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Wire Service
"More Cheap StuffLast month's column focused on places to buy office supplies and equipment at low prices online, and when my friend Julie read the column at The Daily Business Journal Online (www.business-journal.com), she e-mailed me with a suggestion. "I know you won't even consider buying something unless it's at least 50% off," she said. "So why not let the rest of us in on more secrets?"So here goes; if you find a good Web site or two here, thank Julie.One of my greatest finds is MyPoints.com, where I earn points that can be exchanged for gift certificates. Just by clicking on offers sent by e-mail, I earn from five to 10 points (don't even think about this unless you have a high-speed Internet connection). If I make a purchase at the site that pops up I earn even more.When I go shopping, I start at MyPoints. If I buy from a MyPoints merchant, lots more points go into my account. The list of merchants includes such biggies as Barnes and Noble, Target, Best Buy, Kmart and Starbucks Coffee. Over the past couple of years I've earned close to 20 gift cards at area restaurants ranging from $5 to $10 each -- all without buying anything we don't need or want.I'm a big fan of virtual greeting cards, for one big reason: The skyrocketing price of the real thing. Lately, I've been frequenting Regards.com; other sites worth checking out are 123Greetings.com, AmericanGreetings.com, Hallmark (www.hallmark.com) and GreetingsIsland.com. Most let me choose cards for sending up to a year later.Every time the latest issue of Prevention magazine arrives, I seem to find another vitamin, mineral or herbal supplement I must start taking to keep my joints oiled or my memory intact. So, I make a beeline for Puritan's Pride (www.puritanspride.com), which stocks every nutritional product under the sun at low prices. I watch for the buy three, get one free specials that run throughout the year so I can stock up for even less.Another favorite site is Free After Rebate (www.freeafterrebate.info), where I check on current rebate offers. Recently, I found a Viking 32 megabyte USB flash drive on sale for $15, and the $15 rebate brought the cost down to zero. Likewise, CoolSavings.com is a treasure trove of coupons; buying from RebateShare.com can earn cash-back payments of up to 15% at stores like Office Depot, Old Navy and Wal-Mart.For books or music, try Half.com, an eBay division where almost everything sells for half the retail price. This is a great place for college students, too; the Textbook Superstore offers a wide variety of categories with savings as high as 75%. You can sell textbooks you no longer need here as well.For good-quality clothing, hubby and I both like Land's End (www.landsend.com), and I'm a fan of Coldwater Creek (www.coldwatercreek.com) and Chico's (www.chicos.com). All three sites have great sale sections; at Land's End, click on Overstocks; at Coldwater Creek, check the Outlet Store for savings of up to 70%. At Chico's Sale section, I've snapped up pieces of the store's unique jewelry and watches for half price or less."