Happy New Year!

The new year brings new ideas. And this is my last post to this blog since I have started a new more fullfilling mission in life to help education our youth. Due to my new mission in life I will be focusing my time on providing computer training to students. Feel free to check out my new business site and submit your comments on my comments page at http://www.iTutorforu.com.

Happy New Year to You!!!

006: Apple ipod touch device

I have already started to look for Christmas gifts in order to not get caught in the last minute rush at the department stores that will surely be filled with long lines and short-tempered shoppers looking for those diehard electronics for their loved ones. Last year the most popular electronic gifts were the digital camera, ipod, iphone and the GPS. This year the most sought after electronic next to the cellphone that teen’s crave and some Dad's too is the new Ipod touch.

The most popular features:
Connects to the internet via Wi-Fi
Play a variety of games
Calendar
Watch movies and TV

The Apple ipod itouch is more than just an ipod that can store your itune music you can also store videos and movies so this little device is loaded with other applications that allow you to do more with one touch. The image on the screen can be enlarged to zoom in for better viewing and the screen can change from portrait to wide screen just by tilting the device. It comes in 3 sizes, 8GB, 16 GB and 32 GB. You can download a lot of applications to the device for free. You can checked it out at your nearest Best Buy and Apple store to get a demo of how the device works. Best Buy sells the 8GB for $229 but I found it online for $10 less and its free shipping so no extra cost for shipping at Amazon Apple iPod touch 8 GB (2nd Generation). Now that’s a pretty good buy! That takes care of one gift on my Christmas list.

005: Cheapest DVD Movies

If you like watching movies then you'll love to know about a way to save on your purchase of DVD movies. On my last venture to the grocery store I noticed a long line of people standing waiting patiently not in line for groceries as you would think. But they were in line to purchase a DVD movie. There was a tall RED machine filled with DVD movies that you could purchase for $1. And I first thought they would be old outdated movies like you see at the $2 movie theaters but no these were more recent movie releases for $1. If you've never heard of this its called Redbox and you can find out move about where the nearest Redbox is located near you.


This was a pretty clever marketing to strategically place a movie rental machine in a Harris Teeter grocery store where there would be a lot of people in and out that are most likely wanting to watch a good movie at home.

The website link to Redbox is http://www.redbox.com/

People were willing to wait in line for a buck. Since the price was lower than BlockBuster's $4 or even NetFlix's $4.99 per month rental. This was a great solution for a low cost family Movie Night which could add up to $3 - $4 savings on average. The only catch I saw that you have to return the DVD by the next day to avoid being charge a late fee. We purchase three movies, Rosco, The Bucket List and The Bank Job for a total of $3 that was a Good Buy for fun, low cost movie night!

004: Groceries for Less

With the price of food rising you can still save when you go shopping for groceries if you change a few tactics. Most grocery stores have weekly specials you can find out about them early by signing up for email alert of new food sales. And if you train yourself to purchase mostly the buy one and get one free or to buy mostly the store brand name products you can save on average .69 cent to $1 per item.

Tip #1: For example, Harris Teeter is famous for their buy one get one free specials ..on a lot of the products customers like such as Ben & Jerry Ice cream or Breyers and Edy’s ice cream. I compared this week: Harris Teeter brand – Neopolitan ice cream (vanilla, choc and strawberry flavor) @ 2 for $5 vs. Breyers buy one for $5.69 and get the second one free. In this case if you chose the store brand you would save .69 cents or if you just bought one of the store brand you only pay $2.50.

Tip #2: I know a lot of people like shopping at the big warehouse stores to buy in bulk like BJ’s and Sam's but the biggest drawback is the whopping $40 annual membership fee you have to pay. I found that BJ offers non-members a free one day pass so you can shop without paying the $40 fee but the catch is they will add a 15% surcharge to your total bill. So if you purchase $200 the additional surcharge would be $30…that’s not bad for a one time shopping deal but if you plan to shop there more than one a year you are better off getting a membership. Here is the one day pass.. http://www.bjs.com/join/one_day_pass.shtml

Tip #3: Since meats are one of the higher priced grocery items next to wine, another savings tip is to ask your local meat manager what day do they get their new shipmen of meats. The local Harris Teeter typically get a new shipment of meat on Tuesdays so why is this valuable information you might ask? What do you think they do with the existing meat in the store .. YOU got it!! they mark it down for a quick sale on that same day and the next day to make room for the new shipment. So the savings reduction on the existing meat in inventory can range from 30 – 50% off. I have seen a rack of ribs marked down from $9.99 to $6.99 that’s a $3 savings per rack.

Tip #4: And don’t forget to check for the red sign displaying “Manager’s Special” in the meat department also during the week when several meats such as the shrimp and Tilapia fish for example would be reduced by $2 – $3 per pound.

So your grocery savings can add up quickly by buying groceries that are only on sale which is usually during the week. By the time the weekend comes Friday, Saturday and Sunday you normally wouldn’t see a lot of sales unless it’s a holiday or there is a huge amount of inventory that still needs to move.

Harris Teeter is not the only store that use these same methods for inventory control and sales promotions so ask and find out the inside sales scoop!

003: Custom Curtains

The next time you visit the model home of a new subdivision pay close attention to the beautiful curtains or drapes that accessorize the windows and accents the bed linen or pillows. You'll notice that the curtain is a simple design that is hung on a rod probably from your favorite retail store like Target. The curtain was probably designed by a designer that knows how to sew a simple straight stitch. Well.. you can also save big by creating a similar design with a "easy sew curtain" book, sewing machine, scissors, thread and fabric of your choice.

One of the easiest luxury drapes to make is the tabbed top. The easy sew curtain book will show you how to cut everything and how to put it together like an easy puzzle. And you can take one sewng class at the sewing store to learn all you need about the machine and how to sew a straight stitch. By spending a week-end learning how to sew this knowledge alone can save you BIG dollars when it comes to selecting curtains for all the rooms in your home especially if you have a new home! You can match your curtain fabric to your pillows or a vase that you like to make it totally unique!

For a tabbed top curtain length of 95 inches long, it would only take a beginner about 3 hours to make 2 panel drapes (that can be lined to filter out the sun) for one window. Fabric needed for the tabbed top curtains at 95 inches: 3 1/2 yards. And if you have shopped at most retail stores looking for curtains you know its hard to find curtains that are 95 inches or longer I have found only JC Penny's retail store (http://www.jcp.com/) carry custom drapes for 95 inches for an average price of $40-$55 per panel.

To inspire you, the tabbed top drapes in the photo above is a handmade original design that took about 4 hours to make all 4 panels at 108 inches long.


At Hancock Fabric (http://www.hancockfabric.com/) Mary Joe's fabric store you can always find quality discount fabric for $5 - $9 per yard that originally cost $18 - $25 per yard. This is an average savings of $10 per yard and if you need 3 yards this could add up to $30 saved.

002: Wireless Network - Don't travel without it

If you have ever had to make travel arrangements at a hotel that includes internet access, you probably know how frustrating this can be. Most major hotels include internet access but it is normally pretty slow and you normally charges $10 per day for internet access or you have to wait until a computer is free to use it.

And there are only a few hot spots that will allow you free access like Panera Bread offers it free and some Starbucks or Bagel shops may offer free hot spots..so by now you can see the choices of places are few and far between if you are on the road traveling.

Verizon Wireless has a wireless broadband network card that solves this delimma! The network card allows you to plug the device into the usb port of your laptop and install the software that allows you to connect and then play all you want with unlimited access! Just 3 steps: Plug, connect and play!

Where to purchse this device: Verizon wireless store or online
Network Device Name: USB 720 wireless broadband network card modem

The cool thing about this device is that it works off of satelite and it gets power from your laptop and its fast!

The network device cost $50 but you can get the device for free with a mail-in-rebate after signing up for a 2 year contract with Verizon. The cost of the service is $40 per month with unlimited use. You can save an additional 20% off the monthly service fee if your employer has established a contract with Verizon.

By getting the network device for free and an additional 20% off the monthly service that makes this a Super good buy!

001: Chocolate Leather Sofa Group

After three months of searching the normal retail furniture stores like Haverty's and Rooms To Go, I took some time to travel outside of my normal shopping district. And one day, I decided to stop by the Furniture Factory Outlet in Waxhaw, NC and after 15 minutes of walking thru the many rooms of the outlet I saw it with an affordable price tage to go along with it.

It was arranged as a living room group, with a leather chocolate sofa along with the huge plus oversize soft chocolate leather chairs and a chaise lounger which was a huge attractive display for a style craved shopper. And this leather group look better than some of the high-end retail furniture that I had previously seen at Bassett Furniture. The unique style with etched wood details is what caught my eye and when I sat in it I was sold..it was so soft and supple. My husband perfomed the final test ..when he could stretch his long body across the sofa and take a nap with the remote in hand! The sofa was $855 and the chair was $588. This was a good buy since I saved at least 30 - 40% compared to major retail.

The Furniture Factory Outlet receives new furniture from many different vendors and they can offer a low price since they buy at wholesale so they can afford to pass on the savings to you! Most of the furniture they supply was made in China.

The outlet store is known for its commercial corned phrase " If you buy anywhere else you will pay too much" ! The catch phrase from the commercial is most likely the main reason why so many people travel from as far as Washington, DC, Virginia and Georgia to stop by this outlet store searching for a good buy on quality furniture.

The only catch is that they don't have delivery service readily available to deliver the furniture to you so most people rent a u-haul or a truck to pick up the furniture since they will hold the furniture until you are able to pick it up.

The outlet has rooms filled with furniture from dining table groups, bar stools, kid furniture, mattresses, office desk and bookshelves, bedroom groups, area rugs, lamps and framed pictures. The sales people are very friendly and extremely knowledgeable about their furniture.
If you call or stop by ask for James.

I could not locate a website for this business online but the address I have provided below.


8315 LANCASTER HWY WAXHAW, NC28173-9102Phone: 704-843-2128