Liven up your next gathering for just $6

PLUS: A $13 label printer, a new way to save on groceries, and a chance to outfox Netflix's latest price-hike.

DISCLAIMER: Some of the links included herein are affiliate links (usually those in bold blue type), meaning if you make a purchase via one of them, I may get a small commission. I promise you, now and forever, that I won’t choose deals based on whether there’s an affiliate option available.

Hi, all! Fun news: The widely beloved, canceled-too-soon TV series Freaks and Geeks will be celebrating its 25th anniversary next year, and to kick things off, my podcasting partner and I are soon to launch a Freaks and Geeks rewatch podcast! (There’s precedent here: We also recapped Battlestar Galactica and the awesome Netflix series Travelers.) Stay tuned for the release date; in the meantime, you can start your Freaks and Geeks rewatch (or first watch!) on Hulu.

Before we go on, quick question for you:

Thanks for your feedback!

---

QUICK HITS

This might be the best six bucks you spend this week.

🎭 During a recent family gathering, my cousin Bonnie brought out something that had everyone in stitches: Face mask drink coasters. Basically everyone picks one (there are 20 in a pack, all double-sided), then hooks it on their nose. It’s just a silly — and hilarious — thing to do with friends, family, etc., and it’s an amazingly good deal to boot: You can get a pack of face mask drink coasters for just $5.71.

🖨️ Amazon Prime subscribers! This Nelko portable Bluetooth label printer drops to just $12.79 when you click the $4-off coupon and then apply promo code 29KDDG397L at checkout. No ink needed here; this sucker’s thermal. And it has overwhelmingly positive ratings from nearly a thousand buyers.

🧹 Here’s a deal Amazon doesn’t have: For a limited time, and while supplies last, Walmart has the Dyson V8 Origin+ cordless vacuum for $250, a historic low. Reg. price: $420. (And it’s currently $300 at Amazon.) This versatile, powerful stick-vac also works as a handheld. I’ve owned two Dysons for over 10 years; they just don’t quit. Consequently, they’re among very few products for which I’m willing to pay a premium. And a historic-low price is definitely notable.

---

Another @#$! Netflix price increase?! Here’s a way to get a whole year for just $75

Lately I feel like all I do is write about streaming-service price increases. Netflix is at it again, and Disney+ just announced a pretty sizeable bump as well. (What kind of crazy world is it where Apple is the bargain in this group?) This seems like an excellent time to cancel some streamers, read more books, and, especially, play more pickleball.

That said, if you’re not ready to live without Netflix, read on: Verizon phone and home-internet customers can take advantage of a pretty great Verizon +Play deal: One full year of Starz and Netflix Premium for just $75. (Alternately, you can do a year of AMC+ and Netflix Premium for $84.) That’s basically a full year of Netflix Premium free — a $240 value (but soon to be an even higher value) — just for letting Verizon manage your subscription.

Even if you don’t particularly want AMC+ or Starz, you’re still getting a year of Netflix for $75 instead of $240. Too good to pass up, if you ask me. I was able to take advantage of this offer and link my existing Netflix account to the Verizon thing, so I didn’t have to monkey around with canceling or changing the billing or anything like that. Pretty easy overall.

What happens after 12 months? Back to regular pricing, of course. But at that point you can always re-evaluate whether Netflix is worth keeping.

Oh, and for what it’s worth: I switched to Verizon Home Internet earlier this year and so far it’s been rock-solid. $50/month flat rate (less if you have Verizon phone service as well), hard to beat.

---

---

Save on groceries and help reduce food waste with the ingenious new FlashFood app

Food waste pains me to my very soul. People go hungry every day on this planet, and yet by some estimates 30-40 percent of the American food supply ends up in the garbage. It’s insane!

Here’s an app that can help — and help you save money on groceries at the same time. FlashFood connects you with local grocery stores to find items that are nearing their “best by” dates and have subsequently been discounted. (Use referral code RICK516TR to get $3 off your first purchase of $15 or more.) Assuming you’re able to act quickly and eat quickly (relatively speaking), you stand to save as much as 50% on various items.

To be clear, we’re not talking about anything that’s expired. For example, it’s Oct. 5; I’m looking at a prepackaged Italian sub that’s “best by Oct. 6” — meaning it’s certainly safe to eat for at least a few more days. Price: $2.99, marked down from $5.99.

The selection will vary from one store to another; I found one Meijer location that had maybe half a dozen total items available, another with at least 30. Some of it’s prepackaged, but I’ve seen mixed-produce boxes as well. Alas, for the moment there’s no search option, nor even a categorical listing; you just browse by scrolling.

To buy stuff, you add it to your cart and check out like you would in any grocery-store app, then head to the store and find the FlashFood pickup area.

Needless to say, not all grocers have this yet, but a handful of big ones do: Meijer, Kroger (though not in my area), Giant, etc. Here’s hoping more chains will get on board.

---

PLAYLIST

A seriously great memoir, and you should have no trouble getting the audiobook free from your library.

📕 Awhile back I had a couple free audiobooks coming my way (for reasons that escape me), so of course I offered one of them to Mrs. Deal Secrets. She requested Spare, the memoir by Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, which had just come out. I may have poked a little fun at this, having close to zero interest in the book (despite being a pretty big fan of The Crown). Well, guess what: Mrs. Deal Secrets was right again. I just listened to the first five hours and it made a long car ride fly by. Was a ghostwriter heavily involved? Yes. Was the story absolutely riveting, as narrated by the prince himself? Also yes. Rick’s Rating: A

(Pro tip: The audiobook edition is currently available for checkout from Hoopla!)

---

Thanks for reading Deal Secrets! Questions? Comments? Hit me up on Twitter or Facebook, or shoot me an e-mail. I’ll do my best to respond to all inquiries! Want to show your support? Buy me a coffee!