Free Professional Family Portrait

Here's the perfect Mother's Day gift idea -- take the kids to a photo studio and get a professionally taken portrait of the kids to give to Mom!

And here's the perfect way to do it .... FREE:

If you are in the NYC area, there's a photo taking location at 89 Monague Street in Brooklyn Heights NY.

This is a promotion run by Microsoft for their portraitsofmom.com contest -- basically getting you to sign-up for a Microsoft Live account before you can post your own photo...But you don't need to do all that just to get your free portrait.

Happy Mother's Day!

Tivo Lifetime Service Available Again

When I bought my Tivo years ago (back in the 90's I think!), I went through a hard decision process to finally buy into the "Lifetime Service" contract for $199 for my freshly purchased Tivo. Back then, DVR's were a relatively new technology; there was a competing DVR company - and no one know who was going to be the winner at that point; and spending $200 MORE for what seemed to be a souped up VCR (which it is) seemed a lot.

But ultimately I got the Lifetime Service for my Tivo and I'm glad I did. At some point, Tivo pulled that option off the table for customers and anyone with a newer Tivo is probably still paying monthly subscription fees to Tivo.

But guess what -- it's back! Here is an exclusive offer to Valupoint.com visitors!

Buy a TiVo HD DVR with Lifetime Tivo Service for $698.99!

1) This is the ONLY way to get Lifetime Tivo Subscription Service right now
2) Everyone will eventually go HD, so even if you don't have HDTV for HD capability right now, it is still worth the investment.

Disney adventure magazine...

Disney Adventures Magazine died and we now get Boy's Life Magazine free...

Our recent subscription to Disney Adventures magazine came to an end because the magazine itself, closed shop. And in it's place, we received a continuation of our subscription through Boy's Life magazine.

Unfortunately, it's not appropriate for my DAUGHTER and there is no way to get a refund or a substitute according to Boy's Life customer service.

How bad is that? Is it Disney's fault or is it Boy's Life magazine's (which is not published by Disney)fault?

listen

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Printable Coupon: Staples 12% Off in April 2008

Once in awhile, a coupon comes across my Inbox which is good for 12% off almost anything (most technology items included!) in the store at Staples.

This week is one of those times. Just printout and bring to the store...(if you want to be nice, print 2 and give one to a random person in the checkout line behind you).




Here's a ValuPoint tip of the day: Office Depot will honor this coupon. Sometimes the clerks won't know, but the managers have always honored them locally at a couple of stores I've been to. The great part is the Office Depot coupons always excludes TechDepot items -- but for example, I just used this Staples coupon at OfficeDepot to get 12% off a Targus Wireless Presentation Remote/Laser Pointer to use with my Powerpoint presentations.

Exclusive 10% Off Dell coupon code

I recently bought a bunch of 2GB Kensington USB flash drives from dell.com for $7.99 + free shipping (YES!) and today they emailed me with a promotional offer to buy some more stuff...

The offer was for 10% off my next electronics, software and accessories purchase. But I'm sharing it here with you.

For your exclusive 10% savings, just enter coupon code
0$G8LTJM47SBCZ at checkout.* Online only.

Expires 04/25/08.


*I believe this is a one-time use coupon code, so first come first serve to dell.com. However, all I ask is that you leave a comment back here when you use it so others will know it's gone.

Thanks & enjoy!

How To Get A LEGAL Copy of Microsoft Office 2007 for $59

The great part about software is that there is almost no cost to the actual product -- which means unlimited profit for the software company.

But what this means for the consumer is that if you are savvy enough, you can probably find some really good deals out there for the same exact thing. RIght now, Office Ultimate is available for $697 at Staples. NO JOKE.



For example, student versions of software are ridiculously cheap if you have a valid student id at a college, university or sometimes even primary schools (keep reading to find out about the Home & Student Editions of Microsoft Office for about 100 bucks).

But Microsoft has come up with a super enticing offer to get legal copies of its software into the hands of students across campuses to cut down on piracy and get some actual profits along the way.

Here's the ultimate deal for Microsoft Office 2007 ULTIMATE EDITION which includes nine different Microsoft programs.

Microsoft Office Ultimate 2007 includes Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Outlook, Groove, OneNote, Publisher, Access, and more.

You need a valid university or school email address that ends in .edu. Once you buy it, you'll download the product and install it as a trial. And you simply enter the registration key that you purchase and it "unlocks" and becomes a fully licensed legal copy of the Microsoft office suite.

Now that is a sweet deal! At $59.95 for 10 programs, that's under $10/program! Compare that to the full price for MS Office 2007 Ultimate which is $457!

What's Included

* Access™ 2007
* Accounting Express 2007
* Excel® 2007
* Groove® 2007
* InfoPath® 2007
* OneNote® 2007
* Outlook® 2007 with Business Contact Manager
* PowerPoint® 2007
* Publisher 2007
* Word 2007


Secure your discount now before you regret that you missed the deadline (end of this month).

---

BUT WHAT IT I AM NOT A STUDENT with a student ID + .edu email address?

Microsoft still loves you. Ok, that's a stretch, but they love the benjamin's in your wallet... There's a little known version of Office that is generally available to the public which is legal for home and student use. In fact, it's called just that - Microsoft Office HOME & STUDENT 2007 -- and the full price is only $119 (free shipping!)

You are allowed to install in on up to 3 computer in a non-commercial setting.

This version doesn't have all 10 programs included in the Ultimate edition, but you'll get the most used programs: Word 2007, Powerpoint 2007, Excel 2007, and OneNote 2007. That's still a bargain at $119.

Free The Trapped Photos From Your Camera!

Are you like everyone else? You probably have gone all digital in terms of taking photos with a recently purchased digital camera. I'm sure you love it.

But what about that old 35mm camera sitting in the drawer or that Kodak Advantix APS format camera? Does it still have a roll of film trapped in there since the last time you used it to take some photos? Are you letting them just sit there and rot inside that black box? How cruel of you! Those photos have been waiting to be seen! All that technicolor-richness behind bars!


I bet you probably don't even have a clue what's on the roll of film -- there ain't no preview screen built into the back of those cameras! :-(

What to do? I'm sure you don't want to take it to the drug store for film developing just to find some random candid shots that aren't worth the money, right?

Here's a printable coupon for a completely free film developing at Walgreens and a set of 4x6 photo prints from that roll stuck in that now antique camera of yours.



And if you want to actually add those photos to your collection of photos on your computer, just use the 2nd coupon to get all those snapshots digitized on burned onto a CD for just $0.99.




[Click on the thumbnail images above to get the full-size printable coupons]

Printable Coupons R Us

If you have babies, then you know the ailses of Toys R Us or Babies R Us.

If you have kids that are school age, then you really know the local Toys R Us well as your child makes the rounds to all the birthday parties. With 1 1/2 to 2 dozen kids per class that's a lot of Saturday afternoons taken up during the year. Add to it each year since your kids change classes and find new friends and are invited to some of the friend's birthdays from "last year".

That means you'll become weekend buddies with the parents in your kids' classes very quickly. But the other friend you'll make are the cash registers at ToysRUs too!

Have you woken up and start to buy birthday gifts in bulk when you find them on sale? Do you have a gift closet? (and the unspeakable re-gifting closet?!?!?!)

Well, here's a printable coupon from Toys R Us that also works at any Babies R Us store for toys and other products you may buy for your kids or their friends. {click on image to get the full-size and print it out}

Don't forget to print out a couple of extras and hand them out to the other parents with suffering wallets in line with you!

Relief for Starbucks Coffee Addicts

Here's a deal worth a COUPLE OF BUCKS. Starbucks that is.

After Starbucks went through their media stunt to shut down all their stores on a single day to retrain and revive the Starbucks magic, they are now trying to get more people in the door to reconnect and rebuild their faith in the brand.

On April 8, this Tuesday morning, Starbucks will be giving away FREE VENTI drinks to everyone that stops by.




Even for those non-Starbucks addicts, this is the time to try them out of figure out why people are willing to pay up to $5.39 or more every day of their lives for something that costs literally pennies to produce.

A great way to make back for that $0.09 price increase they imposed last summer...just think about it...for each customer...
$0.09 more revenue for the same exact thing (it's not "new or improved" or "now bigger" -- just same old product) x 5 days a week x 52 weeks = 24 bucks per customer per year...

With a VERY CONSERVATIVE 500 drinks made a day, that's over $16,000 more profit for doing exactly the same thing. Hmm....

And after you've consumed your Venti caffeine-chocked coffee-based drink (I say coffee-based, since so many of their items have tons of stuff in it OTHER than actual coffee!)...figure out how jittery you actually are with the following caffeine test:

Printable Coupon for Linens N Things / Bed Bath & Beyond

Have you ever paid the actual price on the sticker in Bed Bath & Beyond or Linens and Things - even if they are on sale?

Shame on you!

These two stores in particular price everything at least 20% more than what they are willing to sell them for. Why pay them any more than necessary?

Here's a printable coupon to use at Linens & Things stores. And remember that Bed Bath and Beyond takes competitors coupons without hestitation.

And what is the best part of printable coupns? You can get multiple discounts by printout out more! In most stores, the cash registers are even willing to ring up multiple purchases in order to give you that extra $5 off that next $15's worth of goods.

For example, if you are buying $40 worth of stuff, you can ring up 2 receipts and use 2 of these coupons! That's $10 off -- enough to treat yourself to ice cream or a frappachino.

BONUS TIP: If you have a Harmon's Discount Supply store in your area, they take these competitor coupons too! :-)

Little Known Amazon.com Product

I'm sure you've found the stuff you needed for yourself on Amazon.com...

I'm sure you've found the stuff you needed for gifts on Amazon.com...

But what about for the times that you have no clue what to get?

Or what about when it's just too late to go out and buy a gift (you lazy bum you!)?

Or what if you just found out that you have to go to your aunt's birthday dinner and it's only hours away?

Here's a product that's perfect for just about everyone, can be bought and given in minutes from Amazon.com...

The Amazon.com Gift Card.



I've resisted for the longest time to getting gift cards as gifts, but lately, I've received some myself and they can be quite convenient...and inconvenient. Convenient since you can use it to wait and buy whatever you wish. Great for those splurges you've been trying to justify in the back of your mind lately.

But they become inconvenient when they are tied to a specific merchant -- or even a specific mall.

But Amazon.com gift certificates would be perfect for most people since they sell so many products across so many categories...and you also have a selection of products from literally thousands of 3rd party sellers too. That means millions of products, pretty competitive pricing, convenient and gratifying. What more could you ask for?