I was in Sylva, N.C. yesterday working on a magazine article and felt like I was deep in the bowels of Florida. The blistering heat made me feel as if I was in a furnace.
Good FREE news for those suffering from the heat: Eblen-Kimmel Charities in Asheville are giving away fans at its office at 50 Westgate Parkway in Asheville. Hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. For details of the giveaway, call them at 828-255-3066.
The Buncombe County Council on Aging is also providing free fans to people over the age of 60, or those under 60 who have a disability. Their number: 828-277-8288.
A brand new year, and this blog is back in business! We’re energized that the February issue of Woman’s Day Magazine tips its hat to CitiesOnTheCheap.com, a national hub of On The Cheap Websites, of which WNC On The Cheap is affiliated.
This site has been in hiatus after my 12-year-old son was diagnosed with a pituitary brain tumor. Miracles still occur, even in 2009, and the tumor shrunk, the craniotomy was cancelled, and an endocrinologist is controlling the tumor with a pill.
Now I can turn my attention back to this blog. It will be back in full force by the beginning of 2010!
This blog will not be updated frequently by me in next few weeks as I concentrate my focus on my son. In mid-August, an MRI revealed a small tumor near his pituitary gland. Doctors are 80% sure it is a craniopharyngioma, a benign, slow-growing tumor. A pediatric neurosurgeon is scheduled to remove it on October 13. Prayers appreciated.
A HUGE THANKS to Jody Mace at Charlotte on the Cheap for adding posts to this blog! I am very appreciative
If you are looking for kids clothes, toys, accessories, baby gear and other items on the cheap, the WNC Ag Center is the place to be this weekend for the semi-annual WEE TRADE event!
The sale opens to the public on Friday, August 7 at 8 a.m. Hours are 8 to 6 p.m. on August 7, 8 a.m to 5 p.m. on August 8, and 12 to 4 p.m. on Sunday, August 9 when ALL PRICES DROP TO 1/2.
The great organizers of this event, Nina Miller and Rita London, have given me a pre-sale guest pass good THURSDAY, AUGUST 6 from 7 to 9. I’m passing it along to a WNC ON THE CHEAP reader.
Here’s what you need to do:
1. FOLLOW @WNCCHEAP ON TWITTER
2. RT MY TWEET ABOUT THE WEE TRADE EVENT.
3. USE HASHTAG #weetradenc to tell me why you’d love a chance to shop for bargains EARLY!
A rude awakening in my email box this morning. Amazon’s Affiliate Program may soon be a thing of the past in North Carolina. As you can see on this blog, we *currently* are part of the Amazon Affiliate Program, so this is particularly distressing news for WNC On The Cheap.
The letter from Amazon.com follows:
“We regret to inform you that the North Carolina state legislature (the General Assembly) appears ready to enact an unconstitutional tax collection scheme that would leave Amazon.com little choice but to end its relationships with North Carolina-based Associates. You are receiving this e-mail because our records indicate that you are an Amazon Associate and resident of North Carolina.Please note that this is not an immediate termination notice and you are still a valued participant in the Associates Program. All referral fees earned on qualified traffic will continue to be paid as planned.
But because the new law is drafted to go into effect once enacted – which could happen in the next two weeks – we will have to terminate the participation of all North Carolina residents in the Amazon Associates program on or before that same day. After the termination day, we will no longer pay any referral fees for customers referred to Amazon.com or Endless.com nor will we accept new applications for the Associates program from North Carolina residents.
The unfortunate consequences of this legislation on North Carolina residents like you were explained in detail to key senators and representatives in Raleigh, including the leadership of the Senate, House, and both chambers’ finance committees. Other states, including Maryland, Minnesota, and Tennessee, considered nearly identical schemes, but rejected these proposals largely because of the adverse impact on their states’ residents.
The North Carolina General Assembly’s website is http://www.ncleg.net/, and additional information may be obtained from the Performance Marketing Alliance at http://www.performancemarketingalliance.com/.
We thank you for being part of the Amazon Associates program, and we will apprise you of the General Assembly’s action on this matter. ”
Sincerely,
Amazon.com
Check #ncaffiliatetax on Twitter for the discussion on this depressing news.
Yes, this blog is normally devoted to free deals and discounts in WNC. I am veering off-topic tonight because of something I witnessed while attending a Boy Scout award ceremony in Asheville. At the reception, dozens of empty 2-liter plastic bottles were simply tossed in the trash. I was deeply concerned that they were not teaching the boy scouts recycling, but really it doesn’t matter that they were boy scouts, we ALL should be recycling.
Twitter pal @bkorzeniewski alerted me to a law that will go into effect in N.C. beginning October 1, 2009. This law will make it illegal to toss plastic bottles in the trash. Read WRAL’s story about this new law here.
If we don’t take care of the environment, who will?
A big thumbs up to Barnes & Noble. The company is providing a great incentive for kids to keep reading this summer. All they have to do is read eight books of their choosing to receive a free book from a Barnes & Noble store. Kids will write down their favorite parts on a Summer Reading Journal and have parents sign to verify they read the books. Then they’ll take the signed journal to any B&N by September 7, 2009 to receive a free book from a selected list of paperback titles. The offer is limited to one free book per child (grades 1 - 6). All the details are here.
Thanks to reporter John Le of WLOS-TV in Asheville for featuring WNCOnTheCheap. His package ran in the 5:30 newscast and a vosot at 6.
And.. tune in tomorrow at 7:20 a.m. to Ken and Tammy’s morning show on WOXL-FM Mix 96.5 to hear about some of the bargains on WNCOnTheCheap.
Plus.. you can follow John Le @absolutele on Twitter, and follow Ken and Tammy @kenandtammy Watch for their tweets offering some really great prizes, including a stay at Asheville’s Grove Park Inn!
I have a sample camp pillowcase from a PR agency touting their client’s products. It features a camp-themed print and a red border that’s embroidered with “Amanda There’s no place like camp!”
FREE to the first one who wants it. Send me a tweet or DM on Twitter.. @wnccheap and I’ll send it to you.
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June 24, 2010 7:30 am | 
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