Savings.com Blog - Newsworthy

Abercombie & Fitch: Size 10 and under only!

SavingsMommie — Wed, 08 May 2013 15:45:00 GMT

After reading this article on why the CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch hates fat chicks, I was appalled. I mean this is America where the majority of the population is size 10 and above.

They're always in the news for something including the recall of offensive t-shirts that poked fun at Asians with slogans such as "Two Wongs don't make it White". Now they're stirring the pot again by saying that if you're plus-sized, they don't want your business.

So for you plus-sized ladies, what are your thoughts on this? Personally, I fit in their size demographic, but I have no interest in shopping at their stores anyways. Their shorts only cover half of your rear-end and they make everything smaller and tighter.

For the ladies who fit into Abercrombie's "in-crowd", what are your thoughts on this? Would you support a company that goes so far to discriminate? Please comment below.

(Source: Savings.com)Add a Comment

Let Ryan Gosling Take the Edge off Tax Day

dealtown — Sat, 13 Apr 2013 15:00:00 GMT

Ok, before you're scared away by the words "Tax Day," hear me out. I know taxes can be painful. They're tedious, potentially costly, and you're never quite sure you did them right. But we at Savings.com are on a mission to highlight the pros of Tax Day. First, there are the Tax Day freebies. Second, there's the potential for a refund! And most importantly...there's Tax Day Ryan Gosling.

Add a Comment

Pay-by-weight airfare, fair or unfair?

SavingsMommie — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 19:48:00 GMT

(photo credit: foshydog)

Recently, Samoa Air started to charge by weight. What this means is that you would pay for what you weigh and what you want to carry on, as in bags. How it works: you would go on their site and guesstimate your weight and get a rough idea of your total trip cost. But it doesn't stop there, once you get to the airport you will be weighted again, so there is no room for white lies or fibbing.

While this may sound very attractive to people who are on the lower weight side or business travelers who may not need to carry a lot of bags, for those that are on the heavier side, this may be a form of "concern bullying" as many media outlets have put it.

Attractive or unattractive as it may sound, could this be the future of traveling? For years, I've been complaining about paying full fares for my children. On our last trip to Chicago, I paid for 3 full fares which equated to 3 seats, but in reality, we occupied 1.5 seats. My 7 year old was sitting on half a seat and my 3 year old sat on my lap.

For my family, since we are all on the lighter side, it would work to our advantage. But having said that, I don't feel like it's the right direction for other airlines to follow suit. We're already having to go through the TSA pat downs, but having to get yourself on a scale in the middle of an airport just pushes the envelope.

If other airlines decided to go in this direction, it would be most beneficial to:

- Families with children
- Lightweight passengers
- Business travelers who don't need extra luggage

On the positive note, if you were any one of the 3 mentioned scenarios above, you could save a whole lot of money. It may also allow families who couldn't travel before because of the high costs to finally travel and enjoy life.

Another thing to note is that approximately 4 years ago, United Airlines announced that they would be charging for 2 seats if you couldn't fit in the lap belt. So while this whole pay-by-weight pricing recently brought up concerns and discussions, it seems that airlines are trying to figure out ways to either cut costs or fine those that are adding to their operational costs (more weight = more gas).

What are your thoughts on this pay-by-weight pricing? Would you want other airlines to follow suit? Please tell us your thoughts below.

(Source: Savings.com)Add a Comment

Eight months before Black Friday, Couple is first in line

sbarnes — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 07:01:00 GMT

LOS ANGELES - Citing an unquenchable desire to get the best holiday deals, Los Angeles couple Finn and Laurie Thompson secured the first spot in line for Black Friday at an area Best Buy. Despite the fact that the annual day of discounting is nearly eight months away, the Thompsons were inspired by "HolidApril," a concept put forth by coupon site Savings.com suggesting that the 2013 holiday shopping season should and would start immediately after Easter.

The Thompsons exuded messianic certainty that living outside a big box store in a tent was the only reliable way to secure access to the best deals. "When I'm on my deathbed and somebody asks 'Did you do everything in your power to get 80% off a 56' Panasonic TC-PVT50 HD 1080p UberPlasma TV' I want to the answer to be yes," stammered an emotional Finn Thompson. "Plus last year I tore my ACL rib-kicking the gentleman in front of me when the doors opened, and our health insurance doesn't cover injuries to the extremities."

As the holiday shopping season has become more critical to retailers' bottom line, the hoopla surrounding the period of deep discounting has become feverish. And it's happening earlier each year. "The holiday shopping season keeps moving up," said Brad Blake a retail analyst with TrendVision, a commerce activation analytics firm, whatever the heck that is. "Retailers started leaking deals in advance of Black Friday and last year a lot of stores were open around the clock on Thanksgiving. Now we have people camping outside Best Buy in April which, frankly, is insane and makes me question whether my wife and I should even consider bringing children into this sick, sick world. Anyhow, if this catches on I wouldn't be surprised to see major retailers enslave their entire workforce, forcing them to live in onsite shantytowns to meet changing customer needs." Blake also suggested that in these tepid economic times, most Americans feel like they can't afford to miss out on products they don't need priced at a steep discount, even though that thinking is utterly illogical and probably indicative of why China will soon become the world's only superpower.

For the Thompsons the decision to line up in April is more personal and can't be quantified in mere dollars and cents. "Mom passed away last year, she taught me everything I know about holiday shopping," said Laurie. "There are so many memories - clawing an old lady in the face as she was about to grab the last Xbox, dumping a display of $5 DVDs into a 20 gallon trash bag. Every part of our relationship involved buying stuff, thinking about buying stuff, or trying to return stuff that we bought and couldn't find the receipt for." Mrs. Thompson wiped away a tear. "Mom would be right here with us, rubbing her trusty MegaCashBack card for good luck."

There are a lot of hours and days between Easter and Thanksgiving. So how will the Thompsons kill all that time? Alas, Finn and Laurie were too busy prospecting for the best digital SLR camera prices on their dueling iPads to really process the question. "Sorry," apologized Finn, "things have just gotten so crazy since Cyber Monday became a year-round event."

(Source: Savings.com)Add a Comment

Introducing HolidApril: Get a jump on your holiday shopping!

sbarnes — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 07:01:00 GMT

April is the cruelest month. But there's no reason it can't be the jolliest! One consistent piece of feedback we've been gotten from our audience is that the holiday shopping season is WAY too short. Why confine such a festive and relaxing occasion to just one month a year? Our Savings Scientists looked into the matter and the bubbling solution they concocted in our state-of-the-art Deal Lab is finally ready for public consumption. We're proud to present HolidApril!

So get your bells on, spike up a big batch of eggnog, unsheathe your credit card, and get ready to sing some Fa La Las. Because we're going to teach you about the 268 days of Christmas. You're welcome.

(Source: Savings.com)
(Click on image for full-sized version)

Want to embed this infographic on your site? Use the code below:

Add a Comment

Dog ownership on a budget

dealtown — Sat, 23 Mar 2013 16:00:00 GMT

^{(Pictured: Pistachio Ringo. Photo credit: Erin West)}

Happy National Puppy Day! You're probably busy enjoying all the National Puppy Day barbecues and parades, but if you need a break from all the action, I've compiled my best tips on frugal dog ownership.

Embrace hand-me-downs
If you have an aversion to used items, your dog does not sympathize. Dogs not only tolerate used dog toys, beds, and blankets- much of the time, they love them because the items smell like other dogs. And guess how many people have used dog items lying around? ALL PEOPLE. Your friend may have had a dog that passed away, or she may have a dog that doesn't like rope toys, which she only found out after purchasing several rope toys. Ask around- the world is full of surplus dog items.

Trade services with other dog owners
Paying a dog walker or dog-sitter adds up quickly. It will probably be unavoidable some days, but you can cut down on costs by trading dog walks with your dog owner friends. Find a friend whose schedule is different from yours, and trade off checking on each other's dogs.

Trade services with non-dog owners
You need someone to walk the dog on Wednesday. What do your non-dog-owning friends need? A baby-sitter this weekend? A ride to the airport? Hit up your friends to see what they need, and ask if they're willing to trade favors. Everyone wins!

Make your own dog treats
If you have the time, making your own dog treats is easy and a zillion times cheaper than buying store-bought treats. I like this simple peanut butter oatmeal dog treat recipe. It has four ingredients, and one of them is water. (Note: I don't cut them into cutesy shapes or use an egg wash like the author does, because they are for a dog, not the President of the United States. I just wad the dough into balls and smush them onto the cookie sheet.) My dog loves them, and you can make a bunch at a time and freeze them, if you're so inclined.

Don't buy into marketing guilt
Unless your dog has a specific health condition, chances are she doesn't need a Tempur-Pedic bed. Like the Baby Stuff industry, the Dog Stuff industry likes to use guilt as a way to get you to buy stuff. They want you to think you're a bad dog parent if you don't spend thousands of dollars on your dog's surroundings. But I'll let you in on a secret: dogs aren't hard to please. As I write this, my dog is trying to eat out of the trash can. When she's not doing that, she's sleeping happily in her $10 dog bed, burrowed under an old sheet. That's the best thing about dogs- they're much less materialistic than humans. If you can provide food, exercise, and belly rubs, you'll have a happy dog on your hands!

What are your best tips for saving on dog needs?

(Source: Savings.com)Add a Comment

Pi Day Deals and Freebies for your Every Pie Need

dealtown — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 19:07:00 GMT

As you know doubt are aware, today is Pi Day! What's that? You haven't heard of this obscure "holiday" that rose to popularity in the last 10 years?

For the uninitiated, March 14th (3/14) is Pi Day, an annual celebration of the famed mathematical constant. Over the years, we have broadened the holiday to include Pi's more popular homophone counterpart- pie. In honor of Pi(e) Day, here's a list of the best Pi Day deals and freebies across the country.

If you're in the Chicago area, stand in line at 3:14pm local time to receive a free slice of pie from First Slice Pie Cafe. You can also check out ABCLocal for many more Chicago-area Pi Day deals.

If you're in Michigan, get a free slice of pie with any purchase from Grand Traverse Bakery Cafe.

If you're good at rote memorization, have a fair amount of time in your hands, and live near Cambridge, Massachusetts: Petsi Pies is giving away a free slice to anyone who can recite Pi to 100 digits.

There are also lots more Pi Day pie deals in the Boston area. Apparently, Chicago and Boston are the hotspots for pie lovers. Who knew?

For a different type of pie, head over to Sbarro's Facebook page and vote for your favorite Sbarro pizza to get a slice for only $1.

Tired of pie, and looking to buy electronics instead? I know the type. Here's a special Pi Day-only Microsoft deal: 3.14% off a Dell Latitude 10 Tablet.

Bonus: if you don't feel like going out for your pie fix, why not try this recipe for vinegar pie? It's the most cost-effective pie recipe we could find, and it's been around since the pioneer days.

A happy Pi Day to us all! Are there any Pi Day deals we missed?Add a Comment

Savings.com Red Carpet Photos for the Oscars

CrystalECollins — Sun, 24 Feb 2013 23:29:00 GMT

Here at Savings.com, we like to hit the red carpet in style. We save you money, all while being fashionable at the same time. Some of our employees wanted to show you how we celebrate...

Auggie is our winner for best "Golden." He likes to save you money on all your fashion needs.

Pistachio wins the award for best female lead in a polka dot dress.

She's joined by her boyfriend Ryno on the carpet. They are definitely the hottest couple of the night!

Ryno is quite dashing in his tux.

And Thomas wins best dressed of the night, in his sharp bowtie. He works daily in the offices to help you save the most money, and would like to send a woof out to all of his loyal fans!

Happy Oscar night everyone!! Add a Comment

Top Alternative Uses for Girl Scout Cookies

dealtown — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 14:47:00 GMT

^{Image courtesy of Girl Scouts of Rhode Island.}

It's that time of year again- the time when we have way, way too many Girl Scout cookies around. Sure, it's fun at first. But a couple of pants sizes later, you may be looking for some ways to use up these delicious little guys. I've got you covered- here are the top alternative uses for Girl Scout cookies.

Samoas

A hoop skirt for your hamster
A bracelet for the extremely small (humans and/ or animals)
Hoop earrings
A Frisbee for your hamster
A Hula Hoop for your hamster
Just give it to your hamster and let him decide what to do with it

Thin mints

Set a record for world's smallest hockey puck
Make a thin mint cobblestone walkway up to your house
Hoop-like earrings
Replace black Checkers pieces you lost long ago
Use them as skipping "stones"

Do-si-dos

Mosaic them with your thin mints to create a classic diner-style kitchen tile floor
Grind them up, use them to caulk holes in your wall, get your full rental deposit back when you move out of your place!
Use them as white Checkers to replace the thin mints that were replacing your black Checkers

Those shortbread ones

Throw them in the trash

Happy Girl Scout cookie season!

(Source: Savings.com)

Add a Comment

How to save on the flu vaccine

lisalightner — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 21:00:00 GMT

(photo credit: Target)

We are currently experiencing one of the most significant flu seasons in over a decade. You can always visit CDC.gov for the latest statistics, but as of the date of the writing of this column, over 122 cities are still seeing "elevated" incidence of the flu. Unfortunately, a few dozen infants and children have lost their lives to the flu this season, and even more adults. As scary as it is, there are things you can do to help reduce yours and your family's risk of contracting the flu.

The CDC makes the following recommendations:

Get a flu vaccination. Medical experts agree that this is the #1 most important step you can take to protect yourself and those around you. Remember that the goal of flu shots is not just to prevent deaths, but also to prevent suffering from flu symptoms and to reduce complications, time lost from work, and spread of disease in the community.
Wash your hands thoroughly and frequently. This is a good start, but it's not enough. Some flu viruses have been found to live on surfaces for up to eight hours, which is why you need the vaccine in conjunction with good hygiene habits.
Stay home when you are sick. Cover your nose and mouth when you cough and sneeze.
Practice overall good health habits. Eat healthy foods, stay hydrated and get enough sleep.

Even though it takes 10-14 days for your flu vaccine to become effective, it's not too late in the season to get one. Cases of the flu are often reported well into May, so get one if you haven't already. A flu shot usually costs about $20-$30 if you buy one at a store or pharmacy, but there are many ways to save money if you are watching your budget.

Call your health insurance company and ask if it's covered. In many cases it is. If it is, call your provider and see if they have walk-in hours to get one.
Call your state or county health department, as many times they have free and low-cost clinics for flu shots.
Ask at your HR person where you work if they are offering them at the workplace for free or low-cost. Since having a flu shot often reduces the amount of money lost due to sick time, many businesses offer this service for their employees.
If you are a veteran, call your VA and see if they are offering free or low-cost flu shots.
If you are using some type of assistance program, such as EBT, WIC, Medicare/Medicaid or other program like that, call your case manager or local office to see if they have recommendations.

If none of those options work for you and you still have to purchase one, many big retailers are offering specials and discounts. In most states, it's perfectly legal for the store's pharmacist to give a flu shot which makes it very convenient for customers. While you may not want to spend the $30 now, it's money well spent. If you do get sick and require Tamiflu or some other specialized prescription, it will be well over $30. Here is a list of regional and national retailers and what flu shot promotions they have. Call your local store if you have any questions or to verify before you go in.

Acme (check your Supervalu store like Osco or Jewel)-flu shot is $29.99. No other promos besides promotional price are listed at this time.
BJ's Wholesale Club-If your BJ's has a pharmacy, flu shots are available to members. No price listed, call your local store for details.
CVS-get a 20% off coupon when you purchase a flu shot.
Giant-listed on website that they are being offered, no price listed.
Hannaford-offering them for $25 if your store has a pharmacy.
Kmart-See your store (if it has a pharmacy) for details and pricing.
Kroger-offering flu shots for $25 if your location has a pharmacy.
Meijer-also offering for $25 if your location has a pharmacy.
Pathmark-$30 if your store has a pharmacy.
Publix-flu shots are $30, see store for details.
Rite Aid-get a $100 coupon book when you purchase a flu shot. ShopRite-flu shot only $20 with your price club card.
Target-get a 5% off coupon good for one day, when you purchase a flu shot.
Walgreens-get 1500 bonus points when you purchase a flu shot. Must be a member of new rewards program.
Walmart-being offered at some locations, no promos listed. Check before you go.
Winn Dixie-purchase one and use your Rewards Card, and you may be eligible for freebies and coupons. See store for details.

If we still haven't given you enough information, please visit Flu.gov. Stay healthy!

Lisa Lightner is a Philadelphia area blogger and mom to two boys. When not working as a Special Education Advocate, she can be found blogging at SmartSpendingSpot and ADayInOurShoes. She also has a local newspaper column in the Kennett Paper about outdoors activities for families.

(Source: Savings.com)Add a Comment

Top 10 Alternative Uses for Livestrong Bracelets

dealtown — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 15:27:00 GMT

By now, we're all aware of Lance Armstrong's fall from grace. In an interview with Oprah this week, the pro cycling champion and Livestrong founder admitted to doping to win his seven Tour de France titles.

Naturally, the public isn't too crazy about Armstrong these days. But what to do with all those yellow Livestrong bracelets we collected over the years? Here are a few ideas.

10. Stack 10 together to make a beer cozy

9. Chew toy for dogs who don't keep up with the news

8. Use it ironically as a workout band. Zing!

7. String 10,000 together to make a raincoat

6. Band them into a ball for kids who don't keep up with the news

5. Put them in corn husks so people will think you own a lot of corn (useful if you live in the 1600s and want to communicate plenitude to guests)

4. Hang them from the ceiling to make a jungle gym for your pet sugar glider

3. Use it to keep two grapefruit halves together while maintaining the appearance of one whole grapefruit

2. Fling them at girls who try to come into your treehouse

1. Melt it down into an adhesive; use to put up posters of new sports heroAdd a Comment

Target online price matching will stay all year-round

FreeHotSamples — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 16:00:00 GMT

Have you heard? Target is going to be continuing their online price matching policy. They had unimpressive holiday sales and they're partly blaming this on "showrooming."

What is showrooming? It's when a potential customer goes into a store to just to check out a product, such as physically seeing or touching it. But, they don't buy it in the store. Instead, they go online using their phone at the store or online at home to search the web for the best price.

Maybe this practice did impact Target's sales and possibly other retailers.

Consumers have the upper hand when comparing prices now. We can find anything we're looking for with a simple Google search. Guess which company benefited the most from showrooming? That's right....Amazon.com.

To continue competing with online stores, the online price matching policy will stay in place for good. The online stores Target accepts for price matching are Amazon.com, Wal-Mart.com, BestBuy.com, ToysRUs.com and BabiesRUs.com.

Price matching is easy to do. If your shopping in Target and find something you like, go online using your phone or other electronic device. Search for that product on the sites listed and if you find a better price, you can get it for that price! To claim your price match from the online store, you have to do the transaction at the Guest Services desk only. You have to show Guest Services the price you found, they confirm it and you get the deal. Regular check-out lines do not do price matching.

The next time you're in Target, take the time to do some online searching, you could save big!

Jackie lives in Seattle, her blog is Free Hot Samples where there are hundreds of freebies and deals up for grabs.

(Source: Savings.com)

Add a Comment