The (Unofficial) December 2019 Deals Topic - The final deals of the year!

@ruouttaurmind “NOT ACTUALLY FRIED CHICKEN” hahaha

@therealjrn I looked carefully for the “Do not eat” disclaimer, but couldn’t find it in the photograph.

@ruouttaurmind @therealjrn OMG I hope no one tries to eat these logs?!?!?!?!?!

@tinamarie1974 I’ve had the pleasure (misfortune?) of meeting several dingdongs in my day. I’m pretty sure none of them would try to eat a chicken scented fireplace log.

But then… darwinawards.com

@ruouttaurmind @tinamarie1974 Some logs just aren’t meant to be eaten, Tina.

@ruouttaurmind @therealjrn eeewwwweeee

@ruouttaurmind @therealjrn @tinamarie1974 they do warn you on the product page:

May result in a craving for fried chicken. We know the firelog smells great, but please do not attempt to eat it. Please do not put your face directly into the fire in attempt to smell fried chicken!

@ruouttaurmind @stolicat @therealjrn @tinamarie1974 I gotta say I kinda want one.

@ruouttaurmind @sammydog01 @stolicat @therealjrn @tinamarie1974

/youtube abroadinjapan kfc Christmas

@RiotDemon @ruouttaurmind @sammydog01 @stolicat @therealjrn @tinamarie1974
Doesn’t say “For External Use Only”.

In for 3. Will flip 2 on ebay. And one to the ex-wife.

@RiotDemon @ruouttaurmind @sammydog01 @stolicat @therealjrn @tinamarie1974
Arrived today. Lawd, they smell. In the garage they go. To ripen before giving.

@mike808 But do they smell like chicken?

@mike808 @ruouttaurmind yes… very strongly!!!

@mike808 @mikibell @ruouttaurmind
Try not to eat them ok? Just to be safe.

@mike808 @ruouttaurmind @therealjrn I am trying to think of where I can put them until January, they are stocking gifts for Russian Christmas!! I can just imagine they will attract animals if I put them in the garage!!

@mike808 @mikibell @ruouttaurmind @therealjrn Russian christmas??

@mikibell Do you have a vacuum sealer? Maybe seal up each log?

@ruouttaurmind that is a good idea…

@tinamarie1974 different calendar, so they celebrate Christmas on January 7th. Instead of doing an huge Christmas, my in-laws do a stocking party. Costs me about the same,regardless, since I have 4 people in my family to buy for… sigh…

anyone else receive duplicate shipments?

@mikibell More chicken logs? It’s a Christmas miracle!

@ruouttaurmind oy!! it is a pain in the ass to return other’s mistakes… sigh, I just wonder why it happens to me so often? Is it a test to see how many times I will be honest?
poor morningsave CustRep probably still thinks I am nuts when I reported them shipping me stuff multiple times (they didn’t make me return the stuff tho)

@mikibell I doubt Walmart will be so forgiving. Those folks are a tough nut over there.

At least make them send out a call tag if they want them back. Their error, they can send out the UPS dude on their dime.

@ruouttaurmind not actually walmart … was shipped by the enviro-log people

@mikibell

I hope it goes smoothly for you and you wind up with bonus chicken logs for your time and effort!

@ruouttaurmind not sure I WANT bonus chicken logs, but thank you

@ruouttaurmind whelp… After a very unhelpful chat with walmart where they basically said, third party issue but thank you for your honesty, a very unhelpful automated reply from vendor, and a snippy response from me, I received a real person email requesting the mailing name and label info. I returned the info and the nice lady said to keep the extra logs. Not sure if I won or lost.

@mikibell It’s sort of like getting a fried chicken flavoured IRK, isn’t it? You don’t know whether to be thrilled or just break down and cry!

@ruouttaurmind yes… And I am tired of the smell already!

@ruouttaurmind Maybe they’ve merged with Puralty…

@DennisG2014 Heh.

Just to reiterate: 1 bulb is $16, a two-pack is $15.

@ruouttaurmind Remember the neoprene sleeves here? Buying the larger quantity pack was cheaper.

@narfcake True. The difference as I see it: meh was totally up front about it. The deal description essentially said “Buy more, pay less.”

You want ten? Five bucks. You want twenty? Nine bucks. And check this out: you want thirty? Eight bucks.

@ruouttaurmind this made me think of you… Don’t think it is a 'zon company…

@mikibell That’s awesome. It’s like when I’m shopping at Walmart and see shelf prices marked in a similar manner. Or at Target when they price items at $12.95, originally $14.95, save 40%"

EVERYTHING IS AWESOME!

@mediocrebot

@ruouttaurmind

Or at Target when they price items at $12.95, originally $14.95, save 40%

I believe that is called new math.

@ruouttaurmind And what exactly are you watching on a 55" 4K TV in your bedroom?

This deal is dead now.

POPSOCKETS! ROAD ROCKETS! SONNY CROCKETT! AWESOME!

The blades have been claimed!

POPSOCKETS! COURT DOCKETS! FOLK ROCK HITS! AWESOME!

@ruouttaurmind Woot should definitely know better. Boo! WOOT SUCKS.

@ruouttaurmind @therealjrn Sometimes their laptops (especially the business-oriented workstations) can still be a bargain. YMMV

@compunaut Absolutely. I’m not suggesting there are no bargains to be had at Woot (the $13 Roku yesterday for example). I’m just saying there are several items among the mix which are not bargains, or even at stupid-high prices, and to please do your research before assuming it’s a good price just because it’s Woot.

@compunaut I’ve bought several laptops and other tech from Woot at very good prices. I understood what @ruouttaurmind was talking about though. It’s weird that they are doing that, but I’ve seen other examples of so-so deals but not as egregious as the example. That’s just nuts.

@ruouttaurmind price has dropped to $24, the shame worked.

@djslack That’s more like it. I posted my dismay to TT in the discussion thread. She must have seen the error of their ways and moved to correct.

I still won’t call it a true bargain, but it’s certainly more in line with a clearance sale.

@therealjrn. I love that word! “Egregious”

Woot is at it again. They’re offering a SainSmart 3D printer for $640 plus shipping if you’re not a Prime subscriber. SainSmart, the manufacturer, is offering the same printer for $500 with free shipping.

I miss the old Woot.

@mikibell Ooh, I had some sort of promotional credit so Sam was free. Go ahead and ask him his favorite word.

@cinoclav I don’t have any digital assistants in my house, so I can’t ask him

@cinoclav @mikibell What is it?

@mikibell @therealjrn

@cinoclav @therealjrn
“He’s in the cloud baby! Hollywood legend Samuel L. Jackson is here to add some fun to your Alexa experience. Just ask and Sam will give you the weather, play your favorite music, tell jokes, and more.”

Sounds like Alexa can ask Samuel for info and he responds in his normal erudite manner

@cinoclav @mikibell @therealjrn
Yeet. Samuel L. Jackson is one loquacious motherfucker.
/giphy that is some gourmet shit

@cinoclav @mike808 @therealjrn hahaha my bil was home when I stopped by… Alexa now has Sam on it… (Evil evil laugh here!)

@ruouttaurmind Nice!

@ruouttaurmind why wouldn’t you just buy it at Walmart?

@RiotDemon 5% Amazon Card benefit and blazing fast delivery, or $1 promo credit for slow shipping.

@sammydog01 I like it. It’s 32” long and 10” tall. And there are awesome lighting kits for it. Maybe I need this more than a Parisian restaurant?

OWLS! TOWELS! JOWLS! AWESOME!

I X-posted this at SD and they moved it to FP in less than 20 min. If you’re thinking about getting this, don’t hesitate. You can always return it later if you change your mind.

@ruouttaurmind It’s cool but I like the buildings. That one has an artists studio.

@ruouttaurmind Trying hard to resist this, based solely on the fact that before today I did not know I wanted a Lego tractor trailer rig, so tomorrow I will be ok still not having it.

That, and I still haven’t built the street rod that came as a Corvette.

@sammydog01 It took me about three ‘buy it’ buttons before the discount showed.

@ruouttaurmind free shipping? Hooray! I think I’ll finally bite on this deal. I need some new shirts for work.

@RiotDemon I really like the long sleeve Beefy-T’s for wintertime. $6 is a good deal so I won’t feel bad when I tear ‘em up working on the yard or welding in the shop.

@ruouttaurmind since you have experience, how rough are the beefy ts? Are they like gildans? I see they have some long sleeve comfort soft shirts. I haven’t bought a hanes shirt in forever.

@RiotDemon Beefy-T’s are not the same kind of brushed ringspun softness as the Comfort Soft shirts. Comfort Soft are comparable to the Next Level shirts they sell here. Soft but thin. Beefy-T is heavier but not as soft. More durable though, and warmer.

The Nano shirts are the softest and thinnest.

@ruouttaurmind awesome, thanks!

VAN MURALS! GROUND SQUIRRELS! SPIT CURLS! AWESOME!

@sammydog01 Yes, you’re a winner. I tried to get it but it went OOS as I was deliberating in the checkout process. So to pacify my disappointment I bought the Ship in a Bottle and some Disney minifigs instead. And some street lamps. And the botanical pack x2. And the food accessory pack. And the bicycle pack. And some more minifigs. Crap. It would have been cheaper if the carousel didn’t sell out.

@ruouttaurmind Oof. I bought the dinosaur bones kit and thought I was bad. I’m holding out for a train. Please discount a train tomorrow Lego?

@ruouttaurmind @sammydog01

If I had shelf space I would truly covet cool LEGO stuff.

No shelf space tho. Something do do with too many things already. : (

@f00lI have no space for this stuff and no time to fuss with it, but some of the kits are just way to adorbs and I get sucked in by the cute factor.

I really want to get the Apollo 11Lunar Lander before it’s retired. Hard to part with a hundy for it though.

@ruouttaurmind That’s why I love their catalogs so much- I get to appreciate the designs without paying the bucks.

@ruouttaurmind They got me with the Parisian restaurant. We have a bunch of the modular buildings and they are awesome but they got too expensive. This is not much more than the creepy winter village gingerbread house which I talked my daughter out of. She’ll like this better. Now I wish I hadn’t ordered the dinosaur thing. Oh well.

DIPLOMAT! RAT-A-TAT! FAT CAT! AWESOME!

@sammydog01 I would like the Parisian restaurant. And the diner. And honestly just about all those modular kits. And I really want the freight train.

@sammydog01 !

I don’t think you understand how this works. I post the deals, YOU spend the money.

@ruouttaurmind You bought one didn’t you?

@sammydog01 And I blame you! I did get it at Walmart for $105, so I guess there’s that.

BTW, when you shop LEGO, be sure you click through Rakuten. They offer 2.5% cash back. I’ve already been credited for my LEGO order yesterday.

@ruouttaurmind @sammydog01

I want pix of your toy shelves.

@f00l @ruouttaurmind @sammydog01 Don’t you mean toy fortress to store this stuff built out of legos?

@therealjrn

It took me months to get around to bothering to open my prev BOC.

I remember nothing that was in it. Don’t even remember the schwag.

So guess I’ll skip this one.

Sigh. All new things become old over time.

/giphy old

@f00l Thanks or sharing there, Debbie. ; )

@therealjrn

Yeah, apologies!

(Remember, I always apologize too much. Except for when i don’t apologize enough!)

The rest of you, enjoy! Don’t be like me!

@f00l @therealjrn I really want that MUSIC BAND t-shirt.
I see there are a bunch of vendors selling them on-line, but I don’t trust that wysiwyg.
I’m going to have to see if they sell them at Spencer’s Gifts or Newbury Comics after the holiday mall insanity dies down.

@f00l @therealjrn
Ok, so, if anyone cares, I did end up ordering this shirt from Amazon.
It arrived yesterday and seems like a good quality shirt and print.
It does match the pictured item, it is heather gray and not slate gray, which is important to me. (ALL the T-shirts in heather gray, please.)
This vendor was the cheapest at $13.99 and they have good reviews, so I took a chance.
We’ll see how it stands up to repeated washing and wearing but, for now, I’m happy!
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B078SWFRCT

edit to add: Just make sure if you buy it too, we coordinate so we don’t end up both wearing it to the same party.

@DennisG2014 @f00l
/giphy rock on

@sammydog01 My mommy made me snickerdoodles last night. This morning when I went over there to get to work on the house she handed me a big box full of cookies and a glass of milk.

@ruouttaurmind @sammydog01 aaawwwww see she does love and appreciate you!

@ruouttaurmind I like it! My kid still hasn’t put together her Porsche 911 though.

@sammydog01 Maybe she should send that Porsche to me and I’ll assemble it for her!

@sammydog01 how was the movie?

@sammydog01 Thanks for the reminder. I kept meaning to, and finally I did.

@OldCatLady @sammydog01 You saw 21 Bridges too? ; )

@sammydog01 I saw it, but it sold out. Thanks.

@ruouttaurmind
GEMMY!!!

@sammydog01 not think geek blow out prices, but not absolutely terrible.

I’m interested though if the machinarium actually comes colored.

@RiotDemon @sammydog01 Price at Woot is only $1 off of Uncle Jeff’s price.
https://www.amazon.com/Hands-Craft-AM305-Wooden-Puzzle/dp/B076BVSRK5
According to the Q&A it does come coloured.

@RiotDemon I used Sharpie paint markers when I built my ThinkGeek machinarium. It turned out surprisingly good. And very easy to do.

@ruouttaurmind I still haven’t built mine.

I was planning to build one of them for my mom… So that was put on the back burner. One day I’ll make it.

@ruouttaurmind That is one crappy game.

@ruouttaurmind score! This is perfect for Dirty Santa this year!

@ruouttaurmind omg, ssooooo gross!! And why does the poop have a smile on its face? Kinda disturbing

@tinamarie1974

@ruouttaurmind
/giphy giggle

@ruouttaurmind @tinamarie1974
/giphy Mr hanky

@RiotDemon I don’t remember that one from Schoolhouse Rock.

@ruouttaurmind That. Is. Awesome.

Edit: “WARNING: choking hazard”
What a way to go…

WORKER BEES! HERCULES! TURKEY GREASE! AWESOME!

@RiotDemon @ruouttaurmind oh I forgot about the Christmas poo!
Hi-de Ho

Today’s free game is Ape Out. It looks hard. Maybe not.

@sammydog01 I went ahead and got it too. I had fun setting fires yesterday but I didn’t have enough time to play it to figure it out. Thanks!

@sammydog01 Today is:

@therealjrn If you burn the bus there’s screaming. A lot of screaming. So maybe turn your speakers on mute for that.

@sammydog01 Oh! Today is HELLO NEIGHBOR! Spooky!

You move into a brand new suburb and notice your neighbor is hiding something in his basement. The only logical thing to do is to break into his house and figure out what he’s hiding.

@sammydog01 @therealjrn I’ve watched a ton of playthroughs of this. Fun!

@RiotDemon And free today! They also have the Hello Mod Kit for $0.00!

Thanks ever so much @sammydog01!

…and they’re gone… Thx @medz, got me one.

@ruouttaurmind I bought this helicopter for the deal price and this morning, completely unprovoked, Amazon sent me a $2.11 price adjustment refund. That’s never happened to me this far away from the purchase date. I don’t understand why, but I’m certainly not complaining.

@Nate311 Same here. That dropped the price to under $5 incl. tax. Great buy!

@RiotDemon I rarely buy concessions- they keepgiving me free popcorn for going to movies. Speaking of which looks like I need to see Charlie’s Angels in the next couple of days.

@sammydog01 I haven’t gotten any free popcorn in a while. Guess I’m watching the wrong movies.

Just got my free $15 concession card. Apparently it’s only valid 1-1-20 to 2-28-20.
FYI for anyone interested.

@therealjrn

@ruouttaurmind @therealjrn I forgot about that- they have some pretty fun stuff in there.

@ruouttaurmind @sammydog01 @therealjrn

You all are EVIL

Now I want LEGO stuff.

/giphy LEGO

@f00l <sigh> It was only last Black Friday that I bought my first ever LEGO set. I never had them as a kid. I bought the 900 piece bricks at Walmart for $20. It all seemed harmless enough.

Some cats are best left in the bag, innit.

@ruouttaurmind The train is at a pretty good price too- $25.
https://www.amazon.com/ROBOTIME-Laser-Cut-Locomotive-Mechanical-Boyfriend/dp/B076ZM1K6Z/ref=mp_s_a_1_7?keywords=rokr+train&qid=1575483657&smid=AIPCQ4JMKF4C6&sr=8-7

@ruouttaurmind The link says it’s for boyfriends.

@sammydog01 Yup, the camel triumvirate says alltime low for that particular brand of the train kit. Although there are about a dozen different listings for the same item under various brands.

I ordered the train for my brother last night. I was really wishing I had ordered more of those kits during the ThinkGeek clearance sales.

@ruouttaurmind @sammydog01 Woot just put an assortment up. Seems to be around $30.
https://home.woot.com/offers/diy-3d-dollhouse-kit-happy-camper

@ruouttaurmind I have a few stashed for later craft time. I really enjoyed the one I did. When I run out maybe I’ll start on the miniature rooms.

They’re waaaay cheaper than Legos.

@ruouttaurmind @sammydog01 I bought “Cathy’s Flower House” this afternoon. I guess I’m going to maybe get some different glue and some small hand tools from what I read.

I’m going to build it in honour of my good friend and neighbour, Loretta who passed away suddenly this past spring. She loved caring for and growing plants.

@ruouttaurmind @sammydog01 @therealjrn I kinda want this too. But I’m not sure I can get sufficiently motivated to start it, let alone finish. I’m thinking…

@ruouttaurmind @sammydog01 @therealjrn
/giphy thinking

@llangley @sammydog01 @therealjrn I started the greenhouse last weekend. I’ve been fussing with it in the evenings when I get done working on mom’s house. I’m gonna guess I’ll have around 7 or 8 hours into it by the time I’m done.

@llangley @ruouttaurmind @sammydog01 Do you have any tips or tricks for the novice assembler with fat fingers? Should I get some sort of different glue and maybe some small implements to help with the construction?

@therealjrn Mine came with big tweezers. I’m using some wee cuticle scissors for the fine cutting of flowers and such. I am using a second, smaller tweezers for the fine positioning.

I also have a couple orange sticks (usually used for fingernail torture; maybe the ladies can tell you more about that?) available in the beauty dept at Walmart, CVS, Walgreens, Target, etc. The orange sticks are very useful for fine positioning and holding small bits in place while gluing and placing. One stick I’ve wrapped an end with a bit of scotch tape with the sticky side out. It’s proving very useful for picking up very small bits, as I have very calloused fingers.

I also have the bits separated into sandwich sized Tupperware type containers. Much easier than digging through all the ziplock baggies the bits come in. Then when I’m done for the moment I can pop the lid back on so no parts escape when I inevitably knock something off my work table.

The kit comes with paint for some of the wood bits, but I’ve I’m using a nice medium oak wood stain instead to give it a richer, more personalized finish.

As far as glue, I’m using Elmer’s carpenter’s glue (applied with a toothpick) for the wood joints and kragle for the mixed media bits (plastic to wood, wire to wood, paper to wire, etc). Elmer’s clear craft glue for anything which might show when completed, or paper to paper.

I didn’t even try the glue which was included simply because I already have Elmer’s and Kragle in the shop.

That’s about all I can offer so far. It’s still early days in my building process though.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯

@ruouttaurmind @therealjrn please post pics of the finished product

@tinamarie1974 Only if it doesn’t turn out to be a catastrophe.

@ruouttaurmind nah! I have faith in ya

@ruouttaurmind I hope you don’t mind waiting a little, @tinamarie1974.

@ruouttaurmind @therealjrn oh I get it. If I was building it, well, it would never be finished

@ruouttaurmind @tinamarie1974

kragle

So I go to look up kragle because I thought it was something all crafty or a secret ingredient or something.

Guess who has never seen the Lego movie?

@ruouttaurmind @therealjrn yup had to look it up too!

@therealjrn @tinamarie1974
/image lego movie kragle

@ruouttaurmind @therealjrn @tinamarie1974 lol one of the few references I’ve gotten right away!

@therealjrn

Do you have any tips or tricks for the novice assembler with fat fingers? Should I get some sort of different glue and maybe some small implements to help with the construction?

I ran across a bit of a challenge with the greenhouse project this weekend. One of the steps I’ve been putting off is to roll up a wee jute string and glue it to an oval piece of paper, to form a little oval rug.

Kragle didn’t stick, the clear glue they include is WAY too stringy and gets little glue cobwebs EVERYWHERE so I didn’t even try that. Elmer’s takes much to long to set, and soaked into the jute too much.

Solution: 3M 2-sided adhesive tape. I used a piece I already had left over from one of those Command brand stick-it-to-the-wall hook thingies. The foam center was very thin, so as not to overwhelm the scale of the project. I trimmed it to the correct size and shape, peeled off one side of the protective paper and coiled up the jute, sticking it to the adhesive as I went along. It worked perfectly, and was SO easy. Once the rug was complete, I peeled off the paper to expose the other sticky side (bottom of the rug) and stuck it down on the greenhouse floor where it belonged. Perfect!

I spent maybe two hours fussing with other options, and a total of 10 minutes from start to finish with the 3M tape. Recommend. A+. Would build again.

@therealjrn @tinamarie1974 <sigh> It’s a furious 11th hour push. It could go either way right now. I have around 9 hours of effort left in me tonight, and probably 12 to 14 hours of work left on this thing. Making the little flowers is SO time consuming, and I have maybe a dozen more to make. Then placing the greens and flowers into whatever receptacle is frustrating. Trying to get everything to lay just so and stay there while the glue sets.

So. Many. Bits.

@tinamarie1974 :scribbling down:

• 1 sacrificial Priority Mail box
• 3m double-sided thin tape
• Exacto knives
• A protractor? Ok, ok, a protractor

I’m ever so glad you are going first, @ruouttaurmind.

@ruouttaurmind @therealjrn oh my gosh, that is A LOT of work! And I am impressed you have a protractor! I do not have one anymore, I use my level for such things as a substitute.

@ruouttaurmind @tinamarie1974 You have a level Tina? I just use a glass of water. lol just kidding

Actually I have one of those fancy laser things you put on a tripod, but it’s been packed away who knows where since I moved. I do have a little 8 inch level I used when mounting some shelves. I felt like a schmuck without my laser thing.

@ruouttaurmind @therealjrn the laser one sounds gangster! I am jealous!!

I have a few different ones depending on the project. I have a few small ones that clip on string/line, normal six inch (?) ones and then one that is about 3’ long for big projects - that one is my favorite!

@therealjrn Add to the list: Ritalin. Lots and lots of tedious cutting and folding and rolling and very careful glueing.

@tinamarie1974 I use the protractor for setting up the rear axle pinion and motor mount angles when I’m building my hot rods.

@ruouttaurmind @therealjrn so that sounds pretty technical! Wwaaayyyyy above my head (although I am pretty short )

Thought of you guys today. I was working on a project and was digging around in my tool box. Viola, I DO own a protractor. Forgot I brought it last year when dad and I were building my deck.

How is that miniature project coming along?

@tinamarie1974 And it’s even Craftsman.

The finger numbing miniature project was put on hold since I blew it on my Christmas deadline. I have until May 10th now. I put it on my todo list to pick back up on April 4th. This also buys me time to build a presentation case (wood base, acrylic box).

@ruouttaurmind sounds like it is going to be fancy!

@tinamarie1974 Only if my skillz can keep pace with my imagination.

@ruouttaurmind I constantly have that issue. I have AMAZING ideas, but often lack the skills or money to bring them to fruition.

@ruouttaurmind grrrr I just ordered the ship in the bottle from amazon… you reminded me to check other places! Target has it for almost $15 less!!!
Isn’t it pretty??
https://www.target.com/p/lego-ideas-ship-in-a-bottle-21313/-/A-53377407

@ruouttaurmind Naw, never ever too much. I like looking at them. : )

@mikibell I got it during the LEGO Black Friday madness for about $49. I have been wanting that set since I first noticed it about this time last year. I’m really looking forward to putting this one together.

@ruouttaurmind oh bummer…maybe I will keep looking for a sale… the kid just mentioned building ships in bottles…

@mikibell @ruouttaurmind The Lego ship in a bottle is $55 at LEGO.com. It’s on back order but available for purchase.

@therealjrn I kind of like this one:

@sammydog01 Finklebear! With a name like Finklebear, it has to be good!

@compunaut Same price at Walmart. Target is selling at MSRP.

@compunaut @ruouttaurmind I bet it’s twenty bucks at the Lego store. On an unrelated note the dino set I bought is now out of stock so I’m glad I got it after all.

@sammydog01 wins that bet.

But they do have this sweet Arctic Air Transport kit on sale for $32, complete with a prehistoric saber-toothed tiger frozen into a block of LEGO-ice.

@ruouttaurmind That is freaking awesome. Good thing I busted my Lego budget already. (I love my Star Wars advent calendar!)

WORKER BEES! HERCULES! TURKEY GREASE! AWESOME!

@sammydog01 Are we ever gonna grow up?

(I sure hope not)

@ruouttaurmind My Funko POP Fortnight advent calendar just arrived so I can’t grow up before next December first. (I got the Marvel and Harry Potter ones too.)

@compunaut I saw this and almost bit. Then I looked across the room at a shelf full of toys and remembered I still have hopes of getting married some day so passed.

@compunaut @elimanningface Hope is just an excuse for those who refuse to live in the moment!

KuoH

@elimanningface Eh. Spouses just become ex-spouses. Toys are forever. Unless they’re dollar store toys. Those things begin to decay the second ya leave the store. They become vapor and regret at the stroke of midnight.

@ruouttaurmind @sammydog01 why would you want to grow up anyway? It is no fun!

I just find that as an adult my toys are more expensive and complex. Kids find joy in the simplest of pleasures. Everything is new and exciting. Ah, to be a kid again…

@elimanningface @ruouttaurmind
There are still some fun Hot Wheels/Matchbox vehicle that can be had from the dollar stores.

@compunaut @ruouttaurmind fark! Thanks for the info. I’m going to be single forever.

@compunaut @elimanningface @ruouttaurmind That’s what storage lockers are for. Pull your toys back out after the honeymoon.

@sammydog01 Have you seen the new Creator Expert modular building? Bookshop! Available Jan. 1st.

@ruouttaurmind I saw the ad! I haven’t found the video with the creator yet. I bet it’s Jaimie.

I received my LEGO Black Friday orders last night. Parisian Restraint, the ship in a bottle, and some miscellaneous small bits like street lamps, stop lights, bicycles, foliage and food accessories.

I bet with the proper motivation I could spend a bundle on this crap.

@ruouttaurmind Didn’t you already?

@sammydog01 I keep telling myself it was a bargain. I don’t dare add up all the purchases.

@ruouttaurmind Did you see my thrift store Lego set? It’s got Mater in it. I think.

@sammydog01 I’m jelly! And if you’re ever feeling creative, you can build the clock tower from BTTF with the Big Ben bits!

I ordered this watch as a Christmas gift for my nephew.

Here’s what I got:

@ruouttaurmind That’ll buff right out.

@ruouttaurmind ouch. What does Amazon say?

@sammydog01 Rub a little spit on it, good as new.

@RiotDemon Amazon no longer seems to offer any “contact customer service” for order issues short of calling them, or bot-chat. So I just did the usual automated return thing. I hate to do that for issues which are their fault because it counts against my “excessive returns” score.

Fortunately I have a few brand new watches, so I guess I will just pick out one of mine and give it to him.

@RiotDemon @ruouttaurmind @sammydog01
Have you tried filing the return as “Item received not as ordered”?

You ordered an item stated as new item. that includes the packaging, sealed and intact from the supplier. That is clearly NOT what was delivered. It apppears damaged, used, or very badly “refurbished” and that Amazon is responsible for the condition of the item they deliver, since that is part of the contract they offered in the purchase.

Take a photo and attach it to the return notice.
The condition of the packaging clearly indicates thatbthisnis not an intact, untampered new condition item as shipped by the manufacturer for retail sale.

I would also file a complaint with the watch manufacturer that their retailer, Amazon, damaged their brand as a retail seller of their first quality watches.

@mike808 Amazon’s error was packaging this the way they did (shipping envelope rather than a box) but the damage was most likely caused by USPS in transit, and because they basically crammed the thing into my letterbox which was just a wee bit too small for the package.

@mike808 @ruouttaurmind Here’s my Alka-Seltzer cold meds:

They sent me out a new one (envelope again) and it was squished too. What are you going to do?
¯\_(ツ)_/¯

@therealjrn I will try to combine orders in the future when the order contains something smallish which I don’t want squashed retail packaging. Maybe they will put in in a proper box then.

The same thing happened to my LEGO VW Beetle from Walmart. Part of the value of collectible LEGO is the condition of the retail box, so even a tiny bit of damage can affect price by quite a bit.

@elimanningface I should get my dogs friends and play poker!

@elimanningface @sammydog01 Post a video of your dogs and cats playing poker together and maybe people will really believe in Christmas miracles.

KuoH

@mike808 FYI, I went in the target to buy the gift card and it does not stack with the 5% off with the RedCard (I tried). So you’re actually only getting an additional 5% more off than you would if you just used your RedCard for the purchase.

The reason I bought the max $300 gift card was because you don’t get any discount when purchasing prescriptions from the pharmacy on your RedCard and you can use the gift card at the Pharmacy. Now I can get 10% off at the Pharmacy until that $300 runs out.

@cengland0 My Target has a CVS pharmacy and they won’t take a Target GC for Rx. OTC stuff is OK, just not prescriptions.

You can stack the 10% off GC with other sales and get better than just the 5% Redcard stack.

Target GCs are also only good on merchandise, not prescriptions, other GCs, prepaid cards, and services. And you can’t pay your Target Redcard bill with Target GCs.

The question for me is how much spend in non-Rx and non-prepaid cards at Target do I have, and for me, $300 is about all I’m sure of. Mostly grocery when they have $10 off $50 and household cleaning and personal care category sales.

@mike808 uh oh. I hope you’re wrong because I specifically asked the pharmacist before purchasing the gift card. She siad it works and many people are buying them for prescriptions. Suppose I’ll find out the next time I need a refill.

@cengland0 I use FSA money for Rxs anyway.

@mike808 I had shared this yesterday with friends. Definitely a great deal for an Apple Watch. Just have to use a second account or stop in store to buy enough gift cards. Something to keep in mind for next year.

Shopping tip for today. Target is offering 10% off their gift cards today only. You can email it to yourself, it will become valid tomorrow at 11 am.

If anyone is looking to buy an Apple Watch 5, Costco currently has them on sale for $354.99 for the 40mm and $384.99 for the 44mm. Target surprisingly price matches Costco.com. They don’t care if you’re not a member. Normal retail for the 44mm is $429. After price matching and considering the 10% discount off the gift card purchase of $385, the final price would be $346.50. If you have a Discover card you can use that online to buy the Target gift cards and you should receive 5% cash back if you’ve activated the bonus to get back another $19.25 . End result is $327.25 paid for the $429 watch.

https://www.target.com/c/target-giftcards/-/N-5xsxt?lnk=TargetGiftCards&lnk=Save10onTargetG

@ruouttaurmind Will you actually get the 1% from Rakuten/Ebates? Usually it doesn’t apply to the purchase of gift cards.

@msklzannie Hmm. I guess I’ll know tomorrow if they credited me for that purchase.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Even without the additional $0.21 from Rakuten, I’m satisfied calling this a bargain. Discounted HBO Now is an uncommon thing.

@msklzannie Yup, you were spot on. No cash back on that gift card purchase from Best Buy. But I did receive my 5% from Chase Freedom, so it’s still all good.

@ruouttaurmind The TV series produced by HBO is really good-looking. I like Chernobyl best.

@ruouttaurmind Is this acceptable for running a fan to my outhouse? Please quote the building code for my state.

In the State of Confusion it is acceptable for @sammydog01 to use 14/2 Romex for outdoor plumbing ventilation systems. Such circuits must be grounded directly to the seating structure and provide no other grounding connection.

Not as fancy as the ones I saw in some IKEA cabinet drawers, but I’ll try these out at that price. Thanks! (Does not seem to be free shipping for MyLowes.)

@walarney Free shipping at Lowe’s bumped up to $45 minimum order several months ago.

@ruouttaurmind I don’t know about the light, but that drawer full of pliers keeps triggering flashbacks of my early memories of being at the dentist office!

KuoH

@kuoh

@ruouttaurmind Kind of missed that “two-pack” part. I have a bunch of these now.

@ruouttaurmind OOS for shipping, and the nearest store with them in stock is over an hour away.

It’s just as well, as I realized when I’m in my toolbox I generally have the lights on.

@djslack Rumor has it @walarney may have a surplus.

I think @sammydog01 needs a couple of these.

@ruouttaurmind Nice!

@ruouttaurmind The biplane and camera are no longer available. But the coupon worked on the others even though it didn’t show up as one I could clip to my account.

SaleGC =~ approx # of standard media scans
$25 =~ 71 scans
$50 =~ 286 scans
$100 =~ 571 scans
$250 =~ 1429 scans
$500 =~ 2857 scans

Great deal to pick up now and then when you’re ready with the pictures, save the bucks.

@mikibell The pricing looks reasonable. 3 light-grip mats for $10.

@therealjrn Thanks for nothing
I just spent $10 on 5 (6, if you count the free one) more games that I will never have time to play.

@compunaut sawry lol

Maybe @djslack needs this set?

@ruouttaurmind thanks for the tag. It’s nicer than what I have, but I also already have what I have . BS shows nearest set is 45 minutes away, so that helps my willpower triumph.

@ruouttaurmind DAMMIT!

@sammydog01 So last night I placed an order through Amazon, thinking I’d head over to LEGO.com and cancel my order. That’s when I discovered LEGO.com doesn’t accommodate any kind of order cancellation process. Crap.

So this morning I got on the phone to their customer service center and explained the situ (45 minutes after placing my LEGO.com order Amz beat their price by over 20%). After a little encouraging the CS girl offered to send me a prepaid return label.

I don’t know if Amz still has stock, but there is a slim possiblilty you might be able to do this. I woulnd’t have bothered for a few bucks, but almost $25? It was worth trying.

@ruouttaurmind Thanks but it was out of stock when I saw your post. I checked the return policy for the other stuff I ordered and you have to ship it back- taking it to the store gets you a gift card. I bet it will cost a fortune to ship it back.

@sammydog01 Yup, that’s why I was happy when the CS girl offered me a prepaid shipping label. Slap the label on the unopened box, drop it off at FedEx and 14 to 21 short days later I get a refund to my original payment method.

@sammydog01 PS: This experience has me second-guessing purchasing directly from LEGO. Even their “exclusives” are often available through major retail channels, so I’m starting to wonder what the advantage to direct purchase is. No online order cancellations, no returns, no price matching, slower order processing and shipping…
¯\_(ツ)_/¯

@ruouttaurmind @sammydog01 Yeah but are they at least charging you more?

@therealjrn Most of their stuff sells for MSRP with an occasional sale (like last night). I wouldn’t generally order from them unless it was at least kind of a deal, or their “pick-a-brick” stuff. But after last night I will def second guess ordering direct.

@ruouttaurmind @therealjrn I love visiting the Lego store and will pay a few extra bucks to keep them going. Plus they have a points program.

@ruouttaurmind @sammydog01 WHAT? There is a WHOLE STORE MADE OUT OF LEGOS??

@sammydog01 @therealjrn Have you seen James May’s Toy Stories S1-E6? (included with Amazon Prime Video) He builds and entire two story house from LEGO. When I say “entire” I mean walls, floors, furniture and fixtures. Even a pet cat made from LEGO.

@ruouttaurmind @sammydog01 @therealjrn
The wall studs and sub floor were still made of wood. He just put lego around the studs.

@ruouttaurmind @sammydog01 I found this

@medz Captain Buzzkill to the rescue.

Value Kit Features

• 3000dpi resolution (600 dpi photos)
• Scratches, fading & colors hand-corrected
• Prepay for your scans (one time payment)
• UPS Tracked shipping & safe handling guarantee
• Share scans on facebook
• No review (no ability to delete scans)
• Other media types included charged at list price

When you receive the ship kit, all you need to do is to fill the box with your photos, Standard media ie printed photos, 35mm color slides or 35mm negatives (excluding B&W) seal your kit and drop it at a UPS store or dropbox, pre-paid.

We will scan your photos manually, spending 3 minutes enhancing each image. Once your photos are scanned, we ship your original photos and a USB Drive of your scans. We also create an online gallery of your scans, so you can share your precious memories with your loved ones.

USA Express is not available with our Value Kit. Empty Value Kits are dispatched from our facility (via USPS Regular Mail) within 24-48 hours of you placing an order. You can expect to receive it in 10-12 business days from the time we dispatched it.
Media processing typically takes 4-8 weeks and return shipping takes 2-3 weeks.

Forgot prices.
Value Kit Price

Flat Fee Shipping for Value Kits:
$28/500 scans, $33/1K, $44/2K, $55/5K, and $77/10K scans.

Linky: https://www.scancafe.com/coupons

@ruouttaurmind I’ll raise you ff edition plus 2 trucks and 2 cars for $80.
Anki Overdrive Starter Kit Remote Racing Cars with Tracks (4 Cars FF Edition) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B081ZHRQFC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_i8U5Db22AB5NM

@sammydog01 Good find. You win.

More from Tech Union via Amz Marketplace:

Anki Overdrive Starter Kit for $40

Anki Overdrive Starter Kit plus two additional cars or trucks (rando fulfillment?) for $70

@ruouttaurmind Nope, I paid more for them at Target. I lose.

@therealjrn those are ugly. Meh is also selling socks some better looking then those too

@CaptAmehrican Oh? Meh is selling socks today too? Maybe it is National Sock Day!

not for long…flashing button already

@CaptAmehrican Costco Virginia giant peanuts all the way.

@ruouttaurmind They are? I’ve never known the app (excepting appclusive 1-a-day) to be different.

@therealjrn When I wrote that, the app was featuring a Irwin drill bit set, and the web had a Woot branded pen (for FIVE BUCKS!). That appears to have been an anomole because it hasn’t happened again since then.

@ruouttaurmind A $5 pen rotflmao.

*is it still for sale?

@therealjrn It’s the same pen I’ve received three or four times in BOCs. SMH.

In case I haven’t mentioned it… I miss the old Woot.

@ruouttaurmind I have one too. I did see a Woot pen with a fidget spinner on the end of it earlier today. I didn’t click the stupidly large button.

@ruouttaurmind @therealjrn I have a bunch. I paid for most of them. It was mandatory after I beat the monkey death game.

@sammydog01 Uh… In the category of “questions I may wish I had never asked”… monkey death game?

@ruouttaurmind It’s called the plank game. Check the app and the one that makes you cry is the plank game.

@sammydog01 Oh! Monkey Jump!

@ruouttaurmind Nope- today is monkey jump. Check another day for the much hated monkey plank game. They rotate.

@ruouttaurmind Think of all the little wood kits you can buy for $245. You’d be busy forever.

@sammydog01 Those wood kits and the little greenhouse kit I’m building are pretty sweet. But they lack the instant gratification delivered by a LEGO kit.

@ruouttaurmind you may have found this useful not that long ago

@tinamarie1974 Hmm… I picked up an old table saw at a charity shop last weekend. Maybe I’ll have a need for this after all.

@ruouttaurmind oh dear

@ruouttaurmind awesome sewing kit! Those forceps are great for turning spaghetti straps!

FOOLS! TOOLS! JEWELS! AWESOME!

@ruouttaurmind “Estimated delivery Dec 31 - Jan 01”. Dang.

@walarney Ya, I guess that’s a bit tardy for stocking stuffers after all.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯

@ruouttaurmind @tinamarie1974 @bleedmichigan
Cool. A DIY vasectomy kit!

@mike808 @ruouttaurmind @tinamarie1974 that’s one thing I will not DIY.

@bleedmichigan @mike808 @ruouttaurmind O M G !!! There is a fine line between brave and crazy!!!
/giphy giggle

@bleedmichigan @mike808 @ruouttaurmind @tinamarie1974 The kit doesn’t come with a mirror anyway.

@bleedmichigan @ruouttaurmind @therealjrn @tinamarie1974
There is a reason they are called “blind stitches”.

@therealjrn Thanks for the tip. I just discontinued my Dymo Printable Postage account last week, so this is fortuitous.

@ruouttaurmind Great! Now if somebody could do me a solid and find me a cheap 30" range vent hood for a condo I’m rehabbing, I’d be ever so grateful.

@therealjrn you bastards!! It is now sold out

@therealjrn ps, I got a 40" vent hood from either woot or the zon for under $200, check them out. It was really a nice item. I will try to find the link.

@mikibell Thanks! I don’t need “really nice” more than I need “good enough”

I don’t put cheap appliances in my rentals but I do try to keep them decent. Maybe I’ll go look at the ReStore later on today.

@mikibell PS, those stamps sold out in a hurry!

@therealjrn it was really nice for a cheap price I hear you though.

@ruouttaurmind @therealjrn try your local habitat for humanity ReStore

@CaptAmehrican @ruouttaurmind Imma yuge fan of the ReStore! Thanks : )

@CaptAmehrican @ruouttaurmind I ended up ordering a spiffy black Broan hood & a matching black Broan backsplash from Uncle Jeff’s warehouse deals. “Used, like new” We’ll see if they are decent They were cheaper than a boring white hood I was looking at.

Thanks Anonymous whisperer!

@therealjrn

A Garmin GPS? At Buydig?

I bought a bundle deal from Buydig for a 5” or 6” Garmin GPS about a year and a half ago? Around $100 give or take. One of the larger ones w lifetime maps and traffic.

Was one of the good ones. I use my phone in the city, but love that thing when I’m in the sticks.

Buydig runs these every so often. Just set up a search for “Garmin” or “Garmin GPS” at slickdeals, and you’ll get notified when a similar deal goes live again. I think maybe every few months.

@f00l Thanks.

Apparently I (he) just missed a bundle sale at buydig that was posted on slickdeals recently. I gave my friend the details, I don’t know how serious he is. They still had just the Garmin at a coupon sale price this afternoon.

I like my bundle deal which I bought this last summer. Big screen, case etc. I’m contemplating a trip North this coming summer. I still haven’t decided if it’s worth a 16 hour drive to have my car with me. I love driving though, but I might not after a slog like that. Perhaps I might fly and then rent a car. I dunno.