Archives for September 2016

Office Depot Duracell Rewards post in Accounts just in time for Big Clearance Sale

If you are participating in the Office Depot and Max Rewards program, we have double good news for you! If you had participated in the most recent Duracell Batteries rewards promotion (it was running between August 28 through September 3 in 2016), those Rewards points just posted to your Office Depot Rewards account. They don’t send email alerts, you have to check the account. Here’s a screenshot of mine (with the certificate number cut-out for obvious reasons):

mxpxdura

As you can guess from the total, I maxed out on the offer, I got the “limit 2” of Duracell 16-packs of AA or AAA.

The timing is perfect because both the Office Depot/Max stores along with their website are running a big clearance sale, which includes these super-practical and super-repurposable Supplies Clear Boxes. These are stackable (within their own kind) and if you don’t need the supplies, you can donate them to a school and keep the boxes 🙂 The prices are slightly different between store and website, the store has them all for $1, while the website ranges from 75c to $1.50.

Spend $50+ at Macy’s VIP Sale, Get 500 Points

Macy’s is one of the American Express inner-circle partners in the Plenti rewards program, which explains why they have good offers. This one, running until 9/18/16, gets you 500 Plenti Rewards points ($5 equivalent to spend in the future) when you make a purchase of $50+ during the Macy’s VIP sale. First you must manually activate the offer in your Plenti account. It is easier than it sounds, you just press the green button on the Plenti website or through the Plenti emails. Here’s a Screenshot of the offer:

plenti_macys

Get 500 Plenti Points with $25 iTunes Gift Card

If you are part of the iTunes ecosystem and you are participating in the Plenti Rewards program, running until Saturday night (9/17/16) at Rite Aid stores is a promotion as follows (screenshot below; then text):

itunes_riteaid_plenti

Buy a $25 iTunes plastic gift card, and get 500 Plenti points added to your account. The points show up on your purchase receipt and you can use/spend them the next morning. So before you leave the store you know that all is well with the transaction. This offer is limit two for this particular week.

Assuming you can spend the 500 points (which are $5 equivalent) in the future, this makes it a virtual 20% discount on the iTunes gift card. There are simple ways to spend Plenti points: future purchases at Rite Aid (just not ones that get you Plenti rewards like this one), and Exxon-Mobil gas stations.

Free Audiobook (pre-order): Scalzi’s The Dispatcher

If it’s free, I’ll take three they say, but in this case, you can only get one. For a limited time only, Audible is offering free pre-orders (in other words you pay $0.00) for the audiobook of John Scalzi’s The Dispatcher. This will be narrated by New-Trek’s Spock (Zachary Quinto). It is an unabridged edition and will come out on October 4 in 2016.

Screenshot below:

the_dispatched_scalzi_audible

This is yet another production at Amazon’s Audible studios, which is probably why they are able to give it away for free, as part of their renewed attempt to get every single person in the universe to sign up for their services 🙂

11.6″ Samsung Chromebook 3 (4GB RAM) for $180 [limit 3]

If you are not interesting in having a touchscreen on your Chromebook (eg when the Android apps arrive), the 11.6-inch Samsung Chromebook 3, with 4GB RAM [a must have these days with Chromebooks because the web is more bloated than ever] is on sale for $180 with free shipping at Amazon by Amazon actual. Limit three of these per customer during this sale. It is powered by the Celeron N3050 1.6 GHz processor, which currently ranks #1663 at cpubenchmark.net.

The usual assortment of features for this price-range come with it, 16GB on-board storage, integrated graphics, SD and USB and HDMI ports, etc.

All the options together average 4.2 out of 5 based on 152 customer reviews and has about the same number of questions answered over there.

Sharp TE-T56U-GR Tea-Cere Matcha Tea Maker for $200

This is blasphemy for some matcha fans, so TRIGGER WARNING 🙂 This is a machine that makes matcha. No whisk, no bowl, no bamboo utensils, no manual effort. *GASP*

If you aren’t triggered by all this, keep on reading because the Sharp TE-T56U-GR Tea-Cere Matcha Tea Maker is currently on sale for $200 with free shipping at Amazon by Amazon actual. This started at $300 when I began monitoring it. It has only nine reviews so far, along with three questions answered, and an intermediate level of details in the product description.

The price is a combination of convenience and being among the first to market with such a device. I’m sure in a couple of years there may be more competing devices which will bring prices down. But this is more for the early adopters who like to try out new things 🙂

16oz Trader Joe Coconut Oil drops to $5.50

Coconut oil fans, if you live near a Trader Joe, we have good news for you! Their 16oz virgin cold-pressed coconut oil is now down from $6 to $5.50. This is stored in a glass container, not plastic, so, assuming you are willing to clean out the last remaining coconut oil remnants from the bottle, you get to keep a glass container 🙂

If you don’t live near one, and you buy it from Amazon or eBay, you would pay 2-3x the price because the people selling it have to pay for shipping, plus eBay/Amazon fees, plus profit for their effort. In those cases, you are better off looking for alternatives…

Speaking of which, the 54 oz containers at Amazon definitely beat Trader Joe in price, but the coconut oil is stored in a plastic container, not glass. The one you see in the picture below is the 54 oz Carrington Farms (organic, virgin, unrefined, cold pressed) which goes for around $16.

coconut_oils1

Even with the discount, it still “defeats” the Trader Joe price. You pay $16.50 to get 48 ounces at Trader Joe, but on the other hand, you also get to keep the three glass containers (if you need them). I have both, but I haven’t done a side-by-side comparison, however, I have no problems with the Carrington Farms.

Competing with Carrington on price at Amazon is the 54 oz Island Fresh which currently goes for $17, but between discounts, lightning deals, subscribe and save discounts, and coupons, these two play leapfrog on price. I am planning to try the Island Fresh once I run out of the Carrington, which could take a while. 54 oz is A LOT 🙂

Tyrion Quote T-Shirt for $6.25 w/free S&H [COUPON]

If you are a Game Of Thrones fan, there’s a coupon deal for you, especially if you love Tyrion’s quips. The graphic t-shirt with the quote “That’s What I Do I Drink And I Know Things” printed on the front (the back is empty) drops to $6.25 with free shipping (not Prime eligible) at Amazon.com with coupon code GOTSHIRT when you buy from the seller “Rock Data Liquidators”.

tyrion_tshirt

It is available in eight different sizes, and has multiple sizes to pick from. The expiration date of the coupon is unknown.

If you are not sure which color to get, keep in mind, RED is the official color of House Lannister. Unless you believe in the Tyrion Secret Targaryen crackpot theories, in which case, you can select a more Targaryen color [the red is probably still the closest, unless you have an additional crackpot theory that Tyrion will bond/ride the green or creamy dragon in which case you have those two colors too].

12pk RX Bar (Chocolate Sea Salt) for $18

If you are part of the RxBar protein bar cult, Prime Pantry has a great deal on the, you can get a 12-pack of the Chocolate Sea Salt for $18.19. This is a pretty good deal, it comes out to about $1.50 per bar. Usually $2 or less per bar is a good deal since these are currently popular bars. NOTE: availability of these may vary regionally and depending on when you check.

This is actually my favorite flavor of their line! If you have any Prime Pantry slow-Prime-shipping credits, you can take advantage of this offer without paying shipping fees. Otherwise there’s a $6 flat shipping for the Pantry box.

Speaking of which, September is here, and they have a new free shipping promotion, if you buy five units of participating items, you get free shipping. You don’t have to buy five different items, any combination that results in five or more units of eligible items.

T-Mobile Tuesday for September 13: Petsmart and three returning champions

Time flies, another T-Mobile Tuesday is fast approaching, and for the September 13 (2016) edition, we have a new headliner offer, it’s $7 off your purchase at Petsmart. The discount is good at their brick and mortar stores only, and only for 9/13/16. I am assuming this is one per line, not per account, since there is no way to restrict it.

tmobile_tuesday_sept13

The other three offers are three returning “champions” that have been frequently featured:

  • Vudu $5.50 Store Credit, only one can be applied to each individual Vudu account per week, use it by Sunday night, because they expire before Monday night
  • Small Frosty at Wendy’s – this one has to be claimed LIVE at the cash register
  • Lyft Ride (up to $15) – I haven’t done this so I don’t know how it works

36 pouches of Nature Valley Granola Bars Variety Pack for $9.50 after coupon

Granola bar deal time! If you like the Nature Valley trio of flavors (Oats’n’Honey, Maple Brown Sugar, and Peanut Butter), there is a nice coupon deal of this option, it’s a 3-pack of 12-pouch variety packs. Each pouch has two thin bars inside, that’s why they call it a 24-pack. So you get 36 pouches which translates to 72 thin bars. The price is currently $12.63 at Amazon.com. Then you hit that green “Clip 25% off Coupon” button, and the price drops by 25% to around $9.50. This is the one time purchase price. Screenshot of that below:

nature_valley_coupon

If you are willing to do “Subscribe and Save”, it is 25% off $12, which makes it $9 for the whole thing.

So to boil it down to grocery store price comparison, the 36 pouches are the equivalent of six standard grocery packs (six pouches of 12 total bars inside). For those, $2 or less is a good price, so anything under $12 for the same amount is a good deal!

A good deal unless you are willing those big Costco and Smart and Final type of mega-packs 🙂

NOTE: the coupon is a limited time offer but it doesn’t say when it expires.

AmazonBasics Lightweight 200 Thread Count Sheet Set for $11+

If you are looking for budget bed sheets that are 2/3rds cotton and 1/3rd polyester, there is a sale on the Queen size of the AmazonBasics Lightweight 200 Thread Count Sheet Set, with the Sand color-scheme going for $11.08, the Cream for $10.80, the white is $11.26, and the graphite for $12.05. There is a limit of three per color per customer. These are a standard set, one regular sheet, one fitted sheet and two pillowcases. The Queen set is less expensive than the Full set at the moment.

As a group (different colors and sizes), they average 3.8 out of 5 based on 390+ customer reviews, and have 13 questions answered. Let the prices set expectations as they say, don’t expect luxury hotel feel for $11 🙂

Lucky Rewards members: Free Tostitos Salsa or Dip

If you are a member of the Lucky’s grocery rewards program, you are in luck! The chain is back with a weekly freebie for their rewards member. It is Tostitos time, you get a free Salsa or Cheese or Dairy Dip. Just in time for football season. Assorted varieties are eligible among the 10 oz to 15.5 oz options. Here’s a screenshot of the relevant part:

lucky_tostitos

As usual, you have to manually add the offer to your Lucky’s Rewards account by pressing that big old RED button in the email. Once added, then you can buy it at the store, and as long as you enter your rewards number (or scan your card), their cash register will automatically deduct the price. If you are using self checkout, an employee may be needed to punch in some numbers on the register. The “attention lights” will go on on their own.

AmazonFresh $25 off first order with Free Trial and coupon

IF you have never done an AmazonFresh free trial before, they have a new promotion, you can start your free trial and get $25 off your first order at Amazon Fresh with coupon code 25FRESHOFFER entered in the shopping cart. Only select customers in select regions where this is available are eligible for the offer. If you don’t see the offer on the link above, it means you are not eligible for the offer.

Offer ends 9/30/16. Keep in mind AmazonFresh has a $299 annual fee, so if you start a free trial, make sure you cancel it if the service doesn’t work for your needs. The $299 includes the standard Prime membership, so if you are already a Prime member, this is “only” $200 more per year 🙂

Pre-order new convertible Acer Chromebook R11 for $300

Chromebooks continue to grow in the market, and with the upcoming Google Play app support on ChromeOS, this is a good time to consider getting a new model or your first model. The feature is just launching, so it’s a good idea to buy a model with 4GB RAM and a touch-screen since Google Play apps are touch-optimized. There are a handful of compatible models already, but if you prefer a “latest model”, there will be a few coming out in the run-up to the 2016 holiday shopping season.

Which brings us to the brand new Acer Chromebook R11 with a pre-order price of $300 at amazon.com. The release date is not yet known. It has 4GB RAM, an 11.6-inch touch-screen but unfortunately with a 1366×768 resolution, and it is powered by Celery 🙂 Okay, the Celeron N3150 quad-core processor which currently ranks #1249 at cpubenchmark.net.

Acer wisely resisted the temptation to just stick a USB-C port. Instead you get one USB 3.0 and one USB 2.0 full size ports, along with HDMI output. Storage is 32GB on-board, along with an SD card reader (and of course the two USB ports and anything else you can connect via Wifi or Bluetooth or Ethernet-over-USB).

But that’s not all, part of the reason for the $300 starting price is that this is a convertible. The screen has a 360-degree rotation, so you can do the classic “tent” and “netflix and chill” angles, or fold the keyboard under the screen and turn it into a big tablet. Which would be even more handy when the Google Play apps come in!