<p>Not a buy, but I did save money. My cleaning lady canceled on me last minute and I was happy. I don’t want to have her every week since the kids are gone, but I hated to cut her back. Whenever she has childcare problems she has to cancel and I am happy not to spend the money that week. </p>
<p>My husbands likes to have her weekly, so we have continued while I have cut back in other areas. I know she really needs the money, and I do like my house to be cleaned when I get home; it works for both of us, but I like when she has to miss a week!</p>
<p>I went to see CAVALIA…loved it. The matinee includes going down to the ring and watching a training session afterwards. I arrived an hour early so I could find parking on the street for free and parked only one block away.</p>
<p>I think I posted this before but in case not, I will do so again. Any USAA members-- when renting a car, go to the USAA site first-- then link to the discounts and then go to the rental car company of your choice. It will take you to the external rental car link but by going through the USAA site I got a MUCH better rate than going to the rental cvar site directly and then putting in the USAA discount code. Got a car in Houston for $15/day and in NY (Westchester) for $20/day with Hertz! No prepay required as would have been if I’d used hotwire or priceline. Both times I got a Toyota Yaris-- small but cute and perfectly fine for our needs.</p>
<p>Thanks for the tip jym626. S1 is USAA member. He will be stationed in Fl. soon and may need to rent a car around the holidays this year.</p>
<p>I needed a couple of new bedpillows. Saw a sale in the Kohl’s flyer yesterday(although every week there is some sort of sale at Kohl’s,lol). Pillows at Kohl’s were $3.99 each.</p>
<p>Son’s best buy yesterday, Organic Chem by Carey 7th edition text book bought for sibling, for…drumroll…$5!!!</p>
<p>Is taking a couple of classes at local state uni to fulfill his pre-med requirements that he can’t fit into his academic year schedule and is helping out a few of the students in the class. With graditude another student sold him his O Chem text for $5. His sis was super happy since the bookstore had it used for $165.</p>
<p>He said he will keep his eyes open for other texts everyone will need for the fall, he is on the hunt for a couple of lab manuals now!! </p>
<p>Kat
ps We too are USAA members and have benefitted from their low cost car insurance policies, low credit card and loan rates.</p>
<p>I got a good deal on my son’s anatomy book on ebay. I got a message the day after I bought it saying the transaction had been voided by ebay’s fraud dept., but I’d already paid by paypal. The book arrived, new, from a major bookstore chain, but I feel a little guilty about it. It was gift-wrapped, perhaps to disguise it.</p>
<p>Dillard’s is having a “save an extra 40% sale” today on anything in the store that is already on sale. </p>
<p>I took my son’s 1999 Camry in to the dealership to have some repairs, but they wanted over $700. Should have known better than to take it to a dealership! I took it to another shop and got the work done for $261.</p>
<p>D called her dad in panic worried about the check engine light that was on, she made an appointment at the dealership to check it out and just wanted her dad to be there so she wouldn’t be ripped off. Long story short, a trip to the dealership was not needed - her gas tank cap was not screwed on Lots of savings right there!</p>
<p>Speaking of Ochem, with three kids home this summer we have way too many textbooks around, I gave them all a chance to sell them and keep the money, then when no one moved fast enough on their own (piles sat on the stairs untouched for weeks) I opened my own Amazon seller account, have sold an OChem molocule building kit and another book :)</p>
<p>32 oz. Nalgene-type, BPA-free water bottles at Target. The shelf tag said $1.24 and I assumed it was an error but it wasn’t. I bought all four since they tend to disappear (along with beach towels – another purchase today).</p>
<p>A friend offered me a gift certificate for $150-200 to ship a car from HI to LA instead of the approximately $1000 it was supposed to cost (we’ll pay whatever price he paid). He bought it at a silent auction & doesn’t need it but S is thrilled that we can ship him our old car when our new one used one is available (it’s a 2006 used Volvo with only 9000 miles on it for under $14000). </p>
<p>This saves us having to sell a car which still works well & has a lot of value left in it & having to buy the kids a car that is suitably old but still sturdy for their use in college. This car is a 1992 BMW but our mechanic swears it is still a great car & very sturdy with lots of metal so it should survive well in a crash. Because of the brand, it has some “cachet,” but because it’s so old, it will probably not be particularly attractive to thieves, especially compared to other cars on or near campus which are much newer & sexier. Our kids are very fond of this car–it drives well and fits well into most spaces, seating 5 pretty comfortably with good trunk space.</p>
<p>More good news–just got a reasonable quote for CA auto insurance for our S–under $500 for 6 months with an insurer the agent uses herself and is happy with. I was concerned because he’s a male & under 25 years old and had an accident >2 years ago, but this quote covers it all at the maximum amount.</p>
<p>I bid $30 on a hotel room through Priceline, total with taxes $41. Same hotel if you buy it outright from the sight, $136 including tax. I LOVE name your own price!</p>
<p>Yippee! The air conditioner only needed a minor repair (total bill $130, including new filters)…since the compresser wasn’t cycling on, I had thoughts of a huge replacement bill. It sure feels like a good buy to us!</p>
<p>I must say, the Priceline bidding is something I’m going to try the next time we need a hotel room, sounds like lots of good buys are happening there!</p>
<p>Washer broke. I was not looking forward to buying a new one. It’s got to be 15 years old, maybe more. I would probably want a front loader, and would need a dryer to go with it, and would probably have to adjust cabinets that hang over, and have no money for what they want for those pricey sets…blalblabla.</p>
<p>A beer mug that burps when it get set down. (10cents)
A beer mug with a bike bell, (for calling for another round). (25cents)
A motion sensored talking Lost In Space, Robbie, that announces, “Danger, Danger, Will Robinson!” (0ne dollar).</p>
<p>I am throwing away the mugs and accessorizing my road bike. :)</p>
<p>I bought a chair for $5 today! Now, granted it is a hideously ugly chair. The uphosltery is an ugly, pukey green, it’s leaking stuffing in two spots, and there are some minor holes in the wicker “weave” of the frame. But who cares, it’s mostly for the cats to sit on so they’ll leave my chair alone. I’ll be moving in a year and will not feel guilty about leaving a piece of furniture like Ugly Chair rather than hauling it along on a six hour drive.</p>
Lots of savings right there!</p>