Posts filed under 'Coupons & Codes'
Богородицаa href=http://individual.troweprice.com/public/Retail/Planning-amp;amp;-Research/Tax-Planning/TurboTax-Discountsimg class=alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-188 style=margin: 5px; title=Turbotax Logo src=http://www.cheaplinks.net/wp-content/uploads/turbotax-logo-150×108.jpg alt= width=150 height=108 align=left //a Now’s a good time to get a handle on 2011 taxes as those W-2s and 1099s start arriving in the mailbox. Once you’re ready to wade in, I’d recommend TurboTax Online. Many financial institutions are offering discounted TurboTax filing, and one of the better deals is via a title=TurboTax Discount href=http://individual.troweprice.com/public/Retail/Planning-amp;-Research/Tax-Planning/TurboTax-DiscountsT. Rowe Price/a. You don’t have to be a T. Rowe Price customer — just follow the link from their site to get a steep discount on TurboTax’s tax prep services. TurboTax isn’t perfect, but I’ve used it for many years and it’s one of the best ways to go it alone at tax time.
January 23rd, 2012
LivingSocial is a local-targeted deals site in the same vein as Groupon. Both offer localized deals — get a $50 gift certificate at a restaurant or spa in your town for $25, for instance — but LivingSocial generally has higher-end deals and also offers side deals on vacation packages and other items. Give it a try.
January 31st, 2011
Sadly, it’s tax time again. The good news is that there are deals to be had even with tax prep. Many financial institutions are offering discounted TurboTax filing (either online or as a download), and one of the better deals is via T. Rowe Price. Just follow the link from their site to get a steep discount on TurboTax’s tax prep services — and you don’t even have to be a T. Rowe Price customer. TurboTax isn’t perfect, but I’ve used it for many years and it’s one of the better ways to go it alone at tax time.
March 23rd, 2009
It should be an embarrassment to the TV industry that so few folks fully understand what HD television is, how to get it, or why they should care. Do I need a new TV? Do I have HD already and not know it? Or do I mistakenly think I’m already watching HD because I bought a new TV but didn’t upgrade my cable box?
The answers are different for different folks, but if you’re one of the millions of homes that’s not fully HD-ified, don’t fret. There are cheap options that may make you perfectly happy even though the cable and satellite companies might say otherwise.
First Scenario: You have a modern HD-ready TV (most often plasma or LCD with what’s called an ATSC tuner) purchased in the last 4 or 5 years and you subscribe to cable or satellite service. To get HD channels you’ll generally want to ask your provider for a new HD-capable box, which could also mean a new dish if you’re a satellite customer. This will usually bump up your monthly fee, but not by much. And this is the kind of situation where satellite customers should hold out for free upgrades of all hardware since you’ll be paying more monthly in the long term and making the satellite provider happy. Also note that while the major networks and some of the cable networks will then be arriving in HD, many if not most of them will still be the same old channels until every channel is available in HD.
Second Scenario: You have a modern HD-ready TV but don’t want to pay any more monthly or are ready to give up pay service entirely. This is actually a better option than ever now that crystal clear HD signals are being broadcast in every major city. It may seem antiquated, but if you live within about 30 miles of your local TV towers you can usually use an inexpensive indoor antenna to pull in full HD broadcasts of the major networks (NBC, CBS, etc). With zero monthly fee you’ll be watching full HD that exceeds the signal quality of most satellite and cable HD signals. There won’t be any Comedy Central or MTV unless you also pay for standard cable/satellite, but you can’t beat free.
Third Scenario: You have an old TV, no interest in HD, and don’t subscribe to cable or satellite service. Starting in February 2009 (unless they delay it again, which is always a possibility), you’ll need a small analog/digital converter box connected to your TV since the old signals TV stations have been sending for 50+ years will be turned off. This box will probably cost around $50 and the price can be offset by coupons the government is handing out here. You may also want a slightly fancier antenna, but if you get clear over the air signals now you may not need it.
See? That wasn’t so bad.
Helpful Links:
AntennaWeb.org – Type in your street address (you can leave all the other fields blank) and get a detailed survey of digital (HD) broadcasters in your area. They’ll also recommend an antenna type and tell you which way to point it.
Phillips HD Antenna – This cheap antenna at Amazon.com is highly recommended and will pull in beautiful HD signals for folks in most U.S. metropolitan areas.
Update: It’s often out of stock at amazon. Here another decent option by Philips.
DTV2009.gov – Request free coupons that will get you a cheaper converter box for old TVs that aren’t HD ready and won’t be connected to cable or satellite service.
January 24th, 2008
May 2009 Update: Albertsons just announced the end of home delivery service. If you have Vons delivery in your area, try code SAVE447 for free delivery through May 27, 2009.
January 2009 Update: The Albertsons HCC33 code in the original article below is now dead, but try HOLIDAYSHIPPING (free shipping) or EMAILSAVINGS ($10, $15, and $20 off your next three order) instead.
Update: First-time Albertsons/ACME customers can contact us and ask for a referral that gives you free delivery your first order.
I fall in love again with grocery delivery every time the truck pulls up in front of our house. Yet when I recommend it to friends they seem frightened of the idea — having decided in advance that it’s some sort of overpriced luxury for people rich enough to have other people do their shopping. The truth is that grocery delivery is available from at least one major chain in pretty much all major cities in the US even after the high profile death of dotcom flame-out HomeGrocer. As far back as 1996 when I lived in Boston I discovered grocery delivery from a company called Homeruns, and lugging my own crap home from the store has seemed an unnecessary chore ever since.
So how does it work? Here in LA several chains deliver — including our largest local chain Albertsons. Strangely, these services are very poorly advertised. It’s possible the chains fear cannibalizing too much of their in-store revenue. In any case, Albertsons has become our favorite even though all the services work about the same: You just create an account online and add items to your cart like you would at any online store. They also let you add your regular purchases to a saved list so that subsequent orders will go even faster. Produce, meat, frozen food, and everything else they carry in the regular stores can be ordered online. Everything but hot deli food, that is. Then you pick a 1 1/2-hour delivery window the next day or anytime thereafter (including Sundays) and at the appointed time a truck pulls up to your door. They even carry it into your kitchen if you like with no tipping.
So is it more expensive than going to the store? Delivery from HomeGrocer was always free, but that’s not usually the case now. Albertsons charges $12.95 per delivery, but they often offer discount codes for online orders so delivery can still be effectively free. “HCC33″ is the code I’ve used for Albertsons.com for over a year now and it’s still good as of yesterday [see Update above]. And what about the prices? They’re always identical to those in the store — including loyalty card discounts. I hear they even accept coupons that you hand to your driver on delivery, but I’ve yet to try this.
So if you’re not yet a convert, give it a try. Once you let someone else carry your cases of soda, canned goods, and 50-pound bags of dog food into your kitchen you’ll never want to go back.
August 14th, 2006
