Free Carabineer Sports Watch - Great for Outdoor/Camping/Climbing

Penn Racquet, makers of tennis rackets and tennis balls, has a nice giveaway going on right now: a free Carabineer Sports Watch just for the asking! You go onto their website and enter the promo code PENN, and it takes you to a page where you enter your address and e-mail.

Once entered, and submitted, they indicate you should receive your watch in two weeks.

It looks like it would be great for climbing, camping and other outdoor activities.

To enter your code and request your watch, click this link.

The watch is free, the shipping is free... what a world!

Teva Men's and Women's Camping/Casual Shoe $14.99 with Free Shipping Codes

If you like shoes for outdoors, Teva is a nice name brand, and right now, there are sales on their Estio (men's) and Estia (women's) shoes. These normally go for $55.00 but right now Teva is selling them for $14.99.

There are even some coupon codes that can get you free shipping, or even further discounts if you buy more than $50 or $100.

To make you feel even better about doing things for the environment, these shoes are part of their new Curbside collection, shoes incorporating post consumer recycled materials. The Estia and Estio feature post-consumer recycled PET canvas upper, lining and sockliner cover and 50% post-consumer recycled rubber outsoles.

The women's Estia is available in the following colors: chili pepper, major brown or taupe gray. The men's Estio is in black, dark brown or plaza taupe. Some colors aren't available in all sizes though, so the sooner you shop the better the selection will probably be. Right now they have men's in some colors from size 8 to size 12. Women's are between size 5 and 11.

Here are some coupon codes that can get you free shipping and additional discounts:
TevaDads08 - free shipping (valid until 6/15/08)
TSummerShip - free shipping on $30+ (valid till 6/30)
TEVAAdventure08 - $10 off $50 + free shipping (till 6/30)
TevaSummer08 - $15 off $100 + free shipping (till 6/30)

To take a look and maybe purchase some Tevas, click here for the men's Estio or here for the woman's Estia.

Have Your Gas Card? It Won't Make Gas Cheap, But at Least It'll Be Cheaper!

Well, we've all been watching the price of gas climb precipitously and we keep being told to brace for more. We can each have our own little strategies to try and minimize their impact, including bunching errands into single trips, not idling the car when we stop into the local shop for just a few minutes, stepping off the gas pedal nearing the crest of a hill so we can coast a bit on the downhill side...

One other step you can take is using a gasoline credit card. I wrote about this before, but in a conversation I had today I realized many people still don't realize the potential savings.

There are two kinds of card that give back on gas purchases -- first is the gasoline credit card, which is issued by that company and gives rebates for purchases at their stations. Those can be very handy if you have particular stations near your home/business where you would frequently stop for a fill-up. The other kind of card is a standard credit card with a rewards program that offers some larger savings for gas purchases.

I have two gasoline branded credit cards, Hess and Sunoco, which give percentage rebates when I purchase my gas at their stations. I have a bunch of Sunoco and Hess stations where I travel, so those two cards are usually all I need. And the savings aren't bad. The Hess card which gives me back 5% on all gas purchases at Hess stations (they even had an introductory period of a few months when the rebate was 10%). The 5% was nice enough a couple of years back when gas was around $2.00 a barrel and I was saving 10¢ a gallon -- at today's prices around $4.00 a gallon, I get back 20¢. Now that's not enough to make gas a bargain, but saving about $2.50 every fill-up takes at least a slight edge off.

The Sunoco card gives back 4%, which is also a pretty nice rebate back when I buy gas there(their intro offer was a $20 rebate).

The way these work is a rebate credited onto your credit card statement, which then gets applied against the following month's balance. So if you keep buying gas there, the rebates from prior purchase get applied against the new purchases you make.

My reason for Sunoco and Hess is that the stations are convenient at my location. Other companies also have similar branded cards, each with their own percentages and offers. To get the best savings would probably depend on the stations most convenient near you. After all, an extra percent savings wouldn't be worth it if you had to drive an extra 20 miles to get to a different company's pumps... you'd spend more in gas than the savings would be worth.

The number of cards you apply for is also a matter of personal preference, as far as how many different cards you want to carry while you drive. And it's important to pay off the balances of these cards every month so you don't pay any interest charges that would offset the savings. But certainly having a card that gets you back 4% or 5% of your gas purchases make it worth considering as an option.

Another way of saving which doesn't limit you to a particular brand of gas is a general credit card which offers a heightened rewards level for gasoline purchases. A general card with rewards gives you added flexibility of choice of gas station. The providers of these kinds of cards can vary, and their rewards programs would have different features. Usually the rewards are annual rather than rebates applied against the next month's bill as is done with the branded gasoline card.

Some providers offer special high rewards for gas/supermarket purchases for a short while but then scale them back to 1% later. But there are cards offered by both Discover and American Express Business which give you rewards of 5% of your gasoline purchases. To read more, check out this link at credit card forum.

So if you get one of these cards to use at gas stations and pay your bill in full every month (to avoid finance charges), you can get an effective 4%-5% reduction in how much gasoline hits your budget. And that's not an amount to sneeze at.

Cirque du Soleil in New York City 40% Off -- Other Broadway Shows up to 55% Off

Travelzoo does a nice job compiling travel offers but they also come up with some great offers for things to do when you get to your destination. For those of you traveling to New York (and those of you who live there or close by), there is a great list of Broadway and off-Broadway shows on which you can get great discounts.

Among the highlights is Cirque Dreams Jungle Fantasy, called "a fantastical tale in an enchanted jungle." They have a link to get tickets at 40% off for great seats for performances June 16th through July 8th, so you can see this show for $56.50 instead of the usual $95.00 price of the seats.

Among other special offers:

5 of Broadway's best musicals:
- $29: "A Catered Affair" to July 18 (40% off)
- $45: "Spamalot" to June 29 ($40 off)
- $65: "Sunday in the Park with George" to June 29 (45% off)
- $65: "Mamma Mia!" to June 29 (45% off)
- $67.50: "Legally Blonde The Musical" to June 22 (45% off)

3 shows with celebrity castings:
- $39.50: Nathan Lane in "November" to July 13 (45% off)
- $50: David Hyde Pierce in "Curtains" to June 22 (55% off)
- $59: Mario Lopez in "A Chorus Line" to July 6 (45% off)

So, if you like Broadway and/or Cirque du Soleil, take a hop over to Travelzoo by clicking this link.

They indicate the bookings at these prices must be made by June 13th, but if you want seats, the sooner you book them the better your selection will be.

Recertfied iPod Nano 3rd Generation (with Video) Back in Stock at $99.99

Back in April I wrote about the iPod nano available at buy.com at $99.99. It's a recertified unit, from which I normally shy away, but somehow having it recertified by Apple seems a bit more reliable. The reviews on site seem to bear that out.

Buy.com has a limited quantity back in stock, so if this was a deal in which you were interested, you may want to take a look.

The unit has 4GB memory, video capability and all the other iPod music and photo features people have grown to love. Rather than go through the details again in this post, here's a link to my earlier post that had more detailed information and a link to order.

Auto Power Adapter for iPod and iPhone 10.00

If you're hooked to your iPod or iPhone you know how essential it is to keep it charged while you're traveling. Buy.com has a power adapter for your car with a tip specifically designed to charge your iPod or iPhone. It retails at $39.99 but they have it on sale for just $10.00.

I have a feeling it's a nice deal since it ranks #1 today on their list of hottest sales in electronics.

The charger includes a power tip A61 for use with iPhone, iPods (4th generation and above), iPod Video, iPod Photo, iPod nano and iPod mini. It has 8-watt continuous output and utilizes rapid charge technology for the fastest charge.

It can also be used with some other mobile electronic devices as well, such as mobile phones, smartphones/PDAs and more.

To take a look and see if this fits your needs, click the link below.

iGo Auto Power Kit for iPhone & iPod- power adapter with power tip

Free Krispy Creme Donut Tomorrow, June 6th

A few days back I posted about a coupon for which you can register on-line to get a free Krispy Kreme Original Glazed Donut. Well, tomorrow (Friday the 6th) Krispy Kreme is celebrating National Doughnut Day by offering customers a free donut of their choice in participating stores throughout the U.S.

No need to register for this one, just stop by your participating store. You can still refer to my old post for the free on-line coupon as well.

Hmm, free donut tomorrow, free ice cream Saturday at Friendly's... don't blame me if your weight goes up!

Lufthansa Promo Code for $150 Off Their Sale Fares to Europe for Summer

Update June 6th -- Their site has been updated and the promo code box shows it's valid for bookings made till June 9th and it's now a limited quantity (started out as the first 1000 before June 6th). So the $150 savings code is still active).

Lufthansa has announced some special fares to Europe for departures from June 16th through August 31st, with some fares as low as $886 roundtrip. But along with the deal, they have a promotional code available to the first 1000 people who download it by June 6th, which gets another $150 off.

Some sample fares they have for roundtrips are:

Boston to Warsaw: from $886*
New York City to Frankfurt: from $910*
Washington, D.C. to Amsterdam: from $1040*
Charlotte to Munich: from $1062*
Miami to Madrid: from $1064*
Philadelphia to Athens: from $1090*
New York City to Prague: from $1164*

*Fares can differ depending on the day of week etc., and security/airport fees are additional.

The fare prices are good for bookings until June 18th but the promotional code is only available till June 6th, and even then only to the first 1000 customers. You get the promo code by clicking on a box in the upper right of their webpage. So you may want to hurry and check these out. Click here to go to Lufthansa.

Starting June 7th: Buy $100 of Dockers at Sears, Get Back a $75 Gas Card and a $10 Sears Gift Card

For those of you who might want to stock up on some Dockers (or maybe pick some up for Dad), there's an upcoming promotion that's been announced that makes a nice deal. Starting June 7th and going until June 15th, if you purchase $100 worth of Dockers (except shoes), you can register to get back a gas card worth $75.00. And if you send in your Sears receipt as well, you get a $10 Sears gift card too.

So that makes $85 value back on your $100 purchase -- not too shabby.

Even better for someone lucky is that the $75 gas card requests are also entries into a giveaway of a 2008 Toyota Prius hybrid!

But even if you're not the lucky winner of that, getting $85 value back on a $100 purchase sounds like a bit of good fortune.

Here's a link to the press release (which also contains a link to the entry form, although that site isn't active till after the program starts).

7" Digital Photo Frame $49.99

Update August 4th -- The digital frame is selling at $53.99, not quite as good as the prior $49.99 but still a nice deal on a 7" frame.

Father's Day is coming up, so maybe this is a gift idea... if you have a lot of digital photos and are looking for a way to display them, buy.com has the Nextar N7-115 7" Digital Photo Frame on sale for $49.99.

The typical price you see for this size frame is in the $79-$89 range, and when they've been on special sale it's rare that I've seen this size lower than about $59.

This model has:
- Picture Rotation And Review
- Slideshow Functions
- Black Acryllic Frame
- Supports Jpeg (.jpg) Pictures
- Compatible With SD, Mmc, Ms Cards and Jump Drives
- Includes AC Adapter, USB Cable And A/V Cable

Take a look and see if it's for you (or a gift recipient).

Free Krispy Creme Donut Coupon

If you're a fan of Krispy Kreme, here's a way to get a coupon for a free Original Glazed® donut. You just register for their Friends of Krispy Kreme and they'll send you a coupon that's good at any of their participating location.

By the way, my suggestion when it comes to offers like this is to have a second e-mail address for commercial orders like this so your regular e-mail box doesn't get overwhelmed with e-mails. You can always get a free e-mail account through msn-hotmail, or through yahoo.

To get the link to fill out for the coupon, click this link.

Aquazone 2 - Oceans of the World Software Free After Rebate

Like to study the seas? Would you like to turn your desktop screen into a wonderful aquarium? Buy.com is selling Aquazone 2 - Oceans of the World software for $28.00, and they have a $28.00 rebate valid for purchases until June 17th. Shipping is free so the whole deal is yours for free (other than a stamp to mail the rebate).

The software allows you to bring four of the world s grandest ocean environments to your PC. You'll be able to skim the reefs of a warm tropical sea. You can cruise the currents of a cool blue ocean. You can trawl along the darkest of marine trenches. You're even able to bob under the ice caps of the arctic.

The software allows you to choose from forty-five species of fish, whales, manatees, manta rays, sea turtles, jellyfish, dolphins, sharks, seals, and more.

The images are realistic, so they can allow you and your children to learn a bit more of the undersea in a captivating way. And it's free!

Just click the picture for details and to see if you want to take the plunge.

Laptop Case for 17" Laptops $19.99 After Rebate

When looking for laptop bags, the sales on bags for 17" screen systems are a bit harder to find and prices are usually higher. I know, since that's the size I use and I've seen more sales on bags in the 15.4" range. But right now, buy.com is offering the Microsoft Apex Messenger Laptop Bag reduced from $59.99 down to $39.99. There's a $20 rebate for purchases until June 15th so that makes the final net $19.99.

Buy.com offers free budget shipping so you don't pay more to get it to your door.

The case's features include:

- Protective padded sleeve holds laptop up to 17"
- Adjustable divider to secure smaller laptops
- Adjustable Velcro divider for cord and battery storage.
- Accessory panel for digital accessories, cards, pens, keys.
- Two interior file pockets
- Front buckle closure
- Scratch-free media pocket holds 4 CDs and flash drive
- Hidden zipper water bottle pocket
- Back zipper pocket includes luggage slider
- Padded shoulder strap
- Light gray lining

It looks like a case that has a lot of features to make it useful for travel. If you want to take a look, click the picture below.

Classic Blue Waterman Pen $10.00

A few days ago, I posted about a sale on a classic Waterman ballpoint pen in black, which can retail for $99, being sold at $10. Those have sold out. But right now they are selling a Waterman that is a beautiful blue color, with black ink, again for the low price of $10.00.

It comes in a handsome Waterman box and looks like it would make a nice gift. If you missed the other one, here's another chance to pick up a keepsake pen for a nice price. And if you ordered one in black and would like a complementary pen, this would make a nice companion.

To take a look and maybe order one, click here.

Spirit Airlines $48 Off Airfare Promotion until June 3rd

Spirit Airlines has a promotional code valid until 11:59 p.m. June 3rd which gets you $48 off their roundtrip airfare. The code is 48HOURS (all caps, no spaces).

The promo code is valid for travel during the following periods:
June 3, 2008 through June 24, 2008
September 3, 2008 through November 19, 2008
December 4, 2008 through December 10, 2008
January 13, 2009 through February 10, 2009

The promotional code gets entered on the homepage where you put in the flight details.

To check for flights and see what the final fare might be, click here to go to Spirit.

Free Ice Cream Saturday at Friendly's

Here's a friendly deal: this Saturday, June 7th, from noon to 5 p.m., participating Friendly's restaurants will be giving out free ice cream. The ice cream is 4 oz. of any flavor in your choice of a cup or a cone. No other purchase is necessary, and it's one to a customer.

Here's a list of their flavors (may vary by location):

Vanilla, Strawberry, Chocolate, Coffee, Nuts Over Caramel®, Forbidden Chocolate®, Vienna Mocha Chunk®, Chocolate Chip, Orange Sherbet, Watermelon Sherbet, Mint Chocolate Chip, Black Raspberry, Cookies ‘n Cream, Chocolate Chip, Cookie Dough, Hunka Chunka, PB Fudge™, No-sugar-added Vanilla, Vanilla fat-free frozen yogurt and Friendly's originals: Butter Crunch, Chocolate Almond Chip, Maple Walnut, Purely Pistachio®, Butter Pecan and Raspberry swirl fat free frozen yogurt. Lot's of tasty choices.

So beat the heat without beating up your budget by stopping by a Friendly's this Saturday afternoon!

Wireless Headphones $14.99 After Rebate

Have one of those situations where wireless headphones would come in handy? Maybe one of you likes to watch TV while the other likes to read... or maybe it's a way of keeping the house quieter even when someone is listening to TV or music. Buy.com is offering 900MHz wireless headphones by Cables Unlimited reduced from $59.99 to $29.99. And there's a $15.00 rebate for purchases before June 8th. Throw in free budget shipping and the final net to your door is $14.99.

The headphones' specs show a wireless range of 165 feet, over-the-ear earcups, rechargeable AAA batteries, a connector adapter so the headphones fit into various types of equipment, controls on the earpiece, and recharging built into the transmitter that also doubles as a stand for the headphones.

To take a look or buy the headphones, click on the photo.

Free Sample of Folgers Lively Colombian Coffee

If you enjoy coffee and want to check out a new blend, Folgers is offering free samples of their Gourmet Blend series. Just by signing up on their website they'll send you a sample of their Lively Colombian blend.

Their site describes it as "distinctively rich and full-bodied taste of 100% Colombian beans."

The samples are available through the end of June while supplies last. To fill out your information (you can choose whether or not they'll send you further promotional e-mails or not), click this link.