Today is the last day to win a 3-pack of reusable Joey Totes (I’ve been using them for the past month and they are super light and durable.) You can also win two tickets to Next to Normal or Mamma Mia on Broadway in New York City.
All you have to do is sign up for my free emails.
The Next to Norma tickets are for Nov. 2 and I’m not sure when the Mamma Mia tickets are for. Show tickets run anywhere from $60 to $120 so you are saving a bundle!
The show tickets are courtesy of Season of Savings, Broadway’s twice-annual special edition Playbill that has discounts and deals for numerous Broadway and Off-Broadway shows, hotels and other New York City attractions.
You can win whether you are a new reader or an existing reader! The giveaway ends Sept. 14 so sign up for my daily OR weekly emails today!
The free software program I’ve been using, Feedblitz, is on the fritz, which is why you’ve been receiving the daily email at 2 a.m. instead of early afternoon.
To make sure you get the daily email at a convenient time, i.e. the same day I publish the posts, I’m going to email you myself every afternoon when I’m done bargain hunting.
This new set up comes with some technical limitations. From now on the emails will ONLY contain the posts from TODAY. In the past, the emails also had links to “earlier entries” so if you missed a day (I know YOU read me everyday, but not everyone does), you could play catch up. No more.
I hope this new set up makes you happy. It’s the best solution for a) keeping the emails free, b) keeping me from going gray and c) keeping you happy as a clam.
Win a free pair of tickets to the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles for the “India Calling” show on Sunday, Sept 20 by sharing a deal on BargainBabeLA.com OR by leaving a comment on BargainBabe.com no later than 7 a.m. PST Wednesday, September 16, 2009.
Want to know more about the concert? Click here.
I will chose the winner at random Wednesday morning and notify them by email. The winner will pick up their two free tickets at Will Call.
The website SelectedRates.com has a lot more than just the latest and greatest bank CD rates. There’s actually a lot of useful, consumer-friendly info. In the right column, the site provides a summary for what rates did in the past week – nice if you want to get up to speed quickly without doing a lot of research.
The site has short articles on topics that interested me, including why direct deposit for paychecks, social security, or pension can increase your interest rate, why consumer ignorance about interest rates helps banks make a profit, and what law dictates how long a bank can hold onto a check deposited before making it available to you (something my Mom was just asking me about).
SelectedRates.com also lists bank rates by state, including California, New York, and Florida CD rates. I like that the site has a glossary, an explainer page for mutual funds, and dozens of general tips. Quite a lot of free resources!
This is paid content. Interested in buying a sponsored post? Read my Advertise page.
Restaurant Week is coming up in Los Angeles, which made me think it’s a good time to refresh my tips for lowering your restaurant tab. Here they are with a few new ones from readers.
1. Eat at the bar during happy hour. SO many restaurants are offering really great happy hour deals because of the recession. Take advantage!
2. Use coupons from the newspaper, mail, or the restaurant web site, which will often have a page for “special offers.” Many readers suggested this, so thanks!
3. Order cheaply. Stick to sensibly-priced entrees and skip the drinks, appetizers and desserts.
4. If you are eating with one other person, split an appetizer and an entree instead of each ordering an entree. Restaurant portions are big enough you will still have plenty to eat.
5. Eat out for lunch instead of dinner. The prices are almost always lower but the portions still as big.
6. Have dinner at home and go out for dessert. Add a glass of wine and your tab will still be lower than eating a full meal out.
7. Buy discounted gift certificates from Restaurant.com, but watch out for tight restrictions on redeeming the certs. The usual deal is $10 for a $25 certificate, but sign up for their email updates and you will get coupons for 50% to 80% off that $10 rate.
8. Halfoffdeals.com sells gift certificates to restaurants (and a few spas and golf courses) for half price and has many fewer restrictions than Restaurant.com.
9. Buy the Entertainment Book, which is stocked with 2-for-1 offers and 50% off deals at many fast casual restaurants. Check that you enjoy eating at the restaurants that are included. Many chains participate, but the coupons are not good at every single location.
10. Become a member of AAA. The cards will get you 10% to 20% off at select restaurants.
11. Take advantage of senior discounts. If you don’t see a sign, ask!
12. Eat at places that serve kids for free.
13. When you eat in a group, instead of splitting the bill evenly and subsidizing your buddies drinks (assuming you ordered cheaply), have cash ready to generously cover your share plus tax and tip. Give it directly to whoever is handling the bill and say “This generously covers my share with tax and tip. I hope you don’t mind taking it into account before splitting the bill.” Yes, your friends will call you cheap. But do it enough times and they will get used to it.
14. Get separate checks and avoid the hassles of splitting the tab. (Thanks for the suggestion, Louise!)
15. At Mexican restaurants, order sides of rice and beans. It will be a filling meal, albeit a vegetarian one.
16. Pick cheap places to eat. It’s an obvious one that can make a big difference.
17. Order take out. You can have a drink at home and it’s easier to split the food. (Thanks for this idea, Ron!)
Wise Bread via Smart Spending added to this mix a few new tips, such as splitting a soda, make the salad bar and 3-course meal, take advantage of birthday freebies, and take home a doggie bag. Done!
Related:
Mimicking meal prep bizes at home for less
Why being a freezer diva is like being a landlord (funny!)
This post originally appeared on the Bargain Hunter blog, which I wrote at the LA Daily News.
A lot has changed in the past eight years, but when it comes to finding bargains on September 11, I feel the same way I did last year. I cannot do my job. A few years ago I told you why and here’s that story again.
Forgive me for not posting any bargains today, the eighth anniversary of the September 11 attacks. Trying to save $3 on a sandwich or find a shoe sale seems silly and out of place today. Instead, I’m going to try to give blood, something I wasn’t able to do that day in New York.
So many people tried to donate on September 11 – we expected waves of injured people to flood the hospitals – that the blood bank was full. They turned us away.
Walking to and from the hospital everyone we passed was talking about the twin towers, you could see it on their faces and hear snips of the awful truth in their conversations.
I was stunned, like so many other people. Was it really possible those two massive buildings that stood almost twice as tall as any other building on Manhattan could collapse? But they did. I saw it from my kitchen window.
We lived on the third floor of a brick building adjacent to the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway. One of the things we loved about the apartment was its three large windows that looked onto lower Manhattan.
We had a picture perfect view. On days when the air was crisp and the sun bright under a brilliant sky – almost impossible to imagine in hazy LA – I ate my breakfast cereal in front of the window, just staring at the buildings. My own New York postcard.
September 11, 2001 was one of those gorgeous fall days. I had just started grad school at Rutgers in New Jersey and had planned to go into campus that morning. But as it turned out the CDs I needed to listen to had arrived the day before in the mail. Otherwise I would have taken the subway into Manhattan, transferring to the NJ PATH train at the World Trade Center. With the CDs at home, I slept in.
The sound of sirens finally woke me up. I got out of bed at about 9 a.m. and I remember thinking there were more sirens than usual that morning. You get used to a lot of noise living in New York City. Then I saw a trail of smoke from the first tower. I went back into the bedroom and woke up Hubby, who was then my boyfriend.
“There’s something going on,” I told him, nudging him awake.
I turned on the TV and one of the people being interviewed on the BBC was declaring this was an act of war. That seemed drastic. Maybe this was just an accident?
When the second plane hit my gut told me it wasn’t. From my window I saw the terrible gash the second plane created on the side of the building. There was a lot of smoke. You could see flames.
We tried to guess how many people might work in the two buildings. Tens of thousands, we decided.
Then the buildings collapsed. Dark, smokey clouds billowed.
I bristle when people ask me what it was like to watch. What do you think it’s like seeing thousands of people die in a few minutes? It is terrible.
But there was one part that was beautiful. After the towers collapsed – but before the wind blew a blanket of smoke and debris over Brooklyn – the brilliant sky glittered.
A sparkling arc reached like a hand over the bay from Manhattan to Brooklyn. It was incredible and I watched it for a few minutes before closing the windows so the dark air would not foul our apartment. Later I found out it was reams of freed office paper catching the sunlight.
The air cleared and we went to the hospital. We wanted to give blood, to do our part, but we couldn’t. Today I am going to try again.
Join me in giving blood today. You can find a donation center through the Red Cross by clicking here.
Buy any size smoothie and get a 16-oounce smoothie for $1. Expires Sept. 27, 2009. One per customer. Print the coupon here.
Razzmatazz is one of my favorites, though when I’m trying to be healthy I order one of the all fruit smoothies. They really are just as good!
Caveats: not valid in Hawaii, any Vons, Safeway or Pavillions.
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Oh jeez. Christmas trees are popping up at Costco and people are already talking about Black Friday, the spending spree that follows Thanksgiving and is the official kick off to the winter shopping season.
DealNews.com shares their predictions for how low prices will go, which you can use as a barometer when you shop. DealNews was 82 percent accurate last year, they say.
Black Friday Predictions for Laptop PCs
- Netbook with 9″ screen, SSD, Linux for $129
- Netbook with 10″ screen, 1GB RAM, hard drive, Windows for $199
- Basic 15″ Intel or AMD Dual Core laptop for $249
- Well-equipped 15.4″ Intel Core 2 Duo Laptop with 4GB RAM for $399
Black Friday Predictions for Blu-ray
- Blu-ray player for $49
- Blu-ray player / movie bundle for $99
- Blu-ray movies you actually want from $5
Black Friday Predictions for LCD & Plasma TVs
- 40″-42″ 1080p LCD HDTV for $449
- 46″-47″ 1080p LCD HDTV for $599
- 46″-47″ 1080p LCD HDTV, 120Hz or 240Hz for $899
- 52″ 1080p LCD HDTV for $999
- 52″ brand-name 1080p LCD HDTV, 120Hz or 240Hz for $1,049
- 50″ 1080p plasma HDTV for $899
Black Friday Predictions for iPods, Macs, hard drives, and LCD monitors
- Free shipping no min at Apple Store online
- The newest Apple product for 10% off
- iMac and MacBook computers for 5% to 10% off
- 1TB USB 2.0 External Hard Drive for $49
- Name-brand 22″ LCD Monitor for $99
- Name-brand 24″ LCD Monitor for $145
Black Friday Predictions for GPSs, Digital Photo Frames, and HD Camcorders
- Nintendo Wii Game Console for $199
- 8″-9″ digital picture frame for $30
- Basic HD 720p camcorder for $60
- 1080p HD camcorder, 8GB or better for $349
- entry-level GPS units for $49
- entry-level Garmin or TomTom GPS units for $69
- widescreen GPS with Bluetooth, TTS for $95
Here are some of the best deals posted on my new site BargainBabeLA.com.
Get a free flu shot in LA County, shared by RebeccaQuinn. Otherwise Costco is the cheapest, at $20 a shot.
Foster Farms whole chickens are $.59/lb at Ralphs this week, shared by The Unethical Man. (this is as low as whole chickens go!)
Kids eat free at El Torritos on Saturdays, shared by bargainbabe. Yum!
Get a 60-minute shiatsu massage for just $30 in Santa Monica, shared by amygrahek.
About BargainBabeLA.com: this site uses Google maps to show deals in your neighborhood. The cool thing is, everyone can post a deal, including sale details, a location, and a photo! It’s free and takes about 4 minutes. Check it out at BargainBabeLA.com!
Get 30 percent off the list price of any book at Borders through Sept. 14, 2009. Must be a member of their free loyalty program. Print the coupon here for in store shopping. Online use promo code BHB9149B.
The discount also works at Waldenbooks. Maybe there is something you need for back to school? Or are you getting a jumpstart on your Christmas shopping?
AARP members can get 20% off almost anything in the store now through Sept. 13, 2009. Some exclusions. Get the coupon here.
I know, I am verrrry late in getting this regular Monday feature to you. What can I say, I’ve been on the fritz lately. But better late than never!
Five Cent Nickel urges you to use your emergency fund to get rid of credit card debt
Kiplinger’s says these are the signs your kid is ready to get his/her own credit card. (Come February folks under the age of 21 will need a c0-signor or have proof of income to get a credit card.)
Man Vs. Debt says simplifying your finances is addicting – but allows you to dominate your money.
Common Sense Money says Amazon has free e-books for folks with an iPhone or a Kindle.
The Digerati Life lays out the pros and cons of debt settlement agencies.
Sadly, BargainBabe.com was not able to cover the nuptials held at the 99 Cent Only stores yesterday in Hollywood, where everything was in nines: 9 couples, ceremony in aisle 9 on 9-9-09, and each couple paid $.99 for the wedding. What a bargain!
An audio slide show from the LA Times gives the best idea of what it was like to be there.
Pictures from LA Weekly show the brides in the soup aisle.
A video from FOX has interviews with two of the couples.
Disclosure: 99 Cents Only was a sponsor at the Frugal Fe$tival.
I love ice cream so much I thought this deserved its own post. Get free Smuckers toppings, like fudge and carmel, at Rite Aid when you order two double scoops from 2-6 p.m. on Saturday Sept. 12. Their ice cream is priced just right, according to the email I received, so the two double scoops will only run you $3.
Check details with the store near you.
Or get a single dip ice cream cone for just $.99 with this coupon. Expires Oct 10, 2009.
Get 25 percent off your entire purchase at ColdwaterCreek.com with code WKH6365. Expires today, Sept. 9!
Get 4 x 6 photo prints for $.10 each when you order at least 50 from Walgreens.com and use code CATCH, good through Sept. 12, 2009. You can also get 20 percent off photo gifts with code GIFTS4U through Sept. 12, 2009.
Get an extra 20 percent off your purchase at Bath & Body Works through Sept. 13. Online use code 1203, in stores print this coupon. One per customer. Some caveats.
Through Sept. 20 get $10 off $50, $15 off $75 or $25 off $100 purchase at Victoria’s Secret. Print the coupon here. Thru Sept. 14 they have clearance bras for $13, panties for $3, and pjs for $13 and up.
Get free shipping with no minimum purchase at Jo-Anns now through Sept. 16 with code ECD259. Or get 10 percent off your total purchase with code EGC259 through Sept. 16, 2009.
Banks earn more money from debit card fees than credit card fees and they often manipulate usage patterns to maximize their profit – and our pain, says a front page story in today’s NY Times.
“Banks will let you overspend on your debit card in a way that is much, much more expensive than almost any credit card,” said Eric Halperin, director of the Washington office of the Center for Responsible Lending.
The problem is that banks charge you an overdraft fee when you spend more than what is in your account, instead of denying the purchase. Three-quarters of the largest American banks automatically give consumers overdraft coverage, excepting Citigroup and INGDirect.
By calling this service overdraft “protection,” banks emphasize the benefit to consumers (being able to spend more than you have), while de-emphasizing their gain (charging outrageous fees for lending you what you the moolah).
Regulators and lawmakers are working to help consumers, but in the meantime, ahem, here are seven things you can do to reduce your debit card fees, the story says.
- Call your bank and ask them to turn off the overdraft protection on card transactions. Ask if this step will also disallow checks, ATM withdrawals and automatic bill pays to go through if they take your balance below zero. These are additional ways you can incur fees.
- Create a cushion, be it $100, $500 or $1,000, if your bank does not let you turn off overdraft protection. Some, like Bank of America or Wells Fargo, “generally won’t let you switch” it off, the story says. My Mom used to keep $300 extra in her checking account that was not reflected in the balance on her check ledger. So when she went negative $15, say, she actually had $285 left.
- Find a new bank that allows you to NOT have overdraft coverage. Try a smaller bank or credit union, and be sure to ask more than one person at the new institution to make sure they don’t have overdraft coverage.
- Get a line of credit at your bank that will kick in if you go below zero, instead of overdraft coverage. With a bank line of credit you will pay an interest rate on whatever you borrow beyond zero, instead of a $30 or $35 fee whenever you dip below zero.
- Connect a back up savings account to your checking account. If you overspend, the bank will take money from your savings to make up the difference. PNC Bank’s Virtual Wallet lets you link two accounts to your main account, the story says.
- Set an alert so you know when your balance is getting low.
- Consider a credit card – if you weren’t running away from credit in the first place!
Read the whole story here.
