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Stayin' Home?
Games Turn your kids on to the free computer and video games that are available at sites such as Zone.com and KiddoNet.com. CJ Tolin, 18, and Calvin Robinson, 13, are buzzing about AddictingGames.com, which offers new games each week and links to other free game sites. Or, opt for stores such as Electronic Boutique (EBgames.com) and Game Crazy (gamecrazy.com), where you can trade in titles when--not if--your kids get bored with them. At this writing, trading in NBA Street V.3 would get you $25 in store credit at Game Crazy; it's $50 new. You can tease your brain at Nobelprize.org with games like Liquid Crystals and Crack the Code. Fun for the family and free. For the truly twisted: brainbashers.com and braingle.com.Clothing Savvy shoppers can get cash back on clothes and, well, just about anything at sites like Ebates.com and FatWallet.com. Both partner with favorites like LizClaiborne.com, Kenneth Cole, OshKosh B'Gosh and Sears. Danielle Vaughns of Dover, Dela--ware, likes to use Currentcodes.com, a coupon site, to save on clothes for her daughter Alivia. Recently Vaughns scored free shipping deals for online orders at The Gap and Eddie Bauer, and 15% off bath products for herself. Vaughns also favors the shoe site Zappos.com -- a huge selection, plus it gives you 365 days to return anything.
Books If your library has a limited selection, or if you prefer paperbacks, try Booksfree.com. With more than 45,000 titles, the website offers monthly subscriptions to rent anywhere from 2 to 12 paperbacks at a time. Prices vary ($7.99-$29.99 a month, including shipping to and from your home), depending on how many books you have out. Nedra Harris, of Matawan, New Jersey, pays $18 a month for her subscription, which saves her about $30 per month from what she used to spend, despite using garage sales and trading with friends.
Free or Nearly Free
Museums Most museums in major cities have at least one day a month when you can take in the sites for nary a penny. At the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, Friday evening is the magic time, while the Exploratorium in San Francisco favors the first Wednesday of every month.
Movies You can often save on tickets by buying them in bulk through organizations like AAA or discounters like Costco. Many local AAAs will knock off 50 cents to $2 per ticket, depending on the theater group. And Costco sells a package of 5 tickets for $35 to Regal Entertainment Group theaters. To take advantage of corporate discounts, ask if your employer is one of 4,000 companies that belong to WorkingAdvantage.com. If so, count on saving up to 40% per ticket.
Go Green
Wait for the fireworks The best time to pick up deals on home and garden supplies, says Lani Murakami of discount site Overstock.com, is after July 4. That's when retailers mark down their inventory and siphon extras to Overstock, where you can save from 40% to 70%.
Dig it Check with local gardening organizations or your city offices to see if they offer incentives to keeping your neighborhood green. Fort Worth gives free trees to its residents, for example. The limit is two trees per household and at least 25 people in a neighborhood need to sign up.
Swap meet Sometimes sharing is the best way to get what you want. Avid gardener Gayathri Venkataraman, of Redmond, Washington, swaps seeds and plants with friends and neighbors. But if you're not lucky enough to have the right (gardener) friends, you can use GardenWeb.com, which has exchanges across the United States.
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EAT, DRINK ... 5,000 restaurants, 5,000 ways to save. Select an eatery at restaurant.com and buy a $25 dining certificate for $10; print it out and hand it to your server. Fine dining at its best! Discountcoffee.com has the "lowest Internet coffee prices, guaranteed." CARS Need new wheels? Go to bestnewcarprice.com. Within 48 hours you've got the most competitive price in your area. Free. MUSIC & MORE Compare prices (and shipping charges) at addall.com (books), amusicarea.com (music) and amoviearea.com (movies). You can cut up to 30% off your invitations -- whether it's your wedding, sweet 16, bar/bat mitzvah or that fabulous 50th anniversary -- at allthebestinvitations.com. TRAVEL Travelaxe.com compares hotels in 3,505 cities, 105 countries. Also notes if cities are clogged with conventions or special events. RECREATION Sports nuts in the family? You can save up to 50% off retail on used sports equipment when you visit www.playitagainsports.com. At knitting-warehouse.com, save at least 20% off retail on brand name supplies. Usher at your community theater -- see the show free. Large hotels will often allow locals to use their fitness facilities during offpeak hours for a reasonable fee. An added bonus: There's no contract. CLOTHING Topbutton.com is a must click for fashion trendsetters! Sample sales, insider events, deals on Armani, Miss Sixty, Intermix and more. Wednesdays and Saturdays, Lands' End posts new adds to their Overstocks Store (landsend.com/overstocks). Check out your favorite sites for discount days. For a sale every day -- can it get any better than this? -- browse the Home Shopping Network. Click on the clearance tab at hsn.com for deals galore. |
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