Being in the car is a rare occurrence for me (I’m lucky enough to be able to take the bus to work). When I am cruising the open road, I find myself scrolling through my phone address book for someone to talk to – yes, I use a hands-free device thank you very much! After I’ve exhausted phone-a-friend, I move on to option two – the airwaves. If your local stations are anything like they are here in the Bay Area, it’s quickly realized that the radio won’t provide much entertainment. The songs are repetitive and the back and forth jibber jabber gets old quickly.

Ladies and Gentlemen, boys and girls, children of all ages, let me introduce you to the answer to all of your dead-air-while-driving-because-you-are-all-out-of-options prayers…the Automotive GPS.

Need someone to talk to that won’t try to give you any backtalk? A GPS unit can do that (with the bold assumption that you never stray off course). Want a voice to break up the dead air? That’s right, that dashboard gadget of mappy-wholesome goodness can do just that.

But wait, there’s more! Not a fan of asking for directions? BINGO! A GPS unit in your car can tell you where to go, how long it will take you to get there, and many will even help you find the nearest gas station, coffee shop or golf course (in case you ever find yourself in dire need of playing a quick nine).

Even though I have a pretty good sense of direction (some may disagree with that), I often find myself punching my home address into my navigator to get me home. No, not because I am not sure of the proper route, but hey, who doesn’t like reaffirmation that they are the pilot in charge. And yes, there are times when I try to out smart it and fail miserably. Take last Monday for example. I knew exactly where I was going and how I was going to get there, yet still entered the address to my final destination into the GPS, and then, out of nowhere, I found myself going in the complete opposite direction on the freeway. Not because my verbal mapper friend led me astray, but because I thought, for a split second, I was smarter then the machine.

I finally ended up getting to where I needed to go which included a slight 8-mile detour. Oh, and then there was the backtalk I was talking about earlier. That flooded in during the additional 8 mile excursion.

In closing, I can’t say that I won’t try to challenge myself again on a more direct route, I’ll just have to remember to save those challenges for when I’m the only one in the car and willing to accept ridicule from a computer. Nothing new here, I have that to look forward to for the rest of my life.

Do you remember those times? Well, even if you don’t, you have probably come to realize that coupons are still a thing of the present. The coupon world HAS changed, but at the same time, it has stayed the same. Although parents across the country may still find solace in the coupons delivered to their door in the local newspaper or bunched together in their mailbox, merchants are now branching out to gain greater exposure. You now have a pretty good chance of finding a 20% off coupon for a television in an email campaign, then you do in your periodicals. You may also learn about savings in a weekly newsletter that you originally thought was just cluttering your inbox, or even a targeted ad campaign as you peruse the Internet; maybe seen while walking down 80’s cartoon memory lane (remember Richie Rich?).

During these interesting economic times, the gloves are off in the merchant world to get customers to their site, and it’s these coupons that just might pay off for them.

Here at Buzzillions.com, we recently released a new section of our website to highlight top-rated gift ideas.

BUT WAIT…THERE’S MORE! This new section ALSO features coupon offers that many of our merchant partners are offering. No longer do you have to use scissors as the starting point for your savings. Now it’s as simple as entering a code during the checkout process to take advantage of free shipping, $100 off one item, or even 30% off an entire order. To “get you in the door”, these deals are only going to get better and more enticing.

Didn’t know about this new gifts and coupons page? That’s fine too because we’ve made sure to point out our partner’s special promotions on our product pages as well. Want to buy a TV? You’ll be happy to know that our top-rated LCD flat-panel TV offers free shipping from one merchant or no sales tax (outside of NY) from another.

These special offers change frequently, so come back early and return often so you too can hop on the coupon bandwagon. There is no sense in having your special someone hoping for a treat, only to be disappointed come holiday times.

…Fast forward to Sunday, November 17, 2008. I again found myself eating breakfast with the parents, this time it was Pancakes on the menu and NFL Countdown on TV. Instead of scissors in my mom’s hand, she was armed with a laptop,  mouse, newly received email offer, and a desire to shop…only this time, I had to teach her how to copy and paste! The more things change, the more they DO stay the same.