💰The Deal Guy Newsletter - Issue #73

🧾 INSIDE THIS WEEK’S NEWSLETTER:

**These deals could end or sell out at ANY time. If you buy something through any of the links featured in this newsletter I may get a small share of the sale.

🏷 BOGO 50% Off Family Hotel Rooms At Marriott: Following in the steps of Hyatt that has had a “family plan rate” for as long as I can remember, if you’re booking two rooms within the Marriott brand, and that second room is occupied by kids 16 (and under), it’s 50% off with code “ZJ5” at many participating properties.

🥖 Panera’s New Value Menu: This first of its kind “Mix & Match” round-up includes soups, salads and half-sandwiches for $4.99 each.

My favorite part is that each order even comes with a free side like chips or a baguette at a time where “healthier” fast food costs an arm and a leg.

💊 Walgreens Senior Day & Spring Sale: Both events overlap to the benefit of your wallet tomorrow March 3rd.

Customers 55+ get 20% off regular-priced items in-store. (Fun tip: even if you’re under 55, linking your AARP membership lets you use the code SENIOR20 to snag the same 20% off.)

Alternatively, Walgreens is running a spring promo online right now if you use code SPRING20 at checkout for 20% off orders of $50 or more.

🥞 Walmart’s Semi-Annual Baby & Toddler Sale Is Live: This is one of the few sales I actually physically mark on my calendar. With a 14 month old in the mix, I have found some fantastic clothing, toy and car accessory options for Vanessa. It’s worth a look.

💰 NEW AMAZON CREDITS: Here are two brand new opportunities to get some cash back while shopping on Amazon this March:

🛍 Bath & Body Works now on Amazon: You can shop their beloved candles, lotions and body sprays through their new Amazon Storefront, but heads up: everything is full price with no coupons or discounts yet (so for any avid Bath and Body Works shoppers, in-store is still your best bet).

Last week I asked how you use your Costco membership in mysterious ways to unlock even more savings and so many of you came through in full frugal force. Here’s a sneak peak at the incredible insight I’ll have in my upcoming YouTube video, thanks to you!

🤫 Katie from Ohio shared: “You likely already know but they have rental cars and moving trucks available for rent. We have begun planning for an out-of-state move within the next 1-2 years, and the cost to rent a moving truck with unlimited miles from Budget Truck Rental with a Costco membership is significantly less expensive than renting from UHaul.”

🤫 Rebecca writes: “Costco membership saving that some people may not know about.. Buying a car through Costco’s auto program. No haggling and the price is lower than sticker price.”

🤫 And as one of MY favorite lesser-known membership perks: you’ve seen the floral selection at Costco but did you know you can use Costco.com for flower delivery similar to 1800 Flowers? The bouquets are fresh, the pricing is straightforward with delivery included, and as a member I’ve consistently found the value to be strong compared to other national flower services. (You can even order bridal bouquets and flowers for an entire wedding!)

❌ Smartphones: New models are coming soon, which means price drops on older versions if you can wait (and I would hold off if you can).

❌ Spring Fashion: New styles are just hitting shelves, so prices are high and discounts are still weeks away unless you’re a warehouse club member where spring deals are legit.

❌ Furniture: Major sales land around Memorial Day, so buying now means paying more and that same rule of thumb applies to outdoor patio furniture.

❌ Winter Gear: You’ll start to see real markdowns at the very end of this month, but right now it’s mostly leftovers at so-so prices.

❌ Gym Memberships: The January promos are gone, and spring discounts haven’t kicked in yet. As the weather warms up, gyms will do anything to get you back inside!

❌ Laptops & Gadgets: New tech usually launches in spring, so now’s a weird in-between with fewer deals with the exception of the laptop deals at Sam’s or Costco.

❌ New Cars: March is rarely a hot month for deals with almost no car manufacturers with a model year end right now. I would wait for further incentives closer to May.

Here are some recent subscriber submitted money-saving tips:

Damon writes: “Chase Rewards has an Apple shopping option. During promotional periods, your Chase Rewards points are worth 25% more. So if you have 100pts, you can buy something that would normally cost 125pts. Sometimes this makes the price of the Apple product even cheaper than Costco or the Educational Pricing.”

Beth writes: (in response to last week’s newsletter request for a great pet hair vac) “My tip for a dog hair vacuum is a 5gal shop vac. We have the Craftsmen brand and it’s so much easier and durable if one has multiple dogs and they are not on carpet.

Ron from AZ writes: “When I shop at CVS, I split my purchases into separate transactions. That way I can roll my ExtraBucks from one deal into the next and lower my out of pocket cost each time.”

Reply to this email and share it with me! If I feature your tip, I’ll give you a shoutout in next week’s newsletter!

(Include your first name + the state you live in so I can add it to the shoutout)

To get your question answered, simply respond to this email with any money-saving related question and feel free to include your first name so I can address you properly.

💡 Hi Matt, really appreciate your newsletter and all your videos! Does carpeting and vinyl flooring ever go on sale? If so, when is the best time to pick up a deal on these as both can be very expensive. Thanks so much!

Nancy, thank you so much for being a part of my newsletter and YouTube family. Funny enough, Vinyl and Carpeting deals always appear on both Home Depot and Lowes the one week before holiday long weekends with Memorial Day and July 4th being your next chances. Spring and early fall are also strong inventory clearance windows particularly for local shops.

💡Juan Asks: “Aloha! I just had a quick question. My daughter will be graduating middle school this spring and I wanted to buy her a Macbook laptop as a gift to get ready for high school. Is there an upcoming holiday to watch out for that I might be able to catch a deal on a new late model? Mahalo for your time and keep up the great work!

Congrats to your daughter on graduating middle school (my oldest is about 6 years away from that milestone). Apple runs its Back to School promotion every year starting around late June through early September. It rarely discounts the MacBook itself, but you typically get a free Apple gift card with purchase. Beyond that, Macbooks are always reduced on Prime Day in July.

💡Neici Asks: “Hello there, I live in an apartment that doesn't have in-unit washer or dryer hook-ups. I'm hoping to get quality portable ones (like the Black and Decker portable ones when there is a deal, because they are pricey).”

Hi Neici… you’re certainly correct the Black & Decker portable washers are the best ones on the market for your needs. I’d watch Memorial Day, Prime Day in July and Black Friday for the best pricing, and set Amazon alerts since these models fluctuate heavily. I have not personally tested the compact dryers from Euhomy but I have heard good things as an alternative to Black & Decker.

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!

💵 “Frugal people share the ‘rich things’ they still do on a budget” - READ HERE.

💵 “Why more retirees are moving abroad and where they’re going” - READ HERE.

💵 “Average early filing tax refund is up this year” - READ HERE.

I feel privileged to be starting another month together! If you have topics you’d like me to tackle in an upcoming newsletter or YouTube, I’m all ears.

Happy Savings!👋

The Deal Guy (Matt Granite)