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2007-09-13
Profitting From Sickness?
I just went to see a doctor today (that has more to do with the lack of updates than "Must... Stop... Update..."). The visit was covered by my insurance, so I needed not to pay. But I got two prescriptions, and using a coupon from Ralphs, I got back a $30 gift card, while paying only $10 for the pills thanks to my insurance. Had I separate the two prescriptions and also used the CVS coupon to get back another $25 gift card, I would have profited $45 from my sickness... Is this still considered as some kind of deals?
Labels: deals
2007-08-18
Adjustable Dumbbells
I bought a pair of new toys, the Bowflex SelectTech 220 Dumbbells today. While the gym in my apartment has dumbbells, many of them are missing, and I would use them more if I could do while watching TV. The price was unbelievable. These babies go for $199 in Amazon, but I found them in a local Sports Authority. While their web site says that they are going for the same price, they were on clearance at my local for $99.97. With a 25% off coupon I got from the web, it cost me just above $80. And I am also going to write a review on PriceGrabber to get an addition $5 rebate. They are great and convenient dumbbells, since they can go from 2.5 lbs each to 20 lbs at 2.5 lbs intervals, and the switching is as simple as turning a knob.
Labels: deals
2007-04-29
Keyboard Deal
Go, no, run to Office Depot right now! They are having a discount on my ideal keyboard for a low $9.99! I just got my second one to use at home. I don't need to bring the keyboard from work every weekend now!!!
Labels: deals
2007-02-13
My Bag of Crap
I just received a package from one of my favorite retailers, Woot. For those who don't know, Woot is a special kind of online store that sells one kind of item per day and changes the item every day. The items are usually good deals, but that is usually shadowed by the ingenious writing for the item description. Once a while, there would be an item called "bag of crap," where they sell some cheap, unknown items but occasionally include something expensive. A coupon months back, they even included Nintendo Wii. It is this mysterious nature that makes it so exciting and usually sell out within minutes.
I finally managed to buy my first bag of crap two weeks ago, and it has just arrived. It turns out to include a refurbished portable CD player, a (video) camera bag, two cute little doggie keychains, and two gel ink pen. See a thousand words below. Do you think $3 + $5 shipping is a good deal for these crap?
I finally managed to buy my first bag of crap two weeks ago, and it has just arrived. It turns out to include a refurbished portable CD player, a (video) camera bag, two cute little doggie keychains, and two gel ink pen. See a thousand words below. Do you think $3 + $5 shipping is a good deal for these crap?
Labels: deals
2007-01-12
Rice Cooker Deal
Yet another episode of the greatest deals got by twngan.
Lazy daily-rice-eating people like me needs rice cookers. The best one available to date is probably Sanyo ECJ-F50S, which is great for also soups, stews, or steaming. Not surprisingly, a few issues back Wired Magazine gave it a 9/10 score (scroll down to see). Pricey though, isn't it? With a list price of $140-160, you could easily get multiple kitchen appliances to perform multiple tasks.
So how cheap can I get it to be? Well, I placed an order when it was $129.12, and applied a $25 off $125 code (which is CLEAROUT for this month) to bring it down to $104.12. I used my 25% certificate I got from American Express Wishlist, reducing it to $78.09. Then I noticed the price dropped to $111.13, so I requested for a refund of $17.99 (they don't count certificates when computing refunds), making it at the end only $60! You can't beat this price!
Of course, this deal is not meant to be repeatable by you... Sorry!
Lazy daily-rice-eating people like me needs rice cookers. The best one available to date is probably Sanyo ECJ-F50S, which is great for also soups, stews, or steaming. Not surprisingly, a few issues back Wired Magazine gave it a 9/10 score (scroll down to see). Pricey though, isn't it? With a list price of $140-160, you could easily get multiple kitchen appliances to perform multiple tasks.
So how cheap can I get it to be? Well, I placed an order when it was $129.12, and applied a $25 off $125 code (which is CLEAROUT for this month) to bring it down to $104.12. I used my 25% certificate I got from American Express Wishlist, reducing it to $78.09. Then I noticed the price dropped to $111.13, so I requested for a refund of $17.99 (they don't count certificates when computing refunds), making it at the end only $60! You can't beat this price!
Of course, this deal is not meant to be repeatable by you... Sorry!
Labels: deals
2007-01-10
Damn Time Warner
Now that I have got my PS2 and Wii, apart from exhausting myself from swinging my arms playing tennis and bowling on Wii, I'm thinking about improving its quality on my 32" LCD TV. This process is a bit demanding; even the connection to TV has lingos like HDMI, component, composite, and SVideo. I did research a little bit on TV quality before buying my current TV, and I knew that I want it to support 1080p, although realistically I got myself only one that supports 1080i. A little research reveals that I want to use component cables, but the only component input on my TV is already connected to the cable box.
My cable subscription is digital through Time Warner. I have a few channels in high definition, but the quality on the rest channels are pretty bad. I thought it is because my TV now is much bigger than before, so the bad quality is just due to scaling. Checking about these cables and inputs makes me wonder, am I really getting the best performance I could from the cable service?
You can tell from the title that I weren't. Turns out the cable box supports 480i, 480p, 720i, 720p, and 1080i. With my TV I should use 1080i (or enable all the video modes for the cable box to choose), but my cable guy didn't bother to set and just left it to default with only 480i enabled. Setting it properly made the picture so freakingly much better. This also means I have been paying 4 months of cable service without really utilizing it! How could that guy be so lazy and not to set it for me? Why did I trust him and not bothered to check?
Anyway, my research reveals that I need to get component cables for PS2 and Wii. Or better yet, get this multi-console cable from Play-Asia, which can connect PS2/3, Wii, and Xbox to the same input at the same time. Since I don't have enough inputs on my TV, I also got this box that takes at most 3 component connections, a very low-cost option. The only down side is that they ship from Hong Kong, so it might takes a while for the cables to get to US.
My cable subscription is digital through Time Warner. I have a few channels in high definition, but the quality on the rest channels are pretty bad. I thought it is because my TV now is much bigger than before, so the bad quality is just due to scaling. Checking about these cables and inputs makes me wonder, am I really getting the best performance I could from the cable service?
You can tell from the title that I weren't. Turns out the cable box supports 480i, 480p, 720i, 720p, and 1080i. With my TV I should use 1080i (or enable all the video modes for the cable box to choose), but my cable guy didn't bother to set and just left it to default with only 480i enabled. Setting it properly made the picture so freakingly much better. This also means I have been paying 4 months of cable service without really utilizing it! How could that guy be so lazy and not to set it for me? Why did I trust him and not bothered to check?
Anyway, my research reveals that I need to get component cables for PS2 and Wii. Or better yet, get this multi-console cable from Play-Asia, which can connect PS2/3, Wii, and Xbox to the same input at the same time. Since I don't have enough inputs on my TV, I also got this box that takes at most 3 component connections, a very low-cost option. The only down side is that they ship from Hong Kong, so it might takes a while for the cables to get to US.
2007-01-06
San Diego Trip
Last weekend, during the New Year break, I went to San Diego. The major destinations are San Diego Zoo and San Diego Wild Animal Park. They are actually designed with different mindset. If you care about seeing animals (especially pandas), then the zoo allows you to quickly seeing a lot. But you would have to accept that the fact that the animals are confined in small areas. On the other hand, the wild animal park looks more like a wild area, where you see animals in closer to their actual habitat.
Of course, being a proud deal hunter, I don't pay retail price. A good place to look for discounts in these places is MouseSavers.com, which currently featuring $8 off coupons for both places, saving you $16 per person combined.
Apart from them, I also visited the famous La Jolla Beach. Just look at this handsome guy...
Of course, being a proud deal hunter, I don't pay retail price. A good place to look for discounts in these places is MouseSavers.com, which currently featuring $8 off coupons for both places, saving you $16 per person combined.
Apart from them, I also visited the famous La Jolla Beach. Just look at this handsome guy...
2006-12-29
Dinning Discount from Entertainment Book
I buy Entertainment Book each year. I bought the Houston edition twice and just got my Los Angeles edition. The price was ok, since I got $10 off plus free shipping, and $7 additional cashback via FatWallet, making it a total of $15 instead of the marked price of $32.
Entertainment Books have many coupons and discounts. But the bigger reason I get them is to get myself to go out more; I use it for suggestions on places I can visit and restaurants I can go. So while it may not find me the greatest deals, I still enjoy it, despite the declining quality of the offers.
But the worst part of it is when using the coupons or discounts at restaurant. Sometimes I feel like I am begging for a favor. Like yesterday I tried to use it in Roll 'N' Sushi in Santa Monica. While the Entertainment Book clearly states that the offer is valid anytime, they refused to honor it and claimed that it only applies for dinners. The food wasn't good either: The miso soup was too salty, the rice in rolls were loose, the sushi chef kept talking while preparing the sushi and might have spat some saliva on them, and the teriyaki sauce tasted weird. It might be because the chefs are Korean.
So I sent a note to Entertainment.com. The first reply is disappointing. Even though I used their form and clearly stated the issue in details, they gave me one of those standard replies stating their position, policy, etc., and asked me to follow up with the exact same information I gave them if I were to pursue this issue further. I replied and now they say they're going to investigate. I'll see what happen. But given this kind of frustration, this might as well be my last Entertainment book unless my other experience on using the discounts be better.
Entertainment Books have many coupons and discounts. But the bigger reason I get them is to get myself to go out more; I use it for suggestions on places I can visit and restaurants I can go. So while it may not find me the greatest deals, I still enjoy it, despite the declining quality of the offers.
But the worst part of it is when using the coupons or discounts at restaurant. Sometimes I feel like I am begging for a favor. Like yesterday I tried to use it in Roll 'N' Sushi in Santa Monica. While the Entertainment Book clearly states that the offer is valid anytime, they refused to honor it and claimed that it only applies for dinners. The food wasn't good either: The miso soup was too salty, the rice in rolls were loose, the sushi chef kept talking while preparing the sushi and might have spat some saliva on them, and the teriyaki sauce tasted weird. It might be because the chefs are Korean.
So I sent a note to Entertainment.com. The first reply is disappointing. Even though I used their form and clearly stated the issue in details, they gave me one of those standard replies stating their position, policy, etc., and asked me to follow up with the exact same information I gave them if I were to pursue this issue further. I replied and now they say they're going to investigate. I'll see what happen. But given this kind of frustration, this might as well be my last Entertainment book unless my other experience on using the discounts be better.
2006-12-26
What I Got for Christmas
Not being able to get Xbox on the cheap (and Wii at all), I had to get myself something for fun. I ended up getting, guess what, a 6-year-old console in PS2. Of course, it has to be a deal to get something this old. I got it from Overstock.com with another 20% off certificate I got from American Express. This makes the price goes from $128.99 to $103.19 and tax free at the same time.
If nothing else, this at least gives me the chance to pick up again the greatest game of all times, the Final Fantasy series I have missed since playing the Japanese version of Final Fantasy VI in Super Nintendo Entertainment System. I still wonder how I could finish the game without understanding the story...
If nothing else, this at least gives me the chance to pick up again the greatest game of all times, the Final Fantasy series I have missed since playing the Japanese version of Final Fantasy VI in Super Nintendo Entertainment System. I still wonder how I could finish the game without understanding the story...
2006-12-24
Still No Xbox
But this is no longer because I don't have my Toysrus wishlist certificate. I finally got them 2 days after being told that it hadn't been sent, yet the tracking system from UPS reveals that it was sent the week before. So not only American Express sent my certificate late, they also lied to me that they have already sent it. Nice job!
By the time I got the certificate, the Christmas catastrophe is already happening. I am referring to the mindless shopping spray that happens before every Christmas. And L.A. is crowded like nowhere I've experienced before.
Of course, the big mystery of whether I got a deal using my certificate or not has a sad ending. When I got my certificate and went to two Toysrus, they were all gone. Wii. Playstation 3 (which I was not particularly looking for anyway). The greatest discounted Xbox 360. Nintendo DS Lite. Even Playstation 2 or Gamecube (!). They have sold out every single game console that they had.
It certainly sucks to live in a crowded place like L.A.
By the time I got the certificate, the Christmas catastrophe is already happening. I am referring to the mindless shopping spray that happens before every Christmas. And L.A. is crowded like nowhere I've experienced before.
Of course, the big mystery of whether I got a deal using my certificate or not has a sad ending. When I got my certificate and went to two Toysrus, they were all gone. Wii. Playstation 3 (which I was not particularly looking for anyway). The greatest discounted Xbox 360. Nintendo DS Lite. Even Playstation 2 or Gamecube (!). They have sold out every single game console that they had.
It certainly sucks to live in a crowded place like L.A.
2006-12-20
AmEx Wishlist Hatred
I'll say it again here. I know American Express is doing us a favor by offering the My Wishlist, and I am grateful to that even though I couldn't win any discounted product. But they really need to improve in multiple departments.
The first dumbness is mailing Overstock certificates with a generic URL. Of course that URL would be posted on every single deal site under the sun, and of course it would be abused by thousands, if not millions. I am ok with them disabling the URL and send me a one-time use instead, but why on earth do they need to shorten the use time from more than a month to 3 days? That completely destroyed my purchasing plan.
Worse, I still haven't got my Toysrus certificate I won 18 days ago. I just called, and they told me that they haven't even shipped it. My sister won the certificate later than me and she got it last week. There are plenty of people getting it a couple days after winning it. I would be fine if it were logistic issue and no one could have the certificate soon, but I can't take on this kind of unfairness. Particularly when the $100 gift card Xbox promotion is ending Sunday, and the next shipment of Wii is the day after tomorrow...
The good feeling I got for this whole promotion has completely gone. Time will tell if it turns into hatred.
The first dumbness is mailing Overstock certificates with a generic URL. Of course that URL would be posted on every single deal site under the sun, and of course it would be abused by thousands, if not millions. I am ok with them disabling the URL and send me a one-time use instead, but why on earth do they need to shorten the use time from more than a month to 3 days? That completely destroyed my purchasing plan.
Worse, I still haven't got my Toysrus certificate I won 18 days ago. I just called, and they told me that they haven't even shipped it. My sister won the certificate later than me and she got it last week. There are plenty of people getting it a couple days after winning it. I would be fine if it were logistic issue and no one could have the certificate soon, but I can't take on this kind of unfairness. Particularly when the $100 gift card Xbox promotion is ending Sunday, and the next shipment of Wii is the day after tomorrow...
The good feeling I got for this whole promotion has completely gone. Time will tell if it turns into hatred.
2006-12-18
Deal of the Year
I am recovering from the mourning from missing possibly the deal of the year.
I mentioned about winning some 25% off certificates from American Express' Wishlist. Another certificate I won about two weeks ago is from Toysrus. Together with the $100 giftcard they give for each Xbox 360 purchase, it effectively makes it 50% off, from $400 to $200.
Wait, there's more. There was also new shipments of Wii. Those people camping outside Toysrus for the Xboxes "accidentally" also get new Wiis. With 25% off. So for less than the original price of an Xbox, they get both an Xbox and a Wii...
The saddest of all, of course, is that I haven't yet to receive my Toysrus certificate, so I didn't even have the chance to get them... I shouldn't blame American Express for not sending my certificate sooner, as they're just doing people favors, but I have to blame my apartment. They have this hateful practice of sending our packages to the cleaners in the garage in one of our buildings. And then X days later, where X is a random variable with possible outcomes in { 0, 1, 2, 3, ∞ }, a slip will somehow show up on my mailbox. Yes, with an ∞. Sometimes they don't even bother to put the slip to notify me.
Do I need more reasons to leave my apartment once my lease expires? Yes? Fine. What about constant noise from emergency vehicles and helicopters? Remember what happened in New York?
I mentioned about winning some 25% off certificates from American Express' Wishlist. Another certificate I won about two weeks ago is from Toysrus. Together with the $100 giftcard they give for each Xbox 360 purchase, it effectively makes it 50% off, from $400 to $200.
Wait, there's more. There was also new shipments of Wii. Those people camping outside Toysrus for the Xboxes "accidentally" also get new Wiis. With 25% off. So for less than the original price of an Xbox, they get both an Xbox and a Wii...
The saddest of all, of course, is that I haven't yet to receive my Toysrus certificate, so I didn't even have the chance to get them... I shouldn't blame American Express for not sending my certificate sooner, as they're just doing people favors, but I have to blame my apartment. They have this hateful practice of sending our packages to the cleaners in the garage in one of our buildings. And then X days later, where X is a random variable with possible outcomes in { 0, 1, 2, 3, ∞ }, a slip will somehow show up on my mailbox. Yes, with an ∞. Sometimes they don't even bother to put the slip to notify me.
Do I need more reasons to leave my apartment once my lease expires? Yes? Fine. What about constant noise from emergency vehicles and helicopters? Remember what happened in New York?
2006-11-30
I Rock
At least for AE's My Wishlist. I managed to get today's feature item, Microsoft's Zune, each of the three times it offered today. Since my iPod just arrived yesterday (to my surprise, Apple Fedexed it from China in 3 days), I couldn't convince myself to get a Zune (Welcome to the so-so!), even at half price. I ended up getting one for my sister and giving up other chances.
These are definitely signs that I'm good at this game. And I have had enough practice to perfect my skills. So I believe, on top of getting more 25% off certificates, I'll also be able to get something big. Like the Porsche or the 40" TV with Blu-Ray. Maybe both...
These are definitely signs that I'm good at this game. And I have had enough practice to perfect my skills. So I believe, on top of getting more 25% off certificates, I'll also be able to get something big. Like the Porsche or the 40" TV with Blu-Ray. Maybe both...
Labels: deals
2006-11-29
Winning Something
I am never a guy who wins in things like lucky draws. Well, except the time when I was in high school I won the grand prize of seven dwarfs dolls (as in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs), and bear in mind that I was in a boys' high school. So I don't win anything meaningful, including the Xbox 360 from the stupid Amazon Customers Vote.
But it changed yesterday. Thanks to "My Life. My Card.", I was lucky enough to get that 25% off (up to $150 off $600) certificate from Amazon. Of course, I would rather have the Sharp 37" 1080p LCD TV for $900, but no complains here. Now if only I could get the Porsche...
But it changed yesterday. Thanks to "My Life. My Card.", I was lucky enough to get that 25% off (up to $150 off $600) certificate from Amazon. Of course, I would rather have the Sharp 37" 1080p LCD TV for $900, but no complains here. Now if only I could get the Porsche...
Labels: deals
2006-11-24
Black Friday Sucks
This year's Black Friday sucks. Despite having a long TOBUY list and finally having a bit money to spend, I couldn't find any deal I'm a bit interested, even after spending a whole week looking online and reading newspaper ads. Well, except for the Xbox 360 sold at $100 in Amazon, which was more like an invitation for DDoS attack and was impossible to get.
Actually, the top item is my list is a Wii (notwithstanding its ridiculous name), but it is tough to get. I also want a DS Lite, but everyone seems to stick the price to $129.
Desperate as I was, I decided to go for an iPod. My very first iPod. After all, it is rare to see a sale in Apple Store, and who can resist with it on top of an employee discount?
Actually, the top item is my list is a Wii (notwithstanding its ridiculous name), but it is tough to get. I also want a DS Lite, but everyone seems to stick the price to $129.
Desperate as I was, I decided to go for an iPod. My very first iPod. After all, it is rare to see a sale in Apple Store, and who can resist with it on top of an employee discount?
Labels: deals
2006-10-14
Free International Calls!
Who could guess that International calls are finally free?
Just call 712-858-8883, followed by standard International call number sequence (011...). No sign-up and unlimited calls to many places all around the world, including Hong Kong and Mainland China. This service is provided by Future Phone. Full of disbelief, I tried their service, and it worked, exactly as they advertised! Now I just need to hope that they'll keep up to their promise, providing this free service until 2010.
Of course, not knowing much about this company, it is a good idea to play safe and not to use your own phone number. So calling them through Skype is probably better.
Just call 712-858-8883, followed by standard International call number sequence (011...). No sign-up and unlimited calls to many places all around the world, including Hong Kong and Mainland China. This service is provided by Future Phone. Full of disbelief, I tried their service, and it worked, exactly as they advertised! Now I just need to hope that they'll keep up to their promise, providing this free service until 2010.
Of course, not knowing much about this company, it is a good idea to play safe and not to use your own phone number. So calling them through Skype is probably better.
Labels: deals
