Get up to 65% off bike helmets at Nashbars clearance sale.
Today KFC adds an item to its Value Menu – a drumstick or thigh plus potato wedges. For $1.99 is it going to fill me up? Get printable coupons by signing up for their email list.
Get free shipping and discounted prices on sandals at Steve Madden online. The free shipping deal ends Sept. 1, 2009. Use code SMFREESHIP at checkout.
Select suits are 50% off at Brooks Brothers now through Sept. 2, 2009.
Get 40% off any regular-priced item at Jo-Anns now through Sept. 12.
The 99 Cent Only stores are advertising many back to school items for, yup, $.99.
Thanks, Tina!
Looking for an extravagant meal without knockout prices? Have a sushi party. I co-hosted one this weekend with a friend and together we spent $200 on miso soup, salad, sushi, sake, sashimi, beer, appetizers and dessert for 12 people.
We spent $120 on fish (and had a lot leftover), $30 on beer and sake, and $50 on vegetables, condiments, appetizers, and basics. A similar meal would have easily cost $50 a head at a restaurant, meaning as a group we saved $400. Of course, my friend and I shouldered almost all the costs, with guest contributing the sake, beer, and a few dishes (we factored those costs in above).
Here is what we made:
Traditional green salad with Japanese ginger dressing (increase to 3 T ginger; add a teaspoon of peanut butter if you use canola or vegetable oil instead of peanut oil)
Pan friend pork gyoza – one bag from Trader Joe’s was plenty because we had so many other dishes. Microwave them for 1:30 then lightly pan fry.
Edamame – a guest brought a huge bowl of tasty edamame sprinkled with chili powder.
Miso soup – we bought packets of dried mix and added water. It didn’t taste that good and because of the heat we are having in Los Angeles, the soup was not popular. If you want miso, get a recommendation or try making it from scratch.
Spicy tuna rolls – this recipe was quite tasty and simple! We used chili oil instead of chili powder. Spice to taste.
California rolls – there are many ways of making them. Here is one recipe to start.
Rainbow rolls – slices of avocado on top make it look pretty, but be careful not to squish them!
Vermont rolls – a crazy friend from out of town made up his own roll with was partially inside out and had crab, tuna and avocado! (pictured below, on the right side of the plate)
Unagi sushi – pan fry the eel, press it onto a finger of rice and secure with a strip of seaweed paper. Drizzle with plum sauce.
Tuna, bluefin, hamachi, and salmon sashimi – look for the freshest, sushi-grade fish at your local Japanese market, a high-end fish store, or Whole Foods. Slice thinly right before you serve it. The best salmon we ate had lots of thick, white lines of fat. Very tasty!
If you’ve never made sushi, it is easier than it looks. The only tool you really need is two bamboo sushi rollers. Here’s how to make a sushi roll:
1. Prepare sushi rice. It’s not just boiled Japanese rice.
2. Chop all roll ingredients, such as fish, avocado, cucumber, and lay out any extras like sesame seeds or spicy sauce.
3. Lay a sheet of seaweed paper onto your roller, shiny side down. Note the suggested cut marks for later.
4. Lightly press a THIN layer of rice on the bottom 2/3 of the sheet, making sure to spread the rice to the edges. Have a bowl of water handy to unstick the rice when you are done. Or, wear rubber gloves and rub a dollop of mayo onto your hands. Friction be gone!
5. Add toppings across the middle of the rice. Add more fish than you think you need.
6. Grab the edge of the paper closest to you and pull it across the toppings using the bamboo rollers. When the edges of the rice meet, give the rollers a light squeeze, then continue rolling until there is just an inch of the seaweed paper showing. Dab a finger into a bowl of water and moisten the edge of the paper. Roll the rest of the way, give your creation one more squeeze, then pull back the bamboo roller. Cut your roll into about 6 pieces and take a bite!
We collected dozens of used cell phones, printer cartridges, and other gadgets at the Frugal Fe$tival in July. I turned those into Planet Green, which gave us a check for $13.34.
All the money we earned was donated to the LA Food Bank. If $13.34 sounds like a tiny amount, remember our items earned us between $.10 to $2.41 each. If you are interested in raising money for a school or charity, check out Planet Green’s explainer page.
Thank you for attending the Fe$tival and for contributing!
I’m in the middle of a $50 fashion challenge against blogger SDBargainMama, who is based in San Diego, and I’m turning to used clothing stores to put together a top notch outfit within budget. Here are my tips for shopping vintage.
- Make a bee line for the clearance and sales rack before you browse full-priced items. You may find just what you are looking for at a fraction of the price.
- Hit the thrift stores on Tuesday or Wednesday, after they have processed weekend donations.
- Shop at thrift stores in better neighborhoods, which will have higher quality stuff.
- Shop with a friend who has an eye for fashion and can help you quickly say yay or nay. (This is not me.)
- Inspect clothes carefully for tears, missing buttons, holes and stains. These imperfections may not be easily visible under store lighting. Ask for a discount if you find any blemishes. Chances are the owner has taken the imperfection into account, but it never hurts to ask.
- Ask if they can give you a discount if you pay in cash, especially if you are buying multiple items.
- Don’t dilly dally if you like something. Stock turns over quickly.
- Broaden your search to include consignment stores, teen re-sale shops, flea markets and shops associated with local fashion schools.
- Sign up for the store’s mail/email list. You likely get coupons, advance news of sales, or a birthday discount.
- Go Green Travel Green has 34 tips, including what NOT to buy at a thrift store (underwear, socks, walking shoes, bike helmets).
Looking for a killer thrift store? One of the best way to find them is to search for thrift stores + your zip code. You can also plug your zip code into TheThriftShopper.com’s directory.
Here are links to interesting stories that are an alternative to what I write about on BargainBabe.com.
Should student debt be forgiven? It could stimulate the economy. (Smart Spending)
Furry friends know no recession – fido gets a new leash! (NPR)
11 things you can do to fall behind – things we learn from failing (The Simple Dollar)
Consumers are trading in cars for cappuccinos – cheap luxuries we are spending our money on (The Wallet)
Reader Frugalgrad touched on a fundamental frugal dilemma in a comment about my coupon train paying off this week.
Coupons train, this is a new idea. But I would think this concept only works if you have a circle of friends who are into saving. Coupons are worth only a tiny amount so I’m not sure as if that’s even worth it at all. I have tons of coupons coming in every sunday but it’s never for something that I need. Well something works for others but not for me then.
Did you notice the third sentence? Frugalgrad is asking if coupon clipping is worth the time.
The answer comes down to how you value your time. Some consider their hourly rate at work. If you earn $20 an hour but can only clip $5 worth of coupons in one hour, clipping is a waste of time. If it only takes you 15 minutes, you break even. If you do it in 5 minutes you come out ahead.
Others think about what else they could be doing with that time. Clipping coupons may shave a lot off your grocery bill, but if sucks up all your family time…
The reason I think coupon clipping is worth my time is that I get a lot of satisfaction out of seeing how much I can reduce my grocery bill. I love earning money by doing almost nothing. When I combine coupon clipping with buying items on sale, I feel good about myself.
Is coupon clipping a waste of your time?
Borders has a handful of coupons good through Sunday, Aug. 30, 2009. They include $5 off two kids books, $10 off a computer book, $2 off a fiction book, and a free small beverage when you buy a bag of beans. Print them here.
Get 10% off one item at Lowes when you sign up for their email list. Valid on in-stock or special order merchandise only up to $5,000. Some caveats.
Get a free PC tune-up (orig. $30+ at Staples this week. Unclear end date.
Get a FREE iced drink from Peet’s when you buy an iced drink now through Sunday, Aug 30. Print the coupon here.
Get 15% off any order at Shoes.com with code TAKE15. Expires Sept. 14, 2009.
Unrelated to coupons, but the Mighty Bargain Hunter asks if you keep quiet when you see something priced way too low.
Right after blogging about how to throw a clothing swap I discovered a great story on Shoestring Magazine with quickie reviews of four stuff-swapping sites, including Swaptree, Freepeats, Zwaggle, and Freecycle.
Each site has a different MO but basically you list stuff you want to give away and others come get it. Some sites charge for shipping and take a handling fee to cover costs. Others target major metro areas. Get a quick introduction to all four sites!
I’ve been meaning to write about the 99 Cent Chef for some time, fully expecting his schtick to be similar to Christiane Jory, who wrote the 99 Cents Only Store Cookbook. (Every recipe is made from ingredients sold at the one-price-fits-all store).
But no.
The 99 Cent Chef is a fun, carefree blog about eating, recipes, and food videos in Los Angeles, though out of towners will enjoy the site, too. The author, Billy Vasquez, occasionally shops at the 99 Cents Only Store, with which he is not affiliated.
In one recent post he runs into “Julian Child,” a tall, curly-haired character who claims to be the nephew of Julia Child, at the Hollywood farmer’s market, above. Julian’s high pitched antics makes his video quite entertaining as he delights in finding produce to cook in “lots and lots of butter.”
In another post the 99 Cent Chef writes about his regular $8 barber cut in Glendale (read past the fried chicken part)!
The 99 Cent Chef shared a recipe I made just two days ago -black bean and corn salad. I make it without olive oil. It’s a fantastic snack or side dish or meal!
Clothing swaps are becoming all the rage now as the crunch on budgets continue. Economic recovery? Tell that to my wallet and my friend who just got laid off. Clothing swaps are easy to pull off but require a few things.
1. A critical mass of similarly sized gals with overlapping fashion senses. Aim to get 10 people together for the swap and at a minimum have five attend. Ask everyone to bring at least two bags of clothes and shoes.
2. A place to have the swap. Your living room will do just fine. Bonus points if you have full length mirrors available.
3. Extra rooms for modest mouses to change in.
4. A display/sorting system. Ask everyone to group their items by category – T-shirts, shoes, jeans, etc. If everyone sorts their stuff it won’t take more than a few minutes.
5. Snacks for guests to enjoy. Potlucks will never go out of style in my book. Ask everyone to bring an appetizer while you create a signature swap drink to sip.
6. A coin to toss in case two people want the same item.
7. A local charity to donate leftovers.
Loading ...
Liz at Silver Charm Events shares these fab wedding discounts!
Welcome to the newest pre-owned wedding/bridesmaid/party dress website, The Gown Swap. Pick your designer, your size, and your style/cut.
Save 10% on Clearance Items at Wedding Outlet: Pretty much everything you could ever want or need wedding accessory-wise. I’m crushing on this Butterscotch Colored Ring Pillow.
We Interrupt This Post for Something Really Cool: Wanna know what the weather during your wedding is going to be like? Well, Weather.com can help you with that. Just put in the date, location, and time of day. Great for outdoor events. With my couples, it looks like it’ll be 75 degrees at Minnie and Donald’s wedding in October at Griffith Park, and 90 degrees during Ellen and Patrick’s ceremony in Malibu next June.
FREE! The Budget Savvy Bride Wedding Invitation Download shows you how to do a three-layered version of the invite, but this would be gorgeous on it’s own.
Contests:
David’s Bridal – Win a Wedding Dress and Five Bridesmaid Dresses. They’re picking one winner a month, so hurry to get into September’s drawing.
The Plus Size Bride Wedding Stationery Contest – 150 save the dates, 150 invitations, 150 thank you cards, courtesy of Vista Prints. Contest ends today, Aug. 27, 2009 with the winner announced on Friday.
Fit to Be Brides Bride Challenge: BWell Fitness looking for Three Brides who are willing to devote the next 12 weeks to their new wedding fitness program. Forget losing weight for your wedding – how about just learning how to have a healthier lifestyle? Contest ends Friday, Aug. 28, 2009.
Bring in a used crib, car seat, or other baby product and get 20 percent off a new item at Toys R Us or Babies R Us starting Friday, Aug. 28 and going through Sept. 20. They are accepting used cribs, car seats, bassinets, strollers, travel systems, play yards and high chairs. The 20 percent off coupon is for buying a new baby item in one these product categories.
Caveats: the new baby items are restricted to certain manufacturers, including Baby Cache, Babi Italia, Baby Trend, Bertini, Britax, Chicco, Contours by Kolcraft, Cosco, Delta, Eddie Bauer, Evenflo, Graco, Jeep, Nature’s Purest by Summer Infant, and Sorelle.
A press release for the trade-in deal says it is designed to call attention to safety concerns over car seats and cribs being (unsafely, they imply) handed down or resold. I wonder what the discount program will do to sales.
I recently saved about $35 using duct tape to fix my bike seat instead of buying a new one (and after riding it for one week I’m happy to report that it works fine, though a little bit of stickiness is poking through that may eventually stick to my clothes).
Jamie at SpendLessTV shared another great use for duct tape (No. 2), which made me think I should highlight the many, money-saving uses for the super sticky tape.
1. Repairing bicycle seats*
2. Mending torn shower curtains (use duct tape to cover the spot, then hole punch through where the ring goes)
3. Extending the life of shoes, especially cleats
4. Fixing ducts, of course!
5. Making book covers*
6. Repairing broken hoses
7. Creating dog chew toys
8. Patching school folders*
9. Putting up Christmas lights
10. Protecting your car bumper
11. Securing broken glasses
12. Fixing or making a wallet
13. Repairing/reinforcing wires and chords*
14. Fixing the back panel on the remote control that always seems to break off
15. Removing lint from clothes
16. Creating a clothes line
17. Covering a hockey stick
18. Patching cloth holes and tears
19. Repairing backpack straps*
20. Making a mummy costume for Halloween
21. Making fake swords by wrapping around cardboard
* uses I have actually used
Thanks to The Zac for many of these ideas! How have you used duct tape to save money?
Get $5 off a purchase of $25 or more at Walgreens today through Aug. 29, 2009. Print the coupon here. In store only. Some caveats.
I’ve never downloaded an iPhone app that costs money, but if I had kids I would definitely buy this one for $.99. Kids Eat For Free has a new app that shows you what nearby restaurants have freebie deals for kids. Check it out!
The factory clearance page at Overstock.com has clothes, electronics and accessories!
Time to start making that fall sweater! Yarn at Jo-Anns is on sale, 20-30 percent off!
- 16 pieces of info identity thieves crave (Man V Debt)
- How to shop an estate sale (Get Rich Slowly)
- Which banks are increasing fees (Five Cent Nickel)
- Is 5 days of mail delivery is enough? (Bargaineering)
- When it comes to investing, don’t follow your gut (The Wallet)
