💰The Deal Guy Newsletter - Issue #87

🧾 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.

💰 Tax-Free Shopping Starts THIS WEEK in Many States: Depending on where you live, you may be able to skip sales tax on school supplies, clothing, computers and other qualifying purchases.

Here’s a list of the important dates broken down by state.

✏️ Staples Is Selling School Supplies for Less Than Dollar Tree: Staples has notebooks starting at 35¢, Crayola products from 99¢, and dozens of other back-to-school and office supplies on sale.

If you shop using your Staples Rewards account to earn rewards, you can use the coupon code 61905 to get FREE 2 Pack of Sharpie S-Gel Retractable Gel Pens with any qualifying order even if your cart only contains a single 25¢ item.

🎉 New 50th Anniversary Costco Membership Promotion: New members who sign up online and enroll in automatic renewal can receive a $50 Digital Costco Shop Card through August 2.

It is important to note that if you have been a Costco member within the past 18 months, you do not qualify for this offer.

🍪 Get a FREE Crumbl Cookie Today: Crumbl Rewards members can score a free chocolate chip cookie July 20th (TODAY!) with no purchase required.

Just make sure you're signed into your rewards account before placing your order.

🛒 New Summer Promotional Credits on Amazon: During a month when we’d typically have Prime Day, Amazon has launched several stackable shopping promotions to put cash back in your pocket in categories where you might already be spending.

💻 Apple Is Giving Away Up to $150 With New Macs & iPads: Eligible students, parents, faculty and staff can receive up to a $150 Apple Gift Card with qualifying purchases through Apple's annual back-to-school promotion, but only until August 27, 2026.

It's one of the few ways to save on Apple products outside of Black Friday, following company-wide price increases from the brand.

Scammers are getting way too creative, and thanks to artificial intelligence, some of these are becoming almost impossible to spot. Here are five scams you absolutely need to know about before they catch you off guard.

AI Family Emergency Calls: A caller sounds exactly like your child, grandchild or another family member and says they are in trouble and need money immediately. The voice may sound real because scammers can now clone someone’s voice using AI. Hang up and call your family member back using a phone number you already have saved. Do not let the panic rush you into sending money.

Fake QR Codes: Scammers are placing fake QR code stickers directly over legitimate ones on parking meters, payment machines and public signs. Before you enter any information, take a second to check the website address. That tiny pause could save you from handing your credit card information directly to a scammer.

Mystery Package Scam: A random package arrives at your house with a QR code asking you to scan it to find out who sent it or claim some type of gift. Curiosity is exactly what they are counting on. Do not scan it. That code could take you to a fake website designed to steal your personal or financial information.

Amazon Verification Code Scam: Someone calls or texts claiming to be from Amazon and says they need to verify your account. They then ask you to read back a security code that was just sent to your phone. That is actually your two-factor login code, and sharing it could give them access to your account. It is important to note that an official Amazon employee will never need you to read that code back to them.

Fake Refund Scams: You receive a text or email claiming you are owed a refund from Amazon, Walmart, your bank or another company you recently purchased from. All you need to do is click a link to claim it. Unfortunately, the only person getting paid is probably the scammer. Open the company’s official app or type the website address in yourself instead of clicking the link.

Have you heard of any new scams I missed? Reply back to this email and let me know!

Here are some recent subscriber submitted money-saving tips:

Carson from IL writes: “I recommend always checking your local electric company for home appliance rebates. I recently purchased a Winix air purifier at Costco while it was on sale for $99 (down from $129). Because it is Energy Star certified, my electric company, ComEd, sent me a $50 rebate check after I filled out a simple form. In the end, I only paid $49 for a $129 appliance! Additionally, many utility companies offer freebies if you sign up for their email alerts. Last year, I received a Nest thermostat totally free, including shipping.”

Shermayne from MN writes: “Before buying ink cartridges, I check Staples' recycling program. They often offer rewards for recycling used ink cartridges and I save those rewards until there's a really good sale on printer paper or office supplies.”

Funnily enough I received a similar tip for a different store..

Dave from IN writes: “Before buying batteries, printer ink or cleaning supplies, I check Costco's website even if I'm not making a warehouse trip. The online prices are often lower than Amazon's, and many items ship free.”

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)

While Costco doesn't publish an official clearance calendar, I have notice many seasonal shopping markdowns that repeat year after year. While timing varies by warehouse, knowing what typically goes on clearance each month can help you save some serious cash.

January Clearance: Christmas items, holiday meats, oversized wine bottles, gift sets and winter clothing.

February Clearance: Exercise equipment, luggage, indoor furniture, Chinese New Year items and remaining holiday wine sets.

March Clearance: Kitchenware, serveware, stoneware and televisions.

April Clearance: Lawn and garden items, outdoor lighting, Easter merchandise and kosher foods.

May Clearance: Summer clothing, swimwear and footwear.

June Clearance: Outdoor furniture, lawn and garden items, outdoor accessories and summer clothing.

July Clearance: Summer clothing, BBQ sauces and select MLB tickets.

August Clearance: Home furniture, lighting and summer activity items.

September Clearance: Back-to-school items, furniture and lighting.

October Clearance: Halloween merchandise, candy and major appliances.

November Clearance: Early markdowns on holiday decor and toys.

December Clearance: Holiday decor, wrapping supplies, gift sets, toys, blankets and seasonal food items.

💡 BONUS TIP... Learn Costco’s Secret Price Codes: If a price ends in .97, it often means the item has been marked down on clearance nationwide. Prices ending in .00 or .88 can mean a manager has discounted it at that specific store, so those are definitely the price tags most worthy of your attention.

Do you want to see more articles like this? Reply to this email and let me know!

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.

A.A.V Asks: "I typically always buy certified refurbished tech (cell phones or computers) when I need to purchase. I am wondering if those ever go on deeper discounts. I am looking for a new desktop (Windows) to purchase. I am an academic, not a gamer, so I don't need the gamer bells and whistles, but I do like to have multiple applications and lots of tabs open."

Hi and I’m certainly in agreement with you… refurbished tech rocks! I’m also a fan of Open Box provided a full warranty or extended warranty is issued. On computers, we’ll see brand new models as competitive as older refurb desktops on shelves by September. So I would wait but the specs I’d consider for you are 16 GB of RAM, a recent Intel Core i5 or AMD Ryzen 5 processor and a 1TB SSD.

Wanda asks: “My last purchase for ear bug was Tozo T10 upon your recommendation.  They are great for sleeping while listening to a podcast or music. I have dropped them so many times that one cap fell off. What do you recommend for replacement. I like to listen to scriptures while I'm falling asleep.”

Hi Wanda! I’m happy to hear those headphones worked out so well for you although I’m sorry the cap has come off over time. If you're looking for an upgrade, I'd consider the Soundcore P20i or the EarFun Free 2S. Both are frequently on sale for under $40, and offer better sound quality than the TOZO T10s. If your primary use is falling asleep to podcasts or scriptures, I'd lean toward the EarFun Free 2S because I find the fit just a little more comfortable for longer listening sessions.

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!

💵 “The best states to live in for 2026” - READ HERE.

💵 “Top 8 cuts of meat to buy at Costco according to butchers” - READ HERE.

💵 “Homeowners face selling decision after market shift ” - READ HERE.

It’s hard to believe that summer is over as far as retailers are concerned with countless items shifting to clearance in the next three weeks. Please let me know your top picks or what’s on your wish list so I can hunt it down in next week’s newsletter.

Happy Savings!👋

The Deal Guy (Matt Granite)