Buy $25 get $5

There are several restaurants out there that offer a "Buy $25 Get $5" deal. By this I mean that if you buy a $25 gift card from them that they will give you a free $5 coupon or gift card. A trick to use with these offers is to buy a card for yourself at a restaurant you know you go to and get yourself $5 off by doing so.

Here are a few restaurants that offer such deals:

Buffalo Wild Wings : From the Buffalo Wild Wings homepage click on the 'tip yourself' promo. But you can't get their deal online and you have to go into the store. Buy before 12/31.

Red Lobster : You can get Red Lobster gift cards online. Use promo code FCC5425 and buy before 12/21. If you buy a $25 gift card then you get a coupon worth $5 off of 2 entrees.

Red Robin : Get $5 in 'bonus bucks' for every $25 you spend.

Denny's : For the deal from Denny's they have a $1.95 s/h fee so I'd recommend you go to a store to buy in person.


If you're buying online then make sure theres no shipping or handling fees. I didn't see any on the Red Lobster or Red Robin sites but they might sneak in a fee when you check out.

Is High Yield Stock a Bargain or a Warning Sign?

What do GM and Citigroup have in common? They are both components of the Dow Jones Industrial Average, they both paid dividends of over 4% in 2008 and they both lost 90% of their value since Jan. 2008. So lets say you were shopping for stocks in early 2008 and you figured that Dow stocks should be a safe bet. You might filter the Dow for undervalued stocks by looking at the higher yielding stocks. These stocks might have seemed like a relatively safe bargain a couple years ago but both turned out to be flops.

If a stock price drops then the yield % goes up. So a Dow component with a high yield might be viewed as a good value. On the other hand a high yield may be a reflection of a stock who's price has been declining yet still has a relatively high trailing dividend. A stock in trouble may be destined for bankruptcy or it may be due for a cut in dividends. A high dividend yield may be fools gold.

The bottom line is that a high dividend on a stock isn't alone an indication that the stock is a good value. High dividends could be reflection of a stock that is in trouble. You should take caution when picking high dividend stocks to make sure they have sound financials.

Some Good Books

Here is a summary of some of the good books that I've read. I would recommend these books myself. They cover different finance related topics and theres likely to be something here appropriate for most everyone:

The Unofficial Guide to Real Estate Investing is a very comprehensive introduction to investing in real estate. The book covers everything from valuing properties, buying and financing, tax implications and 1031 exchanges all the way through being a landlord.

The Insider's Guide to Buying a New or Used Car is a complete guide to buying either a used or new car. They discuss topics such as : researching cars, getting loans, doing a trade in, test drives, figuring dealer costs, buying tactics, countering the dealers sales pitch, and good and bad negotiating tactics. There are a lot of good tips on negotiating sales and I think that's the section I got the most out of.

Investing for Dummies by Eric Tyson. Reading a Dummies book doesn't mean you're literally a dummy. Topics include overview of different types of investments, discussion of risks and rewards, stocks, bonds, mutual funds, real estate and small businesses. The book does a good job of pointing out things to avoid and giving tips on various topics.

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Getting Rich is focused on obtaining and growing wealth. Don't let the title throw you, its not a get rich quick scheme. The book covers all the phases of wealth building and I particularly like their 5 stages of wealth.

The Millionaire Next Door is mostly statistics on millionaires. I found it a very interesting read but honestly it doesn't have too much along the lines of advice or plans to help you. The book does a great job of laying out the case for how people who live below their means have the best shot at wealth.

Best of blog posts for week of December 11th

Jim at Bargaineering recommends that you Don’t Buy A Home Within 5 Years of Graduation and I think that is pretty good advice.

Digerati Life cautions against scams with: Heard of Stimulus Grants? Scams Abound

Frank at Bad Money Advice goes into the business of backing the US government: I Will Guarantee Your Treasury Bonds