The Chronic Consumer

… to buy things on sale, that is! Everyone knows that seasonal items are much cheaper when purchased out of season, but what you might not realize is that this adage applies to pre-season sales as well as post-season sales.

For example, there’s no need to wait until December 26th to buy your Christmas cards, wrapping paper, and gift tags for next year. Often, these types of items go on sale as early as October and November, which gives you the opportunity to save money on goods that won’t look dated because you have to wait a year to use them.

Similarly, I’m already finding Halloween invitations, costumes, and bulk candy on sale at a few select party supply outlets even though October 31st is still two and a half months away.

So there are definitely some good savings to be had by shopping early as opposed to having to wait until these types of seasonal items go on clearance after the event. Take a look around and snap up whatever you need as soon as you see a good deal!

I love audiobooks and I love freebies, so when I heard that the audio version of The World is Flat by Thomas L. Friedman is being given away for free for a limited time, I immediately signed up to participate.

First published in 2005 and updated again in 2006, The World is Flat is a bestselling nonfiction work about the way globalization has changed the economic structure of the world forever. The book is often discussed and referenced, and so has been on my “To Read” list for a long time, but I’ve never quite gotten around to tackling it yet. Now that I can get the entire audibook for free, however, you can bet I’ll be listening very soon!

To get your free audio download of The World is Flat, you have to go to http://www.thomaslfriedman.com/giveaway and simply enter your name and a valid email address. You’ll receive a confirmation email with a validation link that you also have to click. A short time later, you’ll get a link to Part 1 of the audiobook, which you can then download and load on your MP3 player.

The links to parts 2 and 3 will be sent to you in subsequent emails (I believe it’s one per day, though I’m not sure).

Anyway, this limited time offer ends on August 4, so be sure to sign up before then. Free is ALWAYS the right price!!

If you like Body Butter (moisturizer), Scrubs, Home Fragrance Oils, Lip Butters, Lip Balms, and accessories from The Body Shop, then now would be a good time to stock up. I just received an email alerting me to a Buy 1 Get 1 Half Off sale on these products. There was no indication when the sale would end, so I would hurry up and place an order just to be safe.

In addition, The Body Shop offers free shipping on all online orders over $60, so if you end up spending a lot, you could get even more savings that way.

There’s no need to enter a code for any of these savings; discounts are automatically calculated at checkout.

Enjoy!

It’s been ages since I’ve actually purchased anything from J.Crew (they’ve become far too expensive for my tastes recently), but today I decided to check out their summer collection. When I arrived at the website, I saw a notice that said the site is being upgraded, and as a result is running very slowly.

To compensate visitors for the inconvenience, J.Crew is offering free shipping on all purchases. Just enter the code FREESHIP at checkout to apply the discount. There was no mention of an end date for the promotion, but I’d expect it to be very soon, so if you’re looking to buy something from J.Crew, you better do it ASAP!

(And the site wasn’t even all that slow for me. I did notice, however, that many product images were not showing up or loading properly.)

I just got an email notification of a special promotion over at Paula’s Choice. During the entire month of July, you can enjoy free shipping on all orders over $60. This offer is good for US/Canada residents only, and applies to any product on the Paula’s Choice site.

In case you don’t know, Paula’s Choice is best known for skincare products and makeup designed for those with sensitive or acne-prone skin. Some of their more popular selections include toner, BAH gel, and blemish control creams.

If you’re looking to try out a new skincare line or if you’re a loyal Paula’s Choice customer, this is a good time to stock up!

(Click image to enlarge)

I just learned of a great special offer from Alden Grace that you might want to take advantage of. Between now and June 8, you can receive 50 free personalized note cards plus 50 unprinted envelopes when you order anything else from the online store! That’s an $81 value, which is obviously pretty sweet. There are several different styles to choose from, and you can select the text, font, and ink color as well.

To get your free gift of 50 personalized note cards and unprinted envelopes, simply enter the word NOTECARDS during checkout.

Remember, you only have until June 8, so get shopping!

I got an email notice today saying that between now and May 31, the Gap is offering free shipping on purchases from all four of its retail chains. This includes the Gap, Banana Republic, Old Navy, and Piperlime.

Moreover, Gap has simplified the shopping process so that customers can make purchases from all four stores by using a single cart and checkout system. So if you find a pair of jeans from the Gap and a great top at Banana Republic, you can now put them together in the same order. That’s pretty awesome!

Anyway, the free shipping code that you’ll need to enter to get your discount is 1CHECKOUT.

There are some good deals on swimwear and shorts out there, so this would be a good time to stock up on summer apparel!

Ohio residents, don’t forget that today is your chance to score a large, one-topping pizza from Papa John’s for just 23 cents! This special sale is the chain’s “apology” to Cleveland Cavaliers fans after a Papa John’s franchise in Washington, D.C. printed t-shirts calling Cavs superstar LeBron James a crybaby because of his complaints about hard fouls during the first round of the NBA playoffs.

The special Papa John’s 23 cent pizza sale is currently available at 86 stores in Cleveland, Columbus, Toledo, and Youngstown.

Early reports indicate that people are waiting up to 2.5 hours for the 23 cent pizzas. That seems pretty outrageous to me. Isn’t your time worth more than that? If you make, say, $10 per hour at work, you’re essentially giving up $25 to wait that long for a pizza. But I guess most people don’t look at it that way; they just see the 23-cent price tag.

At any rate, good luck to those of you who live in Ohio. Buy several pizzas and freeze them for later!

I’m not sure why it’s taken me so long to discover Buy.com, but I’m glad I finally did! I’ve been visiting the site for a few weeks now and am constantly amazed by the low prices they offer on everything from electronics to DVDs, apparel, and baby items.

For example, the Weekly Deals are a great place to start if you’re looking for tremendous savings. I noticed that this week, one of the featured products is a D-Link Wireless Media Player, which not only plays DVDs, but also has a 5-in-1 card reader so you can view stuff from your digital camera or listen to MP3s as well.

I have wanted something like this for a long time, but have been put off by the high prices at other stores. It’s a best buy at Buy.com, however, with a sale price of just $92.99, along with a $20 mail-in rebate and free shipping for a grand total of $72.99.

I’ve seen that exact model advertised elsewhere for $229, so I am positively floored by the Buy.com price!

Anyway, this is another product to consider buying when my tax rebate check gets here on May 9!

I was browsing around at Amazon.com this morning and noticed that they’re having a DVD blowout sale right now, which means you can get savings of 40% or more on your favorite movies or TV shows. I wasn’t planning on buying anything until I saw some of the prices. For example, they’re offering all seasons of Seinfeld for $22.99 each — 54% off the regular list price.

I also saw a deal on The O.C. that was simply too good to pass up: Each season is being sold for a mere $16.99 — a whopping 72% off the list price of $59.98 per season. I promptly ordered all four seasons at that rate before the notoriously fast Amazon price changes went into effect. What a great deal!

If you’re looking to add to your DVD collection, I recommend heading over to Amazon.com today. I have no idea when the sale will end, but it could be very soon so take advantage of these prices now!!