Archive for January, 2010

Two ways to save on Mamma Mia!

This isn’t a significant savings, but every little bit helps. Using promo code “Dress” when purchasing your tickets to see the musical, “Mamma Mia” at the Fox Theatre, you save $5 per ticket. That amount will be matched and donated to Dress for Success. The musical plays at the Fox Feb. 9-14, and the discounted ticket is available for select performances. Remember you can also save $10 on tickets to shows on Feb. 9 and 10, and Feb. 14, through Travelzoo.com. Read the details of that deal here, as it applies to select seats.

Free Wine Tasting

You certainly can’t say the best wine is free wine. You cannot, however, deny that free wine of any kind is a good deal. WineStyles Perimeter has free wine tastings on Tuesday nights. Taste of any of six open bottles of wine for no charge. The tasting is from 6-8 p.m. Try something new and exotic or enjoy the familiar.

Deal at Park Tavern

No, Piedmont Park isn’t where you want to be when it is 40 degrees …

Continue reading Free wine tasting | Save $70 on spa treatment | Free events | $15 off at Park Tavern | Mamma Mia discounts »

With the aroma of extra value menu items wafting in the air, consumer expert Clark Howard stood inside the McDonald’s on Camp Creek Parkway and answered numerous questions with all of the humility and candor as his setting would suggest.

Across town at the Cobb Energy Centre of Performing Arts, workers hastily added more and more chairs to a packed meeting room where Rodney Huffman extolled the values of real estate investing as part of a Rich Dad, Poor Dad two-hour introductory seminar.

The guest speakers, both wealthy and successful, could not have been more different. The common thread: a group of attendees eager to improve their financial standing, whether by capitalizing on opportunities in a down economy or simply tightening the purse strings while watching daily spending.

“All I do now is put out fires,” Howard said. “Sometimes after a [radio show], I feel like a boxer who has gone 15 rounds. This is an equal opportunity recession. Everybody has been hit over the head …

Continue reading Money Tips from Clark Howard and Rich Dad, Poor Dad »

Like a Stamp to a Letter…

Isn’t there something that still warms your heart when you get a handwritten letter or a card in the mail? Anything other than bills and junk mail is welcomed, right? Hallmark is running a promotion now in which they will mail your card if you personalize it online and purchase it by Feb. 9. It’s only a free stamp, but sending love in the mail is still a sweet gesture.

Free Yogurt

Yoforia has opened a new location in Vinings and celebrates on Saturday, Jan. 30, with free frozen yogurt (in 12 flavors!) from noon to 11 p.m. It’s located at 4338 Paces Ferry Rd., in Vinings.

Deal at South City Kitchen

If you’ve ever been to South City Kitchen, then you know this deal needs no buildup: Save 57 percent by buying a $15 certificate from Groupon.com valued at $35. This is valid only the Vinings location, which happens to be one of my favorite spots around town. Hint: You’ve got to try the fried chicken and mashed potatoes. As a bonus, the deal comes with the …

Continue reading Mail your Valentine’s card for free | Free Frozen Yogurt | Save $20 at South City Kitchen »

Redheads, lefties and the exceptionally tall — or short –  have unique opportunities this time of year. So do skateboarders, duck callers and even people with outstanding milk mustaches.

Truly, there are some quirky college scholarships available. Likewise, there is free money available for academic stalwarts. The key, said McIntosh High guidance counselor Hope Huey, is being dutiful enough to research scholarships and apply for them. In the gap between financial aid and student loans are all types of entities eager to help fund the education of aspiring and current college students.

In most instances, deadlines are fast-approaching with many applications due around mid-February or early March.  Competition is stiff for aid that most often ranges from $500 to $3,000. While the HOPE scholarship is a well-known resource for Georgia students, the money does not stop there.

“You may have to work for the scholarships, writing essays and getting letters of recommendation,” said …

Continue reading Deadlines loom for college scholarships »

This list of Cheap Date Ideas is a tip of the hat to all of you who regularly point us in the right direction for dates that won’t break our budgets. I’m always on the hunt for new and interesting things to do in the area, particularly if they are inexpensive. Every week we bring you a list of date ideas that cost $40 or less. Many times, they are free. Yes, you can stay at home and make a romantic dinner, or go walking in the park. We have no problems with that at all. But, if you want to actually go to a venue or event, you can do that as well and still hold on to your spare change.

That’s Jazzy

For years, Churchill Grounds has been a jazz hot spot. Photo archive: Bita Honarvar, AJC

Churchill Grounds, the nice jazz spot you’ve driven by dozens of times next to the Fox Theatre but perhaps have never paid attention to has an admission fee that will get you in the door: You get in for just $7 on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday nights, although there is a $5 drink minimum. …

Continue reading Cheap Date Ideas: Laugh, play, dance and be merry for cheap »

$10 off tickets to Mamma Mia!

You’ve likely seen the movie, but if you haven’t seen the musical, “Mamma Mia!” you’re likely to enjoy it. Broadway Across America is bringing it to the Fox Theatre and tickets to performances on three select days are $10 off through Travelzoo.com. The musical, set in a Greek island paradise, tells the funny and sometimes heartbreaking story of a bride-to-be who searches for her father, bringing three potential candidates from her mother’s past to the wedding. The discounted ticket prices apply to the 8 p.m. shows on Feb. 9 and Feb. 10, and the 6:30 p.m. show on Feb. 14. The deal tickets are $30 and $45. To purchase the tickets at $10 off, use TZOO as the promotion code and click here.

Save 50% on Thrashers tickets

I made the mistake last week of writing that the Thrashers were leading the Southeast division. Thankfully, an Atlanta sports fan pointed out that they were in fact well behind the Washington Capitals. While the Thrashers are in the …

Continue reading $10 off Mamma Mia | 50% off Thrashers tickets | Save 60% @ Raging Burrito | Save $60 on tax prep »

As children only a year apart, my brother and I had our share of sibling tussles. One of the more memorable ones came around Valentine’s Day, when we were about 7 and 8 years old. I have the scar to prove it.

Mom told us not to fool around with her brand new knife, but my brother insisted on sharpening his No. 2 pencil with it in order to write out Valentines. Of course, I chastised him and a fight ensued. In his fit, he mistakenly sliced a finger on my left hand. Six stitches and many tears later, I healed and our fights have been replaced with expressions of true love and affection.

What does any of this have to do with this week’s D.I.Y. idea? Well, I’m encouraging you to help your children find a safer arts and crafts project, for one. Also, you can help your children give to a classmate or friend a valentine from the heart, rather than just buying a box of cards. All it takes is a little bit of time and creativity. Let that be the way your kids remember Valentine’s Day.

I …

Continue reading D.I.Y. Valentine’s Day cards for kids »

BOGO Dairy Queen Blizzard

My favorite: Oreo Cookie Blizzard. I love them so much, I make sure to turn my head when I drive by a Dairy Queen. I’m especially tempted when I’m on a long road trip. Is it just me, or do they have stores located off exits during the most boring part of any stretch of highway? Anyway, I digress. Thanks to @BabyCheapskate on Twitter for finding this deal: Buy one Blizzard, Get one free when you sign up for the Blizzard Fan Club. Of course, I complied and have my coupon on the way.

BOGO Atlanta Symphony Orchestra

Here’s a great offer for tickets to the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra on Friday night. Tickets are buy one, get one free and must be purchased online by 3 p.m. Friday, Jan. 29, using promotional code 19045.This show includes Stravinsky’s “The Rite of Spring,” selections from Osvaldo Golijov’s soundtrack for Francis Ford Coppola’s “Youth Without Youth,” and Vaughn Williams’ “Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis.” Thanks to Jennifer from Atlanta on …

Continue reading BOGO DQ Blizzard | BOGO Atlanta Symphony Orchestra | Save 60% at Chocolate Pink »

Taxpayers making cash donations to the Haiti relief efforts are eligible for tax deductions this year, said Internal Revenue Service spokesman Mark Green.

The IRS announced that itemized charitable donations to assist earthquake victims can be recorded on either the 2009 or 2010 tax returns, depending upon personal preference. This special tax relief provision was enacted Jan. 22 and applies to donations made in 2010 after Jan. 11 and before March 1. The donations include contributions made by text message, check, credit card or debit card. It does not include property or goods donations.

“This means you can receive an immediate tax benefit, rather than having to wait until you file next year’s return,” said Green.

Taxpayers must itemize their deductions on Schedule A; those who claim the standard deduction, including short-form filers, are not eligible, Green said.

Follow me on Twitter @atlbargains or on Facebook at AJC Atlanta Bargain Hunter

Continue reading Haiti Relief Donations Eligible for Immediate Tax Benefits »

Did you get an expensive gift for Hanukkah? Have you gotten compliments on your brand new granite counter tops?

Both lovely; both potentially doomed if left uninsured.

While we celebrate milestones and holidays, enjoy home improvements and make significant changes in our lives, we don’t always stop to reassess our insurance needs. The beginning of the year is a great time to take inventory, insurance experts say. It could be an opportunity to save money both now and in the long-term if you ever needed to file a claim.

“It’’s not only about saving money, which is critical today, but also making sure you’re adequately covered,” said Tom Adderhold, an independent insurance agent in Duluth.

Even when we do get our bill, we don’t always re-evaluate the policy and how our current life fits into it. Marriage, divorce, and the birth of a child can impact life insurance needs. A teen beginning to drive, or one going off to college, affects car insurance rates. Even career moves should …

Continue reading Take inventory of your insurance needs »