Save up to 50% on a brand new Fitbit tracker or smartwatch with this clever hack
Plus: Get a DQ Blizzard for just 85 cents and claim the free games included with your Netflix and Amazon Prime subscriptions.
DISCLAIMER: Some of the links included herein are affiliate links (usually those in bold 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.
Welcome to Deal Secrets! If you’re new here, thanks for subscribing! This weekly missive is home to money-saving tips, notable deals, product reviews, and general recommendations for stuff I like. Quick bio: Once upon a time I was “The Cheapskate” at CNET; now I write about consumer tech for Yahoo. (Company tagline: “Yeah, we’re still a thing.”) 😜
Quick housekeeping note #1: No newsletter next weekend; attending to some personal business. See you back here on April 29!
Quick housekeeping note #2: Substack (home of this newsletter) just rolled out a tool called Notes, which is something of a misnomer: It’s really a social-media network, one that could easily be mistaken for Twitter. I’m fine with that, because I’m not fine with Twitter anymore. Right now I’m evaluating Notes to see if it’s a good way to share quickie or time-sensitive deals. Stay tuned (and if you’ve checked it out yourself, let me know what you think).
Get a Dairy Queen Blizzard for 85 cents
Look, Dairy Queen is the Sbarro of ice cream. It’s not even ice cream, just some sort of chemical concoction that comes from a spigot. You want good soft-serve, you go to Culver’s.
That said, if you have a frozen-dessert itch you want to scratch on the cheap, install the Dairy Queen mobile app and sign up for their rewards program. In about 24 hours you should see an offer for a small DQ Blizzard for 85 cents — and that’s pretty hard to pass up, chemicals or no. Usually these things run, what, $4?
I believe this is a one-time-use deal, but someone on TikTok reported being able to redeem the offer (which is good until April 23) every day. YMMV.
Pro tip: A lot of the Blizzard flavors have a vanilla base, but you can ask for chocolate instead and make it considerably better. (Because, duh, chocolate > vanilla.)
Got a Netflix subscription? Get free games! (Amazon Prime, too.)
You’ve heard of “found money”? Consider this “found games.” If you’re a Netflix subscriber, you’re entitled to some 50 games for Android and iOS — free with your subscription. No ads, no fees, no in-app purchases.
There’s something for everyone: action, arcade, adventure, card games, puzzle games, and more. You can find the titles in the Netflix mobile app — just scroll down a bit and look for the Netflix Games row — or in your phone’s app store (search for “Netflix games”).
By the way, if you’re an Amazon Prime subscriber, one often-overlooked perk is free games and in-game content — for your PC. There’s a new freebie added every week; scroll way down to the section titled “New game each week, free with Prime.” You’ll need to install the Amazon Games client, but once you’ve claimed a freebie, it’s yours to keep forever. A notable title available now: Wolfenstein: The New Order, a top-rated FPS that would cost you $20 if purchased elsewhere.
This genius hack can save you up to 50% on Fitbit fitness bands and smartwatches
Planning to buy a Fitbit? Don’t just walk into Best Buy (or the online equivalent) and pay full price. Instead, if you’re open to a tiny bit of hoop-jumping, you can save as much as 50% on just about any Fitbit tracker or smartwatch.
In a nutshell, you’re going to buy a “naked” Fitbit, then supply your own band and charging cable. Here’s the process:
Head to eBay and search for the Fitbit model you want, but add “pebble” to the search. For example: “Fitbit Versa 4 pebble” or “Fitbit Charge 5 pebble.” I spotted the former selling for around $90, the latter for $50-$60. If you buy the complete product at retail, you’re looking at $200 and $150, respectively.
Head to Amazon and search for bands and charging cables for the model you want. A 3-pack of Charge 5 bands, for instance, runs around $10; a 2-pack of charging cords, around $8.
And that’s it! You don’t get a Fitbit box or instruction manual, but who cares? The only unknown here is the warranty; although many of these Fitbits are listed as “brand new/factory sealed,” it’s not clear whether they have the same warranty coverage as retail Fitbits.
Full credit to reader Brian M. for this clever hack, which I didn’t know about. He bought a Fitbit Charge 5 pebble and accessories for around $75, which sounds like a pretty huge win to me.
Rick’s Recs: Book, movie, TV show
📖 I recently finished This Boy’s Life by Tobias Wolff, a memoir I picked up based on a TikTok recommendation. I’m always leery of “feel-bad” material, whether it’s books, movies, or TV (looking at you, Succession), because who wants to spend their time getting bummed out? But Wolff doesn’t dwell on the sad, occasionally heartbreaking parts of his story; he merely recollects them in a way I found riveting. So while it’s kind of a bummer on the whole, it’s also a fascinating read — and one that will make you appreciate a safe, semi-normal upbringing (if you were lucky enough to have one). My grade: B+
🎞️ People who know me know I actively dislike Adam Sandler — I’ve just never found him funny — so it was with a lot of reluctance that I watched his latest movie, Hustle (Netflix). It’s sort of like Rocky meets The Blind Side, except it’s about basketball. And you know what? Solid flick. It helps if you’re a basketball fan, because pretty much every NBA all-star on the planet has a cameo, but ultimately it’s just a feel-good story that’s mostly family-friendly. And Sandler doesn’t ruin it by being Sandler. My grade: B+.
📺 Abbott Elementary may be the breakout sitcom everyone’s watching, but let me make the case for Animal Control (Hulu) starring Joel McHale (Community). It’s a workplace comedy with all the tropes on full display, but somehow the likeable cast and solid writing make it work. If you’ve been missing McHale’s Jeff Winger character, he’s about 85% the same guy here. This isn’t LOL-funny, but it’s amusing and an “easy hang,” TV-wise. My grade: B+.
Any book/movie/TV recs of your own to share with me and your fellow Deal Secrets readers? Leave a comment!
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I couldn't agree with you more about Adam Sandler not being funny. To me. Curious about your opinion on "50 first dates" with Drew Barrymore? Another movie where he's much less the "comedic" personality and his natural acting skills show through well. Paired with Drew, and a brilliant rom(mostly)-com, it's one of my favorites.
I gave up on Twitter when Elon bought it and said he was letting Donnie back in!