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Maila Rible, who hosts a segment called "Web World" on WFMY, mentioned a Web site that helps you cash in on people's spelling errors on eBay.

Fat Fingers finds auctions with misspelled words. And since you wouldn't normally find those sites if you typed in the correct word, few people know about them.

You can get a $500 rebate toward a new Sony VAIO notebook when you trade in any working Dell laptop, according to dealnews.

And here's what he's saying:

"Look. You need to lighten up a little by fattening up once in a while. It's good for the soul. Cholesterol schmlesterol."

Good thing we have Olive Garden. It's having it's annual all-you-can eat (not all you care to eat, as if qualifying a special with "care" means you'll eat less. It's all you can eat. Sorry Olive Garden, you're going to lose money when I step foot in your restaurant.) pasta special for $7.95.

You think you can handle the pasta, Townsend? I challenge you to a food duel: I say we sit down and see who can eat the most plates of pasta. Loser has to brag about the winner in the office, tell everyone what a pig he is.

Wait. That doesn't sound right.

Sick of pasta?

Make room for pancakes. Luke McIntyre writes about Tex & Shirley's all you can eat pancakes on Wednesdays for $2.19 in this week's "Cheap Eats" column in Go Triad.

Tex & Shirley's is at 708 Pembroke Road in Greensboro in the Friendly Center.

A Web site for traveling on the cheap that was mentioned in today's News & Record caught my eye: Couchsurfing.com connects roving travelers with people in countries across the world offering a free place to stay.

OK. So you've wowed her with pasta and pancakes. It's time to really knock your date's socks off by taking her bowling for less than the price of a movie ticket.

The Charlotte Observer's Web site has an article by Marshall Loeb of MarketWatch regarding tips on finding great deals on the Internet while avoiding scams.

Loeb is former editor of Fortune, Money, and The Columbia Journalism Review.

According to dealnews.com, CompUSA.com has a HP notebook for $275 after rebates.

"With $49 for shipping, that's $50 under our last mention and among the cheapest laptop computers we've ever seen," according to dealnews.

Details here.

Cheapstingybargains.com notes Amazon.com has a Coleman two-person inflatable touring kayak with paddles on sale for $75 (regular $100), plus free shipping.

Y'all keep those sharp lures away from me Rob if I get one of these things.

News & Record photogs Rob Brown (left) and Leger Meyland on the hunt for smallmouth. Be sure to ask them who caught the most fish that weekend.

This is a "hot deal," according to DealsPus: A Samsung widescreen 50" DLP HDTV on sale at circuitycity.com for about $1,400 after a 10 percent rebate. Includes free shipping.

The News & Record is hosting an online auction on lots of stuff. It's called the "Bidder's Market," and it says you can save up to 50 percent off of merchandise. Auction is Monday through Sept. 26. More info. including registering here.

Joe Killian was once a self-proclaimed "pod person." Hmmm. Where have I heard that before. Wait. You've heard the storyline ... "The pod people work together to secretly spread more pods...which grew from 'seeds drifting through space for years' — in order to replace the entire human race."

Chilling. Makes you see red.

Oh, wait. Different pods.

Killian, a staff writer at the News & Record, writes about escaping from the iPod and finding something new to worship: The iRiver H10.

A Web site called restaurant.com could save you some dough next time you eat out, explains News & Record features writer Katie Reetz.

No, I'm not making this up.

Teens are heading to the thrift store.

From the article: "There's only so much they're going to find from a department store, so it's sending them searching for other options," says Tina Wells, the young CEO of the New York-based Buzz Marketing Group, who works with a network teenage trend spotters all over the world.

They tell her the secondhand trend is partly an outgrowth of the vintage and "retro" clothing craze.

Audrey Sanders goes through
her closet Friday.
(Kiichiro Sato/Associated Press)

You can find some home furnishings deals on brands including Thomasville because two local stores have filed for bankruptcy, writes Michelle Jarboe in the News & Record's Savvy Shopper column.

Cover story in Sunday's Work & Money section of the News & Record offers tips on saving money at the grocery store.

Article also recommends checking out these sites:
www.thegrocerygame.com
www.couponmom.com
www.stretcher.com
www.grocerysavingtips.com

Best Buy has the best deal out there regarding a home theater system, which includes a 42-inch LCD TV, according to Dealcatcher.com.

CompUSA has a 3-pack of PNY 1GB flash drives for $60 (regular $100). Best part? No annoying mail-in rebates.

Offer expires Saturday.

Consumer advocate Ron Burley shared some useful tips on avoiding getting ripped off while a guest this afternoon on Allan Handelman's radio show on FM Talk 101.1.

Burley is author of "Unscrewed: The Consumer's Guide to Getting What You Paid for."

He recalled buying a new car and later spotting a newspaper ad regarding a $1,200 manufacturer discount. Burley returned to the dealership, but was told he should have mentioned it earlier.

Burley turned the tables. He returned to the dealership armed with homemade posters. The posters said the dealership lied to its customers. Burley said he would be standing outside the dealesrship in the coming weeks, carrying the signs, unless he got his discount.

It worked. The manager realized he would lose more money if the posters drove away customers versus simply giving Burley the discount.

Top 5 reader picks for deals at dealnews.com:

1. Belkin.com coupon: 40% off
2. CircuitCity.com Outlet Sale: Up to 60% off
3. newegg.com 99 Cent Sale
4. Women's Halloween Costumes from $30 shipped
5. Home Depot: 40% to 50% off patio furniture

So I got a flat tire the other day on Interstate 85 - it's extra fun if you have little shoulder room - the car shakes like Jello while tractor-trailers zip past.

I put the doughnut tire on, went home, and checked a folder I have in the back room where I keep all my car-related maintenance receipts. I wasn't sure it was covered by the warranty because I bought them as a set almost two years ago and doubted it could have been defective. More likely I ran over something.

Turns out I had something called a road hazard, life time prorated warranty. In English, that means you get reimbursed for the cost of the tire depending on how much tread remains if it falls under the tire's basic warranty (in my case, it was 35,000 miles).

So it pays to hang onto your tire paperwork because I saved $25 on the purchase of a new tire.

High-fives all around.

Round up enough friends to go on a cruise and one may end up going for free, writes MarketWatch's Marshall Loeb.

Office Depot has a SanDisk 12-in-1 flash memory card reader/writer for $25 (regular $35).

And the winner is...Flying J in Haw River, which is selling it for $2.14 a gallon as of Tuesday morning, according to GasBuddy.com.

Short Orders columnist Carl Wilson has the scoop on free ice cream at Cold Stone Creamery.

It will hold its fifth annual World’s Largest Ice Cream Social from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday to benefit the Make-a-Wish Foundation.

Stop in any Cold Stone Creamery location for a free 3-ounce serving of Cole’s Creation and leave a donation for Make-a-Wish.

Amazon.com has a Sandisk e250 2GB MP3 player for $110, beating out CompUSA's sale price of $130 (regular $170).

The week's best travel bargains around the globe, by land, sea and air, according to the Washington Post (registration required).

Amazon.com has a Samsung 56-inch HDTV for $1,500 - a "great" price, according to Cheapstingybargains.com

Still not sure what to get? This TV buying guide from cnet.com should help.