South Florida on the Cheap » discounts

How to save on allergy medications

Teresa — Thu, 19 May 2011 23:37:56 +0000

t’s spring, and for many of us that means allergy season. And that can be expensive. Last year’s $94 eye drops are $107 this year for a bottle half the size. If things get bad, I have a prescription for something stronger, at $89 a bottle.

If you have conventional insurance through your employer, you [...]

Save by cutting out e-mail offers

Teresa — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 03:28:11 +0000

I have subscribed to e-mail promotions from dozens of stores and restaurants over the years, and that means I get notices about sales, deals and coupons every day. And lately, I’ve been spending way too much time going through them, looking at a sweater here, a TV there, potential holiday gifts elsewhere.

So far, I [...]

Make sure the ‘deal’ is really a deal

Teresa — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 16:22:36 +0000

It sounds like such a great deal: two-thirds off photo books, fitness classes, restaurant meals, spa treatments. And with the proliferation of group deal sites, led by Groupon (short for group coupon), we all have the opportunity to partake in at least a dozen of these deals every day.

Should you? Maybe. Some of [...]

Summer deals on Miami attractions

Teresa — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 01:21:57 +0000

It’s the dog days of summer (or, at my house, the cat days), and the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau has come up with a major collection of deals for both residents and visitors.

Most of the deals in the 4-4-3 promotion give you four (tickets, nights, meals, etc.) of something for the price [...]

Free summer fun for kids: books

Teresa — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 22:46:58 +0000

When I was a kid, I never could get enough books. We didn’t have many at home, but my father took all the kids old enough to read to the library every Saturday. Each of us could check out 10 books, and mine didn’t always last the week. I, of course, grew up to be [...]

Find deals on concert tickets

Teresa — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 22:51:39 +0000

I still remember my first concert: A friend and I went to see the Carpenters perform in 1970. We weren’t yet old enough to drive, so we had to take our mothers.

I saw a few free concerts in my youth: Harry Chapin, James Taylor. And a few I paid for: Bob Dylan, Joan [...]

Clipping coupons may not pay

Teresa — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 21:51:12 +0000

As a personal finance columnist, I am supposed to advise you to clip coupons to save money. The truth is, it may not be worth your time.

Whether clipping grocery coupons will save you enough to compensate you for the time it takes to organize them depends upon your shopping habits and, even more, [...]

Save by buying used electronics

Teresa — Sat, 22 May 2010 18:45:16 +0000

I’m writing this column on a refurbished laptop I bought last year for about $250, a great price at that time. I got it from Dell Financial Services, a department of Dell Computers that leases computers and then sells returned units at a discount.

When I bought the laptop, it was already a couple [...]

Deals on entertainment

Teresa — Fri, 21 May 2010 18:43:13 +0000

When I lived in Los Angeles, one of my favorite deals was “public rush,” when all the remaining tickets to theatrical performances were sold 10 minutes before showtime for $10 or $15. Since my days off were Tuesday and Wednesday, I almost always could see the top shows on the cheap.

South Florida has never [...]

Discounts for local residents

Teresa — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 17:15:31 +0000

We’re all familiar with the discounts we can sometimes get at attractions for being Florida residents.

For instance, Disney World is currently offering a four parks in four days pass for $99, among several deals for Florida residents only.

Occasionally some local attractions offer deals to South Florida residents, such as the current Jungle Island [...]