Low Prices at Sears on Women's Tops, Pants

Update October 1 -- The lowest priced items have all sold out or been pulled from the website. After I posted this on the blog I went to order some and there were plenty of choices. In the middle of ordering them yesterday the site sent messages that by the time I reached checkout some weren't available, and each time I got to checkout more of them disappeared. Must have been a ton of shoppers at Sears.

Sears.com is having a clearance on some women's pants as well as some tee shirts and tank tops. The prices are way, way down there. I know it's late in the season but these should still be good for wearing next spring/summer. Plus maybe you'll find a great travel deal for a cruise on my blog and be able to wear them where it's warm in the winter!

Here's a link to a variety of tee shirts and tank tops starting as low as 39 cents!

Here's a link to a variety of pants and shorts beginning as low as $1.09.

Sizes and quantities are limited so you may want to check these fast.

Eat Special K, Save $10 on Jeans

Special K cereal is having a promotion offering savings toward jeans. If you send in stamps from 5 specially marked boxes, you get a certificate for $10 toward the purchase on any pair of jeans!

The offer is good for specially marked packages of cereal, but also for Eggo Special K waffles, Special K protein bars and Special K2O protein waters.

It's valid for a whole year, till September 30, 2008 (although you must use stamps from specially marked packages so who knows how long those will be on the shelf). Limited to one per household.

Here's the link. It will take you to an intro page and you can click on 'skip intro.'

Special K just became a little more special!

Convert $30 Loose Change into $30 Amazon Credit and Receive a Bonus $10 Amazon Gift Certificate!

From October 1st through November 4th, Coinstar will let you use their coin-counting service to get $40 worth of shopping at Amazon.com for $30 worth of change.

You need to take at least $30 worth of coins to your local Coinstar machine, and when the machine prompts you as to how you want your payment you would select an Amazon.com certificate for the amount (which also makes the coin counting free if I read it correctly). Then you would fill out an additional claim form and mail it in to receive a bonus $10 Amazon.com gift certificate.

So you could make that $30 of loose pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters add up to $40 on Amazon! That's a 33% gain on your money. Then just wait for a special deal on Amazon and make the savings go even further!

Here's the link. There's a link there with some more detailed rules. It's limited to one offer per name/household. Remember that it doesn't start till Monday the 1st so don't rush out tomorrow.

Maybe tossing that loose change into a container wasn't such a bad idea after all!

Update October 1st -- Just returned from doing my Coinstar transaction. Was quite simple, using the touchscreen to pick Amazon.com, which entitles you to free coin counting -- their regular fee for coin counting redeemed for cash is 8.9%. You just load the coins onto a slot to feed into the machine. The counter shows the progress in total amount and breaking down the types of coins counted. When you've finished and it's over $30 you press 'done' and then press the Amazon logo on the screen, and the machine issues a receipt. The top part of the receipt shows the redemption code at Amazon.com for the gift certificate in the amount you fed the machine. The bottom part of the form is a mail-in form for the extra $10 certificate. It has to be postmarked by November 8th. There's a limit of one per household (too bad, I would've had enough change to get two certificates). So that's the scoop on how easy it was.

Free Museum Entry Today!

Today is a special promotional day for many museums across the country offering free admission. It's held in conjunction with Smithsonian Magazine, but there are tons of museums around the country which are participating.

To find a museum in your area, go to this link.

After you find a museum you'd like to visit, click on it, then on the "Admission Card" link at the top. You'll have to fill out info for an admission pass that will get you in without paying the fee.

Culture, and at a bargain! Twice as nice!

Halloween's Coming -- Need a Mustache?

Every once in a while, it's nice to smile at a deal...

DealExtreme is offering a 12-pack of assorted fake mustaches for $2.66 including shipping. They're self-adhesive, and meant for fun. With Halloween coming up, maybe they can help dress up a costume or two. If you have children getting ready to trick-or-treat, they might get a kick out of these.

Here's the link.

Trick or treat!

Flash Drives: 1GB $11; 2GB $17; 4GB $33

Flash drives are one of those wonderful new developments that have made storing and moving computer files so much easier. I have done a lot of graphic design work that I've needed to take to professional printers, and I always had to burn a CD or DVD to bring it. If there were any updates/revisions I had to burn new discs... the time and expense of the discs could add up.

Now with these USB flash drives you can just plug them into a USB port and store your files. Then you have it all on a nice little gadget that slips in your pocket until you need it. If files get revised, you can just load the new files. When you're done, the files can be wiped off and the gadget is free for its next use. The amount you can store on these is remarkable considering what you needed to store an equivalent amount just a few years back.

A friend asked me to be on the lookout for a good price for a 2GB unit, so I figured I would look for deals in varying sizes... The best prices I found right now are on the Kingston brand at buy.com -- I've used this brand (in the 1GB size) and have been very pleased with the performance.

1GB Kingston USB Flash Drive $10.95 with free shipping
2GB Kingston USB Flash Drive $16.95 with free shipping
4GB Kingston USB Flash Drive $32.95 with free shipping

If you need a mega-memory Flash Drive, you can try this 16GB PQI USB Flash Drive on sale at supermediastore.com reduced from $199.95 to $155.45. Then apply coupon code USB15DOFF at checkout to bring the price to $140.45 with free shipping.

Memories -- you can take them with you!

4-Night Baja Mexico Cruise from Los Angeles Only $169 plus $75 Shipboard Credit; 4-Night Caribbean from Miami $199 plus $75 Credit

Cruisedeals.com has listed some nice deals on 4-night cruises with Royal Caribbean. Very nice? I'd say they're even better than that!

Among the highlights is an amazing $169 out of Los Angeles down the California coast and into Mexico. In addition to what's already a great deal, they are adding a $75 shipboard credit per cabin. You can even upgrade to Oceanview for just $229 (and still get the shipboard credit). There are four sailings available, one each month between January and April.

For east-coasters, there are $199 deals into the Caribbean out of Miami or Port Canaveral. They also have the $75 shipboard credit, and the Oceanview is still just $229! These are for sailings on several dates in December and January.

If they appeal to you, I'd hurry 'cause I don't think it'll be long before they sell out this offer.

Here's the link.

So if you'd like to plan a break from some upcoming winter weather without breaking the bank, check these out!

NYC to Switzerland Non-Stop $446 Roundtrip on Swiss International - with chocolates!

Swiss International Airlines has a terrific fare on non-stop service from New York City to Zurich or Geneva. It's just $446 roundtrip before taxes/fees. I just checked what the final price would be and the fare came out to just $516.90! That's really an amazing deal for European travel...

The fare is valid for travel between October 29th and December 13th, as well as travel from December 25th through March 20th.

They have other cities with nice fares, but these Swiss non-stops really stand out.

Here's a link to swiss.com.

You even get free Swiss chocolates on board -- with this deal, could anything be sweeter?

NCAA Football Fans -- School Hoodies $11.99

If you're a fan of four schools (or know someone who is), you might want to take a peek at this one...

The schools are Alabama, Tennessee, Washington State or Florida State (Syracuse was included but they're out of stock).

Amazon.com is offering Old Varsity Brand hoodies for these four schools for $11.99 (usually $29.95). The hoodies are gray, and are screen printed with a large name of the school, a small nickname and logo. They're 80% cotton 20% polyester so they should be good for those crisp fall football Saturdays.

They'd make great Christmas presents for that football fan you know and love. If you get a few (or other stuff at Amazon that totals over $25) they're shipped free as well.

Here's the link.

Go, team, go!

Photo Explosion Software Free after Rebate (Free Shipping)

Buy.com is offering Photo Explosion 2.0 software free after rebate, along with free shipping. This software package lets you edit your photos with special effects or turn them into panoramas. They have a SmartEnhance feature that automatically does normal simple repairs like red-eye correction.

There are two rebates which combine for the full price, good for purchases by October 1st.

Here's the link.

If you like taking digital pictures and want more tools to work with them, free is good.

2 GB Compact Flash Card $9.95 After Rebate

With all the higher resolution digital cameras people are using, higher memory on cards has become essential. I've seen some deals recently on SD cards, but if you have equipment that uses a Compact Flash card, this one is a really great price.

Buy.com is offering a Dane-Elec 2GB Compact Flash Card which normally goes for $49.99 on sale for $26.95. And there's a mail-in rebate of $17.00 for purchases by October 1st, bringing the final total down to $9.95.

Adding to the bargain is that it qualifies for free budget shipping, so that's the final price at your door!

Here's the link.

So if your camera takes Compact Flash cards, why not grab this one and it'll probably be the only one you'll need to carry around...

7-Day Trip to Morocco $999 + Tax/Security Fee

Want to visit an exotic destination without breaking the bank? Here's a trip offered by GateOne travel offering 7 days in Morocco (they call it 8 days but I don't want to count an overnight flight as a day of vacation).

It includes visits to Casablanca, Rabat, Fez and Marrakesh as well as views of the Atlas Mountains. 6 breakfasts and 6 dinners are included, as well as hotels, airfare on Royal Air Maroc and transportation through Morocco. (The price is based on airfare from New York)

The price for booking by October 5th is $1,099 but if you enter the promo code BBM100 you get an additional $100 off this trip. (After October 5th the price rises to $1,299)

Here's the link, with details about the specific itinerary and highlights.

If you've ever wanted to visit the land of Bergmann and Bogart (OK, I know it was a movie), this may be a chance to make that dream come true...

Sierra Trading Post 60% Clearance Today

Sierra Trading Post is a site you'd probably expect to use only for camping, hiking and fishing items, but they're loaded with regular clothes as well. Until midnight Monday, September 24th, they have a clearance sale of 60% or more going on. They have clothes, shoes and gear available in all kinds of categories, so it may be worth checking them out.

If you click on gear, footwear or apparel on their home page, you will also see a small banner that you can click to get a coupon e-mailed for $5 off your first order if it's over $50.

They seem to have a nice selection of sweaters and other cold weather items, so this may be a good chance to stock up before the coming winter!

Early Christmas Shopping for an NFL Fan? Replica Jerseys $15 Off Plus 20% Off Code

Well, football season is underway, and before you know it, Christmas will be here. Do you know a fan who's crazy about the team? Maybe there's a new player who's a new favorite? How about a nice deal for a replica jersey featuring the name and number of that favorite player?

Now till September 29th, Sports Authority is taking $15 off its price for replica jerseys (usually $74.99 cut to $59.99) and there's also a promo code you can use for 20% off any single item which brings it down to $44.99. There's a shipping charge of $4.99 so the final price for a jersey delivered to your favorite fan is less than $50.

Here's the link.

When you've added the jersey to your shopping cart, put TSA20 in the promo code space and the recalculated total will drop 20%. The TSA20 code is for just one item.

If you're buying a couple of items and the total goes over $100, use promo code TSACYD2 instead for $25 off (you can't combine the two codes unfortunately).

Seeing the smile on your NFL fan's face should make this deal even sweeter...

Two Audio Books Download Free

Audible.com has an offer for a 14-trial of its Platinum Plan, which allows you to download two books for free and try their service.

They have over 35,000 book titles from which to choose so you could certainly find a couple of books that appeal to you.

Membership continues automatically if you don't cancel within the 14 days, so keep that in mind if you just want to keep the two books free.

Here's the link.

So if you like audio books or just want to give them a try, check out this incentive deal.

Restaurant.com Promo Code 60% Off!

Restaurant.com has another promotional code available, this time for 60% off their restaurant dining certificates. That means you can get $25 of restaurant dining for just $4.00!

The promotional code is SEASONS and the code expires September 30th.

For those of you who haven't tried it yet or aren't familiar with restaurant.com, various restaurants offer certificates to dine. $25 value certificates are usually $10, and some restaurants have $10 value certificates which are usually $3. The restaurant can put some restrictions on them such as minimum check, number of diners etc., but those are clearly written in the description before you buy any certificate. The restrictions seem relatively simple to meet, and the feedback I get from people is that this is one of their favorite deals when promo codes come along.

Getting $25 worth of restaurant dining for $10 is already a nice offer; getting it for $4 is worth a WOW! So if this tickles you, visit restaurant.com and search for the restaurants in your area. You might find one of your favorites (and you'll be able to enjoy it more often), or maybe find that special restaurant that would be worth a try.

Yum-yum!

Report from Deal-Land: My Two-Cent Roundtrip to Vegas

I'm back... landed early this morning after a one-night trip to Las Vegas. All thanks to the fun deal I found using Spirit Airlines special offers -- the two-cent roundtrip airfare from Atlantic City!

My wife and I had a ball, and here's my report about Spirit, at least based on the flights we flew.

First off, flying out of small airports is more pleasant than from major cities. The lines don't seem as long, things are easier to find, and you just seem to be able to get done with everything just a bit faster and easier. Of course, small airports don't offer as many options on airlines and destinations, but if you can find a trip leaving a small airport it might be a nice change from leaving out of a major airport.

The planes on Spirit appear new, I believe ours was an Airbus A319, and seats are gray leather. They have small headrest flaps that you can adjust so you can lean your head to either side and have some support. The seats don't recline as far back as in planes I've flown with other carriers. At first it felt odd not to be able to lean far back to lounge as comfortably as in other planes, but then again it was nice not to feel like the person in front of you was leaning back into you lap.

The width of seats seemed fairly average, and they had two rows up front with wider seats at a premium price. Legroom seemed a hair better than on some airlines I've flown but just marginally. I'm average height and was able to have my knees not touching the seat ahead of me. A tall person would probably still have some squeezing to do, but I don't know of too many airlines where that wouldn't be the case.

Spirit had allowed on-line seat selection 90 days prior to the flight, which was great -- we were able to book seats in the fourth row for quick deplaning at the end of our flights. They also allowed on-line printing of boarding passes 24 hours prior to the flight. This was another help in our travels since we didn't have to allow as much lead time for our airport arrival (we weren't checking any bags so once we arrived at the airport we could just go straight to Security).

One way Spirit makes up for low airfares is by charging for certain items you'd routinely expect to be free. First is a charge for any checked baggage -- we didn't have to pay because for a one-night trip you can certainly make do with a carry-on. But if you have carry-on luggage you pay a fee per bag. If you pay at the airport it's $10 per bag for the first two bags you check. You can prepay on-line for checked bags, the charge drops to $5 per bag. These fees are in each direction, so it's $20 roundtrip per bag if you arrange it at the airports or $10 roundtrip if bought on-line. If for some reason you need to check a third bag, it's a hefty $100 whether you do it on-line or at the airport.

You are allowed one carry-on and one "personal item" such as a handbag, computer case or such, at no cost. The bins on the planes seemed big enough to accommodate all the passengers' carry-ons without hassles (and the plane coming back was 100% full).

The other item where you pay additional is for snacks or beverages. I've seen some airlines charging for meal services such as sandwiches you can buy on board, but Spirit doesn't offer any type of meals for purchase. They have an assortment of beverages for sale, as well as a small selection of snacks for sale. They only take credit cards for payment.

They will still pour you a glass of bottled water for free, but you pay for coffee or sodas -- right now it's $1 but on October 1st it's going up to $2 for any non-alcoholic beverages except a poured glass of water. If you want your own small bottle of water you pay for that. Wine, beer and liquor is $5, which seems like a more standard charge compared to other airlines.

Unfortunately with today's security restrictions, you can't really plan ahead by bringing beverages from home since they'll be confiscated. I saw a woman at the Security checkpoint have to give up her "ice-cold" Coca-Cola (the TSA agent specifically noted it was ice cold and told her she could go back outside Security to drink it or else it would be thrown out). Once past Security you can buy beverages you can bring onto the plane -- those are usually more expensive than buying them at a local store but it may still be worth your while.

As far as snacks, the selection was fairly small and the prices on the high side -- a bag of pretzels, cashews and almonds is $4 as is a bag of Combos. For $2 you can buy a small canister of Pringles, a Granola Bar, Grandma's Cookies or an Otis Spunkmeyer muffin. So for a long trip I would plan to bring along some food such as a sandwich to tide yourself over. Not only to save money but there just isn't any substantial food available if you really get hungry.

There is one hidden benefit to the lack of meals available. They didn't seem to lose much time on the ground having to load hot meals onto the plane, so turnaround times were shorter than on other airlines I've flown and both flights were easily on time.

There is no in-flight entertainment, no movies, music, headphones etc. Spirit's on-board announcement was that they encourage people to bring their own entertainment and I saw someone bring a portable DVD player to watch a movie -- on a long flight this would be a really good idea. They do have an in-flight magazine, and the content is really focused on the various destinations to which Spirit flies. It was also filled with offers for hotel/resort packages in locations to which Spirit flies. I actually preferred this kind of in-flight magazine to one that has all sorts of articles on random topics but that's a personal preference.

There were no blankets nor pillows on board for passengers to use. I saw a couple of people actually bringing their own pillows along for the trip. This also probably helps with the quick turnaround of flights on the ground, but you should just be prepared. I felt that they kept the cabin comfortable temperature-wise, so a blanket wouldn't be needed but just another point to remember as you prepare for a trip on Spirit.

The service on the plane was fine. The pilot on our outbound flight was very friendly and enthusiastic in his announcements. The cabin crew was pleasant and seemed pretty quick to respond whenever a passenger rang the 'call-attendant' button overhead.

The return flight was a red-eye, and the pilot minimized any announcements to try and let people sleep. As with any red-eye the ability to sleep is related to how chatty the people in surrounding seats are, or whether babies cry (unfortunately we had two couples who seemed insistent on talking for most of the flight, but that can happen on any airline so it's not a Spirit matter, just a fact of flying life). When you're trying to sleep the fact that the seats recline a bit less seemed to make it a little harder to relax comfortably.

So all-in-all, I think Spirit seems to be a well-run airline, and the fares certainly make it worth considering and using when their itinerary meets your needs. Particularly for flights to the Caribbean and Central/South America they offer some interesting choices through Fort Lauderdale. They also have a route from Los Angeles to Guatemala and Detroit to Cancun. As a discount airline, the fares look great as long as you factor in any additional costs for baggage -- forewarned is forearmed.

Would I fly them again? Yes.

Spirit Airlines Negative Dollar Fares!!! Yes, Flights for -$4!

Spirit Airlines is really making deals now... today through midnight tomorrow September 19th, they are offering fares for less than zero! They have some city pairs available for -$1 to as low as $-4!

The negative dollar fares are for selected dates, and there are security fees and taxes that apply, but the negative values are applied against these so the total comes down to less than the taxes and fees combined!

I guess they really want people to sit up and notice. Here's the link.

Some city pairs and dates are:

Myrtle Beach to Boston 11/20, 11/29, 12/3, 12/9; Boston to Myrtle Beach 11/29, 11/30, 12/15, 12/16 for -$3 each way or a total of minus $6!

Atlantic City to Fort Lauderdale 12/3, 12/16, 1/10, 1/11; Fort Lauderdale to Atlantic City 12/6, 12/7, 2/1, 2/7 for -$1 each way, or -$2 roundtrip!

New York City to Myrtle Beach 12/3, 12/4, 12/5, 12/6; Myrtle Beach to New York 12/3, 12/6, 12/7, 12/9 for -$1 each way, or -$2 combined!

Atlanta to Orlando 9/27, 9/28, 10/30, 10/31; Orlando to Atlanta 10/1, 10/15, 10/22, 10/31 for -$2 each way, -$4 roundtrip.

Washington DC to Fort Lauderdale 1/20, 1/28, 1/30, 1/31; Fort Lauderdale to DC 1/25, 1/31, 2/1, 2/5 for -$2 each way, or a total of minus $4!

Detroit has some negative fares, to/from New York, Atlantic City, Myrtle Beach and Orlando.

Spirit even has some international travel from Fort Lauderdale for negative dollar fares... Cancun, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Guatemala...

WOW!

Have a Hot Laptop? Get a Laptop Cooler for $9.99 After Rebate

If you have a laptop that runs on the hot side, an external cooler can be a nice accessory to keep it running better, smoother and longer.

Buy.com is offering the Antec laptop cooler for $27.99 with an $18 rebate that's valid until September 21st. They also have free budget shipping on it, making it an even better deal.

The cooler uses a USB port, but it doesn't reduce your total USB port capacity since it has a pass-through port. The surface is aluminum and is designed to help keep your laptop running cooler.

Here's the link.

So keep your laptop cool with this nice hot deal!

Altec Lansing Speakers for Ipods - On Sale for $19.99 with Free Shipping

Buy.com is offering a great deal on Altec Lansing IMMINI inMotion(tm) Portable Audio Speakers to play your Ipod at home, in the office or wherever. The original price for these is $99.00 but they are offering these at just $19.99.

And even better, they qualify for free budget shipping!

They are compatible with all Ipod Nanos. Altec Lansing is a respected name for quality speakers, and the product reviewers seem to rave about these, so the price makes them look like an awesome deal!

Here's the link.

More music to your ears, no?

Joseph A. Bank Trio Suits 2/3 Off Sale!

Men, if you need to spice up your business wardrobe, Joseph A. Bank has a sale on their "trio" suits where you get a jacket and two pairs of pants. They are regularly $595 and they are available now for $199. The company is known for good quality, so this offer looks like a good way to get a good suit or two without denting your wallet too much.

In addition, they offer free shipping for any order over $175 so any of these would be shipped free to your door.

Here's the link.

Look nice for one-third the price! Impress your boss not just by how good you look but your smarts in saving hard-earned cash...

25% Off Promo Code at Shoes.com, Free Shipping and 115% Price Guarantee

If you are game to buying shoes on the Internet, shoes.com has a promo code that takes 25% off your order. The code is LUCKYBREAKS7.

The site also provides free shipping on all shoes (and free returns if they don't work out for you). Plus they have a 115% price guarantee if you find a lower price elsewhere.

Between the free shipping/returns and the price guarantee they somewhat minimize the risk of shoe shopping on the web, and the 25% promo code may tip the scales and make it worth your while. Check it out!

Sale at iFrogz on Ipod Accessories at 57.5% Off!

iFrogz.com is having a sale on Ipod accessories such as cases, skins etc. at half price through tomorrow, Sunday the 16th. There are a wide variety of items that fit all sorts of generations of Ipods, so if you need a good case to protect yours or some other accessories to make it more useful, check out the site.

As a bonus, there's also a promo code BARGAINS which gets an additional 15% off the order, making the total savings 57.5% off the original prices.

Here's the link. The half-price offer shows up when you click on various items and a red box shows the 50% off will be applied.

So why not make your Ipod more fun and last longer, at a savings that leaves you more money to download more iTunes!

Have an MP3 and an Active Lifestyle? How 'bout an MP3 Armband Holder Free After Rebate?

If you like to listen to your music while you jog, work out or just walk around, how about an armband that lets you wear your MP3 player while you move around?

Newegg.com has the Xtatix armband available right now free-after-rebate with free 3-day shipping too! Free item, free shipping... always a nice combination!

Here's the link.

Deals like this are always music to my ears!

Microsoft Office Ultimate 2007 Over 90% Off for College Students!

Microsoft is offering its Office Ultimate 2007 software suite to college students for $59.95, which is less than one-tenth of the regular retail of $679. Now that's what I call a price savings!

The suite contains Microsoft Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Outlook with Business Contact Manager, Accounting Express, Publisher, Access, InfoPath, Groove, and OneNote. It's got the most widely used tools for so many computer functions -- the deal makes me wish I were a college student!

To participate, the student must be enrolled in college and taking at least 0.5 credit hours currently, and must have an e-mail address with an .edu domain. Microsoft claims they will be checking up, and if anyone cannot verify their student status they will be charged the $679 retail price instead, so this is for legit students only. The offer ends April 30, 2008.

But if you are a student (or a parent who just sent your son or daughter off to college), this can boost your PC's productivity at a fraction of the regular cost.

Here's the link to the offer.

So, college students, have at it! And the lesson about saving money? Well, let that be an extra thing you learned this semester!

Business Class Sale -- Not Much More Than Coach! Thanksgiving Timeframe (Christmas Time Also Reduced)

Thanks to the people at travelzoo, here's a link to information about a great deal for Business Class tickets on Continental Airlines. Fares are not much more than a coach ticket!!! If you might want to take advantage, I'd book soon, as these are sure to go quickly...

Depart between Nov. 18-24 and return between Nov. 22-24 or Nov. 27-28 for these prices. Flights between Dec. 17 and Jan. 9 are $200 more roundtrip.

Sample fares (roundtrip from Newark, over Thanksgiving):
Shannon ... $992
Manchester ... $1020
Cologne ... $1040
Hamburg ... $1040
Brussels ... $1070
Barcelona ... $1170
Athens ... $1270
Paris ... $1270

Other destinations like London, Oslo, Copenhagen, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Zurich, and 13 cities also are available.

Here's the link.

p.s. Have you signed up for travelzoo yet?

Another Day of Great Spirit Airfares - As Low as $2!

Today only, Spirit Airlines has some great deals on some city pairs for specific dates.

Examples include
Detroit and Atlantic City $2 each way
Boston and Myrtle Beach $11 each way
Orlando and Atlanta $7 each way
Fort Lauderdale to San Juan, Puerto Rico $5 each way
Detroit and New York City $13 each way
Fort Lauderdale or Fort Myers and Atlantic City $7 each way

Here is a list of all their sales today showing the cities and the dates the fares apply, but it is today only to purchase tickets so hurry if you can!

Couple of Furniture Deals: Free Massaging Recliner when You Buy a TV; Nice Sectional Unit Priced Way Down

For someone looking to bring some new furniture into their home, here are a couple of items that might be worth noting:

Best Buy has an offer going on to include a free massaging recliner with ottoman free with a TV purchase over $999. This applies to a number of TVs they have on the site so you can find the one that makes sense for you, if you're upgrading to HDTV or anything. It doesn't preclude TVs that the prices are already on special, so you can combine a great deal at this retailer with the bonus and get that much more for your money. The massage chair with ottoman retails for $399 so this is a nice bonus.

The link to the offer is here.

If you're looking for some more encompassing furniture for your TV room, Overstock has a 7-piece leather sectional set with reclining seats which would list for over $4,000 now slashed down to $1,649.99 ($200 off their previous bargain price). It's made to complement home theater set-ups, so take a look if you happen to be interested...

Here's the link.

Either one of these deals let's you sit back and relax, counting up all the nice little dollars you saved.

Cultural Bargain - Free Night of Theatre

Those of you who know me know that one of my endeavors is in theatre... in fact right now I am directing and acting in a production that's been both intense and gratifying. So seeing a chance to combine this with another endeavor of mine -- saving money -- is great!

There is a program in October where non-profit theatres around the country offer free tickets for a night of theatre. It's a great chance to try some new shows or theatres you haven't visited. I think theatre is a great way to see a story told, very different from TV or a movie where everything is canned for you. In theatre you get to see it happen in real time, and the actors bring the characters to life right in front of you.

There are theatres in some major cities as well as some programs with smaller theatres across various states. Most of the shows are October 18th, but some are a few days earlier or later. Reservations can be made at the start of October on-line.

If you're interested in details on this program, visit this link.

Try it, you might just like it!

Download an Album Free Today/Tomorrow -- Compilation includes Sarah McLachlan, Barenaked Ladies

Now through September 10th, you can get a free download of a full album from the Vancouver Sun. You don't have to be a subscriber or pay for anything, just submit an e-mail address -- to avoid any possible spam clogging your main e-mail, I'd register with a secondary free e-mail account like Hotmail or Yahoo (I'm not saying they will send spam, I just always think it's safer to use a secondary e-mail address for commercial stuff).

The link is here.

The album is a compilation of various artists, including Sarah McLachlan and Barenaked Ladies. Here's a list of the songs/artists:

Sarah McLachlan - "Afterglow" (Live)
Barenaked Ladies - "Wind It Up"
The Weepies - "Gotta Have You"
Leigh Nash - "Ocean Size Love"
Josh Rouse - "Hollywood Bass Player"
Uh Huh Her - "Say So"
Great Lake Swimmers - "Your Rocky Spine"
Fauxilage - "Rafe" (Gabin Remix)
The Be Good Tanyas - "Ootischenia'
The Perishers - "Victorious"
Datarock - "Fa Fa Fa"
Moev - "Yeah Whatever"
The Format - "She doesn't Get It"
Barenaked Ladies - "Home" (Live)
The Water Walk - "Turn Your Face Away"

Even if you don't know or don't like all the songs, you can delete whatever and add to your music collection for free... and free is good.

Labelmaker Rebate This Week at Staples

Here's early notice for a Free-After-Rebate Label Maker at Staples starting Sunday the 9th...

DYMO Letra Tag LT-100H personal labeler Original Price $19.99 - $5 instant savings = You Pay $14.99. Then a $15 Easy Rebate (the kind you submit online so no mailings or UPCs with which to deal) so it ends up free! The sku at Staples is 705722.

Another Free-After-Rebate item they're offering this week is Peachtree Accounting 2008, which looks like a robust package. Original Price $169.99 - $30 instant savings = You Pay $139.99 - $90 rebate - $50 rebate so it also is free. The sku is 692119.

I can't post a link yet since the deals start Sunday... I believe the rebate period is good for purchases till September 12. If you go to their website you should be able to order these by sku, and since it would be over $50 you would get free shipping too!

You might even be able to call an order in combine these two and try the promo code I posted a few days ago for a telephone order and get another $30 savings...

So if you need one of those labelmakers, you might as well get one for free, right?

Friday Specials at Amazon and Staples

Did you know that both Amazon.com and Staples.com run special offers every Friday? They have links on their home pages that let you shop for whatever they've put on extra discount those days. Sometimes the items can be quite useful and the extra savings may be enough to make a purchase a good idea.

Amazon also has special offers they put up for one day at a time, each and every day.

At Amazon, if you go down the left column of the home page, you will see a small section with the word 'Bargains' in orange, then underneath it are links for 'Friday Sale' and 'Today's Deals.'

At the Staples home page on Friday's they have a small image for 'Friday One-Day Deals.' Sometimes that image might be replaced by something for another special, so if it's a Friday and you don't see it, just refresh your screen a couple of times and it should pop up.

Obviously the offers vary each week and sometimes you can find real nice bargains this way. So take a peek on Fridays and see what piques your interest!

Looking for a Young Child's Activity? How About Free Printable Coloring Pages?

Though school has started for some kids, you may be looking for activities to keep younger ones occupied. Coloring books are still a popular activity that also can help a child's development -- so why not use free coloring pages instead?

This way, instead of buying a whole book at a store where the child might only color a page or two, you can go on-line and download just some pages which your child can color to his/her heart's content.

The link is here.

Help your child have fun (and maybe download a page yourself you can color with them!)

One Way to Keep Cash in Your Pocket -- Keep Your Old Car Running

As someone who usually keeps my cars for 8-10 years before getting another, I've always wondered about the decision many people make to trade in their cars and buy newer ones fairly often.

Of course it's a matter of choice and personal preference, but making new car purchases frequently can drain the budget. In today's paper I saw an article from Consumer Reports discussing this, and the numbers were eye-opening.

The bottom line they came up with was that keeping cars long after the final payments have been made can save in the range of $30,000 or more.

They compared the costs of buying and keeping a car for 225,000 miles as opposed to buying and financing an identical model every five years. Their analysis showed that many cars nowadays can last that long with few, if any, major repairs.

The comparisons took into account purchase price, maintenance and repairs, depreciation, interest charges, taxes and insurance for 15 years, comparing these with what it would take to purchase a new vehicle every five years (I have a feeling the cost difference would be even higher if the average of three years to get a new car were used).

Comparing a Honda Civic EX with automatic transmission cited the following results: an owner could saw as much as $20,500 properly maintaining the car over the 15 years -- $1,500 more than its purchase price!

Add to that the ability to bank the savings in a bank would allow that $20,500 to grow an additional $10,300 plus. This means that keeping this car fifteen years instead of buying new ones at the five and ten-year marks could leave the owner $30,800 richer!

They said that similar big savings could be achieved with other vehicles too.

The article stressed the importance of maintaining a vehicle properly to get the longevity allowing this to happen. A good friend of mine once stressed to me that the single most important thing to do for a car is to have regular scheduled oil changes. He said if you do nothing else, that will have the most impact on keeping the engine running longer (not that he was suggesting doing only that one thing -- he was just underscoring its importance).

The article mentioned other important aspects of maintaining a car to keep it running well longer than you would've thought -- following scheduled maintenance recommendations, using parts or fluids that meet vehicle specs, inspecting regularly to check for problems (open the hood to look, listen and smell for problems), and keeping the vehicle clean for its physical well-being.

Of course, everyone makes their car decisions based on a lot of factors and personal considerations -- the decision to buy a new one every few years may be important for a lot of reasons, and you can't generalize that it's always better to keep the older car running instead of getting new. But when it comes time to make that decision, maybe it can help to have an idea of the dollars and cents behind the decision. Maybe you might decide driving a good older one and keeping more money for yourself is a wiser choice after all.

Don't forget to think of what else you could do with that money -- maybe that would make the decision worthwhile.

Video Software Free-After-Rebate (and a small step gets you free shipping too)

Office Depot is carrying VideoShow Expressions software free-after-rebate until September 8th. The price is $49.99 and there are two rebates which combine for $50. This software lets you edit and enhance your films with effects, titles, sharpening and so on.

Here's the link.

Now normally you would have to pay shipping because the purchase price is just under $50. So just find a small item you might be able to use (paper clips, rubber bands) and add it to the order so the shipping becomes free! You'll probably save more than the cost of the new item.

If you like playing with video you've taken, here's a way to get your hands on some software that might help make it more fun, and have the fun of ending up paying nothing when all is said and done!

Staples Promo Code - $30 Off a $150 Purchase

Here's a nice little promo code. It is valid for telephone orders, not for online orders (but anything you can order online you could call and order by dialing 800-333-3330).

The promo code number is 96243. It offers $30 off a $150 purchase and it expires January 31, 2008.

Keep this one in mind as you look at Staples items over the coming weeks/months. Combine it with other great offers and/or rebate items to increase your savings even further!

Need an Escape? Hot Hawaii Airfares on United

There's one spot that always seems high on people's lists of favorite travel escapes... Hawaii. Have you ever heard people come back and tell you they wish they hadn't gone?

United Airlines is slashing their airfares to Hawaii (Honolulu or Maui) till December 12th, with some pretty tempting numbers:

San Francisco to Honolulu - $125 each way
Philadelphia to Honolulu - $207 each way
Los Angeles to Honolulu - $129 each way
Seattle to Maui - $150 each way
Denver to Maui - $215 each way

There are lots more city choices... Maui usually looks like the more expensive of the two destinations but not always (it's more expensive out of SF but less expensive out of Denver).

Here's the link.

There are a few blackout dates in November, requires 14-day advance purchase, Monday through Thursday flying... but if Hawaii is where you want to be, Aloha!

13-Night Transatlantic Cruise on Norwegian Only $499! Miami to Barcelona sailing February 29th

Dreaming about that dream trip to Europe in a way that fits your budget? Travelzoo has this posting for a 13-night cruise from Miami to Barcelona. The sailing date is February 29th (it is a leap year) and it's on a new ship in their fleet, the Norwegian Jade.

An inside cabin is $499, oceanview is $599 and a balcony cabin is $699! You gotta be kidding me!

The ship also makes stops in Ponta Delgada, Lisbon, Gibraltar, Malaga and Palma De Mallorca before finishing in Barcelona.

Here's the link to the deal.

So if you love to cruise (or want to try it) and can fit this in your schedule, what a way to cure the winter blues!