Buying a foreclosed home may seem like a great deal, since the bank that’s selling it would rather unload it at a loss than stay on as owner. But foreclosures come with a lot of risks — including vandalism by former owners or theives who strip vacant homes of just about anything that isn’t bolted down — and even things that are (you know, like toilets).
bargains
Traveling Domestically? Consider A Hostel
By 9.16.09
Tough times has forced a developer in South Florida to rethink his condo hotel development, so he’s reconfigured it as a hotel-hostel that offers not just the standard shared room arrangements familiar to any college student who’s traveled, but also slightly more expensive private rooms with kitchenettes and basic hotel amenities for $50 a night, writes the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
Quick, Grab This $10 HDTV Before It's— Oh Never Mind
By 8.12.09
It looks like Best Buy‘s servers decided to call in sick this morning—Casey writes, “This was on their site this morning for about 45 minutes before they corrected the ad.” We have a feeling Best Buy isn’t going to pull a neat “just keep it, our bad” maneuver like ThinkGeek, however.
How Outlet Malls Fool Shoppers
By 8.11.09
Alternet is running an excerpt from Ellen Rupel Shell’s fascinating new book, Cheap: the High Cost of Discount Culture. The piece handily illustrates Shell’s argument that outlet malls are for suckers.
Quick! Stock Up On Ben & Jerry's Before This Sale Expires!
By 8.10.09
We were going to list this in tomorrow’s Morning Deals, but decided the bargain was just too good to hold off posting: Harris Teeter has reduced the price on all of its Ben & Jerry’s pints, from $3.99 to $3.99.
Verizon Offering $20 Naked DSL
By 8.3.09
Verizon is sad that so many of you are jumping ship, so they’re hauling out the bargain naked DSL offer again. (“Naked” means no home phone line is required to take advantage of it.) The deal is $20/mo with a 1 year commitment, and they’re throwing in a free router—although DSLReports says a Verizon rep told them the router freebie will go away at some point. Also, it’s available online only.
Buy A Car, Get A Free AK-47
By 7.17.09
The logo at Mark Muller’s dealership is… an old west caricature pointing two pistols at those who pass by. He said it’s a nod to what he calls “big city” ways. “We really are different than the big city dealers.”
JetBlue Offers $1 Military Fare Through Today, Although It Comes With A Surprising Number Of Restrictions
By 5.7.09
JetBlue is offering an amazing deal to members of our armed forces in honor of National Military Appreciation Month, but once you get past that jaw-dropping $1 fee, it starts to look like they outsourced the fine print to Macy’s. Here are the restrictions:
8Coupons.com Lets You Send Local Coupons To Your Phone
By 5.5.09
Online coupons still haven’t caught on, really, but 8coupons.com may be worth checking out if you want to give it a try in your own city. Instead of implementing some high-concept location aware thing, they let you browse the site for coupons that interest you. When you find one, you send it to your phone via text message. Obviously, if you hold your phone number dear to your heart, don’t bother; if you’re the brave type who doesn’t mind risking the personal data exposure, you might want to give it a shot.
By 5.2.09
../../../..//2009/05/02/were-not-sure-if-this/
We’re not sure if this will work for brand new customers, but KodakGallery is offering free Mother’s Day photo cards through 5/16 with coupon code FREECARD. To ensure delivery by Mother’s Day, you have to order the card by midnight tonight. Note that you’ll still have to pay 99 cents shipping and handling. [KodakGallery]
By 4.28.09
../../../..//2009/04/28/today-only-participating-el-pollo/
Today only, participating El Pollo Loco restaurants are giving away free 2-piece chicken meals, one per customer, dine in or carry out only. [El Pollo Loco]
Disney Mistake Means Super Cheap Annual Passes For Some Lucky Customers
By 4.22.09
Disneyland mistakenly extended a special annual pass program to ineligible customers last December, but only realized it recently. At the time of the sale, residents of certain Southern California zip codes could buy an annual ticket on a 12-month installment plan, free from any interest rates or other fees. When they discovered that some customers weren’t in valid zip codes, they ended the payment agreement with them—but they’re letting them keep the annual passes.
Kmart Assistant Manager Hates Your Coupons, Will Not Process Your Transaction
By 2.24.09
If you’re one of those really smart coupon hoarders, you know to save up for double-coupon offers, because then you can get things for next-to-nothing. Nicole has used this strategy at Kmart in the past without problems, but this time she ran into an assistant manager who refused to honor the promotion, saying, “It’s not our policy. It’s not written down, but that’s the policy.”
Man Sues Walmart After Being Bitten By Snake, But Keeps Going Back For The Deals
By 2.17.09
Ah, the irresistable pull of bargains! A man in Florida is suing Walmart because he was bitten by a pygmy rattler while shopping in the garden center in 2008. His is the third such attack in a Walmart in Florida since 2006, and he’s claiming the retailer should have taken better steps to prevent rattler bites after the first two attacks. Our favorite detail, though, is that he won’t stop going to Walmart, because “their prices are too good to shop elsewhere.”
The Secrets Of Liquidation Sales
By 1.23.09
CNN Money has posted an informative article about what happens at liquidation sales. Some of the people quoted are fairly critical, but even the liquidation company execs that are quoted admit that a liquidation sale doesn’t exist for the benefit of the consumer. Here are the highlights.
Save Money On Your Next Refurb Project, Shop At A Habitat ReStore
By 1.9.09
Did you know Habitat for Humanity operates retail outlets where they sell used and surplus building materials? Habitat ReStores are located in 47 U.S. states and 9 Canadian provinces.
