It’s a bit late to bring this up – sorry about that – but stacking holiday discounts is the name of the game at this time of year. That’s how DF and I got a free leaf blower and string trimmer. (Well, theoretically free. More on that later.)
A few weeks back, he noticed that Ace Hardware was offering a skookum deal on those two yard tools in a combo pack, along with batteries and a charging kit. The cost was $229, which is a good price in Anchorage.
Then he noticed Ace was offering a bonus $10 gift card if you bought a $50 gift card. When he mentioned it to me, I pointed out that we also had:
- A $15 reward on the Ace Hardware app (based on previous purchases)
- Some cash in the washing machine fund*
- A bunch of scrip from rewards apps and programs
Why not combine them all and see how it shook down?
Here’s how it shook down
We used $100 (theoretically) from the washing machine fund to get $120 in Ace gift cards. Next, we cashed in both my and his Ibotta accounts for $43.66 and $41.25 worth of additional Ace scrip. Finally, we redeemed the $15 Ace reward, bringing us up to $219.91, or just $9.09 shy of the sale price.
The additional $9.09 came from our washing machine fund. That’s where the “theoretically” part comes in: When we got home, DF decided to leave the $9.09 plus the $100 for those gift cards in the jar. I urged him to use it, or to let me chip in, but he felt confident enough financially to let the fund continue to build.
Our string trimmer finally died during the year of the ag-grant garden, and DF borrows a family member’s leaf blower once a year to blow out the area around the cherry and apple trees. Being able to get both power tools at once felt like a stroke of luck. Thanks to holiday deal stacking, the decent deal became a great deal. Merry Christmas to us!
Glad savings to all
As mentioned earlier, Black Friday and related deals have come and gone. But the closer we get to Christmas (and Kwanzaa), the more anxious retailers become to unload some merchandise. After all, Valentine’s Day goodies are waiting in the wings, along with shorts and bathing suits.
In some cases, such deals aren’t true savings. That’s because retailers may mark prices up ahead of time and then “discount” them starting on Black Friday. But depending on where you live and what you want to buy, you could luck out. I’ve seen markdowns of 20 to 60 percent right now.
Take advantage, whether that’s for gifting or for something your household needs. Or something you want, maybe?
Readers: Is your shopping done? Are your gifts wrapped? Or are you opting out this year?
*We put $2 in a jar every time we do laundry. (Although sometimes it works out more like “Oh, shoot, we keep forgetting so I’m gonna put in a $10 to make up for it.”) This is an easy way to set aside money for your next washing machine. Or your next yard tools.
I’m done with my shopping but haven’t started wrapping. Heck, we don’t even have the tree up yet.
I did get some deals but I can’t remember what.
I spent Sunday morning wrapping my gifts and now am all done. My little tree, however, is still in the cedar chest. New goal unlocked: Get the thing up before Christmas.
And that was a honking good deal for your Ace items!!
Happy Holidays Donna. I put $60 a month in an online savings account nicknamed appliances and it has sure come in handy over the years.
That’s a really good idea. My daughter has a sinking fund for “house stuff,” and boy has she tapped into that one regularly in the past couple of years. Glad she has it, sad she has to use it.
Thanks for reading, and for leaving a comment.
Great stacking prowess! Somehow, I missed that rewards programs post, even though we compared our love of those things when you interviewed me. I will endeavor to log in and sign up for some of the ones that you mentioned. I’ve recently become a fan of walking apps, which pay you for walking if you log your steps daily. Hope you and DF have a great Christmas!
Oops-I see that I commented on that post so I must have read it and forgotten to sign up….
Awesome deal! I love it…. thanks for sharing
Not nearly as good as you but i was thrilled with one deal I got. One of my teen grand daughters picked out a specific hoodie she wanted. It was a decent price that I was willing to pay. She mentioned that another grand daughter in law would like the same one. The next week they were buy one get one free so I was super happy but they didn’t have the right size. Went back the following week and they had the right sizes but were no longer BOGO I politely said I was disappointed I had missed the BOGO sale because they had been out of the sizes I needed. They did not even hesitate…just did an over ride and gave them BOGO!! Doesn’t hurt to be polite and just ask.
Merry Christmas!
Ann J
“Trying to keep the customer satisfied.”
— Paul Simon
You can do this with groceries, too!
Case in point — soft drinks at Safeway this week.
Both Coke and Pepsi products are buy 2, get 3 free. Coke has an additional $4 off, if you buy $10 (it may be $25) in product.
Mug root beer (Pepsi, I think) is an extra $1 off — BUT if you get a 12-pk (which is the special) and buy a quart of Signature Select ice cream, you get $2 more off.
This isn’t as good a deal as this summer, when Sig Select ice cream was on sale — but then again, the special was only buy 2, get 2 free. We don’t drink a lot of pop, but will manage to go through 5 or so multi-packs every 6 months or so.
I use Safeway’s rewards too — am close to redeeming a free 48-oz pkg of bacon (a $15 value), just from my regular purchases.
Every bit helps.
Speaking of groceries, our local Acme chain (one of the Albertson’s affiliates-list here: https://www.albertsonscompanies.com/about-aci/overview/default.aspx) has a useful feature in the pharmacy section of their app. You can allow them to track your steps to earn points. I routinely earn rewards by linking my Acme pharmacy account to my Iphone health App. These have included $5 off of a $25 purchase of meat, $$ off of a produce order, free peanut butter and a free bag of mixed nuts.
I believe you meant to say, “the Ack-a-me.” Fixed it for you.
Thanks for the tip about the app. I will have to see if Carrs (Safeway) has something similar.
I’ve done my holiday shopping at the “GW Boutique,” aka Goodwill, as well as “Salvation Armani”, and I’m also regifting items from around my house. I found a silver candleholder with an unused red sparkly candle in it for under $2 at GW. I used my 20% coupon our GW gives you for donating things there, which made the price even cheaper. As for groceries, one local store got a bad ass deal on Libbey’s canned vegetables: 69 cents a can. This even beats Aldi’s price for off-brand veggies. Everywhere else, such products are $1 or more. So I’ve bought several dozen. (just 1 or 2 doz. at a time.) Not only for me, but for the Thanksgiving food drive and also as a gift for my cleaning lady, who lives in the projects. (I made sure to check the expiration dates on the canned goods; it says they’re good for more than 2 years from now.)
Some cupcakes were decorated with mini-M&Ms candy that came in a Halloween-themed package and on Nov. 1, were marked down to 99 cents instead of $1.99. I sprinkled the candy on top of the frosted cupcakes. If I’d wanted them for stocking stuffers, I would merely have put Xmas stickers over the spooky illustrations.
Meanwhile, I’m looking for killer deals like you describe, right before Xmas, and I’m also making note of good stuff (holiday clothes, decorations, gifts, etc.) to buy on Dec. 26, when things go on clearance. Lucky for me, some out-of-towners won’t get here until the 28th, so if I get them something new, it’ll be drastically marked down on clearance. It might even be from a thrift store on clearance, or holiday treats on clearance at Aldi, LOL. And I’ll likely serve them a green bean casserole using what I already had in the pantry and/or some of the 69-cent cans of green beans.
I’m also thrifting after the holidays for household items that got donated once someone got a new item gifted to them.
Oh, and don’t forget — if you have a kid graduating this spring, go grab some New Year’s decorations, paper plates, disposable cups and napkins on clearance this Jan. 2. The ones that just say “2026” on them. That’ll take care of your grad parties!
“Salvation Armani” is killing me.
Those New Year’s Eve decorations are a GREAT idea for someone who’s graduating! Thanks for sharing it.
Glad you liked it!
Also, if someone has a kid who is a junior this year, wait until mid-June and get the graduation stuff on clearance. I’m talking about items that just have the usual cap and gown, and diploma motifs — not the year — printed on them. You can then use it for your Class of ’27 (or later) grad parties. Of course, you wait until after New Years to get items with the year printed on them.
And I think we said this on some blog (yours? can’t remember): Xmas and New Year’s sparkly items, such as twinkle lights and certain garlands, could also be used for proms or grad parties or other events later in the year.
Timing is everything, so be sure and get items when they’re marked down!
My decorating…if you can call it that..consists of 2 small trees. Can’t find the tree topper for one, and the angel topper on the other won’t stay put and falls over so angel is hanging upside down. Maybe no one will notice. Bought most of the Christmas food items back before Thanksgiving when I got most either on sale or BOGO. So that’s done. Shopped at Goodwill for my 96 year old Mother – got 4 “new with tags” sweaters/tops for a total of $18 – that was after my 25% senior discount. Wrapping?? I’m more into stuffing – as in stuff the item in a used gift bag with some colorful tissue — but I have not even begun that process as it will require me to dig through a crowded closet to find said gift bags. If this post sounds less than merry, it’s because I’m not really in the Christmas spirit this year. I’m not to “bah humbug”…more like “whatever”. All this being said, I do hope all of you have an enjoyable holiday with friends and family.
I have become extremely fond of gift bags. To keep the “extreme frugality” theme going, I have never purchased a holiday gift bag: Mine were plucked from the “free” box at yard sales or from the mixed paper bin at the recycling center. Got some tissue paper the same ways, as well as from Buy Nothing. The recipients hand the bags back before I go, because these are “magic” bags: If you give them to me, they will likely return with more presents next year.
Haven’t put up my little tree yet, either. It might happen by Christmas Eve.
I’ll see your “whatever” and raise you an “if it happens, it happens.”
Thanks for reading, and for leaving a comment.
Merry Christmas, Donna, and best wishes for the coming year.
Hardly any holiday shopping here, so no great deals to report. But we’ve got a nice dinner planned, an opportunity to enjoy each others’ company, so all in all, a lovely day.