The Daily Deal for Tuesday, June 24 , 2008

Every once in a while the good folks at Family Christian Stores decide to cut loose and offer sale prices all over the place. Now is one of those times.

First, Family Christian is offering 25% off all of it's A Life of Faith and Faith & Friends dolls and accessories. The discount however does not apply to the associated book series. This is a one week sale, from June 20, through June 26. Now might be a good time to stash a couple of those cute dollies for Christmas!

Finally, Family Cristian is also having a Buy One Get One 50% off sale, on selected merchandise. To get the discount in store, just print out the online coupon. To get the discount online, just fill out your order and you'll apply the discount at time of ordering. You don't have to register with Family Christian Stores to place an order, although you'll be asked to do so. If you'd like to order without registering, simply call toll free, (888) 319-0319 to order. International friends, please fax (610) 532-9001. Shipping rates are very user friendly at Family Christian Stores. For economy shipping,which takes 7 to 21 business days, shipping cost is only a base rate of $1.99, plus $0.49 for each individual item in your order.

Go on over and have a look at Family Christian Stores. I guarantee they have something there for just about everyone.

A deal this good only comes along once, maybe twice in a year! Its Victoria's Secret's semi annual sale. The savings that Victoria is offering during this heart raising sale was even good enough to make WalletPop's 25 deals worth waiting for earlier this year. The savings start today and are good on bras and panties as well as everything else Victoria is keeping a secret.

The standout savings of this deal are definitely the bras and panties which start at $12.99 and $3.99 respectively for the range of Victoria's Secret collections including Very Sexy, Body, Angels, and VS cotton to name a few. Many popular sizes go quick, as in order right now quick, so head over to Victoria's Secret's semi annual sale to pick yourself or your significant other something special. At these low prices, even a personal finance blogger agrees, this deal is worth opening up your wallet!

If the sale follows the same trend as it has in years past, you can pick up some good deals again when the bargains hit your local store in about a month.

The Daily Deal for Easter Sunday, March 23, 2008
Just in time for spring building and repair season, a great selection of popular DeWalt power tools is being offered at price reductions of 10% to 17% off Lowe's regular store prices. I had a look at the Lowe's website and I found that they're discounting more than just a few oddball items. For instance, one of DeWalt's most popular offerings, the 18 volt, 4 cordless tool combo is available for $499. An additional $4.99 may get the set shipped right to your door.

If you have some things to cut up or cut down, DeWalt's heavy duty, corded reciprocating saw might be just the ticket. It's priced at just $99.99 during this sale. A reciprocating saw is a tool of necessity around my house. I'd be lost without one. How about a new air compressor for airing up tires and for feeding air to your pneumatic tools? The popular DeWalt 4.5 gallon 200 psi air compressor is priced at just $349. This is a contractor quality compressor, and with 200 psi peak capacity, you should be able to run two pneumatic nail guns at the same time. Speaking of nail guns, Lowe's has three Dewalt models at reduced prices. The DeWalt round head framing nailer is just $239, their clipped head framing nailer is also $239 and their coil fed roofing nailer is just $228. These are good prices on great tools if you're in the market for some.

Be sure to check out the official Lowe's website to confirm product prices and availability in your area. Lowe's has a simple product locater on it's website which you can use to verify availability. I believe that Lowe's ships from regional locations to keep your shipping costs down, so not all models may be available in all locations.

Some deals only come around once or twice a year, but offer savings that justify the wait. This post is part of our series on such 'don't miss' sales.

Stonehenge. Scooby-Doo cartoons. The Manolo Blahnik Sample Shoe Sale. To some degree, these are all mysteries, but it is Manolo Blahnik that is the least explainable enigma of them all.

After all, we know where to go to visit Stonehenge, and in a Scooby-Doo cartoon, you usually have odds going that it's one of two or three people the gang have previously met in the last 20 minutes. But exactly when is a Manolo Blahnik shoe sale? Good luck finding that out. You'd be better off trying to learn the nuclear code in the president's briefcase.

Actually, you can find out, but the sale is never announced until just a few days before the event, and there's little rhyme or reason to the dates, at least from the point of view of anyone who doesn't work in the inner sanctum of the Manolo Blahnik account office. Usually, you can count on the sales being on any given day in May and November, but Manolo Blahnik enjoys keeping the shoes' fans on their toes. For instance, in 2004, they had a sale in the month of February; earlier this year, they had one in January.

The mystery and suspense works, and so does the exclusivity. If you want to be among the first shoppers, you have to be invited to the sale, which happens if you know the right people or if you buy a lot of Manolo Blahniks and thus get an invitation. After a few hours, then the general public is allowed in.

When the shoppers get there, hoping to get $500 shoes for, say, $100, they shove, push and practically climb all over each other to get to the shoes, which are sold at the Warwick Hotel in Manhattan (they're only sold there and at the Wynn Las Vegas casino and scattered boutiques around the world). Celebrities swoon over them. Princess Diana liked them. Madonna supposedly once said that wearing his shoes was "better than sex." And in the fictional world, Carrie Bradshaw in Sex and the City was obsessed with Manolos. On the Internet, shoe blogs are consumed with them.

And why not? There's an air of mystery, mystique, celebrity and it even taps into the raw psyche of the shopper. After all, when you come to this sale, you can't bring your credit card or pay with a check. You have to bring cash. Even visiting Stonehenge isn't this complicated. But it works. The lines of shoppers stretch for blocks and blocks.

Some deals only come around once or twice a year, but offer savings that justify the wait. This post is part of our series on such 'don't miss' sales.

When I think about dressing for business, it's usually just that, thinking. In my world, a stout pair of jeans, a clean t-shirt and a sweatshirt will serve you for just about everything. Yet there's always been a part of me that wanted the natty look of a midnight blue, three piece, pinstriped Brooks Brothers suit. The company is famous for outfitting dignitaries from Abraham Lincoln to John F. Kennedy, as well as popular figures like Clark Gable, Andy Warhol and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, so it should be able to gild me as well.

The suits normally cost a minor royalty's ransom-- the Golden Fleece two-button pinstripe, for example, retails for $1,600. However, the company's semi-annual sales bring them a little closer to the Earth I inhabit. After Christmas and in June, Brooks Brothers knocks 25% off of much of its stock. If you open a Brooks Brothers credit account at that time, you can bump this discount up to 33%, quite a healthy savings on an outfit just south of $2,000.

Brooks Brothers was established in 1818, during the administration of John Quincy Adams, making it the nation's oldest clothing retailer. With 170 U.S. locations and 70 in other countries, even we in the hinterlands can dress like the famous. You may use this store locater to find Brooks Brothers near you.

Even at 33% off the regular price, those fantastic Golden Fleece suits are still a bit out of my reach, though. For now, I'll just have to imagine how a $1,600 suit must feel. Perhaps I should resume pursuing that law degree after all. Ya think?

Some deals only come around once or twice a year, but offer savings that justify the wait. This post is part of our series on such 'don't miss' sales.

Back when I was doing home remodeling and home repair projects for myself, I enjoyed the routine trips to Menard's home improvement centers to buy products and materials. Its weekly newspaper fliers were stuffed into Upper Midwest newspapers where its 235 stores are located. The stores nearly always had exactly what I needed.

Menards has become known for a promotion called the "Fit in a bag sale." It sends full-sized grocery bags out with a sales flier. Shoppers can take the bags to Menards and fill them with whatever they wish (subject to restrictions). All items in the bag are then discounted by a percentage (which varies from sale to sale, but last August's was 15%) off the normal price of the items in the bag.

I used this sale opportunity to beef up on my home DIY guy supplies. I'd pack that bag with things like duct tape, drywall screws, utility knife blades, lightbulbs, batteries, auto fuses, WD-40, Miracle Grow, and caulk. I'd also pick up things for specific ongoing projects. Perhaps I'd buy solder if I was approaching a copper plumbing task, or some ring shank nails to fix a fence.

Surprisingly, the Menards spokesman I spoke to declined to comment on the sales, or even acknowledge that they exist. Apparently, he didn't want to suggest that you should wait for an upcoming bag sale to buy your supplies. But I will. Who doesn't want to save 15%?

Watch your newspaper and circulars for news of upcoming 'fit in a bag' sales at Menards.

Daily Deal: Target is having a sale on baby gear. It seems they have one of these every few weeks. I get regular emails since I bought a few items in the past year following the birth of my son. And, I have to say, Target really does have a great selection and terrific prices on all things baby.

Now the stuff is on sale, plus you get free shipping if you spend more than $50, which is easy to do on baby gear. Check it out if you are in need of a baby gift or if it's time to upgrade your stroller.

The glider and ottoman shown here is now on sale for $199, $30 off the full price. Having it shipped for free is a nice bonus, especially for all you 9-month-pregnant moms who are probably so done with shopping for furniture about now. This is one item you are unlikely to get as a gift. A glider, while not the most beautiful piece of furniture in the world, comes in very handy when there is a newborn around. Before you buy this one, though, check Craig's List in your area to see if you can pick up a used one for $50 or less.