michaelhong.com

I buy a crapload of stuff from Amazon. I have an Amazon Prime subscription and most of the stuff that I ship two-day (free with Prime) usually comes the next day. Prices on Amazon fluctuate quite a bit. Only recently did I realize that Amazon has a 30-day price guarantee. The downside is that you have to track the price yourself over the 30-day period. However, there are two sites that will track the price for you. One is RefundPlease, the other is FlamingoWorld’s Amazon Price Drop Tracker.

At both sites, you just enter the ISBN/ASIN number, the price, the date you purchased the item, and your email address. If you’re worried about spam, you can just use a throwaway email address. Just make sure you check it!

Once you receive an email notification that the price has dropped, then go here: Amazon’s Return & Refunds Contact Form.

Log in with your user/pass and your recent orders should pop up. Let’s take my awesome recent purchase, the ice cream maker, as an example. Check the order whose price has dropped then click the Email button under customer service.

Now, under the issue dropdown box, select refund inquiry.

Then in the message box, just explain that the price of your item, <ITEM NAME HERE>, that you purchased on <PURCHASE DATE HERE> has dropped from $XXX.XX to $XX.XX and that you would like a refund of the price difference. You should receive an email from Amazon issuing the refund. I’ve recently used this to recover $20.00 from the price of my A/V receiver.

Easy peasy.

Last week there was a smoking deal on an Xbox 360 Elite from Dell. It included the console, Marvel: Ultimate Alliance/Forza 2 combo and two faceplates for $299. I was lucky enough to get in on the deal thanks to boogi. (My 360 Elite was built on 04-30-2008.)

It appears that the deal has returned, albeit not as good as the last one.

Now you can save $100 from the $449.99 retail price. Still an awesome deal, considering right now the 60GB Xbox 360 Pro is selling for $350. So basically for the same price, you get the black 360, a 120GB HDD vs a 60GB, two games (of questionable value, but hey, they’re free and Forza 2 is great), and two faceplates (also of questionable value, but again, they’re F-R-E-E).

Head over to Dell Home and enter coupon code V8Q199$GCXJWL$ at checkout. The code expires on 8/20. This makes me wonder if the Elites are being cleared out for a new model. Supposedly price cuts are coming in September on all models, but even then, the Elite is rumored to be dropping to $400, which is still $50 more than this deal. Doesn’t matter, if you need a 360 now, this is a sweet deal.

Xbox 360 Elite bundle [Dell Home] via Fatwallet
Use coupon code V8Q199$GCXJWL$ at checkout (EXP 08/20)

Damn you deal websites!!!! They make me buy things that I don’t need. Earlier today, I bought a Queen size Bed in a Bag for $19.99 from Amazon. It includes a comforter, bed skirt, two shams, two pillowcases, flat sheet, and fitted sheet. I don’t even know what a sham is, but I just got two of them! 180-thread count, so it might be a little rough for my sensitively smooth skin.

It’s also very patriotic-looking. The full-size bed in a bag (also $19.99) looks a lot nicer. If you pad the total to $25.00, you can use code IODISCNT to save an additional 10%. Sadly, the $5.99 Farberware 3-Piece Cutting Board set that I ordered is no longer available. But you can add the Venus Vibrance Soothing Vibrations Razor which ends up being free after rebate. Or a $5.99 Tommy Hilfiger towel. Or a $7.99 Brita pitcher. Now go order your bed-in-a-bag.

Link: FatWallet.com

If any of you guys don’t have any money in online savings accounts, I would recommend doing it. It’s a great place to park any money you don’t need. I’ve been using 2 different online savings accounts (ING Direct and Emigrant Direct). All of the aforementioned banks are FDIC insured. You do need a brick and mortar checking account that you can transfer the money to and from. Basically, these banks offer you higher interest rates while not requiring you to have a minimum balance that many money-market savings accounts from regular banks do. The only downside that I can think of is if you need the money in a hurry (it takes a few days for the money to transfer back into your brick and mortar account). ING Direct has a 4.75% APY for new customers until April 15. (3.80% afterwards) Sadly, I’m not a new customer, but their regular rate is 3.80%. EmigrantDirect has a 4.25% APY.

Today, I’m signing up for a 3rd bank - HSBC Direct. They’re giving you a 4.80% APY until April 30, plus a $25 signing bonus for new accounts with code START. Another, good thing about HSBC is that you can use your ATM card if you have a regular account with them, or they will issue you an ATM card that you can use.
After you have your money set up in the online accounts, you can just transfer the money from bank to bank and follow the higher interest rate. Questions? Good.

Here’s another place to start eating for the next week… Quizno’s!

“Buy any size Toasty combo and get a second sub of equal or lesser value free!”

Time to get my Black Angus on.

Here’s the coupon. Expires Feb. 8.

Source: ben