Category Archives: Time-Limited Information

Semi-Boston-centric Money-Saving Tips

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Tip #1: More Ice Cream For Less $

I get ice cream several times a month at local chain JP Licks. This week I accidentally discovered how to get a lot more ice cream for less: order a Chipwich, which is a serving of ice cream between two chocolate chip (or other type) cookies.

While exact quantity probably depends on the server, I discovered:

– The single Chipwich is prepared when you order, so you may request any ice cream flavor (not just vanilla).

– The amount of ice cream is at least equal to their “small scoop” which in a cup or cone costs $3.99, and is much more than their “kiddie scoop” costing $3.09

– A Chipwich = a “small scoop” + 2 three-inch-diameter cookies, all for $3.29!

Bonus JP Licks tip: Join their Cow Card loyalty program and get points for every purchase (either by swiping the keytag or using the iPhone or Android app code). 50 points gets you a $5 credit for free food!

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Friday Faves – 24 May 2013

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Grab Bag O’ Books

It’s sad when a bookstore has to close, but Once Sold Tales in Kent WA has an additional problem: a warehouse full of 500,000 used books on which they can no longer afford to pay rent! Rather than just sending all of that linear media to be pulped they are having a Grab Bag sale:

Now through May 30th you can order a grab bag of paperback books (8 for $10, 16 for $18, which includes shipping) or children’s books (“small” for $12 or “large” for $20, number of books will vary since kid’s books come in many sizes). You can give some guidance as to the books’ genre, but they can make no guarantees. See their Facebook post for all details – note that this offer is available for direct Paypal payment only, not though their main website.

Etsy Stores of Note

My West Coast musician friend Sharon Knight has been building additional ways to have income when she is not on the road touring with her band. Her latest effort is an Etsy store – please check it out.

While attending a recent Steampunk fair I ran across an awesome local leather worker: Emporium Custom Leathers. In addition to selling at the New York Ren Faire, she also has an Etsy store here. I can attest to the high quality of her work, and intend to indulge in some garment soon :-)

Friday Faves – How To Help Boston

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Last Friday got even weirder after I posted! Fortunately the Boston area can now focus on recovering from being shoved into a real-life “Die Hard” movie. Here are a number of links to resources and ways to help yourself and Boston:

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Friday Faves 02-15-13

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Firstly, some sad news for sewing and knitting folks in the Boston area: the venerable Windsor Button shop is closing its last remaining store, on Temple Pl. in downtown Boston, due to lease non-renewal. Read about it here, and stop by to pick up sale items as they liquidate their inventory.

Secondly, some more sad news that can be helped: the “fiercely independent” bookstore Longfellow Books in Portland ME suffered massive water damage during last week’s storm due to frozen pipes in the building over their store. You can help them out by buying ebooks from their website, gift certificates (which give them cash now and you/your giftees books later), and/or donating directly. See this letter from the Maine Writers and Publishers Alliance for more information.

Thirdly, you may recall that I recently recommended a Kickstarter project by ThinkMusicTechnology for an iPad app with musical note handwriting recognition for creating scores. They’ve now canceled the KS project as it wasn’t going to reach their (very ambitious) goal despite much interest. But they are looking for other funding resources and still plan to develop the app – so if you are interested, sign up for their mailing list at their website.