Category Archives: Original Content

Home Depot vs Lowes – Who is Lower Priced?

There are somethings that Jason and I never thought about until we became homeowners. We were talking last night and wondered aloud which retailers are lower on items we would purchase, so we decided to take a handful of items and compare the prices between 2 retailers.

For this example, we chose Home Depot and Lowes, which is lower? We chose 7 items to compare the price of. This is an “apples to apples” comparison, same model numbers and same items.

  • Ideal Pet Products Aluminum Sliding Pet Door: Model #80PATMW
    • Home Depot and Lowes both at $119.00
  • InsinkErator Badger Garbage Disposal: Model #BADGER5
    • Home Depot: $80.70 vs Lowes: $99.96
  • International 20 Drawer Ball Bearing Tool Tower: Model#VRA-4220BU
    • Home Depot: $1,120.00 vs Lowes: $1092.37
  • Hitatchi Medium Duty Leaf Blower: Model #RB24EAP
    • Home Depot and Lowes both at $139.00
  • Honeywell Wi-Fi Smart Thermostat: Model #RTH9580WF
    • Home Depot: $219.00 vs Lowes: $229.00
  • Yosemite Home Decor 2 Handle Faucet with drain: Model #YP5708
    • Home Depot: $255,60 vs Lowes: $216.00
  • Weber Master Touch Charcoal Grill: Model #1450001
    • Home Depot and Lowes both at $199.00
      • Home Depot: $1902.30 vs Lowes: $2094.33

So the end result is that Home Depot is the better deal, by almost $200.00,  and assuming you do not have the stores credit cards (which save you approx. 10% on charges unless you do not pay it off each month, carry a balance and then the savings are zeroed out). Each store offers local pick-up for no additional charge, which we love to utilize whenever we can!

Here are a few tips to help you save the most you can at either of these stores, which ever one you personally prefer.

– Look online for printable coupons, many times a retailer will have discount coupons for entire purchases, just need to print the coupon

– Many retailers are introducing price match policy’s, check your local stores price matching policy and know your prices before you go to the store. Here are links to Home Depot and Lowes price matching policies.

We plan to do more comparisons like these, are there any stores you would like to see an “apples to apples” comparison between? Let us know in the comments.

Ecotools Sleek + Shine Finisher Hair Brush Review

Let me start by saying that the products featured in this post were provided to me free of charge from Influenster. This in no way will influence the review to follow and all opinions are my own.

Ecotools Sleek + Shine Finisher Hair Brush Review!

20150105_180744Full disclosure time, I love hair brushes! When I was a teen one of my favorite gifts was a pack of assorted brushes! The downside is I tend to misplace my favorites – I think that they feel used and runaway, gathered somewhere sharing stores of the worst tangle they had ever been involved in. Needless to say the runaways have forced the need for replacements over the years. The upside to this is that I know what brush type works best in my hair.

I recently received a new brush, the Ecotools Sleek + Shine Finisher brush. I generally do not blow dry my hair, but I had an event to go to so I made an exception to my general rule. The Eco-Vent™ design, which are slots cut out on the back paddle of the brush, allow for airflow while I brushed my hair and used the dryer. Ecotools claims that the brush dries hair 20% faster, it is hard to quantify how much faster the brush helps with drying. It must be taken into consideration the power of the dryer, the thickness of hair and the brush being used.

Jennifer Sleek HairThe unique bristle pattern allows the synthetic boar’s hair-like bristles to emulate almost a massage like effect on my head. The bristles are cruelty free and are hard but have some flexibility in them to not feel stiff along your scalp.

The brush retails for $10,99 through the Ecotools website, and while that can seem like a higher end price for some, this is a great deal for a brush that will save you in blowout charges at your local salon! If you are looking for a tool that will help you replicate that fresh out of the salon blow out look, I would recommend this brush.

Be sure to check out the entire Ecotools Hair Brush options on their website: www.ecotools.com

 

With the new year comes new laws – Happy New Year!

With each New Year come champagne, parties, kisses, hopes for a  great new year but it also come with a set of new laws.Some of these are only applicable in California, some country wide.

Here are a couple that we here at DAU found interesting:

Plastic Bag Ban: Grocery stores across California must follow the lead of cities like Los Angeles and stop bagging items in single-use plastic bags and allowing them to charge 10¢ for paper bags, the first statewide plastic bag ban in the nation.

Birth: Birth certificates will receive a makeover in California to accommodate same-sex couples. Instead of being able to select only mother or father when identifying a parent, birth certificates will include “parent” as an option.

Eggs: Proposition 2 passed by California voters in 2008 outlaws cramped cages for egg laying hens and other animals. After a long delays farmers must comply in 2015. The measure prohibits ranchers from keeping chickens, veal’s, calves and breeding pigs in pens that are too small for them to stand up and turn around and stretch!

Homeowners Associations: Homeowner Associations can no longer fine residents who fail to water their grass during droughts. Also, they cant penalize residents who allow plants to die or install draught resistant landscaping.

Federal Employees: Federal employees including uniformed military service members will receive a 1% pay raise. This is as a result of an executive order 13686 by President Obama on December 19, 2014. Note that his does not apply to the President and his current salary of $400,000.00

Education: All public high schools will be required to submit grade point averages electronically for each graduating senior to the California Student Aid Commission to increase the number of students who receive Cal Grant award offers for higher education. Students or schools failing to send GPA information is among the more common reasons students don’t receive Cal Grants.

School pesticides: Parents will have the right to know what pesticides are used at K-12 schools and many licensed child care centers. Pesticides can be used on school campuses to get rid of cockroaches, vermin and weeds, but the new law will make chemical pesticides a last resort and increase disclosures of what is used.

What new laws do you find interesting?

Mamma Chia Organic Beverages Review and Giveaway!!!

Let me start by saying that the products featured in this post were provided to me free of charge. This in no way will influence the review to follow and all opinions are my own.

Mamma Chia Organic Beverages Review and Giveaway!!!

MammaChiasiteThere are many different beverages to choose from, but not many have the nutritional and transparency benefits that Mamma Chia possesses. Chia Seeds seem to becoming more and more common and more known for their many health benefits, so when the chance to try one of these variants of Chia came my way I was all in!

The first thing that can be potentially off-putting about Mamma Chia is the price. It can range anywhere from $3.49 all the way up to $5.00 for a 10 ounce bottle depending on local sales or any coupons available at the time of purchase. I was able to locate Mamma Chia in my refrigerator section of my local chain grocery store, as well as at the national health food store. I plan to purchase the other flavors that I was unable to try as part of this review because the drinks tasted that good!

Mamma Chia Vitality beverages use the highest quality of organic chia seeds, as well as organic juices and organic agave nectar that acts as a sweetener. The drink products are vegan and have no animal derived ingredients. I was surprised to learn that this 10oz of suspended chia seeds can be used a replacement for every meal or snack time. They are drinkable in the morning instead of a caffeine filled coffee, consume one hour before your workout for more stamina, and after for recovery and replenishment. They are a Certified B Corporation which means that they meet rigorous standards of social and environmental performance, accountability and transparency. As if that was not enough, they donate 1% of their gross sales to support farmers, community groups and organizations that are building healthy local food systems.

MammaChiaThe first thing that a person notices when they pick up the bottle is the Chia suspended in the liquid! I tried the Cranberry Lemonade and the Blackberry Hibiscus Vitality drinks. The Cranberry Lemonade is made from organic lemonade and a touch of cranberry, The Blackberry Hibiscus is made from the Hawaiian Hibiscus flower and blackberries. Each drink has 2500mg Omega-3, 4g of Complete Protein, 95mg calcium, kosher and 95% organic.

nutritionThe texture is similar to small tapioca balls, and they go down the throat with ease (more like a slide down the throat). The Cranberry Lemonade was an equal balance of cranberry and lemonade, not to sour at all! The Blackberry Hibiscus has the perfect balance of Blackberry with Hibiscus. I would not only recommend these 2 flavors I tried, but also the other varieties that they make as I can not imagine a bad tasting product from them!

If you have ever wanted to try a product with Chia seeds I would try this first entry in the emerging Chia Beverage market!

If you want to see what Mamma Chia offers check out their site: Mamma Chia’s

Now for the best part of any review (no, not the end!), the GIVEAWAY!! I have a couple of coupons to give you! I will be choosing 2 people at the END OF JANUARY (1/31/2015) to each receive a coupon for a free bottle of Mamma Chia for you to try!!!  To enter please email us your email address (jennifer at dealsamongus dot com) or complete the form below and I will use a random generator to choose the winner! Winner will be notified the first week of February 2015! GOOD LUCK!!

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How to Save Money on What you Purchase Already!

I am often asked offline how Jason and I save so much and get so many freebies. I love the thought of sharing it and helping others. So without further hesitation …

  • We always check the clearance isle of every store we go into. As an example we recently found a month supply of Pepcid AC 30 pack on clearance  to .99 (regular price is $13.99), then we had a $3.00 off a 30 pack so for this purchase we MADE money!! The retailer does not give cash back but they do apply the credit to anything else you are purchasing.
  • I clip Sunday coupons! I know it seems at times like a waste of time to clip and clip for anything from .25 to .75 off any item, but you would be surprised what a impact those small amounts do make on the final totals!
  • Fuel Rewards, Fuel rewards, and did I say Fuel Rewards? These are points that you accumulate automatically for using your club card for the shopping you already do. We use our rewards at a local gas station and while it is not a fortune you are saving per gallon it is a couple more miles of driving that you will get out of your car.
  • Apps, Apps, Apps!!! We are in a neat time in the digital age in which apps are available for almost anything including grocery shopping! We use a couple different apps, and for the small amount of time they take to enter the info, it all adds up. Many apps have you enter a photo of your shopping receipt and the items you purchased and in return you get the rebates in either paypal or select store gift cards (we like Walmart and Starbucks).
  • Look around your house and see if there is a printer, appliances or anything you are not using and sell it on Craig’s List! We love to use Craigslist to sell items and we NEVER have people come to our home, we meet them at a designated time at a predetermined location. This is as much for our safety as the people we are meeting.
  • If you are unhappy, or happy with a product contact the company. Many times a company will send you higher value coupons then you can find in the papers or online. Companies are in a lot of competition for our dollars and they are eager to make sure you have the best experience possible and will work hard to fix your expectations.
  • Stock-up! We are big believers (and in practice) of the stocking up when able. Sometimes the amount of savings you will be getting on the receipt allows for you to put the money in more of your stock up type items (shampoo, conditioner, sugar, flour etc.). When ever we have the chance we stock-up. It is nice to know that if you are stuck at home, or unable to financially then you have the basics covered!
  • Ask for a discount, anything is possible. Often times when we eat out at places like Jersey Mike’s (we love their subs and the “giant” sizes are often 2-3 meals for us!). I always ask the person ringing up our purchase if there are any discount or coupons they can give. 9 times out of 10, they are able to give you something off. It never hurts to ask, the worst they can say is no, and the best, a discount on your purchase.