Archive for September, 2012

Bargain Hunter posted this deal last week, but as a public service I want to remind you all to enjoy the great outdoors this weekend!

Tomorrow, Saturday, Sept. 29  is “Your State Parks Day”: Georgia’s state parks and historic sites will waive parking fees and admission in honor of National Public Lands Day (parking is regularly $5, while admission prices range depending on site). For a listing of parks you can visit for free, visit GeorgiaStateParks.org or call 1-800-864-7275.

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– Nedra Rhone, for the Atlanta Bargain Hunter blog

Continue reading Free admission to State Parks tomorrow »

Hello fellow bargain hunters,

Thanks so much for participating in yesterday’s giveaway! You all had so many great bargain beauty finds, I’ve decided to shout out some of my favorite entries:

• @Fiona Vaseline Cocoa Radiant Vitalizing Body Gel Oil will CHANGE YOUR LIFE!!! Try it!!! — I can’t find this for under $5, but with an endorsement like that who cares? Don’t we all need a life change every now and then?

• @Shola Hydrogen Peroxide which runs under $0.50/ bottle, I use it as a toner. — A true bargain hunter can always find multiple uses for everyday products!

• @Rebecca Bradley Walgreen’s Moisturizing Cream it an exceptional product and value at $4.99. It gently soothes dry skin and replenishes it with a creamy, moisture rich feel. It is hypo-allergenic can be used all of the body. The creamy white texture is like a marshmallow and the product glides easily onto the skin without leaving a greasy feeling. — Another irresistible endorsement from a bargain hunter who knows …

Continue reading The Body Shop giveaway winner announced »

Brush up with deals on toothpaste, toothbrushes and mouthwash

Rite Aid: Crest Pro Health toothpaste (4.2 ounce) is on sale for $2.99. Use the 50-cent coupon from the Aug. 26 Procter & Gamble circular to pay $2.49 at the register. You will get a $2.99 +UP Reward, so your net cost will be free with a 50-cent profit. You also can get the Oral-B Complete 5 Way Manual Toothbrush on sale for $2.99. Use its 50-cent coupon from the same circular to pay $2.49 at the register. You will get a $2.99 +UP Reward, so your net cost will be free with a 50-cent profit.

Walgreens: Crest 3D White toothpastes (4.1 ounce to 5.8 ounce) is on sale for $3.49. Use the 50-cent coupon from the Aug. 26 Procter & Gamble circular to pay $2.99 at the register. You will get a $2.50 Register Rewards coupon, so your net cost will be 49 cents each. You also can get the Oral B Advantage toothbrush on sale for $3.49, and use its 50-cent coupon from the same circular. After its $2.50 Register Rewards coupon, your …

Continue reading Coupon Mom: Savings on personal care, BOGO lunch »

Bargain Hunter believes some of the best things in life are free, so today is GIVEAWAY DAY!!

This one is the perfect kick-off to the fall season and is just for all of you beauty bargainistas out there (male or female).

Here’s the scoop: This week, the Body Shop introduced a limited edition fragrance to their body care collection. The Vineyard Peach body care range – which includes Body Butter ($19), Body Scrub ($19), Shower Gel ($8) and Body Lotion ($12) — contains nine different Community Fair Trade ingredients from around the world and peach kernel oil to leave your skin soft, smooth and smelling peachy. Clearly, this was made just for Georgia! (It wasn’t, but whatev.)

For a chance to win the full collection, leave a comment below sharing with fellow Bargain Hunters the name and cost of your favorite beauty or personal care product priced under $5, e.g.,”Sally Hansen Insta Dry Nail Polish in Co Bolt Blue, $4 at Walmart” or “Dove Ultimate Go Fresh Revive Anti-Perspirant …

Continue reading The Body Shop Giveaway ($58 value) »

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

Listen to Clark's live radio show 1-3 p.m. weekdays on AM750 and 95.5FM News/Talk WSB.

The tablet marketplace is widening, but we still may be one selling season away from mass-market adoption.

Amazon’s Kindle Fire HD tablets are a real value proposition starting at $199 and $299. But they do come with ads to make up for the money Amazon is losing on each tablet it sells.

The ads created a backlash and Amazon now has a solution: You can pay $15 more to not have the ads bombard you. We’ll see what people do. I’d rather save the $15 and see the ads, but that’s just me.

The Kindle Fire HD has all kinds of capabilities that blow past the shortcomings of the original Kindle Fire. There are no restrictive prohibitions on Android apps, and it has a built-in camera and built-in Skype. The goal is to get you more and more into …

Continue reading Clark Howard: New Kindle changes landscape for tablet market »

Java junkies, you’re in for a wiiiiilllld weekend. As you probably know, Saturday is National Coffee Day. Metro area McDonald’s restaurants have been giving away free coffee all week. Here’s a daily guide to getting more free or discounted coffee around town.

All week -

Einstein Bros. Bagels: Get discounted coffee all week long. Here’s the schedule:

• Today: 50 percent off Caffé Latte
• Thursday: 50 percent off Caramel Macchiato
• Friday: 50 percent off Vanilla Hazelnut Latte
• Saturday: Buy one Pumpkin Spice Latte, get one free

Dunkin’ Donuts: Print this coupon from Dunkin’ Donuts to get a 10-ounce hot latte or 16-ounce iced latte for 99 cents through Sept. 30.

Saturday –

Caribou Coffee:  Get a free small cup of Amy’s Blend coffee with this coupon on Facebook (it may not be up right now, but will go live before Saturday) or show this one  below:

Kangaroo Express: Between 8 a.m. and 12 p.m. get a 12 oz Bean Street Coffee for just a penny.

Krispy Kreme:  A free 12-ounce cup of the …

Continue reading More free coffee for National Coffee Day »

50 percent off membership at Children’s Museum of Atlanta: Get a half-off the cost of membership at The Children’s Museum of Atlanta with this deal from SweetJack.com.

SWAPtember Savings: Only five more days to take advantage of SWAPtember, the 4th annual savings event that offers discounts on metro-Atlanta attractions. Members of 16 participating attractions can show their membership card at any other attraction to receive SWAPtember savings — up to $10 off the purchase of a membership (some restrictions apply).

Participating attractions include:

• Atlanta Botanical Garden
• Atlanta History Center
• Booth Western Art Museum
• Callaway Gardens
• Center for Puppetry Arts
• The Children’s Museum of Atlanta
• Fernbank Museum of Natural History
• Georgia Aquarium
• High Museum of Art
• LEGOLAND Discovery Center
• Margaret Mitchell House
• Michael C. Carlos Museum
• Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia
• Museum of Design Atlanta
• Tellus Science Museum
• Zoo Atlanta

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Continue reading September savings on Atlanta attractions »

Save time, earn money: Finding a stay-at-home job can be difficult, wading through a sea of scams. Luckily, I found FlexJobs.com, a website filled with pre-screened job listings that are part-time, freelance and flextime positions. In addition to providing listings that offer some type of flexibility, job seekers also can set up alerts, do skills testing and receive exclusive membership discounts from companies like Lynda, ResumeDeli, Dell, Stamps.com, plus group medical coverage and more. Use code “SAVE30″ for 30 percent off the subscription service (starting at $4.16 per month) valid through October.

Get in gear for school: More than ever, students need high-tech gear in tip-top shape. As such, students and teachers will receive a 10 percent discount in 1,000 RadioShack locations near college campuses, including Atlanta’s West End, Toco Hills and Ansley locations through Oct. 13.  Save on iGo Green chargers, Texas Instruments and more.

Gift cards with personality: When in …

Continue reading Jessica Shops: Job search savings, RadioShack, gift cards »

Do you ever feel like your bank is getting over on you? Now you have proof.

Banks in Atlanta charge their own customers more to use an out-of-network ATM than banks in any other city except Philadelphia. Atlanta banks also have the third-highest average charges for overdraft fees.

The percentage of free checking accounts offered by banks is dropping as well — only 39 percent of non-interest checking accounts are free of charge.

There are also some sneaky fees banks charge that could sneak by you:

Offline help: I discovered this not long ago when I strolled up to a teller window for assistance. Um, no. That would have cost about $3, but they waived the fee due to my ignorance. My solution was to stick with ATM transactions but we know how far that gets you in Atlanta.

Mobile deposits:  Some banks have now introduced apps for mobile check deposits, which is cool now that I own a smartphone, but if they aren’t already charging for this convenience, some banks may introduce fees …

Continue reading Avoid Atlanta’s high bank fees »

Did you pounce on the iPhone 5? I did. It is my first smartphone…ever. I realize I’m late to the party, but I had my reasons and most of them had to do with money.

No disrespect to Team Android, but if you’re in the market for a new smartphone, you can’t help but consider the one that 5 million people want.

Unlike many who waited in long lines, my experience was pretty painless. It only took an hour at Verizon to sign away my life pay for my phone and accessories. And that was it, until I realized that wasn’t it. If you’re a smartphone newbie like me, you could end up spending more than you have to. Here are a few things to look out for:

Shameless upselling: Screen protectors, iPhone case, car charger, oh my! By the time you add a bunch of accessories to the cost of the phone, $199 for the 16G with a two-year contract, you could just buy the 32G version for $299. The Verizon salesman sold me a pair of $30 Skull Candy headphones even though the iPhone 5 comes with what? …

Continue reading A newbie’s guide to buying an iPhone5 »