.
Cheryl, my heart goes out to you and all of the families in your situation.
Try doing a focus group. In my experience, they normally pay $75 to $150.
Jennifer, How do you find focus groups? I would be interested in this.
I completed a focus group through Orman Guidance Research. Basically, you sign up and then they contact you when they have an available focus group and your profile matches what they are looking for.
http://www.ormanguidance.com/
Another is Fieldwork. I haven’t done a focus group through them. They have contacted me but it didn’t work out for the time of the group.
http://www.fieldwork.com/Facility/Home.aspx?FacilityID=25
Try Chores/More most cities have this program to help seniors and you get paid for doing housework and other chores. You can do this temp for while you are out. Call City hall in your City and ask. It is a great program for seniors and they always need workers.
Thanks for the suggestion.
So sorry to hear that you’ve been affected by the shutdown!
Have you tried Fiverr (http://www.fiverr.com)? It’s a site where you either offer to do certain things for $5 or browse open opportunities that people advertise.
Some of the things are kind of goofy, but there are many online business-related ones too like doing some administrative work, etc.. You get paid $5 for each “gig” but Fiverr keeps $1 as their take.
I’ve used it from both sides: I was hired for a small gig and I also hire people from there at times for little one-off projects I need some help with.
I hope this shutdown mess gets straightened out soon!! Take care!
Does anyone know of anywhere where I can get a really good deal using the Dove Mens + bar soap coupons that were in an insert a couple of weeks back? They are for $4 off a 6 bar pack. There was a good deal at Wags, but every one I went to was out by the end of the week.
Don’t want to assume anything, but I can share that most of the times for me in Hastings. If I stop by Walgreens earlier in the day, I find that the things that are a good deal get restocked minimally overnight. It appears that our store manager keeps an eye on his/her sales and when they are going fast, he hangs on to a couple of the product to restock nightly.
It may be the case in your local store also, so stop in before heading out for the day and see if they restocked a few overnight.
Thanks for the tip. I’ve noticed same thing at Hastings Walgreens.
ask for a raincheck…then you can come back later when they have more in stock
Try using price matching at Walmart. I use price matching all the time. Its great!
A deal you may find at Cub.
They have a store coupon in the Sunday ad for $1/3 for Suave Products. In our local store Hastings and Eagan, they have a coupon on the shelves near Suave for $1.50/3 Suave Products. I bought 3 shampoo for $1.09 each and stacked the coupons getting 3 Suave shampoo for $.77.
Chris-
I will look for that deal–need more kiddo shampoo. Thanks.
Anyone have a credit card that pays more than 1% back on grocery purchases? Mine used to be 5%, then they changed it to 3%, and now it changed to rotating categories and groceries are only offered for 3 months of the year at 5%, otherwise 1%.
Do you shop at Target for groceries? The first thing that comes to mind is the Target debit card … we don’t personally have one but from my understanding you can save 5% on all purchases.
Yes, you get an instant 5% discount at the register! It’s taken right off the final total and the money comes out of your regular bank account a day or so later. That’s a little-known tip: you get a day or so “float” between when you buy your items and when your bank account is actually debited (at least in our case with our TCF checking account…your mileage may vary and you’d probably want to test that out before relying on it).
We love it! Totally free, just like using your bank debit card. You can also take cash out at the register so it saves me trips to the ATM.
I am looking for something to do with my grandkids this afternoon free or cheap northern subs. Any ideas?? They are girls 4 and 7. Grandmas last day with them for a while. thought maybe someone would know of something going on today.
The Carmike theater in Mounds View has 10am movie today for only $1 – I think it’s Megamind. And they also have popcorn etc at a discount. Good luck:)
The Anoka County Library has a few programs today. Blaine High School has one at 10:30 and it’s a Juggler, and Rum River Library has an acrobat at 1:30 and 3. It might be fun to do on a rainy day.
Eagles Nest at the New Brighton City Center. Huge indoor playground. $5 each and there is a one admission free coupon in the Entertainment Happenings Book. Socks are required and you can bring your own snacks and drinks into the building.
THANK YOU!!
I saw at Snapfish had buy one photobook get 2 free. Does anyone know how much they charge for shipping beings I figure you will have to pay shipping for the two free books. How is there quality?
I have gotten free photo books in the past and the shipping was 7.99 each. It was for a medium sized square book. Their quality is pretty good and website pretty easy. I think there’s better quality out there, but you pay much more for it. I think the free ones only go up to a certain number of pages, so beware of that too (I think it’s 25).
Good morning everyone,
I’ve got approx 60 coupon inserts and a handful of random coupons that I won’t be using. I have collected these personally, and really won’t get around to using any of gem before they expire. I would like to donate them to someone who will be using them for good -perhaps donating things to food shelves, etc.
I’m wondering if anyone has an idea of where I can donate them. Not that any of you PYD followers are like those on the extreme coupling show, but I would prefer not to see them end up in hands of someone who will hoard products for themselves. I would greatly appreciate any advice!
Thanks in advance!
YES!
Coups for Troops would LOVE your expireds!! The service men and women can use them at their Px’s and Commisaries for up to 6 months past. Here is their mailing address:
Coups for Troops
PO Box 147
Winnabow NC 28479
They can also be found on Facebook at Coups For Troops: The Carolinas.
I know there are programs where you can send your coupons to military members overseas. The military stores allow them to use coupons up to 6 months past the expiration date. The only thing, you would have to clip all of the coupons. One blog site I found that will send them overseas for you is thekrazycouponlady dot com (replace “dot” with .)
That is so nice of you to donate them for good causes. I have ran into some, what I like to call, “OVER extreme couponers” who have given me a hard time for donating items instead of stockpiling 50 years worth of something. I have a hard time with it at first, but then think about that God has blessed me with the ability to coupon very well, not only for my family, but to help others as well.
I hope you are able to find a good place to donate them to!
God Bless!
Brit
I would call one of the food shelves. I have gone shopping for some of the products and hand them out. I have put coupons for diapers and pull ups on the shelf right by them.
Facebook some of your friends and see if anyone could use them.
Just a couple of ideas.
Hi – Has anyone bought diapers at Walgreens or CVS this week? I’m trying to figure out which one is the better deal. I miss all the Amazon deals! I haven’t bought diapers in about 9 months at a store! Urghhh
Thanks,
Heather
I bought a box at CVS this week mainly because I had a $4 off coupon. If you get Pampers coupons it was mailed about 2 weeks ago on teal card stock paper. After ECB the box came to $10.99.
I haven’t seen much for diaper deals in awhile. We’re back to using Target diapers because they have been the cheapest. I’ve never been a fan of the diaper deals at CVS or Walgreens because if part of the deal is to get register rewards or extra care bucks, you’re still spending the same, just getting something cheaper later. Good luck! We have twins in diapers and soon to be three in diapers, I miss all the deals too!
I’m in the same boat. I bought LUVS at Target this week. When you buy 2 boxes you get a $5 giftcard.
For any of you HyVee shoppers; my HyVee has Peter Pan Peanut butter in their ad for $1.98 for the 16 oz size but when I got to the store they had an instore special for even lower than ad price of .99 for it….AND you can go to:
http://www.childhungerendshere.com/Html/EnterCode.html
And enter code: 63829897 to get .50 cent off coupons for Peter Pan Peanut Butter. I printed 10 coupons for the peanut butter yesterday…I don’t know why it let me print more than two but it did. There are other really good coupons there too…it seems to let you print more of any of them.
Looking for the most frugal way to get rid of an old (in really bad shape) twin mattress. My garbage hauler wants $20 but I was hoping to find something cheaper. Thanks for any help with suggestions on this!
If you live in Hennepin County,they will accept mattresses at their drop-off facility in Brooklyn Park near 169/Brooklyn Blvd. They charge $15 for each piece so a mattress and box spring would be $30.
I would post it on Craigslist for free and see if someone has a use for it, you never know who might need it! I have heard that pet shelters may use them for animal beds or if there is someone who doesn’t have a bed, even an old one is better than nothing.
I put an old mattress on craigs list for free and it was gone in a few hours!
I’m wondering if anyone has used Sunshine Rewards? Is this legitimate?
Could anyone recommend where to buy Silk soy milk at the lowest price? I’ve bought it at Target in the past. The price has gone up about .50 recently.
Thank you.
I’ve switched to the Aldi brand and I think that’s just as good as Silk. Best part is that it’s only $2.39!
Funny enough, I checked my e-mail after posting and I had an e-mail from Silk waiting for me in my inbox. If you haven’t already, I’d suggest subscribing to their newsletter. This one came with a coupon for 75 cents off.
Also, if you have a Costco membership you can find it there (plain only though) for a decent price. This might be true for Sam’s as well, but I do not have a membership there.
I just got some at Rainbow yesterday using my .75 coupon and it doubled so that helps. In return I got 2 catalina coupons both for .75 off my next silk.
there were just $1 off 1 coupons in one of last week’s inserts. use them at rbow on double day $2 off per 1/2 gallon made them $1.89.
Thank you very much for eveyone’s ideas!
The Silk coupons that were in the paper say do not double. I was going to do the same thing at Coborns. We will just buy it at Aldi instead.
Trader Joe’s is my buy place if I don’t get a good coupon deal with Silk or some of the other mainstream brands. Trader Joe’s has organic soy, almond, rice milk now. Great prices.
Do you have a Costo membership? I get 12 shelf stable ORGANIC vanilla or plain cartons of soy milk for $10.99!
Does anybody know where we can recycle used batteries? We live in the Maple Grove area. Thanks!
You can recycle batteries at your local Best Buy, right when you walk in the door they have recycling bins for them.
Best Buy used to take them in one of their collection bins inside the first set of doors … not sure if this is still the case, could be worth checking/calling.
If there is a Batteries Plus nearby, you could recycle them there.
you can recycle household batteries at the Hennepin County library. There is a bin right inside the door.
My city hall accepted them.
I have heard that Home Depot might take them.
Maple Grove Library!
Each Target store has a bin for them. They are a bit hard to find, so ask!
I have a question… anyone have any ideas how much I should spend on airfare tickets from Mpls to Chicago? Want to go in Sept…but need to save money. Also, what other things can i do besides Chinatown?
I am looking to meet my girlfriends there. Prices for airfare has been horrible but that is the case anywhere. My goal is no more than $250. Don’t forget to check Southwest Airlines and Sun Country. They usually aren’t listed on Expedia or Travelocity sites. My sister-in-law highly recommeded the Architectural boat tour (its $38). http://www.chicagoline.com
SWA has had a $59 each way deal going. It may expire today. I know we looked into just doing a weekend getaway. We’ve had great luck with them (just check in the day ahead of time to get a good boarding number). Free luggage too!
Field museum, planitarium and aquarium are all in the same area at Lake Shore. You can just walk between those. They have some free admission days http://fieldmuseum.org/visit/field-museum-discount-days
Chicago navy pier – is fun shopping destination and has lots of entertainment and attractions.
The Navy Pier also has a free Stained Glass Museum – kinda nice for a stroll if you want to get out of the sun or rain.
Check out MegaBus. It’s like grayhound leaves from the twincities and goes to chicago. One way usually runs about 25 dollars.
Penny, you should check the Megabus website.
There are lots of Free things to do in Chicago. Check out this list: http://thelocaltourist.com/cities/chicago/free-things-do-chicago
Also, many of the museums offer free days.. This link might be out of date but you just click on the place you want to go and look for “Free Days” on their website. http://thelocaltourist.com/chicagofreemuseums
check out amtrak. we took a fabulous trip in Oct with our boys. yes, it takes more time, but it was scenic and FUN! only downside is trip to Chi may be delayed as the train travels from Seattle. on the way home it’s usually always on time. at the time we traveled, there were really good deals buy adult get a free kid, etc. i do recommend upgrading to “first” class, not what they call it, but you’ll figure it out on the web site.
Thanks for all the suggestions for Chicago!
There are daily trains from Milwaukee to Chicago and back that aren’t affected by the Empire builder. I believe there are several in the morning and several in the afternoon.
Also check out City Pass. It will get you into many attractions at a highly discounted price including Field Museum, Aquarium, Museum of Science and Industry,the former Sears Tower, etc.
However, we had a Expanded Membership pass to the Duluth Children’s Museum (because the pass is cheaper than the MN Children’s Museum) and it gets us into any children’s or science museum in the country. We had already used it enough that it had paid for itself, but then we went to Chicago and it got us into the Museum of Science & Industry and the Field Museum for free. Saved us over $130! Unfortunately, it does not get you into the Aquarium. If you want to go to the Aquarium, find a deal or use the City Pass. I believe for 2 adults and 2 children, it would have cost us over $100 to see the majority of the exhibits.
You MUST visit the Art Institute of Chicago. In that same area are Millenium Park and “The Bean.” Sooo much to see and do in Chicago. Check out both Fodors and Frommers websites for more ideas.
At airfarewatchdog dot com you can sign up to receive daily emails of airfares between cities and then grab a good one when it shows up.
I am wondering what others think works best: going grocery shopping with a debit card or strictly cash? I’ve been using my debit card, but it’s very easy to overspend when you see a couple more “deals”; however, if they are good deals, they are hard to pass up. I’m thinking about switching to a “cash only” basis and looking for input on what “system” others use.
I use my debit card because I earn reward miles. Since the money comes directly out of my bank account…it’s pretty much like using cash.
I use my debit card and dont purchase anything that is not on my list. If its something I think is a good deal I will note it down and think about it. I will also check for coupons out there for any unadvertised specials and go back if I think it is worth it.
I use cash only. But then I also plan my shopping trips and “spend” my cash on paper before I get there (95% of the time if it’s not on my list, I don’t buy it). I’m usually right on or within a dollar or two – that helps to also catch mistakes at the register. I’ve tried debit/credit cards, but it doesn’t “hurt” like cash does.
Just remember that getting rewards for debit cards is going away at the end of the year due to gov’t laws…
Plan and Cash. Self-discipline at its best! AND It feels so good to be in control of my finances!
Recycle your batteries at any Hennepin Co. library. We throw ours in the library bag so we can easily remember to take them with us.
I just ordered a few things from Graveyard mall. THEY TOOK FOREVER to arrive and one of the items was incorrect. Customer Service said they would refund me the amount of the incorrect item (what I wanted was sold out) but they have yet to post the refund. I won’t be ordering from them again. just wanted others to know. sometimes a “deal” is NOT a “deal”.
That is too bad Theresa, I myself have always had excellent service from them. I did receive an e-mail from them recently saying that because of storms and power outages they would be behind in shipping things out.
I also agree. I have had great service from them always! I love the last deal I did for sunglasses so worth the money!
Any tips on how to get airfare for a decent price?
I have always had good luck with name your own price at Priceline.com. I normally bid lower than what I knwo will be accepted and then they come back with a decent counter offer. I just used them for a car rental next weekend. Lowest prices was $48/day. I bid $10/day and they came back with counter of $13/day for a midsized. I was ecstatic as I was willing to go as high as $21/day.
If you know in advance where you want to go I suggest signing up for fare alerts and emails on airfarewatchdog dot com. Also, if you can travel on any days other than Friday or Sunday the fares are usually cheaper.
Wrapping paper… I’m completely out but don’t want to pay the full-price! Any ideas on deals or inexpensive ways to get wrapping paper? I never see it on sale or coupons for them. :) Thanks!
The Dollar Tree has a lot to pick from!
Addelynn
This probably won’t help you right now but I always keep the funnies from the Sunday papers and use those for kids birthday gifts or less formal gifts….then when in a time crunch “needing” nicer wrap or if I need to use up Register Rewards I will use register rewards from Walgreens for gift wrap because wrap rarely goes on sale anywhere.
I like this idea! Thanks.
I also save my Funnies! They work good for people who are environmentally conscious and for fellow frugalistas!
An inexpensive wrapping paper I have use in the past is a brown paper bag. You can tie the box with a nice ribbon or I have used the plastic ribbon and tied on a pine cone for a decoration, or I have drawn on the paper or used construction paper to cut out a shape for the occations, e.g. Hearts for Valentines, Balloon shape for Birthdays
Addelyn,
Try Target for inexpensive wrapping paper…in their dollar section they have some really fun colorful prints at $1.00 per roll—check the sq ft on rolls for maximum length!
Thank you for all the ideas! I appreciate it and will check them out. :)
Buy clearance stuff that can be used for other holidays/events. Around Christmas they usu have red or green or silver/gold on clearance. Same with Valentines day or even shiny wedding paper.
I do this too. Blue and Purple are even popping up at Christmas and this year I got some striped pink, lime green and red at christmas that works fine for a young girl’s birthday.
If you want to buy in bulk try papermart.com usually a 23′ roll will cost you about 15 dollars. Lately we’ve been saving the comics and use some ribbon (6′ roll for a dollar) or raffia. One thing I do for baby showers or other occasions that don’t come up as often as Bday and Xmas is get white butcher type paper (roll at ikea for 3.99) and wrap it with ribbon. It always looks nice and sometimes to jazz it up I’ll use a rubberstamp or a diecut.
I’m a member of Costco now, but when we were Sam’s Club members we got this HUGE (and heavy!) roll of wrapping paper that we’ve been slowly chipping away at using for about 5 years! =) Everyone knows which gifts are ours because our wrapping paper is always the same, but it was reversible so we can wrap with one design or the other.
I can’t even say how big this roll was but I’d say it was at least the size of 15 regular rolls if not larger and it was only about $8. I’m not sure if they carry wrapping paper regularly, because we haven’t looked for it since, but that might be a good idea.
Another idea: Post a “Wanted” ad in the for sale section of Craigslist and maybe someone has extra that they want to get rid of for free. I always try that first to see if I can find something free first, before I go looking for it in the store, especially if it’s something I only need to buy once in awhile. FYI, I got a $700 desk and office chair for free just for putting it out there that I wanted them….it works! =) Sometimes people just think, “Ugh, I just want to get rid of this and not deal with people and $$” and will just say, “Great, I’ll have it out for you on the curb by 5pm” or whatever. We do that ourselves when we want to get rid of stuff fast too.
In a pinch I will use paper grocery bags (if the size allows) and decorate with stickers, raffia or other decorating items I have on hand … even potatoes cut with shapes and dipped in paint … with the kids’ help of course!
Have fun being creative!!
This is out of the box but… My sister-in-law used the leftover aisle runner from her wedding for years as wrapping paper. It required a little more tape, but it worked.
We’ve also used extra pillowcases as wrapping.
I’m looking for a good place to get a suit and a dress altered near Roseville. I’ve tried the ones at HarMar and Rosedale Center and have not been pleased with their quality or customer service.
Our family loves New Fashion in St paul on University Ave and Dale St it is one block east of Dale, great service and great $!
Try http://reynasalterations.com/ in white bear lake. She did my wedding dress for 165, hem, bustle, taking in the top….it was a lot of work. I hear she does pants for about 20 bucks or close to it. She’s really great at what she does.
Go to Mulberrys Cleaners in Edina Hwy 100 & Vernon Ave. The tailors name is Liz and she is out of this world. She has over 30 yrs experience. Plus the turn around time is just a few days….yes days. A friend of ours had an alteration done the same day! Call ahead and make sure she’s there if you need a fitting: 952-929-4608
Yes, it is well worth the drive to Edina to see Liz. Both my wife and I have had work done by her and it surpassed our expectations. We were the best dressed people at the wedding. My suit and my wives formal were done perfectly.
I just got back from Target and they have Purina Friskies cat food bags price cut for $1.99!
Which Target and what size?
Does anyone have any experience buying bedroom furniture and/or a mattress from Ikea? Our teenage daughter likes the contemporary look of their furniture, but we don’t know about the quality. It is cheaper and you do have to assemble yourself. Wondering if you get what you pay for type of thing, or how satisfied others are with their purchase?
Yes, we have and LOVE IKEA! You do have to do self-assembly (my husband swears it’s the best do-it-yourself furniture he’s put together) but it has been worth the quality and savings. Not only did we purchase our daughter’s (she’s 12) bed, mattress and dresser there but SEVERAL other furniture pieces as well. One was a kitchen table with butterfly leaf; when we got home (we don’t live close at all!) we discovered a small dent in the butterfly piece. I called Cust Serv and without question they sent us a replacement piece at their cost and it arrived in a few days.
We not only have really been pleased with what we’ve bought but won’t feel guilty if in a few years we decide to replace what we have because the price didn’t break the bank. Good luck!
I second Amy. My sister bought an up-right dresser there for under $200 and it looks like something you’d pay $500+ at a ‘regular’ furniture store. Of course that was a few years ago and they don’t carry it anymore. I bought my bed frame there for a little over $100 and am very happy with it.
We bought a dinner table with chairs from IKEA last christmas. Put it together with my husband, which was very easy. Turned out to be a great buy. We love it.
You can find a wide selection of used Ikea furniture on Craigslist at very low prices.
I think their furniture is great but their mattresses do not seem like they would hold up or be great to begin with. Good luck!
We bought a higher prices dresser from IKEA and we are not happy with the quality.
Looks very nice but not functional or worth the price point.
Have had EXCELLENT luck with Ikea purchases!! But, I haven’t bought any upholstered furniture from them because some of the stuff in the showroom looks so “tired” from people trying it out, so I get an idea of how it would look after a year in our zoo of a living room, lol :) I find their items easy to assemble and have had excellent customer service.
I just got my $5.00 off Bounty coupon from the friday promotion. I just wanted to double check. It says “$5.00 off any one bounty towel or napkin”. Can I use this to buy 1 package with multiple rolls or is this telling me 1 individual package with one roll. thanks for any suggestions
Kent~ Do what you want; but I’d wait for a great sale and get the most paper towels or napkins up to $5.00 Or actually if you don’t need the paper towels or napkins; then I would get the lowest cost product at a store that pays you the overage and make money off it. I am sure either way would work. Sounds like the wording will allow you to do whatever you want.
Does anyone know where I can recycle laser printer cartridges, preferably for a “perk” of some kind? I know Staples was taking ink jet cartridges, but do they take laser cartridges too and do you get anything in return?
Thanks in advance for any tips!
The Office Depot rewards program will give you $2 each for them but it takes a while for the credit to post and they limit how many you can turn in each month.
Jen – Staples gives you $2 per cartridge, but I don’t know if it’s only certain cartridges. The return posts to your account right away and you usually get the check within a month or so. They have a return limit/month, but it’s fairly high, especially if you are just using 1-2 computers at home to mostly just print coupons. : ) It doesn’t sound like their deal is any better or worse than Office Depot, so do whichever is most convenient for you. Staples is way more so for me, so I go there…
Thank you Nita and Lisa! I’ll check both out and see which one makes more sense for where I shop. =)
Two great options!
Wait if you can as OD usually does a promotion 2-3 times a year for $3-$5
advantagecartridge.com
Office Max and there rewards program is great for recycling also.
empties4cash.com
Just got back from Target (Waconia) and they were currently marking a ton of shoes 75% off. I got 2 pair for next year for my 5 yr old, came to about $8.50. Just a heads up incase you’re in need :)
Anyone have any suggestions for apps that you really like or are really useful. I just got an android smartphone and am looking for any apps that are helpful or fun.
Christine-
Download amazon aps. They have lord of freebies and they make one paid ap free each day. I’ve had my Droid for 6 days and have lots to learn still!
Carrie did a post on this a while back: http://www.pocketyourdollars.com/2010/06/open-mic-iphone-and-mobile-apps-that-save-you-money/
I was out of the country for awhile so I do not know if this has been addressed previously. Did the Star Tribune discontinue their Saturday coupons?
We have been getting the Star and Tribune daily for over a year now and have never received Saturday coupons.
If you buy the Saturday paper (early Sunday edition) at a store it will have some of the Sunday ads and coupons. The home delivered Saturday paper does not.
We need to replace our laptop soon and know this is a great time of year to shop for it (back-to-school deals), but we don’t know what shop/website will offer the best deal. We’d like to spend under $400. Help, please!
Erin – I would recommend figuring out which laptop you want first, then subscribing to the Laptops feed on DealNews (http://dealnews.com/Computers/Laptop-Deals-49.html) and waiting until a good deal pops up.
I’m also looking to replace my laptop ASAP, and I figured out which one I want by looking on Consumer Reports online (I ponied up the dough for a $5.95/month membership for one month). Now, I’m just waiting until a good deal comes along.
Of course, that’s assuming you want to purchase a laptop online. If you want to look in stores, then Deal News won’t really help much with that.
Thanks, Laura! That’s my problem–I’m having a hard time deciding which one to get! I’ll definitely check out that website, and I may end up subscribing to Consumer Reports too. I did see this deal which looks pretty good: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/HP+-+Pavilion+Laptop+/+Intel&%23174%3B+Pentium&%23174%3B+Processor+/+14%22+Display+/+4GB+Memory+-+Pewter/2753496.p?id=1218348481450&skuId=2753496&ci_src=5784816&ci_sku=2753496&ref=25&loc=PGR.
We bought our laptop from Costco. They have a 3 month return for any reason policy and extend the manufacturer’s warranty by a yr.
Good to know–thanks!!!
This doesn’t help you much if you want it right away, but we’ve gotten great Black Friday deals online (didn’t even have to step into a store!) for our last two laptops.
Any ideas on where I can get a BUNCH of clothespins (like, 300) for cheap? I’m participating in a Busy Bag Swap for preschoolers and need some for my activity.
Laura-
Have you tried a dollar store? Not an original idea but it’s the best I have :)
Menard’s had the spring type on sale a couple months ago. I think there were 50 in the pack for about $2.
Maybe FleetFarm?
Great savings at Rainbow yesterday. Keep those Monopoly $.25 coupons, because they can come in handy. Rainbow had the Kemps individual ice creams on sale 4 for $5. There was a coupon in one of the Sunday coupon sections for $1 off the purchase of 5 of them. I had 4 of the $.25 off Monopoly coupons for the Ittibitz and the regular Kemps individual. I bought 5 at $1.25 each, got my $1.00 off coupon doubled and got an additional $1.00 off because of the 4 $.25 Monopoly coupons. So all totaled, $3.25 for the 5.
From the world of rebates:
I sent in the Snapple rebate from the winter offer. I mailed it in about mid February. It said 6-8 weeks for fulfillment.
I always photocopy my submission and make sure I know how to call and file a complaint if I don’t get my check. I noticed a few weeks ago that I was still awaiting the payment. I was about to call and complain, it was just a matter of remembering to do so during a weekday. Before I did, I got the check in the mail. It took more than four months to get paid.
If you sent in one of the more recent Snapple rebate forms, I hope you get a quicker return than I did. But expect them to be really slow.
Regarding the battery recycling: In Maple Grove you can just add them to your curbside recycling. No need to take them anywhere. I have been doing this for quite a while myself.
I got an email from Toys R Us stating their Lego City sets were b1g1 half off. My kids are big fans of Legos and these would make great Christmas presents. Do Legos get any cheaper than that?
They also are offering $20 off if you set up a pay later account (zero interest accrues if you pay in full in 6 months) and free shipping.
And I got an additional 20% off coupon that I’m tempted to use on a larger ticket item for a Santa family gift.
Is now a good time to buy Legos, or should I wait for a better sale? Are there ever any coupons available for Legos? Thanks!
The B1G1 half off is a decent enough price, but Toys R Us sets cost more than Target or Lego directly, up to 20% more. I’ve found Target to have the most discounts, especially when you factor in the 5% discount and sometimes online coupons, but Lego clearance selection varies from store to store. Another good source is Amazon. Otherwise, wait closer to Christmas time and many of the sets will be discounted then. Finally, another source for minifigs and pieces current or from discountinued sets, is bricklink.com. Bricklink is similar to ebay with fixed prices from a member’s store. HTH
Thanks Jason! I checked and the items I wanted to purchase were the same price at the Lego website, Target website, and Toys R Us, except that Toys R Us is offering the b1g1 half off. I checked Amazon, but they didn’t have the selection of items I wanted. I also got my nephew his Christmas present early, as they had a lot of items on sale for 75% off. I guess I didn’t do too terribly, I saved over $80. :)