Archive for March, 2011

Spice Market's pork Vindaloo gets its spice power from garlic, ginger, red chiles, paprika, cumin seeds, cloves, cinnamon and cardamom. credit: Spice Market

Need to take a break from doing your taxes? Or do you want to celebrate their completion?

Either way, Spice Market, located in the W Atlanta-Midtown, is providing one relaxing deal for you. During the entire month of April, the restaurant is offering 50 percent off all bottles of wine. Choose from sparkling, Spanish white, Italian red or a whole host of other options. Then find the perfect chicken skewer, wok-fried grouper or pork Vindaloo to pair them with.

This special offer cannot be combined with any other offer. The restaurant serves dinner daily. Restaurant guests will receive complimentary valet parking for up to three hours. Self parking is also offered in the Colony Square parking deck located directly west of the hotel entrance on the corner of 14th Street and Juniper Street after 6 p.m. daily. W …

Continue reading 50 percent off wine at Spice Market »

Do not attempt to adjust your calendars. Home Depot’s Spring Black Friday sale is indeed, this season. And it starts today.

Riding the same nomenclature wave other retailers have surfed this year and last, Home Depot has taken to calling its biggest sale of the year Black Friday. But no matter. It’s a really big sale.

But you must get to The Home Depot today through Sunday to cash in on the doorbuster deals.

The following are a few examples of the Spring Black Friday store deals (links provided for viewing purposes only):

• 7-Piece Martha Stewart Living Cardona Dining Set, was $499.00, now $299
• Brinkmann Pro Series Four Burner Gas Grill, was $369, now $199
• Garden Cart, was $39.97, now $19.97
• Miracle-Gro Liquafeed Advance was $12.48, now $6.24
• 1.33 Gallon Roundup Extended Control Weed and Grass Killer Plus Weed Preventer, Ready To Use, $9.88, compare at $19.96

In addition to the store event, The Home Depot will celebrate every Friday with Black Friday-type offers on Facebook …

Continue reading Home Depot Spring Black Friday begins »

Consumer expert Clark Howard’s column appears here each Thursday in conjunction with Deal Spotter, a weekly print section in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Have you seen those website ads that promise unbelievable bargains on electronics and some consumer goods? Who can resist those come-ons about getting, say, an iPad for some ridiculously low price like $2?

There’s one particularly popular ad with a supposed anchorwoman giving an update on what looks like a local TV station. She goes on and on about this amazing new way to save money, giving the spiel about what are known as “penny auctions.”

But they’re really just an illegal game of chance in my book. Here’s how penny auctions work: You enter bids for the items being advertised while others do the same across the web. You’re required to pay more money each time someone else outbids you and you want to rebid. Only the final winning bidder actually gets the item.

So yes, it is true that the winner gets stuff …

Continue reading Clark Howard: ‘Penny’ auctions don’t sell a bargain »

Struggling through the economy? Atlanta Bargain Hunter guest blogger and consumer advisor Clark Howard will show viewers how to turn things around and take control of their lives on a half-hour special tonight at 8 on Channel 2 WSB-TV.

Clark will kick off the show by showing viewers the best way to get a deal if you are buying or selling a house. You’ll meet a family who faced foreclosure but instead turned the situation around to their advantage. You’ll also hear the success story of woman who, after three layoffs, finally opened her own business. Tune in for other success stories.

– By Lauren Davidson, Atlanta Bargain Hunter

See a great deal I should know about? Email me at ldavidson@ajc.com. You can also follow me on Facebook or on Twitter @atlbargains.

Continue reading Don’t miss Clark Howard TV special tonight »

Don't miss the tres leches cake at Taqueria Los Hermanos.

It’s time to plan a special dinner out, and possibly take a much-needed break from the kids. But that doesn’t mean you have to spend excessively.

This week, cash in on 80 percent off at Restaurant.com. Buy any $25 gift certificate for only $2; plus you’ll receive a free $10 gift card with any order. Just enter promo code TASTY at checkout. Make note of any limitations including added gratuity, minimum purchase or meal requirements.

– By Lauren Davidson, Atlanta Bargain Hunter

DealSwarm: Today’s deal | Email alerts

See a great deal I should know about? Email me at ldavidson@ajc.com. You can also follow me on Facebook or on Twitter @atlbargains.

Continue reading $25 for $2 at Restaurant.com »

For the first time in four years, it appears that Target is beating Walmart on pricing, according to this article.

In my experience, I have frequently compared Target to other online retailers, including Amazon.com, and found it to be one of the priciest. But research has shown that Target is becoming more aggressive in its grocery pricing.

More from the story:

Craig Johnson, president of retail consulting firm Customer Growth Partners, compared 35 brand-name items sold at Wal-Mart and Target stores in New York, Indiana and North Carolina. They consisted of 22 common grocery goods such as milk, cereal and rice; 10 general merchandise products such as clothing and home furnishings; and three health and beauty items.

Target’s shopping cart rang in at $269.13 (pre-tax), a hair lower than the $271.07 charged at Wal-Mart.

“For the first time in four years, our price comparisons between the two has shown that Target has a slight edge over Wal-Mart,” said Johnson. A smaller study by …

Continue reading Time to roll back prices: Target cheaper than Walmart »

Need a cheap lunch on the go?

Go to the Quiznos website and print this coupon out for a small sub for only $2.99. That’s 42 percent off the pricier subs on the menu that usually cost $5.19 for a small. Choose from caprese, turkey club, the new chicken bacon dipper and more. Many have fewer than 500 calories.

You can also get a free cookie with your small sub when you sign up for the Quiznos email list. The coupon expires April 5.

– By Lauren Davidson, Atlanta Bargain Hunter

See a great deal I should know about? Email me at ldavidson@ajc.com. You can also follow me on Facebook or on Twitter @atlbargains.

Continue reading $2.99 sub, free cookie from Quiznos »

When I was 8 years old, hand-me-down clothes weren’t cool. It wasn’t that I was ungrateful for the super-stylish New Kids on the Block T-shirts my cousin gave me, I just didn’t tell anyone they were second-hand.

Then, in college, when everyone was surviving off on Easy Mac and ramen noodle soup, thrift store shopping became very, very in.

Now, on the heels of a recession, second-hand items are even more acceptable. I know more people from all walks of life buying furniture at Goodwill, borrowing clothes from friends and avoiding the wallet-purge at shopping centers.

Whether you are an experienced freebie hunter or just starting, here are ways to score free items this spring:

Freecycle.org: The Freecycle Network strives to reduce waste in landfills by creating communities in which people can give away unwanted items for reuse. There are two main Freecycle message boards for Atlanta (inside the Perimeter and out) in addition to ones for Dahlonega, Lawrenceville and other …

Continue reading Load up closet with free clothes, furniture and other goods »

Some of your favorite in-town restaurants have teamed up to support Atlanta’s Open Hand — and they’re offering a specially priced menu to get you in on the action.

The bi-annual Inman Park Restaurant Week runs today through Sunday. Each of the participating restaurants will offer a three-course dinner menu for a special price of $15-$35. Restaurants participating in the week include: The Albert, Fritti, The North Highland Pub, Kevin Rathbun Steak, Parish, Park’s Edge, Pure Taqueria, Rathbun’s, Sauced, Sotto Sotto, Victory Sandwich Bar and Wisteria.

When you visit your restaurant of choice, take your chances with a $1 raffle. Three winners will receive a hosted hor d’ouerves, beer and wine party at one of the participating restaurants for a group of their friends. The winner will be announced at the end of the restaurant week.

– By Lauren Davidson, Atlanta Bargain Hunter

See a great deal I should know about? Email me at ldavidson@ajc.com. You can also follow me on

Continue reading Restaurant week deals »

Certified financial planner Wes Moss provides personal finance advice and accessible investment strategies. His guest post appears here Monday mornings.

Why is $1 million the amount of money you need to retire? Why is it important to earn $100,000 a year?

Humans have an eternal fascination with round “benchmark” numbers. Our ears perk up when we hear the Dow is back above 12,000 and the S&P 500 is above 1,300. We begin to sweat when we learn oil is floating above $100 a barrel and gas is on its way to $4 a gallon.

Here’s the problem: None of those round numbers really matter. I can’t tell you how many people have recently contacted me to say they want to “get back in the market” now that we are above 12,000 on the Dow. There are lots of great reasons to be in the stock market today, but the Dow trading at 12,000 isn’t one of them. Here are three legitimate reasons to be investing in stocks right now:

1. Record corporate profits.

2. The unemployment rate is coming …

Continue reading Wes Moss: Focus on financial plan, not some magic number »