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.

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.

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.

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...

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...)

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.

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?

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!

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!

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?

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?

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!