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Ranunculus in Bloom

April 24, 2011

This week, the ranunculus showed up in force. I had purchased two bags of ranunculus bulbs from Costco last fall, and finally managed to get them planted at the tail end of winter. Now, we have a nice row of red, yellow, white and pink ranunculus flowers in the garden. Feels like Spring.

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Le Creuset 4.25 Quart Enameled Cast Iron Soup Pot

January 20, 2011

Costco is selling the Le Creuset 4 1/4 Quart Cast Iron Soup Pot for $144.99. The same product from Amazon, though via a 3rd party, goes for around $200.00. I had already picked up a cast iron pot a few months ago from Costco for much less. I really like the KitchenAid Cast Iron Dutch [...]

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GelPro Chef’s Mat

June 30, 2010

I’ve been considering GelPro Chef’s Mat as a replacement for the carpet runner I’ve been using in the kitchen. The carpet runner was relatively inexpensive at Costco, but it had been consistently getting dirty and may have made one too many trips into the washer such that the rubber back has started to break down. [...]

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Target Temporary Price Cut

January 2, 2010

Last summer, I found a San Francisco Bay Area Target selling a 6 lb tub of Oxi Clean for $8.49, which reflected a temporary price cut off the $9.99 regular price. So, is $9.99 the real regular price? During the winter break, I was able to shop at a Southern California Target. I wasn’t really [...]

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J.A. Henckels 10 Piece Forged Knife Set

December 12, 2009

Last month, I picked up a J.A. Henckels 10 Piece Forged Knife Set at Costco for $139.99 after an instant rebate of $30.00. Of course, unless you are actually tracking prices, you cannot tell whether the post-rebate price is a good price. Did the seller raise the price and then offer a rebate for difference? [...]

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Henckels International Knife Set

November 25, 2009

After much thinking, I picked up a J.A. Henckels International 10-piece Forged Knife Set at Costco. Again, with Costco, the online price is not necessarily cheaper. I purchased the knife set in store for $139.99 after an instant $30.00 rebate. Costco took $30.00 off the price at the register. No mail-in rebate forms or other [...]

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Bona Hardwood Floor Cleaner at Lowe’s

August 26, 2009

I already know that Costco has the best price on Bona Hardwood Floor Cleaner. Who can beat $11.99 for a 1.25 gallon refill container and a 32 oz. spray bottle? Lowe’s was selling a 128 oz. container of Bona Hardwood Floor Cleaner for $15.98, or $0.125 per ounce. Lowe’s price is half way between the [...]

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Brita Filters at Wal-Mart

August 24, 2009

Comparison shopping within a store is pretty easy with a calculator in hand. However, unless you store all your prices in a spreadsheet, this task can be challenging because quantities for even standard goods may differ. Case in point: Brita water filters. Costco sells a 10 pack, Target sells a 6 pack, and Wal-Mart sells [...]

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Shout Gel

August 20, 2009

A few weeks ago, OSH was selling an 8.7 oz. bottle of Shout Gel for $4.99. So, was this a “great value” as the sign proclaimed? Target, which used to carry Shout Gel, did not have the product on its shelves. Instead, it stocked an 8.7 oz. bottle of Shout Advanced Gel for $2.64. Between [...]

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Bona Hardwood Floor Cleaner

August 19, 2009

This exercise in tracking the cost of various products that I usually purchase has really focused my attention on consumer prices. I know that gas prices change daily, but what about the price of other consumer goods? Since the last post on Bona Hardwood Floor Cleaner, I noticed that the Costco had changed its price. [...]

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