We’re going to the Zoo. For FREE!

Tomorrow is Duncan‘s first birthday. Yep, an entire year has gone by since that sweaty palm countdown finally ended.

Since he’s become pretty aware of things around him, like birds, bumble bees, and the neighborhood cats, we thought it’d be a good idea to take him to the zoo for his birthday.

Specifically, the Bronx Zoo.

So, while researching how much this excursion would set us back (since we’re a wee bit tight on cash right now), we noticed that the Bronx Zoo has a “pay-what-you-like” promotion on Wednesdays!

How about that? Perfect timing for a birthday!

Now, I’m not going to say that we’re going to walk in without paying a dime (I’m sure they guilt you into some sort of donation, you know, to save the rainforest or something) but it will certainly save us a few bucks.

Even better — the weather is supposed to be nice and sunny!

Posted on May 25th, 2010 at 6:35 pm by Brainy Smurf
Bargains, Smurfling | 2 Comments »

Sometimes Saving Money feels Crooked

The whole story begins way back in in October of last year when I went to the mall and picked up three new pairs of jeans.

Though I settled on Levi’s on that specific trip, the Gap has historically manufactured my favorite and best fitting jeans.

The Gap discontinued my “style” years ago but I still pop in everytime I visit the mall just to check and see if they’ve made a comeback. So far, no luck on that front.

But I did notice a jacket that I liked. I picked it up. I looked at it. I walked away. I walked back. I picked it up again. Basically, I did everything but try it on.

The price was $129.50.

Too much, I told myself.

I didn’t like it *that* much…

Then, a few weeks ago, I happened to open one of those “junk” emails that I get every so often from the Gap. It was advertising something that I had no interest in but it succeeded in getting my to visit their website.

That’s a win for them…

So, anyway, I see the jacket that I liked months earlier in the “Sale” section for only $69.99 (apparently down from $98).

I thought about it, oh, for maybe 45 seconds, and then I bought it.

Around a week later it arrived in the mail — I tried it on — and it was one of those fat guy in a little coat scenes.

I’d ordered size large.

Now, I know that pretty much none of you out there reading this know how big I am (three apples high — read the about section, will ya?) but in the grand scheme of things, I’d say that I’m a medium sized person.

I’m not small.

And I’m certainly not large either.

But a large-sized jacket from the Gap, well, let’s just say that they’re stuff isn’t exactly “true” to size. It never has been.

So we all piled into the car earlier this week to return it to our local Gap store.

When we entered the store, I saw that they too had the same jacket on a sale rack for — get this — $29.97.

Even better, they had an extra large available (which wasn’t available online).
Oh man…

I was like, uh-oh, what do we do?

I want to exchange this one for that one but I paid over twice as much for the one in the bag.

This would have to be a two step process — I was going to return this one, get the credit, then come back in later and buy the other one for less than half the price.

Yep, that was the plan.

My wife thought I was crazy — just make the return and buy the bigger one all in one shot, she said…

I wanted to play it cool, though, so I made it as if I hadn’t even noticed that they had the exact same jacket on sale for half the price and sauntered up to the counter to make the return.

After punching in a few buttons and scanning my receipt, Warren, if that was indeed his “real” name, lisped out that my account had been credited $74.19 (including the tax) and my wife, Duncan, and I made a hasty exit.

We walked around the mall for around a half hour and then my wife — now acting as a secret agent — went in to the purchase the jacket again in the larger size.

“Warren” was sharper than I’d expected. He was on to our scheme and made it *very* clear to my wife that this one was NOT returnable. He even used a highlighter (pink, of course) to make it overly clear on the receipt.

Doesn’t matter, though — this one fits.

Now I know we didn’t do anything wrong — it was all totally legit — but it still felt sneaky.

I mean, I went in to return a jacket and walked back out with the same jacket and nearly $45.

I dunno, it was very satisfying but felt wrong at the same time…know what I mean?

All told, though, by not buying the jacket back in October, I saved just short of $100…and that doesn’t happen very often…unless you’re a tiny size and gravitate towards ugly colours that you can regularly find on any clearance rack anyway…

Posted on April 29th, 2010 at 9:08 pm by Brainy Smurf
Bargains, Cutting Costs | 2 Comments »

Video Arcades and McDonald’s Hamburgers…

I’ve recently rediscovered my love for McDonald’s hamburgers.

At one point in high school I was convinced that I could eat two McDonald’s hamburgers for every meal indefinitely.

Not to date myself too much but back then a McDonald’s hamburger was 59 cents. Two of them came to exactly $1.25 including Connecticut sales tax.

That meant that the quarter that I pocketed each weekday from the lunch money my mother gave me was enough to buy a late night weekend meal with my friends after an evening spent at the video game arcade.

Okay, if that doesn’t date me, I’m not sure what will…

Seriously, how did video arcades survive into the 1990′s?

Anyway, for a few years there in my twenties, I was starting to think that maybe my father might have been correct in avoiding McDonald’s like the plague during my childhood while repeating something along the lines of “Someday you’ll stop wanting to go there…”

I still visited McDonald’s now and then — usually because their fries are the best around if you’re lucky enough to get a fresh batch (a rare occurrence) — but I really hadn’t ordered a hamburger in quite some time…

So a few weeks ago, I had a craving for a McDonald’s hamburger… Wow — I’d venture to guess that I had my very first hamburger there in the late 1970′s and today, in 2010, they taste exactly the same.

There’s just, well, I don’t know what to call it, but there’s something about the texture of those bland and flavorless little onion bits and the piping hot pickle and the less than fresh bun that looks like it’s been stepped on.

It’s like peculiar form of perfection.

They’re not 59 cents anymore but they’re still a pretty decent bargain.

So last weekend I introduced Duncan to McDonald’s:

Here’s to hoping he continues to enjoy their signature item for years to come…

…and avoids the cheeseburger.

That thing tastes like cardboard.

Posted on February 7th, 2010 at 6:55 am by Brainy Smurf
Bargains, Food, Retro | 1 Comment »

Jeans at Macy’s

When your site’s name is “Pants in a can”, it’s only natural to talk about something relating to pants every now and then…

Last May, I talked about how I bought my pants on eBay.

Long story short, so you don’t need to click on the link, the GAP stopped offering the style of jeans that I’d been wearing for years and eBay came to the rescue — at a MAJOR discount. It was all good.

Now, though, it’s been nearly 3 years since the GAP offered my style… The result?

Slim pickens on eBay.

So, since I’m now in near desperate need of a few new pairs, I had to find something more practical — and because I’m not longer of the mind set that jeans need to cost big bucks to fit right (or perhaps I just don’t care any more), I went to Macy’s.

Yep, fifteen minutes and $89.97 later — I had 3 new pairs of Levi’s 569 jeans.

I used to pay more than that for one pair of jeans!?

Simply put, for under $100, my lower half is all set until at least 2011.

Posted on October 25th, 2009 at 10:10 am by Brainy Smurf
Bargains | 4 Comments »

The Great Pumpkin: 59¢ per Pound

So this morning we headed out on a daytrip to go and pick our pumpkin for 2009. We do this every year but this was the first time we’ve made the trip as a trio.

First we took a hay ride…

Then we roamed the fields…

And then we found the great pumpkin!

Weighing in at just over 16 pounds, he was less than $10… Such a deal.

Posted on October 11th, 2009 at 4:19 pm by Brainy Smurf
Bargains, Current Events, Photo, Smurfling | No Comments »

Welcome Back!

Yep, that’s right, I’m welcoming myself back.

I feel like I’ve been on vacation except that I haven’t…

Anyway, I’m a few days late with this but remember how I mentioned that I’d tossed in $5 to be included in on of those March Madness bracket things?

While I may not have finished “in the money”, I’m quite proud of where I landed — out of 60 participants, I finished in 7th place — considering my chosen method of selecting who would win each game throughout the tournament.

For the early rounds, I picked teams that I had t-shirts for.

Yep, it’s true — it was as simple as that.

So that cheap ($7.50) Michigan State t-shirt that I bought on a whim at a Steve & Barry’s in, I’d guess, Michigan almost paid for itself 40 times over.

It’s actually too bad that I let my personal feelings towards the University of Connecticut men’s basketball team get in the way.

I have a UConn t-shirt in closet too. Had I chosen them to go further in the tournament (they reached the Final Four), I’d have won the whole darn pool…

Don’t worry Steve & Barry’s… I won’t hold it against you.

It was my fault.

I really miss that store.

Even the smell.

Posted on April 10th, 2009 at 8:01 pm by Brainy Smurf
Bargains, Current Events, Sports | No Comments »

Free Phish!

Perhaps it has much to do with growing up in New England, and even though they’re from Vermont (a state at which I like to poke fun), Phish is one of my favorite bands of all time — not far behind They Might Be Giants.

As different as the two bands are, it’s shocking how much their audience’s overlap.

Anyway, Phish unfortunately broke up a few years ago and for the last few years that they were still together, they were just releasing one live album after another.

Now, I know, some people are really into live recordings and bootlegs and trading them and all of that nonsense but no one will ever convince me that a live recording sounds better than a studio album.

Especially when you listen to it with big ol’headphones on like I do.

There is no comparison.

Seeing a band live is one thing… Listening to a ‘recording’ of a band live is a whole different animal.

A boring one.

Like a mallard duck, or a beagle, or something generic like a squirrel or something…

Give me a studio album any day.

So get this… The band is getting back together for a 3-night show this weekend down in Virginia and since they know that it isn’t possible to every fan to attend (and they’re cool like that), they’re offering mp3′s of all three shows on their website…for FREE!

Yep — FREE. (for a limited time, so… hurry!)

Now I know that I just poo-poo’ed recordings of live shows but when they’re free, hey, I’ll take it.

Here’s the link.

All you have to do is register — and no worries, they don’t spam the hell out of you like other places do and once you snag your free tunes you can always opt-out and be done with them.

You heard right — when you opt-out, they really stop sending you stuff.

For real.

Imagine that.

Now I just have to hope and pray that they don’t go into a bunch of beat-less 45-minute jam sessions… Yawn…

Posted on March 5th, 2009 at 5:25 am by Brainy Smurf
Bargains, Music | 4 Comments »

Fall into the Gap

Just a quick heads-up… The Gap is holding a four-day sale featuring men’s, women’s, and maternity v-neck sweaters, for $25 to celebrate President’s Day.

The whole gimmick is “Save a few Washingtons and Lincolns this President’s Day.”

Not terribly clever.

Anyway, the good news, for those like me who aren’t exactly inclined to visit the mall, is that the sale is also online.

The bad news is that $25 isn’t exactly a bargain — but as I’ve rapidly migrated from the likes of J. Crew and Brooks Brothers towards stores like Target and the former Steve & Barry’s to fill out my wardrobe, I must confess that the Gap is one of the few stores that I’ve consistently and continually shopped at since high school.

Their stuff stands up and stays fashionable for years and years. For me, anyway…

Basically, they haven’t let me down yet so if I see a sweater that I like in this sale, I’ll gladly plonk down $25 to get it.

Posted on February 13th, 2009 at 5:26 pm by Brainy Smurf
Bargains | No Comments »

Poor Spending Habits of the Less Fortunate Perplex Me

Not too far from my house, on the way home actually, the are a number of big old houses just like mine that have been transformed into multifamily homes, usually with 3 or 4 units. Maybe more, it’s tough to tell…

I swear, based on how often people are apparently moving in and out, it’s either some sort of month-to-month rental situation or they’ve chopped the houses up into more apartments than I can imagine. Maybe they’re crack houses — I really don’t know.

But I drive by them every single day and, more often than not, there’s a couch out by the curb. A real eyesore, let me tell you. I’m *so* glad that I don’t live on “that” street. Really.

So for the past few weeks, through all of the snowstorms we’ve endured, pieces of a big sectional couch have been sitting outside one of them.

I’m not sure if the city is coming to pick them up or what (you can request a “bulky” pick up a few times per year), but before the weather took its toll, it looked like it must’ve been a pretty nice couch.

Nicer than mine, anyway… And mine’s pretty nice if I do say so myself…

So today on the way home, there was a big delivery truck in the driveway. How it cleared the sectional still partially in the driveway is a mystery, but one thing is for certain — they were taking delivery of a sweet looking leather couch.

It looked like the couch of my dream living room. It was nice.

Yeah, I was jealous.

Then I took note of what the side of the box truck said.

R-A-C, it said, in big yellow letters.

Rent-A-Center.

In my mind, that’s where welfare folks get their furniture.

Perhaps that’s insensitive, and it probably is, but that’s exactly the way I feel about RentTown, Rent-A-Center, and every other similar retailer.

I can’t be certain, I was driving by at a pretty decent clip, but I think this is the couch.

Of course, the website doesn’t list a price, making it (the website) completely useless, but more often than not, I think stuff like this can be had for $25-$30 per week.

Throw in a 52-inch plasma television for another $25 per week, and you can live a life of luxury.

Such a deal!

Really, how do people fall for this? Why is it always the low income folks that fall for this?

It drives me insane knowing that they think they’re well-off all while they’re being ripped off.

But hey, that’s their problem, right?

I’ll just sit here watching the twenty-year-old 13-inch television I used to play Sega on…

It costs me $0 per week.

That’s a deal.

Posted on January 29th, 2009 at 8:36 pm by Brainy Smurf
Bargains, Finance, Life, Rants | No Comments »

Today’s Highpaying Morning Project

This morning we headed to the grocery store at the crack of dawn to return bottles and cans.

Exciting times, let me tell you…

This was our first trip since August when we accumulated $45.40 in the span of an hour.

While there wasn’t any creepy old man drama this time, we had the place to ourselves, we didn’t come away with quite as much cash in our hands.

Total bounty was $41.25 (825 bottles and cans) and it took us about 45 minutes to feed the machines. Not bad when you consider that that’s a better reward than my credit cards offer!

But it’s frightening to think that we average over 200 cans of carbonation per month — that’s like a 6-pack per day?!

Holy crap — It’s a wonder that I still have my teeth!

(That last line was to remind myself that I have a dentist appointment next week.)

Posted on January 3rd, 2009 at 9:01 am by Brainy Smurf
Bargains, Cutting Costs, Finance | 1 Comment »

Photo of The Week: Good Things Don’t Last Forever

Remember a few weeks ago when I went on my own personal Odyssey in search of an open Steve & Barry’s only to encounter a bunch of dark and shuttered storefronts?

Well, this past weekend, we actually came across one of their stores that was still open!!!

Woo-hoo!

Unfortunately, it was their final day.

Sure, things were 90% off — yes t-shirts cost less than $1 — but they didn’t have *any* adult sizes left. None.

All they had were a bunch of black puffy pleather Sarah Jessica Parker coats for $4 a piece… Might have been $1 a piece — I didn’t really bother checking for certain.

A great deal, either way, but no thanks. Definitely not my style…

Standing inside the store watching people that I guess could be considered “less fortunate” try the jackets on made me sad… Not only because they were losing what was probably one of their only “trendy” shopping outlets but because it was depressing just to see a store that, well, had fallen so far so quickly.

Yeah, it was cheap. Yeah, the stores attracted some pretty grubby people. And yeah, some of the stuff they sold was a little obnoxious, but the quality of much of it was higher than, say, the $40 tasteless t-shirts sold at Abercrombie & Fitch.

I *really* liked this chain — but I never really took advantage of it just “being there” because I’d just assumed that they’d be around forever.

I was wrong.

Now, where am I going to find a “Property of Dad” t-shirt for less than $5?

Really?

I should have bought one (or ten) when I had the chance…

In the end, even though I didn’t buy anything this past weekend, I’m glad that I got to shop there one last time. For closure, you know?

Anyway, here are a few more miserable photos from Steve & Barry’s final day in the State of Connecticut:

Hopefully another store comes along to fill the HUGE void left in all of the shopping malls.

And hopefully they’ll have a better business model.

Farewell Steve & Barry’s… You were great while you lasted…

Posted on December 29th, 2008 at 9:34 pm by Brainy Smurf
Bargains, Current Events, Photo | 3 Comments »

Photo of the Week: Fake Reindeer in the Snow

Well, at this point, it looks at though we’re guaranteed a white Christmas this year.

After a foot of snow on Friday, another 6-8 inches forecast for tomorrow, and then another round due on Wednesday, I think I’ll get an entire season’s worth of shoveling in before the end of the year.

This shot was taken from our front window. The deer are across the street and the colorful orbs are reflections of our Christmas tree in the window. Made for a pretty cool sequence of photos.

Hopefully, after tomorrow’s snowfall, the one reindeer’s head will be hidden. That could make for some funny photos.

Speaking of the fake reindeer — I think the first time I ever saw one was about 15 years ago now.

I remember my parents pricing them out, but the price tag was prohibitive. They had to be over $100 each at the time and if you wanted one that had it’s head move up and down, well, those were over $200.

Now, it seems, or at least for the past few years, it appears that the tacky inflatable lawn decorations are more in style. The resulting good news is that you can now find fake reindeer just like the ones in the picture for around $14.99!

A goofy looking inflatable nativity scene will still run you $90…

Go figure…

Poor taste costs more.

Posted on December 20th, 2008 at 7:23 pm by Brainy Smurf
Bargains, Photo | No Comments »