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Sunday, December 30, 2007

Coldwater Creek Sitewide 70% Off Coupon Code till January 2nd

I always like saving offers that are good for an entire store as opposed to just selected items... makes me feel like I can really go shopping for what would already be good bargains and then tack on the extra savings to make them awesome deals.

Now through January 2nd, Coldwater Creek is offering 70% off on all orders placed on their site. It's good for all items, even those in the outlet or clearance. They have a wide variety of women's clothing plus jewelry and shoes, but also have items for the home as well. There's a code of WLH4178 you can enter at checkout which should work, and I received an e-mail link that also said you could use SALE70 at checkout.

The site will have a banner that says everything is 60% off, but with these codes, the discount becomes 70%.

And if you want to make an even better deal for yourself, use ebates to access the site first and ebates will credit you 4% of your purchase into your ebates account. If you haven't registered yet for ebates, you can click here. They give you a $5 credit just for enrolling and you can get great extra savings at on-line stores.

Once you've registered at ebates, look at their list of stores and you'll see Coldwater Creek and 4%. If you click on that it will open up an ebates tracking ticket and then take you right to the Coldwater Creek website. You don't have to send in any receipts or vouchers for ebates, the order/credit is automatically tracked and credited on-line after you complete your transaction.

Ebates. Combine it with the promotion at Coldwater Creek and watch the savings pile up!

Spider-Man Moving/Talking Figure $5.97 Shipped

A few weeks back there was a deal on a Hannah Montana Singing Figure... now for the other side of the aisle...

Spider-Man fans might be thrilled to have a talking and moving figure of the Amazing Superhero. Walmart.com is offering the Spider-Man 3 figure for $5.00 and shipping is just an added 97 cents! Cool!

The highly detailed, articulated figure is over 14" tall and includes a base stand. It also comes with a remote control that can activate realistic body movement action, Spider-Man's voice and authentic Spidey sound effects!

This is a clearance so I don't know how long it will last... but Spider-Man never goes out of style, does he?

Here's the link.

Get one and get in touch with your inner Spider...

Saturday, December 29, 2007

Free Bus Trips! YES! FREE!!! Hurry before they're gone!

Not much beats FREE when it comes to travel. Megabus, a new bus line, is giving away 100,000 free trips on its buses to the first people who reserve trips... no kidding! You use the promo code WIN2008 on the reservation page to try and get one of the free deals.

For travel January 16th until March 11th, they will provide fares of ZERO to the first people who book on various routes. But once the free route tickets are sold, they'll still offer big discounts for other seats on those routes starting at $1 each way...

They serve a number of major U.S. cities, including Ann Arbor, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Detroit, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Millbrae, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Normal, Oakland, Phoenix, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose, San Ysidro, St. Louis, Tempe and Toledo.

Megabus was based in Scotland and expanded into the U.S. recently. Their buses feature air conditioning (OK, maybe not that big a deal in winter), bathrooms, reclining seats and express service to each specified destination.

Just to see if this is for real (I don't live near these cities so I couldn't get this for myself) I tried to book San Jose to Los Angeles going on January 30 and returning February 7th. The fare actually came back as ZERO!

I'm sure word of this will spread quickly, so if you want to see if you can book a free trip, visit Megabus post haste! You can book up to 45 days before travel, so some of the February and March dates wouldn't be something you could reserve for now... so save this code if you want to take a trip more than 45 days from now.

Here's a link, and don't forget to use the code WIN2008.

40% Off Coupon Till January 1st for One Book at Barnes & Noble

If you are looking for a good book to read during the new year, Barnes & Noble is offering 40% off on one book bought on-line if you use your MasterCard. The coupon is valid until January 1st. You don't have to be a member of Barnes & Noble to use the coupon, but if you are a member, the 40% off is in addition to your member's discount.

The coupon code is X8X9X3K and for use at bn.com (not in their retail stores). It is applied to just one book, but if you order more than one book, the 40% comes off the most expensive one.

Click here for the offer.

So if there's a book that's on your reading list, why not end the old year saving a bit of dough?

Friday, December 28, 2007

Restaurant.com Promo Code 70% Off! Valid Until December 31st Plus Bonus $15 Credit at deLaFlowers.com

Well, if restaurant.com had a promo code leading up to Christmas, you had to figure they'd have one leading up to New Year's Eve...

The promo code is COUNTDOWN, and if you apply it in your shopping cart you get your gift certifcate(s) at 70% off! So a $25 certificate, usually $10 would be reduced to just $3.00! Yes, $25 of dining credit for just $3.00. The $10 certificates (generally redeemable at lunch times) which typically run $3 at normal prices, would now be reduced to just 90 cents!!!

As an added bonus, after you complete your order you are given a link which entitles you to a $15 credit on an order placed at deLaFlowers.com. You have to use that link to get the credit applied to an order.

Certificates are valid for a year after purchase and you can get several for a particular restaurant; you just can only use one at that restaurant per month. The certificates are labeled with any restrictions (i.e. number of entrees, minimum check amount etc.) but if you are planning an evening out for two you'd probably meet those restrictions fairly easily.

So take a run over to restaurant.com and find a bunch of new places to try or maybe an old favorite you can visit again... (and maybe have that extra appetizer or dessert with the savings). Or if you're traveling somewhere this coming year, pick up some certificates so you can dine out more easily (and use the savings to enjoy some extra activities on your trip). Don't forget those kids going back to college in January: maybe there are some nice restaurants in their college town so they can get a break from dorm food every so often. If you want to make a gift and don't want to pick the specific restaurant you can send a certificate that lets the recipient pick the restaurant. They even have a 'Dinner of the Month' club that sends certificates each month so the recipient can choose an evening out every month. The possibilities are endless.

Don't forget to hit the 'apply' button after you enter the promo code at checkout, so you see the discount applied to your order. You should see the link for the deLaFlowers site after you've finished with payment and they issue the verification screen.

Mangia, mangia!

Want a Custom-Designed Flavor of Tea? Try a Free Sample of YOUR OWN Blend!

Design-a-Tea is a service that makes custom blends of teas, with a wide variety of flavors possible. Customers get to choose the base of tea from black tea, oolong, green tea or roiboos. Then they can select two different flavors from a very large selection of fruits, herbs and other flavors. They then produce the results for your own custom blend.

The flavorings are all natural and certified organic, and Design-a-Tea works with tea growers who are Fair-Trade-Certified as well, so you can feel good about the tea you get.

But before you buy a batch, wouldn't it be nice to get a sample (or two)? If you'd like to see if they can design a tea that satisfies your deepest cravings, you can see whether your dream blend does the trick.

Here's the link to their sample offer.

If you're a tea lover, wouldn't it be great to have your own special tea? Couldn't hurt to try...

Non-Stop Service from Los Angeles to London Heathrow from $444 Roundtrip for Spring Travel

Air France has announced new non-stop service from Los Angeles (LAX) to London, England (Heathrow - LHR) with a special introductory pricing of $222 each way! That's about as good as you can find deals from the East Coast, and you get the benefit of not stopping on the East Coast, changing planes, re-checking luggage, yada yada yada. So with the right dates you can get a roundtrip for $444! Of course, as with all airfares, those prices don't include airport and security fees, but one of the advantages of taking the non-stop is that you don't pay airport fees for multiple airports (the fares do include fuel surcharges, so at least that's not extra!).

AF061 and AF060 are the flights that go non-stop.

The introductory fare is valid for flights between March 3oth and May 24th, 2008. The lowest fares are for travel Mondays through Wednesdays; Thursdays through Sundays are slightly higher (about $30 each way). You have to stay over at least one Sunday, and there's a maximum stay of one month. You have to purchase these tickets by January 20th to get this low, low price.

The best dates will probably fill up quickly, so if you're in (or near) LA and want to take that European adventure, this may be a deal worth investigating!

And don't forget, once you get to England, you can tack on flights to other European destinations and make it more of a whirlwind tour. If you want to find discount airlines that would fly you from London elsewhere in Europe, you might want to check flylc.com. Read my blog post on their discount airline search.

Click to check Los Angeles to London Heathrow Non-Stop from $222 Each Way!

Thursday, December 27, 2007

Black & Decker Kitchen Appliances $29.99 and Receive a $25 Gift Card

Linens 'n Things is offering five Black and Decker home appliances for sale at $29.99, and they have a promotion for a $25 gift card for each item you purchase. The offer is valid for purchases made until January 9th. It's not quite like getting the item for $4.99 but if you would be shopping at Linens 'n Things down the line, it's close.

The items are: a ProBlend 12-speed blender, a SmartBrew 12-cup digital coffeemaker, a 4-slice toaster-oven, a Cyclonic dustbuster and a Press 'n Dress iron.

You can get a card for buying each of the items so up to $125 in gift cards could be claimed. The promotion details indicate no coupons can be used with this purchase. Also note that the gift cards are valid for four months after they're issued.

If you want to look at the five appliances and see more details, here's the link.

May be a nice way to update some of those small appliances with a bonus thrown in.

Wednesday, December 26, 2007

HD DVD Sale: Buy One Get One Free!

Did you get a new HD DVD player for Christmas? Or a game system that plays HD DVDs? Or did you already have one and want to expand your collection of movies?

Amazon.com is offering a buy-one-get-the-second-one-free deal on High-Definition DVDs. They have a nice list of titles available with this promotion, and many of them are on sale from the regular price, so your savings are going even further! They have the Harry Potter movies reduced from $29.99 to $19.99, so the total for two would normally be $59.90 but is now $19.99! You could actually get four Harry Potter movies for $39.90!!! Other movies like The Mummy and many others. Take a look below if you want to see their list.

HD DVDs Buy One Get One Free!

Enjoy the higher definition seeing these movies all over again!

Bill Murray Fans: Three Film DVD Pack $6.98!

If you're a fan of Bill Murray (or know someone who is) you may want to take a run over to deepdiscount.com. They are taking pre-orders for a three-pack of his very funny movies: Stripes, Ghostbusters and Groundhog Day. The price for all three combined? Just $6.98. With free shipping!

It's the widescreen version and is scheduled for release January 11th, so you would have it well before Groundhog Day comes along...

Click here for the deal.

Laughter is the best medicine...

Get an iPod? Here's a Travel Kit - All Your Cables, Chargers, Headphones in One Kit for $15.95

Any of you get iPods yesterday? (Not me, I'm a Zune dude... but...) To get the most out of your iPod you want to be able to use it in a variety of travels to keep it charged and connected. Even have a way to have someone listen together with you.

Buy.com has a sale on an iPod compatible retractable travel kit, reduced from $70.47 down to just $15.95 -- and with free shipping as well.

The kit features a convenient way to carry all the cables you need for your Apple iPod player, eliminating the mess of tangled cables. Always have the connection you need, wherever you go.

It has a travel charger, a car charger and a firewire charging cable, as well as a USB sync cable and headphones, as well as a Headphone Splitter and a 3.5mm Stereo Audio Cable (2m). Just about everything you could need to enjoy your iPod wherever you might take it. And it's all in a handy travel case so it all stays organized in one spot.

The price looks nice for a good variety of accessories that'll come in handy so if you want to check it out, click on the picture of the kit below.

iPod Compatible Travel Kit Plus Includes Travel Charger, Car Charger, Headphone Splitter, USB Sync Cable, Headphones, Firewire Charging Cable, 3.5mm Stereo Au

Tuesday, December 25, 2007

More Chances to Escape the Cold - Spirit Airlines $18 Roundtrips Atlantic City or New York to Florida, NYC to Myrtle Beach Too!

Wouldn't a break from winter's cold be nice? Do something to boost your spirits? My wife and I took a quick three-day trip to Florida in mid-December and I can't tell you how bizarrely invigorating it was to dip our toes in the Atlantic Ocean on a sandy beach a day after being in freezing temperatures up north.

Spirit Airlines has their latest fare announcement out, with fares you have to purchase by midnight, December 26th. Highlights are the New York City and Atlantic City flights to Florida for $9. A good number of January dates are available, so if you can combine the two, you could make a quick inexpensive getaway... $18!

New York to Myrtle Beach also has some dates available at a great fare again, so if these locations are on your horizon, why not give yourself a quick break?

Click here for the latest list of Spirit's sale fares. Good luck, and hurry if you're interested as I'm sure demand for these will make them sell out quickly.

Bon voyage!

Monday, December 24, 2007

Free Buffet Meal at Old Country Buffet

If you're looking for an evening out and are a fan of Old Country Buffet (or would like to give it a try), they are offering a free buffet just for joining their on-line club. They send you offers for Birthday and Anniversary coupons, previews of special offers and the like.

When I sign up for things like on-line clubs I usually use a secondary free e-mail service like yahoo or hotmail so my regular personal e-mail box doesn't get bogged down with commercial e-mails.

Click here for the spot to join.

A free buffet... yum!

Sunday, December 23, 2007

Use On-line Tools for Last-Minute In-Store Shopping

By now, it's a little too late for on-line orders to be delivered in time for Christmas, so if you still have shopping to do, you'll probably be doing it in stores. That doesn't mean that on-line can't help you. Before you head out shopping, you can still do a little on-line research to help you get the best deal.

One way is to shop on-line for in-store pickup. Many sites have better prices on the Internet than they have for the product in the store. Some of the major dealers allow you to place the purchase on-line and see if the item is in stock at a local store to go pick it up. Electronics stores like Circuit City are big on this. But so are other types of stores like Sears. So if you are shopping for a particular item you can still do some checking to see if has any Internet pricing (along with any on-line coupon codes etc.) to land the best deal before you set foot in the store.

Another way to use the Internet is to check whether the stores you're planning to visit have any printable coupons valid for in-store use. Although coupons are plentiful for various vendors on the Internet, sometimes the coupons are also valid for use in the store as well. You can do a Google search of a store's name and "printable coupon" and see if anything pops up.

You can certainly use price comparison sites such as pricegrabber.com to see what sellers might have the best price for an item. It might help you pick one store over another, if you really see a price break somewhere. It's not unusual for one vendor to cut a price on a particular model at a different time than other sellers, so sometimes it can be a significant difference.

Price-matching policies can also come in handy. Many major stores offer some type of price-matching. This can be handy if you're located close to one major seller and others would be more of a hike. If the one near you price matches its competitors, you can do a search of all the competitors and bring the best price you find to the store that's closest. If you show them the lower price, they should offer to match it (or for some stores' policies they'll even offer to beat it). In this case the specific model/item must be an exact match, so this works when you know the specific item for which you're looking.

Don't forget about possible price-matching after the fact -- some sellers offer to match a better price if you find it lower within some time after the sale, so hold onto receipts and maybe check on some of those items a couple of days after the holidays to see if a better/lower price is being offered. Hey, a refund of a price difference is nothing to be sneezed at either.

Finally, if you know someone wants a type of item and you're not sure of which make/model is the best fit (i.e. a 7-megapixel digital camera), you can type "7 megapixel camera reviews" into a google search box and you may come up with a variety of sources to read on what's the best value for that person on your shopping list (or for yourself if you're looking for one). Internet reviews can be taken with a grain of salt, but if models have a preponderance of good reviews from both a technical source such as a magazine as well as from most of the users, you can have a bit more confidence in the product.

Good luck with all your last-minute shopping!

Saturday, December 22, 2007

Kingston 2GB SD Card $13.95 w/ Free Shipping

With all the digital cameras and other devices being bought and given this holiday season, a lot of people might be looking for good-capacity memory cards... a lot of devices only come with bare-minimum cards. But if people are going to be taking lots of pictures, or loading lots of music files, or whatever, a 2GB card would offer tons more capacity.

Right now, buy.com has cut the price of the Kingston 2GB SD card to $13.95, with free shipping. That's probably about half the price you'd expect to find if you found them in the store.

So if you have a digital device and could use a boost in capacity, you can see if this will do the trick. Just click on the picture of the card and check it out.
Kingston 2GB Secure Digital Card

Spirit Airlines $18 Roundtrips on Certain Dates If You Book Today! Even a Roundtrip Los Angeles/ Fort Lauderdale -- or Detroit/Cancun!!!

Spirit Airlines is back with another round of dates with fares as low as $9 each way between some of their city pairs. Atlantic City has flights on certain dates to Tampa, Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Orlando and Myrtle Beach for $9, and if you can combine the dates with dates from those cities when it's also $9, you've created an $18 roundtrip!

Fort Lauderdale and Los Angeles can even be gotten for an $18 roundtrip. Are you kidding me?

You can fly from Detroit to Cancun for $9 on certain dates; Detroit also has a bunch to Florida, and you can do Detroit to Los Angeles for just $29!

Atlanta also has some dates to Orlando and Fort Lauderdale. New York LaGuardia has Myrtle Beach and Detroit as low $9 fares.

Most of the travel is for assorted dates in January and February. If these destinations are on your horizon, hurry over and check if you can make the dates work for you.

Security/airport fees still get tacked on, as for any flight. And be advised that Spirit charges for checking baggage and for any drinks/snacks beyond water on its flights... it's a discount airline but based on my travels, they do a good job at what they do.

Click here for a list of the dates/fares... but hurry!!! They're sure to go and the deadline is midnight tonight!

High-End Noise-Canceling Headshones 75% Off

A week ago, I wrote about my "faux-business-class" kit for more comfortable air travel. One of the essential items was noise-canceling headphones. They make an amazing difference in shutting out the noise of airplane engines and other sounds so you really can be more comfortable. If you haven't tried them, I think you would be pleasantly surprised.

I had gotten a pair of Logitech headphones, which were quite good, especially compared to the cheap no-name ones I had originally tried to see if there was any validity to noise-canceling claims.

Everyone acknowledges Bose as the head-of-the-class, but as I wrote, I didn't think you could justify spending $300 for a pair of these unless you're a real frequent flyer. The Logitech seemed like a nice middle-of-the-road compromise and were satisfactory but didn't blow me away.

In my deal-searching today, I ran across the Jabra C820S headphones -- based on the reviews, these seem much closer to the Bose in terms of the effectiveness of the noise reduction, and people seem to comment positively about the comfort. Some reviewers say they wore them on 13-hour flights without a problem. The Logitechs weren't UNcomfortable but after a while (about three hours) they did seem to create a bit of pressure.

But right now, buy.com has cut the price of the Jabra to just 1/4 of the regular price, so instead of $199.99 you pay $49.99. Update January 2nd: the price is now $53.99. That's just a bit more than the special deal that I found on the Logitech.

So if you have occasion to travel on planes every so often (or could use noise-canceling headphones in other places like a noisy office, construction site etc.), you may want to try and get these while they're on sale and in stock. Buy.com's listing says they're limited quantity and I already grabbed one myself so you may want to hurry!

To check on the details, read the specs and reviews and see if they're right for you, just click on the headphones!
Jabra C820s Active Noise Cancellation Headphone

Friday, December 21, 2007

Free E-Cards from Your Photos! Or Your Videos or Music too! In Time for Christmas!

If you're like me, you're way behind the curve sending out cards. You'd like to take the time but the holidays are approaching too fast. And if you're like me, you've also sent people e-cards in the past, with a bit of a personalized written message but still something of a cookie-cutter card.

How about sending e-cards that you can personalize with your own photos? Free!

They can even include videos... and your own music too!

Wouldn't you like your e-card recipient to see your smiling face (or the beaming smiles of your children, their grandchildren, nieces and nephews)?

Smilebox offers a way to upload photos into e-cards so your Christmas greetings can still be delivered on time even if you haven't gotten a paper card in the mail by now.

They also offer ways to make your photos into postcards, scrapbooks and slideshows. But with Christmas bearing down, I wanted to concentrate on e-cards for now.

Visit Smilebox.com and create amazing greetings with your photos, videos, and music. Email them free.

Brighten someone's holiday with the pictures you know they'll love to see!

Restaurant.com Promo Code 70% Off!

It's the most wonderful time of the year...

Restaurant.com is offering a promotion code for 70% their dining certificates. That's the lowest straight discount I've ever seen from them. Unlike the most recent promo codes, there's no added bonus of an extra gift certificate at checkout. But 70% off on a gift certificate that already includes a great discount on dining can add up to great savings for an evening out at a favorite or new restaurant.

With the code, a $25 dining certificate, normally $10, is just $3.00! That's $25 of dining credit for $3.00! Seriously! And for restaurants that have $10 certificates (often valid for lunch time), normally $3.00 are now down to 90 cents!

If you've read my earliest posts on restaurant.com, you know that the certificates usually have some conditions (i.e. minimum check amount of $35 or minimum 2 entrees), but I think in most cases they're reasonable and achievable if you go out with someone to a restaurant.

The certificates are delivered on-line so you print them at home. That's great if you're still looking for last-minute gifts... no waiting for shipping.

So here's the code, valid until December 25th: GIFTS

Remember to click 'apply' after you enter the code and you'll see the discount applied to your shopping cart.

Thursday, December 20, 2007

Tabletop Lever-Style Corkscrew $6.99 After Rebate, and Includes Free Shipping!

Rather than fumbling with old style corkscrews, using the lever style makes opening bottles a breeze. And it looks so much more elegant than twisting a corkscrew and pulling, hoping the cork doesn't break...

Linens-n-Things is offering a lever-style corkscrew (with a suction base so you can use in on any flat surface), normally $19.99 on sale today for $14.99. On top of that, if you apply promo code MERRY (valid till 12/24) you get 20% off your order, making it just $11.99. Then there's a rebate for purchasing one before December 26th making the net $6.99. And for ordering today standard shipping is free! So you don't even need to spend on gas to pick it up at the store!

It's height adjustable, has the suction bottom, a foil cutter and a bonus worm.

Take a look at the Tabletop Lever Corkscrew and see if it might add some elegance to the art of wine at your home.

Nice Fares to Europe via SAS -- Particularly Prices from Seattle

With airfares to Europe, many of the best prices are for flights from the East Coast, so when you find an offering that includes nice prices from the West Coast, those might make you sit up and notice.

SAS Scandinavian Airlines is offering its special fares to Europe for booking by midnight, December 21st (Friday) for travel that must be completed by March 13th. Some of the fares from New York and Chicago are $466 and up, but Seattle-Copenhagen is just $516 roundtrip. There are some other cities from Seattle in that price range and others for $578.

Considering the extra distance to Europe, paying just $50 more roundtrip from Seattle seems like a nice deal.

The prices don't include the security and airport fees (but advertised prices never do).

If Europe is in your plans for a winter vacation click here to sample the fares.

Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Booking Today Only: Fly NY to/from Myrtle Beach $16 Roundtrip -- Atlantic City to/from Tampa or Myrtle Beach $16 -- Fort Lauderdale Sale Too!

Spirit Airlines is back with its latest round of promotional fares, most of them requiring booking by midnight tonight, the 19th.

I've flown Spirit (it was the source of my 2-cent roundtrip to Las Vegas from Atlantic City), and wrote about my experience, so if you want to check it further, click on Spirit Airlines in the Labels section of the bottom left column and you can read about my experience.

Among the special airfares are the city pairs listed in the title, but there are also a ton of destinations from Fort Lauderdale on sale if you happen to live nearby (or want to travel through there). Places like Cancun, Nassau, Kingston, Ponce, Punta Cana... well, lots of places you wouldn't mind being to beat the winter chill!

You could even do Fort Lauderdale/Los Angeles roundtrip for $76 roundtrip.

Atlanta/Orlando is another pair on sale.

The promotions are for specific dates only, so the flying dates in both directions need to be right to get a $16 roundtrip. But if they fit your travel plans or if you can be flexible and make those dates work, that's a nice fare, isn't it?

But some of them have pretty big windows of dates when you could match up the to and from flights. For example, the NY/Myrtle Beach pairing is good for travel almost all days between February 4th and Feb 13th, as well as other individual dates. The Atlantic City pairs also have a nice selection of dates within the same period.

I'm sure seats are limited so book as soon as you can!

Anyway, if you think you might be able to swing a trip to some of these places and want to see the deals, click here.

That's the Spirit!

Broadway Hotel for 40% Off - Most Dates in December, January and Early February

Okay, now I wouldn't normally write about a $199 hotel room as a bargain... but for anyone traveling to New York City, you know that regular hotel prices are pretty sky-high, so that's actually a good price for a major hotel in a prime location. If you're visiting the Big Apple and want to stay in the Theatre District, saving 40% off the regular rates might make a vacation more affordable and enjoyable.

The Millennium Broadway Hotel has a promotion for 40% off its rates using the promo code TICKER, which also includes an upgrade to a superior room. So rooms that usual go for well over $300 are available at $199.

Most dates between now and February 3rd are available (the weekend after Christmas is blacked out, as is New Year's Eve -- big surprise! --along with January 14th). Some days require a two-day stay but most of the days are valid for one-night stays. The site has a calendar that shows the various status when the promotion applies.

Rooms have to be booked by 11:59 pm on New Year's Day using this promotion.

Here's a link that has the TICKER promo already entered.

So if you are planning a vacation or other trip into New York... maybe this deal will help make you feel like a star on Broadway!

Print Shop 22 Deluxe Software Free-After-Rebate

If you have photos you'd like to enhance and turn into extra special special prints, here's a package of software that lets you turn your images into wonderful items like calendars, cards and such. It also contains a ton of stock images and projects for things like newsletters, catalogs. Also lets you do simple things like fixing photographs with red-eye, change brightness/contrast and such.

Right now buy.com is selling it at $40.00 and there's a $40.00 mail-in rebate valid for purchases until December 23rd.

It appears that the software isn't Vista-compatible, though, so if you've got a new PC running Vista it doesn't look like it's a great fit (might run in compatible-mode but...). But if you're still running XP or 2000, this should work with your system.

If you want to check it out, click The Print Shop 22 Deluxe.

Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Kohl's Card Holders - Promo Codes for an Extra 30% Off and Free Shipping

If you're a customer of Kohl's, have one of their credit cards and want to get some extra savings, here are some promotional codes for you to use.

Promo code WRAPITUP30 gets you 30% off your entire order.

Promo code MVC7952 gets you free shipping, valid till December 23rd.

At checkout you can use two codes so you can apply both the code for 30% off AND free shipping.

The site has lots of sales going on, so you can combine the extra discount to really maximize the savings...

Again, these codes require you to use a Kohl's card for payment.

Good hunting!

Love Tea? 12 Boxes of Twinings Teas for $18.79 with Amazon Promo Code

I've had some posts about a great deal I've used at Amazon.com for Lavazza coffee, so now it's time for the other side of the breakfast beverage aisle. For those of you who love to drink tea, Amazon.com has a nice little promo code you can combine with a sale price to tally up an even better bargain.

Twinings Teas are a great line of English teas, and Amazon has them available by the case (6 boxes of 20 tea bags). The price is 23% off the regular price, which is okay but not eye-popping. But they also have an offer till the end of December where you get an additional 40% off if you buy two or more cases and use the promo code TEATEA40 at checkout. So you end up paying less for two cases than the original price for one.

And since the two cases would add up over $25 before the promo code, the order is eligible for free budget shipping.

There are a whole range of teas available, from Earl Grey, Irish Breakfast, Jasmine and Darjeeling, to flavors such as Peppermint, Peach, Tastes of Summer, and Four Red Fruits. They have some decaffeinated teas in the selection. And if you wanted to get a slightly bigger variety of traditional teas rather than a case of just one type, they have a variety pack that includes four of the standards (English Breakfast, Earl Grey, Lady Grey and Irish Breakfast).

Most of these had been $20.36 per case but are now selling at $15.66. If you buy two cases and then use the 40% off promo, the total would be down to $18.79 for the two cases combined. That's about half the cost of buying them by the box at the supermarket.

Check out Twinings Teas for the selections.

If tea is your pleasure and you'd like to take a look, this may just help stock your pantry for the cold winter mornings and nights ahead...

Monday, December 17, 2007

Brother Fax/Phone/Copier $19.99 After Rebate

Need a fax machine for your home? Or maybe looking to replace one that's gotten a bit worn? Staples is currently offering a $40 rebate on the $59.99 Brother® Personal 575 Plain-Paper Fax, making the final cost $19.99. Staples offers free shipping on all orders through Christmas as well.

The fax has a built-in handset as well so you can use it as a telephone, and its function allows you to copy a document by feeding it through the fax machine.

If you're looking for some up-to-date fax capability and don't want (or need) to spend an arm and a leg, check out if this one will do the trick.

Click on Brother 575 Fax.

And that's the facts! (Sorry...)

Sunday, December 16, 2007

Hannah Montana "In Concert" Singing Figure at $6.99

If you have a Hannah Montana fan in the family, what could make her happier than having a figurine of the songstress that sings one of the tunes?

And what would make you happier than not paying an arm and a leg for it?

Right now, amazon.com is offering the Hannah Montana "in Concert Collection" Deluxe Singing with "The Other Side of Me" for just $6.99, which is $13.00 off the usual $19.99 price -- 65% off. Not sure how long this price reduction will last.

If you can combine it with other items at Amazon and get the total to over $25.00, there's still time for their free shipping to get it arriving by Christmas!

So if Hannah is on a little girl's shopping list that you (Santa) are trying to fill, check out this Hannah Montana "In Concert" Singing Figure.

Saturday, December 15, 2007

How I Try to Get More Comfortable When I Fly in Coach... My "Faux-Business-Class" Kit

Okay, so if you've followed my blog, you'll see that most of the great airfare deals are for coach travel. There are the occasional business-class specials I found but those are few and far between. So most of the time when I find bargains for travel, I'm going to be going coach.

So over time, I've developed a little battle pack to help me make it through in comfort -- I call it my faux-business-class kit. I've used these accessories to help me fly more comfortably on several flights, and they make a difference to me.

The way I see it, being able to fly a bit more comfortably in coach instead of worrying about business class is another little way of saving money on travel.

There are four little items which I bring onboard with me: first is the First Class Sleeper. It's an inflatable pad which you put on the seat and up the back of your seat. You sit on it and then inflate it with about ten breaths. Since it is inflating with your weight on it, it creates a cushion of air that fills in the gaps between your body and the seat, and creates a bit of an angle so you are slightly reclined even in an upright seat. I find that the cushion helps keep my back and hips less stressed for the duration of the flight.

The First Class Sleeper comes in a carry-on pouch, with a small plastic tube for inflation. At the end of the flight, it's fairly easy to deflate it, fold and roll it back down and put in back in its case. You can find it at Amazon for about $29.00 at this link: First Class Sleeper. I felt I had gotten more than my money's worth with the first trip I used it to Las Vegas.

The second accessory is an inflatable neck pillow. I know there are neck pillows that are filled with items such as buckwheat hull or such, but I choose the inflatable one just for space considerations to carry it on the flight. I think the inflatable ones also have an advantage that you can fill them to different levels depending on the firmness of support you're trying to achieve. If you're going to be reading you might want the support to be harder to keep your head up, while you might want looser support if you're trying to sleep with your head back or to the side. I just bought one of these at an airport shop before a flight, but I'm sure you can find them doing an on-line search too.

Third on the list is a nice eye mask. I've gotten thin eye masks with thin elastics which I've tried over the years, and the problem has been comfort for the long haul -- the elastic always became uncomfortable after a while. This year I looked around for some better level eye masks and came across the Lewis N Clark Comfort Eye Mask. It has a bit more padding around the eyes so it molds a bit closer to the contours around your eyes. The elastic is a thicker band which doesn't seem as strained as the thinner elastics on the more basic masks I used in the past. If you go to the 1st Stop Travel Store, you can get a Comfort Eye Mask for $8.99 with free shipping. Shutting out the lights from overhead reading lights, windows and so on is much easier now that I'm using this patch.

The fourth item I added to the list is noise-cancelling headphones. These are headphones that introduce some white noise into the sound, which blocks out much of the sounds from the exterior. The first time I tried them I was skeptical, wondering how some white noise could make that much of a difference. But on Black Friday 2006 I saw a no-name pair on sale cheap enough that I figured I'd give them a try. And even with this cheap pair, the difference was remarkable. The heavy drone of the plane engine was reduced to a milder, softer hum. The sounds from other passengers were minimized too. When I plugged these into the armrest and listened to the music, the effects of the plane sound and other passengers almost disappeared (almost, these were miracle workers). Sometimes I'd even turn off the white noise just to see what the sound was without the suppression and the jet noise was overwhelming. They really did make a difference.

Since the ones I bought were cheapos, though, I couldn't depend on them for long. They were imported from China and had a warning not to touch the wires with your bare skin, because the coating contained oil. After a couple of uses, one side of the headphones didn't get any sound. But I knew the technology worked so I knew that it was a matter of getting a better pair.

The top-of-the-line headphones for this are probably the ones made by Bose. They're known for great speaker quality and their equipment seems to have a big following regardless of the high price. Their Quiet Comfort Headphones are $299 for over-the-ear and $349 for on-the-ear. Since I fly occasionally, that price range seemed a bit high-end, but something like that might make sense for a businessperson who's flying frequently and would really get the value.

I did some searching and chose to buy Logitech Noise Canceling Headphones (currently on sale for $39.99 at Tiger Direct - regularly $69.99). These had good customer reviews, and I liked the fact that the cord was detachable so you could just use these as separate noise-cancelling devices not plugged into anything without having a dangling cord. It includes an airline adapter so the single plug can be attached to the dual-plug connections in the airline seats. It also has a flat-folding design and a sturdy carrying case to protect them. I just used them on a trip and was happy with them; not to the point that I would recommend them above all others -- but they were quite good. The pressure of the headphones seemed mildly tiring/uncomfortable after a couple of hours wearing them.

Other than this little faux-business-class travel kit, I've become accustomed to asking about emergency exit row seats. If they are available, I try and find out if there are two rows of consecutive emergency exits (as there were on USA3000 flights I took this week). In that case I ask for the seats in the second row of emergency exits since those seats would still recline. If I'm told that I can't get emergency exits or bulkhead seats, I try and find out which row is just in front of the emergency row and avoid those like the plague -- those don't recline at all, you lose even that bit of comfort.

Well, that's it for now -- I hope these tips give you some ideas on how it's possible to be flying a bit more comfortably even when you're getting travel bargains in coach! Bon voyage!

Want to Send Flowers? 2 Dozen Roses Shipped for $29.98

If you're thinking about sending flowers to someone for Christmas, you can go to ProFlowers and get a nice package on roses, with a dozen free and $10 off...

Click here to get the special $10 offer. Then look for the Two Dozen Christmas Lights Roses (valued at $49.99 - One Dozen Assorted Roses + 12 Free). You can select no vase to keep the same price and proceed to checkout (vases are available at an extra charge).

Standard shipping (Tuesday through Friday is $9.99, you pay extra if you want it delivered on a Monday like Christmas Eve or on Saturday). When you get through checkout, the $10 off will have been applied, so with shipping the final comes to $29.98 plus local tax.

So if you know someone who loves roses and would like to give them a holiday surprise, why not take a look?

Friday, December 14, 2007

Miss the Last Restaurant.com Deal? Here's a Promo Code for 60% Off Plus a Bonus
$20 Dale & Thomas Popcorn Gift Certificate

Faithful readers know that one of my favorite deals is with restaurant.com. It starts out as a nice deal where you can get certificates for $25 worth of dining for $10, or for $10 worth of dining for $3.00. I've written about how it works just a few days ago, so if you're not familiar with them, you can check out my post from several days ago.

What makes it more interesting, though, is that they occasionally offer promotional codes where you get their certificates for even less, making it possible to get $25 worth of dining for $5 or less. Sometimes they even throw in bonuses such as last week where they added in an extra $10 certificate with each purchase.

There's now a promo code HOLIDAY valid until December 20th. If you use it and click 'apply' in your shopping cart, you get 60% off, making the $25 certificate drop from $10 to $4. On top of that they also are adding a bonus $20 gift certificate to Dale & Thomas Popcorn with each order! That's a nice little extra... Dale and Thomas sells gourmet popcorn in various special flavors and decorative tins.

So if there are still people on your list who might appreciate a certificate (or if there's a restaurant near you which you've tried and want to visit again), why not take advantage of this latest offer? Your stomach and your wallet will be happy!

Thursday, December 13, 2007

Fram Air Hog Filters Free-After-Rebate or Better!

Right now, Amazon.com is having a promotion on Fram Air Hog filters that includes a $20 rebate. Considering the price is less than $20.00 on many of them, that can mean you get back even more than you paid!!! Not a bad deal, right?

There are so many filters for different car models that I can't list all of them and their prices. If you want to save time, you can check at Fram to see which model fits your car. And hopefully it's one of the ones with the great rebate deal!

Rebates are valid for purchases until the end of the year and have to be postmarked by January 15th.

Here's the list of filters: Fram Air Hogs.

Let your car breathe better in the new year!

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Amazon Toy Sales: Elmo, Ernie, Cookie Monster and More - Still in Time for Christmas

Lately I've had a few posts on toys because -- it's that time of the year! Well, it's that time of the year for stores too and Amazon is cutting prices on toys, and there's still time to get free shipping in time for Christmas. Not sure how long these price cuts will last (or how much long some might be in stock) so promptness may pay off.

Among some of the reductions:

Elmo Knows Your Name, an plush Elmo figure that comes with a connection to let you load your child's name and favorite things into the phrases and songs that Elmo says! Was $39.99, now $11.99 (that's 70% off)

Fisher-Price T.M.X. Tickle Me Ernie now $12.99 (from $33.99) or
Fisher-Price T.M.X. Tickle Me Extreme Cookie Monster $13.60 (orig. $33.99): when Tickle Me Elmo just isn't enough!

Mattel Disney Pixar's Cars Mack Truck Playset for young fans of the movie "Cars" or fans of trucks in general. Now $9.99 (from $19.99)

Rescue HQ by Mega Brands, geared for younger children, is $7.50 (originally $29.99, now 75% off)

Sweet Secrets Deluxe Playset, Doll and Access Mall Playset at $5.49 from $24.99 (78% off), Sweet Secrets Purse, Doll and Access Theme : Slumber Party $6.40 from $15.99 or Sweet Secrets Purse, Doll and Access Theme : Pop Star also $6.40 -- for the non-truck-playing kids.

You can check out these toys (or look for others if your kids have any particular favorites). If toys are still on your (oops, I meant Santa's) shopping list, why not see if these will light up those faces on Christmas morning?

Monday, December 10, 2007

Know a Superman Fan? Great Stocking-Stuffer Free-After-Rebate: Superman Returns Keyboard and Mouse

If you know a kid who's a Superman buff (or maybe you're one yourself), here's a nice little treat: ClubIT.com has a combination package featuring a Superman Returns slim keyboard in black together with a silver and black Superman mouse.

Together they're sold for $24.99. There are two rebates on it, one for $14.99 and the other for $10.00, and the shipping is free. So after all the rebates are in, the net cost to you is ZERO (except for the stamps to send the rebates in).

The rebate offers are valid until December 31st. The $14.99 one requires you to register for the rebate on-line and then send in original proofs; the $10.00 one uses copies of the UPC and receipt.

Here's the Superman Returns Keyboard and Mouse.

Hey, a nice little accessory for free. what could be better?

Giving your computer superpowers?

Sunday, December 9, 2007

Unique Gift Idea - Design Your Own Custom Printed Gift Card

With the holidays, lots of places offer gift cards, which can take out some of the stress... you still have to decide on the store, and the design of the card is whatever the store decides. Here's a way to do it a little differently. You can custom design your own Visa gift card -- put on your photo, a family picture or whatever inspires you. That way, the reminder of the gift is there whenever the gift card is used... and the card can be kept as a keepsake even when the amount is spent. If that's an idea that inspires you, here's a service that offers it for $5.95 per card... which isn't a bad deal for something you personalize in a different way.

Holiday Visa® Gift Cards -- Create & order a unique gift card online - using your own images at GiftCardLab.com.

If having your loved one see your face as a reminder of the gift tickles your fancy, this might be a nice touch.

Save $100 on 3-Night Trips to Vegas Using MasterCard

If you're thinking about a quick getaway to Las Vegas, why not save a little on the trip so you can play with more at the tables? Or have some more to go see a nice show?

Travelocity has a promotion which gives you back $100 if you use a MasterCard to book a flight and three-night stay in Las Vegas. A variety of hotels and casinos are available so you can find the level that suits your travel habits...

The promotion is valid through the end of the year, with Promo Code VEGAS100. (I think that means you have to book it by then, not travel by then).

So if Las Vegas is on your itinerary (or you want it to be) check out Save $100 Promo for Las Vegas 3+ Night & Flight.

Saving $100 means you start out your trip a winner!

Old Navy Women's Perfect Fit V-Neck T-Shirts $3.00 (regularly $10.50)

If you'd like to add some T-Shirts to your wardrobe at a nice price, here's a chance... you may not wear them for a few months till it warms up, but they'll come in handy in the summer.

Old Navy has its Perfect Fit V-Neck T-Shirts on sale for $6, down from the regular price of $10.50. But if you go on-line now, they are offering them for $3.00 if you buy two or more (well, if one costs $6 and two cost $6, why wouldn't you?). You may want to buy a bundle of them at this price.

They have a wide variety of colors with most sizes available in most of the colors. These are 100% cotton and don't have that nasty little tag on the back of your neck so they should be even more comfortable.

If this deal fits you to a T, click Old Navy V-Necks.

Better Than Free-After-Rebate - Accounting Software Plus Get an Extra Item Free!

Combining savings offers is always a fun way to maximize your dollars. Such as finding coupons you can use at a store at the same time they're have a big %-off sale. Or this one...

Staples.com is offering Peachtree Pro Accounting 2008 software (regularly $169.99) for $140.00 with a $140 rebate (the rebate is valid for purchases till December 22nd but the special price is valid till December 15th). OK, so that's nice deal... but...

They also have an on-line coupon code giving $20 off a $150 purchase -- the code is 63991. So if you add an item costing $10 or more to the software buy, you can use the $20 off. I went for a highly rated Omnitech 2.0 Bluetooth Headset they have on special reduced from $39.99 to $14.99. Staples is giving free shipping as well.

So when you combine the two, the rebate covers just about the whole purchase (depends on sales tax at your location). So you've got the software free, a $10-ish item free... what could be better?

How about 2% cash back on the whole transaction? If you go to ebates first instead of Staples.com directly, ebates would open up a tracking ticket for the transaction. And a few days afterwards you'd get a credit for ebates cashback of 2% of the transaction. I've written about ebates in prior postings but for those of you who haven't signed up, there's a note in the left column of the blog.

With the rebate, you should note that if you order through staples.com, they are asking for the original packing slip to be sent in with the UPC code and software registration information. So when it gets delivered, make sure to keep the packing slip, as the on-line receipt isn't the documentation they request.

Free software, an extra item you can add on for bonus coupon savings, a whopping rebate and extra cash back too. Music to my ears!

Saturday, December 8, 2007

Nice Deal on 2GB Laptop Memory - $24.99 After Rebate! Speed Up Your Laptop for a Song!

Many of the great laptop deals over the last year have been for Windows Vista systems loaded with the minimum memory needed to service Vista. But that doesn't leave a lot of memory for other applications so sometimes these machines can run slowly. For example, many Vista Home Premium machines came with 1GB of RAM, but Vista eats up about 70% of that. So if you're running many other programs at the same time, your laptop can run out of memory.

Here's a great deal on 2GB of RAM (two 1GB sticks) that may make it a no-brainer to upgrade. Fry's is offering OCZ DDR2 2GB 5400 Dual SO-DIMM for $54.99 with a $30 rebate for purchases made until December 10th. That brings the final cost down to $24.99 and they include free ground shipping with the offer. Very sweet.

You should check to make sure your laptop can accommodate this memory, as various machines may differ in memory requirements. Also, it's for certain laptops, not for desktops.

You should also note that this rebate needs to be mailed in within fourteen calendar days of ordering, so when it arrives, don't dilly-dally!

Check the deal at Fry's OCZ 2GB Laptop Memory.

I'm looking forward to getting mine so my PC can hum!

Nice Price on SD Memory Cards - Two 2GB Cards for $19.95 after Rebate

Memory... can't have enough. With all the devices that need little memory cards and the higher megapixels of cameras, having good-size SD cards is handy. Much handier than carrying around a bagful of cards in case you run out of space taking pictures on that once-in-a-lifetime vacation.

Right now buy.com has a nice price on a pair of 2GB SD cards (total of 4GB) reduced from the original $79.95 to $29.95. On top of that, there's a $10 rebate for purchases until December 13th. And on top of that, there's free shipping!

You end up with two cards for less than the price you'd pay at many places for just one 2GB SD card. And having that second one can be so helpful if you have multiple devices that need SD cards, or as a back-up for using with your camera just in case you fill the first one up with great photos.

Click on Dane-Elec 4GB (2 X 2GB) SD Secure Digital Card Kit if some SD cards would come in handy.

Friday, December 7, 2007

Need a Cordless Phone? Why Not Free?

An extra phone around the house can always come in handy, and a cordless phone can be an extra nice feature. If you can get one free-after-rebate, all the better, no?

Right now, Circuit City has a Uniden 2.4 Ghz Cordless Phone on sale for $14.99 and it has a $15.00 rebate! Not bad to add to your communications gadgetry without springing for too much.

It has call-waiting and caller-ID functionality, as well as a 10 number memory dial capability.

The rebate is valid for purchases till January 31st. Reviews on the Circuit City website vary -- some people love the phone and others are less enthusiastic; it may be a matter of the dynamics of each user's home, as cordless models can be affected by the structure and obstacles. If you can get it free-after-rebate, it still might be worth taking a chance to see how it works for you...

This probably works out as a better deal if you buy something along with it to bring the total purchase over $24 and qualify for free shipping.

Check out the Uniden Cordless to see if it's calling you.

Thursday, December 6, 2007

Restaurant.com Promotion Code for 50% Off ($25 dining certificate for $5) plus a bonus $10 Certificate!

One of the offers I get the best feedback about is restaurant.com, and right now there's a promotional code offer that makes it an even better deal.

The basic deal at restaurant.com is the ability to buy a dining certificate at a bargain price. Everybody wins, since the restaurant gets new business (and hopefully a continuing customer) and you get to save a good amount on the check. Many participating restaurants have certificates good for $25 worth of dining credit that normally cost $10 at restaurant.com (some have $10 certificates for $3).

But when restaurant.com has a promo code offer, you can make the savings really pile up. And now is one of those times!

From now till December 9th, if you use the promo code SNOW, you get 50% off your order -- AND you get an e-mail for a bonus $10 certificate you can use at another restaurant! So if you were to order a $25 certificate, it would cost you $5 and you'd end up with $35 total dining credits! Not a shabby deal at all!

Those of you who've used restaurant.com know that many of the certificates come with some restrictions. They can have a minimum number of diners, minimum amount of the check before taking the coupon, alcohol excluded from the price, etc., but the restrictions are generally such that you can still use them fairly easily (and you can see all the restrictions before you decide to buy a particular restaurant's certificate).

The site makes it easy to find restaurants by State or by Zip Code, so it's a great opportunity to buy some certificates for yourself or people who live elsewhere. I've heard it's a favorite of the parents of college-age kids, so at least they get an occasional break from the dorm, cafeteria or fast-food joints.

So, my blog readers, head on over to restaurant.com, look for restaurants and see if you can't give yourself or a loved-one a nice evening out without breaking the budget. Don't forget to use the promo code SNOW to get the 50% off -- they won't remind you on the site.

And hurry, since quantities can be limited and this offer is good only till Sunday.

70% Discount on Leapfrog's LeapPad, MyFirstLeapPad and Little Touch LeapPad Books

70% Off seems to be a popular number today. The timing couldn't be better to help save on the holiday shopping!

Leapfrog is offering that discount on a whole line-up of their popular books, with choices for infants, toddlers and school-age children. Their book series are well known for being educational as well as entertaining for children.

LeapPad runs the gamut from very young to some older kids as well. Some LeapPad books are geared to helping at specific grade levels, such as 4th Grade Math, but there are lots of other topics like Batman or Finding Nemo, so it can be a nice balance of learning and fun at many age levels.

Here is a link to the LeapPad selections, about $4-6 apiece.

MyLittleLeapPad is geared to the age 3-5 range, and they also have lots of fun ways to teach skills, including the Wiggles, Dr. Seuss, Dora the Explorer, Ratatouille...

Here is a link for MyFirstLeapPad choices going for about $3 to $4.

Little Touch is aimed at the youngest, recommended for ages from 6 months to 3 years. So if you'd like to give something other than that extra outfit that will soon be outgrown, this may give you some other nice choices.

These are the Little Touch LeapPad books, most reduced to $3.90.

There is a nice selection of books in a wide variety of subjects for kids of many ages. The sale is good while supplies last, so if LeapPad items might be on Santa's list, you may want to visit the site soon. Ho Ho Ho!

Big Amazon Toy Sale - Up to 70% Off

Stockings need to be stuffed, but your bank account doesn't have to be. If there are still toys on your shopping list, Amazon.com has a sale on a very wide array of toys, with some up to 70% off. There are many for under $5, and if you put together enough in a shipment to qualify, orders over $25 can ship for free... but you probably had figured that out.

Click here Up to 70% Toy Sale for the main page.

Here are some examples of popular gift items:
- Bugnoculars reduced from $7.99 to $3.20
- Light 'n Learn Phone from $7.99 to $3.20
- Dora Doll in French Outfit from $8.99 to $3.60
- Dora the Explorer: ABC Game from $9.99 to $3.99
- Fisher-Price T.M.X. Tickle Me Ernie from $33.99 to $12.99
- Barbie, Island Princess Rosella Doll from $14.99 to $5.99
- Hot Wheels Hyper Chopper - Hotwheels & Police $3.20
- Hasbro Playskool Tonka Wheel Drivers Dump Truck $8.00
- Bratz Sleepover Kit was $19.99, now $8.00
- Mattel High School Musical DVD Board Game 2 $9.99

There are so many more, and in many popular categories as you can see. If your child, grandchild, niece or nephew has a favorite line of toys, you can also put that brand/type in the search box in Amazon's main page (the link near the top of this page) and let them search for all the toys they're offering. There are specials for Hot Wheels, Matchbox, Fisher Price, Barbie, Care Bears, My Little Pony, Mr. Potato Head, and many other favorites.

It's the most wonderful time of the year...

Wednesday, December 5, 2007

Gap Men's Crew Neck Sweatshirt Sale at $7.99

Cold weather is one reason. Christmas present time is another. If Gap clothes do it for you, here's a sale at gap.com on men's soft-knit heavyweight cotton blend long-sleeve crew-neck sweatshirts. The original price was $39.50 and they have been slashed down to $7.99. The savings should warm you up.

Right now they just have S, L and XL in true navy (only S remains in classic red). But if that's a size that fits, this price is pretty nice. Looks like they'll sell out soon, though.

Interested? Check out Gap Sweatshirt.

Tuesday, December 4, 2007

Broadway's Back - Up to 50% Off Some Popular Shows

I heard from Travelzoo that there's a promotion going on for tickets to some popular Broadway shows now that the strike has been settled and the lights are back up on stage. Tickets for performances can be as late as March of next year, but these special offers are only good for tickets ordered through December 12th. They're limited in quantity and dates will probably sell out, so if you are planning a trip to New York City anytime soon (or live there) and want to see a show or two, you may want to check out this offer post-haste.

A sample of shows on sale:
- Legally Blonde ... $67.50 (40% OFF)
- SPAMALOT ... $60-$75 (45% OFF)
- The Color Purple ... $26.50-$59 (50% OFF)
- Avenue Q ... $46.50-$72.50 (45% OFF)
- The Drowsy Chaperone ... $52.25-$76.25 (40% OFF)
- A Chorus Line ... $55-$65 (50% OFF)
- Spring Awakening ... $55-$85 (35% OFF)
- Curtains ... $59.50-$78.50 (45% OFF)
- MAMMA MIA! ... $69 (40% OFF)

Other shows also are discounted for some performances in 2008 (such as "Rent" $55 or 55% off from January to late March).

For more information -- including dates and showtimes for each production -- and to purchase your tickets, click here: http://www.travelzoo.com/Newsflash.asp?346011

And if you are planning a trip to the Big Apple anytime soon and want to do a lot of sightseeing, you may want to check my recent post about 20% off on New York Pass.

New York & Company Promo Code - Even Works on Gift Cards

New York & Company clothing has an on-line promotion for $25 off a $50+ purchase until December 21st. They have a wide selection of items and some sales that you can combine with the promo code to make the savings multiply. For example, they have a promotion for sweaters or pants where you get 50% off the second item when you buy two. They also have a sale section on the website with a lot of items marked down.

But one thing that makes this promotion nicer is that you can apply it to buying a gift card. So if you want to give someone $50 worth of shopping at New York and Company (or give two people $25 cards), then the $25 savings with the promo code still applies. That's a nice feature not seen with many stores and their gift cards.

The promo code is 1389, which you enter after you've put the items in your shopping cart, so you see the savings even before checkout.

You can visit NewYorkandCompany.com and browse through the savings or go straight to gift cards under the gifts tab. If you want to get even a bit more savings, the company is accessible through eBates for some extra cash back. If you're not registered with eBates yet, check the info in the left column of this blog and get a bonus for signing up added to savings on your first purchase.

Enjoy!

Build-a-Bear On-line Coupon Code $10 Off $25+

Build-a-Bear Workshops appear in lots of malls and are a big favorite, allowing customization of stuffed animals to match a youngster's wishes. They also have an on-line store and right now are offering a coupon code for $10 off a purchase of $25 or more at the website. The code is 91221.

The code is for on-line purchases and not for in-store purchases, and I don't know how long the coupon is valid. But with Christmas coming up, this may be a way to create a special stuffed friend and send it to that child on your list (or Santa's). There are all kinds of ways to personalize the toy with sounds, clothes and other features.

The code is entered applied at the payment step of checkout -- there's a box near the top of the payment page where you enter the code and click to apply and the $10 drops out of the total. Easy as pie!

So if you might be interested in giving someone a stuffed bear, dog, bunny or kitten (and adding some personalized touches), go visit http://www.buildabear.com/ and use the coupon code 91221 for a nice deal.

Monday, December 3, 2007

Family Tree Software Free-After-Rebate

Here is a piece of software that might make a fun family project, or a great endeavor for a youngster looking to do something unique. It's software to help develop a family tree, and help us remember our roots. The software is Family Tree Heritage Deluxe 7 and right now CompUSA has it free-after-rebate. The price is $30.00 and there is a pair of rebates ($25 and $5) which bring the final cost down to zero.

I just checked on-line and it shows as sold-out for delivery at the moment, but you can still check on-line for store availability near you. You may want to keep checking later in the week to see if on-line shipping comes back in stock.

The rebates are valid for purchases through December 8th, so if this kind of project tickles your fancy, you may want to take a look.

Family Tree Heritage Deluxe 7 software

Could be something fun and unusual to do, and something to look back upon with pride when it's done.

PhotoStudio Expressions Software Free-After-Rebate

So you have a digital camera and have been taking lots of pictures. What do do with all the files, how to sort, how to fix red-eye in those flash pictures, how to do some creative things with the pictures...?

Some photo software could come to the rescue. Right now CompUSA has an offer on PhotoStudio Expressions 2 Software which has a range of features that lets you do all sorts of things with your pictures. The software is free after a pair of mail-in rebates ($25 and $5) giving you back the full $30.00 purchase price. You can choose in-store pick-up if you want to save on shipping as well. Rebates are valid for purchases through December 8th.

It can help you organize and print your photos, create greeting cards and calendars, fix red-eye, do special effects, create slide shows and more. You can read about all the features and place an order at the link below.

PhotoStudio Expressions 2 software.

A handy tool free-after-rebate is always nice.

Sunday, December 2, 2007

Free Printed Holiday Items at VistaPrint! FREE!

VistaPrint is an on-line printing service with items such as business cards, holiday cards, photo-calendars, custom-printed T-Shirts, magnets and more. Right now you can get oodles of FREE items just for the asking, including special Holiday items with your photos printed on them (you just pay the shipping).

I've previously gotten one of their free T-Shirts and it came out great (just paid for discount shipping and it still came pretty fast). A friend of mine has used them for business cards and is thrilled with the results.

Here's what you can get for free:
- 250 Business Cards
- 10 Folded Holiday Cards
- 1 Wall Calendar with Photo
- 1 Spiral-bound Calendar with Photo
- 10 Single-side Holiday Cards
- 1 Printed T-Shirt
- 140 Address Labels with caricature
- 1 Rubber stamp (to make return addresses easier)
- 10 Calendar Magnets
- 1 Notepad of 50 sheets

WOW! Click here for your FREE Deals for the Holidays


In addition they also have an offer for 50% off of any Holiday Card printing you might need done if you need more than the ones you can get for free. And that one comes with free 7-day shipping so you should still be able to get them out for this Christmas if you order quick.

Click here for 50% Off Holiday Cards PLUS Free 7-day Shipping!

The free printing is a great way to have some nice holiday items while sampling their work to see if they can do more for you in the future. Give 'em a try!

Buy 2 Lego Items, Get 3rd Free at Amazon till 12/4

Right now until December 4th, Amazon.com is offering a promotion where you can get a free Lego item if you buy two Lego products (a wide range of choices available). If one of the youngsters on your Christmas list has an affinity for Legos toys, this may be a way to make the gift bigger without breaking the bank.

I wasn't able to come up with a link directly to the promo, but if you click on the product link at the bottom of this post it will bring you to one of the Lego items. Scroll down that page and you will see an area called Special Offers and Promotions, saying this product qualifies for the Lego special offer. When you click on that link where it says "Learn more" it will take you to the promotion information page.

The promo page has four pages of Lego products available for the promotion. You can either click on an item and go to the product page to add it to your cart, or you can click on boxes right on he product list page and add three to your cart at once.

When you buy a third product, the value of the lowest-price one is deducted at checkout and the deduction is applied to all three products (so if the 3rd product is $15, each of the three items gets a $5 discount, no product shows up as "free." But the net result is the same.

Not all Lego items qualify, only the ones on those four pages (for younger kids, some Duplo items are also on those pages).

So if you want to take a look, click LEGO 8137 Booster Beast and then scroll down to the special offer and click on 'learn more.'

Lego fun with a nice little bonus...

Handy Tool Items Free-After-Rebate

For December, TrueValue Hardware is offering rebates on three handy items for do-it-yourself projects... a Stanley LeverLock 25' tape-measure ($4.99), an Irvin Pro-Touch retractable utility knife ($6.99), and a Black and Decker 77-piece drill accessory set ($2.99).

The items aren't available on-line; you have to pick them up at a TrueValue Hardware Store, but if you happen to be going near one (or have to go get some other items to get your home ready for the holidays), these are nice little items to add to your cart. The site does indicate that the offers are good while supplies last, so these may not be on the shelves for long.

Here is the link to TrueValue December Bargains.

Hope these little tidbits help!

Saturday, December 1, 2007

Jos. A. Bank Sweater Sale - All Cotton & Lambswool Sweaters $29 Today and Sunday

Brr... the cold weather is coming, and sweaters are a nice antidote. Plus they make great Christmas presents. How to get nice ones without breaking the bank?

Jos.A.Bank has a two-day sale on all their cotton and lambswool sweaters at $29.00. They have a varied selection, and the original price for some of the styles is $100 and up, so $29.00 is a nice discount.

They also have some doorbuster items which are good for one day only -- you can look in the left column of their website to see what other special items they have. Plus shipping is free if your purchase is over $175.

These prices are for on-line purchases, so if you want to check out their sweater selection, click here: Sweater Sale Dec 1 and 2.

Warm yet?

Friday, November 30, 2007

Planning a Vacation in New York City? 20% Sale on New York Pass

If you're planning a trip to The Big Apple anytime in the next year, here's a nice little way to maximize your sightseeing dollars and get a special price right now.

New York Pass is offering 20% off its 3-day or 7-day New York Pass, for purchases made by December 10th. You have one year from the date of purchase to activate the pass, so it would be good for any trip you make till next November.

The New York Pass gains you admission into forty of the top sightseeing attractions in the city, from MOMA and the Guggenheim to Madame Tussauds Wax Museum and the Radio City Hall Stage Door Tour. There are the famous sites like the Empire State Building and the Statue of Liberty... the list goes on. There are also restaurant discounts and even some line-skipping privileges.

New York Pass does offer a 1-day or 2-day option, but take it from me (I lived in New York many years) -- trying to do all those things in one or two days would be overwhelming. The three- or seven-day passes spread out the sightseeing so it's more fun and you can actually get to take some time in many of the atttractions.

The passes come with a free guidebook to help you enjoy the best attractions. If you added up the cost of admissions to the attractions, it would be way more than the pass itself. And you would probably save money just doing even a portion of the 40 possibilities.

The 20% sale brings the 3-day pass cost down to $96 for adults and $76 for children -- not bad when you consider a 2-day pass is $95/$75. If you're taking a longer trip and want to spread out the attractions even longer, the 20% discount brings a 7-day pass down to $124 for adults and $96 for children. The multi-day passes are good for consecutive days... you can't use a 7-day pass to cover 3 days on one trip and 4 days on another.

A 1-day New York Pass goes for $65 just for that one day ($45 for kids), but in one day you might not be able to get so much sightseeing packed in. Over three or seven days, it would probably be easier to spread out the attractions and really get a bang for your buck.

Remember, even if you're buying the passes now, that doesn't mean your trip has to be coming up real soon. The pass gets activated when you want, up to a year from purchase.

So if you're coming to New York to see the sights and really plan to see a bunch of them, why not take advantage of this 20% sale so you have a bit more spending money when you arrive?

Click here for more information or to buy passes for Admission to over 40 of New York City's best attractions: New York Pass.

New York, New York... the city so nice they named it twice!

Thursday, November 29, 2007

Microsoft Money Deluxe 2008 Free-After-Rebate

How to keep track of all these savings? And all your other financial matters? Staples is offering MS Money Deluxe 2008, regularly $49.00 for the current price of $40.00, and there is a $40.00 rebate for purchases until December 1st. Along with this, Staples is currently offering free shipping for any order amount, meaning you don't even have to use gas to get to the store!

Check it out: MS Money Deluxe 2008.

Free software, free shipping... nice.

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Hooters Casino Hotel Las Vegas $26/Night Plus Bonuses

Got an e-mail today from Travelworm about some Las Vegas hotels having some specials and bonus offers... many of the hotels are downtown, but if you want to be closer to the big casinos on the Strip, I found a deal for three nights starting December 18th (checking out the morning of the 21st) for $26.oo a night for a Standard Room promotional package!

The promotion also entitles you to two tickets to a comedy show, two cups of coffee, 2-for-1 drinks, discounted spa service, $10 match play and a souvenir. This "six-pack" promotion is limited to particular days, and the low price is when you book a three-night stay (they average the cost of a free night into the price).

If you'd be interested in a quick getaway to Las Vegas and want to see the prices/dates, click on this link to go to Travelworm. You'll see the Hooters special link under "Blazing Deals" at the top left column.

Three nights in Vegas for $78... you're already a winner before you pull the handle!

NY (LGA) or Atlantic City to Myrtle Beach $18 Roundtrip

Spirit Airlines has unleashed its latest set of sales fares and special dates are available for many city pairs. One of the highlights I found is New York City (LaGuardia) or Atlantic City NY flying to/from Myrtle Beach SC for $9 each way! That would make a base fare of $18 roundtrip.

The dates are limited and these $9 fares must be booked by midnight tonight. Taxes and security fees are additional, and from what I recall, Spirit also charges for checked bags (I think it's $5/bag if you order it on-line or $10/bag if you arrange and pay at the airport).

I've written about Spirit before, having traveled them on my 2-cent roundtrip to Las Vegas. I was pleased with the service and seat comfort, and you should just be aware that there's no in-flight entertainment, and you pay for any snacks/drinks beyond a glass of water.

But still, for $18 roundtrip to Myrtle Beach, do you really need frills to make it worthwhile?

Here's the list of all their sale fare promotions.

Play Games on Your PC or PS2? Go Wireless for $6.99

If you love playing with games, the more flexible your controller the more fun you can have. Why not eliminate wires from the equation and go with a wireless controller?

Right now, Buy.com is offering the XFX XGear Wireless Gamepad, regularly $49.99 on sale for $26.99 with free shipping. Then they have a $20 mail-in rebate to bring the final net down to $6.99. The rebate is good for purchases until November 30th, limit one per household.

The unit is compatible with PC games as well as PlayStation2 systems, and has all kinds of features such as tactile feedback, illuminating buttons, turbo mode, adjustable vibration and more.

If gaming is your thing (or someone else in your universe), you may want to check this out. Click here: XFX XGear PC/PS2 Wireless Gamepad.

Make Your TV a Bit More Educational for Your Youngster - Leapster Leapfrog TV $25 Today Only

As I mentioned a few posts ago about Cyber Monday, Walmart is offering special deals on-line each day this week. Today they have Leapster's Leapfrog TV Learning System available for $25.00, half off the standard price. They also offer 97 cent shipping or you can have it shipped to the store and pick it up for free.

The system is targeted at youngsters from about 4 to 8 years old. There are various modules you can then buy to target specific lessons on math, phonics, reading, spelling, science, geography and more. From what I've been told, the Leapster line is considered a helpful tool in children's early education.

Here's the link to Walmart's offer for Leapster Leapfrog TV System.

For parents who want to have their system have two player capacity (a sibling or a friend playing together), a second controller is usually about $20, but Walmart has the system packaged together with a second controller for $39.84. Here's the link to the dual-controller system.

If you think your kids would benefit from Leapster (or if it's on someone's Christmas list), this deal gives you a lesson in savings as well.

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Virgin America Free Companion Promotion

Virgin America is a new airline that's been getting good reviews for performance. They have a very limited number of cities to which they fly -- only the very major markets: New York City (JFK), Los Angeles, Washington DC, San Francisco, San Diego and Las Vegas. They're well known for having lots of entertainment options, including MP3s, movies on demand, and even electric plugs at each seat so you can use your laptop without worrying about the battery.

Right now they are offering a promotion for a free coach companion ticket for flights through March 19th (with blackouts around the holidays unfortunately).

You should note that the promo doesn't quite get you two for the price of one. The second ticket is discounted by the base fare only, and I guess that doesn't include any fuel surcharges inside the cost of the ticket.

I was checking a fare from New York to Los Angeles, and without the promo code the fare would be $129 each way (before taxes and security fees), totalling $516 for two roundtrips (plus tax/fees). I expected that it would be $258 for the two roundtrips but when I entered the promo code and searched for flights, the same itinerary came back with a fare of $84.51 each, meaning the price for the two roundtrips was $338.04. Not quite as good, but still a nice price...

You need to have two people traveling together to take advantage. Go to this Virgin America Promo Page, and enter the cities, dates and put 2 in the number of passengers. You have to activate the promotional code, so click on "Got a Promo Code?" and type in DIGGNATION. Click on "apply" and the window should disappear, with the words Promo Code Applied now shown in red. Then you can click on "Search Flights" and let them show you your options. Read all the flight rules, as I would expect these to be non-refundable. Once you pick your flights, you'll even be able to reserve your seats on-line.

Hope this helps some of you out with future travel plans.

Best Deal Yet on Lavazza Coffee: 4.4 lbs for $16 with Free Shipping!

I've written a couple of times before on Lavazza Crema e Aroma coffee beans and the great deals available getting it at Amazon.com. (my previous post) Well, I just checked today and it's the best overall deal yet...

Lavazza is one of the premier brands of coffee in Italy, and Italians sure know their coffee! When we visit my wife's family it's the kind of coffee her mom serves. I've ordered these beans from Amazon a couple of times and it's always a pleasure to smell the coffee brewing and drink it to start the day.

Right now, Amazon has the 2.2 lb bags of beans (they come in bean form so it stays fresh longer but you need a coffee grinder) reduced from $34.99 to a very low $13.00 per bag. And they have a promotion that if you order two bags and use the promotional code ESPRESS9 at checkout, they take $10 off your order!

Since the two bags initially add up to over $25, it also qualifies the order for free shipping!!! So the final cost for 4.4 pounds of terrific coffee delivered to your door comes down to $16.00!

Click here: Lavazza Crema e Aroma Coffee Beans, 2.2-Pound Bag.

The price today is different from what it was just a week ago, so I'm not sure how long the price will stay at the $13 range -- so if you're interested, I'd check on it quickly. If you love coffee, I think you'll be happy with this deal.

Mmm... nice!