Gems have tickets for $5, beer for $1; Hara has discounts on craft show admission

By Jill Kelley | Monday, November 23, 2009, 01:22 PM

In honor of Thanksgiving and to thank the community for its support, Hara Arena and the Dayton Gems hockey team are offering deals on events this week.

First off, fans who bring in a canned good, other nonperishible food item or toiletry to Dayton Gems games on Wednesday and Friday, Nov. 25 and 27, can get tickets for $5 and enjoy free parking.

Tickets are usually $10 to $14 for adults and $5 to $7 for kids 12 and younger.

Also, it is $1 beer night on Wednesday, when the Gems play Bloomington at 7 p.m. Beer is usually $4 at the games.

On Friday, the Gems face Flint at 7:30 p.m.

The Gems, who play at Hara Arena, support The Foodbank, St. Vincent de Paul, and St. Paul Methodist food pantries.

For more information about the Dayton Gems, call Jill Sanders at (937) 275-7777 or visit the Gems’ site.

Also, the annual National Holiday Gift Show will be at Hara Arena from Friday through Sunday. If guests bring a new, unwrapped toy for the Toys For Tots program, they can receive a $1 off admission. (Regular admission is $5.)

You can also get $1 off by printing a coupon at the Hara site.

The National Holiday Gift Show reportedly is one of Ohio’s largest indoor handmade crafts shows, with more than 370 booths selling arts, crafts, collectibles, toys, holiday and home decor, floral wreaths, arrangements and more.

Show hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and noon to 4 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $5 for adults and is free for children 12 and younger.

Parking is free for this event as well.

Hara Arena is at 1001 Shiloh Springs Road, Dayton. For more information, visit the site or call (937) 278-4776.

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Save $1,000 on a TV Friday at Best Buy

By Jill Kelley | Monday, November 23, 2009, 10:23 AM

If you are wondering what Best Buy will have on sale this Black Friday, you are in luck. The electronics superstore recently released its ad so you can plan ahead as needed.

Some of the best deals are the Doorbusters, which the store reportedly will pass out tickets for up to two hours before opening at 5 a.m.

Those Doorbusters include a 46-inch Samsung LED HDTV (1.2-inch ultraslim) for $1,599.99, which is regularly $2,599.99, for a savings of $1,000.

There are plenty of deals besides the Doorbusters, though. There are other big TVs on sale — including a 50-inch Samsung Plasma HDTV for $897.99 — an Xbox 360 plus six games for $299.99 and 20 percent to 50 percent off all advertised appliances.

Check out the ad for complete details.

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Where to get GPS deals on Black Friday

By Jill Kelley | Monday, November 23, 2009, 09:50 AM

Are you looking for a GPS for yourself or someone else this holiday season? If so, you might be able to score one for a great price this Black Friday, Nov. 27.

Consumer Reports put together a good list of where to get a variety of GPS deals.

The site noted that availability and pricing may change, so it’s a good idea to confirm all the details with the individual retailers. (This is always a good practice.)

Consumer Reports also noted some advice about buying a GPS, and has a good amount of information even for those who aren’t subscribers.

For the full comparison chart, however, they do want you to subscribe.

CR also had a look at another hot item for the holidays — big TVs.

If you are in the market for one, check out the consumer site’s free comparative buying guide.

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This week’s grocery deals include stuffing, veggies and more for holiday

By Jill Kelley | Monday, November 23, 2009, 08:34 AM

Mommy Snacks blogger Andrea Deckard noted today that there are just four and a half weeks left until Christmas.

“I’m sure you are getting busy with checking your list and trying to save,” Deckard said. “This week’s grocery picks will at least help you save in your grocery budget. It’s great to save the money and use it on what you want!”

Here are Deckard’s best ad/coupon deals for this festive week, Nov. 22-28, including many items that might make the final touches on the Thanksgiving meal cheaper.

Click on the store name for an expanded list from that store.

CVS

Great Huggies Diaper/Wipes Extra Care Bucks. Check out the details on the ECB this week.

$1 Money-Maker after ECB on Complete Multipurpose Solution

$12.99 Photo Books B1G1 FREE; just $6.50 each

Walgreens

$1 Money-Maker on Theraflu. Check out the details on the Register Rewards Deal.

$1.99 after RR Schick Razors

$.90 Vanity Fair Paper Plates

Meijer

FREE Pillsbury Grands Biscuits with printable coupon

$.50 Birds Eye Vegetables

$.69 Daisy Sour Cream

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Here’s the Deal: Guide to Black Friday 2009

By Jill Kelley | Sunday, November 22, 2009, 07:48 AM

This Black Friday, which will be this Friday, Nov. 27, might be one for the record books. It not only is taking place near the end of a long year of price cuts, but it also is the unofficial kickoff to an already highly competitive holiday shopping season.

With all the price wars, extreme discounts and blockbuster sales we have seen in the last two months, it will be interesting to see just how low the stores go to get our business.

Top 10 tips to Black Friday success

Since Black Friday is a day unlike any other in our shopping year, here are some tips to help you get the most out of your efforts:

1. Plan ahead. Check out Web sites (listed below) that offer leaked information about the upcoming sales. It already has been reported on these sites that Walmart is supposed to have a 50-inch TV for $598, and a Vivitar digital camera for $59.99 at Kohl’s. Also, some stores and malls already have released their Black Friday circulars and they are included there as well.

2. Check the ads. Although many of these sites and news agencies have gone to great lengths to get the scoop on these deals, you won’t know for sure about some of them until you see the store’s ads. On Thanksgiving, the Dayton Daily News will publish its biggest newspaper of the year, which contains an enormous volume of ads. There will be more ads in the paper Friday, as well.

Continue reading "Here’s the Deal: Guide to Black Friday 2009"...

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Huge sale today at JCPenney

By Jill Kelley | Saturday, November 21, 2009, 06:03 AM

In a sale that started Friday but has its best deals today, Nov. 21, JCPenney has marked down much of its inventory 50 percent to 60 percent off — and more.

JCPenney’s doorbuster deals take place from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. today, and include 70 percent off all gold jewelry, 60 percent off holiday trim and decor, 60 percent off guys’ hoodies, and 50 percent off dresses, women’s sleepwear, women’s robes, juniors’ sweaters and more.

Also, as is often the case with JCPenney, there are coupons for “instant money” that get you cash back — $10 for purchases of $50 or more, and $15 for purchases of $75 or more.

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Toys R Us in midst of “super sale”

By Jill Kelley | Friday, November 20, 2009, 01:42 PM

According to the advertisements, Toys R Us has some of its “lowest prices ever!” for the sale taking place today, Nov. 20, and Saturday.

The biggest discounts — the “doorbusters” — start at 3 p.m. today and last through midnight, and are from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday.

Many items are 50 percent off, including:

Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head (sale price $3.99)

Impecca 2GB MP3/Video Player (sale price $22.49)

Sakar 3-in-1 digital camera (sale price $9.99)

LeapFrog and Leapster games (sale price $12.49 each)

There also is a VTech Touch Tablet Advance (like an educational computer recommended for ages 8-11), which is originally $99.99 marked down to $29.99.

Other sales throughout the store are between 25 percent and 40 percent off as well.

It is definitely worth a look.

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