Spending Monday shopping online? Here are some ways to maximize your savings.
If you launch your shopping trip from a site like ebates.com or mypoints.com you can get rebates on top of what you already save. Some rebates are as high as 15%.
Use retailmenot.com to find coupon codes and free shipping. However, retail expert Fatima Mehdikarimi suggests online shoppers google the company at which they plan to shop along with the phrase “promo code.” (For example: Home Depot promo code) Mehdikarimi said she often finds deeper discounts than the code compilation sites offer.
Before you make a purchase compare prices using tools like pricegrabber.com.
Since quantities are often limited on deeply discounted items, register in advance at the online stores where you plan to shop. That way, you won’t have to start an account before you check out.
With some sales, even if you have an item in your cyber shopping cart, it can disappear into someone else’s if you don’t check out quickly.
To avoid a lot of cumbersome typing use sites like roboform.com. You only have to fill out your name, address and other information once. After that, roboform.com will fill out forms with just one click. The service offers a free version as well as Roboform pro, which you have to pay for.
And remember prices can change by the hour. Sign up for email alerts on cybermonday.com
Recently, someone asked me about my Thanksgiving traditions. I only have one and it’s really simple: I work. I recently read a Facebook post from a veteran reporter. After 15 years at the same station, he got Thanksgiving off for the first time. Using that mark, I’m looking forward to Thanksgiving 2021.
For 11,000 runners (including many TNT members), a Thanksgiving tradition starts at 7:00 in the cold for the Atlanta Track Club’s Thanksgiving Marathon and Half Marathon. (I’ve run this a few times BEFORE I exchanged my holidays for a paying job in local news!) This morning, I somehow convinced my morning producer to let me cover the race live during our morning show. I consider this a victory (which I will immediately pay for by working a midnight shift leading into Black Friday).
Earlier in the week, I met Noreen Zuniga and Katie Allen. Their son/brother was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in 2003. Watch their story here. Daniel is in remission. Perhaps more amazingly, when I asked what he was thankful for, he listed the expected friends, family, health… and then the surprise, “Well, I’m also thankful for cancer.” What?!
For three years, Daniel was in chemo fighting for his life. Cancer stole his teenage years and took away his high school football career. His sister left college to be with him. His mother had to take a leave of absence. Daniel’s explanation is simple: “I’m the person I am today because of cancer. If it wasn’t for cancer, I wouldn’t have met my wife. It’s made me very thankful for everything in my life.” Daniel met his wife at Camp Sunshine. They were married in June.
Daniel’s story is one of the good ones. 
He survived. He knows he is lucky.
On Thanksgiving, Daniel’s mom and sister finished their first half marathon with Team in Training. I’m glad I worked this holiday. It reminds me why I joined Team in Training. It reminds me I have a lot to be thankful for this Thanksgiving.
P.S. Congrats to all the Thanksgiving runners!
1-800 Flowers is giving our 40 dollar merchandise credits to customers who register on the 1800flowers website and join their Fresh Rewards Program. The offer expires November 30th.
Sam’s Club is open to both members and non members November 21 and 22nd for the holiday Taste of Sam’s Club. There will be samples of appetizers and other holiday foods.
BJ’s Wholesale club is also offering a free one time use pass. They are available on BJ’s.com
Oriental Trading Company will send you a free 2010 calendar if you go to their website. The calendar also contains lots of money saving coupons. oriental trading company carries party supplies, decorations and invitations.
Batteries Plus stores around metro Atlanta will perform a free system check to see how well your battery is functioning.
Venture Cinemas in Duluth has free horror movies every Thursday night. Shows are at 7:30 and 10 p-m. The theatre is located at 3750 Venture Drive, Duluth GA 30096. For more information call 678-957-9545
According to Wikipedia: “the Hokey Pokey became popular in the USA in the 1950s. . . According to popular legend they [writers] created this novelty dance in 1949 as entertainment for the ski crowd at Idaho’s Sun Valley resort.” (Sounds to me like the crowd may have been enjoying a few hot toddies at the time.)
A Pre-K teacher I know tells me the Hokey Pokey has transformed from a drinking game to a teaching tool. It helps her kids learn right from left, and more importantly, to FOLLOW DIRECTIONS. Have you ever seen a Pre-K classroom? It’s like a zoo! Those teachers have the souls of saints and a series of tricks to get their kids to do what they’re supposed to do.
I know a few adults that could use a round of Hokey Pokey.
When it comes to training for a marathon, we know what we SHOULD do. We just don’t always do it. Life gets in the way. And by life, a mean a series of excuses.
I ran with Team in Training for the first time Wednesday night. It was an “unofficial” run and a hodge-podge group of runners preparing, recovering, and tapering for marathons.
Meeting people in a running group is not like meeting people at a happy hour mixer. Eventually, you might cover all the same topics, but the order is off. Instead of starting with “What do you do?” It’s “What are you training for?” and then a comparison of past races. During this rundown, a runner named Brenda said she cut an hour off her marathon (from 6 hours to five) by following her training schedule. AN HOUR! The coach made a joke about what happens when you follow directions.
Part of our Team in Training packet includes a very specific training schedule. It will be my map to navigate me through the next five months. Here’s a similar training schedule if you’re thinking about running a marathon. I’m hoping, like Brenda, following the schedule to the letter will help me cut time. My goal is simple: I want to finish under four hours. It’s something I haven’t been able to do. It’s also on my “To Do Before I turn 30” list. I have one more chance at that, so I better get it right. If I follow directions, I think I can.
Don’t forget: You can follow me on twitter @JulieWolfe and help raise money for TNT by visiting my TNT webpage.
The e-mail subject line read: “It’s what you’ve been waiting for”. Sounds like a spam ad, right? It was actually an e-mail from a friend announcing celebratory plans for her birthday this Friday. As we get older, our nights out turn into a “choose your own adventure”. To (a) just go to dinner, turn to page 10:00; (b) join in after dinner drinks, page 12:00, (c) dancing, page 2:00AM.
Choices are generally based on who has a husband, boyfriend, kids waiting at home. In my case, it’s usually based on how much coffee I can consume since my Fridays start with a 2:00AM wake up and 3:30AM shift at 11Alive.
I was just about to hit the “reply” button; when I remembered I have plans Saturday morning. Early plans. Team in Training meets Saturday mornings for our long runs together. This Saturday will be my first official team run.
I’ve heard some people say training for a marathon is a part-time job. I’ve run several marathons, and that seems like an exaggeration to me. But, there’s no question: say goodbye to your Saturdays.
At the beginning, you’re just running three or four miles. By the time you finish, most people are just waking up. You think: I can squeeze this in like a secret life: no problem! By the time you peak you’re running for three hours. You finish, get home, take an ice bath, and eat. It’s already past noon and you think: bring on the Saturday! But you just ran 20 miles, burned 2,000 calories. You’re tired and not in the mood to go for a hike, help with yard work, stand in line for anything. All those things you used to do on Saturdays. So instead, you take a nap.
I once read an article that said if you want to run a successful marathon, you can’t just run like a runner; you need to live like a runner. That means getting enough sleep, eating the right food, and training during the week. All of that takes time.
Don’t get me wrong: the exchange rate is a good one. You give up your lazy Saturday mornings for a life-changing experience. You’ll feel better: inside and out. For Team in Training, it’s an even better exchange rate: you’re helping save lives. And once you get that marathon itch, it’s an obvious choice.
So, goodbye Saturday. See you on March 27th; after the ING Georgia Marathon.
I’m very nervous about this weekend. I’m cheating for the first time … on my shoes.
As I stare at my beat up Asics, I remember all the good times. We’ve run through a marathon, another Peachtree, all those rainy/snowy/sunny days. I look into that gray soul. I’m sorry. It’s not you, it’s me.
OK, that’s a lie. It’s you. You’re old. You’re dirty. You’re just not the same shoe. So, I’m upgrading.
After a short afternoon run, I headed to The Big Peach Running Company to search for my new soul mate. (Just to be clear- I love our local running stores, but in the past, I’ve bought running gear from every place from Phidippides to Dick’s to Target—and once, a garage sale.)
When you buy running shoes from a running store, it’s a bit like a visit to your doctor’s office. First, an exam, and then a diagnosis. It can be a little embarrassing if you’re as self-conscious about your run as I am.
First, you take off your shoes. (OK, maybe I should have done this BEFORE my afternoon run.) You stand on a foot digital analysis machine. It measures different pressure points that show up on a big screen in a rainbow of red, orange, and blue. The very helpful employee used one of those screen pens that sportscasters use to draw lines on the TV. I felt like my feet were on ESPN.
Then, you lace on a pair of shoes and run on a treadmill. A camera tapes your run so you can figure out what shoes are best for your gait. This is where it got a little weird.
See, I don’t do treadmills. I think in a past life, I must have died in a terrible, painful treadmill accident. It’s the only way to explain why I hate them so much. It’s probably been eight years since I stepped on one. So, my treadmill run is awkward and uncomfortable. When my taped run was clearly inconsistent (over pronating…no, wait… neutral… no wait…hmmmm), I fessed up: I can’t run on a treadmill. So, we went outside.
I ran back and forth in front of the store. Through seven pairs of shoes. The woman working the counter at the Dry Cleaners next door waved at me once. Each time, the helpful employee was closely watching my run, making assessments, asking questions. The Exam was complete. Now the surprise diagnosis.
The shoe brand I’ve been wearing since my first marathon was not the shoe that felt best. It’s a weird attachment perhaps only a runner can understand. But leaving behind my brand makes me very nervous. If it’s not broke, why fix it; right? Except it’s not that simple. Shoe companies constantly change their styles. They are called upgrades. Some runners would disagree.
So here I am with my shiny new shoes. I find them very attractive, but we don’t know each other very well. I’m having real trust issues. Our first date is tonight. No candlelit dinners, just a three mile run. I’m jumping right in. They always say: you can’t get over the old one until you fall in love with the new one, right?
As I was signing on the line, I thought: there’s no going back now.
Then they gave me these things that are like purple leg warmers except for your arms. When someone gives you sleeves, there’s REALLY no going back. Yes, I am wearing them right now while I’m writing this blog. I need to keep my muscles warm so I don’t pull something lifting this stack of paperwork.
I am now a member of Team in Training (I’ll pause here so you can add a “woo-hoo!”).
My first run-in with Team in Training was a purple blur. I was running my very first marathon when a pack of violet-clad runners passed me. It seemed like a hodge-podge group of people… strange they were all dressed alike. And I kept seeing them: the silver-haired couple jogging with a smile (who smiles in a marathon?!), pony-tailed girls in purple shorts, a woman with a shaved head. That’s when I realized they were more than a running group.
Team in Training raises money for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. In 2008, more than 40,000 participants raised $85 Million. If imitation is the best form of flattery, TNT should be blushing. Since 1988, other non-profits have copied their successful model. Each participant is required to raise a specific amount of money (for the ING, it’s $1800). The group trains together in the months leading up to the run. TNT provides coaches, direction, and fundraising help.
As a runner, you just can’t ignore TNT: they’re everywhere. I finally jumped on the wagon this week for a simple reason: they asked.
A Team in Training staff member read my blog on the Zooma Run, and asked me to sign on with them for the ING Georgia Marathon. I ran it past my producers and… voila! Here we are. Me and my purple sleeves.
In the next four months I know I’ll meet amazing people, log hundreds of miles, and probably suffer a few blisters. But marathons always bring the unexpected. I hope you’ll join me for the ride. I’ll be posting frequent updates here on 11aliveblogs.com. You can also follow me on Twitter: @JulieWolfe.
This is part of a web report series. I run local 5Ks, 10Ks, half marathons (perhaps an occasional full). You can follow me on race day on Twitter @JulieWolfe. I’ll post my race reviews on 11aliveblogs.com. E-mail me with ideas for upcoming races: jwolfe@11alive.com.
This Sunday (11/8/09) was year two for the Zooma Atlanta, and it’s quickly becoming one of my favorite races. Zooma is a women’s race series that now includes Austin, Denver, Annapolis, and Atlanta. Brae Bradley started the series to empower women to live active, healthy, happy lives. Men are allowed (even encouraged) to join. But there’s no hiding it: this race is all about girl power.
COURSE: There is a 5K (more about that later) and a Half-Marathon (which is what I ran). The 13.1 mile course starts at Atlantic Station runs through downtown to Turner Field and ends back at Atlantic Station. This course shows you a true Atlanta: the good, the bad, and the ugly. You run by the Georgia Dome where you can smell tailgaters getting ready for the game; neighborhoods that are breathing life back into the area around Centennial Park, and Atlantic Station: proof you can turn a brownfield into a destination. But you also run down Trinity where homeless are huddled with pillows in empty doorways; around potholes that mark most of the course; and a leaking water pipe (what’s more Atlanta?!). It went by fast for me and I enjoyed the run, finishing in 2 hours, 4 minutes.
For the 5K review, I consulted by co-worker and first time EVER 5K runner, Duffie Dixon. The night before, she told me her goal was to finish ahead of one person: “even if it’s a little old lady”. She said the 5K course was great, the volunteers were awesome. Her only complaint: “I really wish there was a porta-pottie on the course.” (Her finish time was under 40 minutes.)
FOOD: It seems like lots of local races are stingy in this area: Not the Zooma. They handed me a fancy chocolate (can’t tell you what it was because I ate it already) at the finish line. They had bananas, apples, and other regular race gear. Panera Bread was a sponsor, so you also got an awesome breakfast sandwich and fruit salad. Runners care about the food (even if they tell you they don’t), and this was as good as I’ve seen at any recent race.
Oh! They also had Luna Sport Chews on the course. I never tried these before and figured “why not?” They tasted good, but were SOOOO chewy and sticky; I tossed them away after one chew. I was still trying to get it out of my teeth when I passed a race photographer; cannot wait to see those photos!
T-SHIRT: Pink, short-sleeve, wicking-material running shirt. It has a cute logo with a peach that kind of looks like a heart. This is clearly, a “girly” shirt; which reinforced the “girl power” feel.
CROWD: It was small enough that it wasn’t crowded, and big enough that there was always someone behind me and in front of me. AKA: perfect size. The course was spotted with mostly men cheering on the mostly female runners. Sons, husbands, boyfriends, and spandex-lovers were cheering runners when they passed. Perhaps the only drawback to this race: very few spectators along the route. Water stop volunteers were your best source of encouragement.
Next Up: Thanksgiving Half-Marathon. See you there!
Here are some easy ways to save money this week! I’ve listed only printable coupons but you can go to the blogs listed below if you’re a little more ambitious and are saving Sunday coupon inserts.
Perdue Oven Stuffer Roasters $.99 lb
Milk $1.99
Dole canned pineapple 1.00 or free with printable coupon
Publix:
Toll House Morsels morsels: $1.25 per bag or 2 for 1.50 with printable coupon
Special K cereal $2.00 or 1.00 with printable coupon
Betty Crocker potatoes: $.80 or free with printable coupon on Betty Crocker’s website. Click on coupons tab.
Information and more deals on http://www.iheartpublix.com/, http://livingasmom.com/, http://thriftytipsfromtiff.blogspot.com/
Old Navy: Outerwear sale up to 50% off
Restaurant.com $25.00 gift certificates for $3.00 using coupon code DINE (From wantnot.net blog)
Michael’s: Martha Stewart Craft supplies 30% off.
I’m really excited about this week’s Ways to Save special on Wedneday night at 11. I have been researching the best prices on a variety of items and figuring out where to shop on Black Friday! Val
