This kitty is cold. lucy tartan / Flickr
This is a post by BargainBabe.com writer Yazmin Cruz.
It’s freezing in L.A., at least by Southern California standards. I headed to Target to buy a warm blanket for the cold nights and bought a cozy one for $15. It’s original price was $30. You too can save money on items for your bedroom and bathroom at a White Sale, when stores mark down linens and home goods by 30 to 70 percent off. These sales take place in January and offer reasonable prices on towels, sheets, blankets, pillows, and bathroom accessories. To get in on the action – but not overspend – follow these five simple tips. (more…)
There is no “one size fits all” budget, which is why I’m highlighting three very different budgets below. One focuses on paying off debt, a second provides a comprehensive approach to managing your money, and a third budget is a stripped down system that takes 15 minutes to create, start to finish. Which one works for you?
The Get Out of Debt Budget
Personal finance guru Dave Ramsey has a theory about paying off debt that focuses on small successes to create momentum, instead of merely focusing on paying off your highest interest debt. Using his plan, you pay minimums on all loans except the one with the smallest balance. Knock that one out, pat yourself on the back, and move onto to your next victim. As you score knock outs, increase the dollar figure you are paying towards debt each month, building momentum as you approach your last and final challenge.
While Ramsey’s plan is mathematically counter intuitive, (more…)
By online financial tools I mean things like online budgeting programs, websites devoted to reducing debt, and retirement or mortgage calculators. Or are you running a strictly paper-and-pencil operation? It occurred to me yesterday while working on a post about three ways to budget that some BargainBabe.com readers might not use the Internet to save money (aside from reading this blog, that is).
Illustration by OConnorCartoons.com
Ralphs - Highlights include Chef Boyardee Pasta for $.77 each when you buy three with coupon, Hunt’s Snack pudding cups for $.67 each when you buy three with coupon, and a Pure Protein Bar for free wtih coupon. The Ralphs prices assume coupon doubling up to $1. Get all the Ralphs coupons.
Safeway/Vons - Get all the Safeway/Vons coupons and deals later today.
Albertsons - Get the full list of Albertsons coupon match ups later today.
Whole Foods - Get Whole Foods coupon match ups later today, or check the January and February Whole Foods coupons. (more…)
This dog is in special fire training. Credit: _dChris/Flickr
Free dog training - Petco is offering free dog training on weekends in January. Fido, stop peeing in the house!
Today only! Free book on debt - Download a free copy of “Debt Free for Life,” by David Bach.
Free diabetic recipes - Get a free diabetic cookbook with 60 recipes from Diabetic Connect. Watch out for sharing your phone number, however!
Free gum - Get a free sample of gum, but watch out for some unusual terms.
Free magazine - Get a free magazine subscription to Rouge, a publication put out by Proctor & Gamble. Expect to come with lots of coupons for P&G brands. (more…)
I recently considered buying an iPad and discovered there are four different ways to buy it that result in a price difference of $330! The iPad is by no means a necessity, according to an Apple-obsessed friend of mine, but if you are going to buy one you might as well get a deal. See below for basic tech terms.
MiFi – A small device that allows you to set up a WiFi hot spot wherever you are.
3G – A high-speed Internet network that the 3G iPad can connect to (the WiFi iPad can only connect to WiFi hotspots, like at McDonalds, Starbucks, or your local library).
This chart assumes you do not break anything and incur replacement costs. Check warranties on all devices before you buy.
Identity Photogr@phy / Flickr
This is a post by BargainBabe.com writer Yazmin Cruz.
Coming up with resolutions for the new year was difficult. I easily added the No. 1 resolution to lose weight onto my list, but when it came time to think of my financial future, I was paralyzed. While I’ve always saved my pennies, this year is different. In the spring I’ll be graduating into a less than idea economy and assuming the adult reality of earning, managing, and spending money wisely. I would be lying if I said I was not anxious about my future.
My three financial goals, which may be similar to yours, are simple so I can stick to them.
3. Save more money – I’ve been putting aside 20 percent of all my earnings and will start putting away (more…)
Credit: Starbucks
I’m kicking off a slew of reader giveaways to celebrate BargainBabe.com’s two-year anniversary on Jan. 26 by giving away three $25 Starbucks gift cards, donated by Starbucks. Starbucks has a new artisan breakfast sandwich that comes with roasted onions, green and red bell peppers, eggs with Parmesan cheese, and is topped with Monterey Jack cheese, above. Get any Starbucks breakfast sandwich for just $2 Jan. 4-10, 2011 when you buy a handcrafted beverage, like a $1.50 cup of Pike Place roast.
To win, comment on this post with a description of your favorite breakfast sandwich (it doesn’t have to be sold at Starucks). This contest ends Sunday, Jan. 9, 2011 at 11:59 p.m. EST.
Stay tuned for more giveaways next week, including “I brake for bargains” bumper stickers, books reviewed on Bargainbabe.com, and gift cards.
NEW! Today only! Get a free specialty latte at Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf in CA, AZ, and TX today only on Tuesday, Jan. 4, 2011 from 4-7 p.m. local time. Thanks, Katy!
Free Dove conditioner – Get a free sample of Dove conditioner when you share a little info about yourself. While supplies last.
Free Kleenex – Get a mini-pack of free Kleenex by sharing a little info about yourself and the recipient (I sent them to my roommate.) If you took advantage of this promo a few months back, you are not eligible.
Free coffee – Get a 16 ounce cup of free coffee, tea, cappuccino, or hot chocolate at Pilot Travel Centers and Flying J locations through Feb. 28, 2011. (more…)
I first wrote about Flyerside.com in Feb. 2010 when it was getting off the ground. Flyerside lists grocery sales for almost 100 stores across the country. Now founder Joe Nelson tells me he made significant site improvements for 2011!
One of the coolest new features is the ability to get an email alert when an item in your saved grocery list has gone on sale. The number of sales listed per week have tripled, from about 300,000 to 1 million. A new layout makes searching easier and a video explains to newbies how the site works. The rating system remains the same. The more stars an item has, the better (more…)
By Bobbi Burger Brunoehler of Bobbisbargains.
Thms.nl/Flickr
It’s the beginning of a new year and a great time to assess my financial actions and make new budgetary policy. Here are my top five financial New Year’s resolutions:
1. Make a separate gasoline fund for each car. As gas prices go up and the number of drivers and cars in my family also rises, the money I am spending on gasoline is getting out of control. Personally, I am very good at looking at my errands and piggybacking them for the most efficient route. However, the rest of the family (especially the teenagers) are not as driven to do this as I am. I am going to get them more motivated by giving them a certain amount of gas money per week to get to classes and run errands. After that cash is gone, they will have to pay for the gas with their own money, take the bus, or stay home. This resolution has the most complexities to it, but I really want to get the gas expenses under control.
2. Make weekly menu plans and only (more…)
William Brawley/Flickr
The January issue of ShopSmart mag, a shopper-friendly publication put out by Consumer Reports, shares places to find cheap music to download and stream (which is playing music online without downloading it). I’ve summarized the best nine sources of cheap music below, in no particular order.
Amazon.com – MP3 music downloads come cheap at Amazon if you pay attention to the deals. Individual tracks cost $.69, $.99, or $1.29 each and albums are about $8. But everyday the site offers (more…)
I pounced on a recent Groupon deal for The Body Shop, one of my favorite places to buy moisturizer because of the chain’s no animal testing, eco-friendly policies. I paid $20 for a $40 Groupon credit at The Body Shop in November. Yesterday I redeemed my Groupon and saved more than 50% off!
I bought four items adding up to $72. (Yikes! Prices have been creeping up, which is why I trade off restocking my skincare items at Target.) I got a free $10 yearlong membership to the store’s Love Your Body program, which entitled me to 10% off, or $6.20. Because my birthday is in January, I also got a free $10 birthday credit off my tab. My original total with tax was $87.04, but I ended up paying just $39.71 (see above: $19.71 in the store plus the original $20 Groupon). That’s a cool 54% off!!!
Better yet, the sales clerk told me that their holiday sales were amazing owing partly to Groupon. She expected The Body Shop will offer another Groupon soon so stay tuned! If you can’t wait, The Body Shop is having a sale Feb. 15-March 13, 2011. During the sale, buy two skincare items and get a third free. Buy three items and get two free! Men’s skincare items are included.
What’s the best Groupon or daily deal you’ve gotten?
Free movie rental - Get a free one-night movie rental with this Blockbuster Express coupon code.
Free $10 iTunes card – Sign up for iDrive, a computer back up service that is free for 5GB of storage, and get a free $10 iTunes gift card. New users 18 or older only. One per household. Valid for US residents only. The free gift card will arrive via email within 72 hours of signing up.
Hot! CVS sale 40% off - All CVS-branded products are 40% off online through Tuesday, Jan. 4, 2011. Orders of $49 or more ship free.
Hot! Quiznos coupon - Get an entire meal for $4 with this Quiznos coupon, including a small sub, drink and chips or a cookie.
Wine deal - Get $100 worth of wine for $45 through Groupon for a limited time.
Kohl’s coupon - Get an extra 15-20% off online at Kohl’s Jan. 4-5, 2011.
Oprah mag deal - Get O magazine for one year for just $10 through Groupon. This magazine normally sells for more than $23!
Language course deal - Get an entire month’s worth of cheap language classes – just $10 – through Groupon.
Illustration by OConnorCartoons.com
Target - This week’s list of Target coupons includes Fage Greek Yogurt Cups for as low as $.20 each with coupons, a 5 pound box of Cuties are $4 with coupon, and Halls Cough Drops for $.19 after coupons.
CVS - Bargain Briana has all the CVS coupon deals for this week, including Tylenol Precise for $3 with coupons, Starbucks coffee (12 ounce) for $5 with coupons, Aveeno shampoo, conditioner, or styler for $5 with coupons, Colgate Total or MaxFresh toothpaste for $.99 with coupons, and Kleenex tissues for $.71 with coupons.
Walgreens � Get all the Walgreens coupon deals for this week later today.
Rite Aid � Common Sense With Money has the Rite Aid coupon deals posted, including Xtra laundry detergent for $.88 with coupon, Special K cereal for free when you buy four with coupons and UP Rewards, and more.
New to coupons? Check out my post on coupon clipping basics. If you want to take advantage of these deals, make sure to save the coupon inserts you receive in the mail or with your Sunday newspaper. Here�s a great suggestion for how to handle coupon organization.
