Your Home Computer Guide

In celebration of their 15th anniversary, Check Point Software will be giving away their ZoneAlarm Pro software for free!

This offer is only good for 24 hours starting at 6 AM PDT on Tuesday November 18th, 2008.

ZoneAlarm is excellent security software that includes a firewall plus identity theft and spyware protection. Normally they charge $39.95 for this software which includes one year of updates. 

Be sure to click here on Tuesday to get your free copy of ZoneAlarm Pro.

Thank you Check Point Software!

-Bert

Due to the price of gas falling below $2.79 a gallon, CodeWeavers Inc. will be giving away its CrossOver software tomorrow only!

Unfortunately not everyone can use their software since it’s for Mac and Linux users and allows them to run Windows software on their computers. If you use a Mac or Linux or know someone who does, spread the word.

This giveaway is for one day only, Tuesday, October 28th. Visit the CodeWeavers site for the details and to get your free CrossOver software that even includes support!

-Bert

Terri Gruca came through again! On her Consumer Blog she reported that Restaurant.com is having a 60% off sale through 10/26/08. The last time we used Restaurant.com we had such a great time I blogged about it HERE. This time I bought two discount coupons for $25 each and it only cost me $8.00!

If you haven’t used Restaurant.com yet, this is your chance for an incredibly cheap dinner out.

If you don’t want to miss a deal like this in the future be sure to click the blue button under my picture and sign up to receive an email when I post something important

-Bert

There’s no easier way to back up your data or transfer a lot of data from one PC to another than by using an external hard drive.

Tiger Direct has an excellent deal on a 500GB Western Digital external hard drive for $84.99. I have this same hard drive in the 250GB version and love it. The hard drive is super easy to hook up. It’s small, quiet and fast.

Get one while they’re on sale!

-Bert

If I needed a new home computer today, I’d buy this Acer Aspire AM1100-B1410A Refurbished AMD Desktop PC - AMD Athlon X2 4000 2 .1GHz, 2GB DDR2, 320GB SATA2, DVD±RW, Vista Home Premium.

This is a great deal on a refurbished PC so hurry if you want one!

For another $120 you can get a 17 inch  widescreen LCD monitor to go with it:

Tiger Direct’s shipping is very fast so you should get it within a few days!

-Bert

I recently started following a blog by Terri Gruca from our local WCCO news station. Terri’s subject on making your money stretch is quite popular in this tight economy.

On May 31st Terri blogged about Restaurant.com and how you can purchase a $25 Gift Certificate to eat out for only $10. Our family loves to eat out and save money so of course I checked it out! I wasn’t expecting to find any resaurants around where we live since we’re about an hour North of Minneapolis and are in a very small town.

To my suprise there were a few restaurants that popped up when I put in our zip code, including Peake’s at Pebble Creek restaurant, on a golf course nearby. So last weekend I purchased the $25 Gift Certificate for $10 and we headed out for supper. Restaurant.com accepted my payment online and quickly provided a Gift Certificate to print out.

We were seated at a table next to the windows overlooking a beautiful golf course. I told the waitress right away about my gift certificate half expecting her to not accept it or the level of service to drop when she saw it. Once again we were pleasantly suprised with excellent service and a great dinner.

Our daughter had a pizza off the children’s menu, my wife had a House Tenderloin Fillet and I had a New York Strip grilled to perfection. The portions were generous and the food was superb!

You’ll never believe how much it cost…

I had to do a double-take when I saw the bill for $22.75, and that included the 18% gratuity! Of course you have to add back in the cost of the Gift Certificate that cost $10. So the grand total for a fabulous dining experience was $32.75.

Thank you Terri for the great post, thank you Restaurant.com for a great service and thank you Peake’s at  Pebble Creek for a great evening!

If you’re ever in the Becker, MN area, be sure to check it out Peake’s. I hear they have a great Sunday buffet. Maybe we’ll see you there.

Regards,

-Bert

Have you ever bought something online and had the opportunity to enter a coupon code to get a discount? Seems like everytime I buy something online I see that and had often wondered where people get those codes.

Just because you’re given an option to enter a coupon code, there might not always be a sale going on. Here are some websites that collect and distribute these coupon codes. It it might be worth it to check a few of these websites to see if you can get a discount:

BradsDeals.com
RetailMeNot.com
CurrentCodes.com
CouponCabin.com

Regards,

-Bert

One of the biggest advantages to having a computer with access to the Internet is the ability to save money. Whether you’re buying books, electronics, or some odd product that you can’t get locally you’re sure to find a good deal somewhere on the Internet.

The Internet is loaded with websites designed to help you find good deals on travel but when it comes to finding the lowest air fares look no further than Kayak.com. This handy search engine compares air fares from over 200 travel sites.

Kayak.com doesn’t sell anything. Since they’re a travel search engine they simply scour the Internet to find you the best prices and let you choose the best deal.

You can also search for hotels, rental cars, and cruises on Kayak.com. And, if you’re a frequent traveler be sure to sign up for their travel deals via email.

Before you book a hotel online be sure to contact the hotel you’re interested in directly or on their website for unpublished specials.

Happy travels,

-Bert

If you’re looking for a good deal on a laptop or desktop computer here are some great websites that show you what’s on sale and where.

 http://bensbargains.net/category/5

 http://deals2buy.com/computer.htm

I’d also recommend signing up for TigerDirect.com Deal Alerts.

Happy shopping!

-Bert