YOUR GUIDE TO THE TWIN CITIES
Wednesday May 23, 2012
Dollars & Sense columnist John Ewoldt searches the Twin Cities and beyond for bargains and strategies to spare you time, money and hassles.
Email us if you see a great deal. Include your name, city you live in and info on the deal you spotted.
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Twin Cities' best shopping, foods, drinks and entertainment
Posted by: John Ewoldt under Discounters Updated: May 16, 2012 - 1:58 PM
When I moved to the Twin Cities 25 years ago, the "best of" issues from The Reader, City Pages, Skyway News and Minneapolis St. Paul magazine introduced me to unknown places I should try. I still devour any "best of" list from a publication, blog or website, but for different reasons. Now I look at them to respectfully disagree or agree or to look for an offbeat choice that I haven't heard of.
I encourage you to check out the "Best of MN" tab in the Star Tribune on May 16 or online. It includes the best county fair, best state park, best hiking trail, best places for canoeing (in and out of the metro), best budget golf course, best men's store on a tight budget, best gift shop for men or women, and best home furnishings stores. Foodies can check out the selections for cheap eats and wine store outlets.
Stroll through our selections, nod your head at a couple, feel a sense of outrage at an omission or two, and check out a couple of spots that you hadn't heard of before. That's the beauty of a Best Of.
Feel free to comment if there's a fave of yours that we didn't give its due.
The biggest neighborhood, church garage sales, part 2
Posted by: John Ewoldt under Storewide sales Updated: May 15, 2012 - 1:25 PM
Today's Variety section of the Star Tribune contains an invaluable resource for garage salers. It's part two of the largest Twin Cities neighborhood garage sales and church rummage sales between now and October.
The calendar is a big time saver. Instead of driving around to hit a sale here and a sale there, it points you to a neighborhood where 40 or more homes are participating, including the Richfield citywide sale, Linden Hills, Victory and Nokomis neighborhoods in Minneapolis and Mac/Groveland and Como Park in St. Paul.
Nearly 50 sales are listed in part two. If you're printing them from the link above, print parts 1 and 2. Part 1 includes some sales through August that are not included in part 2.
Feel free to add your own favorite mega neighborhood or church sale.
Free tips from a local manners expert during National Etiquette Week
Posted by: John Ewoldt under Home Security Updated: May 14, 2012 - 4:03 PM
National Etiquette Week (May 14-18) seemed the perfect time to take a look at how Minnesotans stack up on the politeness meter.
Local business etiquette expert Liz Taylor said some behavior here is “less than graceful.”
“Manners aren’t about being stuffy. They’re about making people more respectful,” said the Wayzata resident and business advisor of Etiquetteprinciples.com. Taylor made some tactful suggestions to help us clean up our act.
The flu is no excuse for bad manners. Minnesotans feel they have to go to work even when they’re sick. Go home when not feeling well. Until then, cough or sneeze into a sleeve, not the hand.
Why are we so afraid of commitment? A lot of Minnesotans fail to show up to social functions after making a commitment to show. Or they fail to RSVP. The worst offenders are those who cancel when a more desirable invitation comes along. “Show up if you said you will,” Taylor said.
The more the merrier, but only if they’re invited. Check the names on an invitation before deciding to bring your posse. If a wedding invitation is addressed to Mr. and Mrs. Smith, it’s not OK to bring the kids or friends.
Clip those social butterfly wings. Texting when you’re in a conversation is a blatant interruption, whether it’s with one person or in a group. “It makes the other people in the conversation feel less important. Check your phone in private,” Taylor admonished.
For more free tips, check Taylor’s blog posts at www.etiquetteprinciples.com.
Hooters and other restaurants offer Mom a free meal on Mom's Day
Posted by: John Ewoldt under Restaurant Bargains Updated: May 11, 2012 - 2:47 PM
Mother's Day is the busiest day of the year for restaurants when most moms catch a break from kitchen duty. The following Twin Cities area restaurants are offering price breaks for moms.
Hooters (Mall of America, 952-854-3110) is offering Mom 10 free boneless chicken wings (an $8.95 value) on Sunday.
Ikea (across from Mall of America, 952-858-8088) offers a free breakfast until 11 a.m. Sunday, including scrambled eggs, bacon, potatoes and cup of coffee, a $1.74 value.
Beef O Brady's (Andover, Monticello, Northfield). Mom gets a free entree (up to $10 value) all day Sunday at this family friendly sports pub.
Tony Roma's (Mall of America, 952-854-7940). Moms get a free entree (up to $15) with this coupon. If mom's a big fan of Tony Roma's Endless Slab, steer her to something else. The coupon isn't valid on the Slab. Note: the free offer is not valid without the coupon.
Champps (nine Twin Cities locations including Woodbury, 651-735-5050). Mom can come in any time Friday through Sunday (May 11-13) and get a card entitling her to $10 off a $25 purchase on the first of every month (while supplies last).
If you know of other restaurant deals on Mother's Day, please comment.
Target's boutiques get an A for effort, but really, what's the fuss?
Posted by: John Ewoldt under Discounters Updated: May 10, 2012 - 11:48 AMHave you ever been in a really cool shop when you're traveling and bought something that you'd never seen back home? That's the spirit behind Target's new boutiques called "The Shops at Target collections."
It's another piece in Target's brilliant marketing strategy that keeps shoppers surprised and sometimes delighted to find what's on the discounter's shelves. But this latest marketing attempt looks better in concept than in reality.
Not to rain on the whole collection--there are some cute items, including the Privet melamine dinner plates ($4) and drinking glasses ($4), which were in stock in the downtown Minneapolis store Thursday morning but are mostly out of stock online. (Here we go again.) The online selection is larger than in stores, when it's in stock. In the stores, the Polka Dot bakery items were removed from the end cap at the downtown Target because too many items had been sold, said a stocker.
Target created five vignettes placed throughout the store, mostly on end caps, under large, brown signs labeled "The shops at Target," including the Candy Shop, Cos Bar cosmetics, Polka Dot Bakery for dogs, Privet House home accessories and Webster clothing. A few pieces of the Webster clothing and Privet home furnishings seem unique. The Webster Florida-inspired clothing for women is colorful and playful. The men's line is passable, except for the white pants, which will probably languish on the clearance racks.
Has anyone ever been to any of the shops on which these collections are based? For example, the Candy Store in San Francisco? The Cos Bar in Aspen, Colo.? The Polka Dot Bakery in Boston? Privet House in Connecticut? Webster in Miami? Did Target get the inspiration right? What are your thoughts on the collection in stores or online?
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recent posts
- Twin Cities' best shopping, foods, drinks and entertainment
- The biggest neighborhood, church garage sales, part 2
- Free tips from a local manners expert during National Etiquette Week
- Hooters and other restaurants offer Mom a free meal on Mom's Day
- Target's boutiques get an A for effort, but really, what's the fuss?
- Unofficial garage sale opener this weekend. Tips for buyers, sellers
- Free next-day shipping on personalized Mother's Day gifts @ Snapfish
- What does it cost to join DirectBuy? Is it worth it?
- Forgot your phone on the plane? A simple call usually works.
- The best sale Cooks of Crocus Hill has had and 'Wolves tickets for $2
- One guy's attempt to be greener on Earth Day. No more Drano, Charmin
- Want free or cheaper HBO at Comcast? Just ask for it.
- Early deals on Minnesota Twins merchandise
- Barry Manilow Xcel concert tickets for $16.29
- Minneapolis gives residents a 4-week grace period on plastic lawn bags
- Tuesday only: MSP to Chicago $69 each way on Southwest
- Black Friday sales at Home Depot and Lowe's
- Where to find compostable plastic lawn bags in stock now
- Wal-Mart in no-holds-barred price fight with Cub Foods
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