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SAMS CLUB
Big Black Friday Savings are waiting, but not for long. Get gifts, tech & more thru Dec. 2.
Join as a Club member for only $25. *Terms Apply. See site for details.
Click here: https://tinyurl.com/SamsClub2024
COACH OUTLET
Black Friday is here! Up to 70% off + Extra 25%—shop in-store & online with free shipping!
Final call! Grab up to 70% off + EXTRA 30% OFF Cyber exclusive styles!
Cyber Weekend is here! Up to 70% off + Extra 25% off + free shipping – Shop now!
Black Friday deals under $99 —too good to miss!
Click here: http://tinyurl.com/CoachOutlet2024
RESTAURANT.COM
Black Friday Sale! Get 70% off restaurant certificates with code SAVE
Click here: https://tinyurl.com/RestaurantCode2024
OUR TOWN AND ALL AROUND COUPON BOOK
The NEW 2025 Our Town Coupon Book is now available for $25 with FREE shipping! Regularly $28. Save $3!
Click here to order:
https://www.joethecouponguy.com/merchandise/index.htm
View the book here: https://issuu.com/savearound/docs/our_town_2019?fr=xKAE9_zU1NQ
The NEW 2025 Our Town coupon book has hundreds of coupons for Northeast Ohio area restaurants, fast food, drug stores, movies, golf courses, pizza, dry cleaning, wineries, entertainment, stores, and more! The BEST coupon book available in the area! It’s like getting hundreds of Groupons, but for the price of one! Now on sale for $25 (regularly $28) Plus FREE shipping! Some restaurant coupons are good for up to $36 off! The book can pay for itself with just one coupon! The coupons are good through Dec. 1, 2025! A great bargain! Keep a book in each car.
* RESTAURANTS – Get over 100 offers for dining! Some of the buy one get one free Restaurant coupons include Chagrin River Diner, Red, Wine & Brew, Don Tequila Bar & Grill Mexican Restaurant, Oriole Cafe, Paws, Mallorca, Burgers 2 Beer, Corso’s Italian Restaurant, Frankie’s, Fiesta Jalapenos, Houlihan’s, Mahle’s Restaurant & Lounge, Ballantine, Local Tavern Fish Bar, TOLI and more!
* SAVE – The book can pay for itself after using 1 or 2 coupons. It’s like finding a gift card on every page! Save thousands of dollars!
* FINE DINING – Dozens of Fine Dining Restaurants with almost all with savings of $10 or more. Most offer half off dinners for those dining alone! Some are valued up to $36 off!
* ENTERTAINMENT – Coupons for museums, local attractions, sport-related attractions, game rooms, and much more! Deals for Atlas Cinemas, Fun-n-Stuff, Rollhouse Entertainment, Pioneer Waterland and more!
* WEST SIDE MARKET – Find offers for businesses at the iconic West Side Market.
* FAST FOOD/PIZZA/CASUAL RESTAURANTS – There are tons of “two for one” or “50% off when dining alone” offers at fast food restaurants, pizza restaurants, and neighborhood favorites. Find coupons for Arby’s, Burger King, Denny’s, Hardees, Long John Silver’s, Orange Julius, Sonic, Taco Bell, Around the Corner Saloon & Cafe, Buffalo Wild Wings Grill & Bar, IHOP Restaurant, Muldoon’s Saloon & Eatery, Spats Cafe, TJ’s on the Avenue, The Well, Wild Goose and tons more!
* WINERIES – Many coupons for wineries from across Northern Ohio including Ferrante, Paper Moon, Hundley Cellars, Debonne Vineyards, and Old Brooklyn Winery.
* GOLF – Coupons for dozens of green fees & driving ranges, including Erie Shores Golf Course, Pleasant Run, Powderhorn, Pine Ridge, Lost Nation Golf Course, and Vermillion Country Club.
* NATIONAL RETAILERS COUPONS – Save at national chains, including Dick’s Sporting Goods, BJ’s Wholesale Club, Crocs, Hey Dude, Dunhams, Fitness 19, Chuck E Cheese, Aeropostale, Spencers, UPS, and more!
* MISC. COUPONS – Find coupons for IGA (five $5 off $20 purchase coupons)! Get a $40 gift card at Discount Drug Mart with a new or transferred prescription coupon in the book (have them honored as competitors coupons at other pharmacies).
* SAVEAROUND APP – New app loaded with tons of additional coupons from SaveAround!
* The 2025 Our Town coupons are good now through December 1, 2025!
Click here to order:
https://www.joethecouponguy.com/merchandise/index.htm
MAGAZINES.COM
BLACK FRIDAY: Save Up to an Extra 93% Off Top-Rated Titles
BLACK FRIDAY: Get Best-Selling Titles as Low as $6 for a FULL YEAR Subscription + FREE SHIPPING!
CYBER MONDAY: Save Up to an Extra 96% Off Top-Rated Titles While You Still Can!
Click here: https://tinyurl.com/Magazines2024
LEGO
Check out LEGO® Black Friday 2024 Sets & Deals!
Get up to 40% off select sets.
Explore LEGO® sets on sale and special offers!
Click here: http://tinyurl.com/LegoSale2024
BURPEE
25% off sitewide with code 25THANKS (excludes gift cards and Farmer’s Market)
Click here: https://tinyurl.com/Burpee2024
THE BUCKLE
Limited Time! Save up to 75% on Select Styles
Limited Time! Save an Extra 25% on All Sale Product.
For a limited time, Buckle rewards members get free standard shipping when they spend $150+.
Click here: https://tinyurl.com/Buckle2024
ARES TRAVEL
TOP DEALS ON POPULAR ATTRACTIONS
Promo code CYBER valid NOW through 12/2/24. No code needed for promo tickets.
SO-CAL
Disneyland® Resort – KIDS’ SPECIAL OFFER – As low as $49/day for 2-Day ticket for ages 3-9. Tickets valid Jan 8 – Mar 10, 2025.
Disney+ Subscribers – Save up to $116 on 3-Day tickets. Valid through Dec 27, 2024.
Save $5 on all regular (non-promo) multi-day tickets with the CYBER promo code.
Universal Studios Hollywood – Save up to $78 on 2-Day Promo ticket on select dates. Purchase by 12/11/24, visit by 12/11/24.
Skip The Lines with a Universal Express™ ticket and save up to $214 on select dates.
LEGOLAND® California Resort – Save $5 on 1-Day General Admission with promo code CYBER
San Diego Zoo – Save $7 on 1-Day General Admission with promo code CYBER
San Diego Zoo Safari Park – Save $7 on 1-Day admission with promo code CYBER
SEAL Amphibious Tour – Save $9 on 1 Adult ticket with promo code CYBER
SeaWorld San Diego – Save $36 on a 1-Day Admission + FREE meal + save an extra $2 with promo code CYBER
Sesame Place San Diego – Save $29 on a 1-Day ticket + save extra $2 with promo code CYBER
FLORIDA + EAST COAST
Adventure Island Tampa – Save $5 on Choose Your Adventure – 2 visits with promo code CYBER
Aquatica Orlando – Save $5 on Choose Your Adventure – 2 visits with promo code CYBER
Busch Gardens Tampa – Save up to $2 on 1-Day Admission with promo code CYBER
Kennedy Space Center – Save over $18 on 1-Day Admission
LEGOLAND Florida – Save $32 on 1-Day Admission with promo code CYBER
LEGOLAND New York – Save $20 on 1-Day admission with promo code CYBER
SeaWorld Orlando – Save over $108 on Single-Day Ticket with All Day Dine + save an extra $2 with promo code CYBER
Universal Orlando Resort – Buy 2 Days, Get 2 Days FREE. Valid through 4/30/25.
CityPASS® DEALS – Save more with promo code CYBER
ATLANTA – SAVE $10
BOSTON – SAVE $8
CHICAGO – SAVE $10
DALLAS – SAVE $5
HOUSTON – SAVE $8
NEW YORK – SAVE $15
SAN DIEGO – SAVE $5
SAN ANTONIO – SAVE $5
SAN FRANCISCO – SAVE $10
SEATTLE – SAVE $10
TAMPA – SAVE $10
Click here: https://tinyurl.com/AResTravel2024
SAVVY SHOPPER BOOKLET
Get the Savvy Shopper Booklet and learn how to save tons of money! The booklet has over 200 pages with thousands of money-saving tips. Great for someone just starting out or wants to learn more ways to save money. Only $13 plus get FREE shipping! Learn to save thousands and thousands of dollars!
Included in the booklet are ways to save on these topics:
Rules for Saving, Shopping Tips, Money Saving Apps, Negotiating Savings, Budgeting, Consumer Protection, Coupons, Coupon Booklets, Daily Deals, Rebates, Best Price & Service Guarantees/Price Matching, Rain Checks, Mail/Shipping Orders, Clearance Items, Returns, Receipts, Warranties, Store Loyalty/Rewards Cards, Gift Certificates/Gift Cards, Freebies, Buy One Get One Free Deals, Store Closings, Dollar Stores, Thrift Stores, Garage Sales/Flea Markets, Outlet Stores, Shopping Club Memberships (Warehouse stores), Auctions, Clothing, Restaurant/Bar Deals, Food & Beverage Deals, Entertainment Deals, Books/Magazines/Newspapers, Birthday Deals, Travel Savings, International Travel, Gasoline Savings, Car Savings, Parking Savings, Home Purchase/Mortgage, Home Maintenance/Items, Home Heating/Energy, Employer/Local Corporation Savings/Discounts, Banks/Payday Lenders, Credit Cards/Credit Scores, Taxes, Legal, Debt Help, Insurance, Children, Schooling, Weddings, Marriage/Relationships, Health, Sports, Jobs, Retirement, Charity, Social, Pets, Haircuts, New!: Cutting the Cord, Technology/Internet/Computers/Electronics, Etc., Phone Savings, Cell Phones, Miscellaneous Tips/Information, Traits of Savers vs. Spenders, Other Money Saving Web-sites
Click here to order:
https://www.joethecouponguy.com/merchandise/index.htm
CLASS SCHEDULE
Learn how to save a ton of money at one of my classes! All classes are free unless otherwise noted. Be sure to register for libraries that require registration as some have waiting lists. I hope to see you there! To view my upcoming class schedule please go to: https://www.joethecouponguy.com/schedule/index.htm
At my Couponing/Savvy Shopper class learn how to consistently save 70% and more through couponing, sales, and rewards programs on groceries and toiletries. Find out new ways to save money on restaurants, utilities, cell/smart phones, travel, gas, prescriptions, clothes, and much more! Discover the psychological aspects of shopping and saving money. Find out how to save too much money!
At my Travel Affordably class learn how to get the best deals on car rentals, flights, cruises, lodging, and transportation. Find out how to save on entertainment and restaurants at your destination. You’ll learn where to find flights to Hawaii and Europe for around $300, Cruises for 80% off or more, free flights, the best places to economically travel, and travel saving secrets.
At my Cutting the Cord class find out your options to getting rid of cable. Learn ways to cut costs. Discover how to get free TV, including using an easy-to-install antenna or free streaming video services. Find out your options for streaming video devices, including Roku, Apple TV, Google Chromecast, or Amazon Fire TV Stick and what shows you can access with them, including live TV and sports. Find out which of the many streaming video services from Hulu, Sling, Netflix, to Disney+ and many more are best for you. Make sense of all the confusion of switching from cable to another service and the technical parameters needed to do so. Find out how much you can save!
JANUARY
Monday, January 27, 2025 – Savvy Shopper/Couponing Class – New Philadelphia Library – 6:30 pm – FREE!
FEBRUARY
Monday, February 10, 2025 – Travel Affordably Class – Kirtland Library – 6:30 pm – FREE!
MARCH
Monday, March 10, 2025 – Travel Affordably Class – New Philadelphia Library – 6:30 pm – FREE!
APRIL
Tuesday, April 15, 2025 – Cutting the Cord Class – Perry Library – 7:00 pm – FREE!
If you’re interested in booking a class for your organization whether it be a PTA, Senior Center, Business, Church, or Library, please contact me at joe@joethecouponguy.com or 440-227-6223. I can tailor the topics to your organization.
If you’d like for me to teach a class at your local library, feel free to contact your library and request me. Have them get a hold of me at joe@joethecouponguy.com to book me. Thank you!
BLACK FRIDAY ADS
Find all the Black Friday ads and deals on these sites:
https://www.theblackfriday.com/
http://www.blackfriday.com/
http://www.flipp.com/
One of the better coupons in the ads is a 50% off one item coupon for regular priced item $30 or less at Ace Hardware. Hard to find sale items can be bought with the coupon.
COSTA RICA TRIP
We went on a trip to Costa Rica. First time ever there. It was the best and worst trip in many ways.
I’ve always heard Costa Rica was very affordable and that is alluring to the Coupon Guy. It’s warm there and the week we went it snowed in Cleveland, so timing was good. However, tropical storm Sara had to put a dent it the weather on our trip.
Initially we planned to go to La Fortuna which is near a Volcano and has many activities. However, I found out that driving to our second destination in Monte Verde would’ve taken too many hours over sketchy roads so I changed it so that we went to Monte Verde first and then Tamarindo afterwards. We heard good things about La Fortuna, but that will have to wait for another time, if ever. Monte Verde is in the rainforest jungle while Tamarindo is on the Pacific Ocean.
I found some great deals flying to Costa Rica on United. I wanted to book a flight to Liberia which was closer to some destinations I wanted to go, however the flights to Liberia were much more expensive than flying to San Jose. It cost only $306 roundtrip to San Jose. Turns out flying to San Jose instead of Liberia was a good move as we found out while we were in Costa Rica. Liberia shut down their airport for about a week for repairs during the same time we were there. People had to scramble to find ways to get there. We chatted with a guy that had to fly into San Jose instead as his flights to Liberia got cancelled multiple times. But we had our own issues getting into San Jose.
Flying to San Jose was an adventure. Tropical Storm Sara was a country or two north of Costa Rica on the day we flew. As our flight arrived to San Jose we ended up flying circles around the airport because the weather conditions were bad enough that planes couldn’t land. After circling a bunch of times the pilot announced we were now going to land in Managua, Nicaragua. Wha! He also said that they were running out of fuel and had to refuel. So off to Nicaragua we go. We circle the Managua airport a bunch of times too because they had to get lined up with other flights landing there. We finally land and after around two hours we give it another shot to fly to San Jose. They said about 50% of the flights were landing. The problem is that we are now going to land while it’s dark and we still had to get a rental car and drive 2 ½ hours to Monte Verde. That proved to be another adventure.
I booked a bunch of rentals knowing I would only use one. The rentals were super cheap, some as low as $4 per day, but they get you on mandatory insurance which is usually around $45 per day. Most car rentals will let you book a rental and will only charge you once you are there to rent the car. We show up to Budget car rental and I tell them I want to rent either the GPS or get internet via the car. Problem is they are out of GPS units. They have only one internet unit left. We plug it in and it doesn’t work. They even give us a different car to see if it will work with it. The workers try to get it to work and no luck. We are now going to have to drive Costa Rica without a GPS unit. We could use our data, but that would cost tons since we will be driving a lot of hours across the country. Plus, even if I did have wifi running there is a good chance I’d lose connection in the remote parts of the country and thus lose directions, so even having wifi is sketchy for driving routes.
Initially, I shopped around for GPS units that would work in Costa Rica. Problem is that the ones at Best Buy and other stores only work in North America and not Central America. I could load up Costa Rica maps, but that is $100 and I could rent a GPS or get internet via the car cheaper. Plus, I’d rather have a unit from the car rental agency that already works in their country. The best laid plans…
We printed maps as a backup, but sometimes, as we were told, in Costa Rica roads get closed or traffic jams can last hours since their network of roads is minimal and most roads are one lane going each way. So the solution we had left was to use the Budget wifi to load up the directions on Google maps. Oddly enough, it worked! Yet, it wasn’t hooked up to wifi. What it does is load up the map “offline”.
Had we had to use maps we printed that would’ve been a nightmare. The street signs for roads were rare and when there were signs most listed the routes in tiny numbers. There aren’t many highways too. It’s pretty much like driving Lakeshore Boulevard across the country.
As I drove off the car rental property I found that the car was revving way too much. The transmission was bad. I turned around to swap it out again. The guy said that it was normal for automatic cars. Maybe their cars are different, but I’ve had a car with a bad transmission that was replaced and it was the same exact sound and way the car responded to pressing the gas. I wasn’t about to argue as we had to get going. Had to roll the dice.
Another issue was the potholes. I thought Cleveland was bad with potholes, but Costa Rica topped us. It was like weaving around an obstacle course just to avoid huge potholes. The roads were mostly muddy wet too, so that didn’t help. The roads reminded me of the road to Hana with potholes. Vomit turns.
We drove through the night to Monte Verde on very sketchy roads. It was late and we needed some food. We stopped at a place that had a band and people were dancing outside. They said they stopped serving food at 10:00. Correction. They said it in Spanish and I sign languaged/Englished it enough to understand each other. We got to Monte Verde and found a stand selling all kinds of food. Same thing. Mostly Spanish, but the order was what I wanted. Food never tasted so good when you’re starving and stressed to no end.
Our first place we stayed was a gem. I initially booked some other Air BNBs, but when I switched from staying at La Fortuna I needed to book more nights in Monte Verde. I found a cool little house called Honeybee Casita that we had all to ourselves. It was rated a 5 out of 5 so I knew it had to be decent. Only around $100 a night. Saving tip – Giant Eagle sells AirBNB gift cards that will earn Fuelperks and on Black Friday there are bonus perks on gift card purchases.
Our first morning we had some visitors. They were golden Capabaras raiding a compost hole next to the house. A Coati, a cross between a raccoon and gigantic fuzzy cat stopped by another morning. All kinds of birds and butterflies flew around the place. Another morning we heard a noise unlike any I’ve heard. It sounded like a roar growl and right next to the house. I’m thinking, is it a jaguar or bear? I found out later what it was when we went to Tamarindo. We heard the same noise only to find out they were howler monkeys making the noise.
In Monte Verde we did a coffee, sugar cane, and chocolate tour. It was very cool. They made chocolate for us to taste. They had cocoa butter that we used as lotion. We ate coffee berries straight from a coffee tree bush. They also squeezed sugar canes in which we drank the juices from it.
We took a hike in the Cloud Rainforest. It had a suspension bridge over the rainforest. We also hiked over to a waterfall.
We took a night tour to see nocturnal animals. We wanted to see a sloth, but didn’t. Instead, we saw a Mexican hairy porcupine or what they call a tree porcupine. We saw a couple high up in trees. We also saw a tarantula, toucan, stick insects, and leaf insects. It was raining the whole time on the tour and that made it miserable. The next morning we took a hike in the same trail, but didn’t see much of anything new.
Our next stop was in Tamarindo. It’s more of a surf town with lots of restaurants. We stayed at one of the best hotels we ever stayed at and the best part was that it was a bargain. They had a infinity pool that overlooked the ocean. Their breakfast buffet was unique and delicious. They had a shuttle that took us to a private beach club with its own pool and cabanas by the ocean. I booked it originally via hotels.com. Just before the trip I checked the Wyndham site to see if the price was any different. It was by around $100 less total so I rebooked it under their site. The rooms after taxes was only $160 per night. They easily could’ve charged $400 per night and probably do during high season which starts in December.
The second night we went to walk to the beach. The bottom of the drive was roped off with caution tape because there was a shooting in an apartment complex. The area seemed safe to me. In reading about the town it said not to stay out late. There were the usual goofs you’d find in any town, but nothing out of the ordinary. Lots of young people too.
At the beach in Tamarindo there are a ton of ladies offering massages. All have their own professional board to lay on. There must have been around 50. I got a massage. The price was crazy low. I got an hour for $30. That’s around what I tip when I get a massage in the U.S.! I should have gotten 4 straight hours of massages just to chill out from all the stress of the trip.
Get this. I found another wedding ring on the trip! It was a men’s wedding ring. We later found out it was stainless steel, so it wasn’t expensive. I found it on the beach. No inscription on the inside of it and the place said nobody said they lost their ring.
We took a snorkeling trip on a catamaran. Another adventure. They took us to a cove-like area to snorkel, but with all the rain the water visibility was horrible so the snorkeling wasn’t good. The boat had a slide from the top deck and of course, I went on it and landing in the water cleaned out everything I had in my nasal cavity.
A gal said she felt like she got stung by a jellyfish. A little while later I felt the like I did too. I snorkel a ton and I do get bit a lot by jellyfish that are too small to see in the water. It just feels like quick tiny stings. Nothing major.
The group that was on the boat with us said that they had to reroute their flights because Liberia airport closed. They ended up stopping at 5 different airports before landing in San Jose. Liberia’s airport was closed for about a week for repairs…or at least that is what they said was the reason.
As we got back on the boat we noticed the marina where we left from wasn’t visible due to a storm. We then got blasted by rain and thunder and lightning was all around us. There were metal rods as part of the roof of the boat and I had to wonder if we were going to get lit up. As we chugged to shore we came across a bottlenose dolphin swimming right by the boat. The Captain then turned around for us to get a view of the dolphin. All the while it was pouring rain. Luckily, he got us back without any issues.
At Flamingo beach north of Tamarindo it was the only time it was full sunny and that crisped us up a bit. I chatted with a guy that was taking orders for a beach restaurant. He saw me looking at something I saw in the water and said it was a coconut…or was it!? He said, recently, a couple packages of cocaine washed up on shore. Someone put it in the garbage and called police to pick it up. Yeah, best not to bring it home as a souvenir.
The food was excellent everywhere we went. We tried to eat the local flavor everywhere we went. I thought prices would be super cheap, but they weren’t. Prices were about what you’d pay in Cleveland. Many places had happy hour. Most were buy 2 for the price of 1 drink.
The way back to San Jose was a nightmare. The drive was supposed to be 4 ½ hours, but ended up being 7 hours due to traffic backups. We were warned of bottlenecks and sometimes road closures, but thought leaving early on a Saturday it would be better than during the work week.
We went to the only Starbucks coffee farm in the world. They are building new ones in Africa and Asia soon. The farm is located about a half hour north of San Jose. They said they had a hard time getting workers to pick the coffee. Nicaraguans and Panamanians mainly pick the coffee.
We found the people of Costa Rica to be super nice. Most spoke English, but not everywhere. I don’t know Spanish. We got by using minimal Spanish. As we got deeper into parts of the country is where we found English wasn’t spoken.
We stayed at the Aloft hotel in San Jose the night before our flight back. We used points with Marriott Bonvoy to get the room free.
We stopped at a lot of supermarkets. They sold a lot of dark chocolate and Arabica coffee at stores since a lot of it is grown in Costa Rica and the prices were a bit hefty. They sold Pepsi and Coke in 3 liter bottles which I thought was odd. I got some deals on spices (saffron) which tend to be cheaper overseas in warm countries since they tend to be grown there.
I used credit cards that didn’t have a foreign transaction fee. Some charge around an additional 3% on your purchase otherwise. In Tamarindo, they used American dollars in many of the menus since a lot of people from the U.S. live there. They use Colones as their currency. For one dollar I would get around 510 Colones…and not colons or Bartolo Colons.
FACEBOOK
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CONTACT INFO:
E-mail: joe@joethecouponguy.com
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© COPYRIGHT 2024 – Joe Daugirdas
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