Laptop Cooler Pad 49¢ After Rebate with Free Shipping

If you have a laptop, you know they can sometimes get warm, and keeping it cool can help extend the life and efficiency of components. Well, right now at Fry's, you can pick up a handy notebook cooler by Inland for just $5.49 with free shipping. And on top of that already good deal, there's a $5.00 mail-in rebate for purchases by the end of March. So that brings your net cost for this cooler down to a measly 49¢!!!

This cooler has two fans built-in to help dissipate the hot air away from underneath the notebook computer, cooling down the overall temperature of your system. It's powered by the plug-and-play USB connection directly from the computer.

If you're looking for a laptop cooler. I'd check this one out quickly, since I can't imagine Fry's will have it in stock for long at this price. Click this link.

2GB SD Card $3.99 After Rebates w/ Free Shipping

I checked this earlier and it was out of stock online this morning, but it's back to being available, so I wanted to post it -- anyone who bought a camera or digital frame might be interested.

ClubIT.com has an A-DATA 2GB SD Card available for $19.99 with two rebates combining for $16. That makes the final net a nice, low $3.99. Particularly nice with the free FedEx ground shipping.

Here's the link.

The rebate is good till November 26th, but I'd hurry on this one since who knows how long the new stock will last.

1 GB Flash Drive $1.20 After Rebate w/ Free Shipping

Well, it's a fun day and there are really many great deals flying around thanks to the Black Friday competition. The big draws for electronics (at least judging by my local Staples) were digital picture frames and GPS units. I'm going to check out the Navigon 2100T which Staples had for $99.99 this morning (you had to be in line pretty early or be lucky with on-line ordering), which also includes a lifetime traffic monitoring feature that is normally $99 by itself. Will see if it the features deliver.

Anyway, many of the big stores have their best deals gone within minutes, although they still have good offers the next couple of days. But I wanted to focus on other little items that might be of interest...

I was checking out a site called ClubIT as I'd heard they had a 2GB SD card for $3.99 after rebate but it shows as sold out. But I ran across this nice little flash drive with 1GB memory which is available for $12.20 but with two rebates that total $11.00, bringing the final cost down to $1.20 -- with FREE FedEx Ground Shipping.

The rebates are valid for purchases through November 26th.

These little devices are handy for moving files around and some of the digital picture frames can also use them to show more photos than the memory of the frame itself would allow.

Here's the link.

So if you're looking for one of these items, $1.20 makes it almost a no-brainer...

A Little Decoration for Christmas: LED Christmas Tree with USB Connection $4.95

Here's a little item you can use to brighten up your office or to give as a gift to that someone for whom you don't know what to get.

A small LED lighting Christmas Tree that has a USB connection you attach to your computer. Once you connect it, it lights up and cycles through several colors. It's small so you could keep it on your desk and add to your holiday spirit.

It sells for $4.95 and includes free shipping.

Here's the link.

Here comes Santa Claus...

Colorful Reversible Scarf or Hat $1.99 Each with Free Shipping

Winter's coming... wouldn't you like to have a scarf or hat with a burst of color for those grey, chilly days?

Coldwater Creek is offering a reversible hat and reversible scarf for the low price of $1.99. On top of that they have a promotional code SHIPFREE valid till December 22nd, so a scarf can be delivered to your door for less than the cost of gas it would take to drive to a store and start shopping!

The colors are turquoise with yellow on the reversible side, or orange with rose/pink. They would really add a bright pop of color to your winter wear.

Here's the link.

The site also has some women's sashes on sale reduced to $1.99. If those interest you, put the word sash in the search box on the site and you'll see about five different styles.

$1.99 including shipping... nice.

Vegas Hotel $28/Night! Palace Station Hotel & Casino

In conjunction with Spirit Airlines, Palace Station Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas is offering a special rate of $28/room per night! Really!

You don't have to fly Spirit to get the deal, just get yourself to Vegas.

The rates are good for a short window only, which is Sunday through Tuesday nights from December 9th through 18th. The special price must be booked by October 30th.

A bonus Laughlin tour with a buffet ($10 value) is added at no extra cost! Plus, I think there are Riviera 2 for 1 show coupons if I read the order form correctly.

A promo code TOPPICKS is needed to book the special.

Here's the link.

Hey, with all the money you save on a hotel, you can splurge on the rest of your Vegas getaway and have more money to play with at the tables!

Tamrac Camera Bag for Small Digitals Just 79 Cents

Circuit City has a sale on the Tamrac Digital 2 Camera Bag, usually $12.99, for the low price of 79 cents. Yes, 79 cents for a name brand digital camera bag!

It's a small bag made for small digitals, with pockets for memory cards and batteries, and foam padding to keep your camera safe while you travel.

If you can add some other Circuit City purchase making the total over $25 they have free shipping.

Here's the link.

So if you have one of these small digitals and could use a nice little bag, check it out.

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.

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!

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...

Know a Kid Who Loves Legos?

Many of us fondly remember growing up with Lego building blocks, those quirky shaped things that stacked together and snapped into place so well, in all sorts of bright colors -- the possibilities were endless.

If you know a young someone who likes Legos, there's a spot on the Lego website where they have special sale and clearance items... the prices are slashed way way down, so you could put together a nice little package for not too much -- or you could spend a bit more and give them an awesome assortment. The link for the site is here. This link takes you to a page that shows all the deals on one page.

Some samples of the offers:
50 2x4 green bricks (Item 3461), usually $6.99, now $0.98
50 1x4 green bricks (Item 3471), usually $5.99, now $0.98
50 1x4 red bricks (Item 3472), usually $5.99, now $0.98
100 2x4 red plates (Item 3485), usually $8.99, now $0.98
Batmobile Ultimate Collector's Ed. (7784), Half-Price at $34.98
Arkham Asylum (Item 7785) Half-Price at $39.98
Race for the Mask of Life (Item 8624) cut from $59.99 to $14.98
Airport Rescue Truck (Item 7844), was $19.99, now $7.98
My First Quatro Set (for really young ones ages 1-3) was $12.99, now $4.98

They also have Lego-related items such as video games (Bionicle Heroes for XBox 360 reduced from $39.99 to $9.98, Lego Star Wars games for XBox or Xbox 360 both $19.98). They have clothes, watches and more.

So Lego lovers, here is a site to check out. Have fun!

A Virtual No-Brainer: Over $50 of Post-It Products delivered to You for Under $4!!Update: Deal No Longer Valid

Update July 31st 1:25am EDT: Sorry, this deal is no longer getting through the Staples system. The code is no longer being applied to orders and shows it is invalid. I posted this after I placed this order myself, or I wouldn't have advised it. But for whatever reason Staples.com does not have this promo code available any longer.

Sorry for getting your hopes up and any inconvenience!

Original post: If you do almost anything involving taking notes, writing stuff, reading, filing, leaving phone messages posted, etc. you will have a need for Post-It items... they're those magical pieces of paper with a light adhesive that you can stick anywhere as a reminder, and peel it off when you don't need them anymore.

Right now, Staples has a coupon code which you can combine with a purchase of a number of Post-It items to get an incredible amount of Post-It stuff for $3.18 + tax. And since the pre-coupon total is over $50, you get the shipping for FREE! Here's what you do and what you get:

Go to http://www.staples.com/. Order the following items by catalog number (it's quicker) and order two of each item.

Item 379112 - 1" Bright Green Flags (2-pack) @ 4.99 = $9.98
Item 379116 - 1" Bright Blue Flags (2-pack) @ 4.99 = $9.98
Item 428553 - Assorted Bright Flags 140/pack @ 3.90 = $7.80
Item 562930 - 3"x3" Assorted Neon Notes (5-pack) @ 6.59 = $13.58
Item 605121 - 1" Bright Pink Flags (2-pack) @ 4.99 = $9.98

(Remember, the quantity for each item needs to be 2)

This totals $50.92 so that qualifies the free shipping.

Now, the magic step... add coupon code 63463 to the space for coupons at checkout and $47.74 will come off your order!!! Leaving a measly $3.18 plus your local sales tax. With free next-day delivery. Even if you only need some of the items, your price is way less than what any single thing would've cost you!!! This code expires August 4th, but I'd hurry while they have these in stock.

So take these savings and stick them in your wallet!

Free 2GB Flash Drive and Free Shipping - Comes with Security Software if you want that too

Another deal at buy.com: CA Internet Security Suite software free-after-rebate. Comes pre-loaded on a 2GB USB Flash Drive. So if you don't want or need the security software, you can always delete it and have yourself a free 2GB drive for whatever other uses you may wish.

The flash card seems to look a bit like a credit card shape with a usb plug out the side (it's not one of the stick-shaped USB drives that are the more usual shape). If you do want to try the security software it's valid for up to 3 PCs if you have a small network at home (I haven't tried CA security so I can't speak to how it compares with Norton, McAfee etc).

The selling price is $55.00 so it qualifies for free budget shipping (don't forget to click 'budget' shipping at checkout so the shipping cost recalculates to zero. Here's the link to the item.

All-in-all, after the rebate, getting a 2GB card free is sweet. If the software fits your bill too, all the better!

Restaurant.com Promotional Code for 70% Off! ($25 dining certificate just $3!)

I've posted about a couple of restaurant.com offers and keep finding new promo codes -- this time it's a 70% off code! I thought I was doing well last month when I bought some of these certificates at 50% off...

To those of you who bought them at 50% or 60% off before, you may have a moment of regret not having waited, but I figure they were great deals anyway -- and you have to grab deals when they come along. Maybe you'll take advantage again and find another few restaurants to try with this latest offer.

If you haven't tried restaurant.com, their site has many restaurants which make dining certificates available. Some of them have restrictions about number of diners, minimum check etc. but I have found them to be flexible to use. For a $25 certificate, the regular price is usually $10, but for the rest of July if you apply the code PRESENT in the promo box in checkout, the price would drop 70% so it would just be $3! That's right -- a $25 dining credit for just $3!!!

They also have a spot on their site that you can enter family/freinds' e-mail addresses (who would then get an e-mail from restaurant.com, I'm sure) entitling you to a free certificate if that friend buys one.

70% off. Mmm-mmm-good...

Save on Some Music - 12 CDs for the Price of 1

Love music? Want to build up your collection without too much out-of-pocket?

I joined BMG Music Club for their initial offer which is really a great way to get a load of excellent CDs for a low investment. You initially pick out seven CDs for free when you join... then you have to buy one at full price sometime during the next year and afterwards you get to pick four more CDs to receive free! So you can end up with twelve great CDs for the price you'd pay for one.

They do add a shipping/handling charge in the $2 range per CD, but after all is said and done you can listen to a very nice collection. They have a very large and varied catalog of music for virtually every genre. From what I recall, some of the catalog isn't available for the initial selections but there are plenty of choices.

Their hope obviously is that you'll stay with the club, but you can cancel anytime after you fulfill the membership requirement of one purchased CD. I stayed with them for a while longer, and later on they have offers of discounts for multiple purchases, free CDs if you buy one, points earned on purchases that you can redeem for free CDs and more. I built up a large selection combining some of their offers over time... sure beat paying retail or close to it in music stores.

You can even make your choices or decline their monthly suggested offers on-line nowadays so it doesn't even have to involve returning cards and stamps anymore.

But the best deal is still the first one - twelve for one! Even if you own an Ipod and don't listen to a CD player anymore, you can still get great music that can expand your collection. Also, did you know that the quality of music on a CD is twice as good as what you get in an Ipod or mp3 download? So if you have music you like on your Ipod and want to hear it even better, the CD offer might still be a way to enhance your listening experience.

What a Week to Go to Staples! Free Software AND You Get a $25 Dining Card!!!

One time earlier I wrote in a post about how I got back more in rebates than I paid for software at Staples. Spent $165 but because of a mid-week $30 bonus coupon I got back $180 total... deals like that look like great bonuses when you find them.

Well, this week's Staples circular has your chance to do something similar. This is a link to an on-line version of the circular for my store. You can find your own store at http://www.staples.com/ and stop by for a copy of the circular. Or maybe it came with your Sunday paper...

Staples is offering Peachtree Pro Accounting Software free after rebate. It starts at $169.99, and they take off $30 in the store so you pay $139.99 -- then you get to send in rebates which total $140, so you get that software for free. Yes, software that starts at $169.99 for FREE! (except sales tax)

But it doesn't end there... the front of their circular has a coupon for a $25 dining card free with any purchase of $75 or more, valid for in-store purchases, valid until July 28th. And since you are spending $139.99 for Peachtree prior to the rebate, this would qualify (there are no conditions on the coupon that exclude rebate-related items). So you get the card, the software and your money back... a wonderful final deal!

There is another item in the same circular free-after-rebate, a ten-pack of Zebra Cadoozles mechanical pencils, $3.29 with a $3.29 easy rebate. The easy rebates are great because you just enter your contact information and the transaction bar code number from your receipt -- you don't have to mail in UPCs etc. Staples has always been one of the most reliable vendors for rebate dealings with which I've dealt.

There are also some school supply items like 2-pocket paper folders for a penny, 12-pack of pencil eraser caps for 5 cents, a protractor or a ruler for 5 cents...

Similar to the dining coupon, the mechanical pencils and school supplies are valid for in-store purchases only. So stop in, pick up a circular, combine the deals and get back a free $25 dining card on top of all your money rebated back!!! Woo-hoo!!!

School Supplies Alert - 1 Penny or Less!

For parents getting an early jump on school supplies for their kids, or for stationery buffs, Staples has some low specials in this week's circular.

A few items are available for just one cent! Among them are 8-packs of pencils, pencil cases (if you buy 8 pencils, don't you need a case?), pencil sharpeners, and 2-pocket folders.

They also have a 5-pack of Pentel RSVP ballpoint pens in an assortment of color inks for $3.29 with a $3.29 rebate! It's also an easy-rebate so you don't have to mail anything in, you just submit your receipt information on-line. Free-after-rebate is always nice.

They also have Elmer's school glue on sale for 9 cents.

So for not much out-of-pocket, you can get a jump-start on the coming school year!

Today, Act Quick -- Another Day of Spirit Air Specials!

Today only (book by 11:59 tonight) Spirit Airlines is back with some of those low roundtrips I've written about. For those of you new to my blog, it's where I was able to book a 2-cent roundtrip to Vegas!

Some of the low fares today include: New York/Detroit for $6 roundtrip; Fort Lauderdale to Puerto Rico or Washington DC $16 roundtrip; Los Angeles to Fort Lauderdale for $110 roundtrip (even if it's not an almost-free fare like some others, $110 coast-to-coast sounds pretty low to me). Fares are for some specific dates, and taxes/fees are added (as with all airline tickets). Click on this link.

Spirit has also started something called the $9 Fare Club -- they have an even wider assortment of lower fares, but the club has a small membership fee: $9 for a 3-month trial and $29.95 annually. But as an example, in addition to the low fares above, a $9 Club member would be able to get some even lower fares today, such as Fort Lauderdale to Jamaica (Kingston or Montego Bay) for $2 roundtrip!

Anyway, travel bargains keep popping up, and I will try and pass some along -- there are so many that I'd fill up my blog if I tried and write them all. If you like looking for special travel deals and haven't subscribed to Travelzoo and Shermans Travel, I would do that. But sometimes these special offers pop up elsewhere too! So keep checking in often!

Ebay -- Some tips to use it well

I figured it's about time I write about ebay. It's really changed the face of buying and selling products, and it comes with its own benefits and drawbacks. It lets you buy items from around the world which you otherwise might not have found, but you are also dealing with sellers who are somewhat anonymous. I've been able to find some great deals and also to use it for selling some things effectively too. Along the way, I've learned some ideas about using it well.

So here are some tips to consider when shopping on ebay, in no particular order...

Use the feedback system. Each seller has compiled a rating that gives you some sense of their trustworthiness and whether their customers have been happy. But don't just look at the number and presume the higher the number the better the vendor. Look at the percentage of positives and click on the feedback number to pull up some detailed feedback. If I have a seller who has a small percentage of negative feedback I try and find some of the negative postings and read what the complaint was. Based on that, I can infer whether it was a particular customer's problem or whether it's a wider issue. Gives me a sense of whether I'd feel comfortable doing business with that seller. The amount of feedback I check usually corresponds with the amount I may need to spend.

Do a real good search to see if there are several of that item on ebay at the same time. One of my early tendencies when I started with ebay was to keep increasing my bid on an auction I had already gotten into, instead of conducting a new search. The result was I sometimes paid more than if I had just gone to another auction and started bidding there instead. Once you are around ebay you will see whether certain items keep popping up, so that if you miss out on the item this time you know it will come up again soon. Unless you need the item quickly you might save if you wait for the next go-round and hopefully have fewer (or no) other bidders.

Two other ways to help yourself do that: do a search-by-seller, and include completed auctions in the search parameters. The same vendor may often offer the same items over and over each week or so. By checking this you will see whether that's the case and the range at which his/her auctions ended. Also do an advanced-search on the item and search for completed listings. This will show you the final prices people got for the same item over the last thirty days. So as you bid, you can gauge whether the bidding has gotten too hot and it's worth backing off.

Do factor in shipping costs. This can be the make-or-break between a good deal and a bad one. Because ebay's seller commissions are based on the sales price, there is an incentive for dealers to settle for a lower auction price and jack up shipping to make it up. Ebay frowns on the practice, but determining what's a "fair" shipping cost is not easy for them to judge. So you will occasionally see a seller listing a small item for $0.99 and having a shipping cost of $12 for something fairly light and not fragile.

But aside from that, if there are multiple sellers of the same item (i.e. DVDs you might buy) then check the net final cost to you if you win. Sometimes you'll find the seller with a $1 higher bid but whose shipping is $3 less. It's the final total you have to pay which matters after all.

Search creatively. Look for items that might have different ways of describing them and check for both. For example, I've seen similar items described as statuettes and figurines, and one word might draw more bidder searching than the other -- and the more competition/bidders, the higher the auction will probably end.

Search for possible misspellings, if there is a word or name that people might get wrong. It isn't frequent but it does happen occasionally and you may be one of the few people who finds that item and gets in on the bidding.

If the item can be spelled as one word or two, do a check with both possibilities. Some people might write lawnmower and other might write lawn mower. Some people might write Spiderman as Spider man. The search engine won't see them as the same thing, so if you find the less common way to list it, you might get less competition.

Before you bid, do a regular internet search for the item and see what the comparative price is at other on-line stores. It's not uncommon for prices to drop at a retailer and ebay sellers are still selling at older higher prices. Also, if an item has a rebate at an on-line seller, generally the rebate isn't valid if you get the item on ebay -- so your final net might be higher.

Read the item description to make sure it's the exact item and that it's in the condition you want it. For machines and electronics, pay note to whether the piece is brand new or factory-refurbished. I wouldn't say not to bid on a refurbished item, just to be aware and go in knowing that's the deal. Read all the payment and shipping details as well. Since many of the sellers aren't regular traditional stores, the policies can vary far and wide.

If there's any detail of which you are uncertain, ask the seller before bidding. You really don't want to try and rescind a bid because you found something out after the fact. It can lead to poor feedback being left for you, possibly giving you some issues with future transactions as others may be hesitant to deal with you. I figure asking questions also gives me another view into the reliability of the seller. If he/she doesn't have time to answer my questions, I'm not sure I would be comfortable doing a transaction with him/her. (I'm not suggesting just asking a question for the sake of seeing his/her responsiveness -- ask if/when you really need to ask).

Ebay is its own world and this is just a quick primer into some of the tips to use it well. I'll revisit ebay again soon, and focus on how to use it well as a seller too. Stay tuned. And have fun the next time you go on ebay!

Free-after-rebate: 2GB Portable MP3 Player (manufacturer-refurbished)

Looking for a small MP3 player without shelling out too much green? Right now at Newegg they have an offer for the SanDisk Sansa m250 Silver/Black 2GB USB 2.0 Portable MP3 Player. The price is $65 and there's a $65 rebate!!! Just $4.99 shipping.

The item is refurbished by the manufacturer (they've now taken to calling it "recertified") but still, the unit gets generally good reviews from their customers... The rebate is good for purchases until July 15th, and requires the UPC code and the receipt with the purchase price and date circled. I've dealt with Newegg in the past several times and always been satisfied with their service.

Here's the link to the offer.

If you happen to be looking for one of these small MP3 players, it's a nice deal that could leave you singing along!