Deals of the Week: Home Gyms, Phones and More

By Leah IngramDecember 13, 2012
By Leah Ingram

December 13, 2012

If you want to get a head start on your fitness resolutions for 2013, I can help with discounts on home exercise equipment. Also this week: a popular Black Friday smartphone deal makes a comeback at Best Buy and ways to save money on a Starbucks brewer and online wine.

Save Hundreds on Exercise Equipment

This is a great time to flex your savings muscles buying a treadmill, elliptical machine or other home exercise gear.

Sears is the exclusive retailer for Nordic Track-brand equipment and has knocked as much as $1,100 off prices of the popular fitness products.

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From Dec. 16 until Dec. 22, you can save $250 on a stationary bicycle (lowering the price to $549), $350 on an elliptical trainer (discounted price: $549), $500 on a treadmill (now $999), and $1,100 on an incline trainer ($1,899) with an interactive screen that lets you track your progress or check your email while exercising.

Sports Authority, which matches prices for store customers who find home fitness products advertised locally for less, usually has a coupon in its weekly Sunday circular. Last week, the chain offered 20 percent off through Dec. 15, which would save $240 on a $1,200 Pro-Form treadmill. I expect you'll find a similar coupon in this week's Sunday paper. If you find a home fitness item cheaper at, say, Dick's or Wal-Mart, bring in the ad from that store and see if Sports Authority will match the price.

Ring Up a Free Smartphone

Best Buy is bringing back one of its hottest Black Friday deals, through Dec. 22: a free Motorola Droid Razr Maxx phone — normally $149 — if you sign a two-year contract with Verizon Wireless.

Prefer an iPhone? Best Buy has bargains on them, too. You can save $50 on an iPhone 5 or 4S with a two-year contract from Verizon Wireless, AT&T or Sprint. You just need to make the purchase by Jan. 5 either in one of its stores or at Bestbuy.com.

Buy Gadgets, Save on Wine

Brookstone has a delicious promotion with the online winery Nakedwines.com, which could be attractive if you have a gadget groupie and a wine lover on your gift list.

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Spend $99 or more at a Brookstone store or on Brookstone.com between now and Christmas Eve and you'll receive a free $50 certificate to Nakedwines.com. If you're shopping at Brookstone’s site, enter the code WINE at checkout.

Just one catch: You can’t qualify for the online promotion if you live in a state that doesn’t permit wine shipments. Sadly, that’s the case for me in Pennsylvania. These are the other places where shipping wine isn’t permitted: Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Montana, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Utah and Washington, D.C.

Brew Up Savings on a Starbucks Brewer

Earlier this year, I converted to a Keurig single-cup home coffee brewer and I've never looked back. If you’re ready to jump on the single-serve bandwagon, you can drink up savings from Starbucks. Buy its new Verismo System single-serve home brewer (which makes coffee, espresso and lattes) before Jan. 1 and you’ll save $50 on the $199 machine. In addition to Starbucks, the Verismo is sold at Macy's, Bed Bath and Beyond, specialty retailers, like Williams-Sonoma, and online at Starbucksstore.com.

By Leah Ingram

Leah Ingram is a health, lifestyle and frugal-living writer and the author of Suddenly Frugal: How to Live Happier and Healthier on Less. She is also founder of the money-saving blog, Suddenly Frugal, and writes for magazines and websites including Good Housekeeping and Parade.com.@suddenlyfrugal

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