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To paraphrase Woody Allen, I’d never join a club that would charge me $45 to become a member. But $23, and throw in dinner and dessert? I’m listening.

For a limited time, Cheapskate readers can get a one-year Sam’s Club membership with a free rotisserie chicken and eight cupcakes for $23.11. That’s after applying promo code CHEAP20 at checkout. With those extras in there, this is a $57 value.

See it at ZDNet Academy

Just be sure to read through all the details — including who’s eligible — on the promo page. As you might expect, this is for new members only, though if you had a membership and it lapsed more than seven months ago, you should be able to hop on this.  

Note, too, that after one year you’ll automatically get billed for another year at the regular price ($45) unless you cancel your membership.

To take advantage of the free food, you’ll need to visit an actual Sam’s Club warehouse. After you’ve set up your Sam’s Club membership (using the instructions and links provided by ZDNet Academy), head to the store and put those two items in your shopping cart. When you get to checkout, they should be automatically deducted, having been preloaded to your account.  

Needless to say, if you shop there even just occasionally, the savings should more than cover the pretty minimal cost of membership.

Your thoughts?

CNET’s Cheapskate scours the web for great deals on tech products and much more. For the latest deals and updates, follow him on Facebook and Twitter. You can also sign up for deal texts delivered right to your phone. Find more great buys on the CNET Deals page and and check out our CNET Coupons page for the latest Walmart discount codes, eBay coupons, Samsung promo codes and even more from hundreds of other online stores. Questions about the Cheapskate blog? Answers live on our FAQ page.

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If you’ve always wanted to join a warehouse club but didn’t relish the idea of paying a membership fee, this is the deal for you. For a limited time, you can join Sam’s Club for $45 and get $45 in discounts the first time you go shopping inside one of the brick-and-mortar stores. That effectively makes the membership free. And, hey, at this point, we could all use another potential resource for toilet paper and hand sanitizer. Update: This offer is no longer available. Sam’s Club’s current membership deal nets you a $20 e-gift card and a free rotisserie chicken.

See it at Sam’s Club

To get this offer, enter your email address on the landing page and click Get Offer. Shortly thereafter, you should receive a link and promo code to use when signing up for your Sam’s Club membership.

You’ll have to pay the standard $45 annual fee, but when you take your first trip to the store, just spend at least that amount and it’ll be immediately be deducted from your bill. Note that this is a recurring membership; next year you’ll get billed another $45 unless you cancel.

Read more: All the latest Sam’s Club coupons  

The last time I shared this deal (about a year ago), you had to use the store’s Scan & Go app, which lets you bypass the register. This time, that option is specifically excluded.

There’s some other fine print as well: You have to redeem the offer within 60 days (so break out your face mask), and you can’t apply the credit to things like alcohol and gift cards.

Still, if you want to join Sam’s Club and bypass the first year’s membership fee, here’s your rare opportunity to do so.

This George Foreman-like indoor grill is just $20

bella-pro-series-contact-grillbella-pro-series-contact-grill

Bella

Would you fire up an outdoor grill just to cook a couple burgers? Too much hassle, if you ask me. That’s why I’m a longtime fan of indoor grills, most notably of the George Foreman variety. Like this one: For a limited time, and while supplies last, Best Buy has the Bella Pro Series Contact Grill for $19.99. Choose free curbside pickup if you can, otherwise shipping adds $9.49 unless you spend at least $35.

See it at Best Buy

According to Bella, the 12.5×8.5-inch cooking area is large enough to accommodate six burgers. You can also use the grill for things like panini sandwiches, though there’s no way to adjust the tilt and make it sit flat. It’s titled by design so fat rolls from meat into the drip tray. 

One big benefit to this model over other inexpensive ones is that it has removable heating plates, which makes cleanup considerably easier. In fact, they’re dishwasher-safe.

Bella’s grill earned a 4.5-star average rating from nearly 130 buyers. If you don’t already own something like this, I can’t recommend it highly enough.

Originally published last year. Updated to reflect new information.

CNET’s Cheapskate scours the web for great deals on tech products and much more. For the latest deals and updates, follow the Cheapskate on Facebook and Twitter. Find more great buys on the CNET Deals page and check out our CNET Coupons page for the latest promo codes from Best Buy, Walmart, Amazon and more. Questions about the Cheapskate blog? Find the answers on our FAQ page.  

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Love shopping online but don’t have time to compare prices or search for promo codes? Our CNET Shopping extension does that for you, so you always get the best price.

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CNET’s Cheapskate scours the web for great deals on PCs, phones, gadgets and much more. Questions about the Cheapskate blog? Find the answers on our FAQ page. Find more great buys on the CNET Deals page and follow the Cheapskate on Facebook and Twitter!

selecttv-the-flash

Screenshot by Rick Broida/CNET

It’s been a little over a year since I last wrote about SelectTV, so I’d say it’s high time for another deal.

And here it is: For a limited time, Cheapskate readers can get a one-year SelectTV subscription for $14.99. Regular price: $36.

What the heck is SelectTV? It’s not a content provider; it’s a content aggregator. That means it collects the internet’s wealth of streaming stuff — TV shows and movies, live and on-demand, free and not free — and organizes it under one simplified roof.

This solves a big challenge for any TV cord-cutter: figuring out where and how to watch various shows and movies. It also restores (after a fashion) the fun of channel-surfing, something you lose when you ditch cable in favor of fully on-demand viewing — Hulu, Netflix and so on.

Suppose, for example, you no longer have cable, but want to watch the current season of “The Good Place.” You could do some searching to remind yourself which network it’s on, then get that network’s app, sift through the various shows to find that one… and so on. You get the idea.

With SelectTV, you search for “The Good Place,” then click the episode you want to watch. Done. Definitely a little easier. Meanwhile, the service can stream news, including local stations, plus sports, kids’ shows and more.

This is a particularly good source for free movies. I found the likes of “Mission Impossible III,” “True Grit” and “War of the Worlds” — but remember this is just aggregating them from various sources. For any given movie, you may need to sign into your account on the likes of TubiTV or Vudu. 

Ultimately, there’s lots and lots of content, all of it searchable, much of it free. (There’s a handy toggle switch that lets you view all available content or only the free stuff.) If you have subscriptions to the likes of, say, CBS All Access or Hulu, you can sign in to make that content accessible here as well. And SelectTV offers something akin to JustWatch, meaning if you search for something not immediately available through the service, you’ll see where it is available.

There are some caveats, however. The Android and iOS apps need to be side-loaded — most likely to work around content restrictions — which is kind of a hassle. But the big one is there’s no easy way to access SelectTV on your TV. It really works best on a PC, in a browser. You can run an HDMI cable from PC to TV, or “cast” content via an Apple TV or Google Chromecast.

Consequently, I’m not convinced this is an ideal solution for everyone. But it does simplify things for cord-cutters, and it definitely connects you with a lot of streaming content you might not have found otherwise.

canon-pixma-mg3620canon-pixma-mg3620

This all-in-one wireless printer: $30.


Canon

Your thoughts?

Bonus deal: How much printing do you need to do nowadays? Just a little here and there? Then I reckon something compact and simple would do the trick.

Like this: For a limited time, and while supplies last, Adorama has the Canon Pixma MG3620 all-in-one wireless printer for $29 shipped when you apply promo code BDPRINTER at checkout.

The Pixma ticks all the important boxes for a basic home printer: tiny footprint, 100-sheet input tray and support for both AirPrint and Google Cloud Print. It uses black and tricolor ink cartridges, and replacements are reasonably cheap (in the neighborhood of $30 for a set) if you opt for remanufactured.

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CNET’s Cheapskate scours the web for great deals on PCs, phones, gadgets and much more. Questions about the Cheapskate blog? Find the answers on our FAQ page. And find more great buys on the CNET Deals page.

Want to catch up on “Mr. Robot”? How about some classic episodes of “Robot Chicken”? And, hey, when was the last time you watched “Fast Times at Ridgemont High”?

You can stream all that and tons more — provided you know where to look. Indeed, half the challenge for any cable-TV cord-cutter is figuring out where and how to watch various shows and movies. What’s more, when you ditch cable in favor of fully on-demand viewing, you lose out on the fun of channel-surfing.

selecttv-home-page.jpgEnlarge Image

Yeah, it does!


Screenshot by Rick Broida/CNET

Enter SelectTV, a relatively new offshoot of web-content aggregator FreeCast. The service provides an attractive front end for accessing a wealth of streaming video, the idea being to make it easier to find — or discover — things to watch.

A one-year subscription normally runs $36, but for a limited time you can get a year of SelectTV for just $19. You also have the option of choosing three years for $49.

Unlike PlayOn, which serves primarily to record streaming videos for offline viewing, SelectTV gives you a one-stop web portal for those videos. It’s divided into five main areas: On-demand, Channels, Music, Events and Games.

Hit up On-demand, for example, and you’ll find subcategories like Primetime, Movies, Web and Kids. Head to Channels > News for live streams from the likes of CNN and MSNBC.

So, yeah, lots and lots of content, all of it searchable, much of it free. (There’s a toggle switch that lets you view all available content or only the free stuff.) If you have subscriptions to the likes of, say, CBS All Access or Hulu Plus, you can sign in to make that content accessible here as well. And SelectTV offers something akin to CanIStreamIt, meaning if you search for something not immediately available through the service, you’ll see where it is available.

Want to watch on your TV? That’s where it gets a little complicated. You can run an HDMI cable from your laptop or watch wirelessly via a Google Chromecast. Alas, there’s no Roku channel or the like. What’s more, although SelectTV has mobile apps in the works, the Android version is still a couple weeks out, and there’s “no firm timetable yet” for iOS.

If you’re already relying on your PC as a cord-cutting tool, SelectTV offers a nice way to aggregate everything under one roof. Just this morning I happened upon “Robot Chicken,” a show I haven’t watched in years, and enjoyed 10 solid minutes of belly laughs. That kind of “opportunity watching” almost never happens in my otherwise on-demand lifestyle.

Your thoughts?

Enlarge Image

Fluance

Bonus deal: One of my all-time favorite bookshelf speakers is on sale for the lowest price ever. For a limited time, you can get the Fluance Fi30 Bluetooth wood speaker for $69.97 shipped. (That’s the black model; it’s available in white/bamboo for the same price.) Last time I ran this deal, it was $99.96. If you want the full skinny, read David Carnoy’s review — keeping in mind it was based on the original $150 price.

Bonus deal 2: Daily Steals continues to offer what I consider one of the most underrated laptop/tablet hybrids around: the refurbished HP Spectre x2 for $429.99 shipped. It’s a 12-inch Windows tablet that includes a detachable keyboard, along with a 128GB SSD, 1,920×1,080-pixel display and optional Verizon 4G LTE. And it’s HP-certified with a 90-day warranty. Just an insanely good deal at this price. Don’t miss it.

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CNET’s Cheapskate scours the Web for great deals on PCs, phones, gadgets and much more. Questions about the Cheapskate blog? Find the answers on our FAQ page.

backblaze-control-panel.jpgEnlarge Image
The Backblaze control panel in action.
Backblaze

Hey, you know how you’re always meaning to back up your data but never got around to it? Today’s the day to get around to it.

Ending tomorrow, StackSocial is offering a one-year Backblaze subscription for $24.99. Regular price: $50.

Backblaze competes with the likes of Carbonite and Mozy, offering continuous, automated backup of all your data. Like Carbonite, Backblaze gives you unlimited space. And its client software, which is available for Windows and Mac, will automatically sift through your hard drive to find all your backup-worthy data, thus eliminating a lot of the usual backup hassles.

Another perk: Backblaze includes a location-tracking option that can help you recover a lost or stolen laptop. Call the police once you find it, though. Vigilante justice is never as much fun as it looks on TV.

If and when the time comes for you to restore your data, you can download it all, of course. But, for an added fee, Backblaze can also ship you all your files on a flash drive or external hard drive.

As an added bonus for iOS users, the Backblaze app lets you access and even retrieve files over an Android or iOS device.

If you aren’t already archiving your stuff to a cloud service, it’s hard to beat 25 bucks for a full year. Personally, I don’t care what backup service you use, as long as you use something. Data loss happens, as far too many people discover the hard way each and every day.

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No Wolverines allowed. Mpow’s Magneto Bluetooth sport earbuds.
Mpow

Bonus deal: If you’re Wolverine, you probably won’t like this deal. For a limited time, and while supplies last, Patozon (via Amazon) has the Mpow Magneto Bluetooth sport earbuds for $28.99 when you apply the coupon code KMGSQZOV at checkout.

I’m test-driving a set of these as we speak, and I must admit they sound fantastic — better than any other earbuds I’ve tried in recent memory. They look cool, pair with up to two devices and come with all kinds of rubber loops to help keep them in your ears. (This takes some experimentation.)

Plus, they’re magnetic. When you snap the two buds together, the music pauses! And when you pull them apart, it starts playing again. Gimmicky, but also super-cool.

Bonus deal 2: I’ve been sorely tempted to buy one of those “hoverboards” that are all the rage these days, but paying $500-600 for one doesn’t sound very cheapskate-y. Today only, and while supplies last, Yugster has a self-balancing powered gyro scooter for $349.99 shipped. Want an extra $3 off? Sign up for Yugster’s newsletter and you’ll receive a $3 gift card via e-mail. This is a no-brand model, but I’ve seen identical ones selling for hundreds more.

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office-365-box-front.jpg

Microsoft

Over the years I’ve said some pretty uncharitable things about Microsoft Office, but it’s not the software I dislike — it’s the price. To my thinking, Microsoft continues to charge an unreasonable amount for a package that’s overkill for many users.

Okay, so what’s a reasonable price? This: For a limited time, and while supplies last, E-Tech Galaxy (via eBay) is offering Microsoft Office 365 Personal (1-year, 1-user) for $29.99 shipped. This version is for Windows and Mac and includes a tablet license. Regular price: $69.99.

I’m always a little leery of sharing Office deals from third-party vendors, as I’ve heard some horror stories about bogus licenses. And I’m not directly familiar with E-Tech Galaxy, though it’s hard to argue with the company’s eBay rating: 99.6 percent positive from over 30,000(!) customers. If you check the reviews, you’ll see plenty of happy buyers of this exact product.

The other caveat: I have no idea how much stock the vendor has. Hopefully more than 500 units, because at this writing, some 470 had been sold.

Office 365, of course, is Microsoft’s subscription version of Office. It includes not only Word, Excel and PowerPoint, but also OneNote, Outlook, a mess of OneDrive storage and some free Skype minutes every month. (What a weird inclusion, I’ve always thought.)

Needless to say, there are plenty of free alternatives to Office, including WPS Office and old-standby OpenOffice. But these don’t give you any kind of mail client, and Outlook really is the best (though practically only) desktop email manager currently available. Plus, a full terabyte of cloud storage is pretty sweet.

I still wouldn’t pay $70 annually for Office, but $30? That strikes me as a fair price. Of course, after your first year is up, you’ll have to pay full price for the next one — unless you can find another deal, that is. And, who knows, maybe Microsoft will wise up and lower Personal’s price for good?

HAHAHAHAHA. I slay me.

What are your thoughts? Do you agree this is a good deal for Office? Do you wish Microsoft would just let you buy the suite outright instead of making you subscribe to it? Or is there simply no point given all the freebie options out there?

Bonus deal: Calling all parents! If you have toddlers and some kind of iOS device (iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch), you’ll dig this: For a limited time, iTunes is offering a collection of classic Winnie the Pooh animated shorts for free. That link will take you to “Stuck at Rabbit’s House.” Scroll down and you’ll see around nine other shorts to choose from. Each one runs only about 2 minutes, but all told you’ll get about 20 minutes’ worth of Pooh goodness.

Bonus deal No. 2: A portable LED work light that doubles as a mobile charger? Yes, please. Loftek is once again offering its cordless rechargeable LED 10-watt work light, this time for $50 shipped when you apply coupon code 5Q82NBJ3 at checkout. The light pumps out the equivalent of a 100-watt halogen bulb, and the battery has a USB port for recharging your phone while you work. Plus the little guy is just cute as the dickens.

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