I spotted a nice deal from Home Depot for cases of Air Filters at 50% off. I confess, in asking my husband what we should order, I realized I didn’t know much about air filters at all. After seeing that the price for a case of 12 can vary drastically from $17 up to $100 or more, I spent some time researching how to get the most bang for my buck.
Here’s what I found so we can all make more informed decisions when stocking up on air filters:
Air Filter Size
The easiest way to find out what size you need is to go check the one you have right now. I wrote it down and emailed it to myself just in case I ever forget. Now I can look it up instead of going back through the trouble. This is especially important if your AC unit is in an out of the way place like a crawl space or basement.
FPR Rating
In doing my homework, I learned that you could sort the air filters by their FPR rating, but apparently this is a metric that Home Depot uses try to compare the products. It really doesn’t mean a whole lot though and you are better off choosing based on the MERV index.
MERV Rating
Merv stands for minimum efficiency reporting value. This is the industry rating that tells you the level of filtering you can expect. The higher the number, the more efficient it is at removing particles from the air. The scale is 1-16.
Anything above an 8 is considered a “commercial” application so don’t let them up-sell you on a more expensive filter with a MERV of 12 because it’s not really going to do much for you.
I needed a 16x25x1 air filter and there were 15 options to choose from on HomeDepot.com. After comparing the price per filter to the MERV and FPR ratings, I found that although the price seemed to go up with FPR rating, the MERV ratings on most of the filters are actually the same… I could choose a MERV 6 for $3 a filter or a MERV 11 for $5-$8 per filter. I’ll let you guess which one I picked!
Do you have any tips for how to choose an air filter?
Today, 5/6, you can get FREE Shipping from OshKosh B’gosh & Carter’s! Use the coupon code FSTODAY.
This is a great way to take advantage of their current sales and clearance deals!
Deal Ideas:
Carter’s Snap-Up and Play PJ’s, $8 (reg. $16)
Carter’s Tunic, $8.80 (reg. $22)
OshKosh Graphic Tee, $7 (reg. $18)
OshKosh Denim Overalls, $12.99 (reg. $38)
Free shipping is available today, 5/6, only.
See more online shopping deals.
Discount Mags has a great deal available on Handyman Magazine! You can get a one year subscription for $4.99, making it 45¢ ea.
Use the coupon code SOUTHERNSAVE to get the deal. The subscription also includes digital access.
The deal is available today, 5/6, only.
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If you need to get stocked up on cosmetics, check out these great ELF deals! You can get (5) FREE studio brushes for FREE with a $25 purchase.
The brushes are normally $3 each, so this is a great deal. You can get any (5) of the $3 brushes.
Deal Ideas:
144 Piece Eyeshadow Set, $15 (reg. $30)
Luscious Lip Gloss, $1
Nail Polish Set, $5
Baked Blush, $3
To make it an even better deal, you can get a FREE Subscription to Glamour Magazine or rebate for $14.95 with a $30 purchase.
Shipping is $6.95. The deal ends 5/6.
See more online shopping deals.
Today, 5/5, only there is a great The Body Shop sale. With the sale you B2G2 or B3G3 on almost the entire site!
If you bought the recent Groupon, this is a great chance to use it!
The offer excludes $5 shower gels, online outlet items, pre-boxed gift sets, gift cards, and Love Your Body memberships.
Deal Ideas:
Almond Conditioning Hand Wash, $5 (reg. $10)
Body Butter, $10 (reg. $20)
Mini Shower Gel, $2 (reg. $4)
Shipping is $5.95 or FREE with a $50 purchase. The sale ends today, 5/5.
See more online shopping deals.
There is a new Hallmark printable coupon for $5 off a $10 purchase. This is a great way to grab gifts for Mother’s Day!
They have a ton of special gift options. I love their Recordable Storybooks.
The coupon expires 5/12/13.
See more online shopping deals.
Today only, there is a 20% off Living Social promo code available. You can get 20% off any purchase under $100. Use the coupon code LSLOVE.
Deal Ideas:
ProFlowers, $15 for a $30 Voucher
Shari’s Berries, $15 for a $30 Voucher
Picture Bungalow Print on Wood or Metal, $29
There is a one time use of the code per credit card.
The code ends today, 5/5.
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Discount Mags has a great deal on Digital Photo magazine today! You can get a subscription for $4.99 when you use the coupon code SOUTHERNSAVE.
This is a great magazine if you have been wanting to get more into photography. It has tons of helpful tips to really have your enhance your photos.
The deal is valid today, 5/5, only.
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I’m so excited about everything we have in store for Becoming this year! If you haven’t heard me mention it before, Becoming is a conference that I co-host with Jen from Balancing Beauty & Bedlam that is strictly for you. This conference is for women who want to get away for a night and learn all sorts of things from painting furniture, photography, crafting, to being more frugal. We would love for you to join us August 9-10th in Asheville, North Carolina.
This year we are bringing in 8 new speakers and 10 new session topics! I know the problem already was trying to figure out how to get to all the sessions you want, so we are adding one more session time during the conference plus 5 new HANDS ON workshops before the conference starts!!
The main conference (not including hands-on early workshops) is right around $100 per person. The includes your room and all meals! Our goal is to make it as affordable as possible so everyone can join us. The price is based on two people in a room, if you want to get it cheaper just bring more friends!
We are still working on the full agenda, but for now here are all the speakers for this year:
- Jen Schmidt: Balancing Beauty and Bedlam – Our resident budgeting and thrifting queen.
- *Jenny Martin: Southern Savers – (that’s me)
- Barbara Hemphill: An organizational guru will be giving our Keynote address on cutting clutter
- Christy Jordan from Southern Plate – The sweetest, funniest, and yummiest cook I know!
- Marian, aka Miss Mustard Seed, – Amazing home decor, painting, and inspiration. She is also published so check her out early if you want.
- *Angela Statzer of Button Bird Designs – Crafter Extraordinaire and Trash to Treasure Maven
- Rachel Van Eerden, Purposeful Mothering – Mother of 11, Homeschool Teacher, Wife, and all around inspiring lady
- Ruth Soukup of Living Well Spending Less and Edie Wadsworth of life{in}grace – Hospitality and Party Planning on a Budget
- *Annie Omar of Maison Blanch Paint. – Teaching everything you want to know about painting furniture and walls.
- Sisters, Courtney Brown and Brennan Lau from Cents of Style: Dress and Accessorize like a Million Bucks without having to spend it.
- *Dawn Camp of My Home Sweet Home – Creating Family Heirlooms through Pictures.
*Starred speakers are also teaching an optional hands on workshop before the conference starts. Learn cake decorating, paint your own piece of furniture, get one-on-one photography help, and more. Head over and check out all the optional workshops available.
Are you excited yet?
We sure hope you can join us! It’s going to be a wonderful weekend.
Ticket Registration opens Tuesday at 9 am for new attendees, but past guests may register now. We can not guarantee how long tickets will be available, since there is the possibility they may sell out.
To Register: Please check out the price breakdown and all the details found at the Becoming site.
