Pretty reader Erin sent along the following:

Hey Mir—

I work at a local Hallmark Gold Crown store, and thought you (and my fellow Want Not readers) might be interested to know that Hallmark Gold Crown Stores currently have all of their everyday gift wrap on sale. Our store just marked it all down to 75% off today (from the 50% off it’s been since Xmas). It’s a great chance to stock up on really nice gift wrap, bags and bows for super-cheap. Some of the bags are as inexpensive as a quarter–but even the biggest, fanciest, most expensive bag would only be $1.25 at that discount.

Anyway—thought you might want to know! The sale continues until the last bits are gone… Hallmark is re-doing their everyday wrap starting… pretty much now, actually.

We are housebound in the ice, so I won’t be venturing out for gift wrap today, but perhaps you will. Thanks for letting us know, Erin!

I used to poo-poo the whole energy bar phenomenon. There is no substitute for a balanced meal! Humans are not meant to eat compressed rectangles!

Oh, I was smug.

And while I still believe that, I also have come to realize that sometimes there is no way around needing to grab something portable to eat. And yes, a compressed rectangle of protein is probably a better choice than a handful of cookies. Or so I hear.

So check it out: How would you like to get a stash of energy bars for just $.40 apiece? If you add four sleeves of Genisoy Ultra Bars to your cart at Amazon, you can then apply coupon code GROCERY4 for $10 off and coupon code GENISOY2 for another $20 off. You get 48 bars for $19.20 shipped.

(This is a particularly good deal for those of the female persuasion. Men, be advised that you should moderate your soy intake, lest you’re hoping to grow some breasts of your very own.)

If you’ve never used Winkflash before, now’s the time to sign up.

New customers can sign up and get 100 prints for just $.99, shipped.

Stick with me; soon you’ll be able to paper the interior of your house with pictures of Junior, for just pennies! (I am totally going to find a way to shorten that and make it the site’s tag line.)

Remember how many of you were crushed to miss out on this popcorn deal? Hurry hurry and you may catch it this time around.

Go to Dale and Thomas Popcorn and you can take $20 off of your order with coupon code COMCAST2X. (Don’t ask me when it expires; I don’t know, and I suspect they’ll pull it pretty quickly, anyway.)

The six-pack sampler is $28, so with the code you can get it for $14.95 shipped.

I did the last deal and gave the bags away with holiday teacher gifts, but it broke my heart a little. Their popcorn is insanely good. Oh well… my hips thanked me.

… we may as well start thinking about spring planting.

What’s better than beautiful flowers? Free beautiful flowers!

Take $25 off of your $25+ purchase at Dutch Bulbs with coupon code XA1140F.

Want to turn that into a really smoking deal? (As if free wasn’t good enough?) Check out the Oriental lily mix, which is already half off at $9.99/bag. Buy three bags and the price drops to $9.49 each, plus you get a shipping credit. Bottom line: You pay $9.42 delivered for 60 Oriental lily bulbs.

(P.S. I bought these from Dutch Bulbs many years and one house ago, and they were gorgeous and gigantic, with stems like little tree trunks. I normally kill everything I try to grow and these lilies were unstoppable.)

Happy Martin Luther King Day! Why not celebrate with a little shopping? (Yes, I am a little bothered by the American need to celebrate every great person in our history by spending money. But not quite bothered enough to ignore the deals, apparently.)

Today (January 15th, 2007) only, take 33% off of one item at Family Christian with coupon code 1129372. Please note: The coupon may be used towards sale/clearance, but cannot be used on pre-buy items, gift certificates, VBS, electronics, textbooks, church and home school curriculum, or church supplies, Demdaco and Waterford Crystal products.

Don’t be put off by the store name if you’re not in the market for a bible cover or a “Jesus Saves” shirt; they carry an extensive collection of Narnia paraphenalia as well as other non-bible-thumping items.

Buying a piece of furniture or a lifetime supply of vitamins? This weekend at Overstock you can take $60 off of your $500+ order through this link. I think it might be hard to find something expensive enough to use that on, but who knows. Maybe you need a couch.

(Not feeling quite so flush? Take 8% off your entire order regardless of size, instead, with this link.)

Here in the U.S., we have Monday off to celebrate Martin Luther King Day. I am humbled by what Dr. King was able to accomplish in his short life, and I am also really grateful to have a long weekend just when this whole “getting back in the groove of regular life” thing is starting to wear me down.

But today… today is Friday. Time for (say it with me) the Amazon Friday Sale! Let’s see what they have today, shall we?

Wow. That is really a lot of blades.

Are you strangely drawn to bags made out of seatbelts? Now’s your chance! (I actually think those are really cute, and the price is excellent. Plus you get to tell everyone who compliments it that it’s made of seatbelts, so it’s like running around with your very own conversation-starter.)

Now would also be a good time to stock up on basic T-shirts. (Read the reviews, though. Sounds like they run small.)

Got babies? Want to go jogging? Here’s a nice deal on a high-end double jogging stroller. (Speaking of babies, these penguins made me squee just a little.)

I don’t golf, but I’m told this is a decent set of starter clubs. (Unfortunately, I’m more likely to be found wielding one of these.)

For when you really, really, REALLY love your pet.

For when you really, really, REALLY love a tea snob.

Have fun, and remember: It’s not a bargain unless you really want or need it, or know someone who really wants/needs it, or you can use it as an awesome practical joke.