Misc. Good Deals

Wow – here is a deal I think I’m going to snatch up myself! Select kids’ puffer jackets are just $15.99 at Macy’s as part of a one-day web buster sale they are having! These jackets are regularly priced at $60+, and down from the sale price of about $35. They have gotten strong reviews, and come in a variety of styles and colors for both boys and girls.

Shipping is free on orders of $99 or more.

You may wish to see what else is part of the Macy’s One-Day Sale, which interestingly enough runs today and tomorrow (11/10). I would shop today for the best selection.
macys.com

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One of my very favorite companies, Bungalow, is running a fantastic sale on their super cute and stylish storage products through tomorrow 5pm EST (2pm PST) only!

As part of this sale, three of their popular summer prints are 25%, with prices starting at just $7.50!

But wait – it gets better! Through 6/30, you can score an additional 10% AND FREE shipping (no minimum!) when you use coupon code freeship10. You can even use that code on top of the sale prices.

If you’re not familiar with this company, let me tell you – their stuff is well made, easy to clean, and versatile. You may wish to check out the Scout by Bungalow review I did last year. I’ve used their organizers to sort the laundry…

file my coupons…

among other things….

They don’t often offer free shipping with no minimum shipping, so you might want to check them out! Head to Bungalow to see the full selection.

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I’ve enjoyed our Vitamix for over a couple months now and I can say we use it virtually every day. It’s been one of the best purchases we’ve made, and I wanted to share my thoughts on why we made this splurge along with ideas for saving on one.

Why We Chose Vitamix

First things first. You should know that a Vitamix is not an inexpensive piece of equipment (on Amazon: for $378 as of today)! It is not your average blender, either. I struggled using a $30 blender to make green smoothies and it was no mean feat. We also had purchased a juicer over on Craigslist but it didn’t get used simply because it was inconvenient to clean and expensive to buy enough produce to make even a single glass of juice.

Here’s ultimately why we decided on a Vitamix:

  • To incorporate more whole plant foods into our diet.
  • To blend produce that a normal blender can’t handle.
  • To make better use of the produce we buy and create less waste.
  • To make soups, sauces, salsas, and other food (occasionally).
  • Because it is very quick to use, and quick to clean.

If you just want to make a smoothie with some bananas and strawberries? You probably don’t need a Vitamix. But if you want to experiment particularly with greens (such as kale, spinach, collards, dandelion, etc.), a high-speed blender will more easily and thoroughly do the job. While there are certainly other brands you could choose out there, we ultimately decided on Vitamix given their longstanding reputation and long warranty. My parents have had a Vitamix in their house since before I was born, so their positive experience also weighed into our decision.

Ways to Save

Some of you may have sticker shock when you first consider a Vitamix. It is a serious investment! So today, I wanted to provide some ideas for how you might save on one:

  • Swagbucks. You can earn “swag bucks” that you redeem for prizes including Amazon gift cards. This would take quite some time to save up enough, but in a year’s time, you may have enough to make a decent dent on a purchase. (You can head to Amazon to see the many Vitamix models for sale.)
  • Costco. I’ve heard that Costco offers the Vitamix from time to time at a reasonable price.
  • Buy used. If you don’t mind buying used, keep an eye on sites like Craigslist. I have had family members find used ones for around $100 this way, and that’s a killer deal on Vitamix. Garage sales may be another option, too.
  • Demonstration Models. Now I’ve never tried this, but I was listening to my Dave Ramsey CDs recently and he suggests in his negotiating lesson to “hang out” at the demonstration areas particularly at the end of an event. Ask what they plan on doing with the demonstration unit(s) – who knows? You might find yourself a deal! We see the Vitamix folks at the Puyallup Fair every year.
  • Open a Capitol One 36o account, get $50. When you sign up for a FREE Capital One 360 Checking account (formerly ING), you’ll get $50 bonus money! We have an account there, and I love it. I set up an automatic withdrawal from our primary checking to our ING account. This money comes out first thing every month and I’m amazed how this simple practice has grown our savings. (For more information on this promotion, check out my post from a couple weeks ago – the bonus is still good.)
If you’ve snagged a deal on a Vitamix or comparable brand before, I’d love to know your stories, too.

More Thoughts on the Vitamix…

I know that spending a few hundred dollars for a high-speed blender may sound frivolous. But consider how much money some will spend on diet programs, products, shakes, and supplements! Call me crazy, but I think what you really need for healthful living and weight loss is whole plant foods. Case in point, I’ve lost 20 pounds since the start of this year. I didn’t do any 30 or 60 or 90 day challenge, sign up for fancy personal training, or buy overpriced shakes or prepackaged, processed diet food or sign onto any pyramid marketing scheme. All I’ve done is work to make better food choices! And for the past couple months most days I’ve enjoyed a tall smoothie full of nutritious goodness.

I question how sustainable some of the fad diets are – you put all this money in, but do you get the lasting results you want? After watching my parents use their Vitamix for decades (this last one they bought is on its 10th year!), I’m convinced that this is something you could do long-term. Stepping off my soapbox…

To end this post, I thought I’d leave you with a few imagines of creations I’ve made over the past couple months….

Strawberry – Basil Almond Butter – Banana – Raw Cocoa – Coconut Oil Bok Choy – Lamb’s Lettuce (made from ingredients pictured above) Dandelion & Collard Greens – Pear Beet – Beet Greens – Strawberry Arugula-Basil Pesto

I’d love to hear how you use your Vitamix or other thoughts you might have for saving on one, too.

Like this post? You might also enjoy:


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Today and tomorrow only (5/11 + 5/12) you can use this printable coupon to save $10 on your purchase of $25 or more.

There are some exclusions that you’ll want to note – but the good news is that the coupon should work on most clearance and sale items!

Limit one per customer.

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Erica had a chance to visit the bread outlet yesterday. Here’s her story:

I love the Franz Bread Outlet in Kent! They carry regular priced products in addition to their mark down racks. I just have to say though, their mark down racks are where it’s at! I typically take a turn around the small store to scope out the best priced rack before I start filling up my cart. Here’s what I got today for $12:

Here’s the breakdown:

Regular loaves of bread were 5 for $5 ($1 each).
English Muffins were 6 for $2 ($0.33 each).
The rest (3 loaves of sourdough, 3 bags of bagels, and 1 bag of sandwich thins) were on a 7 for $5 rack ($0.72 each).

These amazing prices are due to the fact that everything is near the pull date. I plan to throw everything that we won’t use this week into our chest freezer. I love stocking up on cheap bread stuffs! You can find the closest Franz Outlet to you here!

Do you ever shop the bread outlets? Other places to find bread for cheap?

 

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This Friday, May 4th, is another Best Prices Friday at JC Penney!

These happen the first and third Fridays of every month (so the 4th and 18th this month) and you’ll find deep discounts in nearly every department. I had the opportunity to check out the last sale and I found items for as low as $2.

The trick is to keep your eyes peeled for the blue signs that read “Best Price,” like this:

The items also are marked with a blue sticker to indicate they are a new, low price:

If you are interested in this sale, you might want to read more about my experience earlier this month. I actually found a few things that made the trip worthwhile!

Have you had any luck shopping this sale? Do you think you’ll give it a whirl this week?

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Coming this Friday: Best Prices day at JC Penney!

April 18, 2012

I wanted to remind everyone that this Friday April 20th, JC Penney will be having another “Best Prices” Friday! These happen the first and third Fridays of every month and you’ll find deep discounts in nearly every department. I had the opportunity to check out the last sale and I found items for as low [...]

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Tomorrow is the JC Penney Markdown Sale (4/6)!

April 5, 2012

I’ve yet to shop this sale yet, but I’m hearing amazing things about JC Penney offering crazy mark downs on the 1st and 3rd Friday of each month! I might just have to drop on in and see what I can find. These markdowns may be as low as $2 per item! Last month, Queen [...]

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Kohl’s Presidents Day Sale: Clearance, Extra 20%, Cash Back!

February 21, 2012

There is always sooo much happening at Kohl’s! And right now, they are having a President’s Day Sale I thought I’d share with you. A few notables: Jewelry – save 50-60%, plus save an extra 20% with coupon code SMS2019. Comforters & Sheet Collections – save 40-50%, plus save an extra 20% with coupon code SMS2019. [...]

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Taste of Home Cookbooks for $5, plus FREE shipping!

February 20, 2012

From now through February 27th, Shop Taste of Home is having another $5 cookbook sale! Choose from many different cookbooks and pay just $5 each! There are also DIY and children’s books included in the mix.  These are hardcover cookbooks filled with photos, and discounted by as much as 80% off. I think these would [...]

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