Bargain Quest

This is turning out to be a cheap week! After spending 48 cents for school supplies at Staples, I placed an order with LaRedoute for 11 tank tops for $.11 shipped yesterday. Yep, a dime and a penny. It certainly sounds like a pricing error, but the word on Slickdeals is that this “1-cent tanks” offer was a legit promotion, combined with a free shipping code. Ours is not to reason why…

My order is currently listed as being processed to ship, so it looks like LaRedoute is planning to fill it. I wouldn’t whine if they chose to cancel it though (if the listed price were an error). I know a lot of internet shoppers feel strongly that companies should live up to their listed price, and I think they should, but mistakes happen. And it can have devastating consequences when an internet retailer makes a price mistake that is mercilessly swooped upon and generally abused by deal-hawks from sites like Slickdeals. As long as they ‘fess up and don’t charge my credit card, the companies doesn’t hear from me and I move on to the next deal. The two unacceptable solutions are canceling the order and still charging me, or filling my order but charging a higher price than I agreed to pay.

And here’s a Slickdeals usage tip: If you have an extra minute while checking the site, scan the first page of the Hot Deals forum in addition to the front page. That’s where I found this deal, shortly before it was promoted. I stumbled across it early enough to find a wide selection in my size. Soon, a thread that was only 3 pages suddenly jumped to 15 pages long. When a deal makes the front page, there’s a mad scramble by the general internet community to get in on it. By finding bargains before they hit the front page, you have a much better chance of finding the items in stock and the website’s servers not overloaded.

Why didn’t I post about this yesterday? Normally, this type of deal I would post right away, but I only happened to find it as we were walking out the door for dinner with friends. Sorry!

(ETA: There are still some styles available in various sizes, check out the Wiki on Slickdeals and do some digging!)

It’s rare these days for me to find great deals by myself. Usually some helpful internet source points them out to me. But this one I stumbled across on my own….

Hillshire Farm 6 oz. Deli Select lunchmeat is on sale 10 for $10 this week at Kroger. This may vary by region, so check your local ad. I’m always on the prowl for $1 lunchmeat sales, to pack sandwiches for my husband’s lunch. (When I run out of sale meats, I have to resort to Kroger 1 lb bags and they aren’t nearly as good.) Hillshire Farm is our favorite, over Butterball, Healthy Choice, etc. The Mesquite Smoked Turkey Breast is particularly yummy.

Where does the free part come in? Through 6/17, when you buy 5 participating Sara Lee products (including Hillshire Farm), a checkout coupon prints for $5 off your next order. I realized this when I found a $5 coupon in my register printouts after buying 6 boxes.

So buy 5 packages for $5, get a coupon for $5 off your next Kroger purchase.

Even better (believe it!), most packages seem to have coupons printed inside for “$1 off any 3 Hillshire Farm Deli Select Products.” Look for labels on the upper right of the package marking boxes containing coupons.

After an initial purchase and acquiring coupons, you can repeat transactions of either

5 packages (using 1 coupon and only paying $4, “making” $1 each time) OR

6 packages (using 2 coupons and still only paying $4 and making the $1 extra). Nifty, no?

Any one have experience freezing lunchmeat - are there any tricks beside stuffing it in the freezer and does the quality suffer?

Edited to add: I saw a post on Slickdeals that Ballpark Franks are on sale for $1 in Texas Krogers. They’re also part of the Sara Lee “Buy 5 get $5 Catalina coupon” deal, so if you don’t have Hillshire Farm for $1, check to see if you have Ballpark Franks.

$93.99 - The total value of items you can get FREE after Extra Care Bucks this week at CVS.

Here’s my first post about ECB’s. Since then, I’ve been a regular at CVS at least once a week, perfecting my skills. I’ll have to write a post about all the stuff I’ve gotten and lessons learned, but in the meantime, it’s worth a trip to CVS this week if any of the following items interest you:

Almay Hydracolor Lipstick: $8.99 in ECB’s
Valid through 4/7, LIMIT 1
-Combine with $1 off coupon from 3/11 paper
-Find it in the Almay makeup section

Softsoap Nutra Oil or Pure Cashmere Body Washes: $4.49 in ECB’s
Valid through 4/30, LIMIT 5
-Combine with coupons from 4/1 paper (I received 1 for $1.50 off and 1 for $1 off)
-Find it in the soap/skincare section

Crest Nature’s Expressions Toothpaste, 6 oz. various flavors: $2.77 in ECB’s
Valid through 4/30, LIMIT 5
-Combine with $1 off coupon from 4/1 paper
-Find it on the “Free after ECB” monthly endcap somewhere in store

Listerine Tooth Defense 250 ml: $3.77 in ECB’s
Valid through 4/30, LIMIT 5
-Find it on the “Free after ECB” monthly endcap somewhere in store

Oral-B ProHealth Pulsar toothbrush: $5.97 in ECB’s
Valid through 4/30, LIMIT 5
-Combine with $1 coupon from 4/1 paper
-Find it on the “Free after ECB” monthly endcap somewhere in store
(no photo yet)

Note: Some items also have printable coupons available online.

These are actually just the straightforward deals. There are also some potential free/almost free after ECB AND coupon deals with Pantene, Lady SpeedStick, Nivea, Swiffer, etc.

Some ECB Basics:

-”ECB’s” are CVS coupons that print at the checkout register. They are valid for a particular dollar amount off your total, redeemable only at CVS. You must have an ExtraCare card (free) to receive them, and they are only valid with your card.

-You earn them when you buy a product for which CVS is running an ECB promotion.

-You have to invest money at first to buy product(s) that generate ECB’s, then just keep using previous ECB’s to buy new products that earn ECB’s.

-You can use coupons on products that are free after ECB’s.

-ECB’s are now printing immediately - when you purchase an ECB item, the register will print the ECB’s owed to you at the end of the transaction (There used to be a 2-day delay).

For more information, check out Slickdeals (Weekly thread and monthly thread) or Families.com.

If you meet the following criteria. You:
1. Have a Facebook account AND are a member of a college network on Facebook
2. Have a Chase credit card

I realize this only applies to a limited number of people, but it’s a good deal for those who qualify. (If you’ve never heard of Facebook, stop reading. This deal is not for you :-))

The process is as follows:
1. Login to Facebook
2. Search for group “Chase +1″ (space between Chase and plus sign)
3. Join the group. This gives you 1 Karma Point.
4. Link a Chase credit card. This gives you 10 Karma points.
5. Take a short quiz about credit, giving you 5 more Karma points.

Grand total: 16 Karma points.

A code that you can redeem for a $35 Ticketmaster gift card costs 15 points. The leftover point will get you a Facebook wallet. Or there are numerous other items listed - books, movies, etc. - that can be purchased with Karma points.

This deal surfaced on Slickdeals almost a month ago, but until this week I was missing the college network component. My alma mater finally got its act together and set up an online alumni network, providing me with the .edu email address that is needed to register as a member of my college’s Facebook network. I haven’t received the gift card code yet, but hopefully it’s on its way!

Happy New Year! Since I usually only write about bargains in bits and pieces as they come up, I thought it would be interesting to compile an aggregate post of some of the best deals I’ve scored in the past month.

Clothing & Jewelry:

Macy’s Clearance apparel marked 75% off list price, plus 50% off marked prices-
    Anne Klein silk/cotton skirt orig. $99.00, final price $12.37
    2 Alfani blouses orig. $69.00 and $59.00, final prices $8.62 and $7.37
    Minus $10 off $25 total coupon
    Final total cost: $18.36, Amt Saved: $208.64
Target Beatles T-shirt Clearance at 75% off-
    Final cost: $2.49, Amt Saved: $7.50
JCPenney Sterling Silver necklace Orig. $50.00, Clearance priced $9.99-
    Minus $10 off $10 JCPenney coupon
    Final cost: $0.00 (Free), Amt Saved: $50.00

Groceries and Personal:

2 hams free after Miller Lite Rebate
    Final cost: $0.00 (Free), Amt Saved: $29.66
12 boxes of Kraft Mac & Cheese from Target $.10 per box after web coupon-
    Final Cost: $1.20, Amt Saved: $7.08
4 boxes Orville Redenbacher popcorn from Kroger: $.20 per box after $1 sale and doubled $.40 coupon-
    Final Cost: $.80, Amt Saved: $11.16
2 Gilette Fusion Power razors at CVS: Orig. $11.99, on sale $9.99 ea, $6 Extra Care Bucks, $4 coupon-
    Final cost: $0.00 (Free), Amt saved: $23.98
1 Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Foundation at CVS: Orig. $8.99, on sale $6.99, $6.99 Extra Care Bucks-
    Final cost: $0.00 (Free), Amt saved: $8.99

Electronics:

Kingston 1GB USB Flash Drive from Buy.com: Orig. $50.00, Google Checkout Discount $20 off $50.00, $30 mail-in-rebate-
    Final cost: $0.00 (Free), Amt saved: $50.00
Art Explosion Publisher Pro from Buy.com: Orig. $85.89, Google Checkout discount $20 off $50, $50 mail-in-rebate, additional $10 mail-in-rebate-
    Final cost: $5.89, Amt saved: $80.00
Pride & Prejudice DVD on sale at Borders: Orig. $19.99
    Final Cost: $7.99, Amt Saved: $12.00
Indiana Jones Movie Collection from fye.com: Orig. $49.99, on sale $26.99, $15 mail-in-rebate, additional 10% off-
    Final cost: $9.29, Amt saved: $40.07
Mini Maglite Flashlite from Bed Bath & Beyond: Orig. $17.99, on clearance $7.99, Additional 30% off, 20% off coupon
    Final cost: $4.47, Amt Saved: $13.52

Books, Housewares, Misc.

Art of Wine Tasting bargain book at Borders, Orig. $24.95, marked $3.99, additional 30% off coupon-
    Final cost: $2.79, Amt Saved: $22.20
Moleskine Ruled Notebook at Bed Bath & Beyond: Orig. $11.99, on clearance $4.99, Additional 30% off, 20% off coupon
    Final cost: $2.79, Amt Saved: $9.20
Farberware Select 8 and 10-inch skillets from Amazon: List Price $60.00, on sale $7.49, $5 mail-in-rebate
    Final cost: $2.49, Amt Saved: $57.51
Swiss Army Ranger pocket knife from Amazon Customers Vote Deal: List Price: $51.83, $29.99 on Amazon
    Final cost: $3.00, Amt Saved: $48.83

***Total Spent: $61.56, Total Saved: $680.34***

Thoughts:

• This doesn’t list every purchase I made, but it’s a good cross-section.
• All online purchases came with free shipping. Some purchases involved sales tax and/or postage stamps for mailing rebates. I haven’t included that info, but it does slightly diminish savings on certain deals.
• I bought more than usual in December, but not everything was for personal use. Some purchases were destined for gifting.
• The “Amount Saved” figure is absolutely inflated. At stores such as Macy’s and Amazon, no one should/would ever pay “retail” price.
• I have a lot of money out in rebates currently. Including a few November Black Friday buys, it’s a little over $200.
  

November GEM OF THE MONTH

Happy early anniversary, sweetheart. (Photo from our wedding, courtesy of my talented brother-in-law)

Our third wedding anniversary is rolling around later this month, and a number of company email lists that I’ve susbscribed to have already sent me congratulations, and coupons!

I have an entire Hotmail account dedicated to registering for retailer emails and seeing what kind of discounts they’ll send. Some sign-up forms ask for my birthday, and a few ask for my anniversary. It’s worth answering because most will offer a coupon or freebie as the dates approach.

If you aren’t married, I recommend making up an anniversary on email forms for the purpose of receiving as many discounts as possible. If you are married, these coupon emails could serve as a good early reminder system for remembering your anniversary!

A free book in-and-of-itself does not qualify for Gem of the Month. A free book I actually want? Now we’re talking!

If you love food and find that cheesy Emeril and cheerful Rachel Ray get on your nerves, you’ll probably dig Anthony Bourdain and The Nasty Bits.

(I already have a July Gem of the Month, so JCPenney will just have to get the August award a bit early)

GEM OF THE MONTH:

I receive these coupons from JCPenney by mail every few months: $10 off any store purchase of $10 or more, excluding Home items

As an econ major, I’m painfully aware that *There Is No Such Thing as a Free Lunch* but this offer is about as close to free as the Dismal Science will allow. Who can’t spend 10 free dollars in a department store? When in doubt, there’s always underwear! I assume the promotional concept is that once they have you in the store, you will be seduced and buys lots more than $10 in merchandise. Someday soon, JCPenney will learn that I am immune to their little ploy and cut.me.off.

My shopping game with these coupons is
A. Buy only things already on good sale, and
B. Stay as close to $10 as possible.

My last score was 3 embellished tank tops marked down to ~$3.50 apiece. Subtract $10 and Poof! 30 cent shirts! Today I opted for for a cute pair of Relic sunglasses that were 50% off. Orig price $22 x 50%=$11-$10 coupon= $1 sunglasses! They look very Hollywood, so they’ll be perfect for our California trip in October.

Gem of the month. Possibly of the year due to its random nature.

About a month ago, I was picking up Miller Lite at Kroger and found 2 rebate certificates in front of the beer. One was a run-of-the-mill “$5 off by mail on a 20 pk of bottles.” (Which has been duly completed and submitted) The other was much more interesting…

1. Anything offering me twenty-five bucks will always catch my attention.

2. Notice there is no mention made of BUYING BEER to qualify for this rebate. It says you just need to send the form and receipt for beef or produce. Naturally, I was skeptical. Last week I finally got around to calling the questions hotline and reached Marilyn, who may not have spoken enough English to understand my question, but assured me no beer purchase was required.

So Saturday night we picked up an Angus strip steak, an Angus ribeye steak, and some ground sirloin - total before tax $22.68. I’ve given my husband a hard time in the past few posts, so I should mention at this point that he is an excellent cook. We feasted on grilled steak, grilled asparagus, and grilled tomatoes we had bought at the local tomato festival that morning. The meal paired nicely with one of our favorite cabernets, a 2003 Alterra ($12-$13, which is about twice our usual bottle price, but worthwhile since dinner was so cheap). Assuming all goes well, I should be getting a check in 6-8 weeks.

If anyone from Miller ever reads this post, I would truly love to find out about the rationale behind this offer. And also offer you a toast - Thanks for a wonderful dinner!