Illustration by OConnorCartoons.com
Gap – There is a hot 50% off coupon for the Gap through Groupon that you have to buy into today but can use through Nov. 19, 2010. What a great way to save on back to school clothes! Valid nationwide. Today only!
Jamba Juice – Coffee and tea smoothies are $1 each with this Jamba Juice coupon on Thursday, Aug. 19, 2010. Today only!
Old Navy - Get 30% off your online purchase today, Aug. 19, 2010 using this Old Navy coupon code. Tomorrow the discount drops to 25% off, then the day after it falls to 20% off.
Enfamil – Get a free sample of Enfamil baby formula.
Check out all the coupons and deals on my WalletPop blog.
stevendepolo/Flickr
This is a guest blog post by Stella Louise, editor of the personal finance blog at Savings.com. She is very grateful she only had to suffer through one year of geometry.
I recently researched back to school supplies and was astounded at how much is required to properly equip a child for the new school semester. At the risk of sounding like my parents, when I was a kid back to school shopping mainly consisted of a brand new pair of shoes and some updates to the wardrobe plus a couple of notebooks and some pencils.
But as school budgets cuts have increased with the ailing economy, more and more of the slashed funding has been offloaded to external sources. This explains not only the increase of school fundraisers, such as the adorable third grader from down the street panhandling $5 chocolate bars door-to-door, but also the increasingly gargantuan back to school supply lists.
When I was a kid (and granted, this was EONS ago…), I recall having an art independent study class where I painted for the entire semester. Canvas after canvas using the entire spectrum of acrylic paints and brushes of varying width and thickness to create my “masterpieces.” I ended up being voted (more…)
If you are the parent of a teen and have been looking for the right time to talk to him or her about money – now is the time. Jill Russo Foster, author of “Cash, Credit, and Your Finances: The Teen Years
I’ve come to believe that financial education is the key for everyone. The sooner you start learning about money and personal finance, the sooner you can take control of your own finances. This book will start you off in the right direction and teach you how to build good financial habits.
Foster, who is now in the mortgage industry, started her financial career right out of college when she began working as a bank teller in an affluent neighborhood. She recounts that most people she saw at the bank wore designer clothes, had the latest car and were also on the overdraft list.
In the book, Foster uses examples of five teens that were given her book to read and later tells of the changes they made to change their money habits. The teens’ stories and her own – she admits to having 27 credit cards at one point – make the book easy to read. Your teen will be able to relate to the teens’ stories and learn from their success and failures.
This 84-page book will teach your teen about the basics of managing their money – think allowances and babysitting money – while thinking of long term goals like saving for college and short term goals like buying an iPod. The book is divided into five chapters that are filled with worksheets and practical examples for teens to understand. The chapters include information on creating a budget, the banking system, establishing credit, strategies for paying for college, avoiding identity theft and making major purchases.
This book is the first in a series of three books on personal finances by Foster. If you would like to win a copy of “Cash, Credit, and Your Finances: The Teen Years” for your teen, leave a comment explaining why your teen needs to read this book. If you can’t wait to get a copy, you can buy it on Amazon
Buying a copy supports BargainBabe.com.
Little Apple Wooden Puzzle
If you “like” the BargainBabe.com Facebook page, you probably already saw these deals that I shared over the weekend. If not, there’s no time like the present to become a fan!
Coupon clutch – Get 10% off your next order from CouponCluch.com with coupon code BlogHer10. Expires Dec. 31, 2010.
Free gum - Just got an awesome free sample in my BlogHer swag bag with coupon for free Extra dessert gum. Use coupon code 353637. Unclear how long this deal will last.
1800Flowers – Get 15% off at 1800flowers.com with coupon code BLOGHER. Expires Aug. 20, 2010.
Wooden puzzles – Get 35% off any one order at Little Apple Wooden Puzzles with coupon code BLOGHER10. Expires Oct. 15, 2010.
OpenSky – Get 25% off at OpenSky with coupon code Party25. Ongoing.
Hallmark – Get 20% off holiday cards from Hallmark.com with coupon code BLOGHER20. Expires Dec. 31, 2010.
Payless – Get $5 off $25 at Payless with coupon code 37544. Expires Sept. 6, 2010. Shoes!
Smashbox - Here are three Smashbox beauty coupons you may be able to combine for a triple savings whammy!
Back to school deals - Here is my latest round up of back to school deals through August 7, 2010, including a free backpack at Office Depot with a $10 purchase. Nice!
Free kids clothes swapping trial - Here is a swapping coupon for a free trial membership at ThredUp, and online site that facilities the swapping of children’s clothes.
Check back this afternoon for the latest coupons and deals on my WalletPop blog.
PatrickHoesly/flickr
By Bobbi Burger Brunoehler of Bobbisbargains.
It is hot and a couple of days ago my husband’s friend went to the hospital for heat exhaustion. Talk about a bummer and budget buster!
Benjamin Franklin said that “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” I agree with Ben. My personal financial guidelines are not about saving a few dollars here and there on items I buy. They are about saving many thousands of dollars on things that I DON’T have to buy.
Avoiding heat exhaustion is an excellent example of my personal philosophy. Note, I am not a trained medical practitioner and this post does not constitute medical advice, just practical tips I’ve learned.
The average cost of a hospital stay was $1,690 in 2007, according to a Census Bureau press release from last month. Going to the hospital also means missed days at work that you don’t get paid for. There can also be the expense of emergency transport and child care if you are a care giver, not to mention how horrible you feel. Going to the hospital for heat exhaustion is a ridiculous amount of money to pay for something that is SO easily avoided.
Symptoms of heat exhaustion
- profuse sweating or no sweating when you should be sweating
- dizziness and weakness, nausea and vomiting
- rapid heartbeat
- flushing of the skin
- headaches, muscle cramps
- extreme fatigue
These are the warning signs that you need to do something quick to avoid a major problem. Heat exhaustion left unattended can lead to possibly fatal heat stroke. Heat exhaustion is caused by the depletion of fluid, salt, potassium and electrolytes in the body.
How to prevent heat exhaustion
- Drink half of your body weight in ounces of water a day. If you weigh 140 pounds, drink 70 ounces of water.
- Along with the water, you need to have salt, potassium and cell salts. Some experts recommend that for every 16 ounceos f water you drink, you need 500 milligrams of salt. The body uses potassium to help regulate salt through the process of urination. So, you actually could take potassium every time you urinate. A good place to get great deals on supplements online is Vitacost.com.
- Kool Off is a product that is a quick, easy and effective heat exhaustion preventative that you spray on your face, neck and under the tongue. It replenishes the body’s supply of salt, potassium, cell salts and oxygen. One bottle lasts a long time. You can keep it in your purse, glove compartment or backback.
- Another of my favorites is a cool downz neck bandana. When you soak these in water, they expand and stay moist and cool. You tie them around your neck and this cools the blood as it goes through your neck arteries. Natural body air conditioning. Pretty nifty and surely thrifty.
I think it is worth spending a few bucks to keep yourself cool and prevent spending thousands of dollars taking care of the effects of heat exhaustion. It’s little pieces of advice like this that have kept me on my budget and out of debt.
Do you have a stay cool tip?
paalia/Flickr
A recent survey by CESI Debt Solutions found a whopping 80% of us hide purchases from our partners. Ouch! Some 18.5% of married couples have credit cards their spouse don’t even know about! I’m not sure how that is possible. Wouldn’t they see the bill, notice transfers out of a bank account, or wonder where new items around the house came from?
According to the survey of more than 200 Americans, spouses are secretly buying:
- 34.5% clothing and accessories
- 24% food/dining
- 19.5% beauty/personal care items
- 16.5% gifts
- 13% alcohol
- 9% entertainment
- 9.5% music/cd/mp3
- 8.5% childcare/items for children
The last item makes me think the survey included in the “secret” category purchases not explicitly mentioned, which would inflate these numbers. The survey was conducted by a company that makes money from helping people pay down credit card debt so I suppose the more people overspend, the more their business is necessary. But forgetting to mention a purchase is different than keeping something secret. You took the kid to JC Penney for new underwear? Not exactly scintillating dinner conversation.
Most financial cheaters kept their spending on the down low to avoid problems at home, the survey found. Ya think?! Oh honey, I forgot to tell you I owe $6,000. Guess we won’t be going on vacation, after all.
- 46% are currently paying off the debt and feel s/he doesn’t need to know
- 43% want to avoid an argument
- 27% will never tell their spouse about their spending
- 19.9% are concerned it would end the relationship
- 11% plan to tell their spouse, but are not ready yet
So the question is not whether you have cheated financially on your partner, but what purchase were you hiding? Or perhaps you have a story to tell about discovering a secret purchase?
One of the biggest fights I ever had with a significant other was when I discovered he had purchased a TiVo in secret. The purchase price was not the issue, however. I was strongly against a TiVo as I was convinced I would watch too much television if we had one. He was strongly for the TiVo as it would allow him to easily record shows he liked. A great sale came up and he couldn’t resist. I found the thing in the closet about a week later and blew up – it felt like he had lied to me. Looking back, we both could have compromised and avoided the whole argument. Sigh. Live, and learn.
- Victoria’s Secrets swimsuit sale has clearance suits an extra 20% off. Expires Thursday, July 22, 2010.
- Get a free sample of Special K’s protein meal bar. Will likely run out in a few hours.
- Snag $10 off $40 at Walgreens.com with this Walgreens coupon, good through Saturday, July 24, 2010. Get 33% off gift photo orders at Walgreens, with some exceptions, like regular photos. Expires Saturday, July 24, 2010.
- Restaurant.com is 70% off through Thursday, July 22, 2010.
- Do you watch a lot of summer movies? Buy a monthly $15 subscription through Fandango and Weekly Cinemas and get three tickets each month! “Inception” and “Despicable Me” are on my to watch list.
- Here is a quick roundup of back to school deals and freebies.
- About a dozen magazines are 50% off with this Amazon coupon code. Expires July 31, 2010.
- Get a free bagel at Einstein Brothers this Friday only.
Check out all the coupons and deals on my WalletPop blog.
Jamiesrabbits/Flickr
If you live outside the Golden State, I’m sorry! Here are three coupons for water parks in California, including Raging Waters in San Dimas, Wild Rivers in Irvine, and Wild Waters Adventure in Clovis.
Raging Waters (San Dimas)
Get $7 off a general admission purchased online or $5 off general admission purchased at the park. Print the water park coupon or online use coupon code 1060 when you buy tickets online. Single day tickets are $23-$37.
Wild Rivers (Irvine)
Get $5 off a general admission ticket with this printable coupon or use coupon code RRAPIDS2 if you buy your ticket online. Single day tickets are $17-$33.
Wild Waters (Clovis)
Get $6 off a general admission ticket with this coupon. Bring it to the park as you cannot buy tickets online for Wild Waters. Single day tickets are $17-$24.
There are some things that make you want to be a kid again, and a romp at the COOP in Studio City may well be one. This indoor-outdoor play area has a garden, reading area, and dance floor for kids ages 2-8, plus coffee WiFi for you. A monthly membership is $45, but take advantage of today’s Daily D and get it for just $20.
Not bad for unlimited visits during the month. The COOP’s hours are Monday through Thursday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The voucher expires September 30, 2010.
Caveats: you cannot drop off your child and leave. Not valid with any other offer. New customers only. You can buy vouchers for others as gifts but aren’t supposed to resell them.
This is not paid content, however I earn a commission on every purchase made through Daily D.
Today only! Get 25% off with this Banana Republic coupon, which expires June 30, 2010 at 11:59 p.m. EST. Online only.
Got kids? Want a cheap source of clothes? Join ThredUp and get the Pro membership (worth $30/year) free for two months. It ends up being about $.81 per item of clothing. Cheap!
Check out all the coupons and deals on my WalletPop blog.
By Bobbi Burger Brunoehler of Bobbisbargains.
goXunuReviews/Flickr
More and more people are looking for ebooks and online audio books, especially with the Nook and Kindle price wars. I’ve been a fan of audio books for quite some time, having spent a lot of time in the car with my kids and because my daughter simply devours audio books. Here are my favorite sites for free and cheap ebooks, in addition to Bargain Babe’s 15 places to get free ebooks.
Public libraries – I frequently visit the Los Angeles Public Library audio books page. You can find your local library’s ebook page starting at publiclibraries.com. Also visit search.overdrive.com, an international database for free library downloads. Many libraries are struggling financially right now and they deserve our support.
LibriVox – This site provides free audio books from the public domain. The cool thing about it is that you can volunteer and help to create these audio books, no experience necessary.
Project Gutenberg – this site has a LOT of free ebooks! This project was started in 1971 by Michael Hart because a new computer was in the research lab at the University of Illinois and there weren’t that many people who knew how to use it. Michael got the idea to type in the Declaration of Independence and send it to everyone in the network. Now there are over 32,000 free ebooks you can download to your computer or portable device.
Learn Out Loud – this site focuses on educational material including podcasts, videos, MP3s and audio books.
Tip: except for public libraries, most of the free ebook and audio book sites carry titles that are in public domain. That means the copyright has expired, making the books at least 50 years old.
What is your favorite free audiobook and ebook site?
Related posts:
Textbook trade-in saves students money
Tips to save on college textbooks
kevindooley/Flickr
I compiled a huge list of Father’s Day freebies and deals in honor of the holiday Sunday, June 20, 2010. I’m adding new ones everyday so make sure to check back.
The Crate & Barrel summer sale starts tomorrow, Friday June 18, 2010 in stores and online. I’ve gotten some great deals at this sale in past years, but will probably miss it this year.
Check out all the coupons and deals on my WalletPop blog. More deals are coming down the pipe so check back later!
gwrrty/Flickr
By Bobbi Burger Brunoehler of Bobbisbargains
A couple of years ago during the Los Angeles fall fire season I had to decide which of my belongings to pile in my car when I evacuated. The items I left might be burned to a crisp. The stuff I could take with me was limited and therefore HAD to be my favorites.
One of the things I grabbed was my Klutz book
What are Klutz books? They are THE standard in hands-on learning for everything from crafts to science.
Over 33 years ago, three college buddies stood a sidewalk corner and began selling juggling lessons. This turned into the very successful how-to book “Juggling for the Complete Klutz,” which now comes with instructions and juggling balls. People liked it. I mean, they REALLY liked it. These three guys must be making a fortune.
My first Klutz book was the polymer clay book. I bought it used because I didn’t need the clay that the new version comes with. I needed the instructions. I pulled the book apart, put the individual pages into a ring binder, and used it to teach hundreds of students how to work with oven hardened clay.
Then I discovered that many people sell their Klutz books once they have used up the supplies that come with the book. The supplies are good, but the best part is the instructions. So began my pursuit of used Klutz books.
The books are almost always bound with white wire spiral, which makes it simple to find them at a yard or book sale. I just reach in, grab that binding and if I am lucky, there is a fabulous Klutz book in my hands. Instead of paying $10 to $24, I pay a buck. Yipee skipee! Yard sale score!
I have Klutz books on face painting, costumes, table top football, nail art, trick photography, magic, science, car games and more. My latest Klutz acquisition is the “Klutz Book of Animation”
The next book I really want to get is the Superhero Starter Kit
Related posts:
Free movie tickets for kids and families this summer
By Bobbi Burger Brunoehler of Bobbisbargains
wendypiersall/Flickr
One of my favorite mottos is: “You can never do too many art projects.” Many times when I tell this to people, their response is “Oh, but art materials are so expensive.” Oh please! Who do you think you are taking to? Would I suggest doing something if there were not loads of free or highly discounted resources? Of course not.
As stated in the my recent article “How to teach arts and crafts for pennies” most of us have a computer, internet access and a colored printer at our disposal. We might not have these things at home, but they are available for free at libraries and many schools. Staples and Office Depot have great printing departments as well.
A great resource for paper-based art projects is printer manufacturers. They WANT you to have things to do with your shiny new color printer, so they make sure there are some really cool free online projects.
- I particularly like the 3D race car project from HP since finding art projects for young boys is always a challenge. The 3D race car is a color printed cut and fold project. An easy craft that looks good. I suggest using slightly heavier paper than your regular photocopy paper.
- Canon has a mini roses paper craft project that will keep even the most detail oriented crafter busy for quite some time. This finished product will look great as a gift box topper or a hat decoration. Truly for more advanced and patient crafters.
- Epson’s art project site includes some timely graduation-themed invitations, thank you cards and money card. These templates are great for personalizing your own invites and cards. Available for Mac and Windows.
Do you have a favorite free online craft project site?
