Saving On Christmas (more ideas)

We keep looking for more Christmas gift ideas... and keep finding them! Here are some more inexpensive ideas. Let us know what you see and we'll share.

homemade ipod/iphone charging holder 

handmade braided scarf (all you need are 2 t-shirts)

For Someone Who Just Got Married

For Dads - A Circular Saw Pizza Cutter

Christmas Gift Ideas (Part 1)

It's about that time of year when people start racking (or wracking, depending on your spelling preferences) their brains for Christmas gift ideas. Maybe you're ahead of the game. Maybe your closet is filled to the brim with gifts already. I'm about halfway through my shopping. But I'm always looking for creative and affordable ways to show the people I care about how much I love them.

I posted some fun and affordable gift ideas here. And I'll keep them coming as I see them. Let me know what you find, we'll gladly share.

Some of these options are local to Charlotte, others you'd have to order online.

Personalized Guitar Picks -$12.95

Light Saber Chopsticks - $9.99

An Idea For The Chef- $4

DIY Coasters - As much as you want to spend

Charlotte Skyline Photos - Prices Vary

Gifts Knitted By You - 15% Off Classes in NoDa if you take a friend. 10% Off Supplies

And If you want to give back this Christmas

Let The College Football Begin

Charlotte will see thousands of visitors this weekend. Some will be donned in garnet & black, others draped in purple and gold.

Whichever team you pull for at Bank of America stadium (we'll be head to toe in garnet), the deals abound!

Let's start with the Pirates. The alumni association will host a 'Pirates' Night Out' celebration Friday night. It's at Whisky River in the EpiCentre from 7 p.m. - 9 p.m. It's a free event with light bar snacks. They also offered a free drink ticket to the first 100 people to RSVP (but the deadline has passed). For everyone else: a cash bar.

The Gamecock alumni association in the queen city hopes to paint Charlotte garnet. From 6 until 8 Friday night: Free food at Moe's in the EpiCentre for anyone in Gamecock attire. Then it's onto live music and a pep rally atop the EpiCentre at the Pavilion . After 11, it's onto Blackfinn and Wild Wings. It also looks like the fine folks at @CLTGamecocks have some plans for a few yards:

The Gamecocks are also hosting festivities at the NC Music Factory including game ticket giveaways

So there you have it. Who has the better plan? Rival fans pre-gaming in the same location Friday night could get interesting. Let us know what you think at @savingonclt (and as you can probably tell, our money lies on the Gamecocks).

Making The Super Double Count

Anytime a receipt from the grocery store is this long, it must be a good thing.

Harris Teeter is in the middle of its Super Double coupon event right now. It lasts through Tuesday night (official rules). Here's the basic rundown for coupon newbies: Harris Teeter will double any coupon you have. The highest the store will go is $1.98 (example: a coupon for 50 cents becomes $1. A coupon for $1 becomes $1.98. A coupon for $1.50 also cuts off at $1.98).

We did some late-night shopping Sunday at the Uptown Harris Teeter location (map it). We spent $80.21 and saved $50.33 (with coupons combined with the VIC card). The coupons we use are 100% from the Charlotte Observer over the last few weeks or from Harris Teeter (the printouts they give you when you check out). The best trick to maximize savings is to use coupons for items already on sale.

Here are the best places to save if you gather coupons the same way.

Best Buy: 
Sure Deodorant
Normal Price: $2.85
VIC Price: $1.99
Coupon: The Observer had a coupon on 8/14 for $1 off (doubled to $1.98)
Total: 1 cent
Savings: $2.84

Decent finds:
V8 Splash juice (2)
Normal Price: $6.70 for both
VIC Price: $5 for both
Coupon: $1 off 2 from Observer (doubled to $1.98)
Total for 2: $3.02
Savings: $3.68

Bic Disposable Razor (we bought Soleil)
Normal Price: $6.49
VIC Price: $4.99
Coupon: $3 off from Observer (too high to double)
Total: $1.99
Savings: $4.50

Pantene Shampoo & Conditioner
Normal Price: $8.90 for both
VIC Price: $7 for both
Coupon: $1 off both from Observer (doubled to $1.98)
Total: $5.02
Savings: $3.88

Ragu Pasta Sauce (3)
Normal Price: $8.37 for 3
VIC Price: $6.87 for 3
Coupon: 60 cents off 3 (doubled to $1.20)
Total: $5.67 for 3
Savings: $2.70

Playtex Tampons
Normal Price: $5.29
VIC Price: $4.99
Coupon: $1 off from HT printout coupon (doubled to $1.98)
Total: $3.01
Savings: $2.28

Your Home Toilet Paper (12 pack)
Normal Price: $7.49
VIC Price: $6.77
Coupon: $3 off from Observer (too high to double)
Total: $3.77
Savings: $3.72

Your Home Paper Towels (8 pack)
Normal Price: $7.99
Vic Price: $5.99
Coupon: $3 off from Observer (too high to double)
Total: $2.99
Savings: $5

We will never brag about our math skills. So please feel free to double check our work (yes, we did use a calculator for this post). Let us know what super double steals you were able to find and we'll share them. Just tweet us (@savingonclt) or e-mail us (savingoncharlotte@gmail.com).

E-Mail Lists Worth Joining

Many companies offer small deals if you sign up for their e-mail lists. Some even send you deals on your birthday. We've signed up for dozens of lists to bring you the best deals we can find. This blog will focus on three that have paid off.

1. Ri Ra - Go to this page and click on the 'pub club' tab. They send out periodic updates. And on your birthday, they'll send you a deal for $10 off your next purchase. Not too shabby.

2. Moe's - Here you can subscribe to 'Moe's E-World'. When you turn a year older, they'll send you a free entree. The coupon's expiration date comes quickly though, so you'll want to use it quickly.

3. Noodles & Company - This is a link to join the E-club. For your birthday, you get a free bowl of noodles, making this a good choice for anyone not on the Atkins Diet.


We also found 2 companies that seemingly skimp on the birthday freebies. Bruegger's offers a free cookie and TCBY gives a dollar or two off frozen yogurt (this makes @savingonclt yawn).

As always, we recommend setting up a dummy e-mail address account. Create one that you only use for spam. That way, you can weed through the e-mails you want when you want them, and delete the ones you're not interested when you feel like it.

Saving On Father's Day

We tracked down some of the best Father's Day deals we could find (and left out the lame ones other blogs keep posting. who really wants to take their dad to Ikea for a free breakfast that normally would only cost you $2?). We also left out the restaurants that do not have Charlotte locations (even found one that has a Charlotte franchise-- but the deal does not apply here). We're also posting any hooks or catches to the bargain.


Here's what we found. Click on the company name for details.
And send us what you find that may be different. We love sharing.


Restaurant Deals
McCormick & Schmick's: $30 for a 3-course meal
Smokey Bones: Dads eat free (with the purchase of one meal. you also have to join the bones club. the free meal can be up to $20)
Cheesecake Factory: Free slice of cheesecake for every $30 you spend
Morton's Steakhouse: $69 for a 3-course meal
Ruth's Cris: $39.95 for a 3-course meal (I would call ahead on this one. It's not a Father's Day-specific deal. It may be gone before the holiday comes).
Cold Stone Creamery: 20% off purchase (this is not father's day specific - grab it and use it anytime!)
Restaurant.com: Use the code FATHER to get even more off the already-discounted gift certificates.


Gifts
Free Photo Collage: From Walgreen's (8x10). Use the coupon code GOBIG8X10
Hallmark: Personalized gift idea deals. Some are up to $15 off.
T-Mobile: This one is strange. Dad can get a free phone at T-Mobile on Father's day. You have to sign a 2-year contract for a family plan. The link has some FAQ answers. This is a strange one, but a great deal if it works for you.


Contests You Can Enter For Pops
Dream Kitchen: Dad like cooking? get him his dream kitchen. Must enter by 6/15
Pocket Video Camera: Submit a photo of you and your dad to Women's Day Magazine to win a free pocket video camera.


For The Long Distance Dad
You can always go with the classic flowers.
Visit this site before you order online to get deals on shipping and other discounts.
Deals To More Than A Dozen Flower Sites


It Won't Work
Noodles is advertising a free bowl of noodles for dads. But we looked into the specifics and the online rules show it does not apply to any location in North Carolina.

Saving On NASCAR

I went to my first NASCAR race today at Charlotte Motor Speedway. With the big race tomorrow, I thought I'd pass on a few thoughts to keep it cheap.

We found free parking in the N parking section. It was in a grassy area right outside of Gate 9. Most other parking was about $10. It may be a different situation Sunday.

You can take pretty much anything you'd want with you (except glass bottles).

Here are some things you may want to have. They will be cheaper to buy ahead of time.

Water

Beer

Earplugs

Sunscreen

A Towel (or something to wipe your sweat with)

Also keep your eye out for these guys. They hand out all kinds of coupons and freebies!

If you're going, enjoy the race.

Coupons Worth Clipping

We'll only post coupons worth $1 or more here. Here are a few links for things that may come in handy for the Holiday weekend.
$1 Off A Wholly Guacamole Product

Buy One Get One Free Potatoes (who loves potato salad?)

There's A Few Here That May Come In Handy

One is for Trop50 (it is only 50 cents)
But if you clipped coupons from the Observer this weekend you'll have another one for Trop 50.

Several Juice Coupons Here


Enjoy the weekend!

I Left Target $34.51 Richer Than When I Walked In

My closet is full of stuff I've forgotten. Clothes I refuse to get rid of, CD cases I haven't looked at in years and every old cell phone I've ever owned (who still has the Nokia?).

I read an article a few months ago about Target paying people for their old electronics. At the time I called around and could not find any stores in Charlotte that took part in the program. I circled back this week and found out the Target on Metropolitan Ave. had recently started.

I dug out the old phones, iPod, a camera and more.
This is some of what I took.

Here's how it works: walk to the electronics department. Ask for someone who can help with the electronics recycling/trade-in program. They'll take your stuff to a computer and enter each item into the system to see if it has any value to them.

I went in with the impression that this was a recycling program and I may get a few dollars for each item. The guy at the store wasn't positive, but it seems like they are looking more for things that can be rehabbed.

At first, it was pretty disappointing. Target had no interest in my old router, Blackberry Curve or Samsung Instinct phone (that I, stupidly, bought the first day it came out).

Then we got the the iPod. It turned out to be neglected gold. The guy entered it in and I got a $34.51 Target gift card back.

It seemed the specific things they're looking for are phones, iPods, and iPads. If you have any relics lying around, I'd say it's worth a try.

Map It:

http://bit.ly/iMgHrB

Huge Dinner For 2: $17

I'm the pickiest of picky eaters. And the initial thought of eating Vietnamese food scared the crap out of me. Then I walked into Pho Hoa on Central Avenue. I was greeted with this gallon-sized bowl of pho. The dish you see here is $8.50. Color me impressed if you can finish it.

Menu:
http://www.phohoa.com/menu.html

Map It:
http://bit.ly/kvFNiD

Cheap Summer Meal

I had an idea for a fresh summer meal as temperatures in Charlotte started inching toward 90 degrees this weekend: strawberry shortcake.

If you find the right recipe, it's inexpensive to make.  Many recipes call for cream or shortening. I tracked one down to share that uses mostly kitchen basics (flour, sugar, etc). All you need to add are the strawberries!

Feel free to use the whipped cream it recommends. But if you don't want to buy it, just pour a little milk on top. Sounds strange, but take a bite before you judge.

Here's the recipe:

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Sensational-Strawberry-Shortcake/Detail.aspx