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Nothing like a big 'ole frank with lots of chili and slaw. Good times.

Luke McIntyre knows just the place, according to his "Cheap Eats" column in today's Go Triad.

Hot dogs are $1.26.

Special to Go Triad

From "The Simpsons:"

BARNEY: "Hey Moe, what'll you give me for an A. A. Chip?"

MOE: "Uh, Barney, this is a five minute chip. Ehh, it's worth a Pabst."

It's now the stuff of jokes. But it used to be a thing of amber beauty.

Yes, ladies and gentleman, we're talking Pabst Blue Ribbon, the first U.S. brewer to hit the million-barrel per year mark.

I'm going to climb on the Pabst bandwagon, at least while I'm reading "The Devil in the White City" about the 1893 Chicago World's Fair and a crazy man on the loose.

Page 247: "...but a new beer did well, winning the exposition's top beer award. Forever afterward, its brewer called it Pabst Blue Ribbon."

Today, you can pick up a twelver for six bucks and some change, says co-worker Nate DeGraff (for the record, he's always been proud of Pabst as his beverage of choice despite my asking why).

No more. (Raising a glass. Well, a glass of water. We are in the office.) Here's to you, Mr. "I love my bargain beer" DeGraff.

Some changes announced this week at Triad Marketplace, the News & Record's online ad/retail/classifieds page:

More retail coupons, easier-to-find click-n-buy logo, links to GoTriad.com regarding dining, entertainment, etc.

Buy an Xbox 360 at the regular price ($400) at Circuit City and get a free wireless controller ($50 value).

Catch a sneak preview of tomorrow's GameBuzz podcast show (9:16):

Carl Wilson mentions in tomorrow's Short Orders column that Fincastles has a blog about its famous creation.

Fincastles is now offering Southern-inspired blue plate specials such as New Orleans-style red beans and rice ($5.75), meatloaf and mashed potatoes ($6.75) and fried catfish and French fries ($7).

Read the whole Short Orders column online under the "Life" tab Wednesday.

"With oil and gasoline prices sharply retreating in recent months, a Wal-Mart-induced price war could further deflate costs in categories such as electronics, food and toys," The Associated Press writes in an article that ran in today's News & Record biz section.

Google said it's is waiving the merchant processing fees for its payment service through Dec. 31, according to the AP.

So I drop the car off today for the 60,000 mile service and get a phone call from the service guy saying my drive belt tensioner needed to be replaced, so, hold the phone, that will be another $300 and some change.

No, I had never heard of it either. And yes, I was wondering if I should get "sucker" tattooed on my forehead if I agreed to the service.

There was a pause at the other end of the line as I thought about what a great early Christmas present this was. Then much to my surprise and without prompting he tells me it's covered under my extended warranty. So I just pay for the $25 part.

So it was a legitimate need (I did some research on the Internet and found a few message boards with threads about my model needing this service and it costing $300-$400).

So my extended warranty, which kicked in after my 60,000 miles (up to 90,000 or seven years), is starting to pay off. Haven't broken even yet. But who knows what other parts I didn't know existed start to show their age.

When you factor in the $50 gift card from Target, you can get an Xbox 360 for $350. Will be easier on your wallet and a lot easier to find than it's soon-to-be released rival.

Decisions. Decisions. Will help you sort it all out in tomorrow's GameBuzz podcast show. But you can listen now:
(13:45)

You might want to consider an automatic shuffler. Kerr Drug has one on sale for $8 (regular $10). Heck, I never leave home without it. Some people bend those suckers like crazy trying to shuffle. Like my poor cards are there to take a beating 'cause you're losing. What, do you go home and kick the dog for good measure?

Michelle Jarboe over at the News & Record's Biz Buzz blog writes how the Better Business Bureau has some valuable tips on shopping online this season.

Can't wait, huh?

Here's a store sale guide to get you strarted, courtesy of DealsPlus.

Fincastles' very Southern menu (fried pickles, Coke and peanuts, etc.), not to mention the Carolina burger, is this week's "Cheap Eats" fav.

"It must be said, if you don't have the stomach for grease then Finscastles isn't for you," Luke McIntyre writes. "But, quite frankly, if you don't have the stomach for grease then you're in the wrong part of the country."

We're talking 72 inches of viewing glory people. Didn't you hear? 72 is the new 55. Of course next year 85 will be the new 72, and so on. But no matter.

Because right now, you can get a 72-inch, 1080 p, DLP projection HDTV for $2,700 at Overstock.com.

Not sure if it's for you? Cnet.com has an HDTV buying guide that compares, for example, the difference between 720 p and 1080 p resolutions.

Some of today's best deals on her.dealnews:

Tomorrow's GameBuzz podcast show includes info. on SaySwap, an online video game exchange store that could save you some bucks. Plus a local college student is going to Hawaii, thanks to his Madden skills.

An inspiration...hold on...something in my eye...to us all.

(9:13)

Ah, memories. Memories of playing Doom on a PC when the lack of memory space is now a distant memory. RAM was counted in kilobytes and your hard drive space was counted in megabytes.

Now you can get something the size of a postage stamp that has more storage space than a PC built in the early 1990s. That's ponderous.

And for $20? Get out of here. No, 'tis true. Best Buy has 1 GB SD memory cards on sale for $20 (regular $60) after instant savings and, yes, sorry, a tedious mail-in rebate. (It's $35 after instant savings - still a good deal).

Also on sale at Best Buy: 1 GB USB 2.0 flash drive for $20 (regular $63). All instant savings.

Deals end Wednesday.

Get a 5-megapixel digital camera at Best Buy for $80 (regular $130) on Friday until noon. It's one of the 7-hour specials, so they're passing out tickets starting at 4 a.m. It's instant savings, so no annoying mail-ins.

Get a Sandisk Sansa e250 2GB Mp3 player for $100 (regular $160) today only at Circuit City. Also includes two free months and five downloads from Napster. But you must cancel within those two months or a $14.95 subscription automatically kicks in.

A new Web site lists deals and discounts online shoppers might see Monday, Michelle Jarboe writes in today's Savvy Shopper column.

Whether this is a bargain is debatable - probably more in the eye of the beholder and whether it improves your golf game because if you have a bad swing, sorry, you need lessons first. But so be it.

I want this bad boy for Christmas.

It's the King Cobra HS9 Driver, ranked as one of the 100 best new products for men by Men's Health Magazine (December issue).

"The oversize mug creates an outsize sweet spot, shifting the weight lower and toward the rear and generating more oomph on impact," Men's Health gushes. "It turned our lollipop drivers into rocket blasts."

Men's Health says you can get it for $480 at cobragolf.com. But you can do better.

I've seen 'em on sale in the $340 range.

North Carolina's sales tax rate will drop slightly from 4.5 percent to 4.25 percent beginning Friday.

Emphasis on slightly, however - it means you keep a whole extra quarter per $100 worth of purchases. But squirrel away those quarters because they'll ad up eventually. Using your savings, you'll be able to buy a Wii in 1,000 years.

The state sales tax rate is also scheduled to decline by another .25 percent to 4 percent effective July 1.

More information at the N.C. Department of Revenue.

This should perk up your wallet: Get a free cup of java and a treat if you donate canned food at Tate Street Coffee in Greensboro on Tuesday night, Carl Wison writes in this week's Short Orders column.

You'll also hear a performance by the Michael Sailors Jazz Group.