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💰 The Deal Guy Newsletter - Issue #34

💰 The Deal Guy Newsletter - Issue #34

Plus, Huge Amazon News, Worst March Buys + Warehouse Clearance!

Matt Granite
March 03, 2025

Spring offers some serious savings in a number of categories and on the other end of the spectrum, there are some big purchases you may want to avoid. I’ll also explore a surprising change that could affect your relationship with Alexa.

What’s included this week:

✅ Top 5 Things To Buy In March
💸 Alexa Could Soon Cost you $20 Per Month!
❌ Do NOT Buy These Things in March
📰 IN THE NEWS
📦 NEW Costco Membership Perk You NEED To Know!
🏷️ Top 5 Deals of the Week
🍝 You Can Finally Get The Olive Garden Delivered
🛒 TOP 5 ONLINE-ONLY COSTCO DEALS!
💻 TOP 5 ONLINE-ONLY SAM’S CLUB DEALS!

✅ Top 5 Things To Buy In March

🧹 Vacuum Cleaners and Anything Cleaning Related: The spring cleaning promotions are all over the place right now from warehouse clubs to traditional stores. Watch for huge Dyson deals by the end of the month.

🧳 Travel Accessories and Luggage: Most people traveling for spring break bought their luggage last month and with now major travel occasions between now and Memorial Day, stores heavily incentivize suitcases.

🔥 Hot Tubs: The hottest time for a spa deal is right now as we’re at the end of season for this otherwise popular fall and winter purchase.

🪴 Anything Garden Related: One would think this would be a better buy further along in the season but considering gardening gear hit stores nationwide at the end of January, many items are on sale now.

🛋️ Indoor Furniture: As the focus shifts to the outdoors, indoor furniture is an incredible buy right now - especially at warehouse clubs and local retailers.

💸 Your Alexa Could Soon Cost you $20 Per Month!

Do you love your Amazon Echo? Do you rely upon Alexa enough to pay $20 per month for it? That could be a reality starting March 20th if you are not a Prime Member!

Photo Courtesy: New York Times

Amazon is launching something called “Alexa+” in a matter of week offering a more advanced and intuitive version of its voice assistant. Alexa+ will handle tasks like sending texts, suggesting recipes and managing travel plans. Additional capabilities include analyzing Ring camera footage, reading PDF documents and handwritten notes, among many others.

While the features sound promising, how well they perform in everyday use remains to be seen. Again, while the service will cost $19.99 per month it will free for Prime members.

📰 IN THE NEWS

Every week in this section of the newsletter, I share some of the most interesting and helpful money-related articles I’ve read over the past week. I hope you find these as valuable as I did!

💵 “A complete list of 27 Kohl’s stores set to shut down” - READ HERE.

💵 “New concerns over broccoli sold at Walmart” - READ HERE.

💵 “Tropicana is in big financial trouble” - READ HERE.

❌ Do NOT Buy These Things in March

🛁 Appliances: If you missed your chance on President’s Day, I would strongly suggest waiting for sales in May unless the buy is absolutely crucial for something on the fritz.

👗 Spring Clothing: While there are limited spring clothing reductions at Costco and Sam’s Club, as a whole most spring garments will be at clearance pricing by the first week of April.

🌭 Grills: The reductions are scarce until the official start of the grilling season. By the end of May, Home Depot and Lowe’s will have some of the stronger deals.

📌 4 Pack Apple AirTag JUST $70 (Great for any Spring Break travel!)
🐣 BOGO 50% OFF Easter Candy Deal at Target
🧰 213 Piece LEGO Classic Suitcase (UNDER $14!)
📱 10th Generation Apple iPad UNDER $280!
🎧 50% OFF Amazon Music!! (Limited Time Offer for NEW memberships)

**If you buy something through these links I may get a small share of the sale. Click here to learn more

📦 NEW Costco Membership Perk You NEED To Know!

(NOT SPONSORED)

Costco members already get great deals, but did you know your membership also unlocks discounted healthcare?

Through a partnership with Sesame, Costco gives you access to $29 virtual doctor visits, $19 therapy sessions, and in-person care for just $79. There’s no insurance required, no surprise bills and there is something even more unique about this…

Unlike other telehealth services, Sesame offers both virtual and in-person options - with upfront lower pricing for Costco Members. Whether you’re uninsured, have a high-deductible plan or just want an easy way to see a doctor, this Costco perk might be of benefit to your household. Check it out at Sesame’s website.

🍝 You Can Finally Get The Olive Garden Delivered

If you live near an Olive Garden and are tired of carry-out, there is some good news in your neck of the woods. As of this month, you can have your favorite Olive Garden dishes delivered right to your doorstep.

Olive Garden has just partnered with Uber to launch nationwide delivery from all their restaurants. Simply place your order through OliveGarden.com or their app if you prefer, and an Uber driver will bring your meal to you— provided you're within eight miles of a location, which given the footprint of the restaurant chain, applies to many households.