Staples is feeling generous this week! Also: how to make a living in an arcade

FREE STUFF FROM STAPLES: This ad is mostly self-explanatory…

I say “mostly” because the cards you get aren’t real Staples gift cards, they’re “ePromo cards” which are only good until September 22. Here’s the link to the Slickdeals thread if you want to dig a little deeper. The recommended approach there is to buy four $50 gift cards in one transaction to get the maximum of four ePromo cards.

(EDIT: Thanks to Frequent Miler for pointing out the software deal you can do for some free points and a few extra dollars. You can combine that deal with the deal above.)

Also from Slickdeals, here are this week’s Staples deals:

• 12-pack BIC Ultra Round Stic Grip Medium Ballpoint Pens (Black) Free after $2.79 Easy Rebate
• 100-pack Staples 3″x5″ Ruled Index Cards $0.01 w/ $5 Purchase
• 2-Pocket Paper Folder (Assorted Colors) $0.01 w/ $5 Purchase
• 8-pack Staples #2 Pencils $0.01 w/ $5 Purchase
• 12-pack Staples Cap Erasers $0.01 w/ $5 Purchase
• 5-Tab Avery Insertable Dividers $0.25
• Staples 8.5″x11.75″ Wide Ruled Perforated Writing Pad $0.50
• Westcott 12″ Finger-Grip Ruler $0.50
• 5-pack BIC 0.7mm Mechanical Pencils $0.50
• 125-count Staples Stickies 1/2″ Tape Flags $0.50
• 10-pack Crayola Classic Markers $0.75
• 7-pack Zebra Z-Grip Retractable Medium Ballpoint Pens $1
• Staples Steel 1-Hole Punch $1
• 5-pack Sharpie Fine Tip Permanent Markers $1
• 5-pack Sharpie Accent Tank Highlighters $1

If you really want to get hard core, somebody figured out how to turn this week’s Staples deals into a $60 money maker.

GAMING THE GAMING SYSTEM: This article is several years old, but a fun read. Apparently somebody figured out one of those ticket-paying games they have at places like Dave and Buster’s and actually made a living from it:

He decided to do the only thing at which he was exceptional: Drill-o-Matic. He’d seen it in arcades elsewhere as a ticket-awarding machine. Those arcades had prize huts with extremely valuable merchandise offered for exorbitant, almost unreachable ticket values. Robert knew how to get them. He knew how to line up the drill to get the 100 ticket payout every single time, as the top prize target was always located in the same space. Doing research that wasn’t fully explained to me, he determined every location that had this machine and, investing in a plane ticket, set out there to empty it of its tickets for as long as they would let him play. He’d redeem the tickets for the most valuable items and sell them on eBay.

In other news, you know that game where you drop the claw down into a pit filled with toys? It’s rigged.

BIG LAW IN BIG TROUBLE: Here’s a slightly less old article from The New Republic reporting on the current law school mess:

In the past decade, twelve major firms with more than 1,000 partners between them have collapsed entirely… And then there are the indignities inflicted on new lawyers, known as associates. The odds are increasingly long that a recent law-school grad will find a job. Five years ago, during a recession, American law schools produced 43,600 graduates and 75 percent had positions as lawyers within nine months. Last year, the numbers were 46,500 and 64 percent. In addition to the emotional toll unemployment exacts, it is often financially ruinous. The average law student graduates $100,000 in debt.

It’s not just the law schools and their grads that are getting squeezed. Harvard et al. may be more popular than ever, but other schools are hurting:

As Loyola University New Orleans gears up for fall classes next month, the 101-year-old Jesuit University faces a crisis: There will be 25% fewer freshmen than the school had banked on.

…School officials were stunned this year by the low fall turnout, and the vice president for enrollment management resigned abruptly in June. Moody’s Investors Service said this month a downgrade is likely in the school’s credit if “the university is unable to improve operations in a relatively short time frame.”

Loyola officials believe a catalyst for the decline was a reduction in financial aid it offered to the incoming class off its $35,504 tuition, from an average discount of 58% last year to about 55% this fall.

AS LONG AS I’M CLEANING OUT OLD ARTICLES: This post from 2007 is the most popular post of all time at The Simple Dollar: Homemade Bread: Cheap, Delicious, Healthy, and Easier Than You Think. The title’s self-explanatory, and I’ll second the sentiment: homemade bread truly is easy, cheap, and delicious. I have my doubts about the healthy part, so I like to use einkorn flour as that seems to have a less detrimental effect on one’s blood sugar. Of course, just about any homemade bread will still probably be healthier than store-bought. If you’ve never baked bread before, I highly recommend giving it a try after you get home from Staples.