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Write about free food and the offers come in ...
So as you all know, today is IHOP's National Pancake Day (free short stack!), and hot on the heels of that deal is this one, which the folks at Denny's alerted me to:
Starting now and continuing through the end of March, Denny's is offering unlimited free refills of two of America's favorites, French fries and pancakes at participating locations nationwide. Valid 24 hours a day, seven days a week, the offer applies to any order of French fries or pancakes served with an entrée, including both original buttermilk pancakes and Denny's Hearty Wheat pancakes, for a limited time.
There are 48 different Denny's locations in the SF Bay Area. So the next time that 2 a.m. urge for pancakes hits (as it sometimes does), hunt one down and take advantage of the offer.
| February 23 2010 at 02:59 PM
It's the little things: Postage and shipping
Since today is the busiest day of the year for the U.S. Postal Service, I figured today's a good day to talk about postage. Specifically, are you still mailing things out?
Consider that the cost of a stamp is currently 44 cents -- that is, if you didn't stock up on "Forever" stamps a few years back. Then multiply that by the number of bills you pay monthly -- it can add up.
Online bill pay can be a bargain if it's free. Several banks (Wells Fargo, Bank of America, Chase, Bank of the West for example) and credit unions (Patelco, San Mateo Credit Union, Redwood Credit Union, SF Fire, San Francisco Federal Credit Union)around here offer it with qualifying accounts.
Or, if you or a loved one isn't comfortable with online banking, there's always the option of dropping off bills at local service offices. Nob Hills around the Bay Area also offer drop-offs for different utility companies (EBMUD, for example). Live close enough to a customer service outlet or two and you can incorporate some free exercise into bill paying.
Do you still use the USPS for your bill-paying needs or have you found alternate ways to get your bills to whom they're owed? Tell me at dollarsandsense@sfgate.com.
| December 14 2009 at 12:07 PM
Getting cash back via search engine
The search engine Bing is running a promotion, Double Savings Days. Some of their partner stores will take a percentage off the retail price of their items if you've bought said item through Bing, and for the rest of this month, that percentage is double what is normally is.
If you're into comparison shopping and discounts, try Bing out. The most effective way to take advantage of this:
1. Go to Bing's shopping page, available from the front page of the site.
2. Click "Cashback Home," then type the item you're looking for in the search field.
3. You can then sort through results by price.
4. Select a store. You'll see a pop-up window informing you that your visit to the store will save you a certain percentage off your purchase. You are then asked to enter your email address so Bing can set up a "cash back" account for you.
5. Buy your item.
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Note that no matter how you use Bing, you don't see a discount at checkout. What happens is that Bing will email you with confirmation that you're getting cash back. Then, about two months later, you do. According to Bing, "Every time you make an eligible purchase, we'll email you to confirm your Bing cashback savings.
"You can request the money in your cashback account about 60 days after your purchase (the waiting period varies by store) and with at least $5 in your cashback account."
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Deal of the Day: Yesterday's posts had links to some of the least expensive pet adoptions in the Bay Area. Here's another -- good for today only. Carrie Harrington of the Marin Humane Society wrote to tell me that the Marin Humane Society will be hosting an ADOPT-A-THON tonight. The facility will be open until 9 p.m. Adoption fees on kittens have been cut 15% to $149, dog adoption fees are $129, (14% off) and adult cat adoption fees have been reduced 42% to $49.
| August 13 2009 at 12:32 PM
In which it pays to comparison shop
Wake up! It's time to go bargain-hunting for better prices.
This one is a quickie, based on a deal I saw right after I hit "publish" on the previous post. See that clock to the right? Cute in a retro way, right? This "Retro Green Alarm Clock" is currently available via Target.com for $12.99 with free shipping. It's made by Big Ben.
L.L. Bean has its doppelganger for $34.50. It's true that L.L. Bean is offering the clock in more colors, and some people might be willing to pay $21.51 more (plus shipping) because they absolutely need the clock in hot pink or bright orange. The question is whether or not you're one of those people who'd be willing to pay twice as much for what appears to be the same product.
This serendipitous find illustrates one of the joys of bargain-hunting: Sometimes, you can find something you really like for less money than you thought it would cost. The trick, of course, is to do so before you've pulled the trigger on making a purchase.
| August 05 2009 at 11:54 AM
In search of cheap reads
One of the pieces of money-saving advice you see floating around the Internet is "Cancel your magazine subscriptions." After all, many magazines now put their features online and if you miss flipping the pages that badly, you can always go to the library and hope they've got an intact, current issue of whatever you're hoping to read. But for those of you who still enjoy getting the tactile experience of getting and reading a magazine, there are some real bargains to be had in the subscription department. Read on for these deals after the jump .. Read More 'In search of cheap reads' » .| August 04 2009 at 11:15 AM
Finding the best deals on Amazon.com
I'm a big fan of my local bookstores -- I live within walking distance of a Books Inc. and the excellent used bookstore Blue Rectangle. However, every once in a while, I do need to hit an online bookseller.
Or you can hit the site itself for its Deals & Bargains section, or the Friday sale.
And even if you buy something on Amazon at the regular price, register your purchase information at Refund Please, and if the Amazon price drops within 30 days, the site will send you an email alerting you to the new, lower price and giving you a hyperlink to the page where you can claim a credit for the difference.
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Deal of the day, part I: There's a walking tour of San Francisco's independent bookstores coming up this Saturday, July 25. The first 30 attendees will get free canvas totes. Get all your tour information at the Conversational Reading blog.
Deal of the day, part II: So long as we're talking books, download the free Barnes & Noble iPhone app and get a free tall coffee at any in-store Starbucks. This is a one-time offer. And if you have a B&N; account, you can download the bookstore's free e-book reader and get six free eBooks.
| July 22 2009 at 08:07 AM
Twelve more streams worth watching on Twitter
Airlines aren't the only companies worth following on Twitter. I found another eleven Twitter streams that offer special promotions or cost-saving ideas.
Costco Online -- Although this Twitter stream isn't an "official" one, it is run by someone who clearly loves listing the latest bargains to be found at the warehouse store.
Chickdowntown.com -- The trendy women's clothier will alert followers to giveaway offers.
CheapTweet -- Twitters about giveaways and bargains.
Freenology -- A stream of vetted offers for free stuff.
Modcloth -- The retro-style clothier offers some Twitter-exclusive specials and heads-ups on its other promos.
Philosophy -- The cosmetics maker often features Twitter-only specials.
TJ Maxx -- The longtime favorite of folks who treat bargain-hunting as an Olympic-caliber sport is now online and hipping people to its latest inventory steals.
Toys'R'Us -- The toy megaretailer (one-line bio on Twitter: "We Love Kids!") alerts followers to its sale of the day, limited time offers and coupons.
Cooking with Trader Joe's -- This is an unofficial feed by the authors of the unofficial Trader Joe's cookbook, and they've got a lot of pointers for good, cheap eats on the feed.
Wal-Mart -- The megadiscounter has a feed advertising its deals of the day.
Whole Foods, San Francisco -- Whole Foods has a lot of regional Twitter feeds; the one local to us had a recent shopping-bag giveaway and links to the national-level grocery giveaway.
And a big thanks to SeattleViaSF for their tip to the Twitter feed for Luna Park restaurant, which offers all sorts of Twitter-only promotions.
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Deal of the day: This is more like deals of the week. Tomatina's over in Alameda is celebrating its 5th anniversary. Today, they're rolling their prices back to 2004 levels. Friday, they're offering free garlic rolls and on Saturday night, free glasses of wine. Take a field trip to the island and get some free or cheap eats.
| July 21 2009 at 08:53 AM
Why it pays to follow Twitter sometimes
... Because if you enjoy flying, you can take advantage of JetBlue's occasional Twitter-only specials, like this one:
$9 one way between San Francisco and Long Beach, on Saturday, July 25, 2009.
Hey, if you have family in SoCal but you don't feel like spending the 11-12 hours it would take to drive down and back, you'd pay $9 to go down, you could pay $59 to fly back on Monday morning ... $68 round-trip plus taxes and fees is not too bad.
JetBlue's Twitter stream is here. (If you're not on Twitter -- or don't care to be -- you can always save it as an RSS feed.) I also like Southwest Airlines' stream, because they post the flight numbers for the flights that will testing WiFi service that day.
Are there any Twitter feeds you follow for sales and freebies?
| July 20 2009 at 12:30 PM
Act quickly if you'd like these discounts and freebies
My Monday began with an RSS feed full of sales offers and alerts. Below are some of the more time-sensitive offers:
* We're lucky enough to have two MLB teams in the Bay Area, and we've also got the Class A-Advanced San Jose Giants. Minor league baseball has much to recommend it, especially the prices. And if you happen to eat Kraft Singles, you can buy one ticket and get one for free on Tuesday nights through September 1. The Giants are playing the Bakersfield Blaze tomorrow, July 21; you can also take a road trip to Stockton and watch them take on the Ports on July 28. The Giants will also be playing at home on August 4 and August 25.
* Celebrate the 40th anniversary of the moon landing by downloading Carina Software's SkyVoyager 1.1 for your iPhone or iPod Touch. It's free today. And Amazon is selling From the Earth to the Moon -- The Signature Edition for $10.99 today, down from the list price of $29.98.
* The summer sales bargains continue. My friend S. emailed, all excited because the Lands' End water shoes her toddler daughter wears have been marked down 49% to $14.99. By the way, Lands' End will have free shipping through Thursday, July 23. Use Promotion Code: REFRESH, PIN: 7805
*Finally, Starbucks will see McDonald's free coffee drinks on Monday and raise them a free pastry with beverage purchase on Tuesday, July 21. Just print out this coupon first and show up before 10:30 a.m.
| July 20 2009 at 10:07 AM
Are you buying your child 70 toys a year?
I'm an aunt to three kids (5, 7, and 11) and one of the things that I've noticed about these shorties is that they seem to attract incredible amounts of small plastic objects. Some estimate that children receive an average of seventy new toys a year.
Seventy toys! That's one reason why I'm the aunt who gives birthday presents like a night of play at the Lucky Juju Pinball Museum (the 7-year-old kills on the KISS game). Another is that I'm frankly skeptical of whether or not many items in the kiddie-industrial complex are a good value.
Some of my parental friends are similarly gimlet-eyed: they're outfitting their children and picking up toys via EBay, through Craigslist or on Freecycle. Those who prefer to handle the merchandise up close and personal rely on kid-centric consignment stores around the Bay Area.
Still, there have to be ways to save on kiddie toys and clothing beyond stalking the wily used item. Any ideas? Share below.
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At $4 a pop, you can buy several, since you know you're going to end up losing at least one anyway.
Today's Deal: I've got two pointers for you. First up, Green Baby Bargains, which is one of those sale-of-the-day sites with an admirably specific focus. If you're looking for baby gifts for the green consumer in your life -- or hoping to make it through parenthood as a green consumer -- consider subbing to the RSS feed.
Second: Retailers are hoping to goose their bottom lines with back-to-school sales, so they're dumping their spring and summer merchandise now. This includes Hanna Andersson. I have a few friends who swear by the sun hats for their kids -- which happen to have been marked down from $14.50 to $4-6. That's 27-41% of the original price. Stock up now.
| July 09 2009 at 08:03 AM
Dollars and Sense is about finding new ways to inject dollars, cents and sensibility into your everyday spending.
By Lisa Schmeiser, Read Bio
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