Door Dash is currently offering no fee delivery in some areas, but even without that you can find various savings. Eating out is not possible for now, but you can still get food from your beloved eateries with Door Dash. Learn savings strategies here:
To make sure your delivery is really no-contact, go to “Delivery Instructions” and select no-contact option. It should be automatic anyway, but double check it just in case.
Use text messages with your dasher:
You can always send a text message to your driver and ask him or her to drop the package off by your door without seeing you. To help you can even send them a picture of where you would like to have the delivery left.
If you have a family member or a partner, you can get free delivery for 2 months during regular times, when delivery is not free. If you are new to Door Dash and have never downloaded the app before, you always get free 30 days. Door Dash tracks you by your phone number, email, and credit card, but not by your physical address. So if you have somebody living at the same address, he or she can also sign up and get another month free. You can do all that without any coupon code.
You can get Door Dash gift card from Target and get 5% off if you use REDCard to pay for it. You don’t have to go to a physical Target store, because all those Door Dash gift cards are electronic and will be sent to you via email. If you have any questions, you can call Target customer service.
You can also check out Raise.com or Gift Card Granny for discounted gifts cards as well. PayPal, Amazon, Walmart, Giftcards, and Giftcardmall also sell Door Dash gift cards.
When ordering from Door Dash, look for places that offer $0 delivery for the first time and buy from them. There is a list of restaurants in your area like that on Door Dash app.
Shop at 7-Eleven for necessities and snacks, and get them delivered for free with Door Dash. Not only you will get your bottled water, chocolate bars, and pain meds brought to you with no delivery fee, but the delivery will take place in less than an hour.
If you buy from Door Dash more than twice per month, you should sign up for DashPass, which is $9.99 per month and gives free or at least lowed delivery price. This applies for times when the service is not already free.
Standard fee is $5.99, so ordering more than two times in 30 days would cover your membership fee. Minimum order for free delivery is $12, which is not hard to do with any restaurant.
There is a way to get free DashPass if you have Chase Visa card. Chase Sapphire Reserve and Preferred members get 1 year or even more of free DashPass. Chase Freedom and Slate members get 3 months free and then another 9 months for 50% off Door Dash deliveries.
Sometimes restaurants that deliver via Door Dash offer free things with orders and various discounts. You can find them on Twitter and other social media sites. Those deals are limited time, usually just for a few days, require code, and are applied with minimum order amounts.
You can refer friends to Door Dash and get $10 rewards towards your next order. Just go to “Account” and select “Refer Friends” link for sending invitations. If your friends will order for at least $15 through your link, you will get $10 off one-time order and they will get $5 off their next three orders.
If your order is incomplete, something got spilled, damaged, or it hasn’t arrived all together, you can and should get a refund. You need to go to “Account”, “Delivery Support”, select your order, click “Help”, and then choose your issue for a refund.
Ever since I discovered Personalization Mall a few months ago, I have used them for all my gift needs. There are times when I want to give somebody special something extraordinary and one of a kind, which is what personalization is all about. Recently I saw a coupon for Personal Creations and got intrigued. It’s always good to have more than one place for the gift giving needs.
Because of that accidental coupon, I decided to give Personal Creations a try. This is my experience, which is, I have to say, quite positive.
The coupon I used was for 25% off, with the code THAW. With that in hand I ventured to their website to pick something I could use either for me or for my two kids. Since Valentine’s Day is the next big holiday, the home page featured gifts and discounts for everything red and with hearts. My Valentine’s Day gifts are already taken care of, so I wanted to look at other merchandise. I believe that the best time to shop for something is at the end of a season or a holiday, so Valentine’s items can definitely wait for better deals. There is some good news for those, who are waiting for the last minute though – if ordered in the next couple of days, the personalized items can still make it in time for the love fest. Otherwise, wait a few days and get all kinds of things deeply discounted.
Personal Creations are usually running some kind of sale every week. You will see the offers displayed right on the home page, so no guess work is needed. In addition to Valentine’s Day items, you can also save on all kinds of mixed products – up to 50% off.
When browsing the Personal Creations website I was attracted to summer merchandise since it’s going to be here in no time, or so we hope. I started my search at For Home section. Then I went to For Kids tab. I was a bit disappointed that there was no ‘Sales or Outlet’ section, but the up to 50% off memories sale was the best collection of deals, so I also browsed there right on the home page.
I decided that the best way to shop efficiently is to know what you are looking for before coming to the website. I didn’t, so I ended up spending quite a bit of time, but thankfully not money. While looking at different products, personalized towels kept catching my attention, so much so that it was enough for me to decide that personalized towels are what my kids need to be completely ready for summer. It would be lovely to eliminate at least one reason for fighting while at the beach or pool. So towels it was!
Making up my mind made my task a lot easier – I just went to For Kids section and selected ‘Kids Towels’. And then I was greeted with many choices for towels – every possible color, hooded and not hooded, with sports teams, various illustrations, with animals, cartoon characters, cars, trucks, abstract drawings, and even ice cream!
I wanted the towels to last for a long time, but also look cute, so I picked one red and one blue with a playful pug pup and each child’s name in capital letters on the bottom. It says on the website that it takes 1-3 days for personalization, and it really does – I ordered the beach towels on Monday, they got shipped on Thursday, and delivered on Friday. I actually did not expect such fast shipping, so it was a very pleasant surprise!
With my coupon I saved 25%, which is $17.50. The shipping was not free, unfortunately, so that was $9.99 + $2.99 for multi-unit shipping, which is completely nonsensical because both towels arrived in one bag. I am a little offended by this charge. I am sure there are free shipping coupons to be had from time to time, and my recommendation is to use them when possible and not shop without them.
Besides that shipping charge hiccup, I like everything else, but especially the quality of the towels, which exceeded my expectations. I was ready for something thin and flimsy, but when they actually came, they were not thick, but very dense, bright, and sturdy. The side with the colored drawing and the names has some sheen to it and doesn’t look very absorbent, but the other side is like a regular white towel, made of 50% cotton and another 50% synthetic, great for whisking away every drop of water.
Today is a nice warm day here and looking at those towels I started visualizing how we will be spending time outside every day in spring, lounging by the pool after school, and laying on those towels on vacation at the beach. And the best thing of all is that kids won’t be accusing each other of stealing the driest towel out of the bunch – they will each now be responsible for their own. I am also confident that friends and beach goers will think that I am one rocking mom with personalized towels like that!
All in all, I really enjoyed my first Personal Creations experience and will do more shopping there as long as there is free shipping coupon available. After all, we still have Easter and graduation coming up!
FabFitFun opening ceremony
Some of us love subscription boxes so much that we can’t live without them. Others are just now discovering them. Let’s take a look at FabFitFun because it’s fun no matter which type of consumers we belong to.
FabFitFun wins over its competitors because they send full-size products instead of those little samples that do nothing but clutter our home. You can partly customize the box or receive a total surprise.
For just $49.99 once per season you will get $200-$300 worth of beauty supplies once every three months. What’s not to love about that?
Most of us can be a bit wary about discovering and ordering new things, so this is where a subscription box can be very handy.
You won’t be investing much time or money and will get a nice collection of items that are picked by experts.
The biggest disappointment of subscription box industry is the fact that you often receive so many small bottles that you will collect way more than you can find the use for. Not everybody needs monthly arrivals and a pile of samples stored under the bathroom sink.
Learning what is in the latest FabFitFun box
FabFitFun strives to not make you a beauty sample hoarder and delivers goodies once every season.
This time frame is very realistic to let you test and enjoy what you get. Your products are full-size and tailored by seasons, for example, in addition to hair spray you might receive a beautiful scarf for winter. People also love the fact that they don’t have to be charged every month, but every three instead.
The biggest appeal though is the seasonal tailoring aspect and bigger packages to give you time to really try something and fall in love.
The environment will thank you too – less little plastic packages to throw away.
You definitely won’t get as many samples each month as you would with Birchbox, but it comes down to your lifestyle and beauty routine. If you think that higher quality and bigger size appeals to you, then definitely give FabFitFun a try.
If your goal is to try as many products as possible, you might want to go with Birchbox for $10 each month. If you are looking for quality surprises less frequently, but more tailored, go with FabFitFun for $49.99 for 3 months. The decision is all yours.
How to order FabFitFun box:
All in all, most users really like what they get from FabFitFun, including such surprises as pillow spray or $85 worth Kate Somerville’s exfoliating face wash. If you really love a product, you won’t have to run out and buy it right away as soon as the tiny sample is over because you already get a full-size version. And if you live in a small apartment, you will definitely appreciate the little clutter aspect of this subscription box.
Most of us have heard about Hotwire, the online travel agency (OTA), that has been around for some time and offers complete vacation packages and separate booking deals.
Let’s take a close look at this website and see if the deals are really good here.
Hotwire is known for its simplicity. The search on home page works just like any other OTA: you have to put your location, time of arrival and departure, number of guests, and number of rooms. Once you submit that, you will be given a few extra filters:
The left side of the screen will have a list of hotels, including Today’s Top Deal. The right side is for map with green shade for different areas close to your search.
When you select the hotel that you like, you will see more information about it. If you are happy with it, click “Buy Now” button and you will be directed to the payment and confirmation process.
We have compared the prices of various hotels with Hotels.com, Priceline, Orbitz, and hotel websites only to discover that they all come pretty close to each other. Most of the time hotels offer best rates for members, so if you prefer any particular hotel, consider becoming a member.
Hot rate works the same way as Priceline special deals, where you don’t know the exact hotel until you finish your booking. You will know the star rating, the area, Trip Advisor rating, and included amenities.
Hot Rate hotels are usually very great deals, so you just have to have some faith, be flexible, and go for it.
Searching for cars is easy on Hotwire.com. Just like with the hotel, you have to enter your trip specifications and then filter the results with the options on the left side of your screen.
This is the same as with hotels – you will not know the exact agency, but you will be getting a good deal. Hotwire beats Alamo, Hertz, Enterprise, Dollar, and Thrifty with this kind of booking.
Hotwire has some standard rates too if you are very particular about the rental company and don’t want to take any chances. These rates are similar to those on rental companies’ websites. When booking a car, use a credit card that offers basic car rental insurance.
If you have plenty of time planning the trip, you can definitely find great deals and get them sent directly to you. Once you enter your trip details, go to the bottom of the page, to the left, and put your email address in the box to receive alerts about deals that apply for your itinerary.
All flights on Hotwire are either one-way or round-trip. Once you input all your information, you can then narrow down the flight by number of stops, airline, departure time, and arrival time. Make sure you click through the flights as your initial search page will only show departure results.
The search results will yield the airline name, departure and arrival times, duration of the trip, and price. Once you pick the outgoing flight you like, click “Select” button and you will be taken to the return flight options. When you pick that flight, click “Select” again and you will see the price you would get if you bought flight and hotel together. This package usually offers great price. If you are not interested, click “No Thanks” and continue to your trip. Before finishing your transaction, you will see some options to upgrade your flight, but be careful, as all upgrades are pretty expensive.
The initial Hotwire flight price is usually basic economy, which does not let you pick a seat or take a carry-on. A small upgrade might be needed just to get that.
Hotwire sometimes charges booking fee, so keep that in mind when comparison shopping.
Most travel agencies will urge you to purchase trip insurance somewhere between your search and payment details. While the need for it might be rare, sometimes it can save you money. Most credit cards offer trip cancellation and interruption insurance, so skip this step if you are using a card like that.
Hotwire offers some flights that carry a better price, but you won’t be able to select the exact number of stops or times of arrival and departure. Needless to say, those are not very popular.
Flight prices can change a couple times per hour, so if you find a good deal, take it without much delay. Hotwire also offers 24-hour post booking cancellation option for all US-based carrier flights that are booked at least a week in advance. Even better, Hotwire is known to offer some non-US based carrier free cancellations too, but always read the small print as some flights can be non-refundable.
Hotwire will refund the difference if you will find a cheaper booking within 24 hours as long as the booking is exactly the same and available for the general public. This policy applies to hotels, flights, cars, and bundles.
Always look for a coupon before clicking that “Submit” button. You can find many sites that aggregate coupons, but not all of them are equally good. Some just list deals or clever wording to get you to click on the links.
It doesn’t cost anything to create an account with Hotwire, and future deals might make it worth your time. You can get up to 10% savings on standard rate hotels with your account. Your member rates will be displayed in yellow.
In conclusion, Hotwire is simple to use and offers some good deals, especially if you are flexible. Vacation packages and bundles are also a good way to purchase your trip, so create an account and get searching!
Not everybody knows that there are other smartwatch options than just from Apple. Michael Kors is one of a few designers who re making such watches, so you can be cool just by telling time if you own one of his designs. Those high-end watches are the ultimate “It” item for Christmas for you or somebody very special on your list. Just in time for that Michael Kors is releasing three new premium design time pieces:
The first two are upgrades to previous versions with extra features. The third one is totally innovative concept and brings totally different design.
Access Lexington 2 and Access Bradshaw 2 both use Google Wear OS operating system and have a Snapdragon Wear 3100, which offers amazing performance and much better battery life than previous versions.
The most exciting new feature is probably the inclusion of speakers, so now you can take calls, hear notifications, and use voice commands with Google Assistant. All that, plus enhanced battery capabilities, make the new offers very attractive. Users love the ability to customize the features that they want running at all times with this longer-lasting battery, something that wasn’t possible before.
The main reason why people look for Apple watch alternatives is the premium design and the bling. All that can definitely be found here with design so sparkly you might need some cool shades. And if you need those, Michael Kors has you covered too. But really, the watches sparkle and pop anywhere you go, so don’t expect to remain unnoticed.
Both of those designs have very similar technology and features:
So what’s the difference, you might ask? Design is what it’s all about, the looks and the esthetics. Other than that even the price is similar – around $350, with more premium versions going for $450.
Now let’s talk about the Access MKGO. This one is different and not blinged-out. MKGO is made for people with active lifestyles and serves as a wearable to track life in a fast lane, which doesn’t need extra sparkles. While great for fitness, it is also a proper smartwatch, it just has improved functions.
While the Wear OS and Snapdragon 3100 systems are the same as in the previous two, this one has 1.19-inch not AMOLED screen, 43mm case, and 7mm thickness. It is made of nylon, not aluminum for lightweight wearable feeling.
This device also has Google Fit built in, so setting and tracking fitness goals and workouts is a breeze. Put in the lightness factor in that mix and you will get the most perfect smartwatch for all your fitness needs.
Access MKGO is also cheaper than the other two at $295 and offers a nice range of colors.
All three watches are from Michael Kors Fall 2019 collection and should become available any time. Rest assured they all will be waiting for their new owners just in time for Christmas or maybe even Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
This summer is perfect for reading, more perfect than ever before. Corona is raging and wreaking havoc on all our plans, travel, vacations, summer camps, and even playdates with friends. Kids are mostly bored out of their mind. I know mine are. They are tired of pool, too hot (which I don’t blame them for since we live in the south), and have nothing to do.
I did it all – bought LEGO sets, board games, new diving glasses, booked dance and horseback riding classes, but there is only so much one can do before going bankrupt. We see friends 1-2 times per week, but the rest of the time I have responsibilities and work. So this it – books are my salvation for kids and for my own self in the evenings before bed.
I grew up the only child, so while I had plenty of friends in the neighborhood, books were always very important to me. So important in fact, that I chose literature and philology as my majors, before a degree in marketing. I read my whole life or until I had kids that is. For some reason when kids were little and needy I abandoned books, I didn’t have time for them or desire to read more than People magazine. Only last year I got back to book reading and I couldn’t be happier!
Long story short, kids and I need a constant book supply now. We borrow from friends and all, but since libraries are closed and friends don’t have unlimited reserves, we had to find something more affordable than Amazon and Barnes & Noble. For the record, neither one of us like e-books, so those are out of question. We are an old fashioned paper book in hand kind of family.
This is why I was very happy to find AbeBooks.com. It’s an online marketplace for used books and other collectibles. Many used book stores from US, UK, Canada, and other countries sell books here for a fraction of the price you would get anywhere else. Some books I received are old library copies, some are from private collectors, but all I care about is that the book reaches me, no matter where from.
The best thing about this book marketplace is the prices they offer. You can easily find books for under $3 with free shipping! Granted, those books are all used, paperback, and take about 2 weeks to reach us, but we are rarely in a terrible hurry to get a book, so it’s very doable.
Some books have bent pages, scratches, and a few markings, but each book has its condition described on Abebooks.com, so you know what to expect. Not all the books in the world can be found on this website, but a vast majority can after some tedious search. To narrow the search you can type in not only the title and author’s name, but also keyword and ISBN number.
I have recently come across a list of 40 classic books every educated person should read, from Dracula to modern literature about racial issues, and really wanted to get them all. Out of those 40 books, I was able to find about 30 on Abebooks.com for $130 total. Can you imagine – 30 books for $130 total?! The prices ranged from $2.99 to about $10 per book. It took me about 3 weeks to get them all, but now I am very happy and have plenty of material for reading for a few months.
I buy kids’ books here too. My daughter is obsessed with Geronimo Stilton series while my son is into comics. I am happy to find a nice selection of those on AbeBooks.com.
Besides many regular books, you can search for rare signed copies, browse collections, textbooks, art & collectibles. Rare books can be sold for hundreds of dollars, of course, but you can find true gems that are simply not available anywhere else.
It helps to know exactly what you are looking for before you start and it also helps to be flexible with time of shipping and delivery – be ready to give at least a week and more.
AbeBooks.com features coupons and discounts, so even though the prices are very affordable already, you can save even more. Look for promo codes online before checking out and most of the time you will find something. Sometimes you can get 60% off books, art, and collectables, other times the biggest discounts are on textbooks, which is especially important as the schools are about to resume. You can also find classic, collectable, or trending books at prices like $1 per book during special sales. You can also sell your books here with a fee of just $25 per month.
Based on coronavirus trends, we will be book worm family for a while longer and AbeBooks.com will continue to supply our passion with materials. Check them out if you haven’t yet and you might be surprised how affordable and fun book reading can be!
No matter what level student you are, saving money might be the most vital and the most relevant lesson you will learn while studying. There are a lot of things you need to buy for school, but there are also many ways to save.
Let us lay out five ways that you can save not just hundreds, but sometimes thousands of dollars while getting ready for your bright future:
Granted, new and crisp books are always nice, but you will only need them for one semester, so it’s much better to invest that cash somewhere else and save hundreds of dollars if you can deal with used books.
AbeBooks and similar sites can help you save 40% and more off textbooks. New books are way overpriced and you will often end up reading just a portion of them. You can call or meet with your future or current professors to find out if it’ll be possible to use the previous edition of the book. Most of the time you will get the positive answer because there is very little difference from year to year. Once you get the green light, finding a used textbook online is really easy and for a fraction of the cost. Imagine buying a book for $10 instead of $90!
File your Free Application for Federal Student Aid and file it early. It used to be possible to apply on January 1st, but recently FAFSA website started allowing filing on October 1st. Don’t waste any time and get the spot for you as early as you can by beating the competition as many students are not aware of this change.
When filing FAFSA, it is very important to get your status correct. You can be independent or dependent. If you file it with your parents’ tax information, you are dependent. If you are filing completely on your own, you are independent. Independent students have higher chance of receiving financial aid. To be independent you have to be 24 or older, married, have a legal dependent, orphan or ward of the court, a veteran, a graduate or a profession student. If you have some unusual circumstances like parents in jail, you will also be considered as an independent student. You can always talk to your financial aid office to see if you can qualify.
Most colleges and universities have a website with information about scholarship applications. Often times those applications have to be filled months in advance to be covered for the current year. If you are late this time, apply and get everything submitted for the next year. Many scholarships require essay writing, so train for it and give it a try. If you are not a strong writer, browse all offered scholarships to see if you can find something that appeals to you. Scholarships are the fastest way to save thousands of dollars.
Waivers are fantastic and surprisingly, they are often widely available. The most used waiver is the GI Bill for veterans of the military. Veterans will not only be able to study for free, but might get some help with housing and other expenses.
There is another waiver for foster care kids and can have a few names.
College and university employees can also enjoy a waiver and get some free classes at the place of work. Any employee, from janitor to cook, can work and earn full time degree for free. Another similar way to earn a degree along with work is a student labor agreement, a work study. While it’s not a waiver, it also offers a great way to earn the degree.
Your financial aid counselor will know all about such waivers and if you are eligible, so definitely meet with someone and find out your options. Student labor specialist can tell you about work study option.
The price of education in the U.S. can rival a price of a fancy new car or a house, so it’s very important to try all the options you possibly can before paying the full tuition. If you feel like you need help filing for FAFSA or tuition waiver, enlist that help with your financial aid office specialist. They know the process and can give you very useful tips.