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Kohl's has a Hamilton Beach 12-cup programmable coffee maker on sale for $15 (regular $40).

Deal ends Saturday.

Area grocery stores are having some good sales on a pigskin party fav.

Lowes Foods has a buy one, get one free deal on Red Baron pizza (regular $5 each).

Harris Teeter has a 3 for $10 deal on Freschetta pizza.

Food Lion has a 3 for $10 deal on both.

(Freschetta and Red Baron, by the way, have fared well in taste tests).

Some items at the Food Lion at the Lawndale North shopping center are marked down as the store prepares to locate down the road.

That's part of plans to demolish the shopping center to make way for a new one.

You can find some good deals on meats and frozen foods among other items.

I said, young man, when you're short on your dough.

Come on, admit it. You know the rest of the lyrics. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

Well, it turns out some of the local YMCA branches have ah, got you covered as far as membership dues.

Just donate a blanket by Feb. 15 and they'll waive the membership fee, which can cost up to $75 a person.

Those participating are: Bryan Family YMCA, Hayes-Taylor Memorial YMCA, Ragsdale Family YMCA, Reidsville Family YMCA, Stoney Creek Express YMCA and Spears Family YMCA.

The Natural Science Center in Greensboro is offering membership discounts this month.

The center has all kinds of cool stuff - snakes, lemurs, a gem and mineral gallery, planetarium, solar observatory, gift shop.

Here's the deal:

Purchase a membership and receive a second membership at half price. Deal ends tomorrow.

Friday through Feb. 28:
Purchase a membership and receive a second membership at a 20% discount.

Membership rates are here.

The center hosts events where you can get up close and personal with the little critters. Awww, isn't that African millipede cute?
News & Record file

So you're craving a sub and you're pressed for time. Sheetz might hit the spot, although it may not be the first place that springs to mind.

They pile on the trimmings on their made-to-order hot subs, at least at the stores I've been to in North Carolina and Virginia during road trips.

Prices are competitive.

Are they the best subs ever made? Course not. There are some sub places that are just outstanding when it comes to taste.

But it's one of the best deals out there when factoring in your precious time and the need for some decent, non-greasy fast food.

Well, that's at least what the folks at Consumer Reports think.

"Try McDonald's, which was cheapest and best," Consumer Reports says in its March issue. "Or make your own coffee."

Of the four, McDonald's cost the least, $1.35, on average.

I'll drink to that.

"Vine ripe" tomatoes are .79 a pound at the Piedmont Triad Farmers Market near I-40 and Sandy Ridge Road. Expect to fork out a bunch more at grocery stores.

One example: They're $3.79 at Harris Teeter.

Michelle Jarboe writes about the Kidzone consignment shop in Sedgefield in today's Savvy Shopper column.

Michelle writes: "...Gap, Gymboree, Fubu, Old Navy, Rocawear and Polo, to name a few — at prices starting near $2."

So can we settle this thing once and for all?

Probably not. But Cnet.com, a technology review Web site, is giving it a shot in a series of video Web casts regarding comparing Sony's Playstation 3 ($500 with 20 GB hard drive; $600 with 60 GB) and Microsoft's Xbox 360 ($300 and $400 with a 20 GB hard drive).

We talk about that in this week's GameBuzz podcast and the big switcheroo we're making from podcast format to video web cast. Will still be a great bargain to tune in (free). (5:29)

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There's a price-war among grocers and discount stores that could save you some bucks on roses, Tom Steadman writes in today's News & Record.

_{Marti McRedmond (right), hands three dozen roses
to Kim Maynard at the Fresh Market in Greensboro.
(Nelson Kepley/News & Record)}

We're talking doughnuts, man: A dozen heart-shaped ones for $7.49.

She will love you long time.

Ever tried to play video games when you're hands are freaking freezing but your better half thinks the thermostat is just fine where it is? (I must be coming down with something.) What's the answer? Beats me.

Anyway, get your fill of gaming goodness on GameBuzz's new video Webcast. (6:32) We also talk about the end of the original Xbox and people who quit and cheat on Xbox Live, causing me to lose valuable points while playing Tiger Woods golf (you know who you are). But I have a solution.

Still a great bargain (free). Next week we'll talk about another bargain - how you can play video games for free.

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Circuit City has the first-person WWII shooter video game "Call of Duty 3" on sale for the Xbox 360 for $40 (regular $60).

Gamespot.com calls it "a fantastic game with top-notch production values."

More reviews here.

Tips on saving money at the store, according to an Associated Press article:

• Always shop with a list

• Draw three horizontal lines at the bottom of the list

• Never shop when hungry

• Shop the produce department last.

The Greensboro library has a pretty good assortment of video games - yes video games for you to check out for free (up to two weeks).

More info. in our second GameBuzz video Webcast (about 6 minutes):

Watch episode 1| Comment

The Friends of the Greensboro Public Library will hold their semi-annual used book sale March 3 (Sat.) at 9 a.m.

The sale will be held at Central Library in downtown Greensboro.

Readers can find fiction, history, children’s books, self-help, business titles, videos, books on tape/CD, music CDs and more. Rare and collectible books will also be on sale.

At 2:30 p.m. customers can choose from the remaining books and fill a “grab bag” for just $2.

Proceeds go to the Friends of the Greensboro Public Library, a nonprofit that supports the community’s cultural and literary needs.

Savvy Shopper's Michelle Jarboe polled collectors, antique-store owners and vendors regarding some of the area's best flea markets in today's column.

CompUSA has an Olvia 27-inch LCD HDTV (720p) for $450 (regular $900). It's instant savings, so no dealing with those annoying mail-in rebates.

Deal ends Saturday.

News & Record co-worker Cathy Frail recommended a couple of Web sites for bargain hunters you'll want to check out yourself:

Woot.com and SteepandCheap.com

I've added 'em to my list of links (scroll down).

Days are getting longer. And warmer. Must mean camping and fishkin are around the corner.

Big Lots has a pretty good deal on a Coleman 7-foot by 7-foot dome tent for $20 (regular $30).

The store has a raised queen bed on sale for $40 (regular $60). Includes an electric pump.