Daddy Forever Dad Blog » Frugal Dad

Save $190 with Johnson & Johnson’s Healthy Essentials Coupons

Daddy Forever — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 14:54:14 +0000

Today is the first day of Johnson & Johnson’s campaign to help feed America. For each Healthy Essentials coupon redeemed between January 8th and January 15th, Johnson & Johnson’s Family of Consumer Companies will donate one meal to Feeding America. The mission of Feeding America is to help feed America’s hungry through a nationwide network of member food banks. Dads and moms can find the Healthy Essentials savings pack inside newspapers on Sunday, January 8th or by visiting the Healthy Essentials website. With the coupons, parents can help feed the hungry and save over $190 on Johnson & Johnson’s products.

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Deals of the week: Nintendo 3DS for $119, Video Games 33% Off, Wii/Super Mario Bundle for $129

Daddy Forever — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 00:31:49 +0000

You gotta love all the deals this holiday seasons. I wish I had the cash to take advantage of all the deals. Here are some promotions that caught my attention this week.

Nintendo 3DS for $119
Best Buy is running a week-long promotion on the Nintendo 3DS. You buy it for the regular $169.99 price, then you get a $50 gift card. Net price: $119.99. Sweet! The deal is good for all three colors (Flame Red, Aqua Blue, and Cosmo Black). The promotion is good in store and online (free shipping or store pick up). Promotion ends Saturday (December 10th).

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Deals of the Week – Blu-ray players for $49, Xbox Kinect for $149, Wii for $99

Daddy Forever — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 12:55:29 +0000

I noticed some really good deals recently and I thought I would share: Dynex Wi-Fi Blu-ray Player for $49.99 (pre-Black Friday), Nintendo 3DS Console for $145 (pre-Black Friday), Xbox 360 gaming console with Kinect for $149.96, Wii Limited Edition Blue Console for $99.96, LG Blu-ray Player for $49, and HP AMD Dual-Core Laptop for $248. These are the official prices released by the retailers, and not based on leaked ads.

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Deal of the Week and Timmy Time DVD Giveaway Winner

Daddy Forever — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 19:11:09 +0000

Good afternoon, readers. Today I have one giveaway winner announcement and a deal of the week. As usual, free feel to enter the current open giveaways:

Waterflow Collaboration Tool Giveaway (10 winners, but only 2 entries so far)
Thomas in Charge DVD Giveaway (ends 7/12)
Barney: 1-2-3 Learn DVD Giveaway (ends 7/13)

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Deals of the Week and Giveaway Winners for Outback, Fotolia, and ItzaBitza

Daddy Forever — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 16:52:06 +0000

Good morning, readers. Over here in Oregon, the sun has arrived just in time for the Fourth of July weekend. Today, I have three giveaway winner announcements and some deals of the week. As usual, free feel to enter the current open giveaways:

Timmy Time: Picture Day DVD Giveaway (ends 7/5)
Waterflow Collaboration Tool Giveaway (10 winners, but no entry so far)

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Deal of the Weekend: $100 off Xbox 360 with Kinect Bundle at Target

Daddy Forever — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 17:02:33 +0000

Target and Microsoft are running a special promotion this weekend. You will receive a $100 Target gift card if you buy the 4 GB Xbox 360 with Kinect bundle ($299.99). Over the last two-three months, I’ve seen a lot of retailers offer a $50 gift card for the Kinect system, but this is the first time I’ve seen a $100 gift card promo.

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B. toys Turns One – giving away 10,000 onesies

Daddy Forever — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 13:43:00 +0000

B. toys is turning one today. For some reason, I thought they have been around for ages. I didn’t realize they are only a year old. Happy birthday, B. toys! To celebrate, the eco friendly toy company is giving away 10,000 specially designed onesies. Here’s my toddler in one of the B. You onesies they are giving away:

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AMF Summer Unplugged – free bowling for kids

Daddy Forever — Tue, 31 May 2011 13:52:31 +0000

We took the kids bowling for the first time several weeks ago. The kids and I had a fun time. While bowling, I learned I’m better at bowling on the Wii than I am in a real bowling center. Anyways, I want to let dads and moms know that AMF is offering free bowling for kids this summer. Their free bowling started on Memorial Day and will end on Labor Day. During that period, kids under 17 can bowl two free games each day (that’s 14 games a week). Yes, there are a couple of catches. First, shoe rental is not included. Second, kids have to bowl before 8pm.

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Save $1200 with Walmart Family Mobile – Sweet Treat or Bad Trick?

Daddy Forever — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 13:17:33 +0000

Walmart launched their new Family Mobile cell service yesterday. With Walmart Family Mobile, dads and moms can get unlimited talk and text for $45 a month (additional mobile lines are only $25 per month). The Walmart branded cell phone plans are actually powered by T-Mobile, but the plans won’t be available directly from T-Mobile. The new Walmart plan is a postpaid/prepaid hybrid. You pay at the end of the month for talk and text, but you have to prepaid for web data. According to Walmart, their new cell plans do not require contracts and a family of three can save up to $1,200 per year compared to other plans. Sounds too good to be true? Yes and no. Read on to find out why.

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Target Deal of the Week: Wii, Xbox, PS3, and DSi

Daddy Forever — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 00:32:20 +0000

Target is running specials on game systems and accessories starting this Sunday (August 22). Dads and moms can get a Nintendo Wii game system (includes Wii Sports, remote, and nunchuk) for $150 ($50 off). Dads and moms can also get a Wii Remote with MotionPlus (available in pink, black or blue) for $30 (save $20). We have two remotes already, but we’re thinking about getting additional remotes because we have four kids that like to bicker over the controller. BTW, if you’re thinking about getting one of the newer Wii games, you can save $20 if you purchase any two of the following video games: Harry Potter Years 1-4 (my oldest daughter wants this one), Super Mario Galaxy 2, Toy Story 3, and Just Dance.

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The Diaper Wars: Target vs Amazon and Diapers.com

Daddy Forever — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 13:31:56 +0000

Last year on my dad blog, I did a price comparison of diapers and baby wipes sold at Target (Up & Up) and Costco (Kirkland). Target was the winner in every single category.

Target vs Costco (Summer 2009)

Target baby wipes were 35% less expensive
Target size one diapers were 6% less expensive
Target size two diapers were 24% less expensive
Target size three diapers were 32% less expensive
Target size four diapers were 26% less expensive
Target size five diapers were 19% less expensive
Target size six diapers were 27% less expensive

Because I’m a frugal dad and I have a 16-month old toddler, I recently did a price comparison between Target stores, Amazon, and Diapers.com. Once again, Target is the price leader in each category. Target wins on price, but Amazon offers free shipping for orders of $25+ and Diapers.com offers free 1-2 day shipping for orders over $49. Diapers.com also offers a one-year return policy (no, you can’t return used diapers). Note: Target.com also sells diapers and baby wipes online, but it doesn’t look like they offer free shipping on those items.

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Deal of the Week – 50% Off Star Wars Items at Borders

Daddy Forever — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 13:15:06 +0000

Borders is running a geekalicious promotion on Star Wars items — 50% off Star Wars products. The promotion includes books, CDs, and DVDs. The promotion is good though Monday, July 26th at U.S. Borders, Borders Express, and Waldenbooks stores and at Borders.com. Geek dads and moms can take advantage of the promotion at a Borders store by printing out the no-limit 50% off Star Wars coupon. A coupon is not needed at Borders.com.

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Free Summer Movies for Kids

Daddy Forever — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 13:26:31 +0000

If you are looking for something to do with the kids this summer, check out Regal Cinemas’ Family Film Festival. This summer, dads and moms can take their children to see 20 movies for free at Regal Cinemas. The select G or PG movies will take place at 10:00 am every Tuesday and Wednesday during the festival. Tickets and seating are first-come, first-served and are limited to theatre capacity. The tickets are only available at the theatres on the day of the show (no Fandango).

Deal of the Day: Get Two Free Smartphones of Your Choice at T-Mobile

Daddy Forever — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 12:20:18 +0000

T-Mobile is running a special Father’s Day promotion this Saturday (June 19, 2010). Dads and moms who sign-up for a family plan can get two free smartphones of their choice. Yeah, I know, wireless providers offer free cell phones all the time. But those free mobiles phones are usually the less expensive, older models. In the T-Mobile Father’s Day promotion, dads and moms can get ANY PHONE in the T-Mobile store for FREE — like the new myTouch 3G Slide ($430 without contract or $180 with contract), the new HTC HD2 ($450 without contract or $200 with contract), and the new Garminfone ($450 without contract or $200 with contract). Too bad T-Mobile is not allowed to sell iPhones (yet?).

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Hannah Keeley Mother’s Day Ideas and Libby Giveaway

Daddy Forever — Wed, 05 May 2010 07:01:15 +0000

I received some excellent Mother’s Day tips from Hannah Keeley. She is a mother of seven children and host of the public television series Hannah, Help me! (a reality makeover show). With seven kids, Hannah Keeley is an expert on creating an extraordinary day with mom that’s memorable and personalized without costing a fortune. The ideas are prefect for frugal dads. Read on to see Hannah Keeley’s helpful Mother’s Day ideas and about the $25 American Express gift card giveaway sponsored by Libby (Twitter | Facebook).

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PayPal Mother’s Day Specials

Daddy Forever — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 14:26:29 +0000

Mother’s Day is only nine days away. Frugal dads who want to save a little should check out some of the PayPal Mother’s Day specials. Dads using their PayPal account to buy a gift from a PayPal’s participating partner can get a discount of up to 20%, plus free shipping. Below are some special deals dads might be interested in (btw, I did not receive any compensation for writing this post on my dad blog).

Read more: PayPal Mother’s Day Specials

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How to See Attractions for Free

Daddy Forever — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 14:26:09 +0000

Previously, I shared a tip about how dads and moms can get into popular attractions for free or at a discount. Today, I have another tip for seeing local attractions for free. And with spring break just around the corner for many dads and moms, this money saving tip will come in handy. Read on to find out how.

Lan Su Chinese Garden

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Target Super Bowl HDTV Specials

Daddy Forever — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 20:03:35 +0000

I don’t usually blog about sales, but Target sent me a preview of their Super Bowl specials for HDTV sets and I noticed they have a really good price for a 42″ Magnavox 1080p LCD HDTV ($499). The prices on the other HDTV’s might be good too, but my outlaws have been looking for a 40″ flat screen TV so I know $499 for a 42″ is a good deal — almost as good as the Black Friday specials and you don’t even have to wait in the cold at midnight in the hopes of getting one. The Target Super Bowl HDTV specials start this Sunday (January 31st). BTW, I think I’m the only dad in Oregon who does not have a flat screen TV. I’m still waiting for someone to send me one for review.

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Gift Cards Promotion

Daddy Forever — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 08:39:39 +0000

Dads and moms should check out QFC’s gift cards promotion for Best Buy, iTunes, Bath & Body Works, Applebee’s, Sears, Pottery Barn, Bass Pro Shops, and SpaFinder. Buy $100 of the participating gift cards (mix and match) and you’ll get $10 off. The gift cards promotion expires after December 13, 2009 and there is a limit of five $10 rewards per household. In other words, you can buy a $500 flat screen TV at Best Buy for $450…and then send it to me for Christmas (you can keep the remaining $50 — I insist). Thank you in advance.

[Disclosure: I like to shout out "Flame on!" when I run up the stairs at home.]

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Free MP3 Downloads at Amazon

Daddy Forever — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 05:25:29 +0000

In case you missed it, Monday (November 30, 2009) is the last day to take advantage of Amazon’s Black Friday special on MP3s. Use the promo code MP34FREE and you’ll get $3 to use toward anything at Amazon MP3. I downloaded three songs and they didn’t cost me a cent. Cool.

Free Movie Screenings

Daddy Forever — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 13:03:59 +0000

If you’re interested in free movie screenings, you should check out Film Metro. In the past month, the kids and I have seen Tinker Bell and Astro Boy for free. Continue reading to see my list of ten movie screening web sites.

New DVD Releases for $10 at Amazon

Daddy Forever — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 00:51:15 +0000

Holy cow! Looks like Amazon has already started discounting DVDs for the holidays. They have a bunch of new DVDs for $10:

Star Trek	Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince	Terminator Salvation	Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian
Angels & Demons	G-Force	Julie & Julia	My Sister’s Keeper
	Four Christmases	Santa Buddies

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How to Save Money at Your Favorite Place to Visit

Daddy Forever — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 07:01:19 +0000

When you’re a family of six, it’s not cheap to go out. Even with free admission for our baby, a trip to the zoo costs $43.50 and a trip to Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) costs $49. Ouch! And that’s just for the price of admission and doesn’t include extras like parking, train rides, submarine tours, or foot massages. Just thinking about the cost is making me poorer. What’s a dad to do? Read on and I’ll tell you how you can get into popular attractions for free or at a discount.

Here’s my tip for frugal dads and moms: a lot of places offer special days when you get in at a discount or for free — that’s when you should go. Duh. Thanks to these special discount days, our entire family can go to OMSI or the zoo for only $10. That’s a saving of 77% to 80%. And thanks to the Internet, you can find the special promotion days listed on the attraction’s web site. You might have to look around because most of these places don’t highlight their special promo on their home page. Try looking on the pricing or special events page. If you still can’t find it, do a Google search on the name of the place and the word free or discount. And if that fails, call them and ask if they have a special day when admission is discounted.

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The Secret to Reserving New Movies and Books at the Library

Daddy Forever — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 07:01:32 +0000

Until recently, the only reason I went to our library was because of the kids. That’s what dads and moms do, right? We take our kids to the library for story time and all those wonderful children books waiting to be checked out by our little ones. Even though my kids love checking out books, I never bothered checking out books or movies for myself. That’s because all the ones I wanted were already checked out by evil moms and dads. I can’t believe they didn’t let me read the book first.

Last year, I discovered you could reserve library books and movies online (anyone remember the old library card catalog?). The library’s online reservation system works great for books, CDs, and DVDs that are not in big demand. But if you want to save money by reserving a new item, then good luck to you. From my experience, there’s usually a couple hundred parents that have already requested a hold on a popular book, CD, or movie.

Now take a look at the screen shot below. As you can see, I was number four on the hold list for Dan Brown’s new book (The Lost Symbol). Last Tuesday (when the book was released), there were 645 people who requested a hold on the book at our library (currently: about 800 hold requests for The Lost Symbol). Cool, huh? Read on and I’ll reveal the secret to reserving new DVDs and books at the library.

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Kids Eat for Free

Daddy Forever — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 07:01:39 +0000

For you frugal dads and moms out there, you should check out the KidsEatFor website. KidsEatFor.com is essentially a database of places where kids can eat for free or at a discount. It’s a community base site. In other words, the site relies on parents to submit restaurants that offer free or discounted meals for kids. Obviously, there are restrictions for the free meals. For instance, most (all?) places limit the deal to one free child meal for each adult meal purchased.

On the KidsEatFor website, you can search by zip code, restaurant name, and other criteria. You can also browse by city and state. The community base site also offers voting. Parents can vote a deal up or down based on the accuracy of the deal. The vote is anonymous. However, voting a special “down” is not exactly the best way for handling expired deals. A nice-to-have feature is a button for removing deals that are no longer offered.

HP Big and Small Notebooks Promotion

Daddy Forever — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 15:49:08 +0000

HP is running another back to school laptop promotion. It runs today and ends on Wednesday (August 12). With the “Go Big And Small” promo, you will receive a $180 discount if you purchase the Pavilion dv6t laptop (go big) and Mini 110 netbook (go small) together. With this discount and other promotions going on, you can get two notebooks for $799.98 — that’s a savings of $330 (based on full price).

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HP $300 Discount Laptop Promotion

Daddy Forever — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 14:13:53 +0000

HP is running a special notebook promotion today and tomorrow. If you’re looking for a laptop, you can get a $300 discount plus free upgrades and shipping if you act quickly. To get the discount, go to the HP Pavilion dv6z page, configure your laptop, and then use the coupon code “NBY8746” (without quotes) to redeem the offer.

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Coupon Dad

Daddy Forever — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 07:01:31 +0000

My dad is the ultimate coupon clipper. When I was a kid, my dad would drag me to the grocery store with him. He would load up his shopping cart and then proceeded to the cash register. The cashier rang up the total and then my dad would pull out several billion coupons. Talk about embarrassing. It was bad enough I had to wear hand-me-downs from another family, but thanks to my dad’s coupons, I also had to stand at the checkout while everyone stared at us. I was certain they thought we were poor and had to clip coupons to get by. I vowed never to clip coupons when I grew up.

The Diaper War – Target vs Costco

Daddy Forever — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 07:01:36 +0000

With the exception of last year, we’ve been buying diapers every year for the past 9+ years. Thanks to a little too much fun at Disneyland, we’re going to be buying diapers for two or three more years.

Back in 2000, we shopped around and concluded Costco had the least expensive diapers. Nine years later, things have changed (~~like my growing waistline~~). Last month, I did a price comparison of diapers and baby wipes sold at Target and Costco (sold under the Kirkland brand). For you frugal moms and dads out there, here is my comparison:

Target baby wipes are 35% less expensive

Baby Wipe	Quantity	Cost	Cost per Wipe
Costco	704	$15.49	2.2¢
Target	704	$11.49	1.6¢

Target size one diapers are 6% less expensive

Diaper	Quantity	Cost	Cost per Diaper
Costco Size 1-2	216	$29.99	13.9¢
Target Size 1	48	$6.29	13.1¢

Target size two diapers are 24% less expensive

Diaper	Quantity	Cost	Cost per Diaper
Costco Size 1-2	216	$29.99	13.9¢
Target Size 2	56	$6.29	11.2¢

Target size three diapers are 32% less expensive

Diaper	Quantity	Cost	Cost per Diaper
Costco Size 3	208	$39.59	19.0¢
Target Size 3	96	$13.89	14.5¢

Target size four diapers are 26% less expensive

Diaper	Quantity	Cost	Cost per Diaper
Costco Size 4	186	$39.59	21.3¢
Target Size 4	82	$13.89	16.9¢

Target size five diapers are 19% less expensive

Diaper	Quantity	Cost	Cost per Diaper
Costco Size 5	168	$39.59	23.6¢
Target Size 5	70	$13.89	19.8¢

Target size six diapers are 27% less expensive

Diaper	Quantity	Cost	Cost per Diaper
Costco Size 6	135	$39.59	29.3¢
Target Size 6	60	$13.89	23.2¢

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Daddy Forever – Now Broadcasting in Digital

Daddy Forever — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 07:01:04 +0000

I got my free digital TV converter box coupons in the mail earlier this month. For those of you who don’t live in the states, our country is going digital. On February 17, 2009, all full-power television stations in the United States will stop broadcasting in analog and switch to 100% digital broadcasting. To help with the DTV Transition, Congress created the TV Converter Box Coupon Program for households wishing to keep using their analog TV sets after February 17, 2009. The Program allows U.S. households to obtain up to two coupons, each worth $40, that can be applied toward the cost of eligible converter boxes.

Sweet deal, right? Well sorta. Even with the coupon, it’ll cost you at least $10 for each box (Walmart has them for $50, Best Buy and Circuit City has them for $60). I know, it’s only ten bucks, but I think the government should cover the full cost because they are the ones mandating the change to DTV. This isn’t a safety issue and there’s nothing wrong with my analog TV. I shouldn’t be forced to spend money to continue watching it. I think the transition to DTV should be led by consumers — like the transition from VCR to DVD. The government doesn’t need to intervene and set a cutoff date.

Not everyone will need a converter box. If you have a relatively new TV, it might have a digital tuner built-in (check your manual). My newest TV is over eight years old so it doesn’t have a digital tuner). If you have cable, dish, or FIOS, you might not need a converter box either. It’ll depend on how your service provider handles the DTV signal. Some will convert the digital signal back to analog so you don’t need to do anything different. Other companies will require you to rent a box for a small monthly fee. Nice.

A couple more annoying things about the DTV transition is that you can only get two coupons and they expire 90 days from the date they were mailed. So if you have more than two TV’s, too bad for you. And what’s the deal with the 90-day expiration? Shouldn’t they expire after the cutoff date? Some people won’t even know if they need a box until they hear from their service provider.

I almost forgot to mention that I have not figured out how to use my VCR to record the new DTV stations. My 15-year old VCR recognizes channels like 2, 3, 4, etc. The new digital channels are 2.1, 2.2, 3.1, 4.1, etc (or 2-1, 2-2, 3-1, 4-1). I can’t set my VCR to record a channel like 2-1. I read somewhere on the web that you can still use your old VCR to record what you are watching via the converter box. But if I am already watching it, why would I need to record it? I don’t want to watch a show I have already watched, I want to watch the show I didn’t watch. According to some people, I’ll need to purchase a VCR or DVR with a built-in digital tuner in order to record the new digital stations. Great. I’ll have to spend more money to get the same functionality I have now.

OK, I’m done ranting. I should mention that from what I’ve seen, digital TV is clearer than analog TV and I do get more channels than before. If you need a digital converter box, click on the link to get two free digital TV converter box coupons.

I forgot to mention the new poll. I’m trying to figure out why I have more women commentors. Is it because I have more women readers or is it because my men readers prefer to lurk.

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Curious George DVD Specials

Daddy Forever — Tue, 26 Sep 2006 07:01:06 +0000

Curious George is coming out on DVD today. George reminds me of my son, Spiderboy. They are both cute, playful, want to explore their surrounding, and always get into trouble. If the DVD was released closer to Christmas, I would hide it and give the DVD to my son as a present. But three months is just too long for me to hide it. Princess M likes to snoop and will eventually find it.

As many of you know, the first week (Tuesday through Saturday) offers the best deals unless you are willing to wait six months or longer. After six months, you can probably get the DVD for under $15. If you wait at least a year, you can probably get it for $10 or lower. But the first week normally offers extra stuff. For instance, Best Buy is giving away a Curious George plush toy, K-mart is giving away a sun shield for your car, and Circuit City is offering three song downloads from the soundtrack. Here are the prices various retailers are charging for the Curious George DVD:

Amazon: 15.98 (aff links: wide screen or full screen)
Fry’s Electronics: 15.99
Circuit City: 16.99 plus 3 free song downloads from the soundtrack
Fred Meyer: 16.99 (with $3 off coupon) plus free popcorn
Best Buy: price not advertised ($16.99 online), includes free Curious George plush toy
K-Mart: price not advertised, includes free Curious George sun shield for car
Target: price not advertised (probably 16.99)
Sears: price not advertised
Costco: price not advertised (19.49 online)

Circuit City, Best Buy, and Sears offer price matching. However, generally, you can’t get the extra stuff when you price match. I’m not sure what they would do if the extra is shrink-wrapped with the DVD.

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Worst Than My Dad

Daddy Forever — Fri, 22 Sep 2006 03:01:11 +0000

When I was a kid, my dad would go to the store with a whole bunch of coupons. I thought he was nuts and I thought clipping coupons was a waste of time. I vowed never to clip coupons when I grew up. And for the longest time, I didn’t clip coupons. I didn’t even buy things on sale. When I needed something, I simply went to the store and bought it.

Now that I have a big mortgage, a wife who loves shopping, and three kids, I find myself clipping coupons. Actually worst — I’m a mail-in rebate addict. Back in my dad’s days, mail-in rebates were rare. Now it’s commonplace. I actually hate mail-in rebates. I think retailers and manufacturers should just discount the product at the cash register. Instead they advertise the “after rebate price” and prey on the forgetfulness of shoppers. Luckily, I’m not one of those who forget and I have received all of my rebates. Some of course, took a lot longer than others.

Below are my lists of best and worst retailers and vendors (in terms of turnaround time for rebate check). Keep in mind that vendors are the ones who are actually responsible for turnaround time, but retailers can influence vendors. I submitted quite a few rebates to Costco and Home Depot so I can say they are good retailers (with respect to mail-in rebates). Costco actually makes it easy with their online system. I’ve only submitted to Walgreens once and Ace Hardware twice (they have rebates the day after Thanksgiving). Fry’s is all over the place. That’s why they are on the best and worst list. It’s interesting to note that on the worst retailers list, three out of five are office supply stores. I can’t really say a whole lot about vendors because generally I submit to each vendor only once or twice. However, I think you should stay away from the Mad Dog (computer stuff) rebates. It took Mad Dog over a year to send me my rebate.

Best Vendors (Products)

Clean Kid (kids bath stuff?) – 26 days
Encore (kids learning pc game) – 28 days
The First Years (baby monitor) – 28 days
Scotts (gardening stuff) – 29 days
Sony (laptop) – 30 days

Worst Vendors (Products)

Mad Dog (CD drive) – 371 days
Sanford Rubbermaid (plastic storage box) – 149 days
Sage Software (Peachtree Accounting) – 149 days
IMSI (clipart CD) – 128 days
Acco (card board storage boxes) – 108 days

Best Retailers

Costco – 20 days
Walgreens – 22 days
Home Depot – 29 days
Fry’s – 30 days
Circuit City – 32 days (added 9.22.06)
Ace Hardware – 36 days

Worst Retailers

CompUSA – 371 days
Staples – 149 days
Office Depot – 149 days
Fry’s – 128 days
Office Max – 94 days

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