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Long about a Sunday morning.

The bridge at Bur Mill Park that's part of the Lake Brandt Greenway (to the right less than a mile away is U.S. 220) from the vantage point of my kayak rental Sunday.

Pretty good deal if you're hunkering for being out on the water on a warm spring day but don't want to spend a ton of dough: rent a kayak at one of Greenbsoro's lakes. I rented one Sunday for $10 at Lake Brandt. You can actually cruise at a pretty good clip on a calm day with no wind. Side bonus is a good upper body work out.

One way to cut back on pet food costs amid tough economic times is by taking a closer look at how much you're spending on treats.

Anna, our little hot dog.

A dog trainer we know offered this fantastic money saver: give your pooch chopped up pieces of hot dog as a treat. It's one of the best pieces of advice we ever got and we do it regardless of how the economy is faring because she loves it.

Here's what you do: take advantage of those buy 1, get 1 free deals on hot dogs. Chop them up into small pieces, then store them in sandwich bags. Leave one in bag in the fridge and freeze the rest to use later. Trust me. Your dog will thank you for it.

News & Record Staff Writer Gerald Witt is going to be traveling across North Carolina in search of some fun N.C. vacation hot spots that you can do on the cheap.

Yes, some reporters get all the tough assignments.

Gerald is also hoping you'd share some of your favorite jaunts.

Shoot him an e-mail at gwitt@news-record.com

One of the things I routinely hear complaints about from friends concerns presenting that coupon to the sales clerk, only to be told, nope, sorry, it's only valid for such and such. But not just such and such. A whole lot of things. So what's the point if it's not good for anything you want?

So I had to chuckle at one of today's inserts in today's News & Record newspaper from Belk. Yes, a fine department store, and I don't mean to pick on Belk because lots of retailers are just as guilty in pitching these tons-of-fine-strings-attached coupons.

But there was one line in the ad regarding taking $10 off your first $25 or more purchase that unintentionally comes across as sarcastic after you read the fine print. It reads: "with very limited exclusions."

What does that mean? Here's the fine print: "Coupon can only be used once and must be presented to your sales associate at the time of purchase. Qualifying purchase must be before tax.* Only excludes Red Dot, Earlybirds, Night Owls, Doorbusters, Bonus Buys, Special Buys, Brighton, Cosmetics/Fragrances, Coach, Lacoste, St. John, Stuart Weitzman, Citizens of Humanity, Cole Haan, Columbia Crocs, Donald J Pliner, Ferragamo, Furla, Juicy Couture, Kate Spade, Vineyard Vines, Levi's & Dockers, Lilly Pulitzer, Mattel, Merrell, Munro, Seven for all Mankind, Theory, Trina Turk, Ugg, Ladies', kids' and men's designer shoes, Fine Jewelry watches and gifts, trunk shows, service plans, non-merchandise depts., Maternity, Lease depts. and Belk gift cards. Not valid on prior purchases, mail, phone, or special orders. Cannot be redeemed for cash, credit or refund, used in combination with any other discount or coupon offer or on belk.com. Valid June 4-5 2008.

I'd hate to see a Belk coupon "with many exclusions."

Garden Ridge has a canopy chair on sale for $25 on Sunday only (regular $39.99).

That's an important holiday. Celebrate it by swinging by a participating Krispy Kreme location for a free doughnut of your choice.

The offer is valid Friday, June 6.

Tried out meditation for the first time this past weekend. Was I in for a surprise. My wife suggested this would be a good, inexpensive way to relax and get the day off to a good start (She has a package deal at Yoga Cafe, so it's $9 per class), so I was game. First impressions? Some of what Tina Firesheets wrote in an article in today's News & Record nailed it on the head for me, particulary her describing it taking "a lot of effort to think of nothing. And to do nothing." Telling your mind to shut up for a 45-minute session? No mental movies? No planning your day? Recalling an unusually stressful day at the office? No way, Jose. And the pain. Yikes.

Margaret Baxter/News & Record
That surprised me the most. Sitting on a thin, Yoga mat, legs crossed, hurt. I didn't know what to do with my feet. They'd go numb. All I could think of as I looked around the room was that I am horribly out of shape. I should just get up and slink out of the room now before I start making moaning noises. But what was encouraging to hear was that I wasn't alone. Our instructor mentioned it's not unusual to experience pain. But foot cramps? Apparently, that's a new one because it surprised her when I asked her about it. She had a look of concern on her face. All righty then. Someone get an ambulance. Would I try it again? Maybe, believe it or not. I can see how this could be pretty cool if you get the hang of it. And I wasn't miserable the entire time. I enjoyed the part where we got to lay down, knees up (but as Tina said fighting sleep was an issue). Anyway, no pain, no gain, right? How about no pain in the wallet? Tina mentions they're having having meditation sessions for free (donations optional) Mondays from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Presbyterian Church of the Covenant, in Greensboro. Information: 379-1000.

The price of the highly acclaimed first-person shooter "Call of Duty 4," which hit store shelves in November for $59.99, has dropped to a new low.

Kmart has it on sale for $39.99 through Saturday.

Target has the Olevia 42-inch HDTV with 1080p resolution on sale for $829 (regular $999) through Saturday.

An 8-gigabyte version of the iPhone with new bells and whistles will sell for $199 - $200 cheaper - when it goes on sale July 11. Why?
"Analysts have said Apple needed to slash the iPhone's price and make it usable on faster networks to hit the company's target of selling 10 million iPhones by the end of 2008," according to an AP article.


Paul Sakuma/Associated Press
Apple CEO Steve Jobs talks about the new iPhone 3G at the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco on Monday.

Today's News & Record (still a bargain at 50 cents) includes a Lowes Foods insert that features a $5 off coupon.

Use it if you spend at least $50 from 4 p.m. until closing Friday. Some exclusions include booze, lottery, gift cards and prescriptions.

Food Lion has Freshetta frozen pizzas on sale for $3.99 (regular, thin, brick oven or PizzAmore).

Definitely one of my favorite tasting frozen pizzas. Crust doesn't taste like cardboard and the tangy sauce and gooey cheese make for a decent tasting pie.

We're in the hunt for a new charcoal grill (just prefer the taste compared with gas) and have boiled down our choices to two top contenders:

In the left corner, standing at 491 square inches, is Home Depot's $120 Char-Broil Santa Fe - 491 Charcoal Grill.

In the other corner, standing at 800 square inches, is Lowe's Char-Griller
Super Pro Charcoal Grill/Smoker for $99.

The winner? Lowe's grill. After checking both display models last night at the stores, there were a couple of things we think give the Lowe's grill the edge: price, grill space area, and ease of removing charcoal ash (a huge hassle with my current $20 Big Lots special).

We're getting it tomorrow so we can invite the neighbors over for a full-blown, backyard "staycation" extravangza. Hot dang. Might have to break out the tiki torches.

Although it wasn't exactly a ghost town before the economic downtown, you couldn't help but notice that business was pretty brisk at the Goodwill off Battleground Avenue in Greensboro on Sunday.

It was a trip that paid off for us, too. Got three shirts - two golf-style and one button-down short-sleeve - for $9. No blemishes, tears. Collars aren't frayed. No way you could tell they're used. Would have easily spent $60 for them at a department store.

More green for the greens.

Check out a free concert at Center City Park today (perfect weather) and help yourself to a free Mountain Dew soda while you're at it. Just bring your own lunch.

The park has free concerts each Wednesday through the summer. Today, Clay & Benjy - the Botox Twins will be performing from 11:45 - 1:15.

A $600 smart phone? Not so smart. How about $130? Now we're talking.

Sprint Nextel is taking on the Apple iPhone by offering a lower price for its touch-screen smart phone, the Samsung Instinct. The Instinct will cost $129.99 when released Friday. The cheapest model of the new iPhone, which goes on sale July 11, is $199.

The Instinct and the new iPhone have quite a few things in common, including access to a fast wireless data network and a GPS receiver.

The Instinct's price is with a two-year contract and after a $100 mail-in rebate. But that still doesn't take into account the service plan you'll need. The cheapest monthly plan for the Instinct will cost about $80, which includes taxes and fees.

You may have heard America's two top dogs have recently beefed up their rivalry by offering new hot dog products because - let's be frank here - the wiener market hasn't been doing so hot.

Kraft, the world's second-largest food company, has reformulated its all-beef hot dog for the first time in 20 years with a zestier, meater recipe.

Sara Lee is touting its angus beef franks, turkey franks and whole-grain buns that it announced in May.

I'll let you fight amongst yourselves regarding which tastes better. But which brand of hot dog will be more appetizing to your wallet? That's what it really boils down to in tough economic times, right? A sampling of wiener sales in the Triad:

At Kmart this week, get two, 16-ounce packages of Ball Park meat or beef franks for $4 (regular $2.79).

At Harris Teeter, 16-ounce packages of Ball Park angus beef franks are $2 for $7 (save about $3).

Harris Teeter also has a buy one, get one free deal on 12-ounce packages of Hebrew National beef franks.

At Food Lion, buy two, 16-ounce packages of Nathan's beef franks for $6.

At Lowes Foods, buy one, 16-ounce package of Gwaltney meat hot dogs and get the second free (regular $2.49 each).

A sampling of 2-for-1 deals at some Triad grocery stores this week that might help you stretch your food budget in tight economic times:
Food Lion: Large cooked shrimp, Carolina fried turkey breast, cantaloupes, Doritos, Alpo.
Harris Teeter: Klondike ice cream bars, Sargento shredded cheese, Harris Teeter brand meats and cheeses, Dog Chow, Sabra hummus, boneless center cut pork chops.
Lowes Foods: Lowes brand charcoal, Ocean Spray cranberry juice, Blue Bunny ice cream.
Kmart is also having a 50 percent off sale on items including: Prego pasta sauce, Post cereal, Snyders pretzels, green deli salads, Keebler cookies.

...But Wal-Mart is hoping to lure the masses with another entry into the super value wine category. The world's largest retailer has introduced a private label of California wines named Oak Leaf. The price? Less than $3 a bottle.

Even if the taste isn't, the price is right.

Call it a victim of its own success. The Goodwill store on Battelground Avenue has been so successful since it opened five years ago that it's in dire need of a makeoever.

"It is our top store in terms of productivity, donations, sales," said Chris Gorham, spokesman for the Goodwill Industries of Central North Carolina, which has 15 stores. "It was just getting a little run down."

About 1,500 to 1,800 shoppers visit the store weekly, he said.

The store will remain closed until July 16 so crews can spruce up the interior including replacing well-worn floors, adding new light fixtures, painting walls and the ceiling.

When it's back open, customers can register to win a week-long vacation at a Sands Resort and one of several $50 gas cards. Registration ends July 20.

As mentioned at Taking Stock, Chick-fil-A will award a free combo meal (breakfast, lunch or dinner) to customers dressed like a cow on July 11.

The chain's 1,200-plus restaurants have designated the annual event as Cow Appreciation Day.

If you decide to wear just a cow accessory such as a cow-style hat, vest or purse, you get a free entree such as a sandwich.

Details here.

Been to a repair shop lately? You're not alone. The economic downturn has been good to repair shops because people are looking to extend the life of their used stuff than buy new.

Locally, I've noticed bicycle shops that offer repair services aren't exactly hurting for business either. I recently brought my bike in to Performance Bike off Westover Terrace in Greensboro to get the chain replaced but was told the wait would be several days due to high demand for services.

On Friday, I dropped it off at Re:cycles off Spring Garden Steet for some repair work and business appeared to be brisk there too.

As mentioned on Fox 8's Web site, you can fish for free in North Carolina on July 4. No license needed.

Normally, residents 16 and over pay $20 for a one-year license to fish inland waters and $15 for coastal waters.

News & Record file

This week at Harris Teeter: Buy one, 56-ounce container of Harris Teeter brand ice cream, get two free (save $9.58).

I've had all kinds of ice cream, including the more expensive name brands. But here's the scoop: Harris Teeter is pretty good. A relative brought some over during a cookout and I was surprised at how good it tasted. Not that I had any preconceived notions that just because it's a store brand it's going to taste awful, but I was still impressed.

Get any of the first six seasons of "24" at Best Buy for $16.99 for your "staycation".