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...

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.

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.

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.

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!

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?

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!

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.

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.