No, his name isn’t Bob. But isn’t he cute? Besides, we needed some more Piglet pictures around here.
Tip Of The Day: A couple of tips from our readers, plus a Very Important Notice from Eddie Bauer. My goal for this post? That you walk away feeling slightly more informed than when you clicked in. Or at least, you got to look at a cute baby, which is clinically proven to make your day better – for FREE.
Tip For Tomorrow: In honor of my BFF Larue’s departure for Costume College in California (not a frugal undertaking, but very important for her continued costuming mastery), it will be all costumes all the time. Pictures of what I’m working on, links to great costuming sites, plus a shout out to a reasonably-priced, brilliantly-managed online costuming store. If nothing else, stop by to look at all the pretty.
Further Elucidation Of My Cheap Deal: I love my thecheapchick@gmail.com email. Every time I open it, there’s another message from a reader about a great bargain or a cool thing to try or some piece of frugal advice. Nothing makes me happier than when you guys share the thrifty love. So here are two bits of lovin’ for your Wednesday (Hump Day – how saucy!) morning:
From my Constant Reader, Tashi, comes a frugal book recommendation. Furthermore, this tome has been out long enough that you can probably find it at Half Price Books, making it even MORE thrifty:
“102 Great Dates for Any Budget by The Editors of Sharpman.com, Copywrite 2005 – yes, those really are the people who wrote it! After delving into it, I saw that it was clearly written for men, however, I think most if not all of the ideas could be suggested by/to either gender. I haven’t read the entire thing, but it seems pretty good so far. It’s not offensive, like it’s trying to teach guys how to eventually get intimate (cue the porn music!) with the ladies. Honestly, it feels like at least one woman was in on the writing. I’d be interested in hearing what your male readers think about this book and its ideas, as I’m not sure if they’d go over with all age ranges. I’d say that the men in their 30s and above would be more open to such creativity. But you never know. Dudes in their 20s may totally like some of the ideas (true – I’ve been impressed throughout my life by the creativity of younger men.)”
From my buddy Heather, who works over at the Bloomington Convention and Visitors Bureau, comes a thrifty deal for a cool golf event. If you like to watch golf – and yes, there are people who do – then check out this inexpensive deal:
“The BCV Bureau welcomes the 91st Annual PGA Championship to Hazeltine National Golf, in Chaska, MN. This prestigious event has not been hosted in Minnesota since 2002, and will make the return engagement August 10-16, 2009. Hazeltine National Golf Club is located just twelve miles from Bloomington (and it’s farking GORGEOUS out there).
7-day golf ticket and hotel packages are for sale now for the PGA Championship through the Bloomington Convention and Visitors Bureau. The PGA Championship Package includes:
One Wanamaker Ticket – includes seven days of access to the PGA Championship, an official copy of the PGA Championship Journal, a weekly parking pass and exclusive access to the Wanamaker Club, a complimentary $20 PGA Gift Certificate, one complimentary Mall of America® Super Savings Coupon Book, and one complimentary deluxe canvas shopping bag (save that environment, people!). To purchase the PGA Championship Package, log on to www.bloomingtonmn.org.
If you cannot make it to the PGA Championship, the Bloomington Convention and Visitors Bureau offers discounted rounds of golf at premier golf courses throughout the Twin Cities. Book one of the Bloomington Getaway packages at www.bloomingtonmn.org and you will be offered the opportunity to purchase discounted golf.”
Last, but not least, is a missive I received from Eddie Bauer this week. If you are a loyal Bauerist, or are just interested in learning about what’s going on in the world of retail, read on. I’ve edited out the boring, self-promoting bits.
“Dear Valued Customer:
Blah, blah blah, I wanted you to be aware that Eddie Bauer is being acquired by Golden Gate Capital, a Blah private equity firm specializing in retail and direct marketing brands. The sale is on track to close around August 3, 2009. Blah, blah, blah.
As you are essential to our success (Really? I’ve only bought two things from you in the past ten years.), I wanted to be sure that you know what this sale means to you:
• You’ll see no difference in Blah customer service Blah. Blah, blah, blah. You can continue to make purchases, make returns, use store credits, as well as buy and redeem gift cards.
• You can also continue to take full advantage of our Rewards, Friends, and credit card programs.
• The customer information you have provided to us – such as your email addresses, mailing addresses, any information you gave us for purchases or as part of our Rewards and Friends programs, will be transferred with the sale to our new legal registration of Eddie Bauer. The transfer of your information will allow us to continue to keep our loyalty programs – Friends and Rewards – intact, and send you catalogs, emails and mailings, as well as continue to Blah store your information.
Eddie Bauer credit card and amazon.com programs are unaffected by this change and will continue to operate as normal. As before, we will operate according to our same Eddie Bauer privacy policy. You do have the ability to opt-out of having your information transferred before August 3, 2009. If you would like to opt-out, please visit www.eddiebauer.com/optout. Please keep in mind that if you opt out of having your information transferred, your Friends and Rewards memberships will end, your shopping history will not be kept in our records, and you will no longer receive information on promotions and special offers. (Do you feel like you’re being lectured? Because that’s how I feel.)”
Why did The Cheap Chick (yes, I’m using the third person here) receive this notice? Because I belong to Eddie’s Rewards program, which means… something, I’m sure. I think I get discounts or coupons or a birthday gift, maybe. However, their rewards program hasn’t been as rewarding as some others I’ve joined, like Bath and Body or DSW. But hey! At least I get important information that I can pass on to you, right? That’s got to be worth something.
3 Comments
At this point I will only be HALF naked for my trip. Continued laundry service and some last minute sewing will make this less so.
Also? Why is it that children are not allowed to play with fake grenades anymore? Why is it that I can’t find one for my costume? It’s unAmerican, I tell you.
EeeeeK. SqqqqeeeeeL! Costumes tomorrow!!!!! Do haul some photos from my facebook page of my glitzy cheap bling, okay? You have my permission to use it under the heading, “Get your Renaissance Bling On for Cheap”.
Wow, they have a “Costume College”?? How cool. Safe travels, bff of Cheap Chick, and have fun.
In this day and age of pinching pennies more than ever, one of my favorite ideas is “The Hometown Tour Date” on page 32. Pretty self-explanatory, and Erin has discussed the same idea for general entertainment in past blogs. Makes loads of sense. By the way, I checked amazon.com, and 45 new and used copies are available, starting at ONE cent in price (shipping is usually $3.99).