Starbucks Happy Hour!

I have been good but half price frappuccinos? I can't resist trying the Mocha Coconut just today!

May 6th - May 15th
Starbucks is having their "Happy Hour" from 3-5PM with half price Frappuccinos:

http://www.starbucks.com/blog/happy-hour-returns/1005

AMC Silver Pass Movie Tickets $11 for 2 Tickets

Although this is for the Silver Pass which means the movie has to have been out for 2 weeks it's a good deal! That's just $5.50 per ticket at any AMC theater.

Two AMC Tickets for $11

California Pizza Kitchen Coupon - 20% Off Your Total Bill expires 10/28

Yay for printable restaurant coupons!

California Pizza Kitchen Coupon via BeFrugal.com

Using Twitter for Customer Service

Next time you have an issue that you need to contact customer service - Twitter may be more effective.
Pretty much all the major companies as well as many little mom & pop stores can be found with a twitter account now. You can follow the companies to find out about their latest sales/promotions but you can also tweet at them for customer service questions.
The best way to do this is:

• Look for the small blue check mark which shows the company twitter account is verified. This applies mainly to the major companies that can have double accounts also claiming to be the same company.
• Be brief and clear  - you only have 140 characters to describe your issue.
• Include a hashtag. A hashtag is when a "#" is in front of a keyword, ie: #bestbuy. This is so the keyword comes up in a search.

I know of someone who recently used this approach when their cable was continually being knocked out and the company actually responded with tech support being sent out the next morning and a one month credit on her bill.

American Express has a twitter account solely for questions @AskAmex, which I often tweet questions regarding rewards and even international fees. Each time I've gotten a response within the day and I was even given the name of the person who is currently tweeting to me.

Has anyone else used this approach and found it to be useful?

MTA Fare Increase

Well as if things weren't expensive enough in NY it looks like another fare increase is going into effect December 30, 2010.

The monthly MetroCard will go from $89 to $104 and the single ride from $2.25 to $2.50.

I also take the LIRR which in my case will go from $306.00 to $334.00 ... That's almost $30.00 extra a month!

So what am I doing to lessen the blow? Well there's nothing I can do about the LIRR, however I have been trying to walk to work rather than take the subway although there's not normally enough time. There's also a promotion that Chase is currently running called "Chase Commuter Cash". If you have a Chase credit card you just enroll it here: Chase Commuter Cash and for every $150 in qualifying purchases you get back $10. Qualifying purchases include MetroCard, LIRR, Metro-North Railroad, Path and NJ Transit. Although it's a very small amount to save, it is better than nothing.  

Capital One $200 Bonus for Free Rewards Checking

It's become rare that banks offer a bonus to open a checking account without requiring direct deposit but I found one offer!
This promotion is good through November 30th and only requires 2 debit purchases within the first 90 days of opening the account.
You can click here for the offer

Dieting on a budget

You know how most people think back to their youth and remember how they could eat whatever they want and still stay thin ... well unfortunately I never had that luxury. I always had to work hard at maintaining average weight bordering chubby (depending on your perspective). 

Not long after my wedding 2 years ago I had become so frustrated by the amount of time I was spending in the gym and the constant dieting, that I decided to just stop. I figured that my weight would not change all that much but I was very wrong. Currently I am the heaviest I have ever been and it effects every aspect of my life. 

So I have decided that it is about time that I do something about it. I will be changing my eating habits and stocking my fridge with healthier items however before doing that I will need to use what I currently have (including my beloved ice cream bars). 

I have tried Weight Watchers in the past with little success however I still have most of the materials and there are plenty of free point calculators accessible online so that is the method I am going to try to reach my goals with.

In terms of fitness, I won't be re-joining my gym mainly because I don't think I'd get much bang for my buck due to the amount of hours I work and commute. Instead I'll be using the Jillian Michaels DVDs that I already own. It may take me a few days to really get myself up that early but I will try!

My ultimate goal is to lose 75 lbs. which seems daunting at the moment so I will be focusing on 10 lb mini goals. At each 10 lb. loss I will reward myself with a new article of clothing and once I reach my final goal I will splurge on a full body massage.

Besides obvious health benefits, losing weight will save me some major money. I have an entire closet full of clothing that I like and would love to wear again but can't, so by fitting back into them I will save money that I'd need to spend on larger sizes. I most look forward to wearing some of my favorite jeans!