Thursday's picture perfect deal...

The picture...

The temperatures here are starting to warm up, but in December we had a real cold snap and this little Chickadee was in our lilac bush plumped up as big as it could get to stay warm in the cold wind of the afternoon.


The deal...

Did you make a New Year's resolution to get into shape?  Are you a fan of The Biggest Loser and love Jillian Michaels?  If you answered yes to any of these questions you may want to check out the huge sale on Jillian Michales workout DVDs at Amazon.  Everything from her 30 day shred to the Yoga work out is half off.  If you are looking for her books these are also on sale and everything is available using your Prime membership to get free shipping and 2 day delivery so you can stop putting it off.

I hope you are all having a wonderful week!

C.Q.

Sunday's media madness...

I love finding new TV shows on DVD, but the price has to be right.  Lately I have been seeing commercials for a show called Justified that I think looks really good and I wanted to give season one a try.  I checked out all my online sources and found it for only $19.00 at Amazon, plus if you are a prime member you will get it shipped in 2 days for free.  If you are already a fan of the show and know its something you would like to own yourself, season two is also available for $19.00 from Amazon.

Here is a synopsis of the show from Amazon:  "Justified is the story of Deputy U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens (Timothy Olyphant), a true-blue hero and something of a throwback, given to wearing a Stetson and cowboy boots, carrying his sidearm in a hip holster – a weapon he only draws when he has to, and when he does, he shoots to kill, because, as he sees it, that’s the purpose of a gun. The character of Deputy U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens was created by America’s pre-eminent crime novelist Elmore Leonard (Get Shorty, Out of Sight) and is played by Timothy Olyphant (Deadwood, Live Free or Die Hard). The Chief Deputy of the Lexington USMS office is Art Mullen, played by Nick Searcy (Cast Away, From the Earth to the Moon). Working alongside Raylan are fellow deputies Tim Gutterson – played by Jacob Pitts (The Pacific) – and Rachel Brooks – played by Erica Tazel (Life, The Office). Raylan, Art and the other deputies do what all U.S. Marshals do – chase down fugitives, protect witnesses, transport prisoners."

Have  you seen the show?  I would be interested in hearing what you thought of it.

I hope you are all having a great weekend.

C.Q.

Sunday's media madness...

I am so excited.  Bones Season six will hit the shelves Tuesday October 11th, this is one of my favorite shows so I am looking forward to snuggling up with my blanket and hot chocolate to solving some great mysteries.  I don't think I would ever spring the extra money for TV shows on Blu-Ray so I keep the price lower by only shopping for the standard DVD format.  With that in mind I was able to find the lowest price for the DVD with DeepDiscount for $35.99 with free shipping.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the show, Bones is the story of  forensic anthropologist Dr. Temperance Brennan, who works with FBI Agent Seeley Booth to help the Bureau solve crimes and identifying human remains.  The shows character of Temperance Brennan is based on Kathy Reichs who is a best selling author as well as a practicing forensic anthropologist.  As smart as Temperance Brennan seems in the series, I think she would be a close second to the real Dr. Reichs.  If you are interested in Kathy Reichs books or background you can find it all at her website, as well as additional information on the show.

Hope you are having a beautiful weekend!

C.Q.

Sunday's media madness...

Most of my readers know that I really enjoy watching TV on DVD, I can watch when I want, when I want, where I want with no commercials.  I do have a DVR but it has never worked and I really enjoy keeiping a DVD library.  Lately I have really been enjoying NCSI and I could hardly wait for season 8 to come out.  I am about 1/2 through the season and I am going to be so sad when its over, I will have to wait a year for season 9 to come out next.  On the up side I will have Bones, Castle, The Mentalist and Super Natural to look forward to coming out in September and October.  I was able to find the lowest price on NCIS season 8 at DeepDiscount.com for $35.99 with free shipping.  If you would like to own seasons 1-8 you can purchse them all togethr for the lowest price of $169.00 with free shipping from eCrater, that makes each season just $21.13 each.

I hope you are all enjoying your weekend, and to everyone on the East Coast I hope you are staying high and dry.

C.Q.

Sunday's media madness...

Father's day is just around the corner and if you have a dad who is into sports and reading there is a new book out called Those Guys Have All the Fun: Inside the World of ESPN.  Here are some reviews of the behind the scenes look at ESPN from Amazon:

"Those who work in the business of sport will devour the book...[readers are] granted the kind of behind-the-scenes access that sports media junkies are rarely given..." (SportsIllustrated.com Richard Deitsch )

"Packed with entertaining stories of unpleasant people and awful behavior....[Those Guys Have All the Fun is] offers a nuanced look at ESPN, does some top-notch TV-biz reporting on the early days of the cable industry, and offers compelling behind-the-scenes stories...[It is] a serious, impressive, piece of work." (Entertainment Weekly Rob Brunner )

"A revelation: what goes onto the TV screen turns out to be just the glossy tip of an iceberg of ugly backstage drama. Miller and Shales must be extraordinarily talented interviewers, because their subjects are surprisingly uninhibited and frank and willing to dish and slag....[They are] good at zeroing in on a debacle and getting everybody involved to weigh in...by the end of the book you're amazed at the disconnect between the chaos behind the scenes and the relatively slick end product." (Time Lev Grossman )

"As highly anticipated by sports junkies as a Chicago Cubs championship, [Those Guys Have All the Fun] provides painstaking details on how a nutty idea concocted by a father-son team developed into a brand worth more than the NHL, MLB and NBA combined...Shales and Miller manage to create a page-turning document about the ultimate dysfunctional workplace" (Minneapolis Star Tribune Neil Justin )

"...Perhaps the most anticipated book in sports media history." (Newsday )

"This treat for sports fans has a cast of characters that is huge and varied." (New York Times Janet Maslin )

"What a story: larger-than-life personalities, salacious gossip, backstabbing and corporate intrigue set against the backdrop of the rise of cable television as an economic and cultural force....The quotes flow seamlessly, and the voices are fresh and vibrant...The depth and breadth of the interviews make it not only the definitive account of ESPN's first three decades but one of the best books yet on how cable shaped American culture." (Hollywood Reporter Andy Lewis )

"A rollicking glimpse behind the guys and gals who sport around at ESPN, America's sports church. Amen." (Publishers Weekly

I was able to find the book in several formats:  The lowest price for the hardcover was at GoHastings for $17.95 with free shipping; the audio version of the book is available for $23.09 from Amazon on an unabridged CD; The kindle version is $12.99 at Amazon, or you can download it from iTunes to your iPod or iPad for $12.99, the iTunes audio version is $21.95.

I hope you are all having a great weekend!

C.Q.

Sunday's media madness...

I love to watch TV shows on DVD, I can pause them, watch them back to back, or even skip an episode without waiting for the show to come on once a week, sure, I could download the shows but usually only certain episodes are available to watch on my computer or iPad, with a DVD I get them all and I can watch them on any screen in the house, plus I get the extras that are usually on the DVDs.  The down side is the cost.  My latest purchase was the final season of Numb3rs at Target for $40.00, ouch!  I did have a $20.00 gift card from my purchases there last week and a 5% off discount credit from our pharmacy rewards and I used my Red Card for another 5% off but still it got me to thinking about the difference between finding a boxed set vs. the series one at a time.

I found the lowest price for the boxed set of Numb3rs at Overstock.com for $132.29 with shipping of $2.95 on any order.  If you are a member of Club O you would get free shipping and until April 25th you would earn 18% back on your purchase.  To join is $19.95 per year so on this purchase you would save $21.24 plus the $2.95 shipping, making it worth the price.  Interested in seeing the boxed set savings over the individual season?  Here is the breakdown from the lowest prices for new copies per season:

Season One:          $17.95 with free shipping from EDVDoutlet
Season Two:          $16.86 with free in store pick up at Walmart
Season Three:       $16.74 with $2.98 shipping at Buy.com
Season Four:         $27.00 plus $0.96 shipping from GoHastings
Season Five:          $22.49 plus $2.98 shippinbg at Buy.com
Season Six:            $38.25 plus $0.96 shipping at GoHastings

The total for the individual seasons with shipping is $147.17 vs the box set at $132.29, a savings of almost $15.00 that you can use to buy popcorn.

Happy Easter everyone, hope you are having a beautiful day!

C.Q.

Thursdays picture perfect deal...

The picture...

This was taken a couple of years ago when my husband and I went to Herbster WI for a family reunion on the shores of Lake Superior.  Today it is cold, windy and going to rain, possibly turning to snow and I could sure use some warm sunshine next to the big lake SOON!

The deal...

Today's deal is from Dress Barn, you can either shop on line or at a store near you for up to 50% off their sale items.  Plus, you can get a free clutch if you spend $100.00 or more while supplies last and you will earn 5 Daisy Dollars for every $25.00 you spend before tax.  Daisy Dollars can be used on future purchases and can even be combined on one item.

Extreme Couponing, my thoughts...

After watching PART of an episode of TLCs Extreme Couponing (its all I could handle before I was yelling at the TV) I felt it necessary to let my readers know I am not part of that group of people.  As a matter of fact it is one of my biggest pet peeves for all of us that coupon.  I practice responsible couponing, period!  Twice I have actually gone to my local supermarket here is a small town in Northern Minnesota with my ONE coupon for a dollar off a bag of sweet potato fries when they have been on sale for $1.00 and BOTH TIMES they were sold out.  WHAT?!?!  How the hell do you sell out of them the day the sale starts?  Well I found the answer, we have an extremist in town and she was in the store at 6 AM.  Does she really need all 60 bags the store had in stock? NO.  There is no need to stockpile, unless of course she is feeding all the homeless that are here, but I am pretty sure the news would have picked up that story.  Maybe she is running a group home or half way house, but again, with the amount of time it takes to plan that kind of trip I would have to guess that's not the case either.  I am also pretty sure she did not pack these away to use in case of a natural emergency since they need to be kept frozen.  What I would LOVE to think is that she is donating excess food to some of the food shelves that desperately need it, unfortunately I would have to guess that's not the case either.  In fact, I look at extreme couponing as one of the most selfish things you can do in a store.  Families hit hard by the recession are trying to feed their family of 4 or more and you are clearing the shelves of food they need, forcing them to take rain check and come back later if they can or buy food that is more expensive.  Here are some facts about extreme couponing, aside from the woman that committed outright fraud on TLCs show, that you should know.  Many extreme couponers use clipping services, however, according to Bud Miller of the CIC when asked in an interview about this he said "I'm not aware of any legitimate coupon clipping service out there ... Keep in mind that it inherently violates the terms and conditions of the coupons issued. In the event they say they get the coupons from the manufacturer, (you should contact the manufacturer.)"  Next, taking a group of coupons from inserts and cutting them with a paper cutter (gang cutting) can cause your store to be audited by the coupon manufacturer, which by the way, the time that it takes the employees to take care of all an audit entails gets passed on to the consumer.  (Again, in the spirit of using a coupon you really only need a couple of any one item, food products do go bad you know, even all that shampoo will get nasty and separate.)  Also, if you are buying coupons on eBay or any other sales site, please read the fine print on the coupons, they may not be sold, even if you are paying someone for their time to cut the coupons its not OK.  Please practice responsible couponing so all of us can enjoy shopping for deals.  And finally, if you are a stockplier and its gotten out of control,  you may need to find some help for shopping addiction or hording issues.  Please reach out to someone, you can start by talking to your Doctor, they will have more information available for you. 

I welcome you thoughts on this and would love to read them!  I know I am not alone because I have talked to other shoppers in our store as well as the clerks who all try to run for the hills when our extremist comes in.  What if your local store limited the amount of coupons per item?  Would you still shop there?  Our store is considering a 4 coupon max for any given item for just this reason.

I hope you are all having a great week so far, hang in there, the weekends just around the bend.,

C.Q.

Sunday's media madness...

 Something I always swore up and down I would never do is buy TV on DVD, but of course I didn't listen to my own rules and currently own quite a few TV show on DVD.  I love being able to watch as many or as few episodes as I want and not have to wait for commercials to get popcorn, its also nice for those cliff hangers that the networks always make you wait until next week for the final outcome.  The down side?  The season end cliff hangers can be brutal!!!  I started watching In Plain Sight starring Mary McCormack and Fred Weller and the season 2 ending was a near impossible wait for the season 3 DVD release, but its finally here on March 29th.

In Plain Sight is the ongoing story of two Albuquerque Federal Marshals, Mary Shannon and Marshall Mann trying to take care of the good the bad and the ugly who all, for one reason or another, are in the Witness Protection Program.  Season four is set to begin airing on Sunday May 1, 2011 on the USA network right after Criminal Intent, check out the previews!

If you are new to the series you can purchase season one at Movie Mars for $27.34 with free shipping for a new copy, or I was able to find a used copy on Ebay as low as $14.95 with $3.00 shipping.  Season twos lowest price was again $27.34 from Movie Mars with free shipping, on Ebay there was a copy as low as $3.25 with $2.50 for shipping.  The season three release is set for this Tuesday and if you would like to order it on line Amazon has it listed at $26.99, if you want it right away you should be able to find it at your local Target store for $29.79.

Hope you are all having a nice relaxing Sunday!

C.Q.

Sunday's media madness...

Are you a fan of Glee?  I know quite a few people who really enjoy the show and the music.  The fifth CD in of the music just hit store shelves the beginning of March and features the cast versions of some really great songs.  The song list includes Thriller/Heads are Gonna Roll, Fat Bottomed Girls, Somebody to Love, and Kiss just to name a few.  If you are interested in the CD the lowest price I found was $10.76 with $1.98 shipping from Blow it Outa Here for a total of $12.74.  If you would like to fill in your music library with the first four soundtracks, Glee 1 can be found for $10.13 with free shipping from Movie Mars, Glee 2 can be found for $7.99 with free shipping from CD Wow, Glee 3 can be found for $10.13 with free shipping from Movie Mars and Glee 4 can be found for $11.99 with free shipping from CD Wow.

I hope you are all having a great weekend!

C.Q.

Sunday's media madness...

Most of the folks I know are in the middle of this seasons The Biggest Loser series.  I am not a big fan, honestly, Jillian Michaels scare the C**P out of me!  I think she may actually have been a drill instructor in a prior life.  If you are interested in the show though why not take advantage of the game opportunities to lose some inches with the contestant?  There are two versions of the newest version of the game Biggest Loser Challenge, one for Wii and one for the Xbox Connect.

If you just want the game for Wii the lowest price was with Amazon for $27.99, because you would be over $25.00 you qualify for the free shipping.  If you would like to order the full bundle package with the game, Wii Fit Plus & Balance Board, Stability Ball and air pump and the Biggest Loser Pocket Cookbook that is also the lowest price at Amazon for $139.99

If you would like to work out with Jillian or Bob on your Xbox 360 then you need to look at the Biggest Loser Ultimate Workout your can find just the game at Amazon for $45.54, or if you have the 360 Kinect hooked up to your system there is the bundle which includes the Biggest Loser Ultimate Workout Video Game for XBOX 360 KINECT, Stability ball with pump, the Biggest Loser pocket journal/recipe book plus a FREE Biggest Loser Workout Music download.  This was available from Amazon for $49.99.

I hope you are all having a fun weekend!

C.Q.

Sunday's media madness...

I am currently working through a wonderful book challenge at Book Chick City and my February read was called Heat Wave by Richard Castle.  Some of you may recognize the authors name from the television show Castle.  The book is based on the characters of the show so if you are a fan it adds an extra dimension to the book, if you don't watch the show it won't matter when reading the book.  Heat Wave is the story of Nikki Heat, a tough as nails female detective in New York City.  Her current case takes place during one of the cities hottest heat waves, making everything she does just that much more difficult.  On top of the heat and cities rolling blackouts, she has been saddled with a civilian ride along, Jameson Rook.  Jameson is a well known, extremely handsome, magazine journalist with friends and poker buddies most people only dream of knowing, and a knack for playing just outside of the rules.  The story opens with Detective Heat and her team investigating the probable murder of a wealthy real estate mogul who, as it turns out isn't as wealthy as everyone thought.  The ever changing list of suspects will keep you guessing through the whole book, was it the wife, the nanny, the business manager, the Russian, or the ex mistress?  Every twist and turn brings Nikki closer to the truth and the reader more and more eager to find out if their hunch is right.  This is a fast paced and fun read for anyone that likes mysteries or enjoys the weekly television series.  So, you may ask, just who is the ghost writer for this book since Richard Castle is a fictitious TV character?  Well it seems this is the best kept secret since we all wondered who shot JR on Dallas.  If I had to wager a guess myself I would say look at the guest stars on the show, Stephen J. Cannell, James Patterson, and Michael Connelly.

The book is available new in paper back from Go Hastings for $5.66, hard cover from Overstock for $12.80 and the unabridged MP3 audiobook read by Johnny Heller also at Overstock for $15.28, Overstock has free shipping through February 28, 2011.  The Kindle edition is available from Amazon for $5.00 as is the Nook version from Barnes and Noble.

 

If you are a fan of the TV show Castle on ABC you will see the similarities between the characters in the book and the characters in the series, the obvious two being Richard Castle/Jameson Rook and Detective Kate Beckett/Detective Nikki Heat.  If you haven't seen the shows they are a great mix of drama and humor with a good mystery to keep you in suspense until the end.  If you would like to check out the show you can purchase seasons one from Buy.com for $19.98 with free shipping and season two from DVDs Direct for $21.95.  If you would like to watch on line or find out more about the show, actors, books check out the Castle website.

I hope everyone is enjoying the last day of the weekend.

C.Q.

Sunday's media madness...

I know I usually pick a title to write about but with the holidays upon us I thought I would write about the actual hardware of media.  Today's picks are the Philips 7" Portable TV and the 16 GIB Apple iPad with 3G Wifi. I would also have looked at an e-reader but with the iPad or a smart phone you wouldn't need this devise so it seemed a bit redundant.  Technically true for the mini TV as well but some of the less gadget orientated folks, ie my husbands, appreciate having just a little entertainment on the go.

The Philips 7" Portable TV is LCD and comes in wide-screen format. You should be able to get three hours of use with the built-in rechargeable battery and the whole package includes the TV together with a Detachable antenna and a Headphone jack.  This is a great gift for someone you know who likes to spend time outdoors but never likes to miss a game.   The lowest price I was able to find was at Walmart for $88.98, marked down from $110.00 with free shipping and as of the writing of this article they were currently still in stock.  Remember, if you shop through Ebates or Market America you will get 2% cash back on your purchase here, or if you are a member of My Points you will get one point per dollar spent at Walmart.

The 16 GIB Apple iPad with the 3G Wifi was picked because it is the middle of the road iPad.  The Wifi is optional but is a great feature for anyone who travels, it works by going into the settings section of the iPad and turning it on for an instant connection.  There is a monthly fee of $30.00 for the Wifi connection but it is only charged if its used, which means that if you only need it a couple of times a year the owner will only be charged $60.00.  The lowest price I found from a highly rated company was with Sweetwater, the base price is the same as the Apple store but they do not charge tax or shipping making the base price of $629.00 the total cost of the item.  The iPad comes with the Dock Connector to USB Cable 10W USB Power Adapter and Documentation.  This item was also in stock at the time this was written.  Some fun accessories to consider with this gift would be a camera connector kit, a carrying case or cover and Anti-Glare screen protector. 

Have a great Sunday everyone.

C.Q