Home & Garden Blog » Sales Events

Getting the Right Fit: The Value of Home Shows

brock — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 17:30:42 +0000

The problem with trying to remodel or renovate your home is coming up with the right ideas. You know you don’t like what you have, but what do you want to replace it with?

You know you hate the bathroom tub and tile, but what are your options for a new tub? Who in the area has the best selection of tile? This is where the home show comes into play. Odds that are somewhere near you, there is a yearly home and garden show at a local mall or conference center.

Dozens if not hundreds of vendors come to these shows and bring their wares to show off to the public, with the hopes of gaining business and customers. They range from the mundane appliance sellers and landscapers to the exotic furniture and accessory sellers with a wide range of prices.

Home shows are usually held in the winter or early spring, because this is the business’ slow time. Owners also want to set up customers in advance so that when the weather gets better, they can start work right away. This isn’t so much for the indoor people as it is for the landscapers.

Why bother? Simple. It gives you an idea of what is out there. You can find the exact tile you were looking for or end up going in a completely different direction after seeing a bathtub type you had never even heard of. You can sit and talk to them one-on-one or set up an appointment to come out to their store or warehouse and take a look at their selection. You can even visit several different shows in surrounding areas and get an idea of the bigger picture.

Don’t travel long distances for home shows, though, because most of the vendors work with local customers, and the ones that service a larger area will likely be at the home close to you. The only reason to visit a home and garden show far away is if you want something really exotic that you can only find a big city home and garden show. That is, of course, assuming that you don’t already live in a big city.

Great Savings: Finding Kitchenware Bliss at Wal-Mart

emelie — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 17:53:21 +0000

There was once a time before places like Wal-Mart, when you could only go to one or two stores in the country to get all your home needs. Big household supply stores with warehouse storage and very large doors. In fact, I remember walking into one such warehouse as a kid and telling my dad how scary it was. The aisles were so tall! I was a tiny ant in a very big warehouse world. But large discount department stores have changed that, and I must say, I feel a little more confident in my size when I’m there. Although I suppose being older helps, too…

Now, honestly, I’ve been looking for a good kitchen mixer for a long time. But they’re pretty pricey, and you can’t really go cheap on it. Plus, I want stainless steel, so it’s hard to find good deals. Basically, I’ve been lying low, biding my time, just waiting for the right opportunity to present itself. Lord knows I wasn’t going to freeze my butt off on Black Friday waiting in line. No, sir. I’m going to shop like a civilized human being.

And then it happened: I saw the light (and by the light I mean the Wal-Mart ad). One of the lowest prices for a stainless steel mixer I’ve seen: a Better Homes and Gardens 4.5-Qt. Stand Mixer for $129.00. AND Wal-Mart is throwing in a free $30 e-gift card. That’s basically a $100 mixer right there. It will be mine. Oh yes, it will be mine.

Honestly, I’m considering buying a game console, too, just because it comes with an even bigger e-gift card. This Toys & More Savings Event, today through Sunday (Nov. 17–19), is seriously going to have me on my shopping toes. I’m itching to get out of this office just I can run over there and secure my prize. And while I’m at the store batting you away from my mixer, I think I might grab the BHG Christmas Poinsetta 12-Piece Dinnerware Set for $12.50. Oh, and the Embroidered Mistletoe Napkins for $6. Oh, geez, I think Wal-Mart is making my holiday dreams come true.

Of course, if I don’t get my mixer, then I will be quite sad. It’s like stealing candy from a kid. While that kid (me) is in the candy store (Wal-Mart). My candy is my mixer. Heck, I’ll make you candy in my mixer if you let me get it. But, in the off chance that I don’t, Walmart.com is offering new savings for its customers every day. Hopefully, that customer will be me, holding my beautiful kitchen mixer.

What do you guys think? Will you be rushing the gates for Wal-Mart’s sale this weekend, à la Black Friday? Are there any deals you’re looking forward to in particular?

Special Deals on Home and Garden Products for Cyber Monday

colleen — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 18:21:09 +0000

I woke up this morning itching to get on the computer and shop the mysterious cyber sales–just as I was hoping for, all of the name brand companies and large department stores were having their fantastic, mysterious cyber sales. Nothing is more fruitful for your holiday shopping than the JCPenney Cyber Monday website, with a host of savings on everything from women’s sleepwear apparel to the home. And while we’ll be here until midnight shopping the sales for our favorite friends and family, don’t forget to visit the home section and buy yourself a little present–maybe some new towels? Or a comforter? Maybe even a new LCD television screen? Don’t feel bad about self-gifting, not with prices like these!

Here are some of the top special Cyber Monday deals from JCPenney.com, these prices cannot be beat!:

Catherine Vanity Table : $99.00, marked down from $199.00

Cindy Crawford Brushed Metal Bath Accessories: $10.99-47.99, marked down from $24.99-79.99

Happy Shopping! Don’t miss your chance to take advantage of Cyber Monday. There’s nothing better, and it doesn’t last long.

Doormats on Sale

colleen — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 17:55:05 +0000

Smarter.com features stores that have a whole array of special sales and clearances, but today I wanted to focus on a need-based item. The weather is turning brisker, and for me that means that I need to start prepping my house for the onslaught of winter boots, wet rain boots, sludge, and the general wintery (and autumnal!) mix. Smarter.com’s helps you find products that you need at the most affordable prices, and does all the legwork for you to shop around the Internet and compare each seller to find the thriftiest deal. Here are some of the top picks for doormats to protect your home:

1. Poinsettia Doormat : 19.95 (you save $3.00!)

2. Buckinham Doormat : $26.9

3. Glorious Fall Doormat : $22.95 (you save $7!)

Find a variety of affordable doormats at Smarter.com.

Savings at Crate&Barrel’s Online Outlet Store

colleen — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 17:37:45 +0000

Crate&Barrel has plenty of quality cookware, furnishings, and bathroom accessories to outfit your home, but they have a tendency to put a strain on your budget. Luckily Crate&Barrel has an online Outlet store to help us still get the quality and the look, but not the depleting bank account. The outlet store is well organized in categories from ornaments to table linens to drinkware and bar accessories. Let’s park down in the Top Rated Outlet section though, to see what fellow Crate&Barrel shoppers think is the best of the best:

Set of 12 Gibraltar Double Old-Fashioneds for $23.50, marked down from a regular price of $30.00. With a customer rating of 5 out of 5, you know these glasses live up to their durability and style.
Next up, the Confetti Individual Bowls for $4.50 each, marked down from a regular price of $5.00. It may not seem like a lot of savings, but these bowls are worth every penny: they are durable, and earth-friendly too: the Confetti bowls are made out of recycled melamine.

Finally, the biggest savings of the bunch: The Reed Coffee Table, on sale for $109.00, marked down from $349.00!! With a steel frame and burnished chestnut wood, this table is an elegant and refined statement.

Happy shopping!

Find more affordable tableware and furniture at Smarter.com.

Special Sales: College Shopping 2.0

colleen — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 17:30:59 +0000

Walmart’s newest dedication to using social networking tools and Web 2.0 interfaces may be rooted in capitalism and greedy corporations, but there are some great user benefits that save the college-bound a few hundred in shipping, packaging, or unnecessary double and triple trips back and forth to the local department store. Walmart.com’s new College 09 site has a wonderful selection of thrifty and stylish supplies for the young and the educated, including some “Value Bundles” that should be checked out for their super thrifty status. Featured on their top selling value bundles are:

Kalorik Sunny Morning Basic Kitchen Appliance Set, Tangerine and White: $85.00 Coming with a toaster, a blender, a coffee maker and a kettle, this is a cute set that will brighten any freshman’s smile when they wake up for that first 8 a.m. class.

Another great steal is the Girl’s Twin Bedding and Towel Set at $45.00, with a bright lively pattern for the comforter and sham and 6-piece towel set for all your bathroom needs.

Now what about the boys? While the girls have their bright orange kettles and striped comforters keeping them colorful and hydrated during finals, what will the boys use?

I won’t lie, I’ll suggest the Mainstays Tall Corner TV Stand and Viore 26” Class LCD HDTV Bundle for $349.00 out of experience and necessity. 26″ HDTV with digital tuner and the stand makes this a complete package, and perfect for the Xbox hookup. No joke, these things are a necessity! Video games are a growing market, the boys are doing “research” into a prospective career field. No lie!!

Find at Smarter.com: Shop for more kitchen appliances and tv stands.
Discounts on towels and twin bedding.

The Usual Fanfare: It’s Hot!

colleen — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 20:06:22 +0000

4th of July has come and gone, summer has officially started. Welcome to sticky Sundays, melting Mondays, terrible Tuesdays, wet Wednesdays, thirsty Thursdays, freakin’ hot Fridays, and scalding Saturdays. Any and everyday of the week will be unbearably hot (fingers crossed!!!) which gives plenty of excuse for beach trips, pool days and cold drinks. Before the summer really ramps up, a few precautionary purchases to outfit your home for the inevitable hot and humid season be worth its weight in gold when August comes around!

Some facts you didn’t know about air conditioning:

1. Air conditioning uses more electricity than you would expect: it can account for up to 70% of your total electricity bill, depending on how much you use the system, of course.
2. Ceiling fans and proper insulation of the house are simple and surprisingly cheaper ways to keep your house cool during the summer.
3. Numbers to put the waste and energy of AC into perspective: A central air-conditioning system uses about 3500 watts per hour of energy. A window unit AC of medium size uses about 900 watts per hour (don’t forget to multiply this by how many units you’re planning on using throughout your home). A ceiling fan uses 75 watts per hour. Think of all the money you could save!

Some top fans to purchase for the season:

Ceiling Fans: requiring a bit of installation, these fans are best because, as we all learned back in kindergarten, heat rises. Ceiling fans are up there with the heat and will get it moving out of your house much more effectively and efficiently than floor fans. Consider the thrifty Westinghouse Lighting – Industrial 56″ Ceiling Fan in Brushed Nickel at a sale price of $73.05, marked down from $123. Just as effective of a product, but you already start with almost $49.95 of savings!

Floor Fans: If you’re living in an apartment or a beach house for just a few days or weeks, you clearly don’t want to go through the trouble of installing a ceiling fan. Your next best bet is a floor fan, like this Honeywell HFS641P 16-Inch Remote Control Stand Fan. At just $39.88, you save $5 from original price and still get a wonderful product.

Desk Fans: For the students in the dorms who need something blasted right at their face and don’t have room/money for the floor fans (here here!!), a tabletop desk fan is sure to please. At only $15.50, the 4 Personal Two-Speed Desktop Personal Fan is an absolute steal of a fan.

Find at Smarter.com: Shop for more affordable ceiling fans and floor fans.
Discounts on desk fans.

Super Clearance at BestBuyerDiscounts – 57% Off Quilts

evette — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 18:42:51 +0000

Honestly the discounts at BestBuyerDiscounts are beyond great! The savings are awesome, everything seems to be greatly reduced and the savings are sometimes up to the 90 percentage range. Sweet Deals!!

Take this Spring Meadow Twin Quilt and Pillow Sham Deal!

Hand crafted quilt set includes 1 twin quilt (68 x 86 inches) and 1 standard sham (20 x 26 inches).
Face cloth is 100% natural cotton with 100% polyester fill.
Includes one (1) standard sham 20 inches x 26 inches.

It is orginally listed and sold at other online stores for ~~$129.99~~ BUT is on SALE for only $56.05 (you save $57%)

Plus at BestBuyerDiscounts they offer you an extra gift with purchase, 40% off discount coupon on movie tickets if you buy!

They really couldn’t do much more to sweeten the deal.

To purchase the “Spring Meadow Twin Quilt with Pillow Sham” – Click here!

To shop for deep discounts at Best Buyer Discounts – Click here!

Discounted Lanterns for ONLY 25 Cents – Super Sale at BestBuyerDiscounts

evette — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 19:57:07 +0000

Okay guys I don’t know what is going on at BestBuyerDiscounts.com but they are having super awesome deals right now! I am not kidding some of their stuff is 97% OFF!

That is unheard of and you gotta check out this SALE!

Small White Lantern – was $~~6.95~~ NOW $0.25 (you save 96% Off)

Mini Cutwork Garden Lantern – was $~~7.95~~ NOW $0.25 (you save 97% Off)

Ladybug Mesh Lantern - was $~~9.95~~ NOW $0.25 (you save 97% Off)

Honestly these are amazing savings and it appears that the whole site has been discounted, so this is just an example of the savings!

To shop for deep discounts at BestBuyerDirect.com – click here!

Holiday Shopping Guide – Cheap Christmas Gifts for the Family

evette — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 18:04:27 +0000

Let us do the heavy lifting as far as scouring the web for great deals on an assortment of Christmas Gifts for every member of your family!

Check out the Holiday Shopping Guide at Smarter.com:

Click on the image above to shop for Mom, Dad, brothers, gramps, grandma and his or her gifts!

Click on the image above for gift deals for husbands, wives, boyfriends, girlfriends and kids!

Happy Holiday Shopping!