Why You Can Trust CNET Weekend deals: A $53 tower fan, $12 foaming soap dispenser and a $70 Polaroid camera
It's the weekend, so you deserve to save some money on a few household conveniences.
Cheeps! Have you listened to the latest episode of the Cheapskate Show podcast? You should, especially if you're in a back-to-school mindset. (I know this is a fraught topic, but whether they're at home or in classrooms, students are going to need gear. Affordable gear, ideally.) Anyhow, here's the show if you want to have a listen, followed by a roundup of some genuinely great weekend deals.
As always, these are available for a limited time and while supplies last. All codes and coupons were tested and available at this writing, but may expire or get removed at a particular time or when inventory runs out.
Need to cool a small bedroom, office or the like? TaoTronics' bladeless tower fan might be the perfect pick, especially when you can chop the $80 price tag down to $53. To do that, clip the on-page 5%-off coupon, then apply promo code 23JULYTFAN at checkout.
The three-speed blower comes with a remote and features a large LED display so you can easily check the settings, temperature and so on. There's also a removable back cover for easy cleaning.
Do Polaroid cameras have a place in today's world? I'm specifically referring to the ones that instantly spit out a print that develops before your eyes. (Anyone under the age of 30: Ask your parents.)
Whether you're feeling nostalgic or you find such cameras genuinely useful, Best Buy's deal is a good one. The OneStep 2 normally sells for $90. And while the discount was $30 just a few days ago, you can still snag the Summer Blue version for $20 off.
I've been using a fancy-brand touchless soap dispenser for the last couple months, and I really like it. This one is considerably less expensive -- just $12 when you apply the coupon on the product page and add the promo code NZLQO6QQ at checkout.
But how does it compare? I've had only a day for testing, but so far, so good. The setup instructions aren't great (I'm embarrassed by how long it took me to get the battery compartment open), but I did learn this great trick: You don't have to buy foaming soap. You can use regular hand soap mixed with the proper ratio of water. (I went with 1:5. Result: Perfect foam. Your mileage may vary.)
The customer reviews for this are pretty mixed, and I can't say for sure how well it holds up over months of use. The price is right, though.
Find anything you like? Hit the comments and let me know what looks good.
This article was originally published as Thursday's top deals on, you guessed it, Thursday. It has been updated for the weekend with the latest version of these deals. Expired deals have been removed.
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