So, I dunno, I have pretty much given up on that whole snailmail thing, myself, but if you still use envelopes and the post office, this might interest you.

Get a custom self-inking address stamper for free. You do have to pay the shipping, which will be $3.79 for the continental U.S.

Why, yes, I am having an extremely thrilling Saturday night. Why do you ask?

MSN is giving away Anthony Bourdain’s newest book, The Nasty Bits, for free. From the description at Amazon Publisher’s Weekly (found at Amazon, though):

In this typically bold effort, Bourdain (Kitchen Confidential), like the fine chef he is, pulls together an entertaining feast from the detritus of his years of cooking and traveling. Arranged around the basic tastes: salty, sweet, sour, bitter and umami (a Japanese term for a taste the defies description), this scattershot collection of anecdotes puts Bourdain’s brave palate, notorious sense of adventure and fine writing on display. From the horrifying opening passages, where he joins an Arctic family in devouring a freshly slaughtered seal, to a final work of fiction, the text may disappoint those who’ve come to expect more honed kitchen insights from the chef. Surprisingly, though, the less substantive kitchen material Bourdain has to work from only showcases his talent for observation. This book isn’t for the effete foodies Bourdain clearly despises (though they’d do well to read it). He criticizes celebrity chefs, using Rocco DiSpirito as a “cautionary tale,” and commends restaurants that still serve stomach-turning if palate-pleasing dishes, such as New York’s Pierre au Tunnel (now closed), which offered tête de veau, essentially “calf’s face, rolled up and tied with its tongue and thymus gland.” Fans of Bourdain’s hunger for the edge will gleefully consume this never-boring book.

My interest is piqued. Sign up to get yours if yours is, too.

So I popped up the the Amazon Friday Sale this morning and found myself wondering what exactly people with money are buying, and am I really so very far from the norm, with my frugal ways?

Case in point: Front and center on the Friday Sale page are these shoes. Now, I’ll grant you that they are cute. Adorable, even. (I’m only slightly put off by the ubiquitous “unknown binding” line under the product name. Huh?) But they’re infant shoes. For $35.89. Which—I gather—is supposed to thrill me, because normally these shoes are $54.95.

This sort of thing just blows my mind. I mean, someone must be buying them. Me, I’m just the sort of cheapskate who says things like “Infant shoes? Seriously? They can’t even walk!”

You want a sale price I can get excited about? How about this Calphalon stock pot for $39.99. Now that is a deal. And won’t be outgrown in three weeks.

Or maybe this Roomba Discovery or the Roomba Scheduler, which, what’s happening here? Is Amazon putting Roombas on every Friday sale? That would be awesome, because I believe that whole “chicken in every pot” thing is so yesterday. Today’s politicians should totally be promising a Roomba in every family room. (And don’t forget coupon code FALLSAVE for another $25 off!)

I’m also seriously considering jumping on the luxury sheets train with these 800 thread count sheets. (Or! I could go whole-hog to these sinful 1000 thread count sheets!) In fact, if I buy two sets, I can use that FALLSAVE coupon… hmmmmm….

And I know I highlighted this before, and I know it’s too much money for a sane person to spend (even if it is a really good deal), but I want one of these.

Happy shopping!

Do you remember when I dressed my kids up as cows to get free food?

Yes, I have no shame. But that’s not the point. (And they make cute cows, so you can just shut it.)

Now they’re at it again with the free stuff. Register for a chance at your share of the million nuggets they’re giving away. The first million to register get a coupon for a free large Dr. Pepper, too.

(Why only Dr. Pepper? Why not Coke? Or ginger ale? Is pairing chicken with Dr. Pepper like how you have to have red wine with steak?)

Hitting Office Depot for a few things this weekend? Check out the available printable coupons before you go.

(That one for 60% off all OD brand DVD, CD and diskette media could even be enough to get me out of my desk chair and down to the store.)

Love niche Seattle coffee, but trying to avoid blowing your bucks at the gourmet coffee shop every day? Check out this great deal on Caffe Appassionato coffees at Amazon.

Right now their 3-packs are 41% off, plus order $29+ of Caffe Appassionato in the month of September and receive a $10 Amazon gift certificate for a future purchase. Free Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25, too.

(I will not buy more coffee, I will not buy more coffee, I will not buy more coffee….)