The Blawgirl crawls the Interwebz to find steals and deals for the frugal law student and the competitive bargain shopper. Find a new Frugal Finds 11:30 (ish) p.m. PST every Monday through Saturday! Also, each post is updated as I come across items. You’re welcome.
Alerts:
- Free sandwich with purchase. Today only, until 2 pm local time, get a free Grand Slamwich at Denny’s restaurants with the purchase of a Grand Slam Breakfast.
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The Blawgirl crawls the Interwebz to find steals and deals for the frugal law student and the competitive bargain shopper. Find a new Frugal Finds 11:30 (ish) p.m. PST every Monday through Saturday! Also, each post is updated as I come across items. You’re welcome.
Alerts:
- Get the 30 Minute Flip Video Ultra Series Camcorder, which regularly goes for $150, for $60 today at Amazon.com. The camcorder, according to the product
Continue reading »
The Blawgirl crawls the Interwebz to find steals and deals for the frugal law student and the competitive bargain shopper. Find a new Frugal Finds 11:30 (ish) p.m. PST every Monday through Saturday! Also, each post is updated as I come across items. You’re welcome.
Alerts:
- Free movie rental. Valid today only, redbox.com offers a free 1-night DVD rental via coupon code “TS473G”. Not bad for DVD rentals that are already pretty low
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The picture just seems to get bleaker and bleaker for those of us who have yet to hear from the U.C. Irvine School of Law. Apparently, the first admitted students day for the new California law school was held Friday, April 3, and students on the Top Law Schools forum stated that 61 students were in attendance. Forum poster scantronix stated, however, that “a bunch” of the students were uncommitted.
Poster LawApp2012, who states that they went to the Friday reception for admitted students, said the school has admitted 109 students, 38 students have committed, 10 people have declined offers, leaving only 22 spots of the budgeted 60 slots for the school’s inaugural class. Hence, the sad, sad bunny picture. See, UC Irvine, you made the bunny sad.
LawApp2012 also stated:
“Dean Ortiz confirmed that (the school) will honor the admission offers to everyone who accepts even if it exceeds 60. Overall, the ASD was really inspiring and reaffirmed my decision to go to UCI.”
Scantronix, another user, followed up with a post stating that the committed students number 40, as a couple of students committed during the reception. Overall, scantronix says, the California’s newest law school made a strong showing.
“ASD was mostly meeting faculty and learning about the school and curriculum. It was really inspiring and I can’t stress how nice everyone was. That mattered to me a lot. It’s the most overtly social thing I’ve done in awhile. Also they fed us. OC legal community turned out in force, which was also very interesting. After ASD, I’d personally be surprised if they didn’t fill the class but as of leaving, there were 20 spots left. “
According to scantronix, the reception went about 11 hours.
Follow the conversation here.
Also checked the Facebook group U.C. Irvine School of Law Inaugural Class, and membership is at 31 students.
Photo: I Can Has Cheezburger
Welcome to the Frugal Finds Weekend edition! The Blawgirl dishes out tips every Saturday morning on how she tries to be a smarter shopper.
Be sure to check back 11:30 (ish) Monday through Friday when The Blawgirl crawls the Interwebz to find steals and deals for the frugal law student and the competitive bargain shopper.
I didn’t like going to swap meets when I was younger. To my young, malleable mind, they were the epitome of unhipitude, and I, a girl who had transferred out of a private, Catholic school into the California public school system, couldn’t risk (more) unhipness. I wanted to try to fit in, wear what everyone else was wearing, have what everyone else had. And the alphas at the school certainly did not wear fake Nike T-shirts and buy Tamagotchi knockoffs. That, plus the fact that my mother and grandmother always brought umbrellas or unsightly, Scarlett O’Hara-sized hats to keep from getting tan (as many Asian women are taught to do), made me quake in my jelly sandals about possibly being seen by a classmate whenever I went to the local outdoor market.
I’m glad that I have gotten over that.
Today, I love, love, love my local swapmeet, or as my dad jokingly calls it, “SM” (not to be confused with S & M because that is just eww coming from a parental unit). And if you’re a deal seeker or one who loves to haggle for a lower pricetag, you may just grow to love your local SM too.
The SM is not for the weak hearted, however. If you like order, knowing where to find things, and knowing just exactly what things and what brands you want to purchase, it might not be the place for you. You have to be willing to walk down aisles, roll up your sleeves, sometimes dig through bins to find things you’re looking for. But oh the wonders to be had.
I’m certain the offerings vary from place to place, but, if my SM is any indication, you can find almost anything: fresh produce,
processed food stuffs, jeans, shoes, dresses, blouses, purses, accesories, plants, used stuff, new stuff, furniture, and even pets (I saw someone buy a trained cockatoo last week) all for way below what you would pay for those products in stores, and even lower if you get on the seller’s good side.
An example: Two blouses=$10. A pair of jeans=$8. A pair of cute heels=$5. Sunglasses=2 for $10. Picking up an entire outfit for less than $50=priceless.
Besides the deals to be had, the cheap prices draw many people from many different cultures to the markets, like moths to a steeply, discounted flame. This creates a bazaar-like atmosphere, where the haggling is done in many languages, and in many types of dress. Tagalog, Mandarin, Spanish. Jeans and Ugg boots, saris and even full-on burquas. If you don’t go for the deals, just go for the culture. It is truly something to be seen.
There doesn’t seem to be an online directory of all the swapmeets in the United States, but, if you’re in the Orange County, Calif., area you can try checking out The Orange County Marketplace (Costa Mesa), the Goldenwest College Swap Meet (Huntington Beach), or the Cypress College Swap Meet (Costa Mesa), which were voted the top three markets in The O.C. by The Orange County Register.
You can also check out the California Swap Meet Association Web site, or visit my local swap meet held every 7 a.m. to about 2:30 p.m. every Saturday and Sunday at Nogales High School, 401 Nogales Street, La Puente, Calif.
Happy shopping, bargain hunters! See you on Monday!
Photos: SteevzStuff / Flickr and Laura Grace / Flickr
As if it didn’t have enough people shaking their fists and writing strongly-worded letters to them over the hiring of former Bush administration legal adviser John Yoo, Chapman University’s School of law will play host to a screening of controversial Dutch filmmaker Geert Wilders’ short film “Fitna” Saturday, April 4. To state that Wilders – who was banned from entering the United Kingdom for his points of view – is anti-Islam is putting it lightly.
“Islam is not a religion, it’s an ideology … the ideology of a retarded culture,” Wilders told The Guardian newspaper in the UK last year. He states that he intends the film to “show the real face of Islam. … I see it as a threat. I’m trying to use images to show that what’s written in the Koran is giving incentives to people all over the world.
As of the posting of this entry, I didn’t see any news on the Interwebz from the Council on American Islamic Relations, which has an office in Anaheim, regarding Geerts’ visit to the nearby campus.
Here’s the first 8 minutes and 15 seconds of the film on YouTube as a preview for tomorrow’s event. Be sure to read the lively debate in the comments section.
Geerts’ visit to the university marks the beginning of a weekend blitz of the West Coast, according to FrontPage magazine. Following his visit to Chapman, he will visit the David Horowitz Freedom Center in Sherman Oaks, Calif. to show his movie, then deliver a keynote speech in Beverly Hills. He’ll round out his tour Sunday in Los Angeles.
Saturday’s event takes place at 2 p.m. in Memorial Hall. It is co-sponsored by the Freedom Center, the Claremont Institute, the Lincoln Club of Orange County and the International Free Press Society. Students with ID are free, and public non-reserved seating is free. For reserved seating, a $50 donation to the Geert Wilders Defense Fund is requested. For more information, call 818-849-3470 or send an email to Stephanie@horowitzfreedomcenter.org.
(Read about this in an article by Ask a Mexican’s Gustavo Arellano on OC Weekly)
Photo: Wikipedia
If you’ve seen the word “gunner” in law school-related forums, you’ve probably interpreted the word to mean something bad. I mean, you can basically replace it with the word “leper” without changing the intent of the sentence too drastically.
Just how bad is a gunner? Here’s an Urban Dictionary definition:
A person who is competitive,overly-ambitious and substantially exceeds minimum requirements. A gunner will compromise his/her peer relationships and/or reputation among peers in order to obtain recognition and praise from his/her superiors.
Oh my word. Kill it. With fire. Seriously though: What does the world have against the high-performing student? I say this based purely on anecdotal evidence, but it seems that, in a scholastic setting, achieving academic prowess is seen to be at odds with ascending the popularity ladder.
Researchers in the UK, who studied children ages 12 to 13, have now discovered how to be good at both. And how is that accomplished? The researchers concluded that you can avoid being called a “nerd” (or, in the case of law school, a gunner) by … wait for it … being thought of as good looking and fashionable by your classmates. Like, ZOMFG! Obvious researcher is obvious.
Telegraph education correspondent Julie Henry writes:
“A number of the pupils interviewed were aware of the tensions inherent in being clever and popular. Some mentioned being chided jokingly for being ‘boffs’ by friends.
There was evidence that some of the pupils were carefully negotiating the “balance”. One middle-class boy said: ‘Well, you try to make yourself be funny as well as do the right answers.’ “
Read the full article here. (via Neatorama)
Photo: I Can Has Cheezburger
The Blawgirl crawls the Interwebz to find steals and deals for the frugal law student and the competitive bargain shopper. Find a new Frugal Finds 11:30 (ish) p.m. PST every Monday through Saturday! Also, each post is updated as I come across items. You’re welcome.
Alerts:
- Ritz Camera is closing over 300 of its 700 stores as part of its bankruptcy reorganization plan, according to MarketWatch. For the closing stores, liquidation sales begin April 4, and will run until stock is depleted. A complete list of store closings is available here in PDF format. (via DealNews)
- If you’re a Borders Reward member (which is free, btw!), you can get 50 percent off best sellers using this print-at-home coupon. Sale runs today through Sunday. (via CheapTweets @bearabledeals)
Gadgets and Gear:
- TigerDirect.com is offering the HP 550 Celeron 2GHz 15.4″ Widescreen Notebook for $429.99. A $50 mail-in rebate brings the computer, which originally costs $499, to $380. You just tack on another $1.99 for shipping. The rebate ends August 30. (via DealNews)
- Dell Small Business is offering the Dell Vostro 1510 Intel Core 2 Duo 1.8GHz 15.4″ Widescreen Notebook, which is originally listed for $897, for $499 with an additional $25 for shipping. Sales tax is added where applicable. (via DealNews)
- The HP Home & Home Office Store offers the HP Pavilion dv4t Pentium Dual-Core 2GHz 14.1″ Widescreen Notebook in Espresso Black or Moonlight White for $569.99 with free shipping and a free deskjet printer via the directions found on the DealNews Web site.
- CellHut.com is offering the Jabra BT5010 Wireless Bluetooth Headset for $29.99. Apply coupon code “DNEWSBT5010N” to drop it to $9.99 with free shipping. (via DealNews)
- Staples offers its Staples Loft Large Desk for $99.90 with free shipping. (via DealNews)
Entertainment:
- If you want to get a little traveling done before law school, Travelocity currently has deals on 100 hotels that cost less than $100 per night. They are also offering $100 off a 5-night flight/hotel combo via code “TOYOTA100″ and $75 off a 3-night Vacation in Savannah via code “SAVANNAH75″. An example: room rates at the Circus Circus Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas start at $26.28 beginning April 26. Deals expire April 30. (via DealNews)
Odds and Ends:
- Cooking.com is offering the Joyce Chen 14″ Carbon Steel 9-Piece Wok Set for $49.95 plus $9.99 for shipping. Suggested retail for the set is $90. The 9-piece set includes a 14″ wok with dome lid and bamboo handles, 9″ spatula, 13″ slotted spatula, 12″ corner spatula, cooking chopsticks, 12″ wire fry rack, and 5″ stainless steel skimmer with bamboo handle. I don’t know who this Joyce Chen is, but, if you don’t know your pots and pans, lemme ‘splain why a wok is on this list: You can pretty much cook anything in a wok, which makes having one in your cooking arsenal a good frugal investment.
- Buy one Grand Slam Breakfast and get a free Grand Slamwich 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 8 at participating Denny’s. (via CheapTweet via Nation’s Restaurant News)
- Free mini churros with purchase of mini sirloin burgers at Jack In The Box using this coupon. Coupon valid through April 10. (via CheapTweet via Coupon Cravings)
- Get 50 percent off one item at Old Navy using a coupon. Follow directions at the DealNews Web site to get the coupon. Offer expires April 9.
Thumbnail: Steve Wampler / Flickr
Yes, law school and the subject matter taught in it can be less droll and more “LOL!” At least as depicted by the members of The Libel Show at the University of Virginity School of Law. The show, which is similar to the New York University School of Law’s Law Revue, is:
“an annual theatrical production which has been humoring the Law School since 1908 (making us the longest running student organization on campus). Each year the Show lampoons our professors and life at the Law School through a variety of impersonations, song parodies, and skits. The Libel Show’s mission is to do everything within its power to help the Law School community enjoy raucous laughter.” (UVA’s Web site)
Above the Law posted a couple of preview videos from NYU’s 2009 Law Revue, and The Libel Show wanted in on the publicity action. They wrote ATL with a link to a video from last year that plays a bit like an odd mix of the Beastie Boys and the Backstreet Boys. A representative for UVA states that “in terms of humor … (the video) kicks the crap out of NYU’s Law Revue”.
UVA gets extra points from me for comparing a treatise by Chemerinsky (as in Erwin Chemerinsky, the dean of the new U.C. Irvine School of Law) to a thick booty.
“Excuse me! You don’t know what you do to me. Your booty triggers strict scrutiny. Fatal in-fact back that everyone can see. It’s thicker than a treatise by Chemerinsky.”
But ATL hits the nail on the head when they state its tough to get over “the resemblance between that one Con Luv Boy and Carson Kressley from Queer Eye for the Straight Guy.”
If you haven’t already, watch the vid up top, and watch the South Park-inspired vid below from NYU to come to your own conclusions:
The Blawgirl crawls the Interwebz to find steals and deals for the frugal law student and the competitive bargain shopper. Find a new Frugal Finds 11:30 (ish) p.m. PST every Monday through Saturday! Also, each post is updated as I come across items. You’re welcome.
Alerts:
- Want to take a trip to San Francisco this weekend? If you’re in the Los Angeles area (Long Beach), you can fly up to San Francisco for $14 one-way! The offer from JetBlue is for flights booked today for travel by April 8. The flights from San Francisco to New York have already sold out, so it would probably be a good idea to jump on this deal quickly. (via DealNews) UPDATE (2:45): I just visited the JetBlue site and all four of the flights they were offering have been sold out!
Gadgets and Gear:
- The HP Home & Home Office Store is offering the HP G70t Intel Core 2 Duo 2GHz 17″ Widescreen Notebook, model no. NJ774AV, for $569.99 with free shipping. Follow the directions at the DealNews entry for the laptop.
- Apple is currently offering 12 factory refurbished MacBook Pro Notebooks starting at $1,349. If that’s too rich for your blood, you can go with the refurbished MacBook 2.1GHz Intel Core 2 Duo in white for $849. (via DealNews)
- Dell Home is taking 20 percent off select Inspiron notebooks of $799 or more with coupon code “B$89KMG909?2WN” with free shipping. Sales tax is added where applicable. Deal ends April 30. (via DealNews)
- Get an Iogear GME222A Wired Optical Mini Mouse w/ Retractable Cord from Newegg for $9.99 with free shipping. (via CheapTweets via DealUniversity)
- CompUSA is offering the Targus Brilliance Convertible Notebook Case for $24.99 with about $14 for shipping. Not bad for a bag that normally goes for $89.99. Wear it as a messenger bag, as a backpack, or a manbag. The bag features a padded shoulder strap, MP3 player pocket with headphone port, side magnetic pocket, padded workstation, and support for most laptops with screens up to 15.4″. (via DealNews)
- Get a task chair for $10 from Micro Center. It looks kinda basic, but you can upgrade later on. (via FatWallet)
- If you already have a task chair and want an upgrade, you can pick up the RS To-Go Nulla High-Back Microfiber Chair in gray for $79.99 with free shipping from Office Depot. Coupon code “41074467″ brings the price to $67.99. (via DealNews)
Entertainment:
- Amazon.com is offering Seasons 1-10 of “ER” for $163, which is quite a markdown from its list price of $468. If you missed the past decade of unpronounceable medical ailments there’s no better time than these last four months before orientation to catch up. Personally, I’m a “Grey’s Anatomy” kinda girl, but maybe the McGranddaddy of today’s medical dramas can cure your pre-law school ills (haha!). (via DealNews)
- iTunes free downloads. “The Truth in 24″ a documentary about racing. Top app: Skype.
- If you miss you some Buffy the Vampire Slayer, why not check out the Sookie Stackhouse novels by Charlaine Harris. The HBO series “True Blood” is based on this vampire tale where humans and vamps live among each other. A box set with the six of the books in the series is available for $28 via Buy.com via treebeardbooks. (via DealNews)
Odds and Ends:
- To celebrate its 40th anniversary, the Old Spaghetti Factory is offering 40 percent off its pasta dinners on Tuesdays. Click here for a link to the coupon. (via CheapTweets via DaddyODeals)
- Also, I just checked the Entertainment.com Web site again, and they’re still offering their 2009 entertainment books for all cities for $15. With free shipping, that’s up to $36 off select books, according to DealNews. Entertainment Books contain hundreds of 2-for-1 and 50 percent off coupons valid at many restaurants, hotels, and services in your area, just select the right book for your city! An example: The Orange County (Calif.) book regularly goes for $40, but is being offered at $15 with free shipping!
Photo: {platinum} / Flickr
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