My two best bargain finds EVER

Nexgrill Stainless Steel Gas Grill

Three years ago, we got the steal of the century at Target and the best bang for our buck cooking-wise we've had in years. For $250 (including tax) we bought a Nexgrill Stainless Steel Gas Grill that normally sells for $549.99. First, it was on sale. Then because only a damaged model was left (and they had to sell it before they could sell anyone the floor model), the manager gave us an an additional 30% off the sale price. He told us that if we weren't able to put it together because of the damage (which didn't look that bad to us in the store), he'd give us a full refund. Then we got an additional 10% off for opening up a Target VISA account.

When we got it home, we realized on the back panel was bent but all of the damage was on the inside. After bending it back into shape, Big Bad Dad was able to put it together with no problems. We’ve used the rotisserie a few times with mixed success. Still, we mostly use it to grill several times a year. In the three years we’ve had it, it still looks and works great.

Navigon 2100 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator

A more recent bargain is the Navigon 2100 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator I got for my husband for Father’s Day. It normally retails for $199, but was on sale at Staples for $119. (It’s usually $135 at Amazon.) I had a $25 off coupon for purchases over $100. And because it was over $50 I got free shipping. Also, the nearest Staples is a 40-minute round trip. So not only did I save time and gas buying it online, I also paid my local sales tax, too (6.3% vs. 8.025%).

Ironically, Sony sent me a their the Sony nav-u™ portable navigation device (NV-U83t) to review a couple of weeks later. (You can read my write up at Sony gets you where you want to go: the Sony NV-U83T portable navigation system.) It’s a much fancier product that retails around $400. Still the features that make it more expensive - Bluetooth hands free communication and a traffic messaging channel – are features I don’t use. Trying out the Sony GPS made me realize that you don’t need a fully loaded $400 GPS – the cheaper units are just as good. However, getting one for around $100 was even better.

Some Great Shopping Sites

One of my recent finds is the Box Tops for Education Marketplace. It’s a great way to earn cash for your school. I also like using FatWallet.com, which pays you a percentage back on your purchases (months later though).

A new place I found through The Parent Bloggers Network is Couponers.com, a coupon and deals shopping website that averages over 100 new coupons and discounts daily from hundreds of your favorite stores. What’s cool is that each section (like office supplies, travel, or sporting goods) comes with an RSS feed. So instead of checking the site daily for bargains, you can put the section’s feed into your feed reader. How smart is that?

You can also search the site by store. Finally, they’ve teamed up with SmartSource to provide their users with printable store coupons. This is definitely a service I can – and will – use.

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