💰The Deal Guy Newsletter - Issue #93

🧾 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.

🎯 Target Car Seat Trade-In Is Back: As a parent of three young kids, this caught my eye: bring any old car seat to a participating Target and receive a 20% Target Circle bonus toward eligible new baby gear.

The promotion is happening from Sept 20th to Oct 3rd and only happens once per year!

🎳 FREE Bowling + FREE $10 Arcade Card for Kids: Bowlero’s Family Fest gives every guest one FREE game of bowling, plus kids 16 and under get a FREE $10 arcade card.

Events are happening on different dates for each state and cover multiple locations like Bowlero, Lucky Strike, AMF.

🎁 NEW Costco Gift Card Deals You’ll Only Find Online: Not a lot of people realize Costco often have gift card promotions they only run on their website. Here are 2 new offers that seem timely for the upcoming holiday season.

For a list of their other online only gift cards, go here.

🎂 FREE Nothing Bundt Cakes Bundtlet: In just 24 hours from now (Tuesday September 15th), the first 300 guests at every location get a FREE Confetti Bundtlet.

No coupon required, so if this is of interest, I’d try and arrive early.

🏴‍☠️ Talk Like a Pirate, Get FREE Food: Long John Silver’s is bringing back its annaual pirate-themed giveaway, so get your best pirate impression ready.

On September 19, talk like a pirate and get a FREE piece of fish or chicken, or dress like a pirate and get a FREE two-piece fish or chicken basket at participating restaurants.

💰 New September Promotional Credits on Amazon: Amazon has launched several new stackable shopping promotions to put cash back in your pocket in categories where you might already be spending.

Here are some recent subscriber submitted money-saving tips:

Brandy writes: “I wanted you to know that I purchased two of the Shark Vacuums (you spoke highly of) from Sam’s Club on Monday, and they arrived yesterday. Today I went on to set up a pickup order, and found they were down to $118! Patience paid off, waiting 20 odd minutes on the chat agent to get me to a real person, and they have adjusted the price down, so I get $45 back.

Sherrie from writes (in response to Michelle’s enthusiasm toward a central vac system mentioned in last week’s newsletter): "This may be a case of where the frugal thing to do is buy a vacuum cleaner for the second floor, rather than buy an entire system. Also, from experience, I don't think people realize how cumbersome, awkward, and bulky that the tubing of a vac system is.”

James writes: “Have you ever mentioned that on the 7th and 11th of each month, 7-11 stores give .50 cents off a gallon of gas if you use the app, plus the regular .10 off for a total of .60 cents per gallon."

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)

Around 68% of retailers now charge a fee for at least some returns, up from 43% five years ago, according to a Wall Street Journal article I recently read. To help you avoid any surprises, I’ve put together a list of retailers whose return policies are worth a closer look before you buy.

Kohl’s: Cut its standard return window from 180 days to 90 days in 2024. Purchases paid for with a Kohl’s Card get 120 days, but shoppers still have to cover postage for mail returns.

Best Buy: Most shoppers now only get 15 days and some opened products can trigger a $45 or 15% restocking fee.

Macy’s: Most returns get 30 days, and non-rewards members pay $9.99 to mail them back, however furniture can have much stricter rules.

Ulta: Cut its full-refund window from 60 days to 30 days in November 2024. Returns made on days 31 through 60 now receive merchandise credit instead of money back.

Lowe’s: Most items get 90 days, but major appliances generally get just 48 hours.

Sephora: Cut its maximum return window from 60 days to 30 days in April 2025. Most returns now have to meet that 30 day deadline, although eligible online purchases can still be returned by mail for free.

J.Crew: 30 days, with a $7.50 fee for prepaid mail returns. In-store returns are generally free.

American Eagle and Aerie: Replaced their no-time-limit return policy in July 2024 with 30 days for a refund or 60 days for merchandise credit. Online purchases get an extra seven days, and items must be unworn with tags attached.

My advice: before you buy, check the return window, when it starts and what it costs to send something back. Also, if you have a membership, purchasing items at Costco is often my personal go to as their return policy is famous for being extremely flexible.

Labor Day is behind us, and we’re now just weeks away from the start of holiday deals season. Unless you find an unusually good price, I’d wait on buying these items in September:

❌ Amazon Devices: Echo, Fire TV, Ring and Kindle deals are usually much better during Amazon’s sale happening in early October.

❌ Small Kitchen Appliances: Air fryers, blenders and coffee makers are classic October and Black Friday deals.

❌ Smart Home Gear: Cameras, doorbells, smart plugs and bulbs are frequently discounted during Amazon’s fall sale (Amazon owns Ring and Blink).

❌ Premium Headphones & Earbuds: Bose, Sony, Beats and similar brands should see better promotions soon.

❌ Full-Price Fall Clothing: New fall arrivals are still near their highest prices. Give stores time to start marking them down.

❌ Christmas Decorations: They’re already appearing in stores, but the real holiday promotions haven’t started yet.

❌ Most Toys & LEGO: October kicks off much stronger toy promotions. The exception is something you think could sell out.

❌ Gaming Accessories: Controllers, headsets and storage regularly get discounted during October and Black Friday.

❌ Bedding & Linens: Labor Day is over, so I’d wait for the next holiday promotions or January White Sales.

❌ Home Fitness Equipment: Black Friday is better, and January is one of the strongest times of the year to shop this category.

Rhonda Asks: “I am looking for advice on the best time to purchase a Mac computer. With the holidays fast approaching, should I wait for upcoming deals? Thank you for your time and help. I truly appreciate all you do for us consumers!”

Hi Rhonda! If your current computer can last, I would wait until November. Apple’s holiday promotion usually offers a gift card, while Amazon, Best Buy and Costco generally offer better cash discounts. Start watching in early November because strong Mac deals often appear before Black Friday and I’ll be certain to feature them right here and on my YouTube Channel.

Suzanne Asks: “Hi Matt, love all the information you have provided and I am hoping that you can help me. When is the best time to buy a TV, I have 2 flat screen TV’S that are dying & I would like to replace them.”

Suzanne, you’ve asked what’s about to be my most frequent question! The answer is not “Black Friday” as many people expecting. I would wait until mid-November. The best TV-buying window is often the two weeks leading up to Black Friday, when early deals are higher quality than Black Friday itself. I’ll have a round-up of all the big deals at they drop.

Cindy asks: “My husband and I have started seeing posts about stay-at-home spouses getting financial aid with a new law that’s being drafted. If you could cover some of this info if and when it’s finalized we’d be interested. Thanks for doing all the research!”

Hi Cindy! Great question. What you’re seeing is only a draft proposal right now, not a new law or an available benefit. It could allow some income-qualified married couples to receive federal child-care assistance when one spouse works and the other cares for the child at home. The widely shared $9,000 figure is only the program’s average annual subsidy per child, not a guaranteed check. There is no application yet, and I’ll update everyone if it becomes official.

If you want 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.

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!

💵 “Texas Roadhouse employee reveals ‘staff favorite’ trick to score $7.49 meal” - READ HERE.

💵 “Ranked: Where dining out costs the most and least” - READ HERE.

💵 “How to make your razor blades last longer so you can save big” - READ HERE.

With this being a DIY season of sorts, I’d be happy to research any projects or deals related to them before the temperatures drop. Just reply to this email with requests or any items you’re looking for a major deal on.

Happy Savings!👋

The Deal Guy (Matt Granite)