Bargain Alert: Tax Day Freebies and Deals

I'm sure you've seen the articles about all of the tax day freebies, but I thought I'd post some of the local deals here, as well.

Here's a few courtesy of MSN Money:

• Arby’s: Free curly fries at participating restaurants April 17. For the coupon "like" Arby’s Facebook page.
• Panda Express: You can get a free single serving of Shanghai Steak on April 17 with a coupon from the Facebook page.
• P.F. Chang's: 15% off dine-in and take-out orders April 17. The deal does not include happy hour or P.F. Chang's for Two.
• Sonic: Half-price drinks and slushes all April 17 at participating restaurants.
• Office Depot: The chain is offering up to 5 pounds of free paper shredding and 25 free photocopies (say, of your tax return) through April 16.

And some more that I found while looking around the web, courtesy of The Christian Science Monitor:

• Chevy's Fresh Mex: A tax-free deal. Chevy's will pay sales tax on all meals. 
• Chili’s: Free dessert or appetizer with an adult entrée purchase. Only one coupon is redeemable per table, so it looks like you’ll have to go alone.  You will have to use This coupon.
• IHOP: Kids eat free with a paying adult from 4 pm to 10 pm. Offer valid through  the month of April.
• McDonald’s: Free pie or small cone with purchase of $2.99 or more. Only available at participating locations.

Gluttony will surely make me feel better after writing that check to the IRS...

Bargain Alert: A Couple of Great Dining Deals from LocalGruv

There are a couple of good deals on food available today on LocalGruv.com.  You can get a $10 voucher for $5 to use at Carl's Jr. in Pleasanton, or at Wise Guys Philly Cheesesteaks n' Gyros in Livermore.

Carl's Jr. is always a decent bet in the fast food world, and I have been wanting to try their new Jalapeño Patty Melt.  Click here to get the half off deal for Carl's Jr.

And I'd seen Wise Guys a few times off of the Airway Blvd exit on 580, but I never knew that they served Philly Cheesesteaks.  I'm definitely going to have to give them a try.  Click here to get the half off deal for Wise Guys. (This one is only available today.)

Bargain Alert: $11 for 2 Hours Studio Time, 12" x 12" Canvas and Use of all the Supplies at Sharaku Paintertainment

For the next four days, LocalGruv is offering a voucher for 2 hours of studio time, a 12" by 12" canvas and all the paint and supplies you'll need to create a beautiful painting at Sharaku Paintertainment in Pleasanton.  (Although in my experience, I usually start out feeling like I'm going to paint like Van Gogh, but end up with something that looks like an elephant painted it.  But most people are much more artistic than I am.)  And at $11 you might as well give it a shot, since you couldn't even purchase the supplies you'd need to create a painted canvas for that price, so it's totally worth it. 

Go here to purchase your voucher and see the details of the offer. 

And what's even better, a portion of the proceeds go to The Taylor Family Foundation.

Something Fun: Discover Chocolate Making With a Free Class Today or Sunday

Yelp is having an event called, Yelp's Field Trip and they're offering free classes and experiences throughout the Bay Area.  Unfortunately it's mostly over, but I found this one that sounds really fun: A World of Chocolate at Nuubia Chocolat.  Nuubia Chocolate is located in Pleasanton, and in this free class you'll learn about how Chef du Chocolat, Lionel Clement creates beautiful and delicious chocolate confections with environmentally sensitive ingredients.  And hopefully you'll get to taste some of the delicious treats.

Classes are:

Friday, March 16th at 4:00 PM: click here to RSVP for this class.

Sunday, March 18th at 3:00 PM: click here to RSVP for this class.

Have fun!

Bargain Alert: $16 for a Photo Shoot and 8 Portrait Sheets at The Picture People from Groupon

For the next two days, you can get a Groupon for a photo shoot and 8 portrait sheets from The Picture People for $16.  It's a $144 value, so that's a great deal!  The nearest location that you can redeem this Groupon is at the Stoneridge Mall in Pleasanton, but it's also valid at the Concord and San Mateo locations.

The only downside, to me, is that you can only select one image for all of the printed portrait sheets, which include one 10" x 13", one 8"x 10", four 5"x7"s, ten 4"x6"s and 16 wallets.  But this is perfect if you've been looking for a cheap way to get the first portrait of your little one to send out to the whole family, or if you just need that one great shot for the new family portrait. 

I've never used The Picture People, but I've seen pictures from others who have, and they're always adorable.  I'm tempted to get this deal, but I know I'd want all of the images on a disc as well, and that can be pretty pricey ($150 for the high resolution images on a disc).  But they also have a View & Share CD for $35, which include all of the images in a lower resolution, so that you can share the images online with friends and family.

Get the Groupon here.