Perspective

This video is not new, although Sarah McLachlan does have a new Christmas album out this month that is supposed to be very good. I believe this song is off her last album, and while you may have heard the single before, the video itself is inspiring and beautiful. I actually got choked up the first time I watched it. Take a look and keep it in perspective this holiday season.

For online shoppers

If you'd rather avoid the frantic and often chaotic over-packed malls this holiday season, I for one do not blame you. However, browsing items online is difficult when you are buying for someone and you are not sure what to get them. The simple efficiency of the internet eliminates the tactile nature of what happens when you go through a store and get to pick up items, feel them, or even smell them, which may often help you to decide what to purchase. For these instances, I've found a website called, very simply, Gifts. This is a great creative resource that you can use for gift shopping year-round, and has a variety of categories to help you narrow your search, including gender, age, occasion, etc. If nothing else, this tool can even help you decide what to get before you go out to the stores themselves, by helping you brain storm and sort through ideas.

Pretty much as cheap as it gets

I'm sorry, but I just had to post about this. Apparently Britney's publicist thinks that the best way to revive your career and recover from a divorce from the biggest loser on the planet is to become best friends with the most famous celebrity with the least amount of talent (I'm being generously discreet there--she is actually famous for doing something). In any case, these two have been a few skin grafts short of becoming conjoined twins lately. You would think that hanging out with an heiress would be extravagant, but true to the Paris Hilton textbook, Britney has stopped buying (and wearing) underwear, and at a recent outing (above) couldn't afford the top half of her dress. As if that weren't tragedy enough, if I can direct your attention to their lower halves, the girls could only afford one pair of fishnet stockings between them, each wearing one leg on their right side.

Please cover your mouth while you watch this...

Moving past the whole Clay Aiken thing, the new reason to tune in to Regis and Kelly in the morning are the segments they are featuring on inexpensive gift ideas. Today, they had some unique ideas for hostess gifts that are bargain alternatives to your traditional bottle of wine. One that I thought that was rather clever was taking a decorative glass bottle of olive oil (which could be found at stores like Pier 1, a long-time favorite of mine) and wrapping it in a new decorative dish towel. Both clever, and functional, and in the end, quite a bargain!

Watching out online,

With more and more consumers turning to online markets to get most of their holiday shopping done, its important to be aware of what transactions and information you are using online. Many scams are conducted via email in the guise of bank or PayPal concerns or requests for information or confirmations. Do not be fooled into replying to these, as doing so can result identity or monetary theft in some form. Recently, I came across a great resource when it comes to dealing with these issues. This website, called Anti-Phishing provides information, archives, and mapping on these online crimes, called "phishing" or "pharming." According to their main page:

"What is Phishing and Pharming?
Phishing attacks use both social engineering and technical subterfuge to steal consumers' personal identity data and financial account credentials. Social-engineering schemes use 'spoofed' e-mails to lead consumers to counterfeit websites designed to trick recipients into divulging financial data such as credit card numbers, account usernames, passwords and social security numbers. Hijacking brand names of banks, e-retailers and credit card companies, phishers often convince recipients to respond. Technical subterfuge schemes plant crimeware onto PCs to steal credentials directly, often using Trojan keylogger spyware. Pharming crimeware misdirects users to fraudulent sites or proxy servers, typically through DNS hijacking or poisoning."


They even provide a reporting service, where you can email attacks you come across to reportphishing@antiphishing.com.

Monday, Monday

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and have hopefully by now digested all that turkey and stuffing, and worked off some of those calories by grabbing some fabulous bargains! This year’s Black Friday sales were greater than expected, with a respectable 6% growth from last year’s figures. Apparently, the American Black Friday phenomenon has also gained perspective with international markets, as tourists from other countries now flock to major U.S. cities to experience the event and perhaps get their own deals. I noticed another trend in my area, as it seems a long day of bargain hunting following a day of cooking and feasting is most satisfied by a good ol’ Friday night pizza. The local pizzeria’s in my town had crowds waiting out the door as dozens of people found it was most convenient to eat their pizza with one hand and comb through their deals with the other.

In the spirit of this, and as promised in a previous article, I have a great tip for a cheap home made pizza for those times when you just can’t afford to order out. This solution also comes courtesy of Walmart, where they sell a Sam’s Choice pizza crust mix in a pouch that retails for about 33¢! After adding the water to make the dough, I find that it takes only 2 packets to make a pizza the size of a regular sized cookie sheet. After you’ve spread the dough, brush it with a little olive oil, then spread on your choice of jarred pizza sauce and grated cheese, and toppings if you choose. To keep costs as low as possible, you can get many of your veggie toppings from a can such as sliced black olives and mushrooms, but you can also get fresh or frozen peppers or broccoli, or tomatoes. Pick up a small pepperoni and slice it yourself if you are a meat-lover, or take out some hamburger from the freezer and fry it up in a frying pan before adding it to your pie. It only takes about a half an hour to cook them up, and the results are delicious. Another fun recipe you can make taking advantage of the low cost of the dough packets are an appetizer veggie bread by mixing the dough as directed then brushing it with Italian dressing and then adding veggies such as broccoli, peppers, or olives, and then topping it with shredded cheddar or asiago cheese. This a quick and cheap option for small dinner parties when you want to serve appetizers that don’t cost a lot!

Black Friday article

The Yahoo homepage is featuring an article on "How to Shop like a champ on Black Friday", the biggest shopping day of the year. "Black Friday" is a reference to when most stores convert their budgets into profits, turning from red to black. The article features tips on finding the best deals and how to strategize your shopping trips.

Inside Scoop!

Starting tonight, Bath & Body Works will be airing a commercial for the first time ever. The 15-second spot will be featured on all major networks, including during top-rated shows like Deal or No Deal and Grey's Anatomy. The ad will be highlighting a special deal for this Friday only; when customers spend $30, they can receive an eau de toilet in any signature fragrance of their choice while supplies last. If you're a big B & BW fan, take advantage of this special offer!

Call farther for cheaper

With Thanksgiving coming up on Thursday and the rest of the holiday season sure to follow, reconnecting with family near and far is an important priority. I recently came across a great option for people who find their genetic counterparts more geographically dispersed. The PennyTalk calling card offers 1¢ rates for calls made within the U.S. and international rates starting at only 2¢. In many cases, these rates are quite the deal, but keep in mind these usage agreements: the minimum dollar amount card you can purchase is $25, all calls have a 49¢ connection fee, and there is a monthly service charge of 99¢. Even with these small fees, a card like this may be of particular use to people who need to make semi-frequent international cards, as the PennyTalk calling card can be used to call more than 250 countries. Additionally, the card can be used with your cell phone, and certain phones can be entered into your account so that you do not have to use a PIN when dialing from them.

Pizza Pizza

Pizza is a Friday night staple, but sometimes it can cost you quite a bit to have something from the hut. I hate to say it, but a great alternative I have recently discovered is found in the Super Walmart deli section, where you can find among the ready to serve prepared foods is a supreme style pizza
for only 8.50. At a 16" inch diameter, which is comparable to your average medium sized pizza, and comes with premium cooked sweet Italian sausage, roasted mushrooms, pepperoni, three kinds of pepper strips (red, green, and yellow), tomatoes, onions, and a three cheese blend. It takes about 20 minutes to heat up in the oven, and tasted like a delivery style pizza only with less grease. Remember when you pick one up, that grocery stores are not allowed to charge tax on prepared foods unless they have a place for you to eat it right in the store.

Enjoy pizza on a regular basis? Keep an eye out for an upcoming post with cheap pizza tips and recipes!

Parody of Friends

Because you gotta have Friends

In honor of the release of the complete boxed set of all 10 seasons of Friends on DVD, this Friday’s bargain-priced parody is of the Friends, my favorite show, may it rest in peace.

Get Hairapy

I just got my sample of Sunsilk shampoo, conditioner, and volumizing creme in the mail, along with coupons for a dollar off Sunsilk shampoos and conditioners, and a dollar off Sunsilk cremes and masques. If you haven’t taken advantage of this sample, click here to sign up.

Another achievement for VicPicks!

Since we just celebrated our 1 month anniversary, VicPicks has been added to the Under Thirty Honor Roll! Check it out here.

Yay!

The new carnivals are up and the 48th Festival of Frugality is at Experiments in Finance. VicPicks is featured as a top Editor's Pick and the inspiration for the accompanying cartoon in the post!

Keep an eye out...

Working with a number of anonymous sources, I'm preparing some "behind the scenes" informational articles on some of your favorite bargain destinations, such as WalMart and Old Navy, and others. These articles will feature tips, tricks, and inside info. from former employees. Keep an eye out for it, and if anyone has any specific questions about anything, leave a comment and I'll see what I can find out for you!

Check out your local Old Navy sometime this week

Many Old Navy stores right now have 50% off already reduced clearance. I got a white dress shirt that was originally $24.99, for only $4.47!

The secret to homemade peanut butter cups

My homemade dark chocolate peanut butter cups


Any chocoholic candy lover will most likely profess to a deep affection for peanut butter cups. In a recent post, I discussed how much I not only enjoy Reese’s cups, but also the seasonal varieties of them in their egg and pumpkin forms. I, and I’m sure many other cup lovers, have noticed that the peanut butter found inside is not the same as what comes out of the jar. Many theories have been proposed over what the difference is. Perhaps it is a special “candy” peanut butter that Reese’s makes. Maybe they add extra sugar to it and change the consistency. Well, as promised, I am about to reveal the secret to making really great homemade peanut butter cups: graham crackers. By simply adding graham cracker crumbs and a little bit of granulated sugar to that regular old peanut butter from a jar, you can achieve the same taste and consistency of the popular commercial candy. For the complete recipe:

*Place plain graham crackers inside a ziplock bag and seal it completely. Using a mallet or the bottom of a mug, crush the crackers completely until you have fine powdery-like crumbs. Add a small amount of granulated sugar to the mixture and mix it with the peanut butter in equal parts. You may warm the peanut butter slightly on low heat in the microwave to make mixing easier.

*Use metallic cupcake liners to place inside regular sized cupcake pans. Depending on your mood/taste, melt milk, white, or semi-sweet chocolate chips (or even get creative and mix different kinds together) using a double boiler method (one smaller pan inside a larger pan filled with water). This method is preferable over using a microwave as the chocolate will remain hot and melted throughout the entire process. It takes about 2 regular sized bags of chips to make 12 cups.

*Make sure the chocolate is completely melted and is a smooth liquidy consistency before starting: you can add milk and/or butter or margarine in small increments to the mixture to aid in achieving this.

*When the chocolate is the right consistency, use a tablespoon or small ladle to spoon a small amount of chocolate into the bottom of each cupcake tin. You can use a spoon to spread the chocolate to the edges so as to make a small nest in the chocolate.

*Using a teaspoon, place a small amount of peanut butter in the center of each chocolate nest, and then spoon more chocolate over them until they are completely covered. Shake the pan a few times to make sure you get the chocolate to completely cover and surround the peanut butter.

*Place the pan inside the refrigerator for a few hours to let the chocolate completely harden. When they are ready, the cups should easily slide right out of the pan and will be able to be unwrapped from the metallic liners very easily.

Admittedly, the directions are little ambiguous at times as I only recently tried this myself for the first time last week. Use your good judgement and make sure to taste test your mixtures as you go. You can even get really fancy and melt a contrasting color of chocolate and drizzle them over the tops of your cups. Make some this weekend--believe me, they’re really not hard to make at all, and you will love the delicious results!

New Article on Online Shopping

This weekend's food issue USA Weekend magazine features an article by Walencia Konrad with tips on how to find "Deals and steals at online shopping sites." Among some of her suggestions are how to find free shipping and the best ways to compare prices. To check out the article, pick up a copy of the print publication in this weekend's paper, or you can read the full article in the MoneySmart section at the USA Weekend website.

Shakira - Whatever, Don't Matter

Sometimes satire is the sincerest form of flattery, or is it?

Fun stuff

I am a big fan of parodies--I love the ones they do on SNL and the late night talk shows. MadTV has done quite a few of my favorites, and I think I'll start posting a few of them every Friday for fun. After all, what is a parody but a take-off of the real thing, like buying the store brand gelatin instead of the name-brand Jello. Everyone knows that store brands are always cheaper than the real thing, so enjoy this generic parody of Shakira's music video "Whenever, Wherever."

note: if you haven't seen the original, check it out here first before you watch the parody

First Date Ideas on a Budget

The thrill of victory after getting that elusive phone number of the hottie across the bar is ever so quickly replaced by the anxiety over how to make the call. Should I sound ultra casual? Super-sophisticated? Indifferent? Or even, dare you think it, like yourself? But you eventually do call, and some how get through the seemingly endless rambles that fall carelessly out of your mouth, only to hang up the phone and breathe a sigh of relief before you realize (cue the dramatic pause) this date you made will require funds—money even, something that you are sorely in lack of these days. Not to worry—first dates don’t have to cost you a lot of money, and there are indeed plenty of ways to have fun with that hottie from the bar on a budget.


If you’re lucky enough to live near a big city or even a small rural town that has a local agricultural association, find out if they have a weekend farmer’s market and make a trip with your date. You can plan a menu or make a list of needed ingredients together, and then set out and see who is the best at bargaining for the lowest prices. Purchase items like wine and meat ahead of time at your local supermarket and keep it in a cooler in your car while you peruse the growers’ wares. A handy tip: You are more likely to get better prices at the end of the day towards the early evening hours just before the vendors have to clean up to go home—they will lower prices drastically just so they have less to pack up! Afterwards, find your way to a local park that has outdoor grills and cook up your dinner amidst the romance of the out-of-doors.


Another great idea for a cheap first date in the out-doors is to go on a hike and bring along a picnic lunch. Plan on a nice easy trail hike for about half an hour so that you both have the chance to talk and get to know each other for a little while before you eat. Once you find a nice enough spot, set up your blanket and picnic basket and settle in for a nice lunch. Make sure you listen to the weather report before you plan such a trip—getting caught in the rain is not always as romantic as the movies makes it seem.





Everyone loves old-fashioned photos—the ones where you have to dress up in costumes and pose in some sort of scene or backdrop and the pictures come out in sepia or black and white. They are fun to do and a great icebreaker—plus, it gives both you and your date a souvenir to hold onto! Investigate in your area about places that do these types of photos. Some may have different themes like Victorian or Western costumes, or scary/haunted or sports related settings, etc., depending on what sorts of tourist or commercial industries are around your area. Bring along the date whose fun side you are just dying to see—or the one you wouldn’t mind playing dress up with.

Brainstorm your own ideas keeping in mind the area you are in and what kind of activities your date might like. Someone from a big city might think it’s funky and retro to go bowling on a first date, whereas someone from the suburbs might have fun on a hayride or going apple-picking. Some of these ideas sound too adventurous for you? Worried that your nerves will get the best of your usually flawless bowling skill set? Not to worry, the simple dinner and a movie can be done on a budget as well! Research online for special offers from restaurants in your area, or register at a website like Opentable.com, where you can earn points when you use their site to make reservations. After you earn a certain number of points, you receive gift certificates that can be used at any of the restaurants that are registered with their service. Other sites offer gift certificates you can purchase on the spot that are worth more at the restaurant than what you paid for them. The internet is also a great resource for finding discounts on movie tickets and other special offers. Check to see if your local theater does midnight movies; some theaters show previously released movies on Friday and Saturday nights and tickets are usually discounted. Also, if you are a member of AAA, you can purchase movie gift certificates that can be used at different theater chains and are less expensive than the regular ticket price.

Whatever you do, be creative and have fun. No matter where you go or what you do, the thing that matters most on a first date is that you both have fun and get to know each other. Showing your date a good time doesn’t require gobs of cash, just a great attitude, plenty of energy, a healthy dose of enthusiasm, and it probably wouldn’t hurt to wear those jeans that make your butt look really good.



Enjoy this post? Need some more relationship advice? Check out my other articles here

Just my luck

I just purchased my first MacBook at the end of August, and wouldn't you know it, Apple is revamping them with a new state-of-the-art Intel Core 2 Duo processor, more memory, and a bigger hard drive, just in time for the holiday season so as to entice Christmas shoppers. The MacBooks will retail for over a thousand dollars, which is far from a discount. I guess I should be content that I got a free printer/scanner/copier and iPod nano with mine.

K Fed manages to stay out of poverty

Besides the recent election, it seems that our current events include the oh-so-not-shocking divorce of Britney Spears and Kevin Federline. While I could potentially wax on and on about the amazingly talentless Mr. Federline, it will suffice to post a joke Conan O'Brien made last night on his show:

"Its been reported that Britney Spears will have to pay Kevin Federline $30,000 a month after they get divorced. Combined with his other sources of income, Mr. Federline's total income will be $30,000 a month."

Actually, Britney's iron-clad prenup states that Kevin will be paid a portion of $600,000 equal to half the total length of their marriage. They were married for two years so that means Kevin will be getting $300,000 (which works out to $25,000). Not a bad deal for Britney, considering she is worth a reported $150 million dollars.

On the road again

The day before Thanksgiving is notorious for being one of the biggest if not the biggest travel day in the country. Although gas prices are down and airline ticket costs are not expected to be much higher than normal for this time of year, it is always best to save as much as you can on your travel costs so that you can spend more on paying your bills or buying gifts for your family and friends. While I myself am not a frequent flyer, I rely on the Greyhound bus to get me to where I need to go much of the time. As I mentioned in a previous post, the Student Advantage Card gets you 15% off Greyhound tickets (this includes Peter Pan and Bonanza buses) when you buy them online or at the walk-up counter. While on my trip last week, I got a flyer with my bus ticket for a new program Greyhound is offering called Greyhound Road Rewards. This program is limited to ticket purchases made online, but allows you to earn free tickets and discounts every time you book tickets online. Their introductory offer allows you to get 10% off your next online ticket purchase if you register today.

More important than saving money

Sometimes being a good Bargain Hunter means saving something other than your money. From time to time I'll feature blurbs about causes, charitable organizations, and websites that you can go to to find out more information about becoming involved with something that can help you make a difference in the world.

While most of the country is focused on the way in Iraq, there is a national emergency taking place in Darfur, Africa, as genocide has killed over 400,000 people. A UN council recently declared rape a war crime as over 400 women each day are being violated as a systematic tactic for destroying communities by breaking apart families. If you want to be more informed about this devastating ongoing world tragedy, please visit SaveDarfur.

"He puzzled and puzzed till his puzzler was sore..."

My friend Shawn and myself this past May


You may have noticed some Amazon book ads on the margins of the website. Two of these books, Funny Cryptograms and Cryptograms on the Flip Side, were written by a wonderfully talented friend of mine, Shawn Kennedy. Shawn and I went to college together, and has worked in a number of capacities as a sort of "puzzle master guy" and was most recently a writer on the Game Show Network's Chain Reaction. If you love puzzles, I highly suggest checking out any of his books.

(bonus points if anyone can tell me where the title of this post comes from)

Cost of campaigning

Senator Joe Lieberman (foreground) followed by challenger Ned Lamont (tan zip up jacket) during a Veteran's Day parade in Hartford, CT


Well, Election day has come and gone, and though I am always of a political mind, I for one am thankful I won't have to watch any more political ads on TV or mourn for the millions of trees that were cut down as I throw out yet another political flyer that arrived through the mail. For Connecticut residents, and even informed citizens across the country, we had a particularly hot Senate race as 3 time incumbent democrat and former presidential and vice-presidential nominee Joe Lieberman was defeated in the August primaries by upstart Greenwich millionaire Ned Lamont, only to run as an independent this past Election Day. Despite this recent defeat, Lieberman won another term in the Senate last night, after Lamont spent a reported 10 million dollars of his own money on campaigning. Now, no political campaign could ever be considered a bargain, but in this case for poor Ned, its like buying a 10 million dollar suit and wearing it out a couple times before someone tells you you look terrible in it, but by then you've already cut off the tags.

Coupon

For those of you that enjoy Burlington Coat Factory or read my earlier post on the great deals you can get there, in this week's flyer there is a coupon for 20% off any single regular priced item.

VOTE!

For those of you out there who are legal U.S. Citizens and registered, please make sure you go out and vote today. It doesn't matter who its for, as long as you do it! I myself had a nice little moment in the booth this afternoon where I thought about all those women who marched for the 19th Amendment to the Constitution which guarantees women the right to vote (yes, I know, I'm a total dork--but it is an important thing). I then participated in an anonymous exit poll. If you're not sure who to vote for, then take a look at some of the issues: the war in Iraq, taxes, healthcare, social security, gay marriage, , stem cell research, abortion--then decide where you stand on them and pick candidates that support your views. Do it quickly however, most polls close at 8 or 9 tonight!

Bake yourself a cheap treat

I think the holiday season (and by that I mean the recently passed Halloween and upcoming Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's) has got me in a very "food mood." I am a big fan of anything chocolate, and a favorite of mine for desserts, snacks, or even breakfast (eww to boring cereal) would have to be chocolate filled croissants. These tasty pastries are sold at some grocery stores that happen to have a good bakery, or specialty bakeries/shops like Au Bon Pain. However, at these places the croissants often sell for anywhere from $0.99 to $1.25 apiece! At one online retailer, I found them for $35.95 for a dozen! Another very well known retailer with chain stores nationwide sells 24 minis for $39.95. Well, I recently came across a really simple to make and delicious recipe substitute that can help feed your craving without draining your wallet. Simply pick up a tube of ready to make crescent rolls at the store and a bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips. Lay the crescent rolls (in their flat triangular form) out on a cookie sheet, and then place a tablespoon of chocolate chips in the middle of each. Roll them up and bake according to the directions on the tube of crescent rolls (probably for about 11-13 minutes at about 350) and then take them out of the oven and sprinkle a little powdered sugar on them and voila! Though best warm out of the oven, you can put them in Tupperware to save for later and reheat for a few seconds in the microwave. For about $4 bucks, you have a dozen little chocolate filled croissants (and you're still gonna have over half the bag of chocolate chips left for another recipe). If you're a chocolate lover, this recipe is too simple to miss--if you try it, let me know what you think! Also, keep an eye out this week for another great chocolate recipe I just tried out--how to make your very own homemade peanut butter cups!

Halloween Confession

The Salem Witch Museum in Salem, MA on Halloween night


Part of the reason I was visiting a friend was so that on Halloween I could travel to what is perhaps the craziest Halloween celebration in the nation in the original Witch City, Salem, MA. I had a lot of fun, there were easily 5, 000 people roaming the streets, almost all of which in costume. Among some of the ones we saw were: guys dressed as the Village People who did actual dance performances, a pregnant Britney Spears and Kevin Federline, the President with his secret service, a Chinese Dragon, the Ghostbusters with their car, a Johnny Depp character trio of Edward Scissor Hands, Pirate Captain Jack Sparrow, and Willy Wonka. My boyfriend and I went as the Phantom of the Opera and Christine ("his chick"). It was so great because it ended up being the warmest night its been in a while, close to 70, so it was really beautiful as Salem is on the water so it can get quite chilly. I hope everyone had as much fun on Halloween as I had!

FREE SAMPLE ALERT!

Hey kids, here's another great free sample to take advantage of from Walmart and Nivea. Go here and click on the "Free Sample" box under the "More from Nivea" blue label towards the upper right hand of the page. Fill out the pop up form to get your free sample of NIVEA Smooth Sensation Lotion in the mail.

VicPick: Reese's Peanut Butter Pumpkins

I know what you're saying, why am I reviewing a Halloween candy a few days AFTER Halloween? Well, its simple. The only time you can get holiday candy for a huge discount is after the specified holiday. I just got some at Target for 50% off, and I saw some at Walmart for 75% off. So, in the spirit of bargains rather than the holiday, let me suggest Reese's Peanut Butter Pumpkins.



Growing up, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups were always my favorite trick or treat candy (followed closely behind by Kit Kats). I believe that chocolate and peanut butter are proof that God loves us.


During the Easter season, I would always get excited as Reese's has long made Peanut Butter Eggs, which I find to be more enjoyable as I feel the egg shape is more conducive to the chocolate and peanut butter flavors. The eggs also have a higher peanut butter to chocolate ratio, and are more accessible as they sit on a card board tray, rather than be wrapped in the brown cup wrappings of the regular cups.

Now, I only became aware of them this year, so I am not exactly sure when they were introduced, by Reese's is now apparently making pumpkins for the Halloween season that are very similar in nature to their sister eggs. Like the eggs, they come in a regular size in package trays of six, individually at many drugstore and convenience store check out counters, and smaller snack size bags. If you are big fan the Reese's products, I would run out and get them while they are still in the stores--I know I sure did! And I hope everyone had a HAPPY HALLOWEEN!