Renton, WA

The much hyped big, er Venti, surprise at Starbucks for yesterday, April 8th, turned out to be free samples of coffee. I was unimpressed with this event, and I was unimpressed with the coffee. This does not stop me from buying overpriced coffee drinks, but it wasn’t the great marketing maneuver I was expecting. Starbucks has recently announced a focus on the basics, even closing their stores for training, purchased new improved equipment, and announced $1 coffee, presumably to retain those Dollar Menu customers.

McDonalds, however, is fighting the good fight. I just got an email for a free espresso drink from them, and their marketing plan appears to be mocking “snobbish” coffee. I think that is a good tact for them to take. They also included in the email a coupon for two hours of free wireless access from their restaurants which have a hotspot, to go along with the coffee. If you did not receive such an email, just leave me a comment or use the email link, and I can forward you a copy of my email.

Certainly, hanging out in Starbucks is a world away from hanging out in McDonalds. You do those things on completely different occasions. However, McDonalds has the advantage of a playland in some locations. For example, the Maple Valley location has both a playland and wireless hot spot. I’ve never tested this plan, but theoretically I could have coffee and free wireless Internet access for 2 hours while my kids play, all at no charge. I’ll have to add this to my mental list of free kids’ activities for spring break.

Today’s Friday Freebie is another free website: ebates.com.

It is a lot more frugal to focus simply not spending, rather than trying to find ways to spend money cleverly. However, if and when you order online, you can get rebates from this website, ranging from a few cents to a few dollars. Different websites offer a different percentage, some quite high. Ebates is one of many shopping portals that gives you a percentage of the purchase, in exchange for using them as the referral. It does not interfere with the use of coupons. And it does not matter what payment method you use (for example, a cash-back credit card).

You receive this rebate either by your choice of check or PayPal. The only catch is that there is a significant delay, and your money is sent quarterly if the amount is at least $5. I have earned over $190 since I joined, an undetermined amount of time ago. So it’s not a lot of money, but better than nothing.

Ebates has some software called Moe Money Maker, which you can download to “help” you save money by “remembering” to go through their portal, but it’s pretty bad. I tried to use it, I really did, but it would hijack my browsing in the most annoying way, and many people online think it is spyware. Fortunately, you don’t need to use it.

Generally I feel it is unethical to use referral links in a forum such as this, but I will provide a clearly identified referral link here, because you can get a $5 bonus (as do I) if you sign up this way.

If you have experience with Ebates you would like to share, or would like to suggest a future Friday Freebie, leave me a comment and let me know.

Now for the second installment of the Friday Freebie, my second-favorite freebie of all time. Mozy Online Backups.

The reason I love Mozy is that it is truly set-it and forget-it. I use my laptop for a home business, which makes backups even more critical, but all of us underestimate the importance of our files. Your email, those pictures you just took, and certainly your copy of Quicken. If your last backup was a month ago, that is not much better than no backup. What about the email you received yesterday about that thing you have to do, and do you want to re-enter a month’s worth of transactions into Quicken? I didn’t think so. Mozy can be set to backup daily, or whenever you computer is idle (based on your definition of idle). I don’t need to do anything, and I’ll never loose more than 24 hours worth of information. Data is well-encrypted, and if you would feel better about it, you can even choose your own encryption key.
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It’s that time, time for the Friday Freebie.

It was hard to choose what to do first, since I have several favorite freebies. One that I simply can’t do without is the freeware/shareware Roboform. There are many form fillers available, and basic functionality is built into most browser. The wonderful thing about Roboform is that you can save the settings for a particular form or login screen you need to fill out. For example, when you go to log into the library website at kcls.org you need to enter your library card. I don’t know about you, but this is not one of the numbers I commit to memory. I used to have to go find my library card and type in the numbers. No longer. My Roboform toolbar suggests which information I need (and it’s usually right). Then I just click that button to fill in my kcls login information. I can even save a step by selecting “fill and submit” with a single click.

Think of all the logins and passwords you need to commit to memory or write down. Now imagine saving all of them in the password protected Roboform program. You can login anywhere with a single click.

The free version of Roboform allows a limited number of “passcards” or website forms it will remember. The paid version of Roboform allows an unlimited number. You have nothing to loose by trying the free version, and maybe you can save your 10 most frequent or difficult to remember sets of information. As an avid sweepstakes entrant, I find the unlimited version priceless. Not to mention that I believe in paying shareware fees to people who have earned them by providing a great product. Roboform certainly has done this.

For next Friday Freebie, tune in next week.

If you have read this blog more than a few times, you have probably noticed that I am always interested in “free” stuff. Anything from free kids activities to free seminars in the Renton area will probably show up here. But sometimes there is great free stuff I want to share that isn’t a local event. I have decided to reach a little beyond my blog title and post a Friday Freebie.

The Friday Freebie can be anything I find cool and useful that is free. It might be a website, a great piece of freeware, a really good “free after rebate” offer. There are tons of blogs to show you deals and online shopping bargains. This is not one of them. I’m just going to share a personal favorite freebie on Fridays.

Starting next week.

Those of us who live in Renton probably own lots of IKEA furniture. It’s convenient - or at least nearby - and cheap. Two of my top priorities right now. However, a life filled with IKEA furniture leaves something to be desired. I had no idea there was an entire website dedicated to this topic, but enter … ikeahacker.

To catch up quickly, go to this post on their top 10 IKEA hacks from 2007. You can even vote for your favorite. However, I’m warning you, that browsing the pages will suck you in. And tempt you to make another trip to IKEA. I’m planning on doing one of the cat litter box hacks. But, I’ll just go to the scratch and dent section and see what is there even cheaper, like an odd kitchen cabinet.

The City of Renton has a Housing Repair Assistance Program to help low/moderate income homeowners maintain their homes. Most applications are approved approximately two weeks after all required documents are received by their office. To qualify for free repair services, the homeowner must:

1) Be a homeowner/occupant within the city limits for at least one year
2) Complete the application process
3) Have an income not greater than those listed:
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Almost a year ago, Washington State began offering a prescription drug discount card. The Washington Prescription Drug Program (WDPD for short) is free to all residents. This is not an insurance program, but simply a discount card. At the time this came out, about-rentonwa was not yet in existence, so I was not able to write about it here. My loyal readers - both of you - will have to read the full details in the article I wrote for Associated Content in February of 2007.

This past week was the first time I needed to use the discount card, which I suppose is a good thing. We were out of town when my husband became ill and was prescribed both antibiotics and an anti-inflamatory. In this small town I had the choice of the local pharmacy next to the ER or the Safeway pharmacy. I chose the Safeway pharmacy since I thought they participated in this plan, and fortunately I remembered correctly.

I did not have high hopes for much of a discount, since I figured the card would be worth about what I paid for, but I am happy to report that this discount card really is worthwhile. I don’t have access to the full cost before discount, but the clerk told me I did receive substantial savings. Supposedly, the average discount for generic drugs is 60%, and the average discount for name brand drugs is 20%. It sure seems possible, since I paid $3.70 and $16.20 for the prescriptions. If only the ER visit had been so cheap …

I am a huge fan of Common Sense Media, so I will blatantly steal their list for the year and present it as my own opinion. As long as I give them credit, it’s ok, right?

Books
Kids: Toot & Puddle: Let It Snow, by Holly Hobbie
Tweens: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, by J.K. Rowling
Teens: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie

Theatrical Movie Releases
Kids: Enchanted
Tweens: Stardust
Teens: Juno

DVDs
Kids: Ratatouille
Tweens: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Teens: The Namesake

TV
Kids: Planet Earth
Tweens: High School Musical 2
Teens: Pushing Daisies

Games
Kids: The Jumpstart World Series
Tweens: Super Mario Galaxy
Teens: Rock Band

Music
Kids: Class of 3000: Music Volume One, by Andre 3000
Tweens: Wild Hope, by Mandy Moore
Teens: Into the Wild Soundtrack

Web
Kids: EekoWorld.com
Tweens: KidsHealth.org/kid
Teens: YouthNoise.com

Compiled by:
Betsy Bozdech, Executive Editor, TV and Movies
Carrie Wheadon, Editor, Books and DVDs
Heidi Kotansky, Editor, Web Sites and Music
Jinny Gudmundsen, Editor, Video Games

Does your child like the Seattle Thunderbirds? Here is a unique birthday party idea for a hockey fan, at a reasonable price.

IKEA is offering a Cool Birds birthday package. For $96 you can take two adults and six children (12 & under) to a Thurnderbirds game. You all will be sitting in the Family Friendly No-Alcohol section.

The birthday child receives a souvenir certificate.
A happy birthday greeting for your child will be announced over the loudspeaker and displayed on the scoreboard.
The birthday child receives a birthday card signed by all the Thunderbirds team
Cool Bird visits the birthday party at their seats during the game.

Also, the child receives a $5 IKEA gift card, but I don’t count that as a benefit. Since it is impossible to leave an IKEA store without spending ten times that amount.

To reserve a package, call 206.448.PUCK. Make sure that you arrange 24 hours in advance for the birthday announcements.

You can see some crazy things on local cable. One of these is Renton’s own “magazine tv show” called “The Curve” on Renton’s own channel - channel 21. Yes, Renton has it’s own local cable channel. Cable Channel 21 is the City of Renton’s cable television channel dedicated to government programming 24 hours a day. It combines coverage of local government meetings, community events, an information readerboard, a quarterly magazine program highlighting City services and programs, land use updates, and other information of citizen interest.

I would not go so far as to call The Curve a “must-see” show like they do, but you have to take that with a boulder of salt. That line was written by the same people who in the video call Renton “the center of opportunity in the Pacific Northwest”. I’m not sure what came immediately after that part, since I was lol, but you can download the video from their website if you miss any of the six segments.

A Parallel Universe in Renton; A River Runs Through It; Ready for Take Off?; High Tech Truckin; Meet Me at the Market; and Don’t Open a Small Business (unless you check with them first).

The show is actually somewhat informative, or at least entertaining, so if you are the type to be flipping around in daytime TV, you should check it out. On Channel 21, you can catch “The Curve” at one of the following times:
# Mon, Wed, Fri: 2 a.m., 1 p.m., 5 p.m., and 10 p.m.
# Tues, Thurs: 12:01 a.m., 8 a.m., 3 p.m., and 11 p.m.
# Weekends: 4 a.m., 10 a.m., 3 p.m., and 7 p.m

You can also try local cable channel 77, which is the Puget Sound Access Channel.

Renton residents tired of trekking to Tukwila’s Westfield Shopping Center, formerly known as Southcenter mall, rejoice, the end is near! Renton’s “The Landing” is opening the first of many establishments in a few days. On Sunday October 14th, Target opens its doors. But, Target, PetSmart, Staples, and Starbucks, will not be part of a mall. They will be part of a “lifestyle center“.

The Landing eventually will have 600,000 square feet of retail space, a 14-screen movie theater and nearly 900 apartment units. The theory of a “lifestyle center” is to combine the walk-ability of an urban area with enjoyable outdoor spaces, outdoor seating, and stores accessible from the sidewalk (similar to the much less upscale “strip mall). The best comparison so far constructed in the Seattle area is University Village. Only it has about 1/3 less space. Another example is Redmond Town Center.

Other shopping malls are also updating, in order to stay on the cutting edge of attracting competitive consumption. Alderwood and Northgate have already added open-air additions. Factoria Mall, which was renamed “Marketplace at Factoria” has a $50 million dollar redevelopment budget, to more closely resemble the lifestyle center model, with shops opening onto sidewalks and outdoor gathering places.

In Tukwilla, the Westfield Group thinly veiled their lawsuit by paying local resident Brad Nicholson to sue for concerns regarding The Landing’s effects on traffic and the environment. The suit was settled out of court, and now the Westfield Group will shift their focus to retaining customers who might defect to “The Landing”. They have planned a $240 million renovation of the shopping area formerly known as Southcenter, and expect to add “a wide variety of new retailers and restaurants not currently found in South King County.”

I’m not sure that Southcenter has even finished their current renovation process yet. The ostentatious glamor of Vegas casinos displays shows the cynical how immensely profitable they must be. Apparently, even in our current economy, shopping malls, er excuse me “lifestyle centers”, are also immensely profitable. Or maybe they are making them pretty for us out of the kindness of their hearts. Nah, they’re immensely profitable.

Free public tours of Renton’s Valley Medical Center’s recently redesigned Birth Center are conducted on the second and fourth Sunday of every month at 1PM. There is no charge, just show up and be shown around.

Fairwood is a nice neighborhood, but like many, we have a problem. Being part of unincorporated King County seems like just a technicality, but it presents some problems. In short, the County wants all the urban unincorporated areas out of its hair. By 2012 all such areas are “strongly encouraged” to either incorporate into our own city, or annex to an existing city. For Fairwood, which has a Renton address but sends kids to Kent School District, the most likely annexation option appears to be Renton.

However, many people favor incorporating into a city of Fairwood, as evidenced by the recent vote where the incorporation proposal narrowly failed. Although it failed, the issue is not yet dead. Heated debate continues.

The main criticism levied by those who supported annexation towards the idea of incorporation was that snobbery (not wanting to annex to gasp! Renton) was pushing them to create a city which couldn’t support itself. Other than the Fairwood Shopping Center at 140th and Petrovitsky, there would not be a large tax base of businesses relative to the number of residents. But, an amazing change has taken place in the law …

With a change of a few words, sales tax revenue is now routed to the destination city where goods are delivered. Thus, your purchases from an internet retailer like Amazon, or your furniture delivery from a warehouse in Tukwila, will cause the sales tax revenue to go to your home city. Suddenly, in “Virtual Fairwood“, we have a larger tax base.

So, while signs sprout up supporting annexation to Renton, at the same time the Fairwood Municipal Initiative works to create a new feasibility study, hearings, and get the issue on the ballot by late 2008 or early 2009.

Do you have any thoughts on the possible Fairwood incorporation, or annexation to Renton? Leave me a comment, and let me know.

BoA has increased their ATM fee for non-customers from $2 to $3 in most locations. This may not seem like much, but consider it as a percentage. You may be paying a fee of 10% or more to get your cash. So it pays (literally) to find out in advance which ATM along your normal route and neighborhood has no fee to use.

A great way to get cash without a fee is to buy something with your debit, and when prompted increase the charge to get cash back. Most grocery stores and drugstores let you do this. You can get cash back with your debit card at the same kind of places that back in the day let you write a check for greater than the total and get cash back — does anyone still do this? If you find it embarrassing to get $40 cash back when you buy a pack of gum, go through self-checkout.