Discount Diva
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Entries by Ayren Jackson-Cannady
It’s "Best Things In Life Are Free" Day!
Sponsored by 1-800-Free411 (free directory assistance/directions), today (April 11th) is the day we get to throw a party (cake and ice cream, anyone?) for all of the great things in life that are free. You know, like those free days museums host sometimes or free meals at your favorite restaurant on your birthday. To commemorate the day, I've made a list of all of my favorite no-money-needed things I've encountered in my life.
What do you have to add to the list?
1. A free, annual scoop of Ben and Jerry's ice cream on April 17 (www.benjerry.com)
2. Free Product Samples (www.thefreesite.com)
3. Free Tech Support (help.protonic.com)
4. Blood pressure screenings at supermarkets and pharmacies
5. Home maintenance tips and advice for do-it-yourself projects at free in-store clinics provided by your local Home Depot (www.homedepot.com)
6. Old couches and other home furnishings found at The Freecycle Network (www.freecycle.org)
7. A copy of your credit report to make sure everything is as it should be (www.freecreditreport.com)
8. Books and media from your local public library (www.librarysites.info)
9. A day at the museum on free admission days
10. Online courses offered by MIT (www.ocw.mit.edu) or lessons on how to run a small business (www.sba.gov)
11. Classes offered at your local Apple store on business and entertainment software, music programs and computer basics (www.apple.com)
12. 1-800-FLIGHTS: 1.800.Flights is a new media company providing flight status by phone for nearly every commercial passenger flight arriving and departing the U.S. daily. (www.1800flights.net/index.html)
13. Hire your own (virtual) personal shopper that sifts through millions of products from your favorite stores and brands and proposes a selection of "just what you wanted" items (www.personalshopper.com)
14. Take advantage of a convenient way to find your next companion without having to leave the comfort of your own home (www.petfinder.com)
15. Receive the week's top travel deals straight to your inbox. It's like having your own personal travel agent - free of charge! (www.travelzoo.com)
16. Discover new bands that are tailored to your personal music preferences and listen to them for free over the internet (www.pandora.com)
17. Manage your money by taking advantage of walk-in financial advice from retail locations of investment banks like Charles Schwab (www.charlesschwab.com)
18. Build your new bathroom without breaking the bank by borrowing tools, equipment and "how-to" instructional materials from your local library (yes, library!) (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tool_lending_library)
19. Show your smarts by avoiding paying for pricey, premium textbooks and downloading them for free (www.freeloadpress.com)
20. Save time on figuring out who to vote for by getting a free evaluation of your political stance (www.selectsmart.com/president/2008)
Shop It To Me...Again!
I love ShopItToMe.com -- even wrote about it way back when Discount Diva first launched. If you missed it then, here's the abbreviated recap: Shop It To Me is a free email service that notifies you when the clothing you like (from your fave stores/designers, in your specific size!) goes on sale. It's genius, really.
I just met the creator of Shop It To Me, Charlie Graham, who also happens to be a research nut. I asked him (thinking I'd stump him) what's the best day to find a dress on sale online. Without hesitation he said, "Fridays are the biggest discount days for dress. If you shop for dresses online on sale on Fridays you'll save on average 42%, compared to Saturdays when you only save an average of 34%."
I was dumbfounded. How did he know that! "We analyzed the market," Charlie said. Then, he proceeded to rattle off a smorgasbord of best-time-to-shop-for-sales info that I'm now going to share with you. Enjoy!
Handbags- biggest discount days are TUESDAYS AND FRIDAYS (save 40-41%)
Casual Pants- biggest discount days are FRIDAYS (save 42%)
Intimates- biggest discount days are SATURDAYS (save 53%)
Jeans- biggest discount days are FRIDAYS (save 41%)
Skirts- biggest discount days are FRIDAYS (save 42%)
Swimwear- biggest discount days SATURDAYS (save 477%)
Shoes- biggest discount days SATURDAYS (save 43%)
41%)
Men's Outerwear- biggest discount days are FRIDAYS (save 39%)
Men's Casual Shirts- biggest discount days are FRIDAYS (save 36%)
I'm a Wanna-Be Cook
I've hit a milestone this week. I COOKED dinner for seven days straight! I'm usually too tired, too uninspired, or too into primetime TV to plan a meal every single night. But, I did it this week and I'm quite proud of myself.
The authors of the useful blog, notmadeofmoney.com/blog, say that by cooking at home you can save over $30 a meal!
I definitely have a little more spending cash in my wallet this week, but I'm running out of inexpensive dinner ideas. I can totally see my husband getting tired of my baked chicken and brown rice concoction by next week!
What's your go-to mid-week dinner recipe?
Do Upromise?
My younger sister reminds me every week that she's roaring to the finish line of her freshman year in college. She's done amazingly well in her classes, too. She, an English education major, even managed to squeak out a decent grade in physics (totally NOT her thing)!
To show her how proud I am of her, I've decided to open a Upromise account for the smarty-pants.
In a nutshell: The free service gives members money back (between 1-25%) toward higher education expenses for making purchases through partner companies (i.e. CVS, Pathmark, McDonalds, Citibank).
When my sis graduates in three years (if she keeps up that hard work!) I'll be able to hand her a check worth all the savings from Upromise that she can use to jumpstart paying off her student loans...or buying a few interview outfits.
Pssst! Enroll HERE before April 30, 2008 and shop online to get $10 deposited in their Upromise account -- that's in addition to the percentage back the retailer is offering! Â
Dishes That Smell Fresh as...Vinegar?
Second to folding laundry, the one chore that I can't stand is washing dishes. In our new apartment we scored big with a dishwasher. Woohoo!
I went to buy some dishwashing detergent and was shocked by the sticker price. Call me naïve, but I didn't know the cleaner was so expensive. So, I read on The Frugal Duchess that you can simply pour white vinegar into the dispenser and get the same sparkling results. Have any of you tried this? Does it really work?
about the blogger
Ayren
Ayren Jackson-Cannady has yet to find a bargain or sale she didn’t like. It’s a good relationship for her wallet, but not so much for the dwindling closet space in the apartment that she shares with her husband, John and her cat, Shiny in Brooklyn, NY.
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