Penny's Pick of the Day - Free Coffee at Peet's

Those of you on the East Coast will have to scurry to catch this one - but Peet's is serving up free Freddos today between 2 and 3 pm.   Limit one per person.

This sounds perfect for the Friday afternoon pick-me-up!  Go out and grab yours!

Penny for your Thoughts - Caveat Emptor

I highly doubt that my High School Latin teacher, Mrs. Doll, is reading but if she were she might be proud that she taught me Caveat Emptor - let the buyer beware! Well, today I'm hoping to teach you to beware of the promises of online dealmakers!

Case in point, I recently tried to take advantage of a deal through Shop Discover - they offer 5% cash back on purchases from Hotels.com. They also happened to be running a special where with a purchase they were offering $40 off a future stay when you paid with your Discover card. Now, I was practically in deal heaven when I was thinking that I'd also be one night closer to a free night's stay through the Hotels.com rewards program! So, 5% back, $40 off my next trip and one night closer to a free hotel stay! Yippee, or so I thought...

When clicked through the Shop Discover site to Hotels.com my hotel was nowhere to be found. It seems that the selection is limited as to what you can earn 5% back on. When I revisited Hotels.com I noticed that my hotel of choice was not eligible for their rewards program and, by the time I researched all of this the hotel in question was completely booked!

So, beware, fellow penny pinchers! Read the fine print and don't get too wrapped up with the perfect deal - it might just evaporate before your eyes. But don't worry, there will be another deal tomorrow!

Penny Pincher - Gilt Groupe Private Online Sales

Once you become initiated (or just join!) you too can participate in the online sales at Gilt!  Just like those exclusive sample sales, Gilt offers you designer goods at amazing discounts.  

How it works: sign up to become a member.  Watch the site (or your inbox) for amazing sales coming down the pike.  Be sure to set your alarm because items sell out quickly and the sales only last 36 hours!

Fashionista or recessionista?  We say both!

Penny Pincher - Hautelook Private Online Sales

Ever wish you lived in NY or LA just so you'd have access to those great sample sales?   Now you can be anywhere and take advantage of some serious deals.  Several sites have cropped up that have small private sales that are available for a short period of time for registered (and sometimes only invited) members.  Hautelook just so happens to be one of these sites.  

The way it works: sign up for membership.  You'll receive emails letting you know what's on sale or you can check the site for current and upcoming sales.  If you see a designer you like get ready to pounce because quantities and sizes can be limited.  Be sure you know what the return policy is before you purchase; some sales allow returns while others are final sale.  Rumor has it that shipping can take a while but they great deals make it worth the wait.

Check back later in the week for review of other private sale sites.  

Penny for your Thoughts: Retailer Emails Savings Strategy

One great way to learn about sales, discounts and specials is to sign up for retailer emails. When you do you'll be among the first to know about great deals. Many retailers send out discount codes or free shipping codes as well as notifications for online and in store sales. Often retailers will have seasonal specials and holiday sales as well as birthday promotions. Be sure to sign up for competing companies' emails or at lease double check about price matching before making your purchases.

If cutting back is your goal consider creating a new email for your registering for retailer emails. If you're trying to be good only check when you need to shop; otherwise the barrage of 50% off, best sale of the year, free gift with purchase emails can really work to get you to buy. Don't fall for the marketing ploys; there will be another sale, another free gift, another deal to be had.

Penny Pincher - Coupon Sherpa application for iPhone

This is a great little app for shopping on the fly. It allows you to pull up coupons while you're out shopping so you can take advantage of some great discounts even if you're not by your computer. Two fun discounts available today are 10% off at World Market and free popcorn with a drink purchase at AMC theaters.

Don't forget to pay with your rewards card for added savings!

Penny's Pick of the Day - 30% off at Gap, Banana Republic and Old Navy

July 30th through August 2nd the Gap, Banana Republic, Old Navy (and the outlet stores!) will have 30% off. This deal is much sweeter because they'll also be donating 5% of your purchases to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, an extremely worth cause. Please present this coupon which is good for multiple uses in store.

Penny's Pick of the Day - DirecTV with $50 cash back

If you've finally gotten sick of PBS (not that we think anyone could) and need some premium channels, now would be a good time to sign up with DirecTV.  They've got packages starting at $29 a month and right now Cashbaq is offering a whopping $50 cash back!  

You can use your savings to buy another remote (because you know you're going to be fighting over it)!

Get Penny Wise and shop through Cashbaq!

What channel are you looking forward to?  Share in the comments.

Rebate Review - Bing.com Shopping

If you've watched television lately you've probably seen the comedic bing.com commercials about search overload. Well, bing.com is more than just a search engine; there's also shopping function that offers a hefty cash back program.

There are some advantages to this over some of the more traditional rebate sites; you can search for a specific product "iphone" not just apple or at&t. You might be able to find a retailer with a high cash back amount that hadn't been on your list to check.

How it works:

Visit the shopping section on bing. Search by retailer or by item. You must click through bing.com to get the cash back. You may not combine a coupon code with bing shopping. In 60-90 days your cash will be available. You can opt to receive your cash back via a check, direct deposit or paypal.

Get Penny Wise and shop bing.com!

What will you search for? Tell us in the comments.

Penny's Pick of the Day - Restaurant.com 80% off with 25% cash back

Well, we've all heard that Americans are cutting back on eating out due to the economy.  Get Penny Wise has a great deal that will let you eat out without remorse!  Restaurant.com offers great deals like $25 gift certificates for $10.  It just so happens that they've got a coupon for 80% off right now (yes, 80%).  Just type NAPKIN in for some extreme savings!  

It does get better...  If you shop through Mr. Rebates you'll score 25% cash back.

We couldn't resist and gobbled up $265 worth of  gift certificates - after we receive our cash back our actual outlay is only $15.90.  Get Penny Wise and grab your own!

p.s. please be aware that if you click get $10 off your order at the end of the process you're enrolling in a service - read the fine print and don't click if you don't want that service!

Where do you like to dine out?  Share in the comments.

Penny Travel Log - Kayak.com Grand Daddy Flight Search

If you're looking for a last minute deal this summer and find trolling the travel sites a bit taxing try Kayak.com.  This grand daddy search engine searches through other search engines to find you a good flight.  It's a great way to save time and money!

Another service that Kayak provides is to graph the price of flights alerting you to the best time to buy.  The site also tells you what prices other customers have paid recently for similar fares.  When you book you can feel confidant that you've done your homework.

Now, go make those last minute travel plans!

Have a favorite travel site?  Share it with us in the comments

Penny's Pick of the Day - Entertainment Books FREE through Cashbaq

The 2009 Entertainment book, featuring great deals like 2 for 1 meals and movie tickets, is on sale for $7.99 but you, Penny Wise, can buy it through the online rebate site Cashbaq (look for our upcoming review) where you'll receive $8 back on your purchase. What are you waiting for? Pick one up today!  Sorry, looks like this deal was for one day.  Check back for great daily picks!

Get Penny Wise Tip - if you've got a trip planned to a big city think about buying an entertainment book for your destination; it pays to think ahead!

In addition to the great deals in the you can "activate" it to capitalize on additional online discounts not printed in the book.

Penny's Pick of the Day - Netflix $13 Cash Back and Free Trial

Choosing Netflix is a great penny saving entertainment strategy - we can all balk at the amount that theaters are charging for tickets!  With NetFlix a continuous stream of movies delivered to your home (and your computer) - it's easy, convenient and penny wise!  

This deal is made even sweeter by a two week free trial period and $13 cash back through ebates (look for our upcoming review)! So, Get Penny Wise and sign yourself up and goload up your queue!  Hold the presses - we found a better deal through Cashbaq - $15 cash back.  It's Penny Wise to shop around!

Share your favorite rebate site and flick in the comments.

Penny for your Thoughts: Credit vs. Debit

When it comes to your everyday purchases what card comes out of your wallet?  Is it your credit or debit card that your fingers fumble for?  The debit card is so easy and so convenient that it may be your card of choice.  At Get Penny Wise we think you should take a good look at your spending habits and pick a rewards credit card that is well suited to you - these days some even allow you to choose the photo on the card!

If you are a die hard addict to your debit card know that with choosing this option you might be losing out. While you might be able to track your spending easily you are reaping no rewards for using your debit.  Several credit cards have perks that reward you from percentages back to 

points that are redeemable for gift cards, cash, etc.  If most of your money goes towards eating out check out the Citi Forward Visa card where restaurants earn you 5 points per dollar spent.  If your gas guzzler seems to be eating up all your cash you can check out the Discover Open Road card to get 5% back on your purchases (look for our upcoming review).  Once you analyze your spending you'll get a much better feel for what sort of rewards will be best for you.

When you whip out that debit card at the restaurant or when you're about to do some online shopping, give it a second though.  Your debit card is a direct line into your bank account: proceed with caution.  While you might have all the protection that a credit card offers if something happens and you account becomes overdrawn you might have a nightmare of red tape to weed through.  

Get Penny Wise Verdict - Credit Wins

If you are not carrying a balance and pay your bill in full each month a rewards card is the best way to be penny wise!  $500 a month in spending with 2% back would be $10 back.  That's $120 a year that could make its way back into your wallet.  

What card in your wallet gets the most usage?  Share your strategy in the comments.   

Penny's Pick of the Day - Hotels.com $55 gift card with three nights stay

Get Penny Wise just found a great reason to take a road trip. Hotels.com is offering a $55 gift card (they say it's for gas but you can use it for anything) when you book three consecutive nights by August 10 and travel by August 13, 2009. Just use the code GAS55 to claim!

Don't forget to signup for Hotels.com rewards where you can earn free hotel stays! Stay 10 nights and get one free!

Have a great road trip planned? Tell us about it in the comments.

Penny for your Thoughts: Envisioning Wealth

How you think of yourself and your future plays a large part in your reality.  If you think you'll always be broke and living hand to mouth there's a good chance that you'll be right.  If you see yourself achieving your goals and building a nest egg then you increase your chances of making that a reality.

The Importance of Specificity 

You must be as specific as possible in imagining your future if you want to increase your chances of making it happen.  If you think you want to be famous with a mansion and a luxury car someday there's nothing specific to grab onto there.  Instead, by envisioning that you desire to be a famous mystery novel author with a mansion on Cape Cod driving a Rolls Royce by 2012 you're far more likely to reach your goals.

Sometimes we have a fear of asking for what we want because it feels outlandish or foolish but you must overcome your fears to prevail.  A fantastic tool to help you get there is a book called "Write it Down Make it Happen" by Henriette Anne Klauser.  This book features several excercises to get you to think about your goals and manifest them through writing.  From stream of consciousness short stories to fictional letters, Klauser outlines several approaches to help you help yourself in achieving your goals.  

When it comes to your finances if it all seems overwhelming, start with smaller, more manageable tasks.   Not ready to tackle retirement planning?  Start a savings plan  through direct deposit.  Even something small like switching from purchasing with a debit card to a cash back rewards credit card can make an impact. 

"If you don't know where you're going, you'll end up someplace else," once said Yogi Berra.  Knowing where you want to end up increases your chances of getting there exponentially.

What do you envision for your future?  Tell is in the comments.

Penny's Pick of the Day - Starbucks Sweet Treats for FREE

We have two great freebies for you from Starbucks. 

Sooner

 This Tuesday pop into your local Starbucks between opening and 10:30 and enjoy a free pastry with the purchase of any beverage!

Print out the offer or present the offer on your mobile device.

Later

Click through to try out the ice cream from Starbucks for free!  This offer is for a coupon available through the mail for either you or a friend.

You must be signed into Facebook to participate in this offer.

Enjoy some sweet treats for free - doesn't that taste good?

Have a favorite Starbucks pastry?  Share it in the comments.

Bank of America - Rewards Review: Add it Up

Bank of America's new cash back rewards program, Add it Up, gets two thumbs up from Get Penny Wise.  This program mainly focuses on online sites but has also begun to add some in store promotions as well.   For online shopping the cash back percentage can go as high as 20%. For two more typical examples, the Gap was currently offering 8% and Barnes and Noble 5%.  The cash back you accumulate is deposited into your checking account when you use your debit card or applied to your credit card bill if you pay by credit card.  Cash back is awarded monthly but you must reach $5 to receive your cash back.

There are a few in store cash back opportunities but they could prove lucrative.  6% is offered toward your first car repair, up to $2,500.  You must use a participating merchant though - you can search for nearby providers through Bank of America's website.  

To participate you must have Bank of America card, be enrolled in online banking and registered for the Add it Up program, which you can do here.  To be eligible for cash back online you must click through the links on the Add it Up website to receive your cash back.   For in store promotions you must check for participating retailers on the website.   

Has anyone tried Add it Up?  Share your experience in the comments!

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Reader Questions - Penny Guzzler, Repair or Replace?

Get Penny Wise reader Bill has written to us with a question that many of us might be facing - what to do when faced with repairing an aging car? Are there any 'breaks' to be found out there? How about when it comes time to replace it? A $5 magazine subscription is all well and good but Bill needs the meat and potatoes version of savings.

We have two options for Bill - repair or replace.
Repair
Bank of America has a great promotion through their Add it Up program where you can receive 6% back on your first car repair totaling up to $2,500. Your car or truck to be serviced at a participating auto dealer or service center with a registered credit or debit card. One the site you can enter your zip code to find participating merchants near you. If you don't have a Bank of America account now is the perfect time to open one - a free my access checking account currently comes with a $75 bonus which then jumps to $100 when you pay two bills online. (Look for an upcoming review with all the details.)

If Bill's repair is $750 he would earn $45 in cash back and if he opened a new account that would save him another $100 bringing his out of pocket total down to $605 with a savings of $145.

Replace
Maybe after running the numbers Bill decides he doesn't want to invest $700 into a car valued at $3000. Perhaps it's time to replace the car. The government has a program to get old, gas guzzling cars off the road called CARS, Car Allowance Rebate System. This program, more commonly and affectionately known as cash for clunkers, could earn Bill $3,500 if the new car he purchases gets 4 mpg more than he is currently getting. If Bill finds a car that will get 10 mpg more than he is currently getting he'll qualify for a $4,500 voucher towards the purchase of a new car. This is instead of a trade in so be sure that the amount of the voucher is more than you would receive for a trade-in. Check out a list of eligible cars at Edmunds.com.

                                                                                             

If Bill springs for a new car he would make the most of his money if he purchased a hybrid or alternative fuel car with a government tax credit. Here's a Get Penny Wise Tip - do you research before you shop; you can reap up to $4,000 in tax credits depending on what car you choose.

                                                                        

If Bill utilized the government's money with a tax credit for a hybrid or alternative fuel car and maximized the cash for clunkers program he could have $8,500 (from the government, no less!) toward a new ride!

What would you do - repair or replace? Tell is in the comments.

Bank of America - Rewards Review: Start the Month with Art

Possession of a Bank of America card and a photo ID is all that you need to waltz into many national museums for free on the first full weekend of each month. That's right, for FREE! Who couldn't use more free entertainment these days?

Click here to learn more about Bank of America's great program Museums on Us.

Have any free entertainment tips to share with us? Please post a comment!

Penny's Pick of the Day - Real Simple $5 Subscription

Mastering your finances goes hand in hand with mastering organization.  One of Get Penny Wise's favorite reads for organizing strategies is Real Simple magazine.  This magazine is chock full of tips to help you declutter, strategize and organize! 

Penny's Pick of the Day is a $5 year long subscription to Real Simple through amazon.com - enjoy!

Have any other organizational tools you swear by?  Share them in the comments.

Citi Forward Visa - Rewards Review

Do you like to eat out, watch movies, buy books or music? Then Get Penny Wise may have just found the card for you. The Citi Forward Visa rewards 5 points for each $1 you spend on restaurants, books, movies and music. This is a very generous program that rewards you for spending in areas you really enjoy. All other purchases are rewarded with 1 point per dollar spent.

One caveat with the spending categories is that the retailer where you are making your purchases must be classified and recognized by the card as a restaurant or book store or movie theater. If not, you'll miss out on your rewards. Now one huge perk of this is that Amazon is classified as a book store so anything you buy through Amazon (reportedly even giftcards to other merchants) will earn you 5 points per dollar.

There are also quite a few incentives with the Citi Forward. For spending $50 in the first 3 months you will receive 6,000 points and if you decide to go paperless that will earn you another 5,000 points. You can also rack up 100 points a month for paying your bill on time and stay under your credit limit. At the end of the year you could have 12,200 points just from these perks.

Now what do these points translate into, you might be wondering. You'll make the most of them if you choose gift cards. You can get cash back but you'll get a lower dollar value for choosing cash over a gift card. Check out the rewards for yourself before signing up at thankyou.com.

Penny Wise Verdict ********/10

Do you have a rewards card that works for you? Tell us about it in the comments!

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Discover More Card - Rewards Review

If you are in the market for a new credit card the Discover More card might be an enticing option. Upon first glance it seems to offer 5% back on all purchases - look out for the word "max" after a percentage whenever you are looking at comparison sites. Upon closer inspection one learns that the 5% back is given on different categories that rotate each quarter*. Right now the categories being featured are very suited to summer - gas, hotels and bookstores among the options. This all sounds great, right, but depending on your spending habits and tolerance for deal shopping though this might not be the perfect card for you. When you read the fine print you see that this 5% back applies to the first $300 in purchases per quarter. BUT you must sign up to receive the 5% back - you are not automatically enrolled for this. Say you do enroll this works out to 5% back on $100 a month or a max of $5 per month. Where you buy your gas or book your hotel stay can also limit your rewards. If you are planning on buying your gas through costco or booking your rooms through a site like hotels.com you can kiss your 5% goodbye. Gas cannot be bought through a discount store - it must be purchased at a stand alone station; hotels must be booked through the hotel itself to register as a hotel stay. Well, as they say, the large print giveth and the small print taketh away. Check back for more reviews of rewards cards!

[The fine print: all other purchases receive cash back of .25% when you spend $0-3000 for the year. If your annual spending exceeds $3000 on the card you will receive 1% cash back on your purchases. All warehouse club purchases receive a maximum .25% cash back reward. "Program purchases" - those that give you the 5% reward and warehouse club purchases do not count toward your annual spending. So, let's say you spend the max $300 a quarter (or $1200/year) to receive the 5% bonus you must spend $3000 per year beyond this to receive 1% cash back.]

Penny Wise Verdict ****/10
Cons: This 5% back card breaks down to about $60 back a year. While 5% back sounds enticing, the savings just don't add up. Our recommendation: keep track of your rewards and utilize this card for the categories you will use, i.e., just use it for the first $300 of gas this summer. Use a different card with a straight percentage back and no cap for your other purchases.

Pros: This beats using your debit card - you might as well get something back on your spending! The real reason to have a Discover card is to use it with their star program ShopDiscover. When you log in to the Discover site and click through ShopDiscover you can get 5-20% back on your online purchases with no cap on your cash back (check out my review of ShopDiscover)! This online program really allows the Discover More to shine. If you're a brick and mortar addict shop for anther card.

Have a favorite rewards card? Share it in the comments!

ShopDiscover, who can say no to 5-20% cash back?

After shopping around for a new rewards card I settled on the Discover More card. This card has some great perks - such as 5% back in a different category each quarter (look for my upcoming review!). Now, the real perks kick in when you use the card through ShopDiscover. Let me explain how you would make use of this - the first step is to sign up for a discover card. You must register the card online and log in to the site. Once you are logged in you can visit the ShopDiscover page to search for retailers offering cash back. If you think this is nothing you could use, I'm going to take a wild guess that you're wrong! Apple, drugstore.com, and the Gap are just a few of the sites offering 5-20% cash back. Simply click through to the retailer's website of your choosing, pay with your discover card and reap in the cash back!

The discovercard.com site is very user friendly. Under ShopDiscover you can shop by retailer category, Fashion, Travel & Vacation, etc. or you can shop by discount 5%, 10%, 15% and 20%. The benefit to shopping through ShopDiscover over using your card in brick and mortar stores is that there is no cap on your rewards; the more you shop, the more you get back.

I've already used ShopDiscover to make a purchase at sears.com - the transaction was swift and smooth and in about 8 weeks I'll have 5% cash back coming my way!

*This post was written in response to a promotion by Discover which awards a $50 gift card to the first 50 bloggers posting about ShopDiscover this post is my entry to win. Visit discovercard.com to learn more about this promotion.

Get Penny Wise and ShopDiscover!