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As always, here for the best deals that I have found this past week.  If you have found any valuable deals over the past week and you want to let everyone know, please leave a comment!  Enjoy!

JCPenny has over 220 items in their outlet center that are priced $9.99 or less.  More and more items are being added regularly so continue to check back.  (Note: This link can always be accessed from the “Deal/Bargain Websites” page on this site.)

Macy’s is having their Semi-Annual Jewelery Sale which marks down most jewelery items between 20% and 50%.  Also, you will receive an extra 15% off automatically whenever you add an item to your cart.  Orders over $125 can have an extra 10% knocked off when you enter the coupon code VALENTINE.  Also, there is free shipping.  Guys, this is the perfect time to shop for that Valentines Day present!

K-Mart.com is offering 70% off all diamond, gemstone, and gold jewelery.  They are also including free shipping.  There is no need to enter any sort of code; it’s already marked down.

The After-Holiday Sale at Barnes and Noble is ending 2/1/09 so if you are interested in finding marked down items from their store, you need to hurry before the sale is offer.  This applies to both online and in-store sales.

As I previously mentioned in one of my earlier posts this week, the 2009 Entertainment Book is currently marked down 35%.  The coupons enclosed in the 2009 Entertainment Book are good until November.  Most books are $19.50 compared to $30.00.

FamilyVideo.com has a huge selection of previously viewed DVDs for great prices.  Titles include Fred Claus, Hancock, Dark Knight and Kung Fu Panda.  You really can’t beat their prices.

When you shop Old Navy clearance items, use the code HALFOFF to take an extra 50% off.  This offer expires 2/1/09 so act fast!

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The second movie I saw this year was Underworld: Rise of the Lycans.  It is a prequel to the first two Underworld movies and shows how the rivalry between the Lycans (werewolves) and Death Dealers (vampires) came about.  There are no big name actors in them, but most of the actors remain the same from the first two, with the absence of Kate Beckinsale and Scott Speedman (although it doesn’t take away from the movie).

There were quite a few things I liked about this movie.  It stays very on point and doesn’t confuse you at all.  In fact, it is somewhat predictable but I’ll explain that later on.  As with the first two movies, Rise of the Lycans does a nice job with CGI, showing as humans change into their lycan form.  Details are entered in accordingly that make them look realistic and similar to the lycans in the first two.  The acting is also fairly good, not horrible like most horror movies you see these days (Underworld can somewhat be characterized as horror but is more action than anything else).

There are not many bad things I can say about the Underworld prequel, besides the fact that it is predictable and because of that, can be boring at times.  There are no big surprises or anything, and if you’ve seen the first two, then you already know what happens.  If you don’t remember, then I would say to not watch the first two immediately before seeing the prequel, as I did.

Overall, Underworld:  Rise of the Lycans is well done with a good plot.  Those of you who are fans of the first two will like the prequel but will be disappointed in the fact that with showing nothing new, it is rather pointless.  For those of you who haven’t seen either of the first two, I would suggest watching the prequel and then 1 and 2, in that order.  Underworld is a great series that doesn’t disappoint.  Overall, I give Rise of the Lycans 7/10.

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As you will now notice, there has been a new page added titled “Research Papers/Documents.”  Over the past year or so, I’ve occassionally uploaded different research and term papers that either I’ve written myself or have received from people I know.  With the previous website design, the papers were very hard to locate (as was a majority of the other information) so I’ve deleted those former posts and consolidated all of the content into a single, easy to follow page.  I haven’t uploaded all of the papers I’ve received thus far so I’ll be completing that sometime this week, most  likely on Saturday or Sunday.

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I’ve been doing a lot of scouring this week for useful articles and websites. Here is a summary of what I’ve found…

• If you’re interested in finding some interesting freeware for your Windows-based computer, check out this list of 51 essential and free pieces of software for your computer.
• Copyblogger.com has a great article on how to get people to say “yes” to you no matter the situation.  The article covers six methods and could be very useful to sales people and those who are looking to have more influence on their peers.
• If you’ve recently begun using RSS feeds or have no idea what to subscribe to, use this nifty website, SuggestRSS, to figure out what would be most interesting for you.
• TIME recently released a list of the 25 best financial blogs to read.  Unfortunately ericalpin.com did not make the list but the websites listed are definitely very useful.
• The new semester is beginning to college students and there are a lot of programs and resources that can help a student make it through in an easy, less stressed fashion.  Online College has released a list of 69 tools that can help students both in the classroom and out of the classroom.
• Lifehack.org recently posted an article on killing your clutter in 5 minutes.  Since we all have some sort of clutter lying around, I thought we could all benefit from this article.

Enjoy!

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For those of you reading this, this is the first movie review of 2009 and will be an added section to the ericalpin.com website.  I’ll be posting reviews about the movies I see and everyone can post their comments, thoughts, etc.  As far as a general layout, each movie review will include a brief plot summary, the good points, bad points, and finally the overall review.

The first movie I saw this year was Paul Blart:  Mall Cop.  It was produced by Happy Madison (for those of you who don’t know, and let’s be honest, who doesn’t?-it’s Adam Sandler’s move production company).  For that reason I was interested in seeing it.  The movie stars Kevin James as Paul Blart, a guy whose lifelong dream is the be a state cop but he’s always fallen a little short.  Instead, he works at the local mall, and he takes his job very seriously.  During the busy holiday season, a group of crooks breaks into the mall and Paul is left on the inside and tries to protect the mall.

The movie itself had very few positives for me.  There were some scenes that will definitely make you laugh a little, but the biggest plus for me was the setting.  It is very well done as far as making you feel like you’re in a mall.  There’s all the actual stores…Lord and Taylor, Champs Sports, an arcade, and a few other big name brand stores that I can’t think of.  I would say my favorite scene in the movie is when Paul goes into the arcade around closing time and has a nice little jam session doing vocals and guitar for “Detroit Rock City” on Rock Band.  It may not be music to your ears, but it made me laugh.  There is also some good humor as Paul communicates with the cops on the outside; just some quick one liners.

I was not very impressed with most of the movie.  A lot of the humor, unlike other Happy Madison movies, didn’t work for the older crowd.  It was more for young kids, and you can think of the movie kind of like a mall version of Home Alone (however, the latter would be the better choice).  There were only a few cameos by other actors that have been in other Happy Madison films, which didn’t help much either.  I found myself bored during most of the movie, and I’m glad I only spent $6 for it.

Overall, Paul Blart is a great movie if you’re younger or taking a few kids with you to see it.  Otherwise, it can be skipped; you’re not missing much.  If you’re not a big Happy Madison or Kevin James fan, I would just avoid it and save yourself some money.  As far as a rating, you ask?  I would say 4/10.

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It’s pretty safe to say that we all eat out every now and then.  Some people and their families eat out numerous times a week and others have t he occasional date night here and there.  Either way, showing up at a restaurant and requesting food could be considered a large part of the American way of life.  It’s also the easiest way to lose money.  Think about it…Once you are finished with your $12.99 meals, your $2.19 beverages, your cliche $4.99 dessert, and your tip, you’ve already spent well over $40.  Can you afford to do that twice or three times a week?  Most people can’t and if you’re reading this article, you are probably one of those people.  Don’t stress – here are some tips to save you some money when you’re going out to eat.

1.  Split your meal – Many people have tons of leftover food when they go out to dinner.  This is a good thing if you plan to eat it later on in the day or for lunch the next day but most people just end up throwing it away.  To avoid having leftovers and spending useless money, try splitting your meal with your mate.  My girlfriend and I ate at an Italian restaurant the other evening and we were both hungry but decided to split a sandwich, drink, and dessert.  Not only did we clean up everything that was set in front of us, we saved at least $8 dollars in the process.  If you eat out twice a week and net that much of a savings each time, you’re going to save around $70 a month or $832 in a year.  That’s $832 you would have wasted in 2009.  Split your meals and have more cash for things you need.

2.  “I’ll have a water, please” – Your beverage decision probably wasn’t the first thing that came to your mind when I mentioned saving money while eating out but it really can go a long way to simply ask for water.  Plus, water is a lot healthier for you than any sugar laced beverage you would order otherwise.  If each soda is $2.19 and you eat out two times a week, a couple can save $18.98 per month or $227.76 each year.  If you combine it with the savings of the previous tip of sharing food, you’ve saved yourself over $1,000 in one year just by making smarter choices when eating out.  As a side note, if you are a person who needs a sweet beverage when eating out, simply ask for a water with lemon and when it arrives, squeeze your lemon in your water and add one packet of Sweet N’ Low and you have yourself a homemade lemonade.

3.  Use coupons – I’m all about the coupons and trust me, they can really make your money go a long way.  I’m always getting some form of coupon booklet in the mail for this fast food chain or for that local restaurant.  Buy one, get one free offers are probably the best coupon deals but most of them are pretty decent.  If you want access to more coupons, try picking up an Entertainment Book (they’re currently discounted for 2009), looking in your local Sunday newspaper, or checking various online coupon websites.

4.  Don’t eat out so much! – So, this really isn’t a tip for you when you’re eating out, but I think that it fits.  Even after using the other tips enclosed in this post, you’re still going to be spending more money than you would if you would have stayed at home and eaten a meal.  Studies show that meals eaten at home are not only cheaper, but they are healthier too.  If you are the type of person who craves a certain dish from a restaurant, look online to see how you can make a similar item in your home.  It’s cheaper, healthier and fun.

Deals/Deal Sites, Home, Quick and Useful Tips For Various Things

First off, I would like to thank everyone who visits ericalpin.com.  I really appreciate it and hope that the information contained in this site has helped you in some way.  Keep reading!  We’ll keep dishing out the content!

I’d like to welcome our newest contributor, Garry, to the website.  Garry is quite the movie buff and will be doing movie reviews for the website.  Next time you’re interested in seeing a movie, swing by the site and see if Garry has reviewed it.  As always, this site is designed to make your life easier in some form or fashion, even in the realm of entertainment.

This week I should be adding the Twitter plugin and will be uploading those movie papers I’ve been promising.  Make sure you check out this week’s poll.  A new one will be generated on Tuesday so be sure to vote on the current poll regarding financial goals before it closes.

I’m in the process of gathering some information and opinions regarding President Obama and his economic plans for the United States.  A few articles reflecting the information I’ve received will appear either this week or next week.

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We all have it.  Whether it is from the latte we bought on the way to work or from the cheeseburger we devoured for dinner, we all end up with pockets full of change.  It may not be the most appealing or exciting thing in the world, but it’s a part of life.  Most people don’t do too much with their change.  Some people don’t even keep it to begin with.  Ah, but there are reasons that a person should “keep the change.”  As you’ll see in the next few points, change can come in quite handy, especially for those individuals trying to grow their finances.  Then again, who doesn’t want to do that?

1.  Cash – A lot of people don’t realize that this can be a huge resource in times of trouble.  One of the greatest things about spare change is that it accumulates fast.  My girlfriend and I recently rolled over $100 worth of change that had accumulated since April.  We could get tickets to a theme park, a fancy dinner, or practically anything else that we want.  If I should decide to roll change in early November of this year, that would provide me with a pretty hefty Christmas bonus that I didn’t even have to work overtime to receive.  Cashing out change can be done at any bank and you don’t even need an account at most financial institutions.  Try to avoid automated change-to-cash machines that are commonly found in grocery stores because they take a hefty amount off the final calculation, leaving you with less than you really had.

Read more…

Deals/Deal Sites, Home, Quick and Useful Tips For Various Things

I found a lot of great deals this past week and proceeded to post as many as possible in this week’s Hot Deals! post.  Enjoy!

Jeans Trade-In (Aeropostale)- Aeropostale is partnering with DoSomething.org and is offering a pretty good deal for those individuals willing to participate.  If you drop off a pair of “lightly worn” jeans at any Aeropostale store, you’ll receive a 25% discount on your next jeans purchase from the store.  Not only are you helping out other people, you’re getting a discount too!  Click on the link for more information!  (Thanks to @Gracie for the heads up on this one)

$5 Tee Shirts at RandomShirts.com- RandomShirts.com is having a huge clearance sale where tons of shirts are being marked down to $5 each.  Shipping expenses vary but if you’re in the market to purchase any trendy, witty, or random shirts, this is an offer you can’t pass up.  Hurry, the selections are going quick!

J&R Video Game Clearance – Retailer J&R is having a big clearance sale on select video games.  All major systems are included in this sale so if you have anyone that you need to buy for or if you want to spend some of that Christmas money on some cheap video games, check out the J&R video game clearance sale.

Free Audiobook: 7 Habits of Highly Effective People - Audible.com is offering a free download of Stephen Covey’s book “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” for a limited time.  There is no credit card required for the download; simply register on the site itself and enjoy your free book!  This audio book is compatible with most major mp3 players and the associated software, including all the iPod and iTunes.

Free Redbox Rental Code (McDonalds Only) – Redbox has provided a special discount code for McDonalds kiosks.  This code will allow for you to have a free rental for the first day (any day after is the standard rate of $1.00).  Enter the code MCDWNTR and you will not be charged for the first day of the rental period.

As a side note, Restaurant.com gift certificates are down to$3 each, which is the lowest this year.  Enjoy!

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Yes, I know that the 2008-2009 season still has one more game to be played but I figured I’d get a jump start on some general predictions for the 2009-2010 season.  If you’re looking for record or Super Bowl predictions, you aren’t going to find them here…at least not yet.  With the moves that have taken place thus far in the offseason, one could begin to draw some conclusions and impacts for the 2009-2010 season.  Here are a few nuggets of thought…

• Rex Ryan is going to lead the New York Jets to a winning season.  It’s tough to say if they’re going to make it to the playoffs, especially if Favre sticks around, but head coach Rex Ryan should be able to lead his team to a winning season in his first year as a head coach.  Look for the Jets defense to have an impact in the AFC East due to Ryan’s experience with leading the Ravens defense.
• The Dallas Cowboys are going to be worse than they were in 2008.  Even though the Cowboys could be poised to make some big moves in the offseason, such as re-signing DeMarcus Ware and making a big for LB Ray Lewis, I believe they are going to continue to decline in the standings.  They came close to making the playoffs this year but really buckled under the pressure in late November and December.  If a team leader doesn’t emerge, more disasters will be immenent.
• At least two 2008 losing teams will have a winning season…and make it into the playoffs.  It’s a longshot, but I can sense a turnaround for at least two 2008 losing teams.  Whether it is the Rams, Chiefs, Browns, or someone else, there is going to be a few new contenders in the league.  Look what 2008 produced with the Dolphins, Falcons, Ravens, and Cardinals.  This isn’t your Patriots/Colts league anymore – more and more teams are going to start to come around as the years move on.  Look for at least two to make the playoffs in 2009.
• The rules will change regarding the play clock and challenges.  Both of these topics become heated as the 2008 season wrapped up and there will only be more contention in the offseason which will lead to a few changes around the league.  It’s tough to say what exactly will change but both topics need rethinking and reworking due to controversial situations during the 2008 season.

Continue to check back for more predictions and updates as the offseason continues.  What are your thoughts and predictions for the 2009-2010 season?  Share them below in the comments!

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