Friday, February 20, 2004
Friday's Deal Mail!
As usual, my comments are in italics. (Leslie)
(2/20/04)This week is a good week for deals (including 3 so great that I couldn't decide which one to show first)! So get 'em while they're hot!
As you know, I like to make the first entry in the dealmail a whopper, when I can. This week is no exception. Its officially time for you to get rid of that huge monitor you bought for your computer before the turn of the century...Yes, you know who you are....Amazon has an unbelievable deal right now on a 100% flat panel monitor that has great reviews and an even better price. It started out at $250 and now its under $150, including shipping! This is the #1 item in our electronics store right now - Check it out!
This is also a great way to free up space on your desk!
Kogi 14" LCD Flat Panel Monitor
If you want one a little bigger, the 17" version of this is also a great deal.
Kogi 17" LCD Monitor, Silver
A very close second for the deal of the week is the fantastic Nikon Coolpix 3100 digital camera. This tiny camera takes incredible photos (Don't take my word for it, check out the 4 star reviews!) There is a great rebate on this so, for a limited time you can get the whole camera setup, including a small starter CompactFlash card to get you going, for about $225!! This is way under normal retail for this excellent camera (which I have seen, and it is really tiny - great for a pocket or purse.) Finally, it even comes with 10 free photos from Ofoto and a full starter package with them as well (to print your pictures for you.)
Nikon Coolpix 3100 3MP Digital Camera w/ 3x Optical Zoom
Think of all the money you will save not developing film. The digital images on your computer also save you space in your home. If you want printouts, Fred Meyer has the best price--as low as $0.19 cents each, even cheaper than the online services.
What's the third great deal of the day?! Check out this iRiver CD player which plays CDs of almost any flavor (including regular CDs, WMA, MP3, and about everything else you can think of) and it comes with a full onscreen display, equalizer and separate electronic bass and treble controls. It started out at about 80 bucks and is on sale right now for under 30! Oh, yeah, it also comes with a car adapter so you can play all of the CDs you made on your computer in your car. A really great deal, especially if you just need one to knock around with at the gym or work or on those long commutes.
iRiver iMP50 MP3/CD Player with Car Adapter
Listen to hundreds of your favorite tunes while organizing that closet you have been meaning to get to for months. You can even burn all your CDs onto just a few MP3 CD and get all those CD cases out of the living room!
Moving on to some other items outside of electronics, another great deal is on right now for another #1 Amazon Bestseller. The VillaWare Ice Cream maker is selling right now, brand new, on the site for 75% off! It even comes in stainless steel to match the rest of your snazzy kitchen. I kid you not that I have this exact ice cream maker and it makes really great ice cream. (This is selling for so cheap that I can even say, "Don't forget to add something else to your cart so you can get your order to $25 and get free shipping!"!) A book of ice cream recipes, perhaps?
VillaWare 5100 Electric Ice Cream Maker, Stainless Steel
Here's a deal that I know you can't pass up. How about free virus software? For a limited time, Amazon is selling VirusScan 8.0 for $20 (already 60% off!) and there is a $20 rebate on top of that making the software actually free! (I swear!) Check it out!
VirusScan Home 8.0
After some additional looking, I also found another great deal on software that everyone is sure to need. If you need a way to organize your life (or at least, your finances) MS Money 2004 is almost half off right now on the Amazon website after rebate. I use this and its amazing how many banks it connects to without you having to do a thing. Really great software at a great price.
I cannot reccommend this enough for small business owners. It frees up file cabinet space, since you will no longer have to keep all bank records nor reciepts (it is all documented on Microsoft money for you). You can also record gas and mileage for tax purposes. I use this, and always recommend it for my clients.
Microsoft Money 2004 Deluxe
All right, who's got a Sonicare? (Picture everyone jumping up and down saying "I do, I do!") If you have one you know these things are crazyexpensive to replace the brush heads on (which you really want to do at least once a year...) :-) If its time for you to switch it out, check out the great deal Amazon has on brush heads right now at almost 30% off! Its a really good deal considering how much I saw these for at our supermarket last night...
Short on time? This brushes your teeth in about 3 minutes, but does the job of a professional dental cleaning! My dentist recommended it to me. It tickles at first, but you get used to it fast.
Sonicare Advance CH-2 Standard Replacement Brush Head (2-Pack)
Finally, its been a while since I featured a "killer" deal on knives...Since I get asked about featuring them all the time, here's the last great deal of the day: 72% off on a great set of knives forged from a single piece of steel (this is what you want, if you want them to last and hold their edge.) Its a great starter set if you are just getting into cooking seriously and want to have a lot better selection than the rusty ones you bought at Target for your dorm room 5 years ago...
Wusthof Silverpoint 10-Piece Knife Block Set
And, last but certainly not least - Under the category: "I can't believe they make that!" or "Where was that when I was in college...?!" Checkout the very special deal "Hangover Helper" - 40 Caplets in a container! (Enough to cure 20 hangovers, based on the directions!) Enjoy everyone!
Chaser Freedom from Hangovers, Caplets
As usual, my comments are in italics. (Leslie)
(2/20/04)This week is a good week for deals (including 3 so great that I couldn't decide which one to show first)! So get 'em while they're hot!
As you know, I like to make the first entry in the dealmail a whopper, when I can. This week is no exception. Its officially time for you to get rid of that huge monitor you bought for your computer before the turn of the century...Yes, you know who you are....Amazon has an unbelievable deal right now on a 100% flat panel monitor that has great reviews and an even better price. It started out at $250 and now its under $150, including shipping! This is the #1 item in our electronics store right now - Check it out!
This is also a great way to free up space on your desk!
Kogi 14" LCD Flat Panel Monitor
If you want one a little bigger, the 17" version of this is also a great deal.
Kogi 17" LCD Monitor, Silver
A very close second for the deal of the week is the fantastic Nikon Coolpix 3100 digital camera. This tiny camera takes incredible photos (Don't take my word for it, check out the 4 star reviews!) There is a great rebate on this so, for a limited time you can get the whole camera setup, including a small starter CompactFlash card to get you going, for about $225!! This is way under normal retail for this excellent camera (which I have seen, and it is really tiny - great for a pocket or purse.) Finally, it even comes with 10 free photos from Ofoto and a full starter package with them as well (to print your pictures for you.)
Nikon Coolpix 3100 3MP Digital Camera w/ 3x Optical Zoom
Think of all the money you will save not developing film. The digital images on your computer also save you space in your home. If you want printouts, Fred Meyer has the best price--as low as $0.19 cents each, even cheaper than the online services.
What's the third great deal of the day?! Check out this iRiver CD player which plays CDs of almost any flavor (including regular CDs, WMA, MP3, and about everything else you can think of) and it comes with a full onscreen display, equalizer and separate electronic bass and treble controls. It started out at about 80 bucks and is on sale right now for under 30! Oh, yeah, it also comes with a car adapter so you can play all of the CDs you made on your computer in your car. A really great deal, especially if you just need one to knock around with at the gym or work or on those long commutes.
iRiver iMP50 MP3/CD Player with Car Adapter
Listen to hundreds of your favorite tunes while organizing that closet you have been meaning to get to for months. You can even burn all your CDs onto just a few MP3 CD and get all those CD cases out of the living room!
Moving on to some other items outside of electronics, another great deal is on right now for another #1 Amazon Bestseller. The VillaWare Ice Cream maker is selling right now, brand new, on the site for 75% off! It even comes in stainless steel to match the rest of your snazzy kitchen. I kid you not that I have this exact ice cream maker and it makes really great ice cream. (This is selling for so cheap that I can even say, "Don't forget to add something else to your cart so you can get your order to $25 and get free shipping!"!) A book of ice cream recipes, perhaps?
VillaWare 5100 Electric Ice Cream Maker, Stainless Steel
Here's a deal that I know you can't pass up. How about free virus software? For a limited time, Amazon is selling VirusScan 8.0 for $20 (already 60% off!) and there is a $20 rebate on top of that making the software actually free! (I swear!) Check it out!
VirusScan Home 8.0
After some additional looking, I also found another great deal on software that everyone is sure to need. If you need a way to organize your life (or at least, your finances) MS Money 2004 is almost half off right now on the Amazon website after rebate. I use this and its amazing how many banks it connects to without you having to do a thing. Really great software at a great price.
I cannot reccommend this enough for small business owners. It frees up file cabinet space, since you will no longer have to keep all bank records nor reciepts (it is all documented on Microsoft money for you). You can also record gas and mileage for tax purposes. I use this, and always recommend it for my clients.
Microsoft Money 2004 Deluxe
All right, who's got a Sonicare? (Picture everyone jumping up and down saying "I do, I do!") If you have one you know these things are crazyexpensive to replace the brush heads on (which you really want to do at least once a year...) :-) If its time for you to switch it out, check out the great deal Amazon has on brush heads right now at almost 30% off! Its a really good deal considering how much I saw these for at our supermarket last night...
Short on time? This brushes your teeth in about 3 minutes, but does the job of a professional dental cleaning! My dentist recommended it to me. It tickles at first, but you get used to it fast.
Sonicare Advance CH-2 Standard Replacement Brush Head (2-Pack)
Finally, its been a while since I featured a "killer" deal on knives...Since I get asked about featuring them all the time, here's the last great deal of the day: 72% off on a great set of knives forged from a single piece of steel (this is what you want, if you want them to last and hold their edge.) Its a great starter set if you are just getting into cooking seriously and want to have a lot better selection than the rusty ones you bought at Target for your dorm room 5 years ago...
Wusthof Silverpoint 10-Piece Knife Block Set
And, last but certainly not least - Under the category: "I can't believe they make that!" or "Where was that when I was in college...?!" Checkout the very special deal "Hangover Helper" - 40 Caplets in a container! (Enough to cure 20 hangovers, based on the directions!) Enjoy everyone!
Chaser Freedom from Hangovers, Caplets
Monday, February 16, 2004
Today, my colleague the expert shopper will discuss how to buy cordless power tools.
Cordless tools--no assualt or battery
Executive Summary:
* If you think you might like to have a cordless screwdriver/drill around, but you're not sure if you would use it, get a Porter-Cable 9820 9.6-Volt Cordless Drill/Driver Kit
* To get a bunch of useful tools cheap, get the Ryobi 18 Volt Super Combo II from Home Depot
* To get everything you need and have it last you forever, get Porter-Cable 9887QP Network 19.2-Volt Quad Pack
* Don't buy anything from Black & Decker.
Part 1: What tools do you need?
You can buy just about everything cordless these days, but that doesn't mean you should.
A cordless drill/screwdriver is absolutely essential. This will let you mount pictures, stir paint, fix railings, and on and on. You may want a corded version as well; if you are thinking about drywalling all day or for some reason you need major power, batteries can't hold a candle to a wall socket. But the cordless version is so handy that you should get that first and get a corded version later.
A cordless reciprocating saw (or "Sawzall") is something you may or may not use often, but when you do, you'll be very glad if you have the cordless version. These are excellent for felling small trees, minor house demolition, and rough-cutting just about any kind of wood or siding. The only time you may wish for a corded version is if you have a full day of demolition--they run through batteries faster than a drill, so you'll need more than two to last all day.
A cordless circular saw is a common choice, but it has some serious drawbacks. Circular saws go through batteries incredibly fast--you can drain a battery in 15 minutes or less depending on what you're doing. Battery powered circular saws have much less torque than their corded counterparts. And I find that when I'm using a circular saw, I'm usually in the middle of a big project, so it's not too inconvenient to run an extension cord. All that being said, I do have one, and I use it, and it's certainly handy from time to time.
These, plus the inevitable flashlight and dustbuster that get thrown into the combo kits, are the most common battery powered tools. Some others are:
-- Chainsaws (get a corded or gas one, or get a long blade for your reciprocating saw instead)
-- Jigsaws (never tried one, seems like it would be handy)
-- Rotary tools, a la Dremel (I use a corded one, but a cordless one could be handy)
-- Boom boxes that run off the tool batteries (cheaper to just buy one of these like I did)
Part 2: Brands
There is a significant difference between brands among cordless tools. The quality and price tends to be consistent within the brand. Also, batteries don't work between brands, so it makes a lot of sense to have all your tools be the same brand. Each brand has its own color that is used on all the tools; I'll identify that so you can spot them.
Expensive and high quality
Porter Cable (gray) and DeWalt (yellow) are tried-and-true here. You pay big bucks for the brand, but the quality is usually perfect. Hitachi (green) has some budget items, but most of their tools fit in this category and get solid reviews. Bosch (light blue) doesn't seem to sell as much as Porter Cable and DeWalt, but the reviews are as good or better and the prices are similar. Makita (also light blue, easily confused with Bosch) is better known for its saws than its drills, but comes in at the slightly cheaper side. Milwaukee (bright red) is a contractor's favorite, expensive and indestructable. Panasonic (black and gray) rounds up the batch as being the most high-tech, featuring things like NiMH batteries that offer more power with less weight. Price, of course, is also on the high side.
If I was getting a tool from a company in this category and price was no issue, I would get a Milwaukee. In general, though, going with the most inexpensive tool from these top-end manufacturers is a fine plan.
Cheap junk
Skil (dark red) makes mediocre to bad tools at very low prices. Black and Decker (reddish-orange) is scraping the bottom of the barrel; they charge the least for the very poorest quality. Actually, they used to be the same tools as DeWalt. If you heard they used to be great that's true; they went downhill. Craftsman is all over the map; they're unreliable enough that you have to do a lot of research on the particular tool to know if it's any good (and the good ones tend to be way more expensive). Again, they used to be reliably good, but went downhill. Last in the "how the mighty have fallen" category is Ridgid, who started out producing very high quality tools at medium-high prices, but just outsourced all their production to China, sold the company, and reduced their warranty from lifetime to 2 years--but didn't lower their prices. Stay away. Ryobi (dark blue) is the big winner in the budget category. Carried exclusively at Home Depot, the tools are about as cheap as Skil and B&D, but are actually quite functional. A contractor put it to me this way: "I can buy a Milwaukee and it'll last me 10 years, or I can buy a Ryobi for a quarter of the price and have it last 3 years." What will last him 3 years of heavy-duty work will probably last you or me 10 years, so I'm a big fan of Ryobi.
Part 3: Getting a deal
There's a few simple rules to getting a good deal on cordless power tools.
--Buy combo packs. You save a ton of money. Example: Ryobi 18 volt battery, $50. Ryobi 18 volt drill with two batteries and a charger, $99. Ryobi 18 volt drill with two batteries, a charger, a circular saw, a reciprocating saw, a dustbuster, and a flashlight, $169.
--Costco sometimes carries the expensive brands (Milwaukee and DeWalt). They're a good deal when they have them there.
-- For expensive brands, all the major tool shops (Lowes, Home Depot, Amazon.com, Tool King) carry them, and they all promise to beat the competitors by 10%. There's a catch here. Say you find it at one place for $100 and somewhere else for $110. Some stores like Amazon will beat the price by 10% of the DIFFERENCE, for a final price of $99. Other stores like Home Depot and Lowes will beat the price by 10% of the TOTAL, for a final price of $90. Find the cheapest price, then go to Home Depot or Lowes and show it to them, and you'll pay 10% less than that.
-- For Ryobi, only Home Depot carries them, so there's not too much room to haggle. Check their web site for occasional specials.
--For any brand, they tend not to go on sale except when a product line is being discontinued. This usually happens when they phase out one combo pack and introduce a slightly different one (adding a radio or swapping one saw for another). When that happens, it happens everywhere, so don't jump at the first such sale you see. Use the 10% trick above to get the very best deal.
Cordless tools--no assualt or battery
Executive Summary:
* If you think you might like to have a cordless screwdriver/drill around, but you're not sure if you would use it, get a Porter-Cable 9820 9.6-Volt Cordless Drill/Driver Kit
* To get a bunch of useful tools cheap, get the Ryobi 18 Volt Super Combo II from Home Depot
* To get everything you need and have it last you forever, get Porter-Cable 9887QP Network 19.2-Volt Quad Pack
* Don't buy anything from Black & Decker.
Part 1: What tools do you need?
You can buy just about everything cordless these days, but that doesn't mean you should.
A cordless drill/screwdriver is absolutely essential. This will let you mount pictures, stir paint, fix railings, and on and on. You may want a corded version as well; if you are thinking about drywalling all day or for some reason you need major power, batteries can't hold a candle to a wall socket. But the cordless version is so handy that you should get that first and get a corded version later.
A cordless reciprocating saw (or "Sawzall") is something you may or may not use often, but when you do, you'll be very glad if you have the cordless version. These are excellent for felling small trees, minor house demolition, and rough-cutting just about any kind of wood or siding. The only time you may wish for a corded version is if you have a full day of demolition--they run through batteries faster than a drill, so you'll need more than two to last all day.
A cordless circular saw is a common choice, but it has some serious drawbacks. Circular saws go through batteries incredibly fast--you can drain a battery in 15 minutes or less depending on what you're doing. Battery powered circular saws have much less torque than their corded counterparts. And I find that when I'm using a circular saw, I'm usually in the middle of a big project, so it's not too inconvenient to run an extension cord. All that being said, I do have one, and I use it, and it's certainly handy from time to time.
These, plus the inevitable flashlight and dustbuster that get thrown into the combo kits, are the most common battery powered tools. Some others are:
-- Chainsaws (get a corded or gas one, or get a long blade for your reciprocating saw instead)
-- Jigsaws (never tried one, seems like it would be handy)
-- Rotary tools, a la Dremel (I use a corded one, but a cordless one could be handy)
-- Boom boxes that run off the tool batteries (cheaper to just buy one of these like I did)
Part 2: Brands
There is a significant difference between brands among cordless tools. The quality and price tends to be consistent within the brand. Also, batteries don't work between brands, so it makes a lot of sense to have all your tools be the same brand. Each brand has its own color that is used on all the tools; I'll identify that so you can spot them.
Expensive and high quality
Porter Cable (gray) and DeWalt (yellow) are tried-and-true here. You pay big bucks for the brand, but the quality is usually perfect. Hitachi (green) has some budget items, but most of their tools fit in this category and get solid reviews. Bosch (light blue) doesn't seem to sell as much as Porter Cable and DeWalt, but the reviews are as good or better and the prices are similar. Makita (also light blue, easily confused with Bosch) is better known for its saws than its drills, but comes in at the slightly cheaper side. Milwaukee (bright red) is a contractor's favorite, expensive and indestructable. Panasonic (black and gray) rounds up the batch as being the most high-tech, featuring things like NiMH batteries that offer more power with less weight. Price, of course, is also on the high side.
If I was getting a tool from a company in this category and price was no issue, I would get a Milwaukee. In general, though, going with the most inexpensive tool from these top-end manufacturers is a fine plan.
Cheap junk
Skil (dark red) makes mediocre to bad tools at very low prices. Black and Decker (reddish-orange) is scraping the bottom of the barrel; they charge the least for the very poorest quality. Actually, they used to be the same tools as DeWalt. If you heard they used to be great that's true; they went downhill. Craftsman is all over the map; they're unreliable enough that you have to do a lot of research on the particular tool to know if it's any good (and the good ones tend to be way more expensive). Again, they used to be reliably good, but went downhill. Last in the "how the mighty have fallen" category is Ridgid, who started out producing very high quality tools at medium-high prices, but just outsourced all their production to China, sold the company, and reduced their warranty from lifetime to 2 years--but didn't lower their prices. Stay away. Ryobi (dark blue) is the big winner in the budget category. Carried exclusively at Home Depot, the tools are about as cheap as Skil and B&D, but are actually quite functional. A contractor put it to me this way: "I can buy a Milwaukee and it'll last me 10 years, or I can buy a Ryobi for a quarter of the price and have it last 3 years." What will last him 3 years of heavy-duty work will probably last you or me 10 years, so I'm a big fan of Ryobi.
Part 3: Getting a deal
There's a few simple rules to getting a good deal on cordless power tools.
--Buy combo packs. You save a ton of money. Example: Ryobi 18 volt battery, $50. Ryobi 18 volt drill with two batteries and a charger, $99. Ryobi 18 volt drill with two batteries, a charger, a circular saw, a reciprocating saw, a dustbuster, and a flashlight, $169.
--Costco sometimes carries the expensive brands (Milwaukee and DeWalt). They're a good deal when they have them there.
-- For expensive brands, all the major tool shops (Lowes, Home Depot, Amazon.com, Tool King) carry them, and they all promise to beat the competitors by 10%. There's a catch here. Say you find it at one place for $100 and somewhere else for $110. Some stores like Amazon will beat the price by 10% of the DIFFERENCE, for a final price of $99. Other stores like Home Depot and Lowes will beat the price by 10% of the TOTAL, for a final price of $90. Find the cheapest price, then go to Home Depot or Lowes and show it to them, and you'll pay 10% less than that.
-- For Ryobi, only Home Depot carries them, so there's not too much room to haggle. Check their web site for occasional specials.
--For any brand, they tend not to go on sale except when a product line is being discontinued. This usually happens when they phase out one combo pack and introduce a slightly different one (adding a radio or swapping one saw for another). When that happens, it happens everywhere, so don't jump at the first such sale you see. Use the 10% trick above to get the very best deal.
Friday, February 13, 2004
Friday's Deal Mail
(2/13/04)This week we're going to focus on fun gifts for Valentines as well as a few other fun things, including lots of recommendations from friends that are at great prices...I hope you enjoy!
Per my friend, "Everyone needs a pumpy, suck-the-air-out-thing for wine...Don't they? Know you save on your pumpy, suck-the-air-out-thing for limited time on Amazon!
Amanda's vacuvin Pumpy Wine Thing
If its still cold where you live, my wife says, "Grow out your leg hair like a pro!" with women's Rogaine. Unbelieveably 21% off right now. (I assume this works for men too, but I think I won't be first in line to test that...)
Women's Rogaine Hair Regrowth Treatment
As long as you're trying to look your best for you partner on Valentine's Day, (presumably by applying hair growth formula to your legs if you actually read the last entry on this week's email...) you might as well have them look great for you, right? There is a fantastic deal on the Ultimate Grooming Kit by Norelco...What Grizzly Adams in your life *doesn't* need this, right? Today only, its 50% off!
Norelco T860D Ultimate Grooming Kit
A great deal on a Anolon 8 egg poacher...Great for you *and* all your friends on Atkins! Check it out at under 35 bucks!
Analon Egg Poacher
Moving on to more normal stuff, believe it or not, people ask *all* the time for a great deal on a camcorder. Well folks, today is your day! Today only, you can get a Sony MiniDVcamcorder for almost 40% off of list... These things are sweet because it takes digital pictures *and* movies! Impress your friends! Mortify your neighbors! (Run from police officers!)
Sony DCRTRV38 MiniDV 1Megapixel Camcorder with 3.5" LCD
If you've ever had to buy a ladder, you know they are usually *really* expensive... So, for all you homeowners out their that worry that you secretly have a birds nest in your chimney (you know who you are...Adam!) or just want to check out your gutters at the end of the winter season...This one is at a great price and it even collapses for easy storage!
Telesteps 10-1/2' Telescoping Ladder
For all of you who bought the turkey fryer I featured around the holidays and have now realized that the thing is a complete fire hazard and you'll never use it again, try something smaller...There is a great deal on the cute little T-Fal magiclean Deep Fryer...Make your cardiologist richer and start using this baby today! Check it out at 33% off!
T-Fal Magiclean Deep Fryer
The last two items are weather related: First, if you live in an area still socked in by snow and ice, it seems like you couldn't live without an item called the "ice dozer!" This sucker is reviewed at five stars and seems like the all time crazy way-over-the-top windshield ice crusher. And, at 60% off, its almost down to 10 bucks.
The IceDozer Plus
Second, if you're ready for Spring and you're already thinking about spending time in your garden, why not get an early jump on some items in the Amazon spring sale. My favorite by far is a really nice rope hammock for 50% off (Under 50 bucks!)
Omni Castaway Rope Hammock
And now, for the coolest item of the week: Look your loved one's in the face while you talk to them on the phone *and* it will be like they are right there with you even when you're away! Be like the Jetsons with a fantastic, 21st century videophone by Vialta! Check this thing out, it looks really, really sweet *and* its on sale!
Vialta Beamer Phone Video Station
(2/13/04)This week we're going to focus on fun gifts for Valentines as well as a few other fun things, including lots of recommendations from friends that are at great prices...I hope you enjoy!
Per my friend, "Everyone needs a pumpy, suck-the-air-out-thing for wine...Don't they? Know you save on your pumpy, suck-the-air-out-thing for limited time on Amazon!
Amanda's vacuvin Pumpy Wine Thing
If its still cold where you live, my wife says, "Grow out your leg hair like a pro!" with women's Rogaine. Unbelieveably 21% off right now. (I assume this works for men too, but I think I won't be first in line to test that...)
Women's Rogaine Hair Regrowth Treatment
As long as you're trying to look your best for you partner on Valentine's Day, (presumably by applying hair growth formula to your legs if you actually read the last entry on this week's email...) you might as well have them look great for you, right? There is a fantastic deal on the Ultimate Grooming Kit by Norelco...What Grizzly Adams in your life *doesn't* need this, right? Today only, its 50% off!
Norelco T860D Ultimate Grooming Kit
A great deal on a Anolon 8 egg poacher...Great for you *and* all your friends on Atkins! Check it out at under 35 bucks!
Analon Egg Poacher
Moving on to more normal stuff, believe it or not, people ask *all* the time for a great deal on a camcorder. Well folks, today is your day! Today only, you can get a Sony MiniDVcamcorder for almost 40% off of list... These things are sweet because it takes digital pictures *and* movies! Impress your friends! Mortify your neighbors! (Run from police officers!)
Sony DCRTRV38 MiniDV 1Megapixel Camcorder with 3.5" LCD
If you've ever had to buy a ladder, you know they are usually *really* expensive... So, for all you homeowners out their that worry that you secretly have a birds nest in your chimney (you know who you are...Adam!) or just want to check out your gutters at the end of the winter season...This one is at a great price and it even collapses for easy storage!
Telesteps 10-1/2' Telescoping Ladder
For all of you who bought the turkey fryer I featured around the holidays and have now realized that the thing is a complete fire hazard and you'll never use it again, try something smaller...There is a great deal on the cute little T-Fal magiclean Deep Fryer...Make your cardiologist richer and start using this baby today! Check it out at 33% off!
T-Fal Magiclean Deep Fryer
The last two items are weather related: First, if you live in an area still socked in by snow and ice, it seems like you couldn't live without an item called the "ice dozer!" This sucker is reviewed at five stars and seems like the all time crazy way-over-the-top windshield ice crusher. And, at 60% off, its almost down to 10 bucks.
The IceDozer Plus
Second, if you're ready for Spring and you're already thinking about spending time in your garden, why not get an early jump on some items in the Amazon spring sale. My favorite by far is a really nice rope hammock for 50% off (Under 50 bucks!)
Omni Castaway Rope Hammock
And now, for the coolest item of the week: Look your loved one's in the face while you talk to them on the phone *and* it will be like they are right there with you even when you're away! Be like the Jetsons with a fantastic, 21st century videophone by Vialta! Check this thing out, it looks really, really sweet *and* its on sale!
Vialta Beamer Phone Video Station
Tuesday, February 10, 2004
Staples | SKU Level Online Catalog Page
How Not to Use Post-it Notes
As a professional organizer, one of my biggest qualms is with the ever-popular Post-it notes. I cannot tell you how many times I have cursed them! I find them all over the place while organizing a client, but NOT where they intended to be. They are stuck to random pieces of paper, behind books on bookshelves, under desks and office furniture and even stuck to the bottom of my shoes when I come home in the evening!
“Post-it” is a brand of the 3M company. Post-it, or sticky notes, were invented when one of their engineers was trying to develop a super-strong glue. He failed miserably. He shopped around his not-very-strong-at-all glue anyway, and eventually found a use for it. The 3M company has been producing Post-it products ever since.
Unfortunately, I have seen these useful little tools do more harm than good. Most of my clients have had major sticky note catastrophes. To avoid having you befall the same fate, I’m going to document the right way to use Post-it notes.
First, the Golden Rule of Sticky Notes. This will seem obvious if you remember how Post-it notes were invented:
If it’s not stuck between two pieces of paper, it will fall off!
Putting a sticky note in a book to keep your place is great. Putting a sticky note on your monitor is like throwing it in the trash.
Here are some good uses for Post-it notes:
As a book mark
When you find a good magazine article, a quote you’d like to remember, a citation for your research, or a favorite recipe, put a sticky note on the page. If you’re going to have more than one note in the book, write a word or two on the note to remind yourself of what it is.
Signatures on an important document
When you’re giving papers to another person to be signed, put a note on them that sticks out past the edge of the paper to remind them where to sign. Write “signature”, “initials”, or “sign and date” as appropriate.
Sorting files or items into categories
Quick inspiration
When you have a message to yourself that you can afford to lose, Post-it notes are great. For example, you might put a note on your wall behind your computer that says “drink a glass of water every hour” if that is a goal for you. It’s OK if it falls off; just make a rule that if you find a sticky note on the floor, you throw it away immediately.
Short-term brainstorming
When brainstorming, it can be useful to put your ideas on sticky notes, put them all on a wall, and move them around to sort them into categories. Just be sure to write them all down when you’re done!
Here are some bad uses for Post-it notes:
Phone messages
Replace your stack of stickies with a message pad. It’s much easier to keep a pad of paper around than a bunch of loose notes. Losing Post-its with phone numbers is a constant problem for my clients.
To-do lists
These should go directly into your PDA, your daily planner, or write them in an email and send it to yourself. To-dos on sticky notes just seem to never get done. If you absolutely must put a short-term to-do item on a sticky note, force yourself to throw it away (and move the to-do list to something more permanent) at the end of every day.
Important Ideas
If you are a creative person and have constant ideas you need to write down, keep them in a journal. There’s nothing worse than having your million-dollar idea stuck to the bottom of someone else’s shoe!
When you get down to it, Post-its can do every bit as much harm as good. So, please, I beg of you, use sticky notes, but use them wisely!
How Not to Use Post-it Notes
As a professional organizer, one of my biggest qualms is with the ever-popular Post-it notes. I cannot tell you how many times I have cursed them! I find them all over the place while organizing a client, but NOT where they intended to be. They are stuck to random pieces of paper, behind books on bookshelves, under desks and office furniture and even stuck to the bottom of my shoes when I come home in the evening!
“Post-it” is a brand of the 3M company. Post-it, or sticky notes, were invented when one of their engineers was trying to develop a super-strong glue. He failed miserably. He shopped around his not-very-strong-at-all glue anyway, and eventually found a use for it. The 3M company has been producing Post-it products ever since.
Unfortunately, I have seen these useful little tools do more harm than good. Most of my clients have had major sticky note catastrophes. To avoid having you befall the same fate, I’m going to document the right way to use Post-it notes.
First, the Golden Rule of Sticky Notes. This will seem obvious if you remember how Post-it notes were invented:
If it’s not stuck between two pieces of paper, it will fall off!
Putting a sticky note in a book to keep your place is great. Putting a sticky note on your monitor is like throwing it in the trash.
Here are some good uses for Post-it notes:
As a book mark
When you find a good magazine article, a quote you’d like to remember, a citation for your research, or a favorite recipe, put a sticky note on the page. If you’re going to have more than one note in the book, write a word or two on the note to remind yourself of what it is.
Signatures on an important document
When you’re giving papers to another person to be signed, put a note on them that sticks out past the edge of the paper to remind them where to sign. Write “signature”, “initials”, or “sign and date” as appropriate.
Sorting files or items into categories
Quick inspiration
When you have a message to yourself that you can afford to lose, Post-it notes are great. For example, you might put a note on your wall behind your computer that says “drink a glass of water every hour” if that is a goal for you. It’s OK if it falls off; just make a rule that if you find a sticky note on the floor, you throw it away immediately.
Short-term brainstorming
When brainstorming, it can be useful to put your ideas on sticky notes, put them all on a wall, and move them around to sort them into categories. Just be sure to write them all down when you’re done!
Here are some bad uses for Post-it notes:
Phone messages
Replace your stack of stickies with a message pad. It’s much easier to keep a pad of paper around than a bunch of loose notes. Losing Post-its with phone numbers is a constant problem for my clients.
To-do lists
These should go directly into your PDA, your daily planner, or write them in an email and send it to yourself. To-dos on sticky notes just seem to never get done. If you absolutely must put a short-term to-do item on a sticky note, force yourself to throw it away (and move the to-do list to something more permanent) at the end of every day.
Important Ideas
If you are a creative person and have constant ideas you need to write down, keep them in a journal. There’s nothing worse than having your million-dollar idea stuck to the bottom of someone else’s shoe!
When you get down to it, Post-its can do every bit as much harm as good. So, please, I beg of you, use sticky notes, but use them wisely!
Wednesday, February 04, 2004
Friday's Deal Mail!
(1/23/04) Well, another week has gone by and, while it seems unbelievable for most of you on the East Coast, here in Seattle, it seems like Spring is in the air. Its a bright sunny day here, and the rain and snow finally seem to be losing some of their grip on us... (for now, anyway...) Since I'm sure people are thinking about all those new year, new you types of things, I am going to try to focus on that type of stuff in today's email to see if people are interested in it...And man, are there a frazy number of deals in this area...
Call me a sucker for a fad, but I know too many people either on Atkins or wanting to go on it so, the #1 item to kick of the "new you" week for the deal mail is the complete Atkins starter kit which is currently about half off on Amazon. This box comes with everything you need to get started (vitamins, samples, directions, everthing...) My advice? At this price, get a few of these - it will save you far more than buying the stuff individually and I'm sure there is little to no difference between what's in the intro pack and what you would want to buy anyway if you were on the diet. Anyway, its a really cool product at a great price.
Atkins Diet 14 Day Starter Kit
If you buy more then one, don't forget to throw out or recycle all the duplicate papers and boxes when they arrive.
With spring coming just around the corner, I bet you keep a candy jar full of allergy medication by the front door to make sure you always have enough. To make sure you have enough, there is a great deal on amazon right now on multi-packs of claritin just in time for allergy season.
Claritin Allergy 24 hour RediTabs - 20 Pack
Be sure you have room for the extra--buying in bulk may save a few pennies, but it's not worth it if you have no room for it.
Today, there's a great deal on some MetRx bars on the site. You can get 12 of the chocolate fudge flavored bars for 25 bucks, which is 25% off of the normal price.
Met-Rx Protein Plus Protein Bar, Chocolate Fudge
If you're not into Atkins and like Dr. Phil instead (please just don't tell me and I'll be able to make it through my day...) there's a good price right now on the shakes for his diet as well. They're only 20% off, but hey, its a diet chocolate shake, you've already got one miracle (diet and chocolate in the same package) don't ask for two... :-)
Dr. Phil's Shape Up! Mix & Drink Chocolate Nutrition Shake
Apparently, you have to suck down a lot of eggs on Atkins as well, right? Since that's the case, I thought I'd throw in a great deal on a nonstick Calphalon saute pan as well. This one is also something like 80% off!
Calphalon Commercial Hard-Anodized 12-Inch Everyday Pan with Lid
How about cooking the stuff you have a better way? RIght now, Amazon has the George Foreman Champ Grill for under 10 bucks at 75% off!! Great for everything from hamburgers to grilled cheeses and steak! Check it out!
George Foreman Champ Grill
So, I'm sure everyone is starting to think, "I'm not on a diet, when is he going to move on already?!" All right, so new year isn't just new body, Its also time to deal with all kinds of things that have been piling up. One of those things, I'm sure for everyone, is taxes. Check out the unbelievable low price of $8.99 (!!) for TaxCut software by H&R Block. This one is really hot and is a today-only kind of price. I used this software last year and it was great. Besides, at that price, there's almost no risk in trying it, right? If it doesn't work with you, all you're out is 9 bucks!
H&R Block TaxCut 2003
I've never used this, but I recommend It'sDeductible to all my clients.
Now, for some final, non-food related items. Petzl Headlamps are a huge improvement over flashlights, and even over the old style headlamps since the whole headband (really a strong cord) retracts into the lamp when you aren't using it so it completely fits into your pocket. Get it for hiking or just to have around in your car or house in case of emergency. They are at a great price right now - even better than REI's!
Petzl Retracetable Headlamp
I have a headlamp that I keep in my emergency drawer when the power goes out. It's a lot easier to use when the lights are out than a flashlight because it keeps your hands free.
Final deal this week is a great pre-season deal on a fantastic lawnmower. My wife and I have this exact lawnmower for our yard in Seattle and I can say that it has worked flawlessly for three years now. A great deal and, if you have an in-town house or smaller yard, the convenience of electrical lawnmowers totally can't be beat. The coolest part is the flip handle which lets you just walk to the other side at the end of the row instead of having to muscle it around a turn and then untangle your cord later. The price right now (50% off!) is unheard of considering its just before the beginning of the season.
Black & Decker Lawn Hog Electric Mulching Mower
